Gel Press Fun with Topflight Stamps

For a long time I've been wanting to play with printing on a Gel Press and I'm finally getting down to it and experimenting! I've done a lot with acrylic paint and then I ran across a video in my YouTube wanderings about using Distress Oxide Inks for printing on the Gel Press Plates. I had to try it with the Carabelle Gel Press Texture Plates!

I created the background with the Gel Press and stamped on top of it with Lavinia Stamps.

I tried a few sets of colors and decided upon green tones for the final card. The video I referenced above shows how to do a gradation of colors which was fun to try.

To use the Texture Plates all you have to do is ink up the Gel Press Plate and then press the Texture Plate gently into it to lift off some of the ink. Then just pull your print and you are set! As a bonus, you can press your now inked Texture Plate onto a new piece of paper and get another great print! (Bottom of above print.)

Close up!

I really like using the Texture Plates with the Gel Press. So many possibilities! I look forward to experimenting more. ;-)

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! 

Topflight Stamps Products:
Gel Press Plate- 6x6
Gel Press Texture Printing Plate - Stained Glass
Lavinia Stamps - Trees, Whimsical Hares, Trailing Ivy, Moments Like These
Visible Image - Scripted Streets


Other:

AJVD Stitched Sentiment Trio Die Set
Ranger Archival Ink - Jet Black
Distress Oxide Ink - Mowed Lawn, Old Paper, Shabby Shutters

brayer

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!)

PaperArtsy Tag with Topflight Stamps

Hello! I hope you are having a nice week. (It is rather snowy here at the moment.) I'm here today to share a tag I made featuring a PaperArtsy stamp set designed by Lynne Perrella (I love her stamps!)

The base is from Studio Light (the black tag from the multi-color pack) that I lightly brayered some Slate Fresco paint onto. I then used silver paint, a Gel Press plate and the Stained Glass Gel Press Texture Printing Plate to print onto the tag. I added additional texture by dabbing embossing ink through a stencil and embossing it with Gunmetal powder.

I die cut some hand marbled paper in my stash to layer on top of all the base layers. Ribbon and additional die cuts came next.

For the focal image, I stamped it with archival ink onto watercolor paper and then painted it with watercolors. When it was dry, I rubbed embossing ink over the whole thing and added three layers of Seth Apter's Vintage Beeswax embossing powder over the top.

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! 

Topflight Stamps Products:
PaperArtsy stamp set - Lynne Perrella 34
Gel Press Plate- 6x6
Gel Press Texture Printing Plate - Stained Glass
Darkroom Door Small Stencil - Arty Mosaic
Studio Light Large Colorful Tags
PaperArtsy Fresco Paint - Slate
Baked Texture Embossing Powder - Vintage Beeswax

Other:

AJVD Quatrefoil Cover Plate Die
Tim Holtz Pennants Die
Ranger Archival Ink - Jet Black
Ranger Distress Woodgrain Cardstock
Ranger Gunmetal embossing powder
Ranger Emboss-It Dabber

watercolors
Distress Oxide Ink - Peacock Feathers
Distress Spray Stain - Iced Spruce
silver acrylic paint
brayer
ribbon
marbled paper

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!)

"Chocolate" for Your Valentine with Eileen Hull

Have you seen Eileen Hull's NEW SIZZIX DIES? You are going to love them which is quite appropriate for this month of February! (Also, another new die that will come out in April is the Notebook die, which also fits neatly inside of the Treasure Box.)

Today I'm sharing a Valentine gift box I made with the Stacking Drawer Die. The die will cut the parts for one drawer and you can then make as many as you want and stack them in whatever way you want. Handily, they can fit inside of the Treasure Box. I have just used a single drawer for this 'tasty' project:

A giant chocolate! Yum! lol

Hmmm… what's inside?

I thought it would be fun to make the treat box look like a giant piece of chocolate. The drawers are very easy to put together and the possibilities are endless!

Step 1
I ran my patterned liner paper and the brown 'chocolate' paper through my Xyron machine to apply adhesive to the backs. That makes it really easy to stick it onto the Sizzix mat board sheet.

Step 2
I die cut the drawer pieces out of my board (after adhering the papers). The outside (brown side) faced down onto the die. The shiny brown paper was a bit on the thick side so to reduce bulk, I carefully peeled it off of the tab sections of the drawer. The drawer is sized to fit snugly into the outer sleeve. If you find it is a bit too tight for your liking, trim a small sliver off the top of your drawer piece before you assemble it. I find with a cork backed metal ruler and a nice sharp blade in your craft knife it is easy.

Step 3
All you have to do to assemble it is fold it up and glue it together. Super tape (the red kind) also works well but I like to use a quick grabbing wet glue because then I have a few moments of play time to position the pieces just right before they stick.

