from black to white...

let's start with a shipping update...

GOOD NEWS!

my stampers anonymous products

 are shipping NOW to stores, so if you preordered stamp sets, stencils, 

mat mini's or

stamp-it stencil-its...

they will be arriving any day!

today I thought I'd share another way 

to use a solid image stamp & 

to show what a difference you get going from a black to a white focal point...

I'm using the bird/branch from

the simply art stamp set...

here is the image stamped in jet black...

you could quit there & it looks good...

but...

 with "the bird on a branch SiSi", I could add embossing powder to just the bird to accent him...

the stencil allows the background to be protected & the embossing powder adheres only to the bird...

here's how...

just place the stencil over the stamped image, add archival ink & the coordinating embossing powder...

this guy is done with custom brick embossing powder...

the SiSi stamp is the outline of the bird/branch, so they work well together or alone...

same thing here...

I flippin' LOVE the 

"repeating quilt stencil"...

and here is the same image again...

this time on

 the distress crayon background...

you can read 

about the distress crayon background

on this post...

then I wondered what this image would look like stamped & embossed with white...

below is my super quick test drive card...

the base is mixed media cardstock...

I stamped the bird/branch with 

glacier white pigment ink & 

embossed it with 

white embossing powder...

I filled in the background with weathered wood & brushed corduroy distress spray stains...

the embossing protects the image & the distress inks do all the work...

working under the bird, I added water first,  then dropped the brushed corduroy into the water, close to the bird, to keep the darkness there...

you can see some photos in this post...

you'll see the water being added & the stains being dropped in...

while that was still wet, I added water around  the remaining portion of the bird, 

then dropped in weathered wood stain & let the magic happen...

when the stains were dry, you'll see I added some stenciling in the background...

that was added with the old ledger stencil, 

using potting soil archival...

BUT...

you could stencil first, if you used archival, then add the distress as a watercolor...

DRY archival ink is waterproof...

I flicked some brushed corduroy distress stain over the card...

I love the detailer water brush for that...

I tossed this in the trash...

it was meant just for a test to see if I liked it, 

then I got it out to show you...

oh...what the heck...be brave...

it's nothing fancy, 

but it might inspire you to

play...

the sentiment was stamped with  jet black & I used a waterproof pen to draw a very loose "frame" around the ink...

the black mat mini "have a heart" 

was added & that's it...

put it on a thin brown cardstock & then on a mixed media card...

I L O V E how the colors blend...

keep that in mind when choosing your colors...

this is a gorgeous combo...

I think this is another example of how versatile stamps are & how a simple change of color really makes a big impact...

 try this once  & you'll see it's a very easy simple card...

if you need to create a last minute card, 

this is it...

have a GREAT weekend...

I hope you'll grab your stamps &

MAKE ART!

wendy

hooked on hydrangea...

I played a bit this weekend & made a few cards & tags...

I wanted to combine some older stamps with some brand new products...

and to make something DIFFERENT with a new stencil...

I chose the new "for the holidays" SiSi...and decided to remodel the wreath into something that can be used year round...

here's what the wreath looks like on a holiday tag,

when using my embossing paste with the basically bricks stencil & the wreath stencil...

and here it is again...

this sample uses both the stamp & coordinating stencil...

the basically bricks again...

but this time I used inks, instead of embossing paste...

today's card started with this stencil...

and a plan to change it up...

I started by making my background on manila card stock, using tree branch & hydrangea archival reinkers with lots of rubbing alcohol & a drop of gold metallic mixative...

hydrangea & tree branch might be my most favorite combo of colors for this technique...(today at least)...

it's not a combo you would expect to work...purple & brown? hmmm...

but it turns out so pretty every time...

I stenciled these 2 portions of the wreathe, using leaf green & fern green archival inks...

toward the top left of the card...

next I filled in more areas with the same 2 green archival colors...

using small portions of the leaves...

don't worry about the (ugly) intersection of the pieces...that can easily be covered up...but keep that in mind when you're stamping...

  

now to use an older stamp...

this is the adorable daisy from daisy art...genius name huh???

some days I amaze myself...some days...NOT SO MUCH!

