Ceramic Trivet Gift Idea

About two weeks ago, I posted a selection of coasters that I had made using 4" square tumbled marble tiles that can be purchased at your local home improvement store. Today, I am featuring a ceramic trivet idea. This project was made using 6" square white ceramic tiles that can also be found at your local home improvement store.

Wouldn't this be cute in a little girl's room as a message board?

Wouldn't this be cute in a little girl's room? Here is a closer look at the flowers and butterflies:

These tiles were stamped a little differently. I used my stamps and a special ceramic paint that I bought at my local craft store. It's quite simple, just apply the paint to your stamp and stamp onto the ceramic piece. Be cautious when stamping . . . the paint is thick and "wet" which makes it easy for your stamp to slip and slide on the smooth ceramic tile surface. Stamp slowly and with even pressure to ensure that you get a good impression without distorting the impression. Worst-case scenario . . . you wash off the tile and start again. Be sure, also, to IMMEDIATELY wash your stamps when you have finished stamping, as this paint will dry permanently on the rubber. Once stamped, the ceramic tile piece can then either be baked or set aside and left to dry and completely cure on its own. You can then place cork on the back of the ceramic tile or just add some "feet" that you can find at your local craft store (I would add a strong adhesive to the "feet"; I wouldn't trust the adhesive on them to be strong enough to withstand use or the texture of the back of the tile). These tiles don't have to be used merely as trivets--you can also use them as little message boards in your kitchen, like you see advertised in home decor catalogs, or, put a few tiles together and make a message board for your child's room. If using the tile as a message board, it can be written on with dry erase markers. You can also create a beautiful, one-of-a-kind serving tray--purchase a wood serving platter at your local craft store, put a few tiles together and you have a beautiful serving tray.

So, take another look at your stamps . . . make custom trivets or message boards or serving trays. Give them as a gift! Like the coasters, your friends will be amazed that you made these--and only you will know just how easy it was to do!! All stamps used for these trivets are from Stampin' Up! sets.

Lastly, a reminder that if you haven't participated in the QKR Stampede Frosty in July Blog Hop, there is still time. There is a wonderful prize being offered--a $25 gift certificate (with free shipping)--to be used at the QKR Stampede store. You have until the end of the day Wednesday, July 28, to complete the Hop; a winner will be randomly selected and announced Thursday, July 29. You can start the Hop here. And don't forget if you aren't a QKR Stampede fan/friend/"liker" on Facebook, be sure to go to Facebook and become a fan of QKR Stampede. During the month of August, every Monday, a fan/friend/"liker" will be randomly drawn and will win a free stamp of their choosing. And one last little item . . . if you already have some QKR Stampede stamps and would like an easy way to "earn" free QKR Stampede stamps, make card fronts using only QKR Stampede stamps** (you can use any type of paper, ink, embellishments, etc.) and mail your card fronts to Maribeth Douglas, QKR Stampede, 19522 High Park Road, Cedaredge, CO 81413. Now, through the end of August, for each card front you send, you can receive one free stamp. Be sure to include with your card fronts a list of the stamps you wish to receive in return. (**You cannot use any stamp images from any other stamp company when making these card fronts, as they will be used for a convention and images from other companies will infringe on copyright laws.)

Another Note Card Set

I enjoy making note card sets and giving them as gifts to friends and family. It's also fun to get notes from friends and family who have used one of the note cards I made. I'm often reminded of one of the designs I had done before I was keeping samples of my work! I am very fortunate to have a paper supply store in the area that sells good quality card stock and other card supplies (pre-folded cards, envelopes, etc.) very inexpensively. The note cards that I am featuring today were made with a card blank that has an embossed  center and is pre-scored so all I have to do is stamp. The card blank measures 4-7/8" X 7" and is scored at 3-1/2". When complete and folded, the card is the size that is often associated with Wedding Thank You cards.

For this notecard set, I used the Heart Deco peg stamp set by Rubber Stamp Tapestry. The sentiment is from the Sincere Salutations stamp set by Stampin' Up! You can whip out a set of these note cards in a mere matter of minutes--it's that easy!! Rubber Stamp Tapestry offers over 120 wonderful peg stamp sets in different themes. Since I started buying some of their peg stamp sets, the company has  branched out to offering individual peg stamps, fabric stamps, border stamps, and block stamps, as well. One of the great features of these peg stamps is their "placement line"--a line along a portion of the wood dowel that is an indicator, or guide, of the image's orientation; that makes my stamping so much easier!