After gluing the side drawer tab in place, you glue the bottom of the drawer inside on top of the bottom tabs. If you glue it underneath the tabs your drawer will be way too tall to fit into the sleeve.

Once I had my drawer all assembled, I used some white Enamel Accents from Ranger to make the 'icing' design on top of my piece of chocolate.

Thanks for stopping by! Check out Eileen's blog posts for this month. The other Inspiration Team members are sharing their projects and tutorials featuring Eileen's brand new dies! If you are not already a member, join the Facebook Eileen Hull Fan Club group. It is a warm, supportive group with lots of inspiration and sharing going on. You'll just have to answer a few simple questions when asking to join (to keep out spammers) and then you'll be added. ;-)

Dies:
Eileen Hull Sizzix
Stacking Drawer ( Sizzix / SB )

Other:

Sizzix mat board
patterned paper from my stash
brown shiny paper from my stash
Xyron adhesive
Ranger Enamel Accents - white

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!)

Frilly & Funkie Winter Blues Challenge

Happy Saturday everyone! It's cold and snowy out for me so it's a good day to be inside crafting. ;-) I created a birthday card for my Dad and for the Frilly & Funkie Winter Blues Challenge.

Also, in the Tim Holtz Addicts Facebook group there is a challenge for this month to use his classic paint resist technique from his 12 tags of 2012. I used it in the background for the card.

Thanks for stopping by for this quick post. =) I'll get back in the craft room and work on another project to share soon!

Dies:
Tim Holtz die set w/ stamps - Possibilities
Tim Holtz die set w/ stamps - Birthday Blueprint, retired

Stamps:
Tim Holtz - Psychedelic
Tim Holtz - Purveyor
Tim Holtz - Ornate Trims
Tim Holtz - Ledger Script

Other:

Ranger Archival Ink - Cobalt, Jet Black

Distress Oxide Inks - Broken China, Chipped Sapphire, Faded Jeans, Stormy Sky
Distress Ink - Faded Jeans
Distress Paint - Picket Fence
gel pens
watercolors

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!)

That's Crafty - ATCoins with Topflight Stamps

Have you heard about the new trend of making and trading ATCoins? It's a fun take on ATCs (Artist Trading Cards). I'm enjoying working on the circular format. The blanks are 2.5 inches in diameter. Mine are from That's Crafty and are made from MDF, a little less than 1/8 inch thick. I like the sturdy feel. That's Crafty also has stamp sets made to fit the coins and I used the Melina Dahl Set 1 on a few of mine.

On most of the coins, I also decorated both sides. Below are the detail photos of the front and flip side  of each coin. Also, I painted each coin, both sides, with gesso before I began.

Base coat on both sides is Smurf Fresco Finish chalk paint. Stenciled clouds using the Clouds & Hearts stencil. For the sun, I stenciled a Dinky Burst using Tacky-When-Dry Gel Medium and then applied foil. I stamped over the top with the sun stamp and added the other details. Back is more stamping and a stamped and fussy cut grumpy cat.

Lavina stamps (Guinevere Mermaid, Sea Creatures and Forest Spruce) were stamped on scalloped circles die cut from paper that I had colored with A Bit Jaded Infusions Dye. I added embossing powder and Stickles glitter to parts of the stamped images and Liquid Pearls around the edges.

Base coated black and I used the AALL & Create Crazy Paving stencil with texture paste on the front. While the paste was wet, I sprinkled it with Baked Texture Chunky Rust embossing powder. Once it was dry, I embossed it. I layered diecut and embossed gears on top. The back is stamped using the Carabelle Steampunk Time Machine stamp.

Lavina stamps (Whimsical Hares, Fern Heads, and Fairy Thistles) were stamped on scalloped circles die cut from paper that I had colored with Terracotta Infusions Dye. The back is stamped onto marbled paper.

Both sides are base coated with Seaglass Fresco Finish chalk paint. I stamped it with Crackle Background for texture and then the compass stamp. I also stamped the compass onto some marbled paper and fussy cut the points out of it to glue onto the base. The center is embossed with Baked Texture Patina Oxide embossing powder.

Thanks for stopping by! Below is a list of supplies I used (plus the ones in the descriptions above). Be sure to check out the Topflight Stamps blog for more inspiration. There is always something fun to see there! 

Topflight Stamps Products:
That's Crafty - Melina Dahl Set 1 stamps
That's Crafty - MDF ATCoins blanks
tons of other product used! See links under each detail photo.

Other:

Tim Holtz Sizzix Die - Gadget Gears ( Sizzix / SB )
Tim Holtz Sizzix Die - Gearhead ( Sizzix / SB )
Ranger Archival Ink - Jet Black
gesso
Ranger Texture Paste
Ranger Foil Sheets
TCW Tacky-When-Dry Gel Medium

watercolors
gel pens

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!)