Leftover Alphabet Stickers

I recently saw an idea for using up leftover alphabet stickers that I thought I'd try. The base is 12x12 chipboard, with a variety of stickers placed randomly on the surface. Then I brushed over a mixture of green & white paint, mixed with glazing medium. When that dried, I drybrushed black and gold on top. I've used it in a scrapbook page; I'll post that later this week.

While I was on a roll, I decided to do another one with a chipboard base. This time I didn't paint over the surface; I liked it as it was. I did brush over a coat of acrylic medium to seal the surface (I'm quite sure it wasn't acid free).


The last one I did was on a piece of lightweight cardstock. I used all black stickers for that one. I haven't decided how to use these last two just yet.

I have a few observations about this project.
(1) If you're going to do much work with stickers, especially smaller ones, tweezers are invaluable. I don't mean the kind used for eyebrows; this type of tweezer is made just for picking up small objects with adhesive on one side and placing them where you want them. Mine are called "Tweezer Bee".
(2) Unless you've got the patience of Job, avoid alphabet stickers with very small openings (as in the letters a,e,g...etc.). I found it very frustrating to try to get those little holes clear! Also, letters with very cute swirls and curlicues are a pain to get off the backing sheet without tearing.
(3) For the painted background, you really need stickers that are slightly raised. Some stickers are made to lie almost flush with the paper, and don't show up well under the paint.

Happy crafting!
Immi

New Toy

I got a new tool for my studio this last week. For a long time, I've wanted a better quality paper cutter. I had a cheapo guillotine cutter, but I never was satisfied with it for a couple of reasons. (1) Either the grid on the surface was off, or the cutting edge was off. I never could get a standard piece of cardstock cut in half so that when folded for a card, the edges would match up. It drove me crazy! (2) It was impossible to cut a small sliver off the edge of anything lighter weight than cardstock.

I had done some research several years ago, and found a cutter I wanted, but hesitated at the price. Later, I wished I had taken the plunge, because the company changed hands, the factory moved to another state, and they're still not back in production. The website gives no indication as to when they'll be ready for production, and there's a long wait list. I kept hoping I'd see one on Ebay, but no luck until recently. I bid until I felt I couldn't go any higher, and it sold for a pretty high price.

So...I decided I needed to think differently. I did some more research, and found this paper cutter. It's made by a German company (Dahle), and is supposed to be a good quality cutter. The blade is self-sharpening, and it can cut even thin papers cleanly. I tried a piece of text weight paper, and was able to cut a slice so thin it curled! So far, I'm very happy with it. My old cutter is down in the basement, and I'll use it for cutting things like chipboard.

Gotta love a good tool!
Immi

More Inchie Cards

Here are some more "inchie" cards. I used another tag with the sunflower card, and also found a way to use my beloved bird punch. (Sorry, Sooks! I know you're not too fond of birds!) The inchies on the other card are really cheating. They're just squares punched out of a cool scrap of decorative paper, which already had the glitter design on it. The flower is one left over from Sooks' wedding. The puzzle piece is covered with a scrap of paper, with some stamping on top. All in all, pretty simple!

Why don't you try a card or have some fun playing with inchies?


Immi

Inchie Cards

Here are a couple of cards I made using the inchies I did. For both these cards, I dug into my scraps. I like the way the Sepia Accents worked, and it was a good jump start to a card with a more masculine feel (the card with the tag). I have the hardest time making cards for grown men!

By the way, the inchie I wrote about (using the Crackle Accents), didn't turn out too well when dry. It crackled fine, but the paper was very warped. I tried to flatten it out, but that just broke the crackle layer. Maybe the paper I used was too lightweight. I'll have to do some more experimenting to see if it works better on something heavier.

Later!
Immi

Inchies

I've been reading about inchies for a while, but hadn't tried them myself. Oh! Maybe you haven't heard about inchies! Inchies are miniature works of art, and as the name implies, are one inch square. Now technically, I'm cheating, because I didn't have a one inch punch and had no intention of cutting out a bunch of one inch squares to try this. I do have a square punch that is 1 3/8", so I figured that would be close enough.

Here are the ones I've done so far. All of these were done using scraps of paper (love my scraps!), and rubber stamping. The inchie in the upper left has a layer of "Crackle Accents"on it, but it's still wet, so I don't know if it will work or not. The pear inchie has some "Frosted Lace Stickles" on it - it's a liquid glitter made by Ranger. The architectural-looking inchie in the lower center has a layer of "Sepia Accents" on it. Both the Crackle and Sepia Accents are made by Ranger.

I can see using these on a card or scrapbook page. I've also seen examples of multiple rows of inchies arranged and framed. These are fun, quick & easy - give them a try! Later I'll post some photos of something I've made using them. (I don't know yet what that will be!)

Keep experimenting!

Immi

Here's a project I did recently for a friend who is getting married in August. K. asked me to make a book for her, similar to the one I'd done for K's wedding shower a while back.

This is made from a material called book board, which is like very sturdy tagboard or matboard. I covered it with some cool paper I found at Target. The inside cover is a blue scrapbook paper, with an overlay of a brown paper. The brown paper is pre-cut into a 12x12 sheet, somewhat like lace. It comes in other colors as well. I cut it down to the size I wanted, and glued it over the blue.

The blue ribbon on the cover was from my ribbon stash; I had to go shopping for the brown ribbon. I painted a chipboard letter for the cover, and glued a metal heart I had in my stash (it once was a button with a shank).

I first learned to make this type of book when my son got married. He asked me to make a guest book for the wedding. I've made a few more since then, and learn something new each time.

Enjoy,
Immi

He-Man

Here's a scrapbook layout of A playing with his He-Man figures. His dad has made a conscious effort to pass on his love of He-Man to him. I had the chance recently to watch a He-Man cartoon with A. He got so excited! At times, he'd sit entranced by the action; other times he'd run around the room working off excess energy. Skeletor is always greeted by a "boo!" (I taught him that!). It sure is fun, sitting back and watching him hard at play. I especially enjoyed having him call me over to come play with him - that's a first, and it was music to my ears!

Enjoy!

Immi