Card Trio With Brutus Monroe's Therm O Web Products For Creativation 2020

Hi everyone, I have a quick trio of tutorials over on Therm O Web's blog today for some cards that I created with the Brutus Monroe line of products from Therm O Web for Creativation 2020.

I made two seasonal cards, one for Halloween and one for Christmas, and then made an all occasions card with one of the Brutus Monroe Halloween themed Toner Sheets to show you how to get the most out of those seasonal designs.

I love this Boo Halloween card, I used the Brutus Monroe Jeepers Creepers Clear Toner Sheet with his Tide Pool Foil Transfer Sheet, they are a match made in heaven!

 The boo word was die cut with Tim Holtz's Vintage Spirits die from Deco Foil PeelnStick Toner Sheet foiled with Brutus Monroe's new Orange Sketch Foil Transfer Sheet.

The All Is Calm Christmas card was created with Brutus Monroe's Ornamental Clear Designer Toner Sheet and his Snow Days White Designer Toner Sheets.

The Ornamental Clear Designer Toner Sheet was foiled with Brutus Monroe's new Red Static Foil Transfer Sheet.

And the white Snow Days Designer Toner Sheet was foiled with his Gold Static Foil Transfer Sheet.

And finally, I used the Brutus Monroe Jeepers Creepers White Designer Toner Sheet to make an all occasions card to demonstrate how you can use the seasonal toner sheet designs for everyday use.

I cut the Jeepers Creepers Toner Sheet into strips and foiled them with Green Sketch, Red Static, Gold Static and Silver Sketch Foils.

This card could easily be used for most any occasion by changing up the stamped sentiment and/or the colours of Brutus Monroe foil that you used.

Hope you can pop by Therm O Web's blog for my quick tutorials to see how the cards were created, see you there!

Deb xo

Green Bird Art Journal Page

Hi everyone, hope this finds you all well.  I've got a monochromatic art journal page to share with you today that I made with a gel print background.

I've been playing with my Gel Press plate making lots and lots of prints lately so decided it was time I best use some of them!

I started with a green gel press print background and adhered it into one of my art journals.

Mark making with jar lids and a credit card in shades of green acrylic paint came first on the gel plate background;

And then random stamping with green inks and stamps from AAll & Create and Tim Holtz.

Some script was stamped randomly around the page and spatters with white paint came next.

I'm determined to use up some of the bit and bobs I have squirrelled away so I adhered these Garden Greens die cuts and this little Patchwork Bird that were in my stash of remnants.  The sentiment from Dina Wakley's Scribbly Birds stamp set was stamped onto a piece of card coloured with Distress Inks.

I added some scribbly lines around all of the adhered elements with a black Pigma Micron and a white paint pen and some ascemic writing here and there with a white gel pen and that was it.

Here are a few closeups of the completed page.

Starting with a gel plate print is such a great way to break that white page when you are art journaling, your colour palette is set for you and you can just head out where ever your imagination takes you.

Hope that you've enjoyed seeing my Green Bird art journal page and that you'll break out your gel plate and start making some backgrounds!  Have fun and happy creating,

Deb xo

Love With All Your Heart Plaque For A Vintage Journey

Hello everyone, it's a new month and that means it's time for a new challenge over at A Vintage Journey. Our host this month is Sara Emily and she has chosen the theme of Against The Grain ... wood grain that is! Here is her challenge description:

Most of us love the look of wood and there are a lot of art/craft products out there that help us achieve beautiful wood grain, including stamps, stencils, embossing folders, paper and mixed media products. We would love to see how you add a touch of wood texture or appearance to your vintage, shabby, mixed media, art journaling, industrial, timeworn or steampunk projects.

With Valentine's Day just over the horizon I decided to make a love themed plaque for our Against The Grain challenge incorporating a few different faux woodgrain techniques.



Read on for my how to!

I started with a piece of Distress Woodgrain cardstock and inked it with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink, applying the ink pad directly to the cardstock. The inked card was then dipped into puddles of Frayed Burlap and Vintage Photo DI until I was happy with the coverage and then I lightly went over the card again with the Frayed Burlap ink pad to accent the raised woodgrain.



The inked woodgrain card was die cut with an old Simon Says Stamp die ('Heart Blooms' which is no longer available unfortunately) and then backed with a piece of Gina K. Designs Luxury White cardstock.

A faux woodgrain background was created next with a wood graining rocker tool, haven't used one of these in years! I applied diluted pink acrylic paint to kraft cardstock and pulled the wood grain tool through the paint (my rocker technique definitely needs practice!) and I then added a wash of diluted white acrylic over top to tone it down once the pink had dried.



