Author Archives: Yvonne

- Dies –
- Sizzix Tim Holtz Detailed Butterfly Thinlit dies
- Sizzix Tim Holtz Tag Collection Framelit dies
- Stencils – Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Layering Stencils: Diamonds (THS081), Flourish (THS032)
- Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Idea-ology Tissue Wrap – Postale
- Ranger Texture Paste
- Dictionary paper
- Napkin – Michel Design Works “Wisteria” cocktail napkin
- Ornate metal corners
- Distress Oxide inks – Broken China, Cracked Pistachio, Faded Jeans, Worn Lipstick, and Black Soot
- Ranger Perfect Pearls mist – Bronze
- Ribbon
I worked on these tags over quite an extensive period of time: layering, drying, analyzing… They were a lot of fun to make though. I cut the tags from a Tim Holtz die set that I’ve had for years and comes in handy because I can make lots of different sizes with it. I made backgrounds on the larger two tags using Distress Oxide inks in blues. Then I added torn butterflies from the napkin applying them with gel medium.
Because I was layering the tag pairs, I added more details on the smaller ones as they would be most visible. I started by collaging torn dictionary paper and Tim Holtz tissue wrap with gel medium onto the gessoed tag surface. I then applied texture paste through stencils. Once that was dry, I layered Distress Oxide ink (Worn Lipstick) over the top and distressed the edges of the small tags with the Tonic Studios paper distressing tool. I added some spritzes of Perfect Pearls mist to add some sheen.
I used more Distress Inks for the butterfly layers, the base layer in blues and Worn Lipstick and the top layer with Black Soot. I then die-cut the black layer and placed it over the base layer so just the center of the body was attached and the wings stick up. I colored the white ribbon with distress ink for a perfect match and tied the two tags together.
Thanks for visiting. It was fun investing time and experimentation into these tags!
Challenge: Happy Little Stampers November Mixed Media Challenge: Tags
3 Comments | tags: butterflies, die cuts, distress techniques, Ranger, Stamper's Anonymous, stencils, tim holtz | posted in Distress Techniques, Happy Little Stampers, mixed media, Tags

- Dies –
- Simon Says Stamp – Merry Christmas, Abby Snowflake, and Melody Snoflake
- Impression Obsession – Snowflakes Die Set
- Sequins – Simon Says Stamp – Moonshine
- Ink – Ranger Ink Distress ink – Tumbled Glass
- Cardstock – Neenah Solar White
- Zig Wink of Stella clear brush pen
I created this simple, almost completely white card for a wintery Christmas card. I die cut snowflakes and the sentiment from white cardstock, cutting two of each and layering each pair together so the dimension would make them stand up and out on the white background a little more clearly. I edged the card front with light blue ink and mounted it on a white card base. I applied clear sparkly ink to the snowflakes with the Wink of Stella pen and added some iridescent clear sequins to accentuate the wintery look. Thanks for stopping by.
Challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – “Snow White”
Simon Says Stamp Flickr Group Challenge #84 – “Happy Holidays”
2 Comments | tags: cardmaking, die cuts, Impression Obsession, Ranger, Simon Says Stamp | posted in Challenges, Christmas, Simon Says Stamp, Winter

- Dies –
- Little B “Circles”
- Spellbinders “Standard Circles Large”
- Stamps –
- Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Collection, “Falling Leaves”
- Hero Arts “Branch Background”
- Hero Arts/Basic Grey “Dotted Grid”
- Embossing powders – Ranger Ink Wendy Vecchi – Red Geranium, Sunflower, and Forget-Me-Not; Ranger – Lime Green and White
- Cheesecloth
- Tea bag paper
- Sticker – Tim Holtz Idea-ology “Small Talk”
- Ticket – Tim Holtz Idea-ology “Expedition” Ephemera pack
- Inks – Tsukineko VersaMark watermark ink and Ranger Distress and Archival inks
- Sequins – Neat & Tangled “Festive Fall Sequin Mix”
- Flower – Prima
- Twine – from the kitchen drawer
I’m kind of thinking I should rename my blog “Lots o’ Layers,” based on some of my projects! I certainly get caught up in enjoying the process and never am very sure of the outcome! For this piece I was inspired by a technique demonstrated in the November issue of Craft Stamper Magazine. The unique step that I took away was using white embossing powder almost as a paint rather than embossing from a stamped image.
I die cut a number of different circles and used one large circle for the base. I stamped the two larger circles with VersaMark and then also applied a bit more VersaMark ink with my finger before adding the embossing powder and heating. After stamping the leaves with Distress inks and moving the colors a bit with a waterbrush, I applied VersaMark ink with my finger, then white embossing powder and heat-set the powder. The bright colors of the ink and some of the embossing powders, along with the white embossing powder, made this a visually interesting collage. I added cheese cloth, paper from a tea bag cut into a circle, sequins and ephemera, layer by layer and topped it off with the little sticker sentiment: Finders Keepers. Thanks for visiting today.
Challenge: Happy Little Stampers – Anything Goes with Dies Challenge
2 Comments | tags: die cuts, distress techniques, embossing, Hero Arts, Ranger, spellbinders, Stamper's Anonymous, stamping, tim holtz | posted in Autumn, Challenges, Craft Stamper, Happy Little Stampers, mixed media

