Scrapper's Edge

Scrapbooking with Dylusions Sprays!

Why buy patterned paper and embellishments when you have Ranger's Dylusions Sprays?  You can create amazing one-of-a-kind pages that will impress your family and friends for years to come!

Here's an example from this week's "Extreme Scrapbooking" class:

If you missed this fun class, here's the basic information you need to create your own page using Dylusions Sprays:

Products Needed:

• Inkssentials Non-Stick Craft Sheet
• Ranger Dylusion Sprays
• Rubber stamps (used Dylusions stamps and Bo Bunny stamps in sample)
• White 12”x12” Smooth Cardstock (heavier 80# works great!)
• Black Cardstock
• Paper Towels

For Background Page:

1. Place white cardstock on non-stick craft sheet.

2. Select 2 colors of Dylusions Sprays (green and blue).  Spray blue heavily on upper area and green on the lower area.  Use paper towel to blot excess ink.    (Note:  Sometimes spraying the blank page first with water will help the ink flow/mix better.)

3. Dry page with heat gun.

4. Add stamped images where desired on background page.
(In sample, stamped leaves on bottom of page lightly.)

 

For Embellishments/Page Accents:

1. Place white cardstock on non-stick craft sheet.

2. Select colors of Dylusions Sprays (pink, orange, purple, etc.)

3. Dry page with heat gun.

4. Add stamped images where desired (pennants, flowers, leaves).  Cut out with scissors.  Add additional color to page accents with Distress Markers.

 

To Finish page:

1. Cut Background Page 11.5”x11.5” and mount on black 12”x12” cardstock.

2. Add accents as shown.  For leaves/vines on bottom of page, stamp directly on page then also add cut out leaves using dimensional adhesive.

3. Add pictures, photo mats, journaling blocks, etc. as desired.

 

I hope this helps get your creative juices flowing!  Warning:  Dylusions Inks can be addicting!  : )

 

 

Resist Technique with Alcohol Inks!

Ranger's Watermark Resist Ink pad is a versatile stamp pad.  You can use it to create the look of a watermark on colored papers and as a resist to inks on glossy cardstock.  It is also a great embossing ink.

I wondered how it would work with glossy cardstock and Ranger alcohol ink.  And, it works great!  Check it out:

To do this, you'll need:  

• Glossy Cardstock
• Ranger Alcohol inks & ink applicator/felt
• Ranger Blending Solution
• Ranger Watermark Resist ink pad
• Rubber stamp

These are the basic steps:

• Cut your glossy cardstock to the desired size.
• Ink up your rubber stamp with the Watermark Resist ink pad.
• Stamp onto glossy cardstock.  Let dry.  (This can take awhile.  It works best if you can use a heat gun to speed the process along!)
• Apply 2-3 colors of alcohol ink & a few drops of Blending Solution to ink applicator tool and "stamp or pounce" onto glossy cardstock, rotating applicator with each stamp or pounce.
• Wipe off ink with paper towel.  (If the Watermark Resist ink had time to properly dry, you'll notice that the area you stamped will resist the alcohol ink.  If it didn't work, it didn't have enough time to dry so try again!)

Here's a card that was made using this technique:

I hope you enjoy this technique.  It's sure to have impressive results!

Happy inking!

When do you Doodle?

doo·dle 
Doodling.   Almost everyone does it -  especially when in meetings, in classes  or on the phone.  The fact that we can doodle while carrying on a conversation shows that most doodles don’t require much thinking. 

Most doodling can be accomplished in two easy steps:  Doodling & Noodling.

• Doodling:  This step doesn’t require thinking!  Don’t think.  Suspend Judgment.  Just use your pencil or pen and get something down on paper.  It doesn’t matter how simple or incomplete it is.  Be free, loose & spontaneous!
• Noodling:  This is where the thinking starts!  This is where you use your noodle and tinker with your doodle.  This may include shading, repeating, coloring, accenting or adding to your main doodle.  Noodling will help you develop and change your original doodle.

