Free to Fly, a Collage Card

Free to Fly, a Collage Card

 Hi and Good Sunday to you!

Today's card is a collage card.  I love collage cards.  Since it is a "collage" of items, I can use many different embellishments and materials and weave them together into a cohesive piece. (And I like the Steampunk style!)

This is a standard A2 card (5 1/2 x 4 1/4 inches) made with white cardstock, then layered with some patterned paper from Tim Holtz line.

I ran my collage die through my machine with black cardstock four times. I adhered them one on top of the other. I adhered another pattern paper to the back of this collage die cut, then adhered this to my card front.

(I used Tonic Studios liquid glue to adhere most everything to my card.  It's always tricky how to adhere metal objects, vellum, lace and so on to one's card.  The liquid glue did quite well with the metal pieces. I also used glue dots for the key in the upper left corner because not enough of the key was touching the card.)

I added all my decorations (frankly, I couldn't stop. Someone should have told me to step away from my craft table!) I got my embellishments from Amazon.

I have a set of cog dies (I think from Cheery Lynn). I die cut cogs in green satin finish mirror card, gold mirror and gold satin finish mirror card. I used these along with the other embellishments on my card. 

To send this card through the post will cost about one million dollars...

I added some Chitchat words by Idea-ology.

Close Ups

Thanks for stopping by!

Lis

A Happy Birthday Flip Card

Hi everyone,

Today's card features a flip design.  So, when you pull the left and right sides when opening the card, it flips and you see the center rotate to the back side.  I made this birthday card for my brother in law.

Items used:

• Sizzix die (they have several choices of centers including round, rectangle, fancy like mine is, and a couple of others I think)
• Sizzix framelits die set that matches the flip design in the center (I used these thin dies to cut additional pieces that I then layered onto my card label).
• Sizzix/Tim Holtz Frameworks die
• Graphic 45 Steampunk Collection (base card was made from one of these sheets)
• Gold Glossy card, purple card
• Teal Suede Paper from Hot Off the Press
• Acetate with a white lace design
• Spectrum Noir Alcohol Pens (to color the candles)
• Clear acrylic jewels
• Dazzles by Hot Off the Press
• lace for a bow

Here are close ups of the center label (front and then back) showing the layering I did.

I had purchased some brown lace from Really Reasonable Ribbon and used one for the double bow.

I added some designs on the right side because I thought it was too plain.  I was going to add gears because this was supposed to be a steampunk theme (my bro-in law loves tools and does beautiful wood work)

Thanks for stopping by!
Lis

Discover Liffe, a Collage Card

 

Hi everyone!

I hope that you are all having a great week!  Today's card is in one of my favorite styles, Steampunk!

Items used:

• dark brown card base (card size is 5 x 7)
• card stock in rusty red and medium brown
• gold glossy card
• Brown Fireworks card specialty paper by Hot Off the Press
• brown 1mm jute string (rally reasonable ribbon)
• Trinkets from Idea Ology
• Fleur de Lis - an old piece I had in my stash - Anthology
• Word Die - Sizzix/Tim Holtz
• Patterned paper by Bo Bunny
• Gear Die by Memory Box
• Gold paint pen for splatters

After I die cut the gear corner, I cut off a couple gears and placed them elsewhere on my card.

Thanks for stopping by!
Lis

Steampunk Balloons

 

I don't know what my attraction for gears and all things steampunk...but I LOVE it!  Today's card features hot air balloons (I believe the paper is from Bo Bunny), some flowers (Petaloo) and some gears and a Hot Air Balloon pin (Petaloo) (I love that pin!)

 

This card is actually pretty simple to make.  I used a bright yellow card base and added the patterned paper to it.  I added a strip of patterned paper from Sweet Sentiments (Graphic 45, another fav of mine).

 

I layered the flowers and added my pin.  Usually when I add a pin, I stick it through some mounting tape from other things I'm adding to my card. In this card I wasn't using any mounting tape. All the flowers are glue dotted. 

 

 

So, I cut a square of mounting tape stuck he pin through it and then stuck the pin on my card.  it works quite well.  To keep anyone from getting stuck on the sharp end, I stuck the point through my mat piece of paper and then glued it all to my card.

I added a safety pin (one of those that doesn't have the double circle at the bottom) to my gear and put the pin around the hat pin.

 

 

I hope you enjoyed visiting today!  Thank you to everyone who visits my blog!  I always appreciate you!