I stamped just the daisy on a manila scrap with jet black archival, then inked over it with hydrangea archival...

white edges bug me, so after I cut out the flower, I used the pumice stone marker on the edges...

I wanted to stamp a full flourish & a partial one...

it's easy to mask off the unwanted area with painters tape or a post it...

ink the stamp & REMOVE the tape before stamping...

oops... missing photo...

after I stamped the flourishes, I used the new ornate dots overlay stencil with tree branch on the left side of the card...

you can see the full flourish & the partial one below...

both are stamped in fern green archival...

this was looking like it should be a thank you card...

so I stamped the sentiment with jet black toward the bottom right...

below you'll see that I added shading to the edges with brushed corduroy distress ink & some tarnished brass dots for a bit of shimmer...

to add the dots, shake the stain, then dispense onto the craft sheet, pick up with the detailer water brush & flick over the card...

the dots are sure tiny, but they do show up & add another layer to the background...

to make a perfectly coordinating card, I inked the outside edge of the manila cardstock with hydrangea...

I inked just enough, but not the middle, since I was going to glue the card front over it...

a little doodling with a waterproof pen...

some black glaze pen dots to the dots on the flourish...

some dimensional foam to the back of the flower...

glue the card front onto the card & done!

I'm happy that I could use the wreath to make an everyday card...

now it just look like leaves...

and that I used the cute daisy in a new way too...

in the past, I was never a huge fan of purple...

but it always caught my attention when someone used it in my class...

maybe I just didn't know how to use it!

for me, hydrangea is perfect...

a beautiful blueish-purple...

the label doesn't do it justice...

I'm hooked, especially when paired with tree branch & greens...

oh...wait...

I just used it with dandelion & orange blossom...

that tag is coming soon...

yep...hooked on hydrangea!

I've been keeping some questions in a file & 

I plan to do another Q & A post in the near future...

if there's something you'd like to know, you can shoot me an email or ask in the comment section...

and as a reminder, if you need a quick answer, email will get you a much faster response...

I hope you're inspired to get out your hydrangea &...

make art!

wendy

ps...yippee!

NEW PRODUCTS start shipping

TODAY!!!

another art journal page...

just popping in for a quick hello...

I snuck in a little play with another art journal page...

the dots are the polka dotty stencil, with translucent embossing paste...

while the paste was wet, I sprinkled on some frosted crystal embossing powder & heated it for a cool effect...

dear FAVORITE guys at Ranger...

we NEED this frosted crystal in a GIANT size jar PLEASE!

I darkened some of the dots with the stabilo pencil...

and stamped thru the stencil on some random dots...

for the frame, I traced a grid-block...

these make great frame templates...

these art journal pages have really inspired me to combine older stamps & stencils with newer...

new sunburst stencil...
new SiSi...I changed it up with a different flower center...I cut it from this one...
new add a stencil...
old spider from botanical art...
older stem & leaves...good size to mix & match with lots of flowers & easy to cut out!

it's fun to make things fresh again...

the archival ink colors I use are...
dandelion...
leaf green & fern green...
orange blossom...
hydrangea...awesome for background stenciling...
tree branch...it coordinates with everything!
watering can...a fav go to basic...
& my fav jet black...used on EVERYTHING I create!

mixed in with iced spruce & broken china distress stains, for the bow...

back to the TO*DO list...

I'm working on _____ & ______ & ________
and trying to decide if I have enough courage guts to_________...
or if I should pass on the opportunity...

and I'm still tweaking my new 2 day art journal class...
and writing instructions...
and making kits...

ps...you'll see no cooking on that list...
but I *might* sneak in a visit to onelineshoes.com to see what sandals I just might need...

even though the furnace is still going full blast...
spring HAS TO COME...
sometime...

see you tomorrow with a fun card that I created for Ranger!

until then...

sneak away and...

make art!
wendy

let's play with paste!

specifically my new crackled texture paste…

and a little gold metallic paste too...

before I start the project tutorial, I wanted to answer a few questions and to give you some tips for working with the embossing/texture pastes…

* always clean the paste from the palette knife & stencil before the paste dries…

* the pastes…all flavors…will not crack & fall off the surface, even if the surface is  flexed…

* the pastes stick to fabric…most times this is a good thing, but if you're wearing fancy clothes…maybe not!

