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Collage Stamping by Becky Olsen

Welcome to collage stamping, it is a wonderful and very creative process that has so much potential. There are so many different methods to create collaged images, but I am going to address a stamping version in a pretty straightforward and easy to replicate technique. It is also my intention to share some things that made it easier for me and some of the pitfalls I would like to help you avoid.

So what do you say? Are you ready to try collage style in your stamping? Let's start by making masks with a piece of Eclipse Tape and then stamp the images from the Haute Couture stamp set onto the top. Now carefully fussy cut each of the images out using either a craft knife or sharp detail scissors. It is worth taking the time to do the masks right, they are re-useable as long as you take care of them and keep them on the protective backing when you are done using them.

Because Mother's Day is just around the corner, I thought it would be good to get a head start on getting some cards made and into the mail to those special women in my life. So I cut a few pieces of Neenah Solar white into pieces sized at 2 3/4" x 4 1/4" (cut an 8 1/2" x 11" piece into quarters and then those pieces into half)

I then put the two fashionistas from the Haute Couture stamp set onto an acrylic block.

I wanted to do a side by side comparison of working in simply black and white on the right side and then color layers on the left side. So Black Soot was stamped first then I cleaned the stamp and then stamped the left piece with Aged Mahogany in about the same location as the first piece.

This is where my first mask came in handy! I peeled it from the protective backing and then placed it over the fashionistas so I could stamp the Eiffel tower to look like it was behind them. This is where you have to plan ahead and think in layers.

I knew I wanted this image to be the focal point, so I planned all the other images around it. By stamping it first, it became the image that wouldn't have any interruption.

Once the mask is in place stamp I stamped the other images in similar locations on each piece, cleaning the stamps between using on the next. The colors that I used on the pink/red are Worn Lipstick, and Fired Brick. With selecting color, you have so many options! For this project I went with darker to lightest to add visual perspective. The great thing about stamps, ink and masks is that you can experiment to achieve endless options! Try lightest to darkest when applying color or adjust the perspectives to have larger images behind and smaller ones in front, playing is what it is all about.

Next I applied the Eiffel Tower mask so I could add one last detail to the pieces.

After I had the look I had planned on, I placed all of the masks over their respective images to protect them.

Then I inked up the French Script Backgrounder and stamped it over the whole image.

One of my little pitfalls was not carefully cleaning the wet ink that had been left of the top of the masks, so with a soft tissue or other dry and easy to handle cloth, remove that ink without pushing it out onto the paper. Then carefully peel the masks off of the first image and place them over the second, also make sure to clean the stamp. Then stamp the second image with the French Script with Tattered Rose ink.

Again carefully remove the masks we can see the finished pieces side by side! I love the dimension

This is what the finished piece looks like on a card! The card base and mat were made from Peony Memory Box card stock, the patterned paper is from the Green at Heart 6" x 6" paper pad and the flower is a Prima Innoscence Snow Angel that I colored lightly with a Copic RV23 and then went back over it with a Copic Colorless Blender to soften and blend the color into the flower.

Here is another angle.

I wanted to play again with a different set of stamps and type of ink so I created masks using the Eclipse Tape from the Royal Birthday stamp set and used Adirondack inks in Espresso, Cranberry, Watermelon, and Shell Pink.

I wanted the focal image to be the royal decree so stamped that first in the center of both pieces in Cranberry on the left and Espresso on the right.

I then placed the mask over that image and stamped Watermelon on the left and continued with the Espresso on the right.

After everything was stamped where I had planned, the masks were applied again.

On the top image I used the Shell Pink and Espresso on the bottom. I love this combination of colors, it was suggested by the label on the bottom of the Adirondack ink pad, just peel the top layer away, and a wonderful table of ink combination's is revealed!

The card base and mat were created using Currant Memory Box card stock and Green at Heart 6" x 6" paper pad. The patterned paper was stitched onto the card base and the collage piece was stitched onto the mat and then adhered to the card base using three dimensional foam adhesive for extra dimension. I think this is a fun card to remind a special woman who really is the Queen of Everything, even if it is just for the day.

