Stepping out the comfort zone.....

I've been seeing a lot of "steampunk" images and it had me intrigued. So when I was on my favourite digital craft site (see link at top of page) and saw a cutting file for "Steampunk" I decided now was as good a time as ever and so I brought it.  I did a bit of research on the net to see what steampunk was all about and then set about making a card that I wouldn't usual do.

The file (Click here for direct link) cuts a series of cogs and gears and I used Tim Holtz Grunge Paper to cut them out using my Silhouette Cameo.  I then used distress inks and a blending tool to colour the grunge paper.  Some I applied a lot of ink to get a dark colour and others were lightly covered.   I used Vintage photo and Aged Mahogany.  I also sprayed some of the gears with Copper Perfect Pearls mist.  Two of the cogs and one of the stamped clock images were also covered with Distress Crackle Paint

Behind the flowers and stamped image is a piece of backing paper I made myself.   I embossed a piece of white card using the Cuttlebug Time embossing folder.  I then used Vintage Photo, Dusty Concord and Aged Mahogany Distress inks and a colour blending tool to colour.  A light spray of Copper Perfect Pearls Mist was applied.   Lots of Paper flowers were added to this card to add depth.  The stamped image was found at http://karla-chan.deviantart.com/art/Steampunk-Free-Bird-Cleanlines-192634659 

I really enjoyed making this project and know just who this card is going to.  Never be afraid to step out side the square and try a new technique or a different style!  I might just get hooked on "Steampunk"

Till next time....

Happy Crafting

Keeley

My New Toy!

I love Electronic Cutting Machines.  I had a Craft Robo a couple of years ago which I got second hand to see if I liked it and would use it.  I did like and I did use it, so I upgraded to a Pazzles.  I hated it!  It wouldn't cut properly, it wrecked my projects, the mats were to sticky and it didn't get used.  I'm not sure if this was because its previous owner hadn't cared for it or if it was just a Friday job as others I know who have one love it.   I got rid of it about 6mths ago and this month, after much deliberation, I got myself the Silhouette Cameo.

And I've fallen in love with it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It cuts perfectly everytime.  So I dug out some of my old files that were for the Craft Robo and thus in GSD format and discovered to my delight that they cut.   If you like the lattice pattern in this card, the pattern can be bought from craftsuprint.  Click here for direct link.  The card was then decorated with Green Tara flowers and the green swirls is the Cheery Lynn Fanciful Flourish die that has been segmented into bits.

This design was also off craftsuprint and I was amazed at how well the machine cut the delicate work of this pattern.  I then used the Forever Friends Black & Gold collection of Character stamps to embellish the design.  The sentiments came from the same collection but called Phrases.  For this swirl pattern Click here for the direct link.

Then I really decided to test the machine and found this super delicate design.  I was so pleased when it cut perfectly first time.  Of all the electronic Cutting Machines, the Silhouette Cameo would have to be the one I recommend.

Well I'm off to cut some more wonderful cards!

Till next time,

Happy Crafting.

Keeley

The dilemma of Male Cards

Do you always cringe when it comes time to make a card for a male?  If your like me, you'll love all the bling, the ribbons, the brads, the papers and so much more ..... but they just don't work on cards for males!  When I started The Happy Crafter, one of my missions was to stock goodies suitable for all the males in our lives.  These can be easily found by scrolling down the page on the website to the section on the left that says "Tags" then simply select Male.  This will bring up lots of Male related goodies.

So with an upcoming male birthday, I decided to try out the "It's a Man's World" range of Stamps from Papermania which have just come into stock.  For this card I used the "Couch Potato" set. 

I started with a some heavy white card stock which was folded and trimmed to make a card that measured 12.5cm x 16.5cm.  To the front of this card I then adhered a piece of MacIntosh 100% recycled Card which was cut to size and then had the edges distressed using Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  I then took some Figgy Pudding -  Festive paper (Yes I used Christmas paper for this birthday card!) and tore a piece that would fit across the centre of the card.  I chose these papers as the rich darkness of the colours always go well on male cards.

Next I took the man in the couch and stamped him onto some white card.  I coloured in his hair, the paper, his skin and his trousers and shoes.  As I am not the best at colouring/shading (though with practice its getting better), when I have a large area to colour, I try to find a patterned paper. With this card, I stamped the image onto the Festive paper and then cut out the couch.  I used a very light wash of grey (using some ink and a water-brush) on the seat to give a shadow effect.  I added the couch to the stamped image I had coloured and then cut the man & chair out. 

Using Paperbag Cardstock I stamped the image again so that the shadow of the chair and the "z" were in the background.  The edges of the cardstock were torn and distressed with more Vintage photo Distress ink before adding the coloured image to the top.  I stamped the "I'm just resting my eyes" quote from the same set and then attached to the card front. 

But no card is complete unless it has some form of embellishment - and this is where male cards get tricky.  The trick is to be minimal and if you want to add a fibre, use string rather than ribbon.  On this card, I had some Jumbo brads in a red that just matched the papers perfectly.  To add texture and to tie them into the rest of the card, I carefully inked up the "Z" on the image using Stazon Tuxedo ink.  When inking up your stamp, to avoid getting it in areas that you don't want, I place tape over the bits of the stamps I don't want inked that are closest to the bits you are inking (hope that makes sense).  Then I take the tape off and can happily stamp away!

My tips for making make cards

• Use rich dark colours - browns, reds, greens, oranges etc
• Use the distressing techniques
• Search for male based stamp sets
• Use minimal embellishment - preferable those that don't sparkle.

Hope this has given you some inspiration for your next male project. 

Till next time,

Happy Crafting

Keeley