Tomorrow is the QKR Stampede Frosty in July Blog Hop; and here is my final sneak peek of a project that I have in store for you:

I look forward to seeing you at the Hop and look forward to your comments and impressions of the Hop, as well. As always, thank you for stopping by and visiting. Have a terrific day!

Dry Embossing--The Old Fashioned Way

Remember the days of dry embossing before the Cuttlebug, Wizard, and Big Shot machines and embossing folders? Remember Fiskars Texture Plates and the little contraption you held in your hand and rubbed--aggressively and with a lot of pressure--over the texture plate to get an impression (and not the best of impressions at that)? I usually wound up with a bit of an impression and a very sore hand! Remember dry embossing with a brass stencil, embossing stylus(es), and a light box (and those who didn't have a light box would tape the stencil to a window)? Remember how amazed you were when you first saw dry embossing demonstrated either at a home stamping party or at your local stamp store? Dare I say "those were the days"?? Those "days" aren't that far behind us . . . it's amazing to consider how quickly product lines and ideas change--out with the old, in with the new. As you might have guessed by now, today's card was created using the old-fashioned dry embossing technique--a brass stencil, embossing stylus, and a light box.

The close-up photograph shows the detail of the embossing . . . flower petals, leaves, and the decorative "dots". The brass stencil is one that coordinates with the Bodacious Bouquet stamp set by Stampin' Up! I also use PergaSoft, a wax product originally designed for use with pergamano tools, to "condition" my embossing stylus. PergaSoft allows the embossing stylus to glide effortlessly over, and prevent tears in, the card stock. Some people will rub wax paper over the card stock before using the embossing stylus, but I have found that the PergaSoft works better. One of the advantages of using a brass stencil for dry embossing is you can pick and choose your image(s) and where you want them to appear on your card stock--something you cannot always--or easily--accomplish with an embossing folder. All in all, dry embossing is a little more time consuming than using an embossing folder and one of the machines, but there is also a different sense of achievement when you dry emboss the old-fashioned way!

Don't forget . . . only two days until the Frosty in July Christmas Blog Hop. Here is another sneak peek:

Thanks for stopping by for a visit today! Have a great day!!

Note Card Sets

Today I am sharing a set of note cards that were made based on dimensions shared at the Gina K Designs website for a Memory Keeper (you will find all the dimensions for this project at that site, as well). If you follow the link, you will see that the basic idea was also adapted for cards. The stamps used for this project were from the Sweet Dreams stamp set by Stampin' Up!

These note cards were fun and easy to make and when presented in the note card holder, are a terrific gift item. What I love about this project is you can design your cards to be fancy or simple . . . and either way, the recipient is going to love the set of note cards!! Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit today! Have a wonderful day!!

Garden Silhouettes

Today's card is based on the Clean and Simple Stamping Fall-To Layout 99 (FTL 99) and uses the Garden Silhouettes and Small Script stamp sets by Stampin' Up! In keeping with the clean and simple theme, I decided on a basic black and white color scheme. To add a little interest to the focal image piece of card stock, I scored along all four sides. I added a sentiment in pink to give a little splash of color, but chose not to layer the sentiment so that it wouldn't take away from the main stamped image. I have had the ribbon for a while and have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to use it; I thought it complemented the stamp image very well.

Thanks, as always, for stopping by and visiting today! Have a great weekend!

Cherry Mojo

Today's card is for the Mojo Monday challenge (MOJO147) and uses the Tart & Tangy and Pocket Silhouettes stamp sets by Stampin' Up! I decided to use the cherry stamp in the set since I had some cherry-themed, double-sided background paper from Creative Imaginations.

I altered the sketch just a bit by centering a stamped square over the squares in the sketch. My background squares were cut at 1-1/2", the stamped cherries were cut out with a 1-3/8" square punch and layered onto a piece of red card stock. The half circles were cut with my Cuttlebug and Nestabilities circle dies. Thanks for stopping by today and visiting! Have a great day!!

