Dragonfly and Dragonfly Fairy Thank You 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.

My 1st card for this week is a Dragonfly and Dragonfly Fairy Thank You Card, with a home-made background.

I used Michael Strong's Cloisonné Dragonfly stamp (small) from the Mini Wings set.

I used the adorable Dragonfly Fairy stamp from Designs by Ryn .

I also used a Hebrew stamp which shows the Dictionary definition of Todah (i.e. Thank You).

I created the background using several colors of Glimmer Mist.

I also used Michael Strong's Honeycomb stencil.
I used Michael Strong Mini Wings Metal Die Cutter, it cuts like butter.

Then I added stamps, Distress inks, and several blings to add some glam.

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

Thank You Card With Stamped Background

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.

My 4th card for this week is a Thank You Card With Stamped Background.

I used Michael Strong's Cloisonné Hummingbird stamp (small) from the Mini Wings set.

I also used a Hebrew stamp which shows the Dictionary definition of Todah (i.e. Thank You).

The technique is simple and fun.

You can create your own stamped background pages, and they'll never look the same.

Also, each piece you'll cut out of your page will look different.

To create your own background page, all you need is several different stamps and several ink pads in various colors.

You start by choosing one stamp, stamping it randomly here and there on your page, using one ink color.

Then you do the same thing again, using another stamp and another ink color every time.

You stamp all over the page, in the gaps between the already stamped images, until you're happy with the result – a background page uniquely created by you!

Now you can cut pieces of your page and use them for backgrounds, to create any card or art project you desire... a unique one.

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

Altered Dominoes

I made a few altered dominoes to add to RAKs. They're really fun to make.
The colors are actually brighter than seen in the photos.

Ingredients:
Dominoes
Ranger's Alcohol ink in various colors, regular and metallic
Alcohol Blending Solution
Tim Holtz Adirondack Alcohol Ink Applicator
StazOn ink - Black Jet, Saddle Brown
Tim Holtz clear and cling stamps: French Market (ART, swirl), Tattered Sparrow (bird)
Ranger's Glossy Accents

I started by coloring the dominoes with Ranger's Alcohol ink in various colors, regular and metallic.
I stamped TH stamps on the colored dominoes with black StazOn ink and covered them with a thick layer of Glossy Accents to create a transparent glazing.
I gave the sides of the dominoes a Vintage look using Saddle Brown StazOn ink.

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

Spring Is In The Air CD

This is the 5th project I made this week as Card Captain of the enjoyMichaelStrongstamps Yahoo Group.
Today's project is a Spring CD with transparent motifs.
Like spring, it is light and transparent, colorful yet elusive, to remind us that flowers and butterflies are nature's masterpieces.

Ingredients:
Transparent CD, found at the top of a regular CD box
Ranger's Alcohol ink in various colors, regular and metallic
Alcohol Blending Solution
Tim Holtz Adirondack Alcohol Ink Applicator
A transparency sheet
Michael Strong's Cloisonné Butterfly stamp (large)
Michael Strong's Cloisonné Flower stamp (large)
Michael Strong's Cloisonné Leaves stamp (small)
Stazon ink - Black Jet
TH scissors
Turquoise blings in various sizes
Ranger's Glossy Accents

I started by coloring the transparent CD with Ranger's Alcohol ink in various colors, regular and metallic.
You can see a tutorial demonstrating how to use Ranger's Alcohol ink here.
I stamped Michael Strong's Cloisonné Butterfly, Flower and Leaves on a transparency sheet with Black Stazon ink.
I cut them carefully using TH scissors.
I adhered the transparent stamped images on the colored CD using just a few drops of Glossy Accents.
I wanted the transparent stamped images to be in contrast with the colored CD, so I stamped them with black ink and left them uncolored, yet they seem colorful with the CD for their background.
I left the butterfly half flying in the air, not attached to anything, as a symbol of freedom - and also to remind you that some days are still colorless… spring isn't here yet.
I added turquoise blings all over for extra glam.

Transparent items are tricky when it comes to taking their photos, as they tend to reflect the light.
I hope you can still see the colors well, and even the butterfly's shade on the white background underneath it.

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

The Secret Of Life Gothic Arch

As this is the 4th day this week as Card Captain of the enjoyMichaelStrongstamps Yahoo Group and it's Technique Thursday, I decided not to show you a card but something rather different.
I hope you'll find it inspiring.
I made this Gothic Arch using quite a few techniques and incorporating several products, including recycled items.
It's a multi-stage project, so there are many details and photos.

Ingredients:
Cardboard
Patterned paper - Far East by DCWV
Original Chinese newspaper (recycled)
Mod Podge
Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist - turquoise
Blue pigment ink
Plain turquoise paper
Black marker
Michael Strong's Cloisonné Butterfly stamp (large)
StazOn ink - Black Jet
Transparency sheet
Canvas textured black CS
Embossing ink
Mixed colors EP
Tim Holtz clear stamps: Flights of Fancy (bird, butterflies), Urban Grunge (crown), Life's Possibilities (word stamp)
Double sided tape
Crop-A-Dile
Satin ribbons – turquoise and black

The outer side
First, I cut the Gothic Arch out of cardboard. You can find the template here.
I cut 2 Gothic Arches, one was left as it is (that's unit 1) and the other one was cut vertically into 2 wins (that's unit 2).
I adhered the DCWV Far East CS on the front side of unit 2 and on the back side of unit 1, and cut off the CS so it was exactly the cardboard's size.
I used Mod Podge for adhering it.
I distressed all the edges of these parts with blue pigment ink.

