The Happy Room

Today's project features a square 6" X 6" card showcasing the Cloisonne Hummingbird Stamp and the Punch and Spell Alphabet stamp set from Michael Strong Stamps.

The beautiful foliage on the top layer the card is a flocked background paper. It was a gift from a friend, so I'm unsure of the source. I thought it would be a nice background for the Cloisonne Hummingbird. I stamped the hummingbird with VersaMark ink onto white cardstock and heat embossed it with gold embossing powder. Then, I colored the image with Distress Inks and an aqua paint brush. I didn't make note of the Distress Ink colors, but I can attest to the fact that it was probably ten or more different colors. I blended and painted and blended some more to achieve the array of colors you see here. A lot of my coloring is experimental, ever evolving and changing as I paint. Keeping a list of colors most of the time is impossible since I change and blend and basically create a few new colors along the way! =)

I stitched the layers with gold thread on my Janome Mini Sewing machine in a zig-zag stitch to add a little frame, and then stamped the letters F-L-Y from the alphabet set. They were also stamped with VersaMark and heat embossed with gold embossing powder. I added some gold half-beads in some of the flourishes on the letters as well as some colored gems on the bird.

This card will be "flying" across the globe with Michael Strong to the stamp convention "Stempel Mecca" in Hagen, Germany. I hope they both arrive safely and have a wonderful time in Germany. Wish I could be there with them, don't you?

Thanks for stopping by today!

Kathie

CLICK ON THE PHOTO FOR A LARGER VIEW

Today's featured card project showcases a brand new Michael Strong Stamps image from the Cloisonne Silhouette Panels collection. I stamped the image in VersaMark ink and embossed it with white embossing powder, then painted it with Distress Inks. The small hummingbirds are from the Mini Wings Collection.

The background is my version of "Faux Encaustic Wax", which is really just melted crayons on an iron, then applied to plain white cardstock. It's a wonderful adventure to play with crayons and combine colors, then swirl them around onto cardstock with an iron. I made the background first, then selected coordinating inks when I painted the Cloisonne Silhouette Panel. Each Faux Encaustic Wax project, regardless of the skill level of the crafter, produces an explosion of fantastic colors!

If you haven't tried the Michael Strong die cuts (which coordinate with several of the stamp images), I have to say that they are quite possibly the best dies I've ever worked with. They have a nifty little registration system and when you run them through a die cutter, they cut like butter!! For fun, I tried a little shadow effect behind the hummingbirds to add a little interest and dimension.

Here is how I did it:
I stamped and die cut a hummingbird on white cardstock. Then, I die cut two hummingbirds from teal cardstock. I positioned one of the teal die cuts behind the white hummingbird and raised it slightly above the white layer, and the other die cut slightly below the white layer. It made a nice outline/shadow effect behind each bird.

As a note, I attached the panel to the wax base with brads since I was concerned with tapes and adhesives resisting the wax.

I hope you've enjoyed today's project and thank you for taking the time to look at today's project.

~Kathie

Today's card is a 5 3/4" X 6" (finished size) card showcasing both the large Cloisonne Dragonfly and the Small Cloisonne Dragonfly. I used a Spellbinders die to make the cut out on the front of the card, then placed a piece of gold screen behind it. I cut an identical piece of green cardstock with the die in the same place to cover up the raw edges of the screen inside of the card. The large dragonfly image was stamped with VersaMark ink and heat embossed with Dark Cloisonne Green embossing powder. I hand cut the image and applied it to the screen with two sided foam mounting tape.

I stamped several small dragonfly images in vanilla craft ink and added a Martha Stewart leaf punch for interest. Some half-pearls adorn a few of the leaves and also dressed up the Large Cloisonne Dragonfly a bit.

I lined the inside of the card with a vanilla colored cardstock and stamped a couple of dragonflys in green so they'd show through the screen.

I hope you enjoy today's card; see you tomorrow for another Michael Strong Stamps project.

~Kathie

CLICK ON THE PHOTO FOR A LARGER VIEW!!!

Hello papercrafting friends and Michael Strong fans! Welcome to my blog and my "Coffee" themed project for the enjoymichaelstrongstamps Yahoo Group circular blog hop. What's a circular blog hop? It means you can start from ANY blog on the hop and continue through all 9 blogs until you're back where you began. If I'm the first stop on your tour, be sure to visit all of my Michael Strong Group friends and see their fantastic creations using (at least one) Michael Strong stamps. This hop crosses the globe, so if you reach a blog and there isn't a coffee themed project, please re-visit as those bloggers may be in another far away time zone. =)

Our coffee theme is in honor of our group leader and my dear friend, Hetty Sanders. Hetty lives in The Netherlands, but she's only a click away from me on my computer, so Hetty and I visit regularly (and we’ve even been lucky enough to meet in person one time. HI HETTY!). Hetty is a real coffee lover, so hence, the coffee theme.

My card is made using two Michael Strong stamps. The coffee cup itself was made by cutting the Cloisonne Pot image apart, separating the lid from the main body of the pot. The cup handle was made by stamping and embossing the large Cloisonne Vase image and cutting out the handle on it, then taping it to the backside of my cup!! Clever, huh?

My card design is called a Center Step card. I got the instructions from Splitcoaststampers HERE, although I made my card a little bigger (6" wide rather than 5 1/2" wide).

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you enjoy the next stop on the hop at Bev Allaire's blog--click HERE to see her fantastic project!!

~Kathie

What is Faux Encaustic Wax? It's my version of melting cheap crayons instead of using "real" encaustic wax! I bought a new little iron at WalMart (craft section of the store, 10.00) and decided to try my hand at wax. With a tutorial from a stamping friend and a few YouTube videos, and I was well on my way to creating some backgrounds.

