Ann Butler's Stamps Blog Hop

Another opportunity to showcase Ann Butler's Faux Quilting stamps by EZ-De's Easy Design Elements for stamping and her own color line of ColorBox Crafter's™inks by Clearsnap®.  Ann also has another line by Unity Stamps that compliment this newest line.  There are another eight designers that are participating in this blog hop and you will find the list below this post.  You can start by clicking on a link and you can hop your way through the other blogs to find some great ideas.

This time around I used the EZ-De's Hexagon Set A stamps.  I had a few different ideas floating around in my head and finally chose to use them in a simple design to create a placemat, napkin and napkin ring set.

I cut a 14" x 19" piece from a natural colored canvas for the placemat.  I tore a 14" square from natural colored muslin for the napkin.  Two strips of canvas, measuring approximately 2 1/2" x 5" were cut for the napkin ring.

Before stamping on the placemat, I used wide masking tape to mark off the vertical section for one line of stamping.  Once complete, I again marked off the horizontal section for the other line of stamping.  I alternated the four images of the hexagon stamps, using four colors of inks, into these two sections on the placemat.  On the napkin, I used masking tape once again to tape the area down to keep it from moving. Two hexagon were stamped in the center, then finished with the remaining two stamp images on either side of the center two.  One hexagon image was chosen to stamp onto the center of the napkin ring strip.

A black, permanent fabric pen was used to outline each of the hexagon shapes on all three pieces. Trim the napkin ring canvas piece to measure 2" x 5".  Use Fabri Tac to glue the end to close the napkin ring.

I applied a layer of clear Vinyl Fuse™ by Pellon® to the top of the placemat by following the instructions given on the packaging.

NOTE: A decorative stitch could be sewn around the edges of the placemat and the napkin, if desired.

Now have some fun checking out the other ideas from here.
    Amy Bowerman
    Ann Butler
    Candice Windham
    Cindi Bisson
    Cheryl Boglioli
    Eileen Hull
    Jen Goode
    Madeline Arendt
    Sharon Reinhart

Arnold Grummer's Papermaking - Paper Casting on a Card

For this weeks project for the Arnold Grummer Blog, I decided to pull out my paper casting supplies.  With the weather outside being extremely cold and snowy, my eye turned to the flower molds to take my mind off the weather outside.

Making paper castings are fun and easy with the use of Arnold Grummer's Cotton Linter Casting Squares.  I used five or six of linter squares for the castings that I made. I made three castings from the two flower molds I chose to use. The look of the castings can be slightly altered by how you finish the outer edge. For one casting, I carefully pulled the outer edge with the tip of a toothpick to feather the edges after removing the casting from the mold before drying it completely.  Another was left to dry without touching the edges.  The third trimmed by cutting once it was completely dried.  To dry the castings, I placed them on parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  I placed them in the oven that was heated to 200 degrees for 15 minutes.  Then I turned off the oven and left them in the oven for and additional 15 minutes.  NOTE:  There are other methods to dry the castings.  I have used the microwave in the past, following directions given for that process, with great results.  Simply drying naturally works well too.

Three castings with another flower mold

To create this card I chose to color the casting. Castings can be colored with a variety of things like chalks, mica powders and paints. When coloring them with paints the main thing to remember is not to use too much water.  Use a light touch when coloring with any medium.  I chose to use Ranger's Perfect Pearls to add color. The powders mix easily with water to create a shimmery paint.  The edge was painted with a little of clear iridescent glitter glue.  The center area was coated with Ranger's Glossy Accents to give the casting a glazed look.  NOTE: The castings can be left natural without coloring.

I cut a background layer of printed paper and trimmed the edge with decorative scissors. This paper was glued to a white blank card.  I added a strip of torn coordinating fabric was added.  Another coordinating solid paper was cut for another layer, making it large enough to add the casting onto it.  On a strip of white paper, I stamped a verse to state my wish and glued it onto the card top.  NOTE: The stamped verse can be added to the inside if desired.

Wishing you a Happy Day!

Be back in two weeks with another project.

This month you can use the COUPON CODE: LOVE20 and save 20% on your entire order, so head over to the website and place an order today so you can create some wonderful handmade papers for yourself or for gifts.

Arnold Grummer's Papermaking - Creating with Handmade Papers

This is my first post for the Arnold Grummer's Papermaking Blog.  I will be posting a project the second and fourth Monday of the month from now through June.  Just a little information before discribing the project I have to share.  I would consider myself very fortunate to have had a little history with the Grummer Family.  Several years ago I was very happy to work at a CHA show with the Grummer Family in their booth demonstrating paper casting along side Arnold himself showing the wonders of making your own paper.  It was a delightful experience to work for them and with them. Learning how to cast paper and make sheets was fun and I used both forms in design work and personal projects through the years.
I am so very happy to have reconnected with Kim and Greg and to help share ideas for paper making and paper casting.  My hope is that the projects I create will give you the desire to try your hand with this medium or help you think "out side the box" with what you can do when making handmade sheets and casting of paper.

While considering an idea to share, I went through my stash of handmade paper supplies.  There I found several samples, that I made a while back, just playing around with different inclusions and seeing what results I would get.  That is where I started this little project.  Handmade papers are unique and beautiful on their own, but, I have this tendency to play around and experiment with other things I love to work with and see what happens.

Starting with three different papers, I then used inks, paints and cutting dies and embossing folders to cover a plain paper mache box to make a one of a kind container.  Using two of the plain sheets of paper I used embossing folders by Sizzix to make the impressions.  Then I lightly applied Ranger Distress Inks in different colors to the flowered sheet to make the design stand out.  The handmade papers made nice embossed designs.

I then took another sample and brushed it with green inks and spritzed it lightly with water to made the inks bleed together. (NOTE: I used a small mister to spritz on water and then dryed the paper by pressing with a craft iron. It is important to use water sparingly in this process so not to make the papers fall apart.)  Leaves were die-cut.  The edges of the leaves were highlighted by applying a darker shape of green to the leaf shapes.

To create the flowers, I used the lavender tinted papers.  Again two colors of Distress Inks were applied with a foam applicator randomly to the papers.  Here I took some Distress Paints and spritzed them with water to thin them out.  Using a foam applicator and a tapping motion, the paints were applied randomly also.  The water thinned paints caused the inks and paints to mix together, giving the paper a mottled affect.  (NOTE: The dampened papers with need to be dryed using the same method as mentioned above.)  Flowers are die-cut from these papers and the edges are also highlighted with ink.

Strips were cut from the "dot" embossed papers for the bottom of the container and applied with glue. A circle for the top was cut from the "flowery" embossed paper and glued to the top cover.  A length of decorative trim was glued around the edge of the lid.  Put the flowers together with paper brads.  Glue the flowers to the lid in any desired arrangement, add a button or other embellishment to the center of each and finish by glueing the leaves into place around the flowers.

I feel that the embossing, inking and painting added some nice affects to the paper, while still allowing the textures and inclusions and base color of each paper to show through.

What better way to give a gift to someone you care about then by creating a special container!

NOTE:  I saved all the small leftover pieces for another time of mixing up some pulp for more sheets of paper.  You never know what it could create!

This month you can use the COUPON CODE: LOVE20 and save 20% on your entire order, so head over to the website and place an order today so you can create some wonderful handmade papers for yourself or for gifts.