Easy frame instructions - no ruler, no knife!

Crikey two step by steps in one day! I'll need a lie down after this - Lol! This is the second tutorial that I promised to post specially for the ladies that I saw this weekend. It's a very simple way of making a frame that you can use for shaker cards or just to simply make a picture on a card look more finished - even just as a simple frame for a photo that you may be sending through the post (don't get me started on the postage increases!). Hope you find it useful anyway.
You'll need just a few things....card to make the frame (this can be old scrap card so long as it's not creased), decorative paper to cover it with, scissors, trimmer or guillotine, pencil and adhesive. Firstly, just cut the base card to the size that you want the frame to be. I made a 5" x 5" frame in this instance. Now decide how wide you want the frame sides to be. I chose 2 cms for mine. Cut a strip of stiff card to the chosen width. A little tip here...it's quite tricky to cut narrow strips of card without them going awry on your trimmer. I always cut a piece to, say, 10 cms and then pop it back in the guillotine and measure 8cms before cutting. This leaves me with a neatly cut 2 cms strip. Much easier! Take the strip and lay it along one outside edge of the first piece of card ie the piece for the frame. Draw along the edge with a pencil. Repeat around the remaining three sides. This is so much easier, and quicker, than measuring each edge laboriously. By the way, I do usually hold my strips in place but was using my left hand to take the pictures! A tip here is to cut an assortment of strips of 1 cm, 1,5 cms, 2 cms and so on. Cut them from stiff card and write the width on each one before storing in a wallet - you will now have a set of ready made "rulers" for creating the required widths. Using scissors, cut into the centre of the card and cut to each inner corner. Now cut along each line from corner to corner to cut out the aperture. This doesn't have to be done terribly carefully - remember, this is a no craft knife frame, so it's meant to be simple! Even if your cut lines are a bit wobbly at this stage it will be fine. Now place the frame onto the back of the decorative paper, tacking it down with your chosen adhesive. I recommend a dry adhesive to avoid cockling the paper, so DST or a tape runner is best. Trim the paper to leave a 1 cm (approx!) border all round. Cut into the aperture again, corner to corner, and then trim the points off to leave about 1 cm excess paper on each side. Mitre the outside corners of paper - rather than cutting straight across I usually cut my mitres at an angle as you can see. If the paper is very thin then you might wish to fold the corners in instead of cutting them off. Fold each paper edge over and stick down onto the frame. If your paper is thick you may need to score the folds before adhering. This is why it isn't vital that your cut edges are dead straight as the folded over paper creates the neat line. Turn over to reveal a very neat and simple frame! You can use Distress ink around the edges to further enhance the frame, wrap cords or ribbon around the edges, stamp onto it etc. You can even make a padded frame by sticking strips of wadding onto the edges before covering with paper. If you are using a paper that has stripes or checks, do be sure to line them up or you may end up with something that looks a bit skew wiff (?!). And here's a very simple shaker card made with a rectangular frame around a Gorjuss topper image. Hope that helps to remind everyone that I showed this technique to last week! I'll try and post some more step by steps soon.

Arachnaphobes....look away now!!!

