Coffee Lover's Blog Hop

Hello! I'm participating in the Coffee Lover's Blog Hop via A Jillian Vance Design. Head on over to their blog to hop on into the line up and partake of the coffee love. ;-)

Katzelkraft Birthday Card with Topflight Stamps

Hello! I have another funny Katzelkraft card to share with you today. The Katzelkraft Christmas Holiday Accessories stamp set doesn't just have to be for Christmas cards! I used the gift package stamp from it along with the Jungle Animals for this birthday card:

I used an oldie but goodie technique for the background. First I stamped the hippo and package and then made little masks for them out of post it notes.

Then I sponged embossing ink (Ranger's Emboss It Dabber works great) through a stencil over the background and embossed it with clear embossing powder.

Keeping the masks in place, I inked the background with blue Oxide inks. The clear embossed areas act as a resist.

I removed the masks and then used a dry craft iron to remove the embossing powder. You can do this by laying a clean sheet of newsprint over the embossed area (you need an absorbent paper) and then pressing the iron over the top until it melts. The newsprint soaks up the melted powder. If you aren't quick enough in removing the paper and it sticks, you can just heat it again to remelt the powder.

Thanks for stopping by! Below is a list of supplies I used. Be sure to check out the Topflight Stamps blog for more inspiration. There is always something fun to see there! Have a great week. =)

Topflight Stamps Products:
Katzelkraft - Les Jungles
Katzelkraft - Holiday Quotes
Katzelkraft - Christmas Holiday Accessories
That's Crafty stencil - Clouds & Hearts

Dies:
Sizzix - Grass (Sizzix / SB )

Other:

Ranger Archival Ink - Jet Black

Distress Inks - Mowed Lawn
Distress Oxide Inks - Tumbled Glass, Broken China, Salty Ocean, Twisted Citron, Wilted Violet
Ranger Emboss It Dabber
Clear embossing powder

watercolors

Scrapbook.com and Sizzix links in this post are affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! (My husband also thanks you!)

Sneak Peek for AJVD

Happy Monday! Fall is here, oh boy! I have a little sneak peek of the fall-themed  project I have posted on the AJVD blog today. Head on over to check out the whole thing. ;-)

Fall Fairy Woodland Trinket Box Scene with Eileen Hull

Hello and good evening! This month is all about Fall-O-Ween over on Eileen Hull's blog! My team mates are all sharing their fall and Halloween themed projects. It all makes me want to go grab a pumpkin-spiced latte. ;-) For my project I used Eileen's Trinket Box Die to create a little fall fairy woodland scene. Fall is my favorite season and I love making home decor pieces that reflect the colors and sights of the season.

I had a branch cross section that I used as a base. I like how the scene spills out to the base too!

I used some Tim Holtz Wood Slices to make the little steps.

The Trinket Box Die is very versatile. You can make diminutive shadow boxes like this one, hinged boxes like this one and this one, or actual little books. (You can cut out pages with the die.) For the first step, I covered mat board with patterned paper (for the sides and back) and cut out the parts. To make the front frame, I spritzed a piece of mat board with Distress Spray Stains, partly dried them and then ran it through my Big Shot in the Lumber 3-D Embossing Folder while it was still damp. The detail is amazing!! I added other layers of ink afterwards to highlight the grain texture and then cut the frame out. I constructed the sides of the box and glued them to the back panel. Then I measured out a piece of cardstock to stencil the background on:

I folded up the sides and glued it in place in the box:

For the base pedestal I used a wood shape I've had in my stash. It looks like a giant Hershey's Kiss. I painted it brown and used a hole punch to make a hole in the bottom side of the box for the point of the "Kiss" to poke through.

Hot glue worked well to join the parts. I also glued a bit of foam core board to act as a riser for the moss I was adding next.

I glued the moss in and then glued in all the die cut foliage and other parts. Once that was done and dry, I glued on the front frame and then the whole thing to the cross section base.

Thanks for stopping by. Be sure to visit Eileen's blog and check out the other posts for this month! I am also entering this in the Vintage Journey's current challenge, Back to Nature. Check out their blog too!

Dies:
Eileen Hull Sizzix
Floral Arch & Words ( Sizzix / SB )
Book & Pages, Trinket Box & Frame ( Sizzix / SB )

Tim Holtz - Funky Floral #3 ( Sizzix / SB )
Tim Holtz - Fall Foliage ( Sizzix / SB )
Tim Holtz - Garden Greens ( Sizzix / SB )

Tim Holtz 3-D Embossing Folder, Lumber ( Sizzix / SB )

Other:

Ranger Archival Ink - Potting Soil,

Distress Inks - Ground Espresso, Forest Moss, Crushed Olive, Mustard Seed
Distress Spray Stain - Pumice Stone, Hickory Smoke, Vintage Photo
Sizzix mat board
Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts - Garden Fairies, small
Idea-ology Wood Slices
The Crafter's Workshop stencil - Mini Aspen Trees
Ranger Distress Collage Medium - Matte
moss
turf landscaping foam
Crafter's Pick - The Ultimate! glue (my fav glue ever!)

