Crayon Resist

This is a nice technique if you've become bored and you're looking for something to spice up your cards a bit. It does take some effort but it's easy. You'll just need some time to play with it. I prefer to do an entire sheet of paper at once so that I have it for other cards or projects, but you can just as easily do a small piece of paper for just one project. Go grab a cup of your favorite soothing drink (I have tea) and we'll get started.

You'll need:
Glossy Cardstock (this is NOT the same as photo paper)
StazOn ink
Pigment Ink (mine is SU's Certainly Celery)
Sponge OR brayer
White crayon stolen from your child's crayon stash
An open stamp (meaning it has open areas to color)


1. Using StazOn, stamp your image all over your paper. Pick up your white crayon and start coloring! Color all of the areas that you want to REMAIN WHITE.


2. Sponge ink over the cardstock. With a sponge you have the option to make it sort of blotchy looking, whereas with a brayer it would be a smooth even finish. Cover the stamped images completely.


3. Using a tissue or old rag, buff the white crayon off of the paper. It will come off easily, revealing white. This is really stunning with dark colors of ink! Give it a go and don't forget to send me a picture of your finished one!

Frankie Card for Halloween

These seem to be all the rage this year! I'm seeing them everywhere! For those of you who haven't seen them yet, I figured I'd post a tutorial to guide you through the steps. They are super easy and can even be made by a child (with scissor supervision, of course). No stamps needed today. Don't forget, you can always click on a picture if you need to see it larger.



Your supplies are:
11" x 4 1/4" piece of cardstock for the base
2" x 4 1/4" scrap of cardstock for the hair
scrap white cardstock
scrap black cardstock
scrap cardstock the color of your base
sponge
ink to match your base color
white gel pen
2 dimensionals
black marker
2 circle punches of different sizes


1. Fold the cardstock base in half to create your 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" card. Using your largest circle (mine is 1 3/8") punch 2 white circles and 2 colored ones the same color as your base. Cut the two colored circles in half to create 4 halves (you will only need 3). Punch 2 black circles with the smaller punch (mine is 1 1/4").


2. Using the gel pen, make a curved line in the black circles, close to the edge to show light reflection. Sponge ink on the colored circles to add depth. Cut the strip of paper into a spiky pattern for monster hair.


3. Layer the black circles on top of the white ones to make eyes. Adhere eyes, nose and hair to create a face. Put a dimensional on the back of the 2 remaining half circles and use them for eyelids.


4. Using the marker, make a crooked smile and stitch marks on the face.


Done! In under 5 minutes right? And you probably didn't even need instructions. Good for you!