Patina Technique

Patina Technique -
Supplies
Embossing folder and Big Shot
Neutral cardstock ( I used Crumb Cake)
Neutral ink - light shade ( I used Crumb Cake)
Blue ink ( I used Island Indigo)
Green ink ( I used Always Artichoke)
Neutral ink  - dark shade ( I used Early Espresso)
Sponges
Versamark ink pad
Metallic embossing powder (I used Pewter)
Heat gun

 Ink the embossing folder by rubbing the ink pad on the side part that has the Stampin Up Logo.   Place the card stock in the folder and run it through the Big Shot.  This will ink up the embossed areas.

 Sponge on the blue ink - covering the whole sheet of card stock. 

 Sponge on the green ink - this will give it the turquoise patina color ( the photo looks more 'green' than the actual card stock did).

 Sponge on the dark neutral color. 

Let dry completely - there is a lot of ink on the card stock and the embossing powder will stick to areas you don't want it if it is not dry.  You can dry faster using a heat gun or use the Embossing Buddy to pat the card stock to absord the moisture.
Once dry- tap areas gently with the Versamark ink pad.  You do ot want a lot of solid metallic areas so just lightly.  Add the metallic embossing powder.  If there is too much in some areas you can brush it off with your fingers or a tissue. 
Heat emboss.

You can see some cards using this technique here

Pop-Up Cards and Sponged Butterflies

 

 

Pop-Up Cards -  the butterflies are attached to strips of clear Window Sheet and appear to be floating on air. 

Start with 2 pieces of card stock - 5 1/2 x 4 1/4.  Score each along one of the short lengths at 3/8 inches.

 Apply a piece of Sticky Strip along the 3/8 inch tab you just created.

Cut 4 strips of Window Sheet about 1/4 inch wide and varied lengths.  These are not adhered to the card stock here - just laying on it so you can see them better.

 To make the butterflies - sponge Daffodil Delight ink on Whisper White card stock. 

 Sponge Melon Mambo in a 'V' around the Daffodil Delight, overlapping some on the edge.

 Using black StazOn ink, stamp the small butterfly design over the ink sponged areas.   This is not exact so each butterfly may have a little different look.   Punch using the small butterfly punch.

 Adhere one butterfly to a strip of Window Sheet.  Set the butterfly at an angle.

 Adhere a second butterfly over the back of the first -lining it up exactly. 

 Line up the strips as desired and attach them to the sticky strip on one of the pieces of card stock.

 Match up the tabs on the two pieces of card stock and adhere, covering the ends of the window sheet strips

 Decorate the card front as desires.  I made several more butterflies to decorate my card.

When you open the card, the butterflies are there to greet you.   You can see some more ideas for pop-up cards here.

Twister Pattern

 

 

This is the Twister pattern.  It is based on a quilt pattern I saw recently. 



 

 

You begin by cutting 1 inch squares of Designer Series Paper.  I am using some retired Bright Blossoms.   You need 4 squares of 4 different designs.





 

I adhered each set of 4 squares on Whisper White card stock.  I think the next one I will use just plain white printer paper.  The multiple layers of card stock makes the design rather thick.

 

 



I used the second smallest square of the Squares Framelits to cut out my design.  I 'twisted' the framelit until it just hit the edges of the square.   I used a pencil to make little marks on the framelit where the DSP designs meet (sort of like seams).  That makes it easier to line up the other 3 squares and make sure they are all identical.
Cut using the Big Shot.

Repeat with the other 3 pieces .  You will have 4 identical pieces. 

Arrange the pieces so the same designer paper meets up in the center. 

Adhere to white card stock (I will use plain white paper the next time).   Trim along the edge of the Twister square. 

Use your Twister square to decorate a card front.  I managed to cut a large scallop square using the large scallop square from the framelits set but it was not as easy as I thought it would be.  I will have to play with that some more and post if I get it figured out.  

Baby Wipe Plaid

This is a simple technique to make a one-of-a-kind background for a card.  It can be messy.

You will need
Glossy Card stock
2 baby wipes - any brand
3 colors of ink refills
Paper towels and rubber gloves if you don't want ink stained hands.

I am using Basic Gray with two retired colors of Not Quite Navy and More Mustard. 

Cut a piece of glossy paper a little larger than what you need for your final project.  You will trim it down to the deisred size after it has dried.

 

Stack the two baby wipes and fold into thirds in one direction. Then turn it and fold up in thirds the other direction.

You will have a small thick rectangle piece that will be your applicator for the ink.

Hold the baby wipes applicator in one hand and add drops of ink in a pattern - 1-2-3-1-2-3.  I added the Not Quite Navy first.



 

Then added the More Mustard next to the first drops. Just one good drop at each position is all you need. You want a little white space between them.

 

 

And lastly the Basic Gray.   Now you are ready to apply the ink to the glossy paper. 

 

 

Place the applicator with the inked edge touching one edge of the glossy paper.  Drag it down to the other edge.  Try to make the line as straight as possible, however none of mine were very straight.  That is what makes it unique.

 

 

 

That makes the first set of stripes.   You can see from the photo that my first stripe on the right (gray) did not get on the glossy paper and the yellow stripe towards the left did not cover very well.  You can go over it if you want but you will be dragging more ink across the area later so it is not necessary to touch it up now.

