Michael Strong ATC Swap - Soar

This is the ATC I created for the Michael Strong ATC Swap, which took place in May 2012 at the enjoyMichaelStrongstamps Yahoo Group.
I made several ATCs, 6 for the swap and extras for myself and for 2 friends.
Some were decorated with a Hummingbird, some with a Dragonfly.

Supplies used:
Recycled Manila CS, cut to ATC size (2.5 x 3.5 inches)
White CS from a recycled box
Ranger's Distress ink - tattered rose, worn lipstick
Inkessentials Distress ink applicator
Michael Strong stamp - The Lily Set (background panel)
Michael Strong stamp - Hummingbird (small)
Michael Strong stamp - Dragonfly (small)
VersaFine ink - Onyx Black
Embossing ink
Black EP
Cream ric-rac ribbon
Tiny pink bling
Clear bling
Double-sided foam tape

To create the background, I stamped Michael Strong's Lily background panel, using VersaFine ink - Onyx Black.
I randomly applied Ranger's Distress ink - tattered rose and worn lipstick - using the Inkessentials Distress ink applicator.
Then I stamped Michael Strong's Hummingbird and Dragonfly (here you only see the ATC with the Hummingbird) on white CS from a recycled box, using embossing ink.
I heat embossed it with black embossing powder and cut it accurately with scissors.
I distressed the edges of the Soar (computer printed) label using Ranger's Distress ink - worn lipstick.
I used a cream ric-rac ribbon to enhance the bird which seems to be flying over it.
Both the Hummingbird and the Soar label were glued 3D for extra dimension.
Can you see the shade of the flying bird?
And the bird's beak is aiming into the flower center, hoping to find some honeydew… there's nothing but distress ink in there! (lol)

I added a tiny pink bling for the bird's eye, and a clear bling for the label, for extra glam.
(You can enlarge each photo by clicking on it)
Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed. Have a creative day! Dorly

Gecko Tag for Good Luck and Paisley Tag

Here are my 4th creations for this week as Card Captain of the enjoyMichaelStrongstamps Yahoo Group

Today it's Technique Thursday, and rather than sharing a specific technique I preferred to share several useful tips.
Therefore I created two tags on which it's easier to demonstrate my tips.

I decided to use the Cloisonné Gecko Stamp and the Cloisonné Paisley large stamp.

The colors I chose are earth tones, trying to match the stamped images and the embellishments to the backgrounds.

Supplies used:
Cream CS for the tags
Beige and cream CS
Vintage book's pages
Cuttlebug embossing folder - Distressed Stripes

Spellbinders Shapeabilities Dies - Fancy Tags
Crop-A-Dile
Michael Strong's Cloisonné Gecko Stamp
Michael Strong's Cloisonné Paisley Set (large)
Ranger's Distress ink - Rusty Hinge, Pine Needle
Embossing ink
Ranger's Green EP
Versacolor metallic Ink - 3 colors - bronze, gold and silver
Promarkers - Vanilla, Mint Green
Green pen
Big spotted brads
Flower eyelets
Ribbons and fibers from my stash

Double sided foam tape
Double sided tape

First I stamped the Gecko and cut it around.
Then I stamped the Paisley, heat embossed it, colored it with ProMarkers and cut it around.
I embossed the tags using the Cuttlebug and colored them with Ranger's Distress inks.
The Ribbons and the stamped images were all glued 3D for extra dimension.
Then I added the eyelets and the brads.

Now here are my tips for a better looking creation, no matter if it's a tag, a card or any other project.
The back side of the work looks messy - holes for the eyelets, ribbon strands hanging loose, brads' legs showing.
All these make each project look unfinished and non-professional.
To avoid this, simply cover the back side of your work, and none of the above will be seen.
I used a vintage book's page to cover each tag's back side.
Then I added a satin ribbon and some colorful fibers at the top of the tags.
You must admit they look better now.

You can also cover the back side of brads and eyelets or the ribbon's attaching place with small punched out or die cut papers, and use them as decorative elements.
Do you have any tips you'd like to share?

(You can enlarge each photo by clicking on it)

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed. Have a creative day! Dorly

Japanese Hummingbird Card

Here is my 2nd card for this week as Card Captain of the enjoyMichaelStrongstamps Yahoo Group.

I created this card for a dear friend who likes Japanese motifs.

This card was created using strong, contrasting colors, yet it reminds me of a serene nature's scene.

