Pages

Monday, May 30, 2011

Followers

Hi everyone!  I was adding my blog to a friend's computer and happened to pull it up.  I noticed that I couldn't see the "Followers" section! 

I currently have three followers and would love to have more!  Many of you do come back to my website each week to see what new and exciting things I have waiting for you.  Thank you for that!  It is encouraging to know that you appreciate my work, and maybe even get something creative from it. 

I am forwarding a note to Blogger so that they can correct this.  If you CAN see the followers and can sign up, so much the better!

Thank you again for your support of my site and my work!

I am saving to get a new computer.  Once that is purchased, I will be able to add video instructions to my site which I know several of you would like to have.  I will keep you updated on this.  It will take a few more months.  Please be patient!

Please consider leaving a note or comment telling me what you think and what you would like to see in the future.

Lis

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Industry Card

Hi everyone!  My last card for this weekend is called Industry. 

My original intention was to create a third collage card using gears - kind of a steam punk card.  As usual, my muse had other ideas and lead me to this card instead.

The card itself has a very watercolor feel to me (again, not intended - art is kind of amazing that way, don't you think?)  I started out with a background sheet with a picture of gears.  I then used another paper with roses and blooming flowers, tore it and added it to the left.  I added the words "Industry" in the lower left and covered it with an embossed piece of acetate. I attached the acetate with brads that looked like nails.  I finished it off with a jeweled tassel.


 There is a lot of symbolism in this card. The nail brads are carelessly added.  The flower paper is edged with vintage photo ink and looks burned.  Industry is spelled with the number "1".

Close up of the word Industry and the acetate with embossed pattern.


I do like the look of this card. The colored paper makes it softer I think. I would like to read your comments on this card!

Thanks,Lis

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Imagine Collage Card

Hi everyone and thanks for stopping by!

Today's card is another collage card (I love collage and putting together old fashioned things).  It's a little different because I have used an Accucut die that cuts out a colorblock design that I have used as compartments.  (I must say that I love Accucut dies, they have some amazing designs.)

The colorbox diecut was made with plain black cardstock.  I outlined it in gold and then sprayed gold over it in droplets.  I did this by whacking my pen against my scissors (an oldie but goodie!).  I attached it using double thicknesses of mounting tape to give it depth.

The card itself is ivory cardstock.  And the front mat is Tim's new kraft glassine which I embossed with the time piece folder and then colored in Pine Needles Distress ink from Ranger. 




As you can see, this card is very three-dimensional!  I love this kind of card style because I can use all the little "Fiddly-bits" as my older sister would say; and fill each compartment with a memory.

Some close ups for you to enjoy!



 I do love the new Typeset alphabet slim die from Sizzix.  (I used it for the word below.)  The letters are not perfect and I love the rough edges.


 I hope that you are inspired to make some collage cards of your own!

Thanks,Lis

Friday, May 27, 2011

Ancestry Collage Card

Hi everyone and happy Friday!  Guess what!  I am on vacation for a week.  I've been working very hard (12 hour days are a killer) and am looking forward to spending a few days with a girlfriend of mine and having a little downtime.  Work has just been so very busy with lots of exciting things going on.  I am ready to take a few days off though and re-energize myself again!

This weekend I have a couple of really pretty collage cards for you.  Today's card features a background collage pattern from one of Tim Holtz's embossing folders and some images placed together to create this card.  I thought using the white pearl paper for the background allowed the added elements to stand out.


Keys and clocks are a favorite element of mine: unlocking knowledge and the passage of time.


I really like the way this key turned out.  I had some gold foil and added it over a chipboard key.  Then I added beige pearls in four sizes to give it some interest.



At first I was going to give my little horse an emerald eye but I thought it would be too loud so a clear crystal eye is what I decided on.



I hope that you liked my card today!  Stop by again tomorrow for my next collage card!

Lis

Sunday, May 22, 2011

ART Card

Hi everyone!

I wanted to share a card I made with rosettes.  The rosettes are made with Tim Holtz's newest slim die (Sizzix).

The card and base are pretty simple. All I did was layer a number of coordinated colored cardstock.  I edged the patterned paper in gold.



It took a little patience to put the smaller rosette together.  After the first two though I got the hang of it.  I think I had them spring up on me a few times.  All I could do was laugh about it and try again!  I added a pen nib to the larger rosette.  I thought it made a nice accent.



Here is a close up of the large rosette.


Thanks for stopping by!

Lis

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Bathing Beauty

Happy Saturday everyone!
I wanted to show you all a quick technique to tone down really loud and busy papers.

I am using a large flowery paper with bright roses.  I am also using a beige striped paper. 

I punched a pattern strip using a Martha Stewart Deep Edger Punch.  This type of punch doesn't cut a design into the paper, it actually cuts the design from the paper. You end up with a separate strip border.  This is really nice because you can make it as long or short as you want.  I added one strip at a time to my card mat.  I trimmed everything once I covered the front.

The effect is pretty cool.  The patterned paper is really toned down but I can still see the colors.  The punched design reminds me of wicker for some reason.  It makes me think of the beach.


I added a dark pink ribbon and a brass heart charm to finish off my card.