* it's best to let the pastes air dry…but I'll show you something cool below...

* I like to set the wet pastes near a sunny window to help speed up the drying process…

* the white & black pastes have a similar matte "marshmallow" type surface…

* the translucent, metallic gold, metallic silver and the crackled texture paste will dry with a more solid smooth surface...

* distress watercolor cardstock will warp the least…

and using thinner layers of paste help with warping too...

* depending on the paste flavor used, you can alter the DRY pastes with distress markers, archival inks, distress paints, distress stains, color washes, Perfect Pearls mists and more…

* to change the color of the pastes BEFORE applying it to the surface, ONE DROP of the archival or distress reinkers mixed into the paste can create any color paste you need…it's best to use reinkers, which will not change the consistency of the pastes...

* when mixing color into the pastes, remember you can't put it back in the jar. SO…keep this in mind when mixing colors into the pastes…mix only what you'll use...

* when you use up a jar of paste, wash out the empty jar & save it to store premixed colored paste…these jars are specifically made to be non permeable, which makes the paste last for years…

* the new crackled texture paste requires a layer of dry paste to adhere to & the base is what keeps the cracks in place…the base color will show thru the cracks…my favorite pastes to use under the crackled texture paste are the black, gold & silver embossing pastes…

* I had questions about shipping the pastes in this frigid weather…

if the paste should freeze, let it warmup to room temp before opening the jar & using it.  it will be ok…

* you can stamp into WET paste with a rubber stamp & the paste will dry with texture/pattern…mist the stamp with water, then stamp into the WET paste…clean the stamp…an old toothbrush is a handy tool...

* the pastes can be used thru a stencil or spread over a surface…

today we're not using a stencil for the paste…

but I'll share a fun technique...

let's get started…

spread a very thin layer of gold embossing paste over distress watercolor cardstock…I used the textured side of the cardstock to show you how little of the base paste layer is needed…

either side of the watercolor cardstock will work just fine…

the distress watercolor cardstock sheets are 4 ¼ x 5 ½ ...

I used 3 pieces of distress watercolor cardstock, so that I could create 3 sheets…I wanted each to have a different color...

use the heat tool on this layer to dry it…

you'll notice that the gold paste goes on sort of a butterscotch color & when dry, it changes to a beautiful metallic gold…

the top left corner is dry…the right side is not...

put a small amount of the crackled texture paste onto the craft sheet & mix in ONE DROP of the fern green archival reinker…

then spread over the DRY gold paste…

you'll see in the photo below that I don't make the layer smooth or perfectly even…I like to see spots of the base color popping out...

set this aside to dry...

for the next sheet I mixed ONE DROP of the cornflower blue reinker into some crackled texture paste on my craft sheet, then spread it over the DRY gold paste…

and set it aside to dry…

in the photo below, you'll see that it's mostly dry, but there is one dark area that is still wet…

at this point, you can blast it with the heat tool, to finish it off…

the cracked cornflower paste looks like this…see the gold paste peeking out from the cracks?

FABULOUS!

for the sheet below, I mixed ONE DROP of the red geranium reinker with ONE DROP of the orange blossom reinker to create this awesome salmon color…

see those dark wet spots?

in the photo below you'll see that I blasted the wet areas with the heat tool & OVERHEATED them to create this cool texture…

even though I bubbled it, the paste will not pop off & the texture stays raised…

this is another fun option, especially for mixed media backgrounds…

I didn't use this sheet today, but it's ready to go when I need it...

