Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Stenciled Card Tutorial



For this card, you'll need...



3 colors of cardstock, a stencil, a stipple brush, 2 (or more) colors of paint, ink, thread and beads


Start by positioning and taping the cardstock (sized 5in x 3in) to the back of the stencil. Post-it notes work great! They have just the right amount of adhesive to hold the paper in place without ripping it when you remove them.
NOTE: For my card I used light blue cardstock, but for the purposes of this tutorial, I just used white.


Make sure to mask off (more Post-it’s!!!) the front of your paper to avoid getting paint in the wrong place. The only paper visible should be what you see through the stencil.


Stipple the paint (I used acrylic black) onto your paper. Make sure you use just a little paint on the brush at a time to prevent it running under the stencil. You can always add more, but can’t take it back off again!!!
NOTE: Stipple = up and down bouncing motion of the brush


Remove the stencil and set your image aside to dry. Keep your Post-its to reuse with the second color. Wash your stencil and brush.


When your image is dry to the touch, reposition the stencil and Post-its. You want them in the exact positions they were before.


Stipple on your second color (I used acrylic, metallic silver). I only put highlights of color around the wings, but you can apply as light or dark a coat as you wish.


Remove the stencil and set your image aside to dry.
NOTE: You can continue with these steps with as many colors as you want. MAKE A RAINBOW!!!


When your image is dry to the touch, tear all 4 edges. If you happen to tear into your image, GREAT!!! It just adds to the vintage feel of your finished card.


Distress away!!! My favorite part…


Tear your image into thirds. If you are doing a larger image, you can always tear more sections…or even in different directions…HMMM…that gives me an idea, lol!


More inking!!!



Adhere the sections to your cardstock (sized 5in x 3 1/2in, I used white). To finish, FIRST add beading or any other embellishments you choose, and THEN adhere the image your card base (sized 4in x 11 in folded in half, I used black). This prevents your sewing from being visible in your finished card.

I love, Love, LOVE these cards!!! They’re simple, but very pretty.

I HOPE THIS HELPS!!!

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Hidden Box



Just an ordinary stack of envelopes, right?!?!?




WRONG!!! A cute little hidden box :)




You can use larger envelopes for a larger box, but these were the envelopes I had on hand...




I added cute little paper clips to hold pictures. You could slide a little note into the envelope, or just clip a little note with the paperclip, instead of just photos.

And yes, those are my babies!!! All three at about 6-8 months old...sigh!!!