Coasters

Not the amusement park coasters, but drink coasters for your beverages!! These coasters were made using 4" square tumbled marble tiles that are found at your local home improvement store. When I first started buying these tiles, they came in boxes of 50--now I can find them only in boxes of 9. The following stamp images are from Stampin' Up!, PSX, and Just For Fun.

When I first made the coasters, I tried a variety of coloring techniques and tested them at a dinner outing with friends. I knew there would be beverages, so I took a bunch of coasters to "test" at the restaurant and see the results of my efforts, and there were some coasters that just didn't stand up to the sweat from the drink glasses. As a result, whenever I make coasters, I stamp the image using StazOn ink, then color using chalks and a blender pen or markers (you can also color with any permanent markers). The coasters are then baked in a toaster oven that is dedicated for crafts -- find one inexpensively at garage sales, flea markets, or your local Goodwill or Salvation Army store. If you are coloring with permanent inks, you can skip the baking step (I still bake the coasters, just for good measure). After completely cooling (they will be HOT!), the coasters are sealed using a Krylon sealant spray (I tend to use the satin finish, but I have also used matte and glossy). After the sealant spray has completely dried, I cut cork sheets to 3-7/8" square and apply to the back of the coasters using basic white craft glue (Aleene's). Even with the Krylon finish, the coasters absorb the sweat from a chilled glass. I keep a coaster at my desk--home and office--and often rotate the coasters, depending on the season or my mood!

The sky's the limit, so to speak, with these coasters. You can color or choose not to color, depending on the look you want. Any image can be stamped onto the coasters, including bold images. You can stamp with a variety of stamps, creating a collaged image. Make a set of four and give them as a gift; the gift recipient will be AMAZED that you made these!! As always, thanks for stopping by and visiting today. Have a terrific day!!

Inspired . . .

My card today uses the CardPatterns Sketch 72. One of the papers I used for this card I used on yesterday's card . . . it was still sitting on my desk. The squares for this card were cut at 1-1/4", arranged and adhered onto a piece of 5-1/4" card stock, then mounted onto a 5-1/2" square card base. The sentiment is from the Define Your Life stamp set by Stampin' Up!

This card was very easy to put together. Look through your stash of patterned paper . . . you're bound to find a few that coordinate together and will make a terrific card! Thanks for taking the time to stop by and visit! Have a wonderful day!!

Summer Time

I was at a loss as to what to call this post . . . after a while the titles seem to be redundant or bordering on ridiculous. Today's project is a clock that I created by stamping on a CD (hence, the use of "Time" in my title). A few years ago, my local stamp store held a class for stamping on CDs and turning them into clocks. I enjoyed the class, but was not extremely thrilled with the outcome of my clock (I still have it as a reminder of what NOT to do!). We used CDs--the ones that used to come unsolicited in the mail from AOL and other internet service providers--and painted the surface of the CD with acrylic paints. I was not impressed with the finish--it was flat, matte, unattractive and you could see all the brush strokes, despite efforts to get rid of them. But I liked the idea, so I continued to play with CDs at home; however, I used CDs that I bought at the store--and not just any CD, these CDs have a white surface, and are known as "printable" CDs. If you have fancy printing equipment, you can print logos or labels right onto the CD--no paper labels required.

For this CD, the background colors were created using Brilliance pigment inks and my color dusters. I then stamped the image using StazOn Jet Black ink and the Embrace Life stamp set by Stampin' Up! The leaves and flowers were colored using chalks and a blender pen. Yes, you read that right -- chalks and a blender pen. The words "embrace life" were stamped with VersaMark and embossed using gold embossing powder. Once the CD is finished, I spray with a Krylon satin finish sealant.  The clock works were purchased at my local craft store and are very easy to assemble. I do have to trim the length of the hands, but that is easily done with a pair of scissors. I have made clocks in several different themes . . . golf-themed for the golfer in your life (the word "Fore" was stamped where the numerical four would appear on the clock face); baby-themed for a baby shower; floral, autumn, lighthouses, etc. There really is no limit to your creativity with these CD clocks--and if you don't want to turn it into a clock, burn some of your favorite music to the CD, decorate the CD to coordinate with the theme of the music, and give it as a gift. I have used various coloring mediums on these CDs--the above-mentioned chalks and blender pens, pigment inks, I have even used dye inks and heat set the ink with my heat gun. I have embossed on the CDs; embossing can warp the CD a bit, but if you turn it over and heat from the other side, it flattens right out. I have applied glitter, used Stickles, etc.; however, I would strongly suggest that you do not use glitter or Stickles on any CDs that would be going into stereo equipment!! One thing I suggest doing is to cut out CD templates (I use an EK Success Circle Scissor Cutter; I have an older version which has measurements in millimeters, so the size of my circles is 118mm) and practice with stamp placement on the templates. I find it easier to see how the stamp image fits on the CD template before actually stamping onto the CD. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or contact me through my email. Thanks for stopping by and visiting today! Have a great day!!