 

Lis

 



Moustache Birthday Card

 

I am seeing a lot of moustaches and top hats.  I found some thin dies by Sizzix that included these and purchased them 

 

I love how this card came out. the moustaches are so cute!  I attached the moustaches with glue dots just in the center. Then I curled the ends so they would stick out.  Of course I cut them out of black cardstock.

 

The vertical piece on the left is a piece of VERTIGO FILM cut and colored with alcohol inks.  Vertigo Film is this really cool film (kind of a thick plastic) with designs in it that cause it to look 3D.  The films come in different patterns.  The one I have above is called pebbles.  The photo doesn't really do it justice.  It's rather slick.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

Lis

 



Steampunk Butterfly Greetings

 



Hi everyone!  This was an interesting card to make.  I started off wanting a sweet Victorian card. I ended up adding a steampunk element to it.  Quite a mixture!

The unique material that I've just start using is the paper ribbon.  I've used it in pink on this card.  It starts out as paper twine (Maya Road).  I unroll it and the resulting paper ribbon is about 1 1/2 inches wide.  You get a lot on a roll too.

It does take a little patience to get it unrolled but well worth the effort. Its SO pretty.  I am working o another card and I want to ink it before I unroll it to see what tie die effects I can get. So stay tuned!

Do you like my butterfly?  I used a Frantic Stamper solid Butterfly die to cut the card base, the patterned paper mat and a gold glossy butterfly that you can just see on the inside of the card.

I stamped a gear image onto some transparency that I cut a bit larger than the butterfly window on the front of my card.  I used double sided tape to attach it to the front of my card base.  Then I added my mat (made from purple suede paper and patterned Graphic 45 paper on top).  My mat already had the butterfly window cut out.  I matched up the windows and glued it down.  The stamped transparency shows through.  I cut out a gold glossy butterfly to place on the inside of my card. When the card is closed, there is a gold background to the butterfly.

This is not a new technique but one that isn't used a whole lot.  Hope you enjoyed my card today!

Thanks foo stopping by!
Lis


 

Steam & Feathers - a Punk Card

 

 

I just recently got Frantic Stampers Feathers precision die set.  Feathers are all the rage right now and I've been thinking of something to do with them.  I love top hats and steampunk style so....I decided on this theme for a card!

 

I wanted my feathers to really have some pizazz so I used two sets of Encrusted Jewels by Stampendous.  They give you a little kit with embossing powder and other stuff to create some pretty cool effects.  I used Teal and Purple sets.

 

Steampunk is all abut gears so I had to include this in my card too! I embossed an ivory piece of cardstock and added an edging of copper and then Rusty hinge and Tea Dye over top of it.  I added some gears of course, even a little gear at the base of my feathers...so cute!

 

and then...my focal...a top hat with feathers!  I mounted my hat with mounting tape so it could really stand out. 

 

I love the way the top hat and feathers turned out. I cut a small slit in my hat so that I could thread the stem of each feather into it and attach from behind the hat.  I added some gold embossing powder touches like a brim and some "wear".

I hope you enjoyed my car today! Thanks for stopping by!

 

Take Care!  Lis

Steam Card - a Punk Style

 

I love the Steampunk style!  It's a marriage of Victorian and Industrial, and every time I see something Steampunk, I find some object to reminisce about.  I hadn't made anything steampunk in a while and decided I wanted to make a couple of cards. 

I wanted to use a burlap background because I think it lends itself to the masculine feel I was aiming for, and I used gears cut in my new favorite card, holographic ripple! 

I wanted to use a few colors because I planned on stacking the gears and felt different colors would make each layer stand out more.  I added the pearls as a homage to Victorian and then some eclectic metal elements scattered around as eye candy!

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Materials for this project available at www.franticstamper.com

Frantic Stamper products used:

• Frantic Stamper Precision Dies
• Large and Small Gears (set of six) (FRA-Die-09042)
• Gear Collage (FRA-Die-09041)

Pilgrim Spirits

I really wanted to do a more three dimensional card today.  I chose to do a punch teechnique for a three dimensional embellishment on my card. I don't normally work in 5 x 6 1/2 inch sizes but today's card is that.  It gives little more room for some larger designs.

I took a martha stewart heart punch and punched out four hearts.  I folded these four hearts in half.  I each half to the next half on the back sides of the hearts and there it was a three dimensional heart.  (You can make ornaments to hang inside windows on your cards or just to hang...think Christmas)

Close Up!
Here is a close up of the punched heart. I like the lattice because it gives my heart an airy feel and its not overpowering on my card.