Sizzix and Scrapbook.com links in this post are affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! (My husband also thanks you!)

Fall Fairy Woodland Scene
by MonalisaH -Lisa Hoel
Scrapbook.com

Frilly & Funkie Challenge - All Creatures Great & Small

Hello and happy Thursday! I am honored to be a guest designer on the Frilly and Funkie blog for their new All Creatures Great and Small challenge. The projects must have animals as the focus - no humans allowed. ;-) I have created a little decor piece that features a forest mouse (and has a little bird on top. Double whammy, woo hoo!! lol)

Here's a closer peek inside:

and a view of the top:

It was pretty straightforward to put together. The graphics came from two vintage books that I recently found at a thrift store:

Book lovers, do not worry, no books were harmed in the making of this project! I scanned the book cover and the mouse and printed them out for it. ;-)

My biggest tip comes from a rookie mistake that I made. I added all sorts of lovely crackle paste to the little house's bare metal and it promptly fell off when it dried. Oops! I forgot the number one rule of needing to add something like..... clear gesso!.... to the metal first before the texture paste. So I knocked off all the old crackle that hadn't already flaked off and applied a layer of clear gesso. When that was dry I redid the crackle and it worked perfectly! I used DecoArt Media Liquid Acrylics to add color afterwards.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out the challenge at Frilly & Funkie. Show them your stuff!

Dies:
Garden Greens (Sizzix / SB)
Garden Greens Thinlits (Sizzix / SB)
Tiny Tattered Florals (Sizzix / SB)
Funky Florals #3 (Sizzix / SB)
Tattered Leaves (Sizzix / SB)
Tapered Fringe (Sizzix)

Other:

Tim Holtz Stamp Set - Falling Leaves
Ranger Archival Ink - Fern Green

Distress Inks - Pine Needles, Vintage Photo, Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, Peeled Paint, Mustard Seed, Fossilized Amber
Prima Clear Gesso
Prima White Crackle Texture Paste
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Foliage
DecoArt Media Liquid Acrylics - Geen Gold, Cerulean Blue, Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide, Burnt Umber, Dark Grey 3, Sap Green, Phthalo Green-Gold
moss
vintage faux mushrooms
bark
spanish moss

Sizzix and Scrapbook.com links in this post are affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! (My husband also thanks you!)

Woodland Mouse Vignette
by MonalisaH -Lisa Hoel
Scrapbook.com

Smile! It's Fall Cardmaking Time with Topflight Stamps.

Hello there! I've found myself making lots of cards lately. Tis the season and all for fun holiday cards. ;-) Here's a cute one for Halloween of course:

I 'watercolor stamped' the leaf background onto a sheet of Distress Watercolor Paper. In case you aren't familiar with that technique, it involves inking the stamp with various colors of Distress Inks (the minis are great for this) and then lightly misting the inked stamp with plain water. (Not too much water or you will get a blobby mess!) Then stamp it and you will get a lovely watercolor look. Once it was dry, I blended Distress Oxide inks onto the page (browns around the edges, yellow in the middle).

Thanks for stopping by! Below is a list of supplies I used. Be sure to check out the Topflight Stamps blog for more inspiration. There is always something fun to see there! Have a great week. =)

Topflight Stamps Products:
Studio Light - Art by Marlene Leaf Background Stamp


Dies:
AJVD - Perfect Pumpkin
AJVD - Grande Greetings Smile

Other:

Distress Inks - Vintage Photo, Rusty Hinge, Black Soot, Squeezed Lemon

Distress Oxide Inks - Fired Brick, Fossilized Amber, Aged Mahogany
Distress Watercolor Cardstock
washi tape

Scrapbook.com links in this post are affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! (My husband also thanks you!)

AJVD Post - Everything is Coming Up Poppies!

Howdy and happy Monday! Here's a little peek of the project I have posted over on the AJVD blog today. ;-) Head on over to see the whole enchilada…

Have a great week!!

Frilly & Funkie Haberdashery Challenge

Hello there! I hope you had a good weekend. I've been super crafty myself. ;-) I saw that the latest Frilly & Funkie challenge is Haberdashery and I have a big soft spot for (and stash of) vintages sewing goodies and notions. I couldn't resist pulling them all out and coming up with a project.

I have a few of the old Tim Holtz burlap panels in my closet so out one came. I also raided my quilting scraps. Here is the result:

There isn't too much of a tutorial since it is mainly arranging do-hickies and parts in a pleasing manner. But here are a few tips.

I covered the printed section of the burlap panel with gesso first; it took a few coats to cover it all up. Then I used Collage Medium and pieces of sewing pattern tissue to collage over it.