Supplies used:
Red leather textured CS for the card's basis

Black and red leather textured CS
Off-white recycled CS (from a tea pack)
Dovercraft patterned paper - Eastern Promise
Narcissus stamp by Kodomo
VersaFine ink - Onyx Black
Michael Strong's Mini Cloisonné Wings Stamp Set - Hummingbird (small)

Embossing ink
Michael Strong's Midnight black EP

ProMarkers - Mint Green, Tulip Yellow, Peach
Black Satin ribbon - recycled from a chocolate box
Clear tyny bling and several medium blings

Double sided foam tape

First, I stamped the Narcissus using VersaFine ink - Onyx Black.
Then I stamped Michael Strong's Cloisonné small Hummingbird using Embossing ink.
I heat embossed it using Michael Strong's Midnight black EP.
I colored the Narcissus and the Hummingbird using ProMarkers - Mint Green, Tulip Yellow, Peach.
I cut and layered the papers, added the ribbon and glued the stamped Images 3D for extra dimension.

Then I added a tiny clear bling for the bird's eye and several medium blings for extra glam.

(You can enlarge each photo by clicking on it)

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed. Have a creative day! Dorly

Flower, Rosette and Ribbons Card

Here is my 1st card for this week as Card Captain of the enjoyMichaelStrongstamps Yahoo Group

I created this card for a dear family member who has recently (finally!) retired from work.
I hope he'll have many opportunities and a lot of free time to have fun, and to travel often - especially to Israel.

This card is especially suitable for a man, because of its strong and masculine color combo.

It is also my interpretation of this month's sketch (#42) at the group.

Supplies used:
White CS for the card's basis
Red and cream leather textured CS
Basic Grey patterned paper - Origins (2 pages)
Patterned paper for the Rosette (from a friend)
Spellbinder Nestabilities Classic Circles
Michael Strong's Cloisonné Flower Stamp (small)
StazOn ink - Black
Tim Holtz Rosette Flower Die
Polka Dot satin ribbons in 3 colors
Sentiment - "Happy Retirement" gold rub-on
Light green blings in various sizes
Double sided foam tape

I stamped Michael Strong's Cloisonné Flower using black StazOn ink.
I cut and layered the papers according to the sketch.
Well, I had to alter it a little bit.
So I moved the circles, the rosette and stamped flower to one side of the bottom circle to create an asymmetric look.
Then I added this whole stack a bit outside of the patterned paper square.
I added the ribbons the sentiment.Most elements were glued 3D for extra dimension.Then I added several blings for extra glam (men like it too, I hope…)

(You can enlarge each photo by clicking on it)

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed. Have a creative day! Dorly

Michael Strong Holiday Tag Blog Hop

Here's my Christmas Tag for the Michael Strong's Yahoo group Holiday Tag Blog Hop.
Thank you for stopping by today.
I hope you'll be inspired to make your own holiday tag.
Although we don't celebrate Christmas, I make Christmas and Holiday cards and tags for my overseas friends, and I think it's a fabulous season (and a good excuse to create some more!)

Supplies used:
White CS for the tag's basis
Merry Christmas patterned paper from my stash
Grey leather textured CS
Michael Strong's Cloisonné Christmas Tree Stamp (medium & small)
Embossing ink
Hematite EP
Tim Holtz Tonic Paper Distresser
Blending tool
Ranger Distress Ink - Pine Needles
Red ribbon
Checkered fabric heart-shaped buckle
Clear, green and red blings
Fibers from my stash

You're welcome to leave a comment in each blog. Enjoy your tour!
Your next stop is Heidi's blog
If you get lost you can see the list of participants in Hetty's blog
There's also a bonus: search the letters in each blog.
My letter is "y".
When you have collected all 13 letters from all 13 blogs, make a wish out of them and you'll enter a prize drawing.
The prize will be a Michael Strong stamp, of course.
Send your answer to Hetty privately: buzzy4you@hotmail.com NOT in the comment!
Hetty will pick a winner on Wednesday, December 7th.

Have a wonderful holiday season!
(You can enlarge each photo by clicking on it)
Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed. Have a creative day! Dorly

Camouflage Card

I'm Card Captain of the enjoyMichaelStrongstamps Yahoo Group for this week, so for 5 days I'll be showing you several works using Michael Strong's stamps. I hope you'll find them inspiring.
Here's my 5th card for this week, in military camouflage colors.
I made this card for my son who's a soldier. He's about to finish one of his very difficult military trainings.
I'm sure you understand why I can't give you any details (I wish I could say more, but it's all top secret), so trust me that all the elements and colors in the card perfectly match the spirit of what he's doing.
I wish him good luck in his future military service.
I miss him badly when he's away but I'm very proud of him!
As peace is rare in our country, all I can wish for is that he comes back home safe from those dangerous actions he won't tell me about.

