New Year News! (And some nutty stamp-geek-ness) ;o)

What's this nut been up to? ;o)

Well it feels like a million things are new this year,
...from...
finding out that I'm allergic to most of the foods I eat:
wheat, eggs, milk & milk stuffs, beef, and so on...
(Which is good since it may mean "buh-bye" to the migraines!) :-D
....to...
my Sweetie getting a full 3 sessions to teach at SFU for the spring semester
(Yay Honey!)

But by far the most exciting thing, is that I get to join the
My Favorite Things Design Team. What a fun bunch of gals they are!
It's a star-studded set of stampers and words can't say how thrilled I am!

So, without further ado.... here's my first MFT project:

It's a Valentine's gift set made with
My Favorite Things digital image Robots2...

Those robots are such a delight to colour & add little things to.



I added a print out that gave me the giggles (in a stamp-geek kind of way!)
It says "You sizzle my circuits." It's embossed on vellum cardstock
(from the printer with clear e.p.) and then added to the image by
slicing a line with a hobby blade & inserting it.

There's a lot of chain on this project, from the heart border which
is chain stitched on) to the hangy bits on the lid of the altered pistachio nut box:



They're strung along hole punched in the bottom of the lid,
so the pistachios don't go stale.

The MFT Robots on the box are made by:

A) Embossing the digital image onto patterned paper (painted with Golden Matte Medium)
B) Colouring with Copic markers & cutting them out.
C) Adhering them to patterned paper that was distressed with Gesso & beaded.
D) Adding a band of patterned paper, pink organza ribbon, & more chain...and...

E) Adding a top bit of patterned paper to hide the pistachio label:

(The papers are Basic Grey Sultry Dressy SUL-1154 & Heidi Swapp crazy love)

Last but not least,
You won't wanna miss the sweet 2010
line up of fab MFT Designers on Kim's blog here:

What a talented crowd!
They've made some gorgeous things this week!

Thank You ever so much for taking time to visit.
Hope you have a crafty kind of day!

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Hero Arts luminary snowman gift box (a pictorial)

You Gals n Guys may have seen this luminary gift box before (in the Caardvarks' Hero Arts challenge gallery a while back) and I've been meaning to finish up this pictorial for it....but then ol' life got in the way....You know how it goes...the best laid plans Of Mice & Mel. ynuk ynuk

Wish you could see the snowy sky in person. It's fun with the different textures and pearls & gems & beads & pierced holes... It's so sparkly with the light of a sunny window behind it!

1...Stamps--from Hero Arts--used here
2...all the how-to for the bits that make this luminary box
3...the label box template

-1-

(From Hero Arts) used on this:

1) Create Your Own Snowman

2) Antique Brocade
3) Holiday Sayings

(click the pics if you'd like to go look at these)

• Hero Arts stamps (above)
• Hero Arts pearls
• Pearly seed beads
• Swarovski crystals
• Paper piercer, needle & thread
• CTMH Turquoise & Navy markers
• White pigment ink & whit embossing powder
• 7 gypsies text paper, with Gesso & New Leaf Copic marker
• Apple green embroidery thread
• Double-sided tape & Tombow monomulti
• Stickles & fun flock
• Circle cutter (or something round & a pencil to trace)

-2-

...make all the bits on this:

the background:

The turquoise emboss-resist background paper was made by:

A) Heat-embossing white watercolour paper--with the Hero Arts Antique Brocade cling stamp (in clear embossing powder.)

B) Inking the stamped paper up--with different markers for gradient monochromatic colour (water-based/CTMH markers to get the deeper background tones & alcohol/Copic markers to tint the embossed pattern.)

C) Cutting it into squares & stitching it on a turquoise piece of cardstock--using a Paper piercer, and a needle with turquoise thread.

To get a mix of snowy looking texture bits:

1) Pierce, in a random pattern, with a paper piercer
2) Highlight some pierced holes with a Sakura stardust glitter pen
3) Apply Hero Arts pearls
4) Stitched on pearly seed beads
5) Glued on Swarovski crystals

the card mat:

to make a distressed card mat :

(that matches your Copics/markers)

1) Cut a piece of patterned paper to size
2) Paint around the edges with gesso or a wash of white paint
3) Colour it with Copic or other markers (this is New Leaf)

LIL' TIP: Using gesso or paint allows you to blend the marker with your finger (right after it's applied & still wet--after each stroke or two. You could also use a colourless blender (the gesso lets Copics blend wonderfully.) If you're worried about contaminating your markers, a great solution is to just paint Copic refill on with a brush.

the clouds:



To create clouds with some funky texture:

1) Emboss Hero Arts Antique Brocade (onto white watercolour paper with white pigment ink & white embossing powder.)
2) Sprinkle on extra embossing powder--just loose on there--and heat from the back (Fun cause it looks like snow!)
3) Draw cloud shapes on the back & cut them out.
4) Pierce around the edges & stitch with white thread.