Tropical Thoughts

The "tropical" for this card boils down to the colors and the floral image. It was created using the Bodacious Bouquet and Sincere Salutations stamp sets by Stampin' Up! 

The dotted line was made using a paper piercing tool and the SU! mat pack; the dots bordering the floral image were made using the coordinating brass stencil. As you can see, the leaves were stamped, cut out, and adhered to the floral image. The center of the flower was enhanced using some glitter and a two-way glue pen. The pink card stock was cut using a pair of wavy line scissors, then layered over the blue card stock. A piece of turquoise ribbon was added for a little bit of interest. Putting together this card is pretty quick and easy. Thanks for stopping by and paying a visit today! Have a great day!!

Silly Dolphins

This card was created using the Silly Sealife stamp set by Stampin' Up!

The waves were created by tearing two different colors of card stock (SU! Tempting Turquoise and Taken With Teal) and layering one over the other. The dolphins were stamped, colored with watercolor crayons and a blender pen, cut out and then inserted amongst the "waves" to make it look as if they were frolicking about in the ocean. This was put together quickly and, in retrospect, I should have sponged some clouds in the sky rather than having just plain white space. Thanks for stopping by and visiting! Have a GREAT day!!

Summer Birthday Wishes

Today I have a birthday card that is simple to make and has lots of bright and cheery Summer colors. As with my post yesterday, you can change the colors to whatever you desire.

The stamps used for this card were from the Watercolor Garden and Sincere Salutations sets by Stampin' Up! The white of the background was minimized using a scrungey-plungey . . . yep, that's what it's called. I bought this years ago at my local stamp store and still get a lot of mileage out of it. You can get the same look by using one of the plastic mesh dish scrubbers -- tap in into your ink pad, then tap onto your card stock. The difference between that and the scrungey-plungey is simply the amount of plastic mesh is less and it is adhered to a wooden handle (sort of looks like a bathroom plunger). After minimizing the white space, the card stock was wrapped with pink and green gingham ribbon. Thanks for stopping by and paying a visit! Have a GREAT day!!

Celebration - FTL96

TGIF!!! I was pondering what to do for a card for today's post when the Clean & Simple Fall-To Layout (FTL96) appeared in my inbox. Saved!!! This layout is super quick, super easy, fun and fantastic. You can use background/scrapbook paper you have on hand (which is what I chose to do), or you can create a sheet of your own. Here is my card:

And here is the layout sketch:

I chose to use a background/scrapbook paper I had on hand called Celebration by American Crafts. I liked the colors and the fun dotted circles. For my sentiment, I wanted to keep with the fun theme of the paper, so I simply added Happy For You from the Happy Everything set by Stampin' Up! (a set I don't use often enough!). No fancy embellishments (though I toyed with adding some ribbon . . . or something) and the card was done in a matter of minutes! Almost too easy!! Thanks for stopping by and visiting today. Have a wonderful Friday!!

Thinking of You - FTL95

Today's project is based on a sketch from the Clean & Simple blog; this is the Fall-To Layout 95 (FTL95). I really liked the simplicity of this layout and if you look at the samples that have been uploaded, you will see just how creative you can be with this layout. Here is my card:

And here is the layout:

As you can see, I kept my card simple with just three colors . . . white, a bright yellow, and olive card stock. The sentiment that I stamped is from the Essence of Love stamp set by Stampin' Up! I decided to add a corsage pin with strung pearls and a clear faceted bead with a little twist of white taffeta ribbon, threaded through a plaid ribbon. The flower is a generic paper flower with a generic clear rhinestone brad.

