Einsteinium ATC

I completed my last ATC for the "Elements" ATC swap in which I am participating. It was a bit tedious cutting out and popping up all the pieces. And, yes, the edges are colored in medium gray!

I think I should have reversed the element abbreviation and the formula, but was not going to start all over again.  The background is layered with Da Vinci backward handwriting and some circular stamps from Club Scrap's Solstice. I also edged the entire card in blue ink to tie all the colors together and give a more finished edge.

Tuesday's Tip

While making cards for PSL (it is finally over!) and other projects, I was grabbing various white card stock bases. Obviously, different weights and textures of card stock will take media differently. I had been using smooth coated card stock for stamping and embossing. But, I should have paid closer attention to my mail art postcard bases as I used Pan Pastels to add color. Just a reminder that the type of card stock matters. Sometimes when we are in a creative frenzy, we tend to grab our usual materials. Take a few moments to think about the coloring media you will be using and pick appropriately.

Blogger Issues

Just found out that IE-Blogger connection is not working - hence the loss of photos. Hopefully, this will be fixed before my next post. Otherwise, photos can be viewed on Facebook Creating with Connie.

Thanks for your patience!

Photos?

For some reason, the photos in the "Favorite Page" post are not visible. I just tried to repost here with no luck. So, hopefully, whatever glitch blogger is having will be fixed soon. I will try again then.

My Favorite Pages

I scrapped a few pages for this last week of PSL. I had originally planned to complete the 8 x 8 album I am making my daughter (and myself) of our trip to France for her high school graduation. Today, I worked on the photos from Giverny and Monet's estate.

This was my favorite of the 2 page spreads. I took a number of photos in the Water Garden and the Pond.   

I really like this page in particular. I attempted to copy one of Monet's paintings, taking photos from different locations. A close-up of the photo is below:

The key to getting the photo I wanted was to take my time and try different angles. Do you have certain photos that are favorites? Get them out of the box onto a page. It took me a while, but that is what I did today.

Makeover

I made and posted the above card to show how Washi and decorative tapes can be used on cards. In retrospect, I thought it was a bit plain and in need of a focal point. So, I was playing around with Grunge Board, Mini Paper Rosette die, and Distress Stains. This card became:

I like it a bit better. Have you made a card,scrapbook layout, or journal page that just was not quite what you wanted? Try a little makeover for yourself!

Tuesday's Tip

Today's tip centers around color combinations. As a member of Club Scrap, I receive a color coordinated kit monthly. If you shop at your local scrapbook store, you may purchase a color coordinated paper kit from a company like Basic Gray (one of my favorites for patterned paper). Sometimes, I find the color combinations are not quite my cup of tea. Last month's kit paired lime green with red (and some neutrals). Although I love red, it just did not work for me combined with the green. So, I combined the green with a pink. After all, pink is the "in color" for 2011.

The above is a sample of the combination. For all you CS users, try this combination, or make up one of your own. Not a Club Scrap user? Try adding a pop color to one of your paper kits for some added mileage.

More Mail Art

Real life has taken most of my time this past few days. I was on a bit of a roll one day last week and created a few fun bits and pieces.

The above piece of mail art was created a long with the Moon Man. In addition to adding color with Distress Inks, I was playing with Glaze and Souffle pens. The border of the garden plan was double outlined with a combination of these pens. I really like the combination of glossy and mat. Have you given these pens a try? They create interesting effects!

Mail Art

I am participating in an informal mail art exchange with my friend, Sherry, in Indiana. I wanted to use this background for something surreal and vibrant. It was not until after I stamped the image on matte coat that I decided to use pastels. Since matte coat has a smooth clay coating, it does not have the "tooth" to grab certain coloring media. However, I was persistent and found that my Pan Pastels would work. The background was colored with the pastels and sealed with workable fixative. The moon man was stamped on a mate coat scrap and colored in with Copics. I cut him out and glued him to the background. The hand was colored with Souffle pens.  This was actually quite quick to create as I did not do a lot of painstaking coloring. The broad strokes of the pastels made it super easy. Just remember, if you use your pastels to add color, use the appropriate non-coated paper.

Transparency Fun

I have had this unfinished journal page in the back of my mind to complete. During my art journal weekend, I made this page, using transparencies as hinged pages. They will open up to expose a base page. The hinges were made with tape.

Here is the page with 2 of the transparencies open. I snuck in a third one - with a shrink plastic martini in the lower right.

Here's the completed page. The background is from a magazine and the main image is cut from a "Housewife's" Tarot deck. I like the vibrancy of the colors - and it's just a fun little page. So, try a bit of transparency in your work.

