If you love someone, set them free...

I am posting this card for the VivaLasVegaStamps January challenge. I have no idea why my VLVS challenge projects always end up at the end of the month... but here I am again :) The mood board is great as always. I picked at least Feminity, Tans, Black and White, Text and Bold. And since that balloon is a heart, I've just got to post for the Paperartsy challenge (Hearts) too.

The text and Banksy girl were stamped a piece of cream card. I coloured a square of water colour paper with brown brusho (it seems to always end up a bit pink...) and stamped a selection of VLVS stamps for texture and interest.

As with all of my cards lately, I used my sewing machine to give a finishing touch. I love this sentiment from the Wizard of Oz. I have no idea who would need a card like this and where, but it is a fun pair with the Banksy girl.

at first sight.

The Paperartsy challenge for hearts has had lots of inspiring posts that I'd love to try... like stamping on fabric or clay... but I just don't have the time right now. Looking at this recent post with a valentines card in browns and blues I realized I had the ingredients lying on my table: a chippie heart with copper embossing powder and a brown/teal masterboard from last year. Besides Paperartsy, I'm also posting for the SanDee & amelie's Steampunk challenge.

The chipboard heart is from Eye ConnectCrafts. It has been heat embossed several times. The first layer was gold, next a couple of layers of WOW Copper Pearl into which I stamped while soft with the Swirly background from Rubber Dance stamps. I wanted some patina colour so I added Verdigris embossing powder and heated once more. The texture flattened out but the swirls are lovely. The halves were attached using oval jump rings that were squished at random. I was looking at the larger sentiments on ESN12, and suddenly this tiny one caught my eye! A perfect match for the valentines theme :)

More Mixed Media CAS

My very first ever piece of home decor! Actually I made a similar card recently, a friend wanted to hang it on her wall, so I offered to make a similar one that would fit in the frame she had. Here goes, posting for the Ribbon Girl January challenge (Any Image), the Stamplorations mixed media challenge (anything goes) and the Craft Stamper take-it-make-it challenge (Take a Stamp). I am also linking to the Rubber Dance January challenge (black and white + chosen splash of colour). It was hard to get a decent photo through the glass...

The middle square is a mixed media background (scrap paper glued on scrap card covered with gesso and white acrylic paint). There was some blue ink on the scraps, that seeped through the layers. Texture paste has been added through TH bubbles and there's Stampendous Chunky white embossing enamel, some half pearls and white thread. The stamps I used are all from Rubber Dance Art Stamps, butterfly wings from Antique Botanicals, mannequin from Sew Sweet (stamped on shrink plastic and covered with Glossy Accents) and text from Affirmations. I used washi tape to mask the text while spreading ink so I could stamp the parts I wanted. I cut a piece of white cardstock to measure the frame (from Ikea), eyeballed the center square in place and sewed around it. Oh, and some blue Distress inks were involved with the edges before sewing :) Here's a picture I took before placing the piece inside the frame.

A wreath with hearts

The Paperartsy challenge is asking for hearts. I went through my stash, wondering what hearts I happen to have, and decided to use some small heart shaped beads. I am also posting for the Craft Stamper January challenge (Take a Stamp) and the Stamplorations CAS challenge (I'd call this clean, and weather fussy cutting is simple depends on who is cutting ;). I haven't yet tried to crunch this into an envelope...

When these stamps were launched, I loved an example card where this shrub had been fussy cut and built into a wreath. I've been burning to try it out, and now I at last have the stamps (ESN17)... as can be seen, the set doesn't limit itself to Christmas! I stamped the branch six times, coloured with Inktense pencils and water and spent a lovely time fussy cutting all of them. The mean part was trying to get them arranged in an even circle. It became a bit oval, but that's ok :) I twirled some thread in between the leaves and glued the pearls with Glossy Accents.

Spread Your Wings and Dream

Posting for the WOW embossing powders challenge (anything goes, links placed in comments), the Ribbon Girl January challenge (Any Image), the Craft Stamper January challenge (Take a Stamp) and the Rubber Dance challenge (black and white + chosen third colour = kraft).

Rubber Dance Art Stamps is doing collaboration with Eye Connect Crafts (who make mdf chippies). I think stamping is an excellent way to customize the mdf, and of course the mdf brings new dimension and added interest to projects with rubber stamping. This is a good example: the stamped mannequin would be forlorn by itself, the wings would be boring without the stamped texture :)

If you go shopping at the Rubber Dance website, you can get a 15% discount on your order by using the code kristiina2016. Orders over 35€ have free shipping :)

I started by realizing I could cut a narrow strip from the frayed edge of some linen fabric and use it on the Totem wings from Eye Connect Crafts. I stamped the harlequin stamp with Versamark and heat embossed with chunky white embossing powder for a distressed and chunky look. I added sprinkles of the embossing powder too. The edges got some white acrylic paint and some glitter, the linen was fastened on the back with doublesided tape.

The mannequin was stamped twice and heat embossed with black. A whole image was fastened on the card base, the wings on top of it and the dress part was attached on top and finished with a fabric rose. 

I have a broken old book from about 1850 from which I have used pages for all sorts of things. They fit my colour choice of kraft/tan, so I mounted a sheet on the card base using white paper to give a border and sewed around the piece. The craft of these card bases is a mustard yellow hue, which I don't really like, so I prefer to cover it up when possible.