Materials used:
Black canvas textured CS for the card's basis
White CSCuttlebug embossing folder - Distressed StripesRanger's Distress ink - Tea Dye, Crushed Olive, Forest MossA recycled piece of a cereals package Mat gold canvas textured CS
Michael Strong's Fleur De Lis Die Cutters
Camouflage colors cotton ribbonClear blings
3D double sided foam tape

I embossed the white CS through the Cuttlebug and distressed it using Ranger's Distress ink - Tea Dye, Crushed Olive and Forest Moss, trying to give it a camouflage effect.
I printed the text "I'll Be Watching You ..." on a recycled piece of a cereals package and colored it using Ranger's Distress ink - Tea Dye.
I adhered a camouflage colors cotton ribbon.
I used Michael Strong's Fleur De Lis Die Cutters to cut the shape out of mat gold canvas textured CS.
I glued all the elements 3D for extra dimension.
I added several clear blings to resemble the lights in the darkness.

(You can enlarge each photo by clicking on it)

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed. Have a creative day! Dorly

Baby Card for Lily

I made this card for the Michael Strong's Yahoo group "Welcome Baby" May challenge.
I made Lily something fancy to wear… and see what's written inside it!
You can find a tutorial for a baby card here and this is my own interpretation of it.

Ingredients:
Pink pearly canvas textured CS for the card's basis
Dark pink paper
Double layered ribbon and lace with hearts
White Gel pen
EK Success circle punch
EK Success Corner Adorner

I cut the pink pearly canvas textured CS to create the onesie shape.
I added double layered ribbon and lace with hearts for decoration.
I added stripes of the same CS (using its reversed side) with faux stitches, drawn using a white Gel pen, for the sleeves.

Inside the card I added the sentiment, printed on dark pink paper, its corners rounded. It says:

If Mom Says No

Call 1-800-GRANDPA

Do you think it's a fancy outfit for a cute little baby girl?
(You can enlarge each photo by clicking on it)
Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed. Have a creative day! Dorly

One Page Folded Mini Album

I made this mini album for my son.
It's small enough to carry it with him wherever he goes.

The inner pages are 3x3 inches (7.5x7.5 cms).
There's enough space inside to write some text (not shown in the photos… it's private), to stamp or to decorate with any flat embellishments.

Ingredients:
One 12x12 inches (30x30 cms) canvas textured CS
Recycled Cereals box, cut to make the covers
Patterned paper from my stash
TH clear stamps
Distress ink
Gel pen (to write on the inner pages)
Green satin ribbon

It's fun and easy to make, and I think the photos show it all.
I'm sure I'll be making more of these… maybe for RAKs.
Would you like to receive one?

(You can enlarge each photo by clicking on it)
Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed. Have a creative day! Dorly

Seashell Card

I'm Card Captain of the enjoyMichaelStrongstamps Yahoo Group for this week, so for 5 days I'll be showing you several works using Michael Strong's stamps. I hope you'll find them inspiring.

Today's card #3 is a summertime Seashell card, reminding me of the beach.
Actually, yesterday it was 23 degrees celsius in Israel… no wonder it felt like summer.

Ingredients:
White CS for the card's basis
Dark blue vellum paper for the background
Seaside patterned paper from my stash
Dark blue vellum, yellow and beige CS
Michael Strong's Cloisonné Shell Stamp (large)
Gold EP
ProMarkers
Morocco Lace Edger Punch by EK Success
Bright blue, light blue and light green blings in various sizes
Royal blue ric rac ribbon

The shell
I stamped Michael Strong's Cloisonné Shell on white CS, heat embossed it with gold EP and cut it out using TH scissors.
Then I colored it with ProMarkers. I used Shale, Gold, Royal Blue and Cocoa.
The shell was glued 3D with foam tape for extra dimension.

I punched scraps of dark blue vellum, yellow and beige CS using the Morocco Lace Edger Punch, and layered them one on top of the other gradually, to resemble the sea waves.
I added the royal blue ric rac ribbon to tie the 3 scraps together.
I also added a few bright blue, light blue and light green blings in various sizes here and there, for some glam.

(You can enlarge each photo by clicking on it)

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed. Have a creative day! Dorly

All You Need Is Love…

I'm Card Captain of the enjoyMichaelStrongstamps Yahoo Group for this week, so for 5 days I'll be showing you several works using Michael Strong's stamps.
I hope you'll find them inspiring.
Today's card #1 is a Valentine's Day card in non traditional colors (no red, no pink).

Ingredients:
Cream CS for the card's basis
Dark blue vellum paper for the background
Recycled cream mulberry paper with gentle embroidery on it
Brown CS
Michael Strong's Cloisonné Heart Stamp (large)
Michael Strong's Punch & Spell Alphabet Stamp Set
Gold EP
ProMarkers
Oval Large Nesting Paper Punch 1.5 x 0.75 inch by EK Success
Binding Edge Edger Punch by EK Success
Bright blue blings in various sizes
Narrow yellow satin ribbon.

The heart
I stamped Michael Strong's Cloisonné Heart on white CS, heat embossed it with gold EP and cut it out using TH scissors.
Then I colored it with ProMarkers. I used Shale, Gold, Royal Blue and Cocoa.
The heart was glued 3D with foam tape for extra dimension.