Ways to incorporate Doodling into your Scrapbook Pages or Art  Journals:

• Doodle borders around your pages.
• Doodle borders around page elements, such as pictures or journaling blocks.
• Doodle across a section of page to separate elements.
• Fill up blank space with doodled patterns.
• Cover the page with doodles to add a background to your page.
• Doodle arrows to help draw attention to something important.
• Use a stencil to draw a shape then doodle inside or around the object.

 Most importantly, have fun!

 

Making your own patterned paper with Dylusions Sprays!

Have you ever hunted for the perfect background paper for a scrapbook page or card but couldn't get the correct colors, look or feel?  We explored the perfect solution in last night's "Extreme Scrapbooking" class:  making your own!

Here's one of our sample pages, a list or products needed, and the instructions.

Products Needed:

• Inkssentials Non-Stick Craft Sheet
• Ranger Dylusions Sprays
• Distress Ink pads, Ink Applicators & Foam Pads
• Clear embossing powder & embossing ink pad
• Stencils/Templates
• Rubber stamps
• White 12”x12” Smooth Cardstock
• Paper Towels

Instructions:

1. Place white cardstock on non-stick craft sheet.

2. Heat emboss stamped images on top right and lower left corner with clear embossing powder. 
(In sample, used leaf stamp.) 
The Dylusions Sprays and Distress Inks will RESIST the embossed areas, leaving the white embossed pattern.

3. Select 2 colors of Dylusions Sprays.  Place a template in upper right corner and spray Dylusions Sprays over stencil.   While ink is still wet on top of the template, pick up stencil and turn over in center of page to transfer ink from top of stencil onto paper.  Soak up excess ink with paper towels. 
(In sample, used flower stencil).

4. Repeat Step 3 in lower right corner.

5. Spray inks in blank parts of page, soaking up excess ink with paper towels. 

6. Dry page with heat gun.

7. To avoid bright white areas where flower stencils left flower pattern, apply light colored Distress Ink using ink applicator/foam over top left and bottom right of page. 

8. Add stamped images where desired. 
(In sample (1) repeated leaf pattern in upper right and lower left corners and (2) stamped flowers in upper left and lower right.)

9. To lift color in various areas, placed stencil down and spray water.  Let sit for 10-30 seconds, blot with paper towel, and lift stencil.  (In sample, used this technique with grass-like stencil along bottom edge and with dragon fly stencil in upper center.

 

Here's another sample with a more masculine look:

The same basic steps were used in this page as well, for a much different look!  

Not only are these techniques great for scrapbook and card backgrounds, but for art journals as well!  Give it a try! 

 

 

Scrapbooking Beyond the Basics!

Our "Beyond the Basics" Scrapbooking class last week helped participants learn how to make two pages have a cohesive, visually appealing design.  If you missed it, here's the basic instructions:

Tips:

• You can easily “tie” two pages together by having elements meet in the middle.
• Repeat the “menu” on  page 1 with different patterned papers and cardstocks for a different look.
• Don’t like buttons?  Exchange them  with flowers, brads, rhinestones or other embellishments!

 Most importantly, have fun and enjoy your creative process!

 

 

Cardmaking Stash Builder!

Every other month we featuring a fun Cardmaking Stash Builder workshop where participants make six cards in two hours.  The class tonite was so much fun.  In case you missed it, here's the pictures and measurements.  Doing them at home won't be nearly as much fun as being in class, however, because in class almost everything is pre-cut for you!

Don't miss the next Cardmaking Stash Builder Workshop.  It will be on Thursday, March 28th.  For more information, visit our website at: http://www.scrappersedge.net/Classes.html

Operation Write Home!

We just sent our first box of cards to Operation Write Home.  This organization gathers and distributes blank handmade cards to those in the armed forces so they can send them to their loved ones at home.  Our first box contained 110 beautiful cards that our customers and staff made.

