Fun with Stencils and Pastes, Part 2

This post is a continuation of the previous one which you can find here if you're getting this by email. To those of you just now joining me, I'm showing ten cards I made using stencils and embossing paste; the previous post showed five, and this one will show five.

I thought what I had used for stenciling up to this point was pretty awesome, but then I broke into a new-to-me product that knocked my socks off. The product is Dazzlerz by a company called Shimmerz, and it's the shiniest embossing paste I've ever seen. I saw Catherine Pooler use it in one of her blog posts, and I had to have it! I purchased four colors, and will consider buying more when I come back to working with embossing pastes again. I'm hooked! :)

Card 6: Hedgehugs

I used Spun Sugar Dazzlerz on this card, along with a couple of adorable hedgehogs by Lawn Fawn. The stencil I used is called Harleen, and it was made by Winnie & Walter for the most recent Stamp of Approval collection. Love!!

Do you see what happens when light hits Dazzlers? It's almost blinding... well, dazzling! 

I stamped the hedgies in Early Espresso, the heart in Real Red, and the sentiment in Smoky Slate. The card base is Pink Pirouette. Here's the simple inside:

Card 7: Live, Laugh, Love

This card might just be my favorite. The embossed background sure is! I used the Harleen stencil again, this time with Dazzlerz in Sea U in the Mornin', a pretty light green. 

The background was done in two steps; first, I embossed, and then I shifted the stencil and sponged Pink Pirouette ink into the gaps. 

I did some inlaid die cutting with a stitched circle and added some light pink sequins, then mounted the whole thing on foam to raise it up off the Pink Pirouette card base.

Inside is a pretty border stamp that matches the envelope. (I make matching envelopes for all my cards.)

Card 8: Butterfly Birthday

I "stole" the inside circle from the previous card and used it on this next one.

The butterfly is a Martha Stewart punch that I coated with clear Wink of Stella.

Colors are Pink Pirouette on a Whisper White card base with a Smoky Slate sentiment. The pink cardstock is embossed with SU's butterfly embossing folder. The inside:

Card 9: Butterfly in Tutti Frutti

This card looks a lot like the Pearlescent one, but the shine is the giveaway that this was done with Dazzlerz.

I expected the Tutti Frutti Dazzlerz to be pinker, so I intend to call Shimmerz and see if I can add some dye ink refill to make it darker without ruining the "recipe." I know for sure I can add to the pearlescent embossing paste without a problem, so I may do that as my Plan B if Shimmerz says to not alter their color. 

Card 10: Live, Laugh, Love in Grapetastic

And finally, my last card for the day - done with Grapetastic Dazzlers and a detailed stencil that was a challenge to work with. 

Some of the embossing paste oozed under the stencil, but I used my handy dandy stitched circle die to cut the worst of it out of the panel before mounting it on an Elegant Eggplant card base. 

I then took that stitched circle and cut it into quarters. I trimmed off the oozed part and used the rest as accent corners on the inside and envelope:

* * * * * * * * * * * *
So there you have it, ten cards using eight different jars o' goodness. If you haven't given embossing pastes a chance, please consider giving them a try. I almost decided not to because it's so hard for me to run back and forth between my work area and my sink, but I managed by putting a dishpan full of warm water next to me to house the stencils until I could completely clean them off; and paper towels and my Absorber cloths did pretty good with the palette knife and work area.

Coming up next: Ruffled Feathers

Thanks for stopping by, and leave a comment if you really want to make my day. Until next time...

Smiles,
Joyce Spear a.k.a. StamperJoyce
                 

Fun with Stencils and Pastes, Part 1

February was a terrific month to be a StampNation member. In addition to the usual excitement, we celebrated our 5th birthday! Now, Catherine Pooler and the Dream Team usually put together a special event for our birthdays (as well as something quarterly), but this year they went over the top! They served up a FREE (to members) class on using stencils, and the participation was amazing. No wonder, since the content was both thorough (nineteen lessons throughout the month!) and well-presented. I learned so much my head is still spinning, and I can't wait to get back to playing with my stencils.

(By the way, the Creative Stenciling and Mediums class will be offered to non-members as part of the Technique Toolbox series later this year. Jump on board if you can -- you won't be disappointed!)

We covered so many techniques, but the one that caught my fancy the most was working with embossing pastes and similar mediums. I was a little hesitant at first because I knew it could get messy, but once I figured out some ways to do it more efficiently it became more fun. In the course of two sittings, I used my stencils and creative mediums to make what would become ten cards. I'd still be going strong if I didn't have to take care of things like eating, sleeping, and housekeeping. 

Oh, and I had to stop stenciling to give myself enough time to make my cards, since every card a SN member posted was a drawing entry to win one of many most excellent prizes. I'm happy to say I won a Mini MISTI which is already in my possession and being used every time I stamp. Love it!

So, I'll go through my cards in the order I made them and give a little info about each one as I go. I'll do five cards here and five cards in the next post. Hang on to your hat, because heeere we go!

Card 1: Wappy Hirthday Bishes

I used regular Wendy Vecchi white embossing paste and added yellow (Daffodil Delight) ink to it before spreading it through a stencil onto Stampin' Up!'s Whisper White cardstock. (In hindsight I would have used a brighter white.)

