Izbzee

Flamingos!

The layered templates have been making the rounds around here again.  So happy to have found this one on Creative Fabrico the other day.  

Cutting the pieces was easy for the most part.  There are a couple of areas where the joining is very small - however, it was easy to fix and isn't visible.  

Using AC cardstock in white still provides shading when the lights are on.  

Once the cutting is done, assembly is very easy.  Straws were made of folded scraps of cardstock and keep the layers about 1/4 of an inch apart, establishing a depth of perception.  




Adding a 1/4 inch between the layers does require a deep shadow box type of frame.  Gessoed, painted pieces of chipboard create the frame and corner tabs to hold everything in place.  




The Flamingo Tropical 3D ShadowBox Template can be found at CreativeFabrica.com
( links to assembly video and making your own shadow box are included with the file)
Skycut plotter/cutter C 24
SCAL 5 Pro
AC cardstock white
Glue
White paint
Foam brushes
Matte Gesso
pop up dots (optional)
20 LED light strand of fairy lights

It's been a productive week...

or at least a productive couple of days!  Birthdays for this month are creeping up and so it was a mad dash to get a few done. A mix of digital and hybrid.  Love all the fun that can be created using the SCAL 5 Pro software and a few fun files and dies from favorite vendors.  

Using the Gradient feature in SCAL 5 Pro, you can create a full rainbow of color and fill the text with lots of fun!  Moving the individual sliders you can play with the color movement as well until you're satisfied with the shift. 

Purely digital and so much fun.  

Let the Skycut plotter/cutter do the cutting of a chunky font and you create the background on the card base using distress inks and blending tools.  Embellish with a single cupcake (digi is from Creative Fabrica) colored with pencils are markers of your choice.  Add a little glaze to the cherry for some shine.  

Digi image from Creative Fabrica (watercolor collection).  Print 2 cut using SCAL5 Pro to set up.  Once the image is printed, use a Spellbinders' border die.  Round the corners of the back edge and add a bit of additional color to the edge with a strip of paper in a complimentary color.  

 

 Hoping you will be able to spend some time in your creative space this week.  Enjoy every moment of it.  Happy Crafting!  

Stencil Art

While preparing another article for The Artistry, I decided to try something I haven't done for a while.  I got out the eBrush and the Tombow markers to see how they would work with the silk screen stencils I was making.  

SUCCESS!  
The design for this stenciled card front is from Ikonartstencil.com and is one of the free files they have on their website under the resource tab. 

There are quite a few files available in pdf or svg format.  I used SCAL5 Pro to set up the files for printing.  The next step of creating the silkscreen stencils is a breeze.  I'll have a full tutorial on that coming up in a couple of weeks on the Artistry.  

I love the option of being able to reuse the stencil multiple times.  Using the eBrush allows for even more flexibility in colors and easy clean up especially when applying the color to paper.  Similar results can also be achieved using acrylic paint and a foam brush, but the clean up for the markers is much easier and quicker.  (wink - no brushes to clean!)

Thanks for dropping by and hoping you're enjoying some creative time or have some scheduled soon.  Keep nurturing your own creativity!  It really is good for the soul!

 

 

 

 

Father's Day 2021

While we weren't able to spend the day with T's dad, we were able to spend some time with all but our oldest son and his wife over the weekend.  We delighted in seeing each of our grandchildren... and oh how they have grown!  We had our first "official" family gathering since the pandemic just a couple of weeks previously - with all of the family at my Mom's funeral.  We enjoyed a family picnic with extended family at a nearby park after the services.  

Our gathering this past Sunday, however, was just our family.  We enjoyed a nice dinner, lots of talk and the kids enjoyed watching a movie and playing in the yard... I'm so glad that it finally cooled down a bit and we could enjoy sitting outside.  Oh, what a joy it was to resume what we hope will be our monthly family get-togethers again.  

 

Before we got together, I was able to spend a little time crafting and created this card (sparked by something I saw on Pinterest) using SCAL5Pro and my new Skycut C24 plotter/cutter.  Cutting all the speech bubble (CreativeFabrica.com) was a breeze and even creating the gradient and sentiment for the front of the card was a breeze using the print and cut option offered in the software.  The boys seemed to like their cards and the personalized messages in them.  

