Challenge 62: Heat Embossing

Do you like a bit of texture on your layouts? A bit of shine? A little something extra? Well then, this challenge is for you. Get those heat guns ready.....

Your challenge is .... add some HEAT EMBOSSING.

Heat embossing is such a versatile technique. There's lots of embossing powders to choose from: clear, shiny, textured and glittery and in a wide variety of color. You can add a stamped image or just layer the powder on an embellishment like chipboard. You can use it as part of a resist technique. Add a title. Be subtle or be bold!

Just post your creations here by Sunday, March 7th. I've got a selection of some of the brand spankin' new Tim Holtz Distress Ink colors for one lucky participant.

Here's how our team used this technique:

Deborah:

I used UTEE to emboss several embellishments giving them a clear, glossy look.

Paloma:
I used a embossed paper which was chalked in pink and I embossed the word "look" and added crackeled finish on it.

Michelle:

I gave scraps of paper a fresh new look by stamping and heat embossing them.

Amanda:

You don't have to have a stamp to emboss an image! I punched the "birds on a wire" from cardstock with a Martha Stewart punch, rubbed them with embossing ink, covered them with black embossing powder, and heated. I found the result pleasantly distressed, however, if you want a more finished look you could add a second layer of embossing ink and embossing powder.

Kimmy:
I stamped & embossed the big chipboard bracket with a grid texture blue and then spritzed it with red glimmer mist, the embossing powder resisted the mist and really made the embossing stand out. I also stamped and embossed the paper flowers, with white in the middle, which turned out messy so I worked with that and inked the edges of the flower with Versa Mark ink which I coated with blue embossing powder and heated to set creating these fun, artsy embellishments.

Miwako - Uh..... at first, to tell the truth, I didn't have a heat gun....ah! And I've just gotten a heat gun yesterday. But I found a embossed paper which was just the right for my image if I had it and might to do before I hard this challenge. I want to make a gorgeous skirt part of dress for wire torso. This wire torso is so simple and it is able to change the shape as you like.



Helga

I Stamped and heat embossed the fairy an a clock and swirl accent on the page.

#40 - Non-Traditional Stamping

Are you a stamp addict? Got some new stamps laying around that you've been waiting to use? Tired of stamping on paper? Your challenge: stamp on something other than paper. It can be ribbon, fabric, acrylic, buttons ... the possibilities are endless!

Our sponsor for this challenge is ScraPerfect and they gave us the Perfect Printing Pouch to use for this challenge. The pouch was created to stop printing ink from smearing on vellum paper -- but it does so much more. But you can use it when stamping or with markers, and it works on many surfaces from textured paper to fabric to Sculpy. It stops bleeding and smearing on vellum, shiny papers, textured cardstock, transparencies, twill tape, ribbon, muslin fabric, shrink plastic, wood, postage stamps, mulberry paper and other challenging surfaces. The print quality is crisp and the ink dries quickly with different inks including ink jet printers, water based and permanent markers, gel pens and stamp dye pads. Try it with Staz-on ink on acrylic. You will be amazed! It also contains a drying agent so the ink is dry within 15 seconds of coming out of the printer. When stamping, the pouch prevents embossing powder from sticking where it's not wanted, too!

Here's how we used it:

Deborah:
I stamped on ribbon, a clear button, and a scrap of acrylic. To help keep the ribbon straight, I used a bit of adhesive and tacked it onto my craft mat before stamping. The button was stamped and embossed.




Paloma:
Paloma used the pouch on twill before running it through her printer, as well as two pieces of cotton fabric.

Pamela:
Pamela stamped on fabric. The photo was altered first with bleach and watersoluable crayons, scanned, and printed on fabric, using freezer paper and an ink-jet printer. Then, after adhering it to cardstock, she stamped the wood pattern, clockface, some words, and the little frames by October Afternoon in fabric and solvent inks.
Jennifer: Jennifer used the pouch on some vellum and ran it through the printer to print out a digital frame. She also stamped with some blue ink on fabric for her heart embellishment.


Guest Designer Susie Bentz:
I gave Susie one of the pouches and asked her to try it out. She stamped on the ribbon and some shrinky-dinks.


So break out those stamps! You don't need the Perfect Printing Pouch to participate - just stamps, ink and your imagination. Post your creations here by Sunday, March 22nd to be eligible for a RAK.

Method Playground #20

We have Kim Hughes as our Guest Designer for this challenge!

Her challenge:

How wonderful that we are seeing stamps everywhere within the scrapbooking community. Stamps are so versatile and are definitely here to stay. They provide us with titles, journal spaces, frames, endless accents and more. Your challenge is to create a layout (any size) and use stamps as your patterned paper. Cornish Heritage Farms is providing some wonderful stamping products as a RAK, including one of my June release stamp sets, which are called "Baby Love" and "Paradise Found". So whip out your cardstock and solid papers or add stamps to subtle patterned papers to create your own unique look.