As you might be able to see in the next photo, I stacked several layers of the die cut words on top of each other to give them depth, then used a clear Wink of Stella brush to add sparkle to them. The balloons were created with a SU punch and also highlighted with WoS. The balloon strings are white baker's twine, and the finishing touch was three strategically placed sequins.

I kept the inside pretty simple: 

At the time of this posting, only one person has commented on the switcharoo in the first letters. I find that hilarious! Even when I've pointed it out, people look at me like I'm daft before they finally notice them.

Card 2: Count Your Blessings

I had twice the yellow embossing paste I needed, so I decided to make a second pass using that same stencil. 

I learned the importance of working fast while doing this. I don't know if you can tell from the pictures, but the paste is a bit drier and was starting to crumble. I used a die to trim off the worst of it, and I think the remainder made a cute card.

The inside:

Card 3: Checkerboard Christmas

This next card was made using translucent embossing paste and a checkerboard stencil.

I used the translucent embossing paste once before, but with some blue added to it. If you'd like to see that card, it's here.

I like how the embossing turned out, and I kept the card simple. The card base is Cucumber Crush, and the accents are Real Red. Here's the inside:

Card 4: Pearlescent Butterfly

I cracked open a brand new jar of pearlescent embossing paste for this next card, and was amazed at how pretty it is. It's a bit wetter than the two previous pastes, and I was dealing with a flimsy (detailed) stencil, so a bit slipped under - but I don't know if you would have noticed if I didn't tell you.

I finished up the card using a SU embossing folder, die, corner punch, and some pearls.

I kept the inside simple as well:

Card 5: Bronze Hugs

My next choice was Viva Metallic Bronze 3D Modeling Cream, and it turned out to be a WOW! This stuff was thick and went on surprisingly dark, so I was glad I used Very Vanilla cardstock. 

I finished up the card with some stitched circle dies and chocolate sequins, but hoped the background would still be the star. The card base is either Chocolate Chip or Early Espresso, I can't remember which.

I ran into a little glitch with the "to you." I'm kinda weird about mixing Whisper White and Very Vanilla unless doing so is an integral part of the design, so I hit the wall when it was time to choose an embossing powder. After a short powwow with my stamping buddy Carey, I decided to try embossing with white and then (very gently) altering the color with a skin-toned Spectrum Noir (alcohol based) marker. It worked! Here's the inside:

Because this post is getting a bit long and I'm only halfway through my stenciled cards, I'll continue it in the next post.

Smiles,

Joyce Spear a.k.a. StamperJoyce

               

Stamp of Approval Young at Heart Collection: Just the beginning!

February 3rd was a great day for me because ordering opened up for the third of Catherine Pooler's Stamp of Approval collections, this time with a "Young at Heart" birthday theme. February 6th was even more exciting, though, because that's when my box arrived! I am absolutely over the moon with this set of goodies which I'm sure will be my go-to and and at least starting point for birthday cards for a long time to come. Included in the collection are (if I remember correctly) four stamp sets (SugarPea, CASual Fridays, and Winnie & Walter), three die sets, and a very versatile stencil - plus Catherine threw in a special party favor, a Spectrum Noir clear Sparkle pen that makes things, well, sparkle.

My first three cards are rather generic, but I had to start somewhere. I do plan to make some more personalized cards in the near future since I have some requests. My ultimate goal is to have a bunch of cards to put into my stash so that I'm ready to go whenever it's time to send birthday cards to my friends. I'm getting too old for last-minute scrambling!

So this first card was made minutes after opening my box:

I know it's rather simplistic, but I still think it's cute. Unfortunately the sparkle from the Spectrum Noir pen on the balloons and black letters doesn't show up in the photos, but in real life it really does add a bit of "specialness" to the card. I also did a quick pass of Shimmer Spritz that makes the whole card front look like fresh snow on a sunny day. Here's the inside:

On this second card, I did a bit of stenciling. Again, it's a very simple design, but I think it looks like a celebration. My colors for all these cards are Stampin' Up!'s Tempting Turquoise, Strawberry Slush, Crushed Curry, Cucumber Crisp, and Basic Black. I mixed things up a little by using a SU! balloon punch rather than the balloon die included in the SOA collection - but that's part of the joy of Catherine's collections, that they play well with other products.

Here's the inside, too. You'd think the die cut confetti would be a pain in the patootie to work with, but thanks to the recent gift of a Crystal Katana (thank you, Carey!), it was a breeze.

And here's my favorite of the three cards...

I just ADORE the crooky cake! It's so much fun to play with, and because of the coordinating stamps and dies, there are a million different ways to decorate it. Once again the Spectrum Noir Sparkle is hiding from the camera, but it is there on the candle flame as well as in the openings in the word CAKE. I decided to add a bit of background color with the included Harleen stencil, and used a sponge to blend some Tempting Turquoise and Crushed Curry together to get a pop of green. I kept the inside pretty simple:

I'm eager to make a bunch more cards with the supplies in the box, especially since there's a huge stamp set I haven't even broken the seal on yet! My goal for this weekend, though, is to make as many cards as I can using stencils so that I can enter them in the birthday challenges. Stay tuned to see how my plans turn out...

