Eggshell Mosaic Cards

Good morning!

I recently spotted a technique over at Split Coast Stampers using eggshells.  If you knew me, you would know that if it's a weird technique, I'm all over it.  So I began saving eggshells. Here is the link to the tutorial: Splitcoast Eggshell Mosaic Tutorial

To preserve the eggshells, you have to clean them with bleach or antibacterial soap, and remove the inside membrane (makes them stick easier).  So I did all that, then let them dry really well, and put them in a baggy and put them away for a bit.  I wanted to make sure they weren't going to decay or become rotten after I used them. And I tried to keep them as intact as I could.

I had brown eggshells, and white eggshells, so I made 2 cards.

using brown eggshells

using white eggshells

You basically glue them onto a die cut shape and let dry. Then you put a layer of sealer over them. I used Mod Podge.  Then you spritz them with water and drop drops of alcohol ink and let it run. You can trim off any eggshells that stick over the edge after the sealer has dried.

On the bottom card I also spritzed it with some blue reinker in water so the white parts weren't so stark white.  I added some mats and flowers and viola, a pretty card.

Get crafty!

Last Halloween - at least for now...

Hope you have been enjoying my posts.

This is the last Halloween card....at least for now.

The outside of the card folds in towards the middle, and has a sugar skull and creepy images stamped on the orange cardstock.  The inside is where it gets interesting.

When you open the card, the left and right sides are patterned paper to cover the orange cardstock. I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder to make the haunted house. I embossed the haunted house folder on the blue cardstock, then embossed it again on black cardstock.  I used a bronze marker to color the fences and the posts on the top of the house (blue cardstock). I also cut out the moon and put some yellowish cardstock behind the blue to show through. And a black marker to color the bats.

 Then I cut out the house from the black cardstock, and using an X-acto knife cut out the window and put green cardstock behind it. I colored the rest of the windows black, then used glossy accents to make the "glass".  I sprayed Goosebumps spray over the whole black house to give it texture.

Then I stamped the $1 "Happy Halloween" sentiment and adhere it to the bottom.  I made some similar cards last year, but I have new people to send them to this year.

Hope you enjoy these cards as much as I enjoy making them.

Do something crafty!

More Halloween

Ah, I'm in the Halloween mood now. I bought some spooky stuff to put in my yard, and I've made another card.

This one is for my granddaughter, Rachel.  Rachel used to spend her afternoon after school at my scrapbook store and has become quite the artist.

Anyway, this is another of the $1 stamps from JoAnn's.  I like sugar skulls, and Rachel does too.  She's also a Batman girl.  She loves anything Batman.

More polka dots, and small spiders this time.  Also, a star brad to add a little interest.

I hope you get to make something beautiful today.

Halloween Time

Not only do I like Fall/Autumn, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.  I like to dress up in costume to give out candy.  I've done it for as long as I remember. Some years my hubby dresses up in costume, too, and we have even won prizes for best costumes.  I'm thinking about what I am going to be this year. Maybe a black widow.  I might even post pictures.

So, it's time to make those Halloween cards for some of my favorite people.  I picked up some $1 stamps at JoAnn's a few weeks ago, and decided to give them a try.

This card is for my granddaughter, Emilie.

The ribbon was also in the dollar bin, and is self adhesive. There were 3 or 4 foot long strips in the package. I stamped the spiders on the orange cardstock, as well as white cardstock. I colored them, cut the bodies out and adhered them to the stamped orange cardstock.  I made big black polka dots with a marker, then put some black glitter glue over them. And the googly eyes just made me giggle.

I think she'll like the card.

Hope you have a crafty day.

Another autumn card

Did I tell you how much I like autumn and autumn leaves?

This was another experiment, using a stamp set from The Angel Company. This is my favorite fall set. I just love this leaf. I think you can click on the picture and get a larger version of the card.

I basically did it the same as I did the card in the previous post: I stamped the handwriting stamp on the glossy cardstock  with Versamark and let dry. This acted as a resist. I used blended alcohol ink and let the Versamark handwriting show through.  Then I stamped the leaves.  Not all of the resist showed up, so I spritzed with alcohol, which gave it the spotted look.  Then I "painted the leaves with various colors of alcohol inks (some were Ranger and some were Copic refills).  When they were dry I covered them with Ranger Glossy Accents, and while that was still wet, I sprinkled (very sparingly) some copper/gold/orange glitter.  When it was dry, I used a leftover piece of brown cardstock (I made it to look like woodgrain) and stamped the ":fall is best of all" sentiment.  I used a marker to make little "nails". Lots of texture in this card also.  And I like the fact that it's one layer but looks like more.

I was pleased with the way it came out.  

I hope you get to be crafty today.  :-)

I love Autumn

I love autumn.  There is just something about that time of year. The cooler mornings, the leaves changing colors.  I just love it.  Of course, in Florida, we don't have the crispness of the air like in, say, New England, but you can still smell the "newness" of the air. It's not so humid, it's not so hot. And you know it's just a matter of time before the weather gets cool enough to turn off the A/C and open the windows and let the cool breeze blow through the house. Mmmmmm....I love autumn.

And autumn leaves.  Here is a small stamp I got from The Angel Company several years ago.  I like the smallness, since you can use it so many ways.

(The scan is crooked, not the card.)  Anyway. the background for the leaf was made by stamping the handwriting stamp on glossy cardstock with Versamark. I dried it with my heat gun, then used alcohol inks to color the cardstock. I like the way the Versamark resisted the alcohol ink.  Then I stamped the little leaf, and "painted" it with alcohol ink and blending solution.  I layered that on a piece of brown cardstock that I had run through an embossing folder in my Cuttlebug, then used a dark brown ink to  highlight the raised parts.  Then I layered in on another piece of brown cardstock, and onto a piece of patterned paper.  I added the pearls to give it a little interest. Lots of textures going on here, but it was a fun card to make. And easy, really.

What is your favorite season of the year?

I hope you have a crafty day...