Kim used houndstooth Scrapblock to create the frames, the pin dot on the sanded Core-dinations background paper. She then used the vintage ledger Scrapblock for a journaling area.

In another project Kim created to share with us, she stamped a small hibiscus flower from her newest travel set as a simple way to create beautiful background papers that compliment each other just by changing inks.

Jen used the houndstooth Scrapblock to create her background, the writing paper Scrapblock for a mat and the special delviery stamp from Kim's "Baby Love" set.
I love the use of the yellow to move your eye around and the journaling around the outside of the layout brings it all together!

I used the pin dot Scrapblock on the background to add subtle texture, and masked that area to create a cloud where I stamped the vintage ledger Scrapblock for a journaling area.
The great thing about stamping to create your background is that you can make it your own, any color, texture, size. The possiblities are limitless!


Deborah used the perfect plaid Scrapblock to create her background as well, embossing the stamp with clear embossing powder. She used the writing paper Scrapblock to make a journaling area and stamps from Kim's Paradise Found kit to embellish her page.


Alicia used the pindot scrapblock to create variety and texture on her background paper, with a color that compliments the photos, very eye-catching!

Please share a link to your project in the comment section of the blog to be considered for the RAK!
B-

Challenge #8 with Layle!

Layle from Scenic Route is our Guest host for this challenge!

The technique is to stamp raw chipboard to create a custom pattern.
I have a ton of raw chipboard and I've found that I rarely use it because it requires getting the paint out, letting it dry, cleaning brushes, etc. Using stamps is an easy way to spice up chipboard in about half the time that painting takes. I used Scenic Route Berkely chipboard letters and our Raw Star Shapes and Rhonna's Swirls Acrylic Stamps by Autumn Leaves. I like to use Stayz On Black Ink when I stamp on chipboard because it coats evenly while still maintaing a nice crisp look to the stamped image.
Since I used a piece of paper from our Loveland collection, for the RAK I'll do one of our Loveland Product Kits and some raw chipboard.
Layle
Alicia used a foil pen to color her stars and then stamped clear swirls to give them a little extra kick.

Deb painted, and then stamped hers, and also used some embossing powder to give texture

Jen painted and stamped as well, simple and beautiful.

Becky stamped on the raw chipboard.

We know that you are crazy busy with the holidays, but with this terrific time saving techinique, you will be saving memories and sanity!

Thanks for playing!

Challenge 2!

Challenge 2: Stamping with Household Objects

Stamps. There's a stamp for everyone: mounted, unmounted, rubber, acrylic, flowers, flourishes, frames, and more. I recently picked up Tsukineko's Tack 'n Peel, which you apply to an acrylic block to hold your unmounted stamps. It's quite sticky - which got me to wondering what else it would hold. A whole lot of stuff, actually. Paper clips, legos, coins, Mardi Gras beads... and on and on.

So, this week I challenge you to stamp on a layout. But using anything other than stamps. Look around your house and see what interesting textures and patterns you can find. Don't have Tack 'n Peel? No problem. Try a few pieces of double-sided tape on your acrylic block. Or, if your object is larger, just ink it directly and apply. Digi scrappers can get in on this, too. Scan or photograph your stamped image and turn it into a brush.

For example, I used a Dobie kitchen sponge with Tim Holtz Distress Ink to make a pattern on my background paper. I also used Legos with my block on the tag. And see that border at the bottom of my picture block? It's a brush I made from a Lego wheel.

So start rummaging through your junk drawer or your children's toy bin and see what you can find!

And did I mention the RAK? We're thrilled to have Studio Calico as our first Sponsor! Their kits really rock - and they've given us their September Home Ec kit filled with lots of American Crafts, a little Love, Elsie and Hambly thrown in, and features hand-crafted yo-yo's, corduroy and velvet-covered buttons, felt flowers, and self-adhesive fabric paper!

Now, let's play! Just upload your layout in the gallery of your choice and leave us a comment with the url to your layout. To be eligible for the RAK, please post by midnight Sunday, October 7th.

Here are our examples:

Deborah: I used three separate methods - two on paper and one digital. The subtle background was made using a Dobie kitchen sponge and Distress Ink, the small circles on the tab with a Lego brick, and the digital border by scanning the print made by a Lego wheel.

Becky: Becky made these cool circles on her background using an empty Prima ribbon spool and L'il Davis glitter paint.


Alicia: Alicia took a piece of corrogated cardboard, ran a paint dapper along the raised edge then stamped her cardstock.