 

Flip the applicator so the colors are in the opposite orders now and overlap the far right color on the applicator to the far left stripe on the paper.  If you mess up and don't get them lined up in the order you planned - don't sweat it - the design is pretty forgiving,

 

Repeat until you have covered the glossy paper with top to bottom strokes.

You may want to re-ink your applicator at this time.  Be sure to put the new drops of ink in the same order and in the same location on the applicator edge.

 

Turn the glossy paper at right angle to the original layout and drag the applicator down at right angles to the original stripes - making the plaid design.  Continue flipping the applicator between each swipe until you have covered the whole area.

 

 

 

 

In order to use up more of the ink on the applicator I continued making plaid designs without reinking.  I was able to get four pieces inked before discarding my baby wipes.

 

Trim the plaid piece to fit your design.  This is a good time to get rid of uneven or uninked edges.   Use in your card making to add an interesting focal point to your card front.

 













Baby Shower Favors- sour cream containers and using blender pens with watercolor crayons

Baby Shower Favors- 
Sour cream container favors decorated using the watercolor crayons and blender pens.

12 x 12 Whisper White card stock
Baby Tees Stampin Wheel
3/8 inch taffetta ribbon - I used So Saffron
Watercolor crayons
Blender pens

I stamped rows of the baby tees on the 12 x 12 paper.  It was easy using the ink cartridge and Basic Gray ink refill.  I also used the guide that Stampin Up sells for the wheels.  I have not used the ink cartridge and guide before but they sure made the task much easier.  I did still mess up on a couple rows but not pressing evening and getting some gaps in the design.  I turned the paper over and tried again.   I did a lot of these so I have several sheets left to use as pages in a scrapbook.   I can also sut and use them on card front and I love cutting out the individual onesie to use on a card front or as a gift tag.  So if your rows are not perfect, don't throw them away - cut out any good tees and use them as accents.
I placed the design so there was an inch from the edge and 2 inches between.  The design is 2 inches wide so I placed the guide for my bottom row at 3 inches, the middle row at 7 inches and the top row at 11 inches.  (Love the grid paper - it really helps).

I cut the paper into 4 inch strips and then cut those in half at the 6 inch mark.   Then I started coloring with the So Saffron. My granddaughter's nursery is in yellow and gray so that is the color theme for our shower.   I colored with the crayon to just get it on the paper.  You don't have to be real particular since the blender pen with help smooth it out.  Noticed the 'scribbling' here.

I took a blender pen and went over the area.  So much easier then trying to get it smooth looking with the crayon.   To clean  your blender pen between colors just scribble on some scrap paper until the color is all gone.  The tip may be stained a little but that is okay.  A friend makes sure she uses one tip for reds/pinks, another for yellows, another for blues, another for greens, another for purples, etc.  I am not organized but a helpful hint is  - before using a blender pen scribble on some scrap paper to make sure the previous user cleaned the pen when finished. 

Another way to use the blender pen and crayon is to take the tip of the pen and pick up a little color from the crayon - just rub them gently together.

Then color in the design.  This works really well for small areas like the little heart on the elephant's trunk.  Once the design is all colored as you want, you can start constructing the sour cream container.

This particular one is one of the rows that did not stamp well and I re-stamped on the reverse side so there are uncolored tees on this - you can also see in the lower left corner where I scribbled to clean my blender pen :-)   This is the inside of the container so it will not be seen until the recipient opens it for her treat - but hopefully she will love the chocolate so much she won't care :-)   Place a strip of Sticky Strip along the edge you want to overlap on top of the other.    I also curled the paper a little. If you are using Designer Series Paper, that is probably not necessary but card stock is stiffer and harder to curve into the tube shape.    Remove the red protective strip and roll the card stock up overlapping the sticky strip adhesive on the opposite edge of the card stock.  This will make a tube like a toilet paper roll.

Here is the roll.    You then pinch the bottom edge together and make creases along the side edge.  This is ONLY DONE TO THE BOTTOM at this time.  I tried to make the folds hit right next to the seam so when I did the top the seam was in the middle of the back.   

Add a short piece of Sticky Strip along one side of the bottom inside the roll.   Remove protective plastic and pinch the bottom firmly together.

This is the bottom closed - now you need those little ridges like the sour cream containers have.  This also helps secure the bottom.

Using my crimper, I insert the bottom and roll un about 3/4 inch.  If you don't go far enough the first time - put it back in and try again.  If you go too far - oh well, nobody's perfect :-) It will still make a cute favor.

Pinch the top edge together at a right angle to the bottom.   DO NOT ADD STICKY STRIP  but crimp it in the crimper. (I use a ribbon to tie mine together but you could fill at this point and then use Sticky Strip to seal it closed - exactly like the sour cream containers.  I just like the bow on them and then the recipient does not have to tear it open.)

Using a Crop-a-dile, make two holes near the center of the top edge. 

Run a ribbon through the holes with the ends toward the front.  The seam in the paper roll should be along the back side.

Fill with sweets or a small surprise and tie a bow to close it.    These are so easy and quick.  I made 36 of them in a couple hours even with all the coloring I did.  It would be even faster if you used a decorative Designer Series Paper.