I used the Vintage Collage Medium over the top to "vintage" it up.

The quilt blocks were extras I had left over from a quilt I made a few years back. I had some scraps of batting so I made a "mini quilt" so it would have some body to it. I also sewed a vintage zipper on the side.

After finishing these foundation pieces I just played around with my goodies to see what looked right.

Things get a little messy at this stage! It's one of those craft explosions that can happen all over your desk ha ha.

Here things were a little more solidified as far as what I was using. I started gluing the pieces down.

Another detail:

The bottom layer of the flower is cut from some old cross stitch cardstock that I had.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out the challenge at Frilly & Funkie. You still have a few days left to join in too. =)

Dies:
Flower, Heart & Soul (Sizzix )
Leaves, Spring (Sizzix / SB)
Bigz L Die, Tag - retired

Other:

Tim Holtz Stamp Set - Inventor 3
Tim Holtz Stamp Set - Haberdashery
Ranger Archival Ink - Potting Soil, Pale Ochre

Distress Inks - Ground Espresso, Pine Needles, Vintage Photo
Distress Oxide Inks - Wild Honey, Tea Dye, Antique linen, Old Paper
Distress Spray Stain - Tea Dye, Fossilized Amber
Idea-ology Quote Chips
Ranger Distress Collage Medium - Matte, Vintage
gesso

Sizzix and Scrapbook.com links in this post are affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! (My husband also thanks you!)

Haberdashery Panel
by MonalisaH -Lisa Hoel
Scrapbook.com

More Katzelkraft Christmas Cards

Hello, earlier in the week I shared some holiday cards made using these exclusive Katzelkraft stamp sets (made just for Topflight Stamps). They pair wonderfully with their funny animal stamp sets!

I used some of the accessory stamps from Christmas Holiday Accessories with the Les Chats set to make this funny card:

… and the Les Jungles set with the hat from the Pilgrim set for this Zen card:

Thanks for stopping by! Below is a list of supplies I used. Be sure to check out the Topflight Stamps blog for more inspiration. There is always something fun to see there! Have a great weekend. =)

Topflight Stamps Products:
Katzelkraft - Les Chats
Katzelkraft - Les Jungles
Katzelkraft - Pilgrim
Katzelkraft - Christmas Holiday Accessories

Dies:
AJVD - Poinsettia Greetings
AJVD - Fresh Cut Pine Die Set
AJVD - Stitched Sentiment Trio Die Set

Other:

Ranger Archival Ink - Jet Black

Distress Inks - Vintage Photo, Pine Needles, Broken China
Distress Oxide Inks - Stormy Sky, Cracked Pistachio, Iced Spruce
Distress Spray Stains - Pine Needles, Lucky Clover, Antique Linen
Tim Holtz Layering Stencil - Snowflakes
Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher

watercolors

Scrapbook.com links in this post are affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! (My husband also thanks you!)

Katzelkraft Holiday Cards

Hello and welcome to September! I love making projects for the fall and winter holidays and it's time to get busy with it! ;-) If you are a fan of Katzelkraft Stamps, pay attention to this. Topflight Stamps is carrying two exclusive stamps sets that pair wonderfully with the funny animal stamp sets they have.

I used some of the accessory stamps from Pilgrims with the Les Chats set to create an amusing Thanksgiving card:

These cat stamps crack me up every time!

The cats are stamped on the card base and then I stamped on another piece of cardstock and fussy cut the hats out. The leaves are actually cut with dies out of fun foam. This is a great way to get more use out of your dies! I applied a double sided adhesive sheet to the foam before I cut it and then stuck the foam shapes onto pieces of scrap packaging plastic.

I used ColorBox Blends Inks (with handy built-in sponge applicator tip) to apply ink to the foam and then stamped the leaves around the edges of the card.

For the second card I used the gingerbread man stamp from the Pilgrim set and the 'Merry Christmas' sentiment from the Holiday Quotes set. It's a clean and simple card:

I used a stamping platform for the sentiment. I stamped it in red ink and then moved the card very slightly down and to the right and then re-stamped it using black ink. This gives a nice drop shadow effect.

Thanks for stopping by! Below is a list of supplies I used. Be sure to check out the Topflight Stamps blog for more inspiration. There is always something fun to see there! Have a great week. =)

Topflight Stamps Products:
Katzelkraft - Les Chats
Katzelkraft - Holiday Quotes
Katzelkraft - Pilgrim


Dies:
AJVD - Leaves & Petals

Other:

Ranger Archival Ink - Jet Black

Distress Inks - Vintage Photo, Pumice Stone
fun foam
adhesive sheet
watercolors
ColorBox Blends Ink - Nutmeg, Golden, Stop

Scrapbook.com links in this post are affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! (My husband also thanks you!)