Mr Cardmaker Gets Negative (And Feels Really Positive About That)

You know how sometimes you get an idea in your head, and it just won't leave you alone until you do something about it? 

I bought these Labels Twenty-two dies from Spellbinders, and while making a die cut with one of them, it came to me that if I centered it just so, I could use the negative to make a card.  So I did. Oh, the card I could make with this!!
And it sat.
And sat.
I kept looking at it, putting it aside, contemplating just tossing it....and THEN!

 

I made this--

 



So, the problem with wanting to use a die negative to make a card is that there's a big hole in your card. uh, Hello!

 I decided to go Springy and bright, so I got out the Lucky Limeade card stock, and filled that sucker in, nice and tight, making sure it would NEVER fall apart.

Then, I decided to stamp. After. Wop, wop......

What followed was a lengthy series of masks and cursing, with a (finally) decent medallion motif at the end of it all. I sponged some white into the center of the medallions, and onto the edges of the sentiment tag.  I was sort of looking for an early morning mist kind of feel, despite my use of really bold colors.

 

The flowers started with Melon Mambo card stock, which I sponged with white ink to texture things up.  I crumpled them up in my hand (a good thing to do after the aforementioned stamping debacle) before assembling them with a white mini brad.  The leaves are more medallions, punched out, cut into sections, and crumpled up.  After adding the flowers to the card, I added tiny dots of Glossy Accents to make it look like dewdrops.

 

The sentiment tag is just a strip that I gave an edge to by slipping it into Modern Label punch from SU.  The punch itself would have been too small, so this works.  The sentiment is from GinaK Designs' Enjoy the Sunshine set.

 

A few green rhinestones, and that's that.  Oh, I will need to make a big envelope for this one, since it's about 1/2" thick.  No biggie. (Famous last words)

 

So that's my story, and I'm sticking with it.  Uh, PLANNING would be the watchword for today.  I would probably have been able to pump this baby out TONS faster, if only I had thought the whole thing through first.  Live and learn. 

 

 We're off to Chicago for the holiday weekend.  Any plans for you??

 

Thanks for stopping by!

All Best-

Richard

Mr Cardmaker Figures it Out





 

 

Do you ever find, in your stamp collection, that sentiment stamp that you look at and say, "WHAT am I going to do with you?"   Well, I bought Stampin Up's Smarty Pants set ages ago.  I really had just about signed off on it as a "what was I thinking?" moment when I ran across it, and decided to challenge myself.

 

I made this-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am NEVER one to feel obligated to stick to one stamp set when I'm making something (uh, unless somebody's gifting me the set and asking for samples to show).  If the image works, I'm pulling it out!  The clouds and the orange sun rays that are peeking out from behind the vellum are from two Papertrey Ink sets, (Up, Up and Away, and Funky Florals) and the birds are from Melanie Meunchinger's Gifts from the Sea set at GinaK Designs.

 

Doing the clouds was an interesting exercise.  The darkest ones are actually done with pink ink, not orange, and after stamping the first row, I just kept going up and up, letting the ink get softer as I went along.  I did the same pink with a flower stamp to make the sun's rays.  Totally reads orange.

 

The grass die is from Amuse Studio.  That bugger is tough to work with, because it almost always makes a mark on the bottom of the cardstock you're cutting.  Putting it through the Cuttlebug with an embossing folder fixes that problem!  That's a green ribbon, darker than the one in front, separating the layers of grass, btw.

 

It's pretty hard to see in this photo,but the yellow circle living under the vellum has also been dry embossed, Swiss dots this time, and that little yellow brad holds it all together.  Foam adhesive pops it off the surface.

 

I think it looks like some scene from the Serengeti or something, minus the rhinoceros.  Sooooo...for what occasion is this appropriate?  And for whom? 

 

Is this suitable as a graduation card?  I guess the sentiment could be one of those things you'd shout after someone, before adding, "...and don't let the door hit you in the ass!"

