Distressed Coloured Gloss Card Class

The technique for this fortnight's set of classes at Scraptivate is Distressed Coloured Gloss Card. Now I know that everyone just loves the Ranger Distress Inks so much, especially since there are 36 gorgeous colours. I have 35, the only colour I just can't get into is Dried Marigold...think it has something to do with a bridesmaid dress I had to wear when I was 15 and it was just hideous!

So to add colour your gloss card with the Distress Inks is simple, take a piece of the Ranger Cut'n'dry Foam (4cm x 3cm is perfect!) and load it up with the distress ink and apply to a piece of gloss card in a circular motion. This way you can just buy white gloss card and you can alter the colour to any of the wonderful distress inks that are available! I go a step further in this class....water! It creates a blotchy distressed looking background that works just beautifully with the Black Stazon Ink Pad and your favourite stamps.

"Skeleton"...

"Passageway"...

"Formal Attire"...

"Exhibitionism"...

WARNING......naked male butt coming up!!!...... Here's the last sample from the previous class - Ten Second Studio Metal run through the cuttlebug and then alcohol inked. This is the background, and how could I possibly resist putting this particular picture on it. I ask you, how could I possibly resist!!! ;-)

More samples of the Distressed Coloured Gloss Card class to come.

Metal Embossing Name Tags, Art Doll & CD Book Cover

My computer is finally fixed and after many hours re-installing programs I'm ready to go again. Somebody should shoot those stupid people who write viruses that lurk in the atmosphere just waiting to pounce on unsuspecting people like me!!! (Yes, I have a good anti-virus but unfortunately I'm not the only one to use my computer and I KNOW not to click on any of those little annoying pop-ups that promise faster computer speeds, only to infect you with something that you have to pay to have removed.)

So the first Metal Embossing Name Tag & ATC Class went really well on Saturday. Two more times to go - Tuesday night and Thursday morning and I'm sure those girls will love their little name badges as much as the others on Saturday did. One of the best things about my classes is how much pleasure I actually get from seeing the fantastic things the girls come up with when they stretch their creative wings....loved Robin's "Peacock" (an amazing aqua colour) Ten Second Studio Metal & Espresso alcohol inked, Tree embossed and owl charm name badge...awesome!

Here are the couple of name badges I made as samples.

Badge #1 (Cuttlebug Clockworks embossing folder and some watch pieces)...

Badge #2 (Cuttlebug Tiny Mosaic Texture, skeletons (from Scraptivate) and a fuse!)

ATC Sample...

"Serenity"... (Cuttlebug Moroccan Screen with Ginger & Pearl Alcohol Ink)

More of these ATC samples of this technique to come.

This particular technique is the second one in my ATC Technique Book Classes at Scraptivate, the first technique and book cover was the Stamping/Colouring on CD's. This is the cover of my book...

"Cover"...

Some close-ups...

"CD with Tattered Angels Glimmer Glaze in "Waterfall", stamped with Ophelia stamp (using Stazon)"...

"CD with alcohol inks (Rust & Stonewash & a little Denim)"...

"CD with a light coat of pale blue acrylic paint, wiped off in areas to reveal the holographic effect of the cd, with a bit of copper paint for contrast"...

On another note, I'll be teaching my Art Doll Class again starting this Saturday, 3 classes of 2-1/2 hours each. The first time I taught this I made a full-size doll along with the girls in the class and I had already made a fully completed sample before that class. So the last time I taught it I thought my version would be a little smaller. Less beading to do that way and they still get to see what effect you can get with beading, stamping, colouring and burnt organza/tulle. I kind of like the little version, she's only around 6" in length (15cm) so I think I'll be doing that one again! Here's the smaller version...

A stamped face attached with beads...

I teach the girls a freestyle beading technique that can become VERY addictive! How many beads can YOU add to the one strand??? lol

This is the back view with the wings made from the burnt organza and tulle...

So there you have picture overload for a while, more of the Ten Second Studio Metal Embossing atc's to come. ;-)

Metal Embossing...

Just a quick update to say I have no update at the moment! My stupid computer picked up a virus and it's currently residing at the computer hospital so my pics of the next ATC Technique Class - Metal Embossing - is going to have to wait until I have said computer back. I can tell you that the Metal Embossed Name Badges I've made and the Metal Embossed atc's look great and I'm sure the girls in tomorrow's (Saturday) class are going to love how easy they are. Check back in a few days and hopefully all will be well again. I really HATE having computer issues, it makes you realise how much you take it for granted when it just works.