Thanks for coming along with me in the wonderful, creative journey of collage stamping! I hope that you take a few minutes to play with this exciting style of stamping!

B-

Pretty Birds Hybrid Card by Ellen Hutson

It's good to be back to share how it is that I created one of the cards for our hybrid focus this month. Still two projects to go - slow and steady was how the tortoise completed his race - LOL! I promise I will continue to share as quickly as possible, but probably at the tortoise' pace. :-D

This project is absolutely stunning in person. There is something about the transparent layer that brings so much depth to this card.

I have shared in the post below, as well as a post on my blog Simple Dreams how to find images and create the digital files on ScrapHD.

I would like to encourage you to check out the many options that are available at your fingertips in the ScrapHD files. There are loads of different options to select from!

 
Now that I have shared how to find and download images, and how to create individual Word documents for each file, I want to share a picture of the actual page I printed in Word. I do NOT like to waste product and so when I was creating the reason I ended up creating three transparency projects was because I needed to use the entire sheet - LOL!

As you can see I used the landscape orientation and set my margins (the space around all the edges) to .25". Next I created two columns with .5" between the columns. When I inserted my files from ScrapHD into my document it then automatically centered the images for me.

I wanted to fold the transparency and so I positioned the birds on the lower portion of the transparency leaving the top blank. Before I placed my images on my 8x8 scrapbook page on the ScrapHD site I did my "math" by creating a quick sketch and figuring out how much space I wanted to cover with my bird images. I find that I avoid waste by planning ahead.

The files on the right side were used to create the two projects linked above.

One of the tips I would like to share when feeding these special Ink Jet transparencies into your printer is to feel the transparency. One side is completely smooth - the other has a very slight texture to it. It is the side with the texture that is the preferred side for printing and coloring on. This is the side you want your ink to print on.

You will have to figure out which way to place it in your printer - once you figure that out you may want to make a note on your printer so that you don't forget in the future. I typically will use a piece of copy paper when I first get a printer and put an X on the side I think it will print on. If it prints on the side with the X you know you have inserted it correctly. I hope this makes sense because it is hard to figure out how to teach you this, because it is different for each printer.

The next step was to color the transparency with Copic markers. No worries about color on the same side as the printing - this will not run the ink. It is best to color on the same side as the printing.

Selecting from the many beautiful options that Webster's Pages provides was simple. I placed my image over the papers before beginning. As you can see the page above gives a completely different look than the one below.

I colored my images based on the colors in this paper.

When folding a transparency it is best to place a piece of copy paper over the surface to reduce the chance of scratching the transparency. Then use your scoring tool, firmly crease the transparency. I folded my transparency so that my colored image would be on the interior next to my notecard. This helps reduce any friction which might wear the image off more easily.

I absolutely love the Jenni Bowlin vintage buttons, but wanted an even more rustic feel. You can see the slight difference it makes to take the ink blending tool and ink the button - then gently wipe the surface leaving the excess ink in the creases. You could also use paint - metallic or matte, gesso or some other medium to age the buttons as well.

Complete the look by adding crochet lace, a faux linen ribbon, a word charm charm and button. A bayou notecard brightens the card and gives that much needed feeling of springtime.

 
image: Jenni Bowlin Birds - ScrapHD file

ink: Copic Markers (I apologize for forgetting to take a picture of the colors I used - sorry about that), Palette Burnt Umber

paper: Ink Jet Transparency, Webster's Pages Nature's Storybook, Memory Box Bayou Notecard

accessories: Maya Road Brown Vintage Crochet Trim, Seafoam Faux Linen Trim, Word Charms, Jenni Bowlin Cream Vintage Buttons,

Hybrid Treasure Box How-To

You are all going to laugh at me --- I had to find some boxes that the wonderful little "foundations" or feet would work with. Cosmo Cricket had THE perfect solution :D Today I would like to share how it is that I created this gorgeous jewelry box. It was such a quick and easy project and I am tickled with the result! You will find this box in a special new category we have created - Deal of the Week. We will be trying to come up with a new item each week and sell it at a great value. This week it is going to be these darling boxes!

