Ink Stains by Roni

Have you discovered this blog yet?  http://inkstainswithroni.blogspot.com/  Roni Johnston is the creative writer, and she shares her fantastic talent every day.  I never miss it!  She covers all techniques, and shows some that are unique.  I find her inspirational, and I know you will too!

Ready for Mothers' Day!

Spring has been so long coming this year, but now I have definitive proof that it is happening.  I heard the peepers in the pond singing!!  And there is not a sliver of ice in the water (but I'm sure it's cold!).

To celebrate spring, I used Jamilla's Petal Pizzazz set to make a bunch of flowers to send to my mother.  In hindsight (ie, too late now that it's glued down) I would add a strip of green ribbon where the green crystals are.

And I found out I need new ink!  Suddenly, I don't like any of the irky-murky colours I have, and want all new ones.  Are you listening, Jamilla?

Make Your own Ink pad

I used the Tim Holtz technique of making your own ink pad to make multiple stamping of the same image.  It was surprisingly easy!

You need a piece of Cut'n'Dry Foam the exact size of your stamp block.  (You can also use Cut'n'Dry Felt)

Stamp the image on the foam using Staz on ink.  Then, with reinkers, ink over the areas you want to colour.  For instance, on the Razzle Dazzle image I used below, I coloured the flowers and leaves different colours.  Don't worry if the ink spreads.  Your stamp won't pick it up.

Then, use your pad to stamp!  You might need to refresh the ink occasionally.  Because the pad is the exact size of the stamp, your stamp is automatically positioned to pick up the right ink.

If you want to keep the ink pad, slide it into a baggie, and label the stamp it goes with on the bag.  Because, the ink pad doesn't really resemble the stamp!

Springtime smiles

Another night of card making and talking at Christine's, though maybe I should say talking and card making.  'Cos we do a lot of talking!

Christine had a challenge to make an Easter card using SU's Regal palette.  Not what you'd call Easter colours, or even spring colours for that matter, but she did a beauty.  She masked off areas and stamped and sponged with More Mustard.  Then, she moved her post its, and sponged again using Always Artichoke.  It was really amazing!

I was influenced by her colour palette, and did this quick card, using the new SU paper.  It's really lovely.  Usually I like only one or two patterns in the dp pack, but this time it's the reverse -- I dislike only 2 or 3 patterns.  Gonna be way useable!

Oh, by the way.  The Stampers' Sampler comes out on April 1, and I have a three page spread highlighting my texture plates.  Check it out!

Another cool tip

The internet if full of brilliant people.  I should pay more attention to the "who" and the "where", but I get all caught up in the "how stinkin' clever is that?".  Here's one of those:

Sorry for the crooked image!

Here's the cool thing!  The "lace" is made from the Medallion background stamp.  I kid you not.
Stamp the medallion.  I used Crumbcake and rolled the edges in Soft Suede.  Stamp on white.  Fussy cut the edges, and cut out a wedge (mine was about a 1/6 of the circle) and the centre.  Now, get nasty with it.  distress it, crumple it, run it through your crimper lots -- you want to break the fibres down.  When it's good and pliable, run a strip of This to That tape on the card, and pleat the lace strip as you go along the tape.  Don't press down because you will need to spread the pleats out along the tape. When you're happy, burnish it with your finger.

I used the Vintage Spring paper from SU and the bench stamp from Have a Seat.  The Hello is from Scenic Route.  It needed something, so I added a line of Silver Glass glitter from Stampin Up.

Red and Black Collage

Sometimes, you just don't know how something will turn out.  I had a card base, I had a rub on.  I put the two together, and thought, "Well, now what?"

I had made the little flower when at my play date with Christine.  (Sorry, I saw a YouTube tutorial about it, but I don't know whose).  I took a 6" piece of Stampin' Up's Riding Hood Red grosgrain ribbon, folded it in half, and basted along the selvedge edges.  I pulled the basting up tight, tied it, and then cut into the ribbon about 1/4" - 3/8" inches.  Pull at the cut edges to get the feathery threads to stick out, add a brad, and -- ta da!  Another version of a ribbon flower.

Anyway, the flower was on my desk, staring at me.  I had made a rosette for this card, but wasn't feeling it.  I tried the flower, and that was that!  There was a scrap of red organza in my ribbon basket, and an even smaller scrap of this sticky-backed black check ribbon from Offray.  Done and done!  The Quietfire Designs diamond border in Onyx and Riding Hood Red stamped dictionary birds from Stampington finished it.

A Thank You

I love the days I get to play with Christine!  It's a great sharing time.  This time I learned another way to make ribbon roses (I'll show them off on a card soon), how to emboss a "hole" so that you end up with an embossed frame around an image and we looked at some great sites.  As for getting much done ... well, this card looks simple, but I made heavy work of it!

I used the Sweet Stitches paper and fabric from Stampin' Up.  I chose a corner of the dp, matched the 'stitches' with So Saffron c/s and added a layered label with a sentiment from the "You're a Gem" set.  I made the fabric by taking a 2.5 x 6" piece of fabric, teasing the edges to fray them, folding it in half lengthwise, basting, and pulling the basting tight.  I popped a fabric-covered brad in the middle.  Cute, no?