With a Smile and a Sparkle,
Joyce Spear, a.k.a. StamperJoyce
                    

A Happy Get Well Card

The son of one of my friends recently had eye surgery, and since he's a pretty cool kid I decided to make a get-well card for him. I learned that he likes cats and the color blue; and I knew I wanted to incorporate some stencil work into the design - so with all that decided, I forged ahead.

The desire to work with a stencil is related to the free class I've been following on StampNation. I love that this class is a gift to the members of StampNation to celebrate its fifth birthday. There are (so far) seventeen lessons and challenges, and every challenge entry is a chance to win one of a bunch of fabulous prizes from our sponsors. And now you know the real reason why I'm suddenly motivated to pull out my stencils. :)

Without further ado, here is the card...

Front:

Inside:

Close-ups: These are my best tries at capturing the stenciling that I did. I used translucent embossing paste with a bit of blue distress ink added to it, and pressed it through a stencil I had on hand.

Overall, I think the embossing paste has a really cool effect on this card, and I plan to use the medium more often!

Stamp sets/dies used: My Favorite Things "Cat-itude"; Simon Says Stamp "Playful Kittens"

------------------

Coming up next: Some pretty special birthday cards! 

Big smiles,
Joyce Spear a.k.a. StamperJoyce
                

First Christmas Card for 2016

I was bored out of my mind while recuperating last week and desperately needed to make something while at the same time taking care to not stress my hands that are still healing from surgery. So, I thought to myself, what better time to pull out the January 2016 Flurries of Love kit from Simon Says Stamp?

This was a super easy card to make since the sentiment on the front is actually a page from the DSP included in the kit. There's a strip of silver glitter ribbon with a thinner strip of DSP centered on it, and the snowman is a sticker. I added a trio of snowflake sequins, brushed the heart with a clear Wink of Stella pen, and the front panel was done. I layered it onto a piece of Audrey Blue cardstock from the kit.

The inside was even easier! I used a strip of the same DSP on the card front, and stamped a greeting from Simon Says Stamp's Big Scripty Greetings - Holiday stamp set using Hero Arts' Ombre Lilac to Grape purple inkpad. (The ink matches the patterned paper much better in real life.) A few more sequins and the card was completed.

+ + + + + + + + + +

Thanks to a minor infection in my right hand, my surgeon says I need to slow down just a bit, so it may be another week before I try my hand at another card. With all of the ideas I have, it may take me that long to decide what to make next. :)

Smiles,
Joyce Spear a.k.a. StamperJoyce
             

"Mugs and Kisses" Thank You Cards

Since I'm not much of a gift-giver during the Christmas season, I don't expect to get Christmas presents from other people. Three of my dear friends caught me by surprise this year though, (waving to Carey, Cathy, and Debbie), so I was eager to do something special for their thank-you cards

I recently acquired a set of dies from My Favorite Things called LLD Hot Cocoa Mugs along with a coordinating stamp set called LLD Hug in a Mug - and they are adorable! See for yourself:

 

The card base is Crushed Curry, and the printed Rich Razzleberry layer is DSP from Stampin' Up!'s annual catalog called Bohemian. The rest of the card is pieces cut from the die set using Crushed Curry, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White, Real Red, and Chocolate Chip. I trimmed the ends of the sentiment piece using the Washi Label punch, also by SU!

I forgot to take pictures of the insides of the cards since they were all different (oops!), but each one said either "Warmest Thanks" or "You Warm My Heart" with either a stitched heart to coordinate with the ones on the mugs or stamped hearts from the stamp set. I added a strip of the same DSP I used on the front of the card for an accent piece.

I had SO much fun making these cards! I can hardly wait til I'm all healed up from my surgeries so I can play without pain or worries that I will be constantly dropping things (like inked stamps!). 

Until that time, please sit tight and know that I'll be dreaming up cards and projects in my head that will WOW you in the months to come. I thank each and every one of you for visiting or subscribing to my humble blog!

Mugs and Kisses,

Joyce Spear a.k.a. StamperJoyce

               

Cathy's Cup of Clove Candy

I'm not much of a gift-giver during the winter holidays, but I did want to do something special for my dear friend Cathy. We try to get together every month or two for lunch, and every time she comes to pick me up she raids my candy dish for some of the old-fashioned clove candies that I keep on hand. It occurred to me that it might be nice to give her some of the candies for her to enjoy between our visits. I brainstormed over presentation, and was suddenly hit with an idea! What if, instead of giving her another dish to wash, I made a paper mug? I had seen one that a friend had made, so I asked her for the template and she sent me to YouTube. Here's how the project turned out:

Isn't that darling? Here it is from a slightly different angle, where you can see the curved bottom of the cup:

The inside:

And the bottom:

And finally, here it is with the candy inside of it. So cute!

Next up: A series of thank-you cards I made for the folks that surprised me with gifties this year. You may want to make yourself some hot chocolate!

Sweet smiles,

Joyce Spear a.k.a. StamperJoyce