 

To begin I headed over to ScrapHD to see what images I could find. I have to admit that I spent loads of time pouring through the files. I am SO very excited about what I found. The ScrapHD options are fabulous!!!

There is a new introduction page which makes it quicker to select which option you would like to work with. For this project I selected an 8x8 blank canvas.

I then clicked on the embellishment icon on the left-hand side of the page and then the plus symbol. This opens the category window. Next I selected Manufacturer and the list of all 14 manufacturers drops down. After I selected Jenni Bowlin I paged through the embellishment options until I found the page shown above.

A quicker option would have been to type the object I was looking for, in this case butterfly, in the search window. Then click on Jenni Bowlin. All butterflies in the Jenni Bowlin embellishment category will then be shown. The search mechanism makes finding things easier, but if you are like me I want to see all my options first - LOL!

When you click on the butterfly it will flutter on over to your work surface on the left. Simply click on the butterfly and drag it on to 8x8 working surface. You can then click on the corner of the butterfly image and resize it. I wish I could remember the finished size of my butterfly, but because I am working from home tonight and do not have my project at hand I cannot measure it. Sorry about that. I had previously measured the window opening in the Blackboard box and created the butterfly to fit in that window.

I then clicked on the "print from home" button and entered a name for the project I had just created.

Simply follow the directions as each box pops up.

To review the previous "lesson" in which I showed how to create a transparency printable please read this post on my simple dreams blog. You can follow those directions to place your image in a Word document as I showed in that post.

To add depth and color to the butterfly I began by coloring my butterfly with Copic markers Y28 and B28. The wonderful thing about using a printed image vs. a stamped image is that you can color on the same side as your image. I have not found an ink that will hold up to Copic markers when stamping on transparencies. The only option when using a stamped image is to color on the opposite side. Coloring on the opposite side works well for most images, but unfortunately does not work for words. So I am excited about the possibilities. 

To bring depth and vibrancy to this image I then used paint to add yet another layer of color. I began by using Aged Gold. The sparkle and consistency make this a FABULOUS metallic paint! 
 

Use Smidge of Blue with a little black added on the blue portions, to coordinate with the beautiful navy silk ribbon and tones in the Webster's pages paper.

To create the neutral I mixed the Antique Gold together with Traditional Tan. Mixing the Studio Line paints together with the Eco Green Craft metallics worked beautifully and I was able to easily coordinate the color again with my Webster's paper. The softer glint that adding the metallic to the tan paint was delicious.

I then used temporary adhesive to locate my 6x6 paper to the inside of the lid of the Memory Box. 6x6 is the perfect size paper to work with these boxes :D

I then flipped the box over and using my fingertip knife I cut along the outline of the design. It worked perfectly - yippie. Using a pale gold leafing pen I outlined the edges to finish the look. 

Adding some pearls, silk ribbon, a flower and a button completed the top.

The sides with coordinating Webster's paper, and a sheet of paper was placed inside the bottom of the box, to add that finishing touch when looking through the transparent window. Then came the pièce de résistance  - the feet :D Using an adhesive such as E6000 would probably have been a better choice, but because I was in a hurry I just used a bunch of glue dots. Amazingly it work - LOL! Probably not the best choice, but when I girl has to finish a project in a timely manner you just do it :-)

I hope that you enjoy learning about the digital options. Please check out this post on the CLASSroom to learn about the current special being offered by ScrapHD. Give it a try - you will be amazed at how simple it is to use!

Happy Easter to everyone!
 

Paper: Webster's Pages Natures Storybook

Accessories: Blackboard Memory Box, Foundations Feet,  Pale Gold Leafing Pen, Light Brown Say it in Pearls Rose Mini Swirl, Navy Silk Ribbon, Cream Vintage Sew-On Buttons, White and Cream Art Flowers. Smidge of Blue and Charcoal Black Studio Line Paint, Aged Gold Eco Green Craft Metallic Paint