I always save my scraps & since I had a bit of the blue paste left over, I spread it thru my butterfly stencil…

later I'll cut it out , stamp over it & you'll see it on a project someday…

I cut a strip of the green sheet to use with the leaves from this stamp…

these leaves are AWESOME to use with so many stamps & stencils…and it's easy to cut them out...

you'll see that I cut the strip close to the size of the leaves, so there's no waste of the crackle…

I'll have room for another leaf on the scrap...

ink the leaves area with jet black archival, stamp & dry...

oops…forgot a photo, but I used the perfect peony stamp with jet black archival & stamped it onto the dry blue paste…

then cut out both pieces...

next I used fern green archival to add some shading to the leaves…with the handy dandy adorable mini blending tool…

I like to use the leaves upside down with this flower...

that little bit of shading does make a difference!

the flower needed shading too, so I added a bit of cornflower blue on the lower petals...

& it looks like this...

ok…now to make a card…

I had a strip of manila card stock leftover from something, so I wanted to use it up…

it's 10 ¼ inches x 3 ½ inches…

I scored it & folded it in half to create a card...

I used the new tree branch archival to stamp this frame…

then sprinkled clear superfine detail embossing powder over the frame & heated it to melt the powder & emboss the image…

tree branch is a GREAT color…it's neutral & looks good with most colors…

this was interesting…

when clear embossed, tree branch looks sort of a vintage gold color on the manila cardstock…hmmm…didn't expect that!

to add color to the card, I swiped weathered wood and antique linen distress stains onto the craft sheet, misted them with water, then plopped the card front in the fluid & dried it…

so far...

next decision before I choose a sentiment...

did I want the card to be side opening?

or plan B…

to open from the top?

either would work...

 plan B it is!

I stamped the sentiment with jet black archival

and I liked fern green archival for the mini flourishes...

it was easy to add subtle stripes to the background with the yikes stripes stencil and antique linen distress ink on the blending tool…

it's best to tape the stripes stencil down to hold it in place & work WITH the stripes, not against them...

now…it's much better!

next, I glued the leaves in place (upside down from the stamp)

then added the flower…

I like it & I almost quit there...

but I spotted my new vintage doily background stamp…

I used fern green to stamp a portion of the stamp on a manila scrap & cut it out...

then added it to the top back of the card…

and added this stamp for a laugh...

here's a better look at the flower with the gold cracks…

it's a very cool effect…

when the crackled texture paste is applied unevenly to the surface, you'll see more random areas of the base color…I like that…it adds interest & it's not so perfect...

the card does have some thin layers, but it's still an easy one to mail…

now I'm thinking the sentiment will work for Valentine's Day…
I think I'll give it to you know who…and write a message inside...

well I hope I've given you the scoop on playing with pastes…
if there's something I missed, just ask…

I have LOTS more to share…
LOTS more paste ideas brewing...

I think this technique is a good example on how to use the pastes without using a stencil…

wouldn't a whole crackled texture paste sheet make a great background?

this technique will also work on a canvas…think HOME DECOR!

there are lots of cool color combos to try too...
how about potting soil archival reinker mixed into the crackled paste & applied over gold embossing paste?

the silver paste also looks great as a base for the blue paste & lots of the other colors too…

these crackled sheets can also be die cut…oh the possibilities!

I hope you'll get out your pastes & play then...

make art!

wendy
ps…the pastes (all 6 flavors) are shipping…so no long wait!
new stamps and new stencils are also shipping…check your local store or favorite on line…

SiSis and the art parts binders will be shipping in a few weeks…

new inks ship the end of the month…yippee!

wait!!! one more thing…

we still have 3 unclaimed prizes…
we'll give them until Monday morning to claim them…if they don't contact us, Rick will redraw 3 names…

on the edge...part 2...

welcome back my friends...

I showed how to cut the sizzix/alterations distress doilies in part one...

it's the post below this one...

here's part 2 of on the edge...

ready set...

GO!

the first tag is really pretty simple, but the kraft doily makes it fun...

I inked over the doily with  gathered twigs, using the blending tool...

look closely & you'll see the doily was lightly stamped using this ledger background and potting soil archival...

ps..it's a beautiful brown! mwah!