The word LOVE
I stamped the letters L O V E from Michael Strong's Punch & Spell Alphabet Stamp Set on white CS, heat embossed them with gold EP and then punched each letter out using the Oval Large Nesting Paper Punch 1.5 x 0.75 inch by EK Success.
Then I colored the letters with ProMarkers. I used Gold, Royal Blue and Cocoa.
Each letter was separately glued 3D with foam tape for extra dimension.

The interlacing ribbon piece
I used a dark brown CS, both its edges punched using EK Success Binding Edge Edger Punch
Then I used a narrow yellow satin ribbon, interlacing it from one side to the other all the way down, and simply tying it at the lower end.
The interlacing ribbon piece was separately glued 3D with foam tape for extra dimension.
I also added a few bright blue blings in various sizes for some glam.
Take a closer look at the card from its lower side, to see how attaching these 3 motifs - the heart, the letters L O V E and the interlacing ribbon piece - gives it an extra 3D look.
(You can enlarge each photo by clicking on it)
I hope you all had a Happy Valentine's Day!
Challenges
February 2011 Card Challenge: Colors of Love for enjoyMichaelStrongstamps Yahoo Group (until February 28th) .
Embossing for 2 Sisters Challenge Blog (until February 25th) .
Anything Goes for Little Clare's (until March 4th) .
Love Is All Around! For Crafty Ann's (until February 24th) .
DDCC # 100-Feb 17- Sparkle/Glitter/Bling for Dutch dare (until February 23th) .
Love for The Crafty Calendar (until March 4th) .
Use punches or dies for Incy Wincy (until February 28th) .
Use dies for Crazy 4 Challenges C4C75 (until February 25th) .
Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed. Have a creative day! Dorly

NOSTALGIA Deco

Here's a new deco I made, the theme is Nostalgia and anything related goes well with it.
There are 6 empty pages in the deco and its size is 14x10 cms, small enough to be sent in a regular envelope.
Six artists are going to work in it, one page per each, and I'm sure it will look adorable when all the pages are done.
I'm going to make a few more new decos in different subjects soon, so if you're interested in working in any of them, please let me know.

For this deco's front cover I used:
A recycled photo from an advertisement
A velvet and satin checkered ribbon in shades of brown
A stamp saying "Home is where your story begins" by IO
Tim Holtz Vintage Market letters, stamped with a vintage script stamp (in Saddle Brown Stazon ink) and covered with Glossy Accents in Sepia colour for the antique looking glazing.
For this deco's back cover I used:
A large Flourish stamp by IO (in black Stazon ink)
A piece of the advertisement's paper
My personal details (covered with a piece of brown CS) were printed on the back cover, to make sure everybody knows where it should be returned to.
You can read more about Decos here

(You can enlarge each photo by clicking on it)

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed. Have a creative day! Dorly

Chinese Happy New Year Card - Year Of The Rabbit

This card was made for the Chinese New Year - the year of the rabbit, celebrated on February 3rd 2011.

Ingredients:

Red leather textured CS for the card's basis

Transparent vellum paper with Chinese text in gold and Chinese marks in dark red, carefully attached so the glue is hidden underneath it

Shiny gold paper, its corners punched using Martha Stewart Large Punch around the Page - Double Arches set (I used only the corner punch here)

Rabbit stamp by Comotion rubber stamps from my private collection (discontinued), stamped with black ink on red leather textured CS

Red half pearls, to add some glam.

Inside the card:

A small piece of red leather textured CS

Shiny gold paper, its upper border punched using Martha Stewart Large Punch around the Page - Double Arches set (I used only the border punch here)

Rabbit stamp by Comotion rubber stamps from my private collection (discontinued), stamped with black ink.

For the interlacing ribbon piece I used matt gold canvas textured CS

Both its edges were punched with EK Success Binding Edge Edger Punch.

Then I used a narrow red satin ribbon, interlacing it from one side to the other all the way down, and simply tying its ends.

This piece was glued 3D for extra dimension.

On the red envelope:

Rabbit stamp by Comotion rubber stamps from my private collection (discontinued), stamped with black ink

and there's a cream outer envelope for postal delivery.

(You can enlarge each photo by clicking on it)
Challenges

Michael Strong's Yahoo group Chinese New Year Card challenge (end of January 2011) .
MY SHERI CRAFTS CHALLENGE #42 - ASIAN / CHINESE NEW YEAR (until February 5th 2011) - I won the Ooo-La-la Blog Award

Year of the Rabbit for Daring Cardmakers (until February 4th 2011) .

pearls for Belli Challenge #109 - the letter P (until February 2nd 2011) .

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed. Have a creative day! Dorly