Hey, Chick

I'm sure 'free' must be a favourite price with most people and that includes me.  This is how I came to have this chicken stamp as part of a set on offer from Stampin' Up - I thought it deserved an inking so here is the card I've made with just one of the chicks.  There are others in the set too and I've seen some quirky ideas for using them when I get around to it.  The chick was stamped, coloured brightly using alcohol pens and then cut out carefully with scissors.  I took a snippet of white card, lightly stamped some grasses and then die cut a scalloped circle and glued the chick into place.  More snippets were used to cut another circle and a strip in orange; a wire netting stamp was used to stamp onto a strip of white; turquoise card was used to cut a banner; sentiment stamped and cut out with another small banner die.  All the layered pieces were chosen from my scraps box to match up with the bright colours in the background paper which was from my stash.  A random frame was drawn around the edge using a fine liner pen.

Main image - from Hey, chick stamp set by Stampin' Up
Background grasses - from Wetlands stamp set by Stampin' Up
Netting Stamp - clear stamp from unknown source which I've had forever
Sentiment - Bitty Banners stamps and dies set by Stampin' Up
Turquoise Banner - Sue Wilson die
Scalloped Circles - Tattered Lace dies

Cuttlebug Mania Challenge - Frame It

The challenge on the Cuttlebug Mania blog this time is to incorporate a frame or frames into a design, obviously using a die cutting machine and die/s.  For my background I've used Pixie Powders onto white card and run it through with a 3D embossing folder, following up with some copper gilding.  A small white frame was die cut with a matching backing of some of the coloured card with a simple sentiment and a few stamped and punched flowers and a leaf to use up the scraps.

Embossing Folder - Crafter's Companion
Leaf - from Botanical Blooms Stampin' Up
Flowers - Petite Petals also SU with matching punch
Copper Gilding Polish - Cosmic Shimmer
Frame - Sue Wilson Die with computer sentiment

Paper Transformed!

Each time I go through my designer paper pads looking for something suitable for a project I keep coming across some designs/colours I just don't seem to be able to use - either the colours or the designs (sometimes both) are too garish and 'in your face'.  Now the sensible amongst us would suggest either binning them or maybe taking to a charity shop in the hopes that someone else would love them.  Did I do that ...  NO!  I took a few of them out and gave them a thin coat of white gesso to take away the harshness of the colours and once dry I searched for a selection of texture stamps to overstamp and hopefully transform the papers into something usable.  You don't have to be mad but it helps!!  The original paper in this case was a bright pink, brown and garish green combination - ugh!!

Here is a card on which I've used one of these 'transformations'.  I stamped the quirky bird onto some kraft card and embossed with white detail powder; painted the image using Pixie Powders mixed with water; stamped the words onto cream card and cut them out into little strips; rooted out a set of ticket stamps with lots of options and made a little sentiment ticket - this is where the Misti has come in so handy - much more successful than early efforts with these stamps some years ago when it was very much hit or miss - lots of miss in my case even though they are clear stamps.  While I was tinkering around with gesso I transformed several pieces of designer paper so I'm sure you will see more cards in due course.

Stamp - from Steampunk Birds set Chocolate Baroque
Stamp Colouring - Pixie Powders mixed with a little water and painted
Small Words - from same set of stamps
Background Stamping - various texture stamps by Creative Expressions
Ticket - from Just the Ticket stamp set Imagination Crafts

Pixie Snippets Weeks 283 and 284

As always Di has made us a super card as inspiration for using up snippets and has given us her usual detailed  and helpful description of how it was achieved.  You can see it and details of the great prize on offer if you go HERE.  For my card this week I've used up some narrow snippets of watercolour card which had been coloured using Pixie Powders - yes my current favourite thing!!  I also die cut some flowers from snippets of black but when doing this I was careful to place the dies so that the 'waste' piece of black could be used to make another card which I will post at some point soon.  I know we all hate to throw away bits and pieces of card and paper and with a little forward planning you can accumulate even more  useful 'snippets' - it gets to be a bit of an obsession I fear!!  More snippets were used to die cut the sentiment panel and the background was a larger snippet embossed and sponged with Distress ink.

Banners - strips of coloured watercolour paper with ends punched into a 'V' Stampin' Up punch
Flowers - Tim Holtz wild flower die set
Sentiment Panel - Sue Wilson Dies, free stamp from magazine set
Background - Pinpoint embossing folder Sue Wilson
Pixie Powders - Cosmic Shimmer