Graduation card, it is!!!  ( I promise I WON'T put that on the inside.  Wouldn't that make a GREAT stamp, though?)

 

Now that I think about it, it could be a good card for someone starting a new job, or even, HEY!  How about your local doc who's about to do a Doctors Without Borders stint?  Or a teacher? Ok, so this is pretty applicable, after all.  Cool.

 

Thanks for stopping by! 

All Best-

Richard

 

 

 





The Many Layers that Are Mr Cardmaker

Ok, so there's two.  At least, in this instance.

So, I got this urge to make a project or two with some vellum.  I find vellum to be a tricky substance.  It warps if you look at it funny, and woe be unto you if you try to emboss it! 
Just stamp it, leave to dry (a looong time, just to be sure) and hope for the best. 

Anyway, I made these things--

One is note sized because I SMEARED it.  As one does. 

Anyway, see this lovely scene?  Flowers and leaves, and the sun, and a butterfly even.  Yeah, right, whatever.
But WAIT!  There's more to this than meets the eye!

Watch what happens when you lift the vellum--

 

Now go back and look at it the other way.  I'll wait here.  Go on....

 



Pretty cool, right?  I need to practice my sun's rays technique, I think, but isn't it kinda fun??
Like a "two-fer".  Sorta.

I thought this was fun.  I think if I go here again, I will try to avoid a huge flower over my sun and sentiment, but all in all, I kind of like this.

Thanks for stopping by!
All Best-
Richard

Friday Fix

Well, I took the plunge and signed on with my friend Brian King to be an Independent Stampin'Up! Demonstrator.  I am SO not a big salesman, so this should be interesting.  I am a big fan of SU! colors; all the cardstocks and inks and embellies coordinate beautifully, and the quality of it all is just amazing.  They also gather a really wonderful group of people to them, so I am in good hands, I think! 

I had actually signed up a couple of years ago, and I was just overwhelmed with this KIT of stuff and all the paperwork, and this demand of sales.  I quietly let the whole thing fade away, a sad and miserable death.  I have a better idea of what I'd like this to be, this time.  I hope.  I look forward to working under Brian's wing, especially.  We crafty men have to stick together!

ANYWAY!

The box with all my goodies came, and I immediately busted it all out and got to creating something.  I got the blossom punch, and the Mixed Bunch stamp set, along with some Baja Breeze and Pumpkin Pie inks.  I was ready!!  I decided to do a quick, CAS card. 

I made this--

The paper is not SU!.  It's My Mind's Eye, I think.  Anyway, I stamped and punched the flowers, adhered them, stamped and trimmed out the sentiment (Wonderful Words, a past Hostess set, I think), did the layers, added some pearls, and viola!     Cute, I guess, but, wop wop.....uneven spacing on the center flower.  BOOOOO!  I was kinda bored by it, too.  So, moving the flower just wasn't going to cut it.

So, time for the big fix.  I hate to toss something that is this complete, especially when I haven't done my famous trick of smearing ink across the front at the last possible second.  This could be fixed, and I went to it!

I did this--

I went back to the stamp set and pulled out the smaller stamps.  A few scraps of cardstock from the layering pieces  (which I could've punched out before making the layering pieces, had I thought of it),some extra bling, and some felt flowers from Michael's, along with MANY Stampin' Dimensionals, and I was set.  Hard to even FIND the center of this floral madness, much less find the fault of it all!!

And, let's face it, three simple flowers doesn't say "Amazing, Awesome and Talented" anywhere NEAR what a riot of blooms can do!

I am liking the idea of a Fix-it Friday feature.  I sure make enough stuff I don't "love" that could benefit from some improvements!

Please think of me when you are looking for your Stampin'Up! products.  I would love to help you get creative with this great stuff!  I will be setting up a webpage that you can go to to place your orders just as soon as I can figure out how to do it.  In the meantime you can email me, and I will hook you up!

Thanks for stopping by!
All Best, and Happy Weekend!
Richard