The inner side
For the inside's background I used a recycled original Chinese newspaper to create a collage of pieces, words and photos all mixed together.
After I covered all the inner parts with the newspaper, using Mod Podge underneath and also on top of the paper pieces, I sprayed it randomly with turquoise Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist and let it drip a bit for a messy look.
I wrote the text The Secret of Life Is… Trying to Find Inner Peace on plain turquoise paper, cut it with scissors into pieces and glued each word separately, inside and outside.

I stamped Michael Strong's Cloisonné Butterfly stamp on black textured CS (for contrast), then heat embossed it with mixed EP.
I stamped Michael Strong's Cloisonné Butterfly stamp again, this time with black StazOn ink on a transparency sheet.
I cut both butterflies carefully using TH scissors (yes, the antennas too).
I glued the embossed butterfly on the back side.
I glued the transparent butterfly inside, using double sided tape to adhere only the butterfly's body. You can see me holding its wings, as they aren't attached to anything.

I stamped TH stamps with black StazOn ink wherever they seemed to fit, trying not to overload my project with images.

I punched holes on both sides using the Crop-A-Dile.
I tied turquoise and black satin ribbons to attach all the units together.

You can see the Gothic Arch vertically, too, back and front.
You can (and I think you should) enlarge each photo by clicking on it.

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

Oriental Fans On Painted Background 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 #5 is a card with a hand painted background, using yesterday's scraps of background paper.
For the technique please look at Michael Strong's tutorial.
Ingredients:
Red leather textured CS for the card's basis and for stamping
Silver CS
Black canvas textured CS
Aqua paper
Black canvas textured CS for the painted background
Acrylic paint - I used white, red, light blue and silver
Brushes, 2 sizes
Michael Strong's Cloisonné Fan Stamp (small)
Black Stazon ink
Martha Stewart Quilted Edge Punch
Clear blings

I stamped Michael Strong's Cloisonné Fan with black Stazon ink on red leather textured CS and cut it out using TH scissors.
I cut squares of the painted background paper and glued them on the aqua paper, adding the stamped fans on top of them.
I punched black canvas textured CS using Martha Stewart Quilted Edge Punch on both sides of the CS.
I layered all the CS and papers one on top of the other, and added clear blings 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

Gecko And Fish On Painted Background Cards

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 #4 is a card with hand painted background and it's Technique Thursday.
I painted the background myself, using the technique shown at Michael Strong's tutorial.
I sure know how to paint, yet making my own background paper is fun and always gives surprising results.
Actually, I made 2 cards in similar colors but slightly different.

Ingredients:
Red leather textured CS for the card's basis (card #1)
Black canvas textured CS for the card's basis (card #2)
Aqua leather textured CS
Black canvas textured CS for the background
Acrylic paint – I used white, red, light blue and silver
Brushes, 2 sizes
Silver CS
Michael Strong's Cloisonné Gecko Stamp (large)
Michael Strong's Cloisonné Fish Stamp (large)
White and silver EP
Morocco Lace Edger Punch by EK Success
Martha Stewart Gothic Arches Edger Punch
Red blings and white half pearls

The Gecko
I stamped Michael Strong's Cloisonné Gecko on black canvas textured CS, heat embossed it with silver EP and cut it out using TH scissors.
The Gecko was glued 3D with foam tape for extra dimension.

I did the same with the Fish, using aqua leather textured CS and white EP
I cut stripes of the painted background paper and glued them on the silver CS. I punched scraps of black canvas textured CS using the Morocco Lace Edger Punch by EK Success and the Martha Stewart Gothic Arches Edger Punch.
I glued it all to the card's basis, and added the stamped image on top of it.
I also added a few red blings and white half pearls 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

Happy Hanukkah!

I've been invited to BoniBleaux Designs as a guest designer for November.
My mission was to create a Hanukkah card using the digital stamp Hanukkah Harry, newly released on November 15th.
So here's the card I made.

For the background papers I used:
Red CS
Leather textured green and red CS, their edges slightly distressed for a Shabby Chic look
Basic Grey Origins papers, punched with Martha Stewart's Quilted edger punch
I printed Hanukkah Harry digital stamp on white CS and colored it with pencils.
To make Harry's background look old (like Harry himself…) I used Ranger's distress ink: Vintage Photo, Scattered Straw and Old Paper, mixing the 3 colors with a dauber.
I printed the text "Happy Hanukkah" on white CS and distressed it like the stamp's background. I used a ticket punch and brads for the corners.
The red CS, with the colored stamp and the sentiment on it, was glued 3D for extra dimension.


And here's a closeup photo of the colored stamp:
(You can enlarge each photo by clicking on it)

The color combo may remind you of Christmas. Well, it's the holidays season, and there are many reasons to celebrate.
Hanukkah is a holiday of light (lighting candles for 8 days) and calories (eating donuts and latkes).
I wish you all a Happy Hanukkah, filled with joy and calorie light :-)

H is for..... - Hanukkah card for ABC Challenge (21.11.10) .
Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed. Have a creative day! Dorly

I'm In Glove

I made this card for the Michael Strong's Yahoo group August challenge, based on Mike's project: Faux Tie Dyed Backgrounds.
So I put my gloves on and I started playing with dye inkpads and baby wipes, in order to create hand-made special backgrounds.
The background is so dominant and special - I made a few of them and there are no two alike - that I needed only a few embellishments to complete my card. I matted it with gold paper to emphasize it.
I decorated my card with Michael Strong's Cloisonné Gecko stamp, stamped with metal Brilliance ink on black textured CS, which was also matted with gold paper (same as the card's background).
The Gecko was glued 3D for extra dimension.
I added a black pompon ribbon from my stash and metallic gold Dew Drops, and 2 black corners. It's a fun technique for creating special backgrounds, and I intend to use it again… stay tuned.
Photo of the day - my white Orchid in full bloom

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