Stamping & Colouring on CD's

...and so begins another year! This first class that I'll be teaching at Scraptivate is the cover of ATC Technique Book #5 - Stamping & Colouring on CD's. I can't show you the cover yet as it has beads on it and needs to be photographed as opposed to scanned. Below are the first 3 samples of this particular technique.

"Kiss"... (alcohol inks in eggplant and pesto to colour the cd)

"Reflection"... (Glimmer Glaze in Cowboy to colour the cd)

"Eternal melancholy"... (Glimmer Glaze in Waterfall to colour the cd)

You need to heat the cd before you try and cut it otherwise it will either shatter or you'll lost the silvery reflective coating that gives it the holographic look that you want. I applied colour in three different ways - ordinary acrylic paint, alcohol inks and also the Tattered Angels Glimmer Glaze. All available at Scraptivate of course! The glimmer glaze works on acetate and metal too!

When I post a picture of the front cover you will see the 3 different methods that I have used for colouring the cd's. You colour the side of the cd where the cd is actually written on.....that is, not the side that has images and other information of a purchased recorded cd. Hope that makes sense? Questions???....ask away. ;-)

Painting with Babywipes

This is a background technique that I'm teaching at the atc techniques classes I teach at Scraptivate. It's the final technique for this year and the current technique book, Number Four. In January we start Technique Book Number Five!

I work onto plain white card stock and use babywipes for the painting instead of paintbrushes. It gives a very soft look to the paints and a different look to the normal painting of acrylics on cardstock.

"Delicate"...

"Discover"...

"Envision"...

"What you are"...
"Voyage"...

On another note, I have an atc techniques article being published in the next issue of the Aussie Magazine "Cardmaking, Stamping & Papercraft", Volume 16, Number 10. There should be around 8 or so techniques with pictures. Hopefully the instructions will be detailed enough for you to have a try at some of them.

More Smooch Ink Goodness

I took advantage of one of my students in my Saturday Smooch Ink Class - Mandy, as she's a wonderful artist who does brilliant shading and colouring. She very kindly showed the girls how she gets the best out of her Smooch Inks and below are her samples. Mandy also let me raffle off one of her sample atc's between all the girls who took part in the 3 Smooch Ink Classes. Congratulations to Louise! You're a lucky girl to get this atc as it was coveted by everyone who saw it. These next 5 atc's are all made by Mandy.

"Love and Devotion"... (this was the one EVERYONE wanted - love those Stampotique stamps!)

"Dysfunctional"...


"Shimmer"...

"Untitled 1"...

"Untitled 2"...

"Embrace Life"... (this one was to show the girls you don't have to just colour with the Smooch Inks, you can simply use them to edge a picture and also smudge the ink around the edge of a black border on an atc. It also colours German Scrap and metal as well!)

Now we all have to wait another week or so for more Smooch Inks to come in at Scraptivate, the girls in my atc classes bought just about everyone of them in the store...and we had heaps! Not anymore...lol. The next atc class is Painting with Babywipes, another great background technique.

Smooch Inks!

Smooch Inks come in what would have to be the best looking packaging for a craft product that I've seen in a long time. They look especially great when you have a dozen or so all lined up together and of course the colours are such that you just can't stop at buying only one! For the upcoming atc technique class we'll be using the Smooch Inks to colour stamped images. They blend together beautifully and with the fantastic colour range, there's something to suit every taste...and stamp. I am lucky enough to have Mandy Herring doing a demo on how she colours faces using the smooch inks during my Saturday morning atc class, she does a wonderful job....which is why I asked her to show her talent! Thanks Mandy, much appreciated. :-)

"Blood Night"... (Cherry Pie stamp)

"Muse"... (Lost Coast Designs stamp)

"Unfurl"... (Stampers Anonymous stamp)

"Discover"... (Lost Coast Designs stamp)

"Create Joy"... (same stamp as above but different colours - Lost Coast Designs stamp)

"Enchantment"... (for this one I embossed with gold on a black card, then added the smooch for colour - Stampers Anonymous Stamp)

"Destructionist"... (with faux wax around the edge...love that stuff!!!)

That's it for the moment, might have some more samples after my 3 classes.