Falling for Techniques

Things got very busy at the end of summer due to an impromptu trip with my daughter to Texas, moving my office space at work, and helping my middle child with home projects to prepare for our first grandbaby. So, I haven't been posting or holding classes very regularly.

Recently, I held a come and go crafting event to share some fun techniques for cards and gifts using stamping and embossing. These use some new Stampin' Up! products, some that I've had for a while, and some products that I got elsewhere. Everyone is encouraged to use what they have, and if they don't have what I used, there are a lot of great stamps, inks, and papers available through Stampin' Up! and other retailers (some stuff I used isn't a product that they carry). Let's check out the projects...

Shrink Plastic Key Chains

The shrink plastic film sheets are available online, and if you are lucky you can run across them at thrift stores like I did. These sheets have a "smooth" side and a "rough" (sanded) side. Use a permanent ink like Staz-On to stamp an image onto either side (on the glossy side if there are any words so they face the right way), and color the images using either watercolor pencils or alcohol based markers like Stampin' Blends. Using a water based dye marker will not work because they don't dry and it doesn't stick to the plastic. Cut the image out using either a tag die or punch, and make sure that you use a regular hole punch before shrinking.

Now for the magic...you don't have to bake it in the oven. Hold the cutout with a piercing tool through the hole punched in the "tag" on a heat resistant surface, and use a heat tool to apply heat. Move it around slowly, and don't get too close or hold in one place too long (it can burn a hole through the plastic). Watch the magic happen! Don't worry, it will curl and fold over, but something about the product straightens back out as it shrinks. You can use the piercing tool to help flatten it out a little, but be careful about touching it until it cools. It hardens as it cools. Add a key ring and you have a great gift for someone. See my video to learn more.

Stamped Image Candles

These will need to be a wax candle and preferably either white or "vanilla" colored, and you need white tissue paper (like for gift bags and boxes). See video for explanation. 

Stamp the image onto the tissue paper and color with watercolor pencils or crayons (you might try a marker, but these can bleed on the tissue paper). You may also stamp the image using any color ink. The candles in the image above were small votive ones, and I've made larger ones. Just be sure the image you use fits the candle size. Cut out these images leaving a border. Place them on the side of the candle where you'd like it and wrap a piece of wax paper around the candle to help hold the image in place. Use a heat tool to "melt" the candle to incorporate the image into the side of the candle. Peel off the wax paper, and Viola! Add more images as desired. I suggest working on one area at a time instead of the whole candle at once.

Emboss Resist Tree Card

This is a classic use for embossed images. You emboss an image, rub ink over the cardstock, and then rub off the embossed image with a tissue or towel. The image "pops" out. My measurements for this card are below:

5 1/4" X 8 1/2" Early Espresso cardstock, score in landscape at 4 1/4"

4 1/2" X 3 3/4" Crushed Curry cardstock

4 1/4" X 3 1/2" Very Vanilla/Basic White cardstock

5 1/4" X 4" Very Vanilla/Basic White cardstock 

3 1/2" X 1" Earthen Tone Metallic sheet (new item)

4" X 3/4" Designer Series Paper (I used the new Gather Together)

Adhesive-backed gems

Watch my video for instructions and helpful tips. I forgot to mention that you can just rub the blending brushes on the grid paper until now color remains to clean them.

Embossed Sunflower Woodcarving Technique Card

Inspired by Jennifer Roque

These cards use the new 3D Sunflower embossing folder from Stampin' Up! along with inks, daubers, stamps, punches/dies. The dimensions for the pieces are below:

5 1/2" X 8 1/2" Early Espresso cardstock; scoring depends on whether you want a regular half fold at 4 1/4" in landscape, or if you'd like the side gate fold--score in landscape at 1 1/4" and 5 1/2"

5 1/4" X 4" Very Vanilla cardstock (X 2)

3 1/2" X 2" Very Vanilla cardstock 

Linen Thread

Adhesive-backed gems 

Inks:

Woodcarving--swipe with Crumb Cake, Pecan Pie, and Early Espresso 

Flowers/leaves--petals daub with Crushed Curry, flower centers daub with Pumpkin Pie, and leaves daub with Shaded Spruce

Side gate fold will require the colored embossed piece be cut in portrait at 2 7/8" leaving 1 1/8" for the smaller side.

My YouTube video goes over the instructions and inking technique to create this very cool woodcarving look.

Double Diagonal Fold with Cotton Swab Coloring

Inspired by Lisa Curcio

The fun fold was inspired by a fellow Demonstrator and also uses a new Designer Series Paper with some retired stamps and dies and a cool coloring technique. I used the following dimensions:

8 1/2" X 11" Old Olive cardstock--see diagram and video for scoring and cutting

5 1/4" X 4" Designer Series Paper (X 2--one each from 2 coordinating designs) these will be cut diagonally, so you can make 2 cards from one set

5 1/4" X 4" Basic White cardstock 

4" X 3/4" coordinating DSP

2 1/4" X 4 1/4" Basic White cardstock 

Leaf die cut from Crushed Curry cardstock 

Double bow tied with Old Olive twine/thread

Adhesive-backed gems 

Cotton swabs and rubber bands

Watch the video for how to instructions and the coloring technique.

Thank you for visiting my blog, and hopefully you found some great ideas. If you're interested in purchasing and products, please click the link to shop with me. It is appreciated when people share my videos because it helps my channel grow.