I used the tarnished brass distress stain to randomly edge the doily...

the new art parts flower was stamped with red geranium archival, using my reverse dots background... after I dried it, I went over the top with rusty hinge on the blending tool to color the dots...

the smaller flower center was made by stenciling the small flower from the "create a flower" stencil, using orange blossom archival...I stenciled it onto clearly for art that was covered with a vintage dictionary page, dried it, cut it out & edged it with the tarnished brass distress stain...

the new art parts stem was stamped with the reverse dots background, using fern green archival...& it too was edged with tarnished brass stain...

cute chit-chat stickers added the sentiment...

and a little black string bow was the finishing touch...

oh...I added a few black glaze pen dots too...

before gluing everything in place, I edged the #8 black tag with the tarnished brass stain...

very simple...but I like it...

I didn't add anything to the tag top since it will be a page in my art parts tag art journal...

oops...forgot to say that I added tarnished brass to the chit-chat words & raised them up with black chipboard scraps...

I was having too much fun to quit...

one little tag wasn't enough...

so, here's a card...

I think it would also look cute in a frame & it would make a fun hostess gift...or a holiday gift for a friend...

it's a simple design, just change the sentiment & it works well for any occasion...

you'll see I used just the frame portion of the doily on the card this time...

part #1 shows how to snip out the center...

below are the pieces I started with...

2 new art parts leaves...they were stamped with the reverse dots background & fern green archival...and I added a bit of brushed corduroy...

reverse dots is my new favorite background...

a clearly for art flower, die cut with tim's sizzix/alterations tattered florals die...it's stamped with potting soil archival, using my vintage mesh background...

the new art parts flower in the center was inked with cornflower blue & stamped with the "new york school of art" stamp, using watering can archival...

the remaining 4 flowers were stenciled on CFA covered with vintage dictionary paper & cut out...

2 were stenciled with orange blossom archival & 2 with cornflower blue archival...then all 4 were edged with the tarnished brass stain ...

the gold edge is a small detail, but it matters...

the 3 pieces below make the main flower & they're held together with a screw eye...

the CFA flowers were heated & shaped...before layering them...

I cut the kraft card stock base to 41/4 x 5 1/2 & the black base a little larger...

I inked over the kraft with gathered twigs & kept the center a bit lighter...

the base got edged with the tarnished brass stain too...

after I glued the doily to the card base, I stamped the sentiment with jet black archival...

I used the vintage mesh stamp with water to stamp randomly over the background...because I used distress to ink the kraft base, the water lifted the ink & created a subtle pattern & still allows the doily to stand out...

when assembling the card, I snipped the pointy blue stenciled flower in half & used a piece at the top & the other piece under the flower on the bottom...

I added long fasteners to 2 of the flower centers...

glued it all together...

tada...

this guy is pretty dimensional, because of the screw eye, so hand delivery is probably best...

but...

***tip*** 

I like to use the plastic packaging containers from sizzix dies for shipping...

it gives the PO folks something to look at and the packaging keeps the dimensional stuff very well protected...

here's a better look...

in this photo you can see the CFA flower a little better...

random tips & stuff...

to cover clearly for art with vintage dictionary paper, I use Glue N Seal, matte finish...

I like the 1 ounce jar, because it has a built in brush, but I refill it with the 4 ounce jar, which does not have a brush...it's much more cost effective...instead of buying a second small jar, just for the brush...

spread the CFA sheet with a thin layer of Glue N Seal, add the dictionary page over it, brayer, then dry...NO BUBBLES...even when using fragile vintage paper...

covering clearly for art is a good way to use up patterned paper scraps...you can stamp an image & cut or use a die to cut the CFA...

I added a tiny bit of Multi Medium between the flower layers...the screw eye holds the layers securely together & the Multi Medium keeps them in place...no spinning...

to glue the doily to the kraft base, I put a blob gob some Multi Medium on my craft sheet & used a toothpick to apply it to select areas...

make sure the dabber top is fairly dry...NOT super saturated...when using the distress stains to edge pieces...

archivals are awesome...oops...that slipped in!

but I did want you to notice that the color of the base does affect the final outcome of the archival color, since archivals are fairly translucent... 

take a look at the photo above & you'll see cornflower blue over the art parts flower & also over the white dictionary page...

this is cool...because you get coordinating colors...

phew...

all of this because I was inspired by tim's on the edge distress doily die...lol...

well I hope I've inspired you to...

make art!

wendy