LIL' TIP: Pliers make a handy way to hold the clouds while heating the embossing powder

the snowman:

The fun part about this Create Your Own Snowman is that you can put his pieces together however you like. Here are the bits I used:

To make the snowman pieces:

A) Stamp the snow man body, head & face in black ink & emboss it (or use permanent ink.) I stamped him on more watercolour paper.
B) Stamp the Arts tapestry cling stamp over the outline of the snowman--using Versamark ink for a resist pattern--Heat-emboss with clear embossing powder.
C) Add a very light turquoise ink wash with Broken China distress ink.

the scarf:



to make the snowman's scarf:

1) Stamp it in black pigment ink (on patterned paper painted with gesso)
2) While the ink is wet emboss it with clear embossing powder.
3) Colour with Copic markers
4) Adhere it to thick cardstock (I used more watercolour paper)
5) Cut it out & add fringe to the ends (just cutting bits & sticking on really sticky tape)



LIL' TIP: Add another layer of cardstock on the back of the scarf to make it sturdy & hold the embroidery thread fringe really well. It makes a neat custom chipboard shape.

the stick arms:



A) Stamp the stick arms on brown cardstock.
B) Emboss them with brown pigment ink & clear embossing powder.
C) Cut them out & adhere them out to the back of the snowman.

LIL' TIP: to add a sturdy (and affordable) dimension to pieces, just cut fun foam to size & adhere it to the back of each piece.

the embossed hill:

Step 1) Make a hill:

A) Trace curvy template at bottom
B) Trace something round above the curve for the hill. (This is a making memories cutter but you could use a plate or anything.)
C) Cut it out



Step 2) Stamp the hero arts sentiments onto the hill & emboss in white.

No worries about extra white embossing powder bits here or there, 'cause they look like snow:



To stamp the sentiments as a full background, I just left them on their packaging (adhering them to an acrylic block with double-sided tape and stamped...)



Step 3) To highlight a particular sentiment (in green here) Colour an area with marker. The embossing will resist it. (I used two pieces of masking tape to mask out a stripe & coloured with a green water-based marker)



Step 4) Bead & stitch around the sentiment & Pierce & stitch around the hill with white thread--if you like.

the sleigh:

A) Stamp the sleigh on brown cardstock (this is Bronze metallic cardstock from Paper Temptress. It has a bit of built in bling.)
B) Emboss the wet ink with brown pigment ink & clear embossing powder.
C) Colour the sleigh with a brown marker (the marker will stay wet on this particular metallic cardstock, allowing you to heat-emboss it with clear embossing powder.

D) Cut the sleigh out & add a ribbon:



E) Add the ribbon...

1) Pierce a hole
2) Thread ribbon through a hole in the sled front & knot it.
3) Thread the end through a bead & knot it too

LIL' TIP: I used Tombow monomulti to glue the sled on & hold the ribbon in place, so it had a little twist to it.

Finishing touches (snow snow snow)



A) Add glue & fun flock for snow



B) Add Stickles to the snow for some bling

Add mats to the image--I added the green distressed mat (detailed above) & another of watercolour paper for sturdiness.)

Once all the mats are placed you can re-pierce the holes so light will shine through from the back of it:



LIL' TIP: you can hold the image up to the light & it'll shine through so you can see if you like the placement of the holes...and pierce more if you want.

the box:



Step 1) Print & cut box template



Step 2) Trace the template onto Watercolour paper--or whatever cardstock you like.



Step 3) Score & fold the box

Step 4) Finally, assemble it all--by adhering the image to the front of the box.

-3-


JPG downloads on SCS here.

PDFs (in 2 sizes):

Large Box:
measures 4 1/2" wide at the bottom

PDF Large Label Box (no score lines-just guide marks)
PDF Large Label Box (score guide)

Medium Box:
measures 4 2/8" wide at the bottom

PDF Medium Label Box (no score lines-just guide marks)
PDF Medium Label Box (score guide)

There are a couple of examples of this label box here too:

(please click the photos, if you'd like to go to the particular posts)

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Hope your day is a creatively blissful one!


P.S. Just a quick note to let you know I'm going to skip a day and post again on Wednesday...

P.P.S. some other projects with these same stamps:
(please click the pics, if you'd like to check them out)