StarLitStudio

Tim Holtz's Shabby Chic tutorial on the CLASSroom blog today

I have a tutorial posted on the CLASSroom blog today.  The card utilizes a Tim Holtz Shabby Chic technique I learned at Ranger U with complete instructions.  Hope this helps if you ever wanted to play with embossing and paint!

teacher get well

smiled brightly and did a happy dance after determining the spoon charms I had on hand fit the new Lockhart Stamp Company Chicken Soup image!

Teacher get well cards seem to be popular this time of the year.  

Using Copic markers the stamped soup image was colored, and I used Matte Accents to securely adhere the spoon.

 

Papers used:  October Afternoon Report Card.  The Lockhart ...feeling a little better... sentiment was stamped onto a Report Card Label Sticker using Archival Jet Black ink.

What I like about this Report Card line is this card could be for a male or female teacher. 

Well, the winter blues have swarmed in my skull once again this year.  I believe the lack of sunlight affects my creativity and I fight these northeast winter blues by running - I'm only up to 4 miles a day, running only two of the four - shooting to run my first 5K this summer.  Yeah you are probably saying that's only three miles, but I don't want to walk - at all.  I want to be able to run the whole shebang - New Jersey hills & all.

The evenings are getting lighter for a wee bit longer, and this does indeed help.  We are far from spring, but the anticipation of spring is one I consistently look forward to.  Hope you have a fun-filled and wonderful remainder of this week!

Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische.

twinchie square sympathy card

 
Inchie Arts has released two additional sizes of their Inchie Squares:  Twinchies, which are two-inch square, and Inchie+ Squares, which are 1-1/2" square.  The original Inchie Square is a one-inch square.

All three Inchie Square products are made with the highest quality, artist grade materials.  They are fade resistant, acid free, lignin free and solid core throughout.  Use with wet and/or dry mediums; available in seven colors:  black, dark gray, light gray, wheat, dark cream, ivory and white.

I prefer them due to their thickness and quality - they add a nice element of weight and height to my projects...and the two inch size can add a nice impact to a card.

For today's project I'm going to be using a two-inch Twinchie Square in wheat.  And we're gonna stitch it with a sewing machine!

To begin, I embossed a piece of Memory Box Kraft cardstock using a Fiskars embossing folder, then applied Distress Vintage Photo direct-to-paper by rubbing the ink pad directly over the raised dots.

Mist the inked, distressed sheet with water - use enough water so the water is visible on the surface of the cardstock.  I am working over a Ranger non-stick craft sheet.

Crumple the wet cardstock into a nice, tight ball.  Gently unfold, and using a hot craft iron, iron flat and dry.

Here's a nice before and after shot!

Using a mini Tonic perforator and Tim's ruler, place the altered cardstock ontop of a foam surface, or piercing pad, and cut the cardstock into two - each cardstock segment will make one card.  This is a sympathy card and I usually make more than one when creating them. 

This perforator tool creates a quick, nice, distressed edge.  I machine stitched this altered cardstock piece to the card front.

Interior sentiment is from Verses Stamps.  These Memory Box card bases have wonderful, coordinating envelopes for a uniform presentation - I used a swatch of 7gypsies rubbings to decorate the envelope front.

 

Twinchie was matted with black cardstock, and 7gypsies le Monde rub-ons.  A 1-1/2" square of vellum was machine stitched in place, and added a punched cork leaf  (Emagination) was adhered with a glue dot.  Black grosgrain ribbon was simply tied into place.  Brushed brass brad.  Thank you for stopping by today!