The tie-dye look on the star was achieved using some Poetique refillable watercolor brushes.  They're easy to use and blend very well.  

We're still getting used to our new norm of not having Mom with us any longer.  It's strange not to share the progress on current projects or listen to the DVDs she enjoyed so much. We know that she's happy and celebrating with the heavenly watercolors -- the sunsets of late have been absolutely gorgeous.  We feel so blessed to have been able to be her caregivers over the last 5 1/2 years.  

Enjoy a fun way to 'fuse' mixed media and some quirky digital images. Loved playing with them for this article on the Artistry! https://www.creativefabrica.com/the-artistry/mixed-media/a-trio-of-quirky-mixed-media-atc-cards/

Bloom...

This Z-fold card is a favorite.  Reminds me of the English gardens Mom painted a few years back.  While the image used in this card isn't one that Mom painted, it is very similar to some that she does have images of.

For all the details, please visit the article posted on The Artistry.  

Say Cheese!

Gotta love these shutter mechanism cards!  So happy that The Artistry liked it too. This card also features an EZ Sound Module, button activated from InviteByVoice.com.  Bonus:  there's an SVG / PDF file you can download as well for the shutter mechanism.  Hope you'll stop by!  

 

 

 

digi stamps by Vera Lane

It's been so fun to use these quirky digital images from Vera Lane Studio for some upcoming birthday cards.  

The digi stamp is a p2c using the Skycut and SCAL5.  Spot on and perfect cut!  Colored pencils, blended with Gamsol.  The background is "smooshed" using distress inks, water and an acetate sheet.  A few enamel dots were added.  The Happy Birthday stamp is from Stampers Anonymous.  

This "scrappy" slimline card is interactive.  There's a lever mechanism and a wobble in use.  It's so much fun. The colors are bright and and are perfect for the 10 year old it's going to.  All pieces were cut on the Skycut using SCAL 5.  And again, the P2C is spot on with no problem cutting the candle and flames.  The digi stamp was resized without losing any details and is about 1 1/2 inches tall.  Colored pencils, gamsol were used for color on the stamp.  Some hand drawn details were added to the "packages" 

I'm looking forward to using these and a few other digis in my stash in the days to come.  It's so relaxing to do a little coloring and that lever mechanism is easy to set up and use.  It's the same mechanism that was used in this post last year using a digi from Whimsy Stamps.  

Thanks for dropping by and have a crafty day and if today's not your day, schedule in an hour to two this week.  

Let's Paint! Party invites

It's that time of year and we have some painting projects that need a few extra hands to help make it happen.  That wheelchair ramp is a long one and it's needs a bit of refreshing!  I figured that using some fun invites would make the job seem a little more fun and we'd enjoy the company as we tackled the ramp.  You'll find more of the details on The Artistry!  

And while you're there -- be sure to check out this amazing 210+ Font Bundle! There are definitely some keepers in this one!  All have commercial use licenses!  I spotted a few that could be used with a pen or other draw tool, like the Foil Quill.  Scroll down the page to take a peek at all the fonts included - You won't be disappointed.  

Hoping you'll get some time to spend in your crafty space this week to nurture your creative spirit and soul.  Hope it's a great one!  

building the stash, again

It's that time of the year again to start replenishing the stash of cards.  It's been fun to look around and find some great ideas.  This idea, however, came in the mail.  I loved it and decided to try my hand at it as well... AND .... test the pen tool and foil quill in the #skycut.  It was nice to see how nicely both of these attempts turned out.  

 

The image above was done using the pen tool and a Sharpie ultra fine pen.  There are 3 layers of cardstock on the left half of the card and two layers on the right side.  The difference in the heights of the material were handled nicely by the machine and there were no problems with the pen dragging or having trouble.  

The foil quill adapter was a perfect fit and after allowing the tip to heat, the results were perfect.  Yep, if you see the typo, I did too!  LOL  but too late.  At any rate the OOPS has been corrected for the next try.  And I now have a full sheet of suggested "holey" sentiments for this card  

Distress Ink was blended on a scrap piece of card that is sandwiched between the card front and the card base.  Whether you choose to use the card front in a vertical or horizontal position is your choice.  The options are endless.