2 cool techniques, 1 spooky card!

Howdy folks, Lindsay here with a couple of fun technique videos for you so you can make this spooky card:

The first technique is what I call eroded stamping because the image looks grungy and deteriorating and the key to the technique is stamping with water, I used the bubble background from Lost Coast Designs. Have a look:

Then I dug out the square stamping gear I had to have but never use and my skeleton stamp from Lost Coast Designs. 

It was a fun card to make, I enjoyed using the stamping gear and will try to use it more often now:) Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Chalkboard technique with the Skull Flourish

Hello My Dear Stamper Friends:

Here Bibiana, with another post...
For quite some tome I wanted to showcase this trendy technique called "Chalkboard" and what a better way to do it with a stamp for Halloween!

I used here this nice red rubber stamp from "Lost Coast Designs", called the "Skull Flourish.

"The Chalkboard Technique" is quite simple but very pretty..it is basically an "emboss resist" technique but only made with white embossing powder and white ink on black cardstock!

You follow the same steps as for an "emboss resist" (heat emboss an image in white Embossing powder) and when cool you will "rub"/sponge over the top and in certain areas white ink,
some people add extra white elements with "Prismacolor" white pencils (or markers, chalks, "Pan Pastels" etc...), like "doodling" or making small designs (stripes, dots, shading etc) around the image...giving the illusion as if you where using a black board and chalks as it used to be in the school classrooms...

The background was stamped with the "Crackle Background" stamp in black over white cardstock, I added a "flourish" from "Spellbinders" and die cut the main panel with a "Spellbinders" label...added some "doodling" with silver "Stickles" and that's it...

Ok my dear friends, I hope you give it a try this fun "chalkboard" technique using some of this nice stamps from "Lost Coast Designs"!
We would like to hear from you so leave us a small comment and of course to all the people out there visiting the blog and reading it, thank you!

"Lost Coast Designs" stamps: "Skull Flourish"; "Crackle background"

A Murder of Crows!

Howdy folks, Lindsay here with a quick tag project for you using the Murder of Crows set from Lost coast Designs:

Watch the video to see how easy it is to make these. If you don't have the Pan Pastels I used you can use ink or chalk and a sponge.

To finish the tag I stamped the text by inking up half and stamping, then cleaning my stamp and stamping the rest on the other side of the bird. Easy Peasy! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Silhouette Girl with Bird...

Hello dear Stamper friends:

Here Bibiana, with another card...Today I would like to share this card that I made using this whimsical stamp from "Lost Coast Designs" called "The Silhouette Girl with Bird"; that you can find in their online catalog in the "Silhouette" section and that Linda put as an example ...

I decided to play this time with 3 different backgrounds and mix designs... using blues and some browns tones...
On the base piece, I stamped "the Tree branches background", I tear the edges, fold the corners and sponge the whole with blue ink to give more definition to this base.

I used 2 spellbinders labels.
The "label 20" from "Spellbinders" was inked using:
"the stamp resist" technique: which consists in stamping the "concentric circles" background stamp with white embossing powder, heat emboss and then sponging over it with "pumice", "weather wood" and some "walnut" distress inks over it creating a resist...

Do not be afraid to mix geometrical designs, just play with the colors and the shapes and you get an interesting piece, maybe not to the like of more "Simple and clean" looks but you have to play around and find your style ...Art is very subjective, so anything is good as long as You like it!...


BTW: For the people in Germany, specifically in Hagen (by Dortmund) pay a visit to Linda, from "Lost Coast Designs' booth. She is this week-end at the stamp convention "The Stempel Mecca" showcasing her stamps, so go and check them out, remember you only can get her stamps through these special events or through her online store... and maybe you get to see one or two  of my samples there at the booth...too :)

Ok my friends have a nice day! Remember, I love to read your comments that I appreciate enormously, taking into account how busy life is nowadays...Really from the bottom of my heart thanks!

Stamps used: Tree branches; Concentric circles; silhouette girl with bird;

DIY Pressed Flower Project!

Howdy friends, Lindsay here again with a fun project: Microwave pressed Flowers! First I want to show you a card made with the results featuring the dress-form stamp from Lost Coast Designs:

Don't neglect the inside of the card! I put a tine envelope I made with my 3"x3" kreate-a-lope inside so a note can be inserted and the card can be reused since there is no need to write in it!

OK, are you ready for some videos? I have 3! First off how to press flowers in your microwave. All you need is flowers, a sheet of paper, a paper towel and a glass or ceramic tile or a flat bottomed dish like a pie plate. Make sure whatever you use is flat with no ridges on it because it needs to press the flowers.

Wasn't that easy? Now grab your stamps, colored pencils, glue, cardstock and ink and let's make a card!

But wait, there's more! You will end up with single tiny flowers that you don't know what to do with, they are perfect for envelope seals, here's how to make them:

I hope I have inspired you to do some crafting this weekend and preserve some of those beautiful end of summer flowers before frost gets them. Thanks for stopping by and as always happy crafting!

Terrific Tag Techniques!

Hello Friends! Lindsay here again with another technique video, we will be making some wonderful tags using the Chess Pieces stamp set from Lost Coast Designs.

I'll also show you how I made the matching pocket card too. Here is a tip, first I made the envelope and used the leftover paper from my Kreate-a-lope to make the pocket on the card to hold the tag, no waste and it matched perfectly!

Here is the video to show you how it was done, mind you I filmed it late at night so I might not be as perky as usual:)

Pretty easy huh? Don't be afraid to try some of Lost Coast Designs unusual stamps, they can be the most fun, and as the video proves, easiest images to work with! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Get Those stamp Mounted!

Howdy friends! Lindsay here with a quick tip to keep your scissors from getting sticky when you mount stamps on cling cushion:

I can be a bit of a miser with my cling cushion and also be a bit lazy and wait until I have a ton of stamps to mount before I do it. Well I can trim them really closely, stick them to the foam and give it a dust of baby powder and just cut through the foam! It is a good tip if you don't have the KAI scissors too because you only have to cut one layer at a time. Thanks to Nancie Waterman for teaching me that trick. I hope you found it useful. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

2 tags using the "Emboss Resist" technique!

Hello my Dear Friends:

Here Bibiana, ...Well today,  I would like to share with you this project that I did using the beautiful stamps from "Lost Coast Designs"...not one but 2 cards!!...well, actually 2 tags...

They are very different from each other,  using several stamps but using the same technique in both tags: The technique of "Emboss Resist"...

This "Arch door window" tag is more vibrant in the colors and more masculine looking...
I love the "Swirl" stamp and "The arch window" is perfect as well for the people who like to make ATC's, actually I think I should do an ATC using this Arch!  it is so beautiful!
Noticed in both tags the ends or "heads"?
I tried to make them different...

In this one I stamped the crown twice for the back and for the front of the tag.
They were stamped in a same piece of paper, "facing" each other or one on top of the other if you prefer,  and connected by the top jewel, so when I  did cut them by hand the only place that