Here is a close up of the pattern I punched.


Thanks for stopping by!

Lis

Friday, May 20, 2011

Bon Voyage Card



 

Hi everyone!  Today I want to share with you a card I made with some of the new 7 Gypsies items!  I wanted to do a theme card. Its almost summer and time to think about traveling.  So, I imagined a trip aboard a steamship…

I wanted to use some half-rosettes in my card. I chose three papers from Gypsy Market (Isn’t that a great name?). The papers are full of rusts and muted colors which ties in perfectly with a mysterious cruise…

I cut a little more than half of a rosette using the regular sized Tim Holtz die.  I added some 7 Gypsies paper tape to each of the die cuts before I folded my rosettes.  I was able to create a two-layered effect.  After I folded them, I glued them with hot glue and added a 7 Gypsies brad to each.  I cut off the fastener parts on the back and used a pop dot to attach each brad.

I really like the black and white striped paper so I made a banner (Tim Holtz) using it.  The letters are from the Tim Holtz Typeset alphabet. I mounted the banner to the card with mounting tape.



I had a lot of fun choosing some pretty tags for my card.  7 Gypsies has quite a few.  I found one with a steamship and another that looks like it could be from a ship schedule.  I decorated with a gear (its got bling in the middle!). (Gotta have some steampunk!)

Thanks for stopping by!
Lis

Alice - An Old Fashioned Card

Hello and Happy Friday everyone!  I have taken today off and am working on some cards to share with you this weekend.

Today I'd like to share with you "Alice".

I have several CD's filled with clip art showing old victorian images and photos of people.  I often wonder what their lives were like, who they were and what became of them.  In some way we are immortalizing them by using them in art such as the piece below.  I do my best to use these images respectfully.

The background of this card was done with the new 7 Gypsies Tissue Paper. There are several choices and all are beautiful.  The tissue paper I chose is a collage of birds and bird cages mixed with postage cancellations and music.

I ran the front of my card base through my Xyron, laying down an even layer of glue.  It was very easy to add the tissue by tearing pieces off and applying them to my card.

The frames and the picture were cut from one of the Spellbinders Labels. (I love the labels they have!  There are a number of styles and you get 5-8 sizes of one style in each package which is great for layering.)




I added ivory beading around the edge of the largest frame and four pearls as accents.


I love this green ribbon.  The colors of the card are browns/blacks. The green ribbon really shows through the monochromatic color scheme.


I hope you enjoyed today's card.  See you again soon!

Lis

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Acetate Overlay Cards

Hello Everyone! Happy Saturday to you all!  Today was rather overcast and threatened rain but that didn't stop me from visiting JoAnn's!  I went by the sticker aisle and saw the K & Company stickers so I stopped to look at them. (Big trouble, right?)  Well, you know I just love K & Company. Say what you will about Jolie's but K&C make such beautiful stickers, all with glitter and foil and layers and such.  They are always just stunning.

Anyway, I saw these acetate overlays.  These are usually used to put on top of photos. They have a border and thats about it.  These however had butterflies and birds and flowers, all with glitter.  Truly beautiful. So, I had to get a set.  In my mind I saw them on cards and thought they would look really nice.

Word of caution: These acetate overlays have a film that you need to peel off before using them.  This protects the acetate from scratches.  Unfortunately I didn't think about this when I attached my first overlay to my first card.  Then while I was putting glue dots around, one of them started to pull the back off, and I thought....oh wow....I forgot to remove the film. <sigh>  Live and learn!

My first card:

I was troubled by the photo at first because I try to make things match up side to side and top to bottom.  In this case I couldn't do that if I wanted to see the background green lattice.  The picture is printed from a CD that I bought with vintage photos on it.  There are many of this type. They come with a book and all photos are numbered.  There are a couple of different publishers that have these and you can even get different topics like scientific instruments (for all you steampunk lovers out there) or famous paintings.



I placed a pearl in the center of the bow. I thought this was a nice accent.  The ribbon is wired but I also adhered the ribbon ends with glue dots to preserve the wave.

 Here is a close up of the bow.  To add the bow to my card, I did the following:
  1. Added glue dots to the back of my bow. 
  2. Attached the bow to my card.
  3. Punched two holes on each side (each set of two holes was about 1/4" apart.
  4. Threaded each ribbon tail down one hole and back up through the other hole.
  5. Molded the ribbon ends and attached with glue dots.
I threaded my ribbon ends to make them sturdier and keep the bow on better.  I am sure the glue dots would have been ok but this was better. Sometimes wire edged ribbon can pull and be unruly.  By doing this the ribbon ends stayed where I placed them.


My second card:

This card is similar. I used an off white ribbon and placed a gold crystal in the center.




I hope you enjoyed today's cards!

Lis

Friday, May 13, 2011

Simple Bling Cards

Hi everyone!  Happy Friday!

I am sure that you have seen the large crystal and pearl swirl stickers at your local craft store and online.  Aren't they beautiful? Don't you wish you could use them on a card? Aren't they just too big for a card?

NOT AT ALL!

Today I want to show you an easy way to use these beautiful and elegant bling swirls for cards in an easy easy way!