Hello folks, here is the first of my two promised step by step tutorials. This one focusses on the little spiders that I like to add to cards, canvasses, tags etc. They work perfectly for Halloween of course, but also anything featuring, or for, little boys, teens or grown men!
Here's a close up of three that I added to the canvas featuring my "Humbert & Spider Boy" stamped images. The one on the right looks like it has two little white eyes but it's just the camera flash reflection! You could add little eyes if you wished though with a touch of permanent white pen. You can see the whole canvas in one of my earlier posts back in February. So, to create these quick and easy critters you will need a fine black pen (I usually use a 0.1 Micron pen, but the fine end of a Marvy Le Plume would also work), black gems and whatever surface you are adding them to. I am just using white card here so that you can see things more clearly. Using the pen, draw a stuttery line coming down from where you want the spider to hang and stopping where you want him to actually be. Make sure that you don't draw a solid line as you are trying to get the effect of the fine spider silk, so the more hit and miss the better it will look. Next, draw four legs coming out from the line and to the left. Start them close together and try to make each of them go off in a slightly different direction to simulate those creepy spider legs! Repeat to the right of the line. Now stick a black gem to the bottom of the line so that it covers the inner ends of the legs. Tweezers can be very helpful for accurately placing the gems. Eh voila! A row of dimensional spiders created in just a few minutes! If you don't have any black gems you can use any others and just colour them with a black Promarker or alcohol ink. I prefer using the rounded gems but had run out and used faceted ones - but you can see that they look just fine. Remember that you can always add white dots for eyes if you want to go the extra mile on detail. Well, that's one step by step as promised at the weekend, so I will get on with the next one now. Hope you will find the spiders useful - they are great for adding that certain something extra to lots of projects. Let me know what you think and I'd love to see anything you make with them on!

Candy winner & a step by step

Thank you to everyone who left a comment since I posted my Blog Candy. I've used a random number generator to pick someone from 1 - 22, simply going from top to bottom of the comments. The number that came up was 15 which corresponds to Redanne. Well done! Please send me your details and I'll post out your DD kits as soon as possible. I'll organise another Candy soon, so please do pop by again for another chance.

1 Random Numbers 15 Specs: This table of 1 random numbers was produced according to the following specifications: Numbers were randomly selected from within the range of 1 to 22. Duplicate numbers were not allowed. This table was generated on 3/1/2012.

If any of you are coming to the Leigh show this coming weekend, do come and see me at The Stamp Hut stand. I'm concentrating on Gorjuss stamps as well as a few of my Build a Scene sets along with Ranger inks. I've been busy doing lots of colouring this week and here are a few more of the cards that I'll have with me at the show....... .......I find the characters very soulful as I said in my previous post, partly because of the lack of mouths and noses. I do know that some people find that a little weird, or even creepy, but it's very easy to add simple features and look how it totally changes the feel of one of the characters and makes her look cute rather than thoughtful..... ......all you need is a fine black pen! Thank you to Paul for the link to my blog. Paul said that he had bought some Ranger Glue n Seal after seeing me at Stitches...all he needed was to remember what I did with it! I know Paul was joking, but I thought I'd post a step by step in case anyone else would like to try this technique which Joanne and I came up with together when she came over to help me with my show samples. So, here goes!
Firstly, stamp your chosen image onto decent quality cardstock and colour with your chosen medium...Distress inks, water based pens, Promarkers etc...... Now heat the image to make sure that all the ink is fully dry and set.... If you don't heat set the image you may find that the colours will run during the next stage. Using a fine brush, carefully coat the whole image with Glue n Seal. Be sure to cover every bit of the image and try not to go outside the lines. I recommend a fairly stiff, but finely pointed brush for this as the Glue n Seal is quite thick and you want to achieve as smooth a finish as you can......... allow to dry, or, if you're as impatient as I am, heat set! One of the great things about Glue n Seal is that a thin layer won't be affected by heat. If you use the heat tool, allow the image to cool down as, when warm, the surface will feel slightly tacky to the touch. Now, blend Distress ink over the cardstock. No need to skirt around the image - that's what the Glue n Seal was for!.... ......Take a darker shade of Distress ink and, starting on top of the image, blend outwards to give a halo, or shadow effect, and blend in any other colours that you wish..... .....now take a paper towel and rub over the image to remove excess ink and reveal the original colours. If you want the colours to really pop, use a baby wipe, being careful not to let it go onto the background as Distress inks will react to the moisture and will lighten. I find just using a corner of the wipe to add a little moisture and then wiping over with dry paper towel works best..... ....and here's the finished result. No more fiddly cutting out to stick to a dark background, or trying to colour around an image! The tags that I did for Stitches were mostly made using this technique...... I really hope you find the technique useful and will give it a try. At Stitches I was using Glue n Seal Gloss, but I have now used the matte version which also works.
Let me know what you think and Redanne, don't forget to send me your details!