Want to help?  Here's the basic guidelines:

• Do not use glitter.  (This is a safety issue.)
• The finished card size must be 4.25"x5.5".
• Line cards made with dark cardstock with light cardstock that they can write on.
• Do not include handwritten sentiments.
• Use quality adhesive.
• Some dimension is okay but don't use big bulky buttons or other 3D objects.

Just bring in your handmade cards.  We'll donate the envelopes and pay for the shipping!  

For more information about Operation Write Home, visit 
http://operationwritehome.org/

Clear embossing powder rocks!

Sure, it's fun to heat emboss stamped images.  But there's SO much more you can do with embosssing powder.  Here's a sample of a Thanksgiving card made using clear embossing powder in a non-traditional way:

Using the Tim Holtz stamp and embossing folder, first I stamped the image on cardstock and then placed it inside of the embossing folder and dry embossed it with my Cuttlebug.  Next, I used an embossing ink pad to apply embossing ink directly over the entire piece of cardstock.  After it was completely covered with embossing ink, I sprinkled clear embossing powder over it, tapped off the excess, and heated it with a heat gun.  You can try this technique for backgrounds or on diecut accents, like the leave shown on this card!

So, go heat things up and have fun!

Wild about Washi!

Washi tape is simply paper tape with patterns on it.  It's available in a wide variety of colors and patterns.  It can be used in fun, creative ways to make embsllishments and accents or simplly applied in straight lines on your craft projects.

One thing I enjoy doing with it is making flowers!  So, check out these easy steps:

1.  Punch or cut a circle using cardstock. (I didn't have a circle punch the size I needed, so I traced the center of a washi tape spool and cut it out!  It was the perfect size.)

2.  Pleat the washi tape around the outside of the circle as shown.  

3.  Complete the circle and tuck the cut edge under a pleat.

4. Pleat the wash tape around the inside of the circle.

5. Add a button, brad, rhinestone or other embellishment to center of flower.

Next, apply your beautiful flower on a card or other project!

If you don't like the first flower you create, don't fret.  I threw my first one in the garbage.  My next one was terrific!  

To practice this technique and others, you can always join us for my "Wild about Washi Cardmaking Class" on November 7th!  Read more about it:  http://www.scrappersedge.net/Classes.html

 Call to register:  707-445-9686

I'm addicted to Distress Stains!

Yes, that's right.  My name is Sondra and I'm a Distress-Stain-Aholic!  They are SO easy and fun to use.  

Here's a fun tag I created followed by the steps used:

1.  Stamp / Heat emboss an image using clear embossing powder.

2.  Dab puddles of blue Distress Stain (Broken China) to top of tag and use a craft scraper to scrape it downward across the tag toward the middle.

3.  Dab puddles of green distress Stain (Peeled Paint) to bottom of tag and use a craft scraper to scrape it upward across the tag toward the middle, overlapping the blue stain applied in step 1.

4.  Dab smaller puddles of darker blue Distress Stain (Chipped Saphire) to top of tag and use craft scraper to scrape it downward across top, not as far as the lighter blue used in step 2.

5.  Dab smaller puddles of distress Stain (Vintage Photo) to bottom of tag and use craft scraper to scrape it upward across bottom, not as far as the green used in Step 3.

The heat embossed area will work as a resist, so the color of the tag shows through!

If you do not have a craft scraper, you can use an old credit card or other plastic card.  It helps to work on a non-stick craft sheet.  In fact, when I puddle the distress stain on the area of the tag, I puddle part of it on the craft sheet as well and then drag the puddles through the tag.  

I have been experimenting with these stains alot lately.  In fact, I've created 6 fun & easy background techniques that I'll be teaching October 23rd.  I'll also be covering how to paint and stamp with Distress Stains.  For more information, visit http://www.scrappersedge.net/Classes.html or stop by and see the samples!  Remember to pre-register by calling 707-445-9686.

Also, you can watch a video with a few of my favorite background techqniues here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-v1yfASUsAk&feature=plcp

Happy crafting!