B is for Bananaquit

I actually googled what the name of this bird is in English, glad it happens to start with b too :) I'm joining in the Craft Barn alpha/dictionary challenge, and decided to start snipping into a wildlife encyclopedia that has been bought for this purpose. The first snips are always the worst! Since the colours of the bird were a perfect fit, I'm also posting for the Rubber Dance January challenge (black, white and choice of colour).

The card is a bit larger than an ATC, half of A6. I used Distress Inks to colour the edges and promarkers to colour my letter (it's from the Rubber Dance Alphabet Uno sheet). The music paper is from my stash, and I couldn't resist adding some sewing :) The description of the bird is on the other side of the card, and since most of you probably don't understand a word of it, here is a link to wikipedia :)

Thanks for peeking, join along in these fun challenges!

Transparency

The Paperartsy challenge is asking for transparent art. I have really enjoyed the posts, especially this one by Keren with stamping on acetate. I wanted to work on a card rather than a 3D object, but wanted to use a clear plastic to give more dimension. I made a similar card with a mason jar last autumn, and now I wanted to try out this bottle... and I'm also posting for the Country View challenge (Be Inspired by Bottles).

Below you can see the plain stamping (I worked straight on the DL card base for a CAS look). the image was coloured with colour pencils, mint green for the bottle (doesn't show here, but the plastic enhances it) and yellow for the flowers. I ended up using some shimmery yellow spray to add bling to the flower and ink sprays here and there. I cut slots along the straight edges of the bottle with a craft knife, taking care to stay inside the outlines.

I stamped the bottle on a plastic sheet (the kind that used to be used for overhead projectors, not very thick) andcut it out leaving flaps on both sides.

Here you can see how the flaps peek through to the inside of the card. I fastened them with double sided tape and covered with white washi tape.

And this is the buldge this gives to the bottle: The flaps limit to the outside of the bottle, the slots are on the inside of the bottle outline and these few millimetres on both sides add surprising dimension. And yet it isn't too thick to be put into an envelope.

I love the way this turned out and I'm so glad the bottle worked this well (I was a bit nervous about the neck...) If I should change something, I wouldn't use mint green with dark yellow... I have no idea what went into me when I chose those colours! But here it is, and the idea is worth revisiting :)

Little Teddies

The Crafty Individuals challenge is asking for lace, buttons, bits and bobs. Really something to make me step out of my comfort zone! I've had this cute teddy stamp for a while, and now I decided to try it out. Also posting for the SimonSaysStamp Monday challenge (stencil it) and the WOW embossing powders challenge (Anything goes).

I stamped the teddies several times on a marker pad and proceeded to practise colouring with Promarkers. Four images, and I cut them up and pieced together the best parts so I got the image you can see on the card. The eyes and nose were finished with some Glossy Accents.

My background is a homemade mixed media one: paper scraps glued on scrap card, gesso, using sequin waste as a stencil to heat emboss flowers and teal spray mixed with white. I didn't have matching buttons, so I customised some ugly ones by heat embossing them a couple of times with white. The pink is the same Promarkers as on the dress, I find alcohol markers work well on heat embossing. I used some diecuts from my stash, the vellum flowers have been stamped with background stamps and heat embossed with white. Almost everything has been attached with my sewing machine, the poor thing sees practically no fabrics :)

Craft Barn calendar 1

Here's my mixed media calendar, done for the Craft Barn challenge last year. Gave it to my mom for Christmas, she liked it very much... but complained that it's usable only during one year :) I made three calendars last year, but this is the only one that was posted all year long and linked to every linkup.

The two other calendars were started in March and can be found here: (link to the December page where there are links to the other pages of the calendar)
The scrappy calendar 
The collage calendar (my kids favourite, this is on our wall now :)

A Little Birdie

The Paperartsy challenge is asking for transparent art. I've been watching the lovely DT posts, but since I just couldn't find my acetate I decided to start with my favourite transparent (or more like transluscent) material: vellum. Especially heat embossed vellum... I'm also joining in the WOW embossing powders challenge (anything goes).

I heat embossed the bird from ESN15 onto vellum with WOW Verdigris and fussy cut it. The details of the music on the stamp got lost, but gave good stripes under which I placed narrow strips of foam tape. I blended the background with Distress Inks in colours inspired by the embossing powder and a TH stencil. Some thread and bling, and this is done :)

Mixed Media CAS?

The Scrappiness challenge is asking for mixed media. Joining in the fun with this card that looks kind of CAS even though it is messy and layered :) Also posting for the Rubber Dance challenge (black and white + a splash of colour), the Caseplorations challenge (stencilled background, nest of thread, pearls instead of dewdrops) and the SimonSaysStamp Monday challenge (something new, the mannequin stamp).

The background has layers of torn scrap paper, gesso, white acrylic paint, modelling paint, embossing, charcoal smudges and sewing. The focal point is shrink plastic. All the stamps (text, butterfly and mannequin) are Norwegian unmounted rubber from Rubber Dance. The mannequin was stamped with Stazon on translucent shrink plastic and after shrinking I covered it with Glossy Accents. The butterfly has been stamped with Distress inks and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. I sprinkled on some Chunky White embossing powder and added a few half pearls.

Some mail art to finish the card. I used the same TH stencil as for the card and Distress inks to embellish the edge of the envelope. Oops, you can't see it in the picture, but the text at the bottom of the envelope is "mail art" and is a Rubber Dance stamp too :)