- Stamps – The Cat’s Pajamas “Penguin Christmas” and “Polar Holiday” (sentiment)
- Dies – Spellbinders Nestabilities “Labels Fifteen”
- Patterned papers – Basic Grey “Jovial” collection and American Crafts “North Pole” collection
- Embossing Powder – Ranger Ink Wendy Vecchi “Red Geranium”
- Cardstock – Bazzill
- Copic markers
- Sakura Glaze pens
Some of my cardmaking friends alerted me to a request that had been made by a 9-year old boy from Maine with cancer who wants to celebrate Christmas early this year. What he really wants are Christmas cards from all over the United States. The detail that really caught my attention is that he loves penguins! I was anxious to grant him his wish and mail him a handmade card from the other side of the country. Hopefully all of the holiday mail he is receiving is bringing him many smiles.
I went back into my stash to create this card! I’ve had these stamp sets for years! The patterned papers are not new either. I stamped the penguins and colored the image with Copic markers. I added some sparkle and shine with a couple different Glaze pens, but that effect is hard to detect in my photo unfortunately. The sentiment is heat-embossed with the bright red powder and adds some more shine.
Thanks for stopping by.
Challenges:
House of Cards November Challenge: Holiday
Flickr Love Handmade Cards Group: Anything Goes
1 Comment | tags: basic grey, cardmaking, Cat's Pajamas, clean and simple stamping, copics, die cuts, embossing, penguins, Ranger, spellbinders | posted in Challenges, Christmas, TCP

- Stamps – My Favorite Things – “Witch Way Candy?”
- Embossing folder – Sizzix – “Cobwebs”
- Copic markers
- Cardstock – BoBunny and Bazzill
This card design was very simple because all of the cute creatures with a backdrop of an embossed spiderweb stole the show.
I colored and hand-cut all of the stamped images, because I had not purchased the matching dies. I’ve remedied this poor decision by recently acquiring the dies with a gift card that I won from My Favorite Things!
The coloring took the most time, blending Copics. Once I colored and cut all of the pieces, the next challenge was arranging them to my liking. I popped up the bat with dimensional adhesive so he is fairly flying.
Thanks for visiting and, even though it is nearly over, Happy Halloween!
1 Comment | tags: cardmaking, copics, embossing, my favorite things, sizzix, stamping | posted in Halloween

- Paper mache’ pumpkin – Fab Lab
- Dina Wakley Media white gesso
- Dina Wakley Media acrylic paints – Cheddar, Ruby, Umber, Tangerine, and Evergreen
- Prima Art Alchemy Acrylic Paint – Sparks Ginger Magic
- Prima Art Alchemy Acrylic Paint – Opal Magic Violet Green
- Finnabair Art Extravagance Texture Paste – White Sand
- Prima Art Alchemy Metallique Wax – Rich Copper
- Finnabair Art Basics 3D Matte Gel
- Finnabair Art Ingredients Glass Glitter – Pearl
I bought this paper mache’ pumpkin for 70% off a couple of weeks ago and had no specific plan. I just
thought it would be fun to paint it and use some of the many mediums I have collected! I also saw John Creighton Petersen’s magical pumpkin last week and was inspired.
So I started applying layers of paint and texture, beginning with gesso and then with a variety of Dina Wakley Media acrylic paints. Then I started adding some sparkle and shine with some Prima paints, followed by some White Sand Finnabair texture paste. That stuff really gave it the effect I was looking for. I added some more paint here and there and then applied the Prima Rich Copper Metallique Wax to add some shadows and color variation. Finally, I added 3D Matte Gel to the top of the pumpkin and partway down in spots and patted on (carefully!) the pearl glass glitter. It made it look like there is frost on my pumpkin! Great fun!
Thanks for stopping by and Happy Halloween!
1 Comment | tags: Dina Wakley, finnabair, mixed media, prima | posted in Autumn, Halloween, mixed media