I had so much fun melting crayons and "painting" with my iron and old, broken crayons. This background uses regular white cardstock. The patterns are unpredictable (unless there's some experience which was not the case with me) and can be shaped and melted and re-done at the artist's discretion.

Since this piece looked "ocean-y" to me, I paired it up with a Michael Strong Cloisonne Fish image and backed the fish with some English Ivy Fantasty Fiber from Art Institute Glitter. The fish is colored with a Technique Junkies technique called "Pencil Over Marker" and I added some Stickles Glitter and a gem to his eye to complete the image. The corners are Cuttlebug die cuts and the stick-on gems are from JoAnn Etc.

Thanks for stopping by today and have a fin-tastic weekend!!

Kathie

I am happy to share my scrapbook page showcasing the technique, "Giraffe" from the 4/10 Technique Junkie newsletter. The technique is called giraffe because it was actually intended to create spots for giraffe artwork (brown spots on gold paper), but I couldn't resist turning it into a paint horse project.

I chose to make this page using black and brown paper to match a greeting card size replication of a portrait I have of a family horse named "Minnie." Minnie and her baby were photographed and (color pencil) drawn by the fabulous equine artist, Suanne Wamsley. Her website showcases some spectacular equine artwork, sure to delight horse lovers everywhere! You'll find this piece of artwork for sale in a much larger size along with one other portrait of Minnie and her baby. So many more gorgeous horses portraits there, too!!

I generated the text on my computer for the title, "Dream In Color." The border stamp is from Taylored Artwork.

Thanks for looking!!

Kathie McGuire

AS SEEN ON YOUR LIFE A TO Z, KTVK TV PHOENIX, AZ

Supplies
Scissors (or cutting tool to cut decorative paper)
Decorative paper (two strips) cut 3/8” X 3” (or to fit size of clothespin used)
Wooden clip style clothespin
Foam brush
Embellishment
ModPodge
Tacky Glue






Step 1: Apply a coat of ModPodge to the flat side of the clothespin with the foam brush.


Step 2: Press the paper onto the clothespin, making sure it adheres to the ModPodge in all areas.


Step 3: Smooth the paper along the top and edges to create a firm seal of the paper to the clothespin. Then, allow it to dry.

Step 4: Turn the clothespin over and repeat steps 1 through 3.


Step 5: Apply a generous coat of ModPodge on top of the paper, smoothing it as you paint it on. Then, allow one side to dry before turning it over and repeating on the opposite side.


Step 6: Turn the clothespin on its side and continue to apply ModPodge. This step will seal any small slivers or rough spots of wood for ease in handling. Allow to dry, then turn over and repeat on the opposite side.


Step 7. Glue embellishment to the clothespin with the white tacky glue. (It is not necessary to apply additional ModPodge on top of the embellishement.)

This was such a fun recycling/repurposing project! I rescue these eyeglass case boxes from a local optometrist and have had so much fun altering them.

The original color was brown and it was in good shape, so why recover? I left well enough alone and just added to the box. The lace is from a local fabric mill-ends store and the "feet" on the box are recycled beads from an old necklace.

I decorated the top of the box with a strip of drywall tape--it's available at all of the hardware stores. So cheap, too. About $6 for a giant roll. The best thing is about it is that it's self adhesive. Thanks drywallers for making another great embellishment for the papercrafting world! =)

I found a fabulous tutorial for making these flowers over Swirlydoos. Go HERE to see the tutorial--then, make some yourself!

Thanks for stopping by!

Kathie

This is the Faux Tooled Leather technique included on the Emboss or Die Technique Junkie CD. Wow, what a great technique! This is the first (but certainly not the last) time I tried it. It's perfect for western themed cards, but so much more!

This card is a late (probably too late) entry for a recent challenge over at the Gingersnap blog. Have you been there? So many wonderful things to see and do. AND she now has a fabulous line of stamps (of course, I bought some. Would you think otherwise?).

My sentiment is a sticker I purchased from Scrappin' Deals and Steals, the image is Stampourri.

Yee Haw!

Thanks for stopping by today!

This is a box that eyeglass cases come in. It was so much fun to make/so easy to alter.

I made the paper using a technique called "Bomber Jacket"--I learned it on the Technique Junkies group. The side pieces were punched with a Martha Stewart punch. I added some Distress Ink around the edges to give it some added dimension.

The top of the box has a strip of Drywall Tape across it along with some plastic beads I purchased at a local mill-ends fabric store (SAS Fabrics). The "feet" are beads I had in my stash--I glued them with Aleen's Tacky Glue.

I hope you've enjoyed my altered box project and thanks for stopping by!

Kathie

I made the background for this card with a Cuttlebug folder. I learned the technique from a fabulous Technique Junkies CD called Emboss or Die (tee-hee). Kinda cute name for a CD with some incredible embossing and die cutting ideas. LOVE IT!

I stamped the butterfly--from The Rubber Cafe--with two Distress ink colors onto glossy card stock. Then, I added some coral color ink to the wings with a sponge. The fabulous half-pearls are also from The Rubber Cafe!

It was a quick and easy card that I really enjoyed making. I hope you'enjoyed seeing it.

Until next time, happy stamping!!

~Kathie

I recently got the Technique Junkies Fancy Folds and Motion CD. Wow, what an incredible collection of tutorials and artwork!! I selected the "Side Step" design for some of my Christmas cards. I had a blast making these, as they were so easy and fast!

This card features an ornament image from Rubbernecker. I purchased it years ago, so I'm not even sure it's available anymore. The text image is from Hero Arts.

Merry Christmas!! Thanks for stopping by today!!

~Kathie