Handmade Birthday Card by Linda Hess

A friend of mine recently said that the only thing she would like for her birthday was a mailbox full of handmade cards, so that she would receive something besides bills.  Be careful what you wish for (hehe)...off to the studio I go!

First thing I pulled out was Creative PaperClay.  Those who know me realize that this is a "clay" outside my normal realm, but the time I spent on the Creative Paperclay design team was an eye opening experience into what can be done with this product.  For this project, it should be the perfect base for my card.  I conditioned a bit by squeezing it in my hands and then rolled it flat in my pasta machine.  (NOTE:  for those of you  who do not own a pasta machine for clay or might even use your pasta machine for...well, pasta...you may roll the clay flat with a rolling pin or acrylic rod.  An even thickness can be obtained by rolling between 2 pieces of cardboard or a stack of playing cards...you get the idea)

Once rolled flat I placed the clay on a sheet of paper to work on the design.  In our box of goodies for this month we received a metal template (Ornare Vellum) from Ecstacy Crafts (www.ecstacycrafts.com).  I placed it on top of the sheet of clay and then rolled over it with an acrylic roller to press the clay into the openings. 

Once I had the clay impressed with the template design I used an exacto knife to cut around the edges.

I opened the tiny pinholes in the template using a turkey lacer (NOTE: a beading pin or sewing needle will also work).  This will take some time...you may have to give your hand a stretch every so often. 

I brushed over the other openings using Pearl Ex powders in multiple colors.

Then carefully, slowly I peeled the PaperClay away from the template.  At first it came away easily, but then I ran into a glitch.  I started peeling too quickly and of course the clay ripped :-(  They are pretty scraps, but not exactly what I want to send to a friend. 

Back to the drawing board.

This time I powdered the surface with cornstarch before repeating the above steps.  With luck the cornstarch acts as a release and the design peels easily away from the template.

Woohoo!  The template came up nice and clean.  Only "drawback" (if there is one) is that you need to hold the template in place as you go around cutting and detailing.  Otherwise the design will move.

After cutting and piercing, I brushed the surface lightly with rubbing alcohol before applying Pearl Ex powders.  During the process of powdering (with cornstarch) and then detailing, etc. Creative PaperClay will begin to dry out.  The addition of rubbing alcohol re-wets the surface and helps the Pearl Ex to adhere. 

Now to unveil....WHEW! 

Obviously I used a bit too much rubbing alcohol in the one corner, but it can be covered with embellishments :-)  Brush around the edges with rubbing alcohol to clean up any roughness.

The center is stamped with one of my favorite sayings using ColorBox archival ink in "Wicked Black".  Holes are opened slightly around center image using a turkey lacer.

From my stash of paper I found a soft pink.  It was stamped using the "Romantic Background" unmounted stamp from Sin City Stamps and VersaMark ink, sprinkled with Recollections "plum" embossing powder, and heat to set.  Then I cut out the image.

 

 

 

Roses are placed in corners to cover "boo-boos".  For now they are only placed.  Once the Creative Paperclay dries they will be glued in place using "The Ultimate" glue from Crafter's Pick (my favorite glue).

Being an impatient sort when it comes to projects, I placed the card in the oven and baked at 275 degrees for about 15-20 minutes.  This speeds the drying process, so that I can continue rather than wait (the little kid in me rearing her ugly head!).  (PLEASE NOTE:  Creative PaperClay will draw up and curl slightly if "forced" to dry.  A weight of some sort might be desired on top of the image will keep it flattened).

Now to finish the embellishments.  Looking at the rubber stamped images I realized that something else was needed....maybe a little dimension.  I pulled out the mold that I made a few projects ago ("New Wave "Batik" canvas: Pt 2 [http://sincity-stamps.blogspot.com/2014/04/new-wave-batik-canvas-part-2.html]) and a little bit of polymer clay.  I pressed clay into the mold, shaved off the excess, and unmolded the watch. 

Using an exacto knife I cut out the center of the fob as well as the center of the watch (opening it up).  I brushed it with Pearl ex powder and baked it at 275 degrees for 15 minutes.  Once cooled, the "Romantic Background" image is cut to fit inside and glued in.  Gives the illusion of painted picture in a frame, don't you think??  (Please use your imagination here)

 

A silver ribbon highlights the rubber stamped center.  (Note: I used a wired ribbon to ease the threading process). 

 

 

 

The watch is glued into place (over the boo-boo).  A tiny charm designates this card as "hand made" just as my friend requested :-)

Now to create an envelope....but that will be a demo for another day.  See you soon!