Stamping and stenciling followed on top of the woodgrain; I used the Ledger Script stamp with Vintage Photo Archival ink and then stamped with Picket Fence DI and the Distress Damask stamps and stenciled with the Roses and and Gothic stencils and Picket Fence DI.

A sentiment from Wendy Vecchi's Just Say It stamp was stamped onto Distress Mixed Media Heavystock and clear embossed and then the Heavystock was inked with Antique Linen, Brushed Corduroy and Frayed Burlap DI. I lined the sentiment up inside one of the planks on the Wood Planks Texture Fades embossing folder and embossed the card. The raised embossed areas were inked with Ground Espresso DI and the sentiment cut to size.



Some greenery was cut from Tim Holtz's Journal Cards using the Garden Greens dies. I layered the Journal Card die cuts on top of some kraft cardstock die cuts and gave them a coat of satin varnish.

I wanted a wee bit of shine so I sanded a piece of Rose Gold Metallic Kraft Stock to layer behind the die cut woodgrain cardstock.



The die cut woodgrain cardstock was layered on top of the Rose Gold Metallic Kraft Stock with a scant 1/8" reveal on all sides and then the whole assembly was popped up onto the stamped and stenciled woodgrain background with foam squares.

The greenery was layered around and underneath the wood plank sentiment and then the sentiment was popped up on some black foam squares on top of the greenery. I added a Small Easel die cut to the back of the plaque for display and it was done.



Here are a few closeups of the finished Valentine inspired faux woodgrain plaque.











I hope that you have enjoyed seeing how it came together and that you will pop by A Vintage Journey to see what the other Creative Guides made to inspire you and that you will then link up one of your own 'Against The Grain' projects! Thanks as always for stopping by today and happy creating,

Deb xo

Love Letters Mixed Media Cube For Therm O Web

Hello everyone, popping in to let you know that I have a tutorial over on Therm O Web's blog today for a Valentine home decor piece.  It's 'Love Letters' week over at Therm O Web so I decided to make a mixed media cube with foiled and flocked letters that spell the word LOVE!

I used Eileen Hull's Block/Cube/Bank 3D Scoreboard XL die to make my cube with some scrapbook paper from Bo Bunny and edged it with Tim Holtz Design Tape.

The foiled letters were die cut from Pink Quartz and Pink Melon Deco Foil Transfer Foil with the Handmade Alphabet die and mounted onto hearts cut from Pink Carnation and Ruby Red Deco Foil Flock Transfer Sheets.

The florals were die cut from Opal Deco Foil Transfer Foil, loving the NEW Deco Foil Blanco Transfer Gel (coming soon!) that lets those light colours of Deco Foil foil shine!  I used Tim Holtz's Wildflowers dies for all of the Opal foiled die cuts.

A variety of Idea-ology Ephemera was added to each side of the cube as well and as a finishing touch Stardust Stickles glitter glue outlined each of the foiled and flocked hearts.

Greenery for the top of the cube was die cut from Green Envy Deco Foil Flock Transfer Sheets with the Garden Greens dies.

And a Decorative Dome was filled with Bouquet Findings flowers, some of the flocked leaves and tiny hearts and moss.

Hope you can pop by Therm O Web's blog for my how to, happy Valentine's Day creating everyone!

Deb xo

Work Of Art Tag Accordion Booklet

Hello everyone, I have a tag booklet to share with you today that I created for Tag Friday over at A Vintage Journey.  Every month that has five Fridays means that the Creative Guides get to create tags with any theme that we'd like.  We love Tag Fridays and we'd love for you to link up any tags you created in the month of January over at AVJ too!

I had five gel plate printed #8 tags in my stash that I'd made months ago so they became my starting point.

The backs of the tag were unadorned so I inked them all with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink and then stamped and stenciled them with Distress Oxide Inks and Distress Archival inks using a variety of Tim Holtz mini layering stencils and stamps from my stash (most were from AAll & Create, Stampers Anonymous and Finnabair).

The tags were joined together on the back with a length of bronze satin ribbon, leaving a bit of a gap between the tags so that they could be folded up in an accordion pattern.

Voila, a tag accordion booklet!

I then gathered up an assortment of Tim Holtz Idea-ology and arranged it on the tag fronts along with some Clippings Stickers and Small Talk stickers.

On the back of the tags, I cut down more #8 tags and stamped them with Tim Holtz's Lined stamp for some journaling spots and that was it.

Here are a few closeups of the finished tag booklet.

Hope you've enjoyed seeing how my Work Of Art tag accordion booklet came together and make sure to pop by A Vintage Journey to see what my fellow Creative Guides made to inspire you for our Tag Friday post.

Thanks as always for stopping by and happy creating,

Deb xo