Tuesday's Tip

There a plethora of  decorative and colorful brads on the market. If you are like me, you probably have several colors and shapes. I often use brads as decorative embellishments on a card or page. But, remember that they work well in fixing mats to cards or scrapbook pages. After all, they were originally marketed as a paper fastener. With so many decorative uses, we may forget their original purpose.

Busy Day

Today was quite the busy and productive day. Have you had one of these lately? There were so many ideas that I wanted to try it was difficult to find a starting point. PSL is in full swing, so I should be helping my teams with scrapbooking and/or card making. But...the art journal and mail art were calling to me! So, I ended up doing a little of each (well, except the scrapping).
My last project of the day was making cards for my Club Scrap card team. Our challenge this week really is a challenge - using Club Scrap stickers. I am not a sticker person - never have been. I always figure that with all the rubber stamps I own, I can make my own stickers in the exact colors I need/want.  Well, I gave it a shot:

I am still not a sticker fan - at least for cards. I will admit that alphabet stickers are periodically useful for scrapbook pages. How about you - fan or no?

Torn Strips

For this card, I used a technique similar to one used on an art journal page that I posted last week. Instead of using torn strips of patterned paper with Washi tapes, I used Club Scrap card stocks.  I tore a variety of lengths and glued them to a base. I interspersed pieces of Washi tape as well. Once the panel was dry, I sponged a bit of Distress Ink (Pumice Stone) to tie it all together. I stamped the medallion and cut it out. I used mounted tape to place it on the panel - centering a yellow paper flower and pearl on the image.  It is very easy to adapt techniques to a variety of paper arts.

Using Decorative Tape

Last week, I posted a couple of art journal pages using tape. I used the tape to frame the main image (a vintage photo reproduction).  I carried this technique over to the above card. I used a green vine tape around the main image - you can see it around the edges. The strip behind the sentiment is also tape.

Tuesday's Tip

This is another old time tip that I recently had to use. With PSL and all the scrap booking I have been doing, I sometimes get a bit over-zealous with my ATG gun and adhesive. I had VERY SECURELY adhered a matted photo, when I decided I needed to move it a bit. Peeling it up was not an option as it would tear all the papers involved. I un-raveled some dental floss and slowly moved it between the mat and the base page. It took a bit of time (remember, I said "securely"!), but I was able to lift the photo up and re-position it without damage. Keep some waxed floss handy for your next little mistake.

CASE-ing

I received the above thank you card from a friend. I thought it was a simple, yet interesting design that could easily be "CASE"d (Copy and Steal ).  Since I am participating on a card team for PSL, I figured it would be quick to reproduce.

This is my version of the card. I love red and thought it would be a good addition to the black and white. The background is a Cuttlebug embossing folder that I rubbed black ink over. The sentiment frame is another Cuttlebug embossing die cut.  After making this card, I thought I would try a different variation.

For this card, I embossed black card stock and swiped the raised numbers with a white ink pad. I thought that the green, black and white needed a little pop of color - hence the bright raspberry ink used on the sentiment.  Next time you see an interesting store bought card, try making a copy with your own twist.

Art Journal Fun

This was a playful double page spread I made. The background on the left was created with strips of various background papers and tapes. On the right page, the inner part of the page is a resist - water soluble Pastel over Glaze pen outline. Both techniques could be translated to a variety of projects, including cards and ATC's.

Quilted Embossed Cards

I had better make some cards for my PSL team this week, since last week was a bit unproductive. I had seen a similar card made by my friend, Elaine, and thought it would be fun for this week's challenge. Using Sizzix Stampin' Up dies, I cut the main white panel and flowers (all card stocks are Club Scrap). I stamped the vine image onto the white panel. Once dry, I attached the flower and ran the entire panel through my Sizzix in an embossing folder. It added a wonderful texture to the overall card. The sentiment was added after embossing and the panel was attached to a gate-fold card.

This card is a slightly different variation of the above. The same technique was used - I just added a ribbon.  

Art Journaling

This page was created during last weekend's journaling classes. I like the combination of stamping and rub- ons to add some textural interest to the vintage photo. By using a photo, you can see that some of the these techniques can also be translated to scrapbook pages.

Tuesday's Tip

I spent the weekend in collage and art journal workshops. We used a lot of gel medium to glue various papers and materials. I usually like to use a wood handled paint brush (not a foam brush), which I wash and use many times. Sometimes, during all the washing, the bristles start to fray and pull out.. To get a little more mileage out of the brush, I will trim the bristles to even them out. Give it a try!