THis is an acrylic crystal.  I used blue wire and wrapped the crystal and then attached to my card with two holes I made with a paper piercer.  I added some curly pieces too.

The flag pole is a fancy toothpick.  The words are from Tim Holtz word stickers.  I used Distress Stain in Dusty Concord on the whole toothpick (also on the words) and Tarnished Brass on the top. 

Did you notice the gold filigree?  This is one of Frantic Stamper's new dies.  Its really pretty!

Thanks for stopping by~!
Lis

Geared Up

Today's card uses one of my new favorite products, Ranger Distress Paints.  Boy do I love these!  They work on metal!  The results are realy cool looking. Items really have that worn look and also can look enameled.  So cool!

Close Up!

Here are some of the gears that I painted.  I also dabbed the tops of the brads in paint.  It worked out well. I used a heat gun to speed up the drying time (I'm just so patient, you know LOL).  Air drying time is not too bad either.

Thanks and stop by again.
Lis

Journey and Discover - Metal Accents

First, I love metals.  Gold, Silver, copper, brass, bronze, aluminum, colored foils, shiny, sometimes mat or frosted - I love it all.  And I especially love to make my own metal accents for my cards.

The biggest supply of metal that I have is in my refrigerator (no, I'm not talking about melting it down...)... It's my soda cans.  These beautiful aluminum marvels can be converted into the perfect thickness aluminum to be used in art. 

There are many other sources of metal including:

• At your hardware store - aluminum tape - and it's even adhesive on the back
• In your kitchen drawer - aluminum foil
• At the craft store under stained glass and jewelry making (wire and copper tape)

So back to my soda cans: (sorry Pepsi people)

 Look what a nice inside I have!

1. I used my regular large scissors to pierce the side of the can near the top, then cut around the can to remove the top. 
2. I cut vertically down the can's side until I got to the bottom, where I cut around the can again to cut away the bottom. 
3. This metal is very sharp.  Be careful - and you may want to use gloves.

 I used Tim Holtz Tattered Flowers Sizzix die to cut these.  I only cut only sheet at a time but I found you can easily cut two sheets at a time too.

 It's easy to mold these metal flowers with your fingers, a pen, whatever.

 So, what to use to color these pretty flowers?

• Ranger Distress Paints (It looks like old enamel when dry.)
• Ranger Alcohol Inks
• Stamp with Staz On or Archival inks
• If you are into encaustic wax, you can melt colored wax on them.
• Don't color them, emboss them!

 Close Up!

The flowers and leaves are metal. 

1. The leaves have been embossed using a gears embossing folder, then colored using the Ranger Distress Paint.
2. After I coated the leaf, I used a paper towel to wipe off the excess. 
3. You can either use a heat gun to dry the colored metal (again, be careful =- remember you are working with metal - when you heat it, it gets hot.
• OR - you can let the pieces dry overnight. (It doesn't take this long to dry naturally - I just left it overnight because I didnt have any more time that evening.
• I did both and there is no difference. 
4. The color stays in the embossed parts and colors the metal overall.
5. After the flowers were dry, I was able to bend them with abandon!  No chipping or breaking of the paint! Yea!

I used glue dots to adhere the acrylic gems to the flowers and also to adhere the flowers to the card.

 I used a silver foiled cardstock for my banner.

I hope that you try your own cards with metal accents made from soda cans!
Thanks for stopping by!
Lis

Time Flies - a Steampunk Card

I've been working with embossing folders and metals lately and wanted to use them in a card. I also had some odds and ends and wanted to challenge myself to make a card using them. 

Close Up!

I've had this die cut label for months. (It was blank and cut out of white.) I decided to stamp it with  a pocket watch and then with newspaper print. I wanted part of my dial to be blank so I made a mask to block off part of the clock face.  I have these large acrylic bubbles and I used one on the clock face which magnified it.
The label looked too busy when I finished stamping so I outlined it in silver to tone down the type.

Instead of covering my card completely with the metallic tape, I used two strips, one at the bottom and a thin strip at the top.  I then embossed the whole card.  I used the new Ranger Distress Paints on them, wiping away most of the color except what stayed in the embossed parts.

This angle really shows the dimension of the card.

I hope you enjoyed my card. Come back again soon.

Lis