- Die-cuts – K & Company “Rob and Bob Halloween Words & Icons”

- Patterned paper – Doodlebug Design, Inc. “BooVille”
- Sequins – Doodlebug Design, Inc.
- Cardstock – Paper Arts
I created this simple gatefold card using items I’ve had in my crafty stash for a while. Cardstock die-cuts featuring goofy, yet spooky characters and festive patterned paper made the card-front bright. Sequins give the card a little sparkle and they bring out the bright colors in the paper used.
On the right, you can see inside the card, where there is another die-cut. Thanks for visiting!
Challenge: Glitter ‘n Sparkle Challenge Blog – Challenge #273: Halloween.
2 Comments | tags: cardmaking, die cuts, doodlebug designs, K & Company | posted in Halloween

- Dies –
- Memory Box “Busy Squirrels” and “Playful Squirrels”
- Simon Says Stamp “Maple Leaf Corner”
- Creative Expressions Craft Dies “Atlantic Ocean Collection – Cape Verde”
- Stamp – Inkadinkado Personal Expressions “Expressions”
- Ranger Distress Inks
- Cardstock – Bazzill
I enjoy making Fall cards. When October begins, I think of leaves changing colors, my birthday (hee hee), pumpkins, and squirrels scampering. So I decided to make a card featuring squirrels scampering among the Fall leaves. I’ll probably send this to my son at college, who enjoys all things squirrel.
For this card, I die cut all of the Memory Box pieces from white cardstock and then used Distress Inks to color them. I cut the maple leaf die in the corner twice so I could inlay the contrasting color in some of the leaves. All of the supplies I used for this card have been in my stash for a long time, particularly the sentiment stamp that appears to be made in 2006! Thanks for stopping by.
Challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – Simon Says Thinking of You (featuring Memory Box)
Simon Says Stamp Flickr Group – Challenge #82 Fall is in the Air
1 Comment | tags: cardmaking, die cuts, distress techniques, fauna, inkadinkado, leaves, memory box, Simon Says Stamp, stamping | posted in Autumn, Challenges, General Cards, Simon Says Stamp

- Stamps –
- Art Impressions “Meow-lloween” set
- Lawn Fawn “Spooktacular” (sentiment)
- Embossing folder – Cuttlebug “Boo to You”
- Die – Elizabeth Craft Designs “Beaded Circle Frames”
- Ribbon
- Cardstock – Bazzill and Neenah Solar White
- Copic markers
I enjoyed using this Halloween inspired embossing folder that I’ve had in my stash for some time! To emphasize the details, I applied black ink over each circle with a sponge dauber. I stamped and colored the cat and bat, then added them to the black “frame” I’d created using leftovers from cutting the Beaded Circle Frames die-cuts for another project. I added the sentiment and tied the card up in a ribbon to finish it off. Thanks for stopping by.
Leave a comment | tags: Art Impressions, cardmaking, copics, cuttlebug, die cuts, embossing, fauna, lawn fawn, stamping | posted in Halloween, Uncategorized

- Stamps – Lawn Fawn “Cheery Christmas,” “Let’s Play,” “Wild for You” and “Jump for Joy”
- Dies – Lawn Fawn “Cheery Christmas,” “Jump for Joy,” “Let’s Play,” and “Grassy Hillside Borders”
- Copic markers
- Ranger Distress inks
- Cardstock – Neenah Solar White and BoBunny
I always enjoy putting together cute animals to create a scene — and mixing up stamp sets to make something truly unique. Because look how natural it is for that porcupine to roll down that slide? I created the sky using Distress inks and also inked the grass to give the different tufts some variation in value. All of the animals and their playground equipment are colored with Copics. It was fun arranging them altogether. Thanks for visiting.
Challenge:
Lawn Fawnatics Challenge #15 – Happy Little Critters
3 Comments | tags: cardmaking, copics, die cuts, fauna, lawn fawn, stamping | posted in Birthday, Challenges, Coloring, Lawn Fawnatics