I love the crystal swirls.  They come in so many colors of crystals. And now with the crystal and pearl combinations, its just too great!

I had to choose a paper that would not swallow up my crystal stickers.  Some paper patterns are just a bit too strong for this.  I settled on tiled patterns which Graphic 45 does very well.  I chose their Springtime and Curtain Call Lines.

The first card has a complete and uncut crystal and swirl accent on it.  The sticker doesn't detract from the paper.  The paper doesn't keep you from enjoying the bling. Perfect!


It is elegant and it only took me 5 minutes to make. (I did edge the paper in gold. This added a nice faux layer.)





The next card took me ten minutes to make because the sticker bling I purchased was about 9 inches long.  I cut it up into pieces and placed it on my card.


I cut out the major portion of the sticker to preserve most of the curve.  I placed this on my card first.  Then I cut pieces out and laid them along side the center part.  The butterflies are part of the sticker.



I hope you enjoyed today's quick and elegant card technique!

Lis

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

One more Vintage Card with a Steampunk Element!

Hi again!  Lis here with another card using the 7 Gypsies line.  This time with a little steampunk added.

I really like the steampunk movement. I love watches and gears and victoriana.  It all reminds me of all the Jules Vern stories.  Actually I am a gear NUT!  I am working on some cards with all gears.  They are pretty (I think).  You'll see...


I must admit that this card is very subdued.  It has the collage tissue paper on it (which I really like. It reminds me of the kind of tissue that you find in the sewing patterns at the local store....which by the way I will be using for some future cards.)

I thought I liked the pearls but now I'm not so sure.  I may take them off. What do you think?


I stamped a pattern on the die cut under the bow but I think I probably should have used a lighter design that would show through better.  I like the bow and gear though.




 Do you see the gear?  Its got a little crystal in it. How cool is that? )You know me...anything with bling!)


I hope you enjoyed today's card.  See you next time!

Lis

Monday, May 9, 2011

Old Fashioned Card with Stick Pins


Hi everyone and happy Monday!  I hope your Monday has been good.  Mine is busy as always.  I decided never to plan anything on a Monday.  That way whatever happens, I am ready!

My card for today is old fashioned with muted browns and rusts.  I like the button ribbon I used too.  Its very cute and lends itself to the feel of the card.  I used some 7 Gypsies tissue paper (yes, this is a new product of theirs).  I cut it in a quarter circle, pleated (folded) it and added it to the left of my card. I let the bottom hang off - I thought it was kind of cool. 




 I used two stick pins on this card.  I love the Mays Arts stick pins (you can also make your own - just go to the craft store and get some of those long pins they use for earrings and glue on some beads - FYI these pins are not for fastening anything.  They are straight with a flat top.) 

Anyway, you can get these stick pins in pearls or faux crystal, they are very pretty.  I love the way the crystal (its plastic, not glass) kind of catches the light and reflects it on the card.




I printed out a vintage picture onto some sticky backed canvas and cut out the image.  I used that on the card.  It looks like she is gazing as something, don't you think?  This is a good close up of the stick pins also.

I hope you like this card and try one for yourself too!

Lis

Friday, May 6, 2011

Mini-Bottlecap Bracelet

Hi everyone and Happy Friday!




I was sitting at my very messy craft table and decided to make something other than a card for my project. And since I like jewelry as much as I do card making, I decided to make a bracelet with some of the new bottle cap supplies at Frantic Stamper!

I love the new mini bottle caps and as soon as Fran had them on her website, I ordered a package. These mini bottle caps are so cute! I just knew I had to make a charm bracelet out of them!

I went to the local craft store and picked up a silver plated chain, some jump rings and a lobster claw clasp. I ran home and started to work on my design. I measured the chain to 7 ½” and cut it. (I didn’t realize how strong this chain was and the ring I cut kind of ricocheted across my craft room!) I attached the lobster claw clasp with a jump ring.

To prepare my caps, I drilled a small hole in the side of each one.

Then came the fun part! I looked in my paper stash for some fun pictures because I wanted to make a Mother’s Day bracelet with children’s pictures. You are not going to believe where I found some. I had purchased some Webster’s Flash Cards a while back. The package had a preview card with miniature pictures of the different flash cards on it; THAT is what I used. I took a ½” punch and punched out the images that I wanted (the first one went zinging across my craft room…) and used glue dots to add them to the inside of the caps. Darice makes clear epoxy domes to match the size of the mini caps; I added these on top of my images.

Now, if you know me, you KNOW I have to have bling! I added a red acrylic gem I had. I also found a pretty letter that I liked and made one charm an initial charm.

I used jump rings through the drilled holes to attach the cap charms to the bracelet.

I put the bracelet on and have been wearing it since! It has such a nice tinkling sound when I move. I love the pictures, too; they are old timey, colorful and fun to look at. I think I may have to make matching earrings and a necklace!

I left my caps plain on the backs but you may want to:
      Color them with alcohol inks
      Stamp them with designs using StazOn inks

As for the insides of the caps, you may want to try melting some UTEE to fill the caps instead of putting pictures in them.

I hope that you enjoyed this project. I sure did!