Steampunk Style Cards

Hello everyone.  Barbara here, and today I am going to share a couple of cards I made using Sin City Stamps and a really fun product  called Composi•mold reusable mold making material.  Okay, I was not sure about this product, but after I got over my fears, I jumped right in and I have to tell you, this stuff is sheer FUN!  It is easy to use, and absolutely mistake-proof because, if you don't like what you made, you can start over just by reheating the product.



I love making 3D embellishments and have always wished I had a way to make my stamped images come to life and more dimensional.  Well, here's the answer.  I was able to make molds of my Sin City Stamps, which allowed me to use whatever materials I choose to make these images 3D. I chose to use Creative Paperclay®.   I love it!

I found a wonderful video tutorial here which explains how easy it is to use.

http://www.youtube.com/user/ComposiMold

Supplies:

Sin City Stamps A Wing Above the Rest; Art Journaling with Terri Sproul 2

Composi•mold reusable mold making material

Creative Paperclay® air-dry modeling material

Mix'd Media ink (Leather) (Altered Pages)

Metallic Rub on creams (Altered Pages)

Regent Street paper collection (Recollections)

Black acrylic paint

Metal Gears (Tim Holtz)






Directions for Composi•mold:


Follow Composi•mold directions to mold your stamp images.  It is so simple, even a caveman can do it.

Next, choose a microwave safe plate that you will never use for food again and mist with either mold release or Pam cooking spray, which is what I had on hand.

Heat Composi•mold per package directions and pour contents over stamp image (face up) to about a ½" depth or slightly less.  It may seem like you are using a lot of product, but remember, this stuff is reusable, so there is no waste here.

After the Composi•mold has cooled, it will be ready to remove from the pan.  You can then remove your stamp by flexing the Composi•mold and carefully removing it.

I made my second mold at the same time using this image.

Now, to make your Creative Paperclay® stamped images, all you need to do is push the clay into the mold and let it dry a bit before removing it.  You do this the same way as you removed the stamp, but perhaps a bit more carefully as not to disturb the clay too much.  I always turn my mold over and, while using pressure, make sure the clay is really into the mold, and at the same time, making the back smooth and nice for layering.  Here is what it looks like through the Composi•mold.

The really cool thing about this being see through is that you can check your clay to see if you have gotten it into all those little nooks and crannies, unlike any other push molds.  After the clay is dry, you can trim off any excess clay around your image, and even sand if smooth, if necessary.



Now that my Paperclay® is dry, sanded, and trimmed, I can begin the next step.

I first painted each piece with black acrylic paint, making sure to cover all of the white clay.

To bring out all of the details of the Sin City Stamps, which are etched so well and worked fabulously for this project, I simply used my go-to-tool (my finger) and picked up various colors from these cool little metallic rub-on creams.

I used two and three colors to give it some interest, and in the closeups below, I think you will see what I mean about how well-etched the Sin City Stamps are, because the detail is just awesome.

For my first card, I cut my print paper to just less than 5" x 7" so that a tiny border on my card base would show.  I stamped the small swirl from the Art Journaling with Terri Sproul 2 plate in Leather ink along the top portion.  I also stamped STEAM from the A Wing Above the Rest plate in the same color ink.  Then I adhered that to my kraft card base.

Next, I die cut three gears from another print paper and because it had a design in resist, I again added some gold metallic rub-on cream over each gear.  It was subtle, but effective.  The gear on the right has not been colored yet.  

I added the gears, the now dimensional stamp image, and some metal gears to the card front.

For my second card, I cut my plaid print paper to just less than 5" x 7" so that a tiny border on my card base would show.  Then I stamped the script from Art Journaling with Terri Sproul 2

and the bricks from Art Journaling with Terri Sproul 2 over the print, as shown.  I am not real fond of plaids, so this made me much happier and I think added to the overall look.  I then edged the paper and layered onto my kraft card base.

I cut out some ephemera from one of the print papers, edged both with Leather ink, stamped Remember When from the Art Journaling with Terri Sproul 2 plate onto one, and adhered both to my card.  I used foam pop dots for the ticket.  I also added some metal gears for fun.

I hope you enjoyed my steampunk style cards today.  They would make wonderful masculine cards for all those men in our lives.



Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to check out the Sin City Stamps online store for all your stamping needs.  And while you are at it, hop on over to Composi•mold and check out their fun products as well.   I will be back in a couple of weeks with another fun project using this awesome material with Sin City's fabulous stamps!  And please visit me at my place, http://blackholeartstudio.blogspot.com



In the meantime, thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful, creative weekend.



Barbara