Look what came today! (& a Tartan step by step)

The postman brought me a small package from Personal Impressions this afternoon. It didn't look like much. Just a small corrugated card box that rattled a bit when I shook it. Looks can be deceptive though, as when I opened it, look what was inside...........yes, the new colours of Ranger Alcohol Inks in Lights and Brights. Twenty four luscious shades that all alcohol ink fans have been waiting for. They are pretty, rather than grungy, girly, pastel, pinks, lilacs, peaches....just gorgeous!

I've made a colour swatch on gloss white card so that you can see them properly - I added it as a small picture so that you can click to enlarge it to read the colour names.

I promised to do a step by step on how to create a Tartan effect with the inks, so thought that this was a good time to do it. Sorry if some of the pictures look a little blurry (it wasn't the excitement of the new inks making my hands shake, honestly!). You'll need: Glossy white card (preferably Cast Coated....don't use photographic paper for this), two or three shades of Alcohol inks (I used Watermelon, Clover and Willow), Blending Solution, Applicator tool and felt piece, non-stick craft sheet.

1. Press the felt piece onto the applicator tool so that it grips well. Squeeze drops of the Watermelon ink across the length of the felt, spacing them as shown below.

2. Now squeeze drops of Clover ink between the Watermelon blobs - that's a technical term by the way! Squeeze a little of the Willow in in any spaces between the first two colours.3. Add a little Blending Solution across the length of the felt, bearing in mind that the more that you add, the paler the ink colours will become.
4. Sweep the tool across the glossy card in a horizontal direction. Sweep it across again below the first band of colour. The idea is to try to get the bands of colour side by side as opposed to leaving white gaps or overlapping them too much. However, don't worry about this too much - if you do get a white gap it will still be fine!

5. Turn the card round by 45 degrees so that the bands of colours are now vertical. Sweep the tool across the card exactly as before to create the Tartan effect. If needed, you can add more ink and/or Blending Solution if you feel that the felt is dragging, or want more colour.

6. Once dry...this takes about two seconds!....cut away the edges where the colours look a bit raggedy - or leave them on, it depends what effect you are after. Use the design as a background on a card, for an ATC r even to punch shapes out of. If you want to stamp onto the card do be sure to use something like an Archival pad as opposed to a Stazon which, being a solvent based pad, will remove the alcohol ink.

As you can see, it's a really simple technique, so do give it a try! Apologies to any of my Scottish friends reading this.....unless I've been very lucky, I doubt that this is a legitimate Tartan design! Do note that I put a decent amount of Blending Solution on the felt for this one, so the colours are fairly muted. Just add less for a stronger effect. Have fun and let me know if you do give it a try.

Lindsay

At last! Time to make Owl cards!

Well, it's taken me weeks I know, but I have finally got round to taking some step by step photos so I can give you the Owl card instructions that many of you have been asking me for. Sorry it took me so long! This will be a looong post because of all the pictures! Okay, here goes!You will need: Owl stamp from my clear set - Swirly Birds PICS013 (If you want a cute owl, as opposed to a serious one, then try"Fluffy Owl" FH116 which is a wood mounted one.) 3 x shades of Versamagic Inkpads...I used Night Sky, Aegean Blue & Purple Hydrangea, but go with what takes your fancy. You'll also need a black ink pad (I used Archival so I could crack on with colouring my owl) a bottle of Ranger's Distress Re-inker in Black Soot, a circle punch, a piece of sponge and a thin straw! You will also need whatever is your choice of colouring medium in various browns, greys and ochre - I use Marvy Le Plume pens and a waterbrush, and, of course, some cardstock. Okay, first of all, cut a piece of white card a bit smaller than your card blank. Punch a circle from thin card and stick it to the top right of the piece of card using repositionable glue. Make sure it is secure before the next step. Starting with the lightest of your chosen Versamagic colours, pick up a little ink with the sponge and swipe it across the card in a diagonal direction - this gives the impression of a rain swept sky. Turn the sponge around and repeat with the next colour. Finally, repeat with the darkest shade, adding colour until you like the effect. Make sure that you apply ink across the circle to define the shape.Now carefully remove the circle mask..a pricking tool can be helpful for this. Don't worry if you do damage the surface of the card beneath as you can add some Diamond Stickles to disguise it!

