Family Heritage

See the cute little guy in the overalls front and center? That's my father-in-law, turning 90 on the 25th! This photo was taken in about 1925 near Dwight, Kansas, and how many stories they would find to tell in the coming years.

Once again, Mary Brown was the inspiration for this project. I began with a sheet of our amazing Presto Patterns specialty paper, then studied the photo to see what colors were hidden in the sepia tones. I decided yellows, browns, and pinks, so began sponging on thin layers, beginning with the lightest color. It was magic watching the design from the Presto Pattern sheet emerge! I worked back and forth, here and there, with a general idea where I wanted my photo, keeping in mind that in this case the "white space" that would rest the eye and make a contrast to the other techniques meant leaving the ink off.

When I thought I had enough color, I finalized the placement of the photo and used an x-acto to mark where the edges intersected with large swirls on the Presto Patterns paper. I removed the photo, and used the x-acto to cut around the printed pattern out so that I could slide the photo underneath. When I finished, I secured the photo.

Next, I stamped the floral spray from Elements of Style three times on Naturals Vanilla and watercolored it using Rose Red and Old Olive to represent the wild roses that grow along the stone fences in the area, built by a great-grandfather. I then cut out these rose sprays, cut them apart, and tucked them here and there on the page to add some detail and color.

Now, how to add text that I don't have stamps for? I used Word to create a file with the family name and and a few other details, turning the letters a dark brown that approximates Chocolate Chip. I then ran a sheet of vanilla CS through the printer and cut out around the elements I needed, popping them up on dimensionals so they would cast a shadow for interest. The only handwritten element is the "Circa 1925" on the little round Mini Vintage Tag, which hangs from a satin bow tinted pink here and there with marker and aqua painter. And voila!

I love the concept of framing a scrapbook page. You can display it for as long as you want on the wall, then tuck it into a protective scrap book and put up something new on your wall. Hope you've enjoyed this little trip down memory lane with me, Kathy

Stamps: Elements of Style
Ink: Barely Banana, Apricot Appeal, Pink Pirouette, Rose Red, Old Olive classic (* just retired); Pink Pirouette marker
Paper: Presto Patterns DSP, Naturals Vanilla, Very Vanilla
Accessories: aquapainter, 5/8" vanilla satin ribbon, Mini VintageTag, Styled Vanilla hardware (shadowbox frame from local clearance rack)

Elements of Style

Hello,
I made this card for a set sampler swap with the Lawrence Demo's. Stay tuned, I'm sure we'll have more to come!
Monique

Materials: All materials are Stampin' Up!
Paper: Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla.
Ink: Crumb Cake and Chocolate Chip.
Stamp: Elements of Style and En Francais.
Punches: 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" Circle and Scallop Circle.
Ribbon: Chocolate Chip Taffeta.
Misc.: Brads.

June 2010 Stamp Club

Our June hostess was interested in learning some new tricks for using ribbon. We began our session by making a sampler card of ideas for future reference, including the ribbon rose featured on this evening's "shabby chic" card. Difficult to see but adding subtle depth to the design are a pair of mini clear buttons, and another fun new idea was using white craft ink to sponge the edges of the kraft (soon to be "crumb cake") card stock. I love the effect of stamping on designer paper for added visual texture.

And I love the fact that Stampin' Up! supplies can become so many different styles! Kathy

Punching Fancy Flowers

What else (I hear you asking) can you do with the fancy flower punch being offered in the Spring/Summer Mini Catalog?! Here are a couple of ways to make a 3D flower that will really dress up a project!

If you want to use designer paper, punch six flowers from the paper of your choice with the Fancy Flower punch (here I've used Ruby Red from the Patterns Pack available to hostesses). Sponge the edges of the petals if desired to give them definition and "shabby chic". Spritz lightly with water (this helps prevent the paper from tearing) and wad up into little pea-sized balls. Carefully open up each little ball (this is the stage where tearing is most likely to occur), but don't try to get the wrinkles out. Next, punch a "center" using the Boho Blossoms punch. You'll also need a 5/8" brad. Lay out your paper piercing tool and foam mat. Stack the punched flowers on top of each other, off-setting the peaks and valleys of the petals with each layer. End with the Boho Blossom punch on top. Pierce through the center of the stack, working the piercing tool around a bit to enlarge the hole (this helps prevent the prongs of the brad from bending as you're trying to insert it). Open the prongs on the back to hold the layers in position. Starting from the top, pinch the first layer up and around the brad, curling the petal edges under for volume and a natural look. Move on to the second layer, and so forth until you've worked your way to the bottom. You may attach the flower to your project using the prongs of the brad or a pop-up glue dot.

You can also make these flowers from magazines or catalogs you're ready to recycle. You'll need 12 layers for this approach, since the paper is thinner. No need to spritz these, just wad and open. Assemble as above, except this time I omitted the smaller punch in the center and used a corduroy button brad. To finish, I shot a little Log Cabin Smooch Spritz onto the flower and the button. This worked great to tone down the red so that it looked old like the magazine colors.

You'll be surprised at how quickly these come together after you've done a couple! Kathy