Lovely

I recently found a different and new (to me) challenge blog called Cards & Things Challenges. The challenges seem to alternate between sketch and color challenges and I decided--finally--to attempt the recent color challenge found here. So, with that in mind, here is my card:

And here is the color challenge:

As you can see, I have just a hint of Kraft, as well as a hint of the Pink Passion. My ribbon isn't exactly spot-on in color, but it added a little bit of color splash to the card. The stamped images are from the Garden Silhouettes stamp set by Stampin' Up! I'm not sure about the right-hand side of the card . . . too much black! I couldn't think of anything to put on that side of the card that wouldn't detract from the focal image. I tried running the ribbon under the focal image and having the knot and one ribbon tail cutting across the black, but that didn't look right . . . and it definitely looked too plain without any ribbon!!! So, as some would say, it is what it is. Thanks for stopping by today and paying a visit! Have a great day!!

For You

Today's card uses the Mojo Monday sketch (MOJO144) found here. For this card, I used the Close As A Memory and Happy Everything stamp sets by Stampin' Up! The floral image was colored with markers, lightly misted with water to create a watercolor effect and stamped onto the card stock.

Here is the sketch:

This was a quick, easy layout -- the most difficult part was the ruffled ribbon (more time consuming than difficult)!! Thanks for stopping by today! Have a great day!!

On to Summer

OK, enough of the masculine cards! Father's Day is tomorrow and, except for a few last-minute shoppers or crafters, their gifts and cards are already made, bought, wrapped, and ready for giving! Today's card is a simple floral card that uses the Bodacious Bouquet stamp set by Stampin' Up!

The floral images were simply randomly stamped in various colors, some paper piercing around the border for a bit of interest, and voila a card was born! Great for a summer birthday, quick note to a friend, a thank you, thinking of you . . . whatever you want it to be. And with the variety of options with punches, cutting dies, etc., this card can be personalized with a sentiment very quickly and effortlessly. Thanks for stopping by today and visiting with me! Have a GREAT day!!!

Celebrate!

It's Friday!!! Today's card is one for celebrating--Father's Day:

This card was stamped using stamp images from the following sets by Stampin' Up!: Canvas, Up In The Air, and Lexicon of Love. The Canvas background was stamped onto the blue paper, which was then overstamped with the Up In The Air images. A portion of the bottom of the blue piece was torn off, wrapped with white and navy twine, then layered onto the tan card base. The "pattern" along the bottom of the tan card base was created using the direct-to-paper technique with an ink pad. The focal image was stamped with a waterproof dye ink and colored with watercolor crayons and a blender pen, then adhered to the card with foam dots. The word "celebrate" was colored with a black marker and stamped onto the card base. Thanks, again, for stopping by today and having a visit! Have a wonderful day!!

Architectural Rainbow Strip Flip

Today's card was created using an older Technique Junkies technique called Rainbow Strip Flip. I used an older Stampin' Up! stamp set, Architectural Elements, to have a masculine theme for the card. There are other architectural-themed stamps used in this project, as well. The bold words that are seen are from a four-sided stamp entitled, "Building Slab" by Postmodern Design. The text on each side of the stamp is as follows: "Master", "not to scale", "Figure A", and "Architectural Rendering". I believe the focal image is one I picked up at a stamp convention from Stamp Francisco. It is an unmounted stamp and I did not note anywhere the manufacturer, but I do recall buying several images like this one from Stamp Francisco.

I brayered blue and grey inks on the background piece to imitate the look of blueprint paper and randomly stamped the many architectural details. The focal image was layered onto blue paper, and faux photo corners created. This card could be used for any masculine-themed celebration--birthday, Father's Day--and would also be perfect for use as a thank you to any contractor, designer, etc. Thanks for stopping by and visiting today. Have a great day!!

Happy Birthday, Old Dinosaur!

A friend had a 50th birthday party for her husband and "old dinosaur" was the theme of the party. This is the card that I made to help him celebrate:

The stamp images for this card were from the Toybox set by Stampin' Up! and Stampendous. A touch of ribbon was added beneath the stamped dinosaur for a bit of interest. This card was quick and simple . . . and the recipient loved it!