Next, drop a blob of the Distress Re-Inker at the bottom of the card - I usually place the card onto a bigger piece of scrap card whilst I do this as it avoids mess and allows me to lift the image for the next step. Here comes the fun part now! Take a straw (the thinner the better) and blow the ink blob up the card. As it goes up the card you can blow sideways to make a twig shoot out an angle. Keep adding blobs to the bottom of the card and then blow them to create more branches. The way the ink "spiders" across the card gives a very natural look which is much more random than drawing them. It does make one feel a bit light headed though! Mat the finished piece onto black card and then onto the card blank.

Stamp the owl twice onto thin white card and colour him with your chosen medium. You only need the wing from the second owl. Cut the images out and decoupage the wing over the first owl. It will give a more natural look if you stick the top of the wing flat to the base image whilst using silicone glue to give height to the tip. Carefully "roll" the owl around your finger to give him a nice shape and squidge a line of silicone down the back of the image before positioning him onto the card. If you want a bit of sparkle, just add a little Stickles to the moon.
Well, I hope you will have a go at the card - let me know how you get on! Lindsay

Do try this...it's fab!

This is a technique that I was showing when I was at The Stamp Hut last saturday. If you have alcohol inks then give it a try as the effect is lovely...the photographs don't do it justice. You may have used white Cast Coated card in this way, but here I used the new Metallic Film from Personal Impressions (check out their website for your nearest stockist) which comes in packs of five A4 sheets. It's a versatile surface as it can be used on ink jet printers for a metallic sheen behind photographs, it can be stamped on with permanent ink and can also be heat embossed...images created in this way look great if they are highlighted with a white pen.

So, to create this lovely abstract effect, you will need a non-stick craft sheet, Ranger alcohol inks in three colours plus one of the Mixatives (I used gold here) and the Alcohol Blending Solution, plus, of course, a piece of the metallic film. I cut mine into a managable size - around 4" (or 10 cms) square(ish). You may wish to wear disposable gloves as it is rather messy, but that's part of the fun!

Okay, take one of the ink colours and squeeze a streak of it onto the craft sheet - around a 2" (or 5 cms) line will do. Now take the second colour and add a streak of that...you can either put this one beside the first, or be daring and go across the first one! Repeat with the final colour. Now take the Mixative and shake it well, with the lid on, before adding a few blobs of the ink in and around the colours streaks. Squirt a small amount of the Blending solution over the colours - the amount is up to you really, but remember that the more you add, the more you will dilute the ink colours and their viscosity.

Now take a piece of the metallic film and drop it, shiny side down, onto the inks. Press lightly (this is where it gets messy when all the ink squidges out!) and, keeping it flat to the craft sheet, twist it clockwise before lifting it up. At this point you will probably go "ooooh!" or "aaaaah" or something similar, but you may want to touch the film back to the surface to pick up some extra colour before it dries. The ink will dry very quickly but you will probably have some colour left on the craft sheet, so you can add another squirt of Blending solution and repeat with another piece of film. The colours will be lighter but just as effective. I have managed to colour three pieces of film using just one application of inks.

Once the film is dry you can use it as a background, for ATC's, stamping onto with an Archival ink pad, or even punching out shapes...butterflies or leaves spring to mind. Have a go anyway and let me know how you get on! Lindsay