Over The Moon Monday - Technique

Good afternoon and welcome to another Over The Moon Monday.

I am totally enjoying the cooler weather. I have the windows open and the air conditioner turned off. Can I tell you how much energy I have with the cooler weather? I feel like "spring cleaning".

I am having internet issues, so I will go ahead and get on with today's card. I like this card because you can cut 3 from a 12 x 12 piece of cardstock, and the finished card fits in a #10 envelope.

Anyway, to get started, you will need a piece of cardstock cut 4" x 12". I used a color that coordinated with the background paper I was going to use. On the 12" side, go in 3" and score so that you can fold the flap over. (This is the part that "To A Very Special Friend" is attached to.) Next I cut a piece of light olive cardstock 8-3/4" x 3-3/4" and adhered it to the base cardstock. I cut a piece of coral cardstock 8-1/2" x 3-1/2" and adhered to the olive cardstock.

For the outside flap, I cut a piece of patterned paper 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" and adhere to the flap. I stamped "To A Very Special Friend" (Hero Arts) onto light olive cardstock with lettuce dye ink. I trimmed to fit and adhered to the patterned paper.

Using the same patterned paper, I put a piece onto the coral cardstock.

I brushed white gesso on a piece of white cardstock, and left brush marks. While this was still wet, I applied pearl-ex in a gold and interference green to give it some shine. The texture is great, also.

Then I stamped the birds on a limb (Inkadinkadoo) with black permanent ink and trimmed the cardstock. I used a needle to punch holes in the ends of the cardstock, and ran a black inkpad around the edges, then adhered to the patterned paper.

When you are finished with the card, there is room to open the flap and write a note to the recipient.

I hope I have inspired you to create something this week. If you do, please post a link in the comment section. Happy Crafting!

Over The Moon Monday - Sponging Tips

Good morning and welcome to another Over the Moon Monday. Did you have a good week? The weekend was great...too short, but great. I am having computer issues, and it's driving me nuts. For the last year I have used both McAfee Virus Scan and Webroot Spysweeper together with no problems. I had to renew my McAfee and now I learn they are not compatible, so I have to decide which one to use. I like them both. If you have any experience with either one, please email me or leave me a comment on why you like it.

Today I want to give you some tips on sponging. It's a very simple technique, but can give you lots of interesting results. In the card sample below, I have used a couple of different sponging techniques.

I sponged a light blue onto the background cardstock (with the swirls). I sponged the sky and also the grass. I used a green marker to draw in the distinct blades of grass.

Types of sponges:

• cosmetic/facial sponges
• porous everyday sponges
• natural sponges
• bathtoy sponges

Methods of use:

• cut or tear sponges to get different textures.
• use sponges either dry or slightly dampened with water.
• use different amounts of pressure to get darker or lighter effects
• tapping, smudging, smearing and circular motions are all ways to get different effects and textures.

Stamping tips:

• sponge around paper masks which you have cut or torn to create cloud-filled vistas. Then sponge on a bit of light blue, pink or violet to accent clouds.
• sponge through paper doilies, lace, or netting for a delicate Victorial look. You can also make borders using sponging and masks.
• for beautiful grass, sponge on shadings to lay down base colors of greens, blues and yellows. Then use a grass stamp for distinct blades (or use a marker to make blades). Stamp it over and over without re-inking to add depth.
• sponge over nautical designs to give them the impression of being under water, in fog, etc.
• use the full width of the sponge for large areas or backgrounds or cut your sponge into your own design, such as a star or heart. For example, you can create a brick wall by using a small rectangular piece of dry sponge.
• use your sponges slightly damp instead of dry, for a softer, more blended look.

I hope you can use some of these tips. You can leave a link under the comment section on this blog.

Have a great week!

Over The Moon Monday - Technique

Good morning and welcome to another Over The Moon Monday. I hope you had a great weekend. Did you do anything fun? Just leave a comment and let us know!

Today we will be doing a technique with striped paper. This gives you a whole new way to use up that striped paper you didn't like, and I think you will like the results. I happened to need a birthday card, and wanted to try out the technique anyway, so I just combined the two. Let's get started, shall we?

Supplies you will need:

• striped patterned paper
• stamp of your choice
• coloring media of your choice
• embellishments to compliment your design
• adhesive (the xyron works great for this)
• cardstock base (to adhere the strips)
• cardstock for the card

To begin with, you will need to get out your striped paper. You will need more than the standard 4-1/4 x 5-1/2 because you are going to turn the paper at an angle to cut the first set of strips. You can cut these strips as wide as you want. I chose to cut mine about 3/4". After you cut 3 or 4 strips (depending on the width of the strips you cut), turn your paper 90 degrees and cut 3 or 4 more strips. As you can see on my first attempt at this technique, I didn't get my paper turned a whole 90 degrees, but I like the effect anyway.

Now you will adhere your first strip of paper to the cardstock base. Next pick a piece of the paper that was cut on a 90 degree angle and adhere it next to your first strip. Now pick up a strip like the first one and adhere it, so that you form an alternating pattern with the strips.

When you are finished, trim off any excess paper that is hanging over the edges, and adhere to your card. You could change the degree you turn the paper, creating different looks.

Now you are ready to finish your card using an image of your choice.

Share your creations with us by posting a link...and enjoy the rest of your week!

Over The Moon Monday - Pick 3 Challenge

Good morning and welcome to another Over The Moon Monday. I hope you've had a great week. It was a busy one for me, but I got to enjoy some good barbeque at Q-Fest this weekend, so that was a lot of fun. My oldest granddaughter has had the flu and been out of school all week and she had cabin fever, so she spent Saturday and Sunday with me, and we had a great time.

This will be another Pick 3 challenge this week. I love the variety you get when you have multiple things to choose from. So, without further ado, here are the 6 things for you to choose from:

• Webbing Spray
• The color purple
• Glitter
• Ribbon
• Something nautical
• Cuttlebug folder

That's a pretty eclectic group of items. And you only have to pick 3 for your creation.

For my card, I chose the webbing spray (I always forget I have this), ribbon, and something nautical (stamp from TAC).

This is a card I made for a friend's husband, who had been ill. Masculine cards are sometimes difficult to make, but this one came together nicely. To begin, I took a piece of light blue cardstock and sponged some blue ink on it randomly. Then I sprayed gold webbing spray on it. I always forget I have the webbing spray, and I love the way it looks when I do remember I have it.

I used alcohol ink in denim and stonewash on a piece of glossy cardstock, then stamped the ship with permanent ink. I let it dry, then distressed the edges. I mounted this on white cardstock for a fram, and distressed the edges of that cardstock, also.

I punched out a buckle from a scrap of white cardstock, and embossed it with white embossing powder to make a white buckle that had some texture. I threaded a piece of navy ribbon with white polka dots through the buckle and adhered to the webbed cardstock. I mounted my ship on top of that and I was done. It looks much better in real life.

Why don't you choose 3 items from the above list, make a card, and share a link with us here in the comment section. I'd love to see what you do with it.

I also want to mention that I am creating a gallery on my website, so you will be able to see card samples made using My Paper Moon stamps. Check it out here. If you have a card or project made using stamps from My Paper Moon, and you would like to see it in the gallery, please send me a scan and I will be happy to upload it. Check back often, as I am just getting started uploading the cards, and it takes awhile...

Over The Moon Monday - Pick 3 Challenge

Good morning! I hope you had a great weekend. I am so wishing for cooler weather. I am tired of the heat...by this time of the year I am so over it. I'm thinking it's kind of the same as some of our northern friends being over the winter, only in reverse.

Did you do anything fun this weekend?

Now, on to the weekly challenge....another Pick 3 Challenge. In case you haven't participated before, here is how it works. I will give you 6 items to choose from. You need to pick 3 and use them on your card. Then, you can post a link to your creation in the comments section so we can all enjoy it.

Here are the items to choose from:

• a rectangle shape
• a buckle
• anything with stripes
• frame of any kind
• buttons
• chipboard

That gives you a pretty wide variety of items to choose from. The three I chose were the rectangle shape, stripes, and a frame.

The card is pretty self explanatory. The striped paper is a patterned scrapbook paper from the Dollar Tree. The rectangle shape and the frame are red cardstock that have been punched with a nestability scalloped rectangle die. The image is Jimmy Pin Drop from My Paper Moon. The whole thing is layered on a red card.

I made this card for my great-nephew, who is enduring Marine boot camp. I thought the guy with the big ear was perfect, since I hadn't heard from him yet and I'm "all ears" waiting on a letter.

Come on, share your creation with us....and have a great week!

Over The Moon Monday - Pick 3 Challenge

Good morning, and welcome to another Over The Moon Monday. I hope you had a good weekend.

I love the Pick 3 Challenges. I think they give you a lot of lattitude, yet still have some confines. And the possibilities are endless. So, today we will have another Pick 3 Challenge. Are you up for it?

Okay, let's go. Today's options are:

• The color purple
• Gemstones (crystals)
• Ribbon
• Border Punch
• Pearl Ex
• Leaves

I have chosen the color purple, ribbon, and a border punch for my 3 choices. Below is the card I made:

The coloring is off because I used pop dots to raise the cat sitting in the window. It doesn't really look like I singed the paper in real life

I used a Copic Marker to color the ribbon the same color as the night time sky. I used a white gel pen to make the centers of the stars, and I used a Martha Stewart border punch to punch the bottom of the patterned paper. I used tiny pearls to make a collar for the cat, just to give it a little pizzaz.

I hope you take the time to do something crafty this week.

Over The Moon Monday - Technique Challenge

Good morning and welcome to another Over The Moon Monday.

Happy Labor Day! I have the day off, and I hope to spend it doing something fun. Yesterday we had a cookout with my daughter and her family, and that was a lot of fun. We don't do things like that often enough.

I've had intermittent issues with the internet, and so I won't be spending much time surfing the web.

Today I want to share a technique called Double Cuttlebugging. If you like the shabby chic look, you'll like this one.

To begin, I chose a cuttlebug folder (d'vine swirls) and ran my cardstock through it. I used a blue colored cardstock. When it was embossed, I ran a black inkpad over the raised area, which highlights the swirls. When the ink was dry, I took my bone folder and ran it over the cardstock so that it was flat again.

I ran the cardstock through the cuttlebug again, this time using a floral embossing folder. I again ran a black inkpad over the embossed area.

I added some irridescent sprays to the cardstock to give it a shimmer.

I stamped "Wish" (TAC) onto a piece of shimmery paper, rounded the corners on one side, and adhered to the embossed cardstock with 3 brads.

I trimmed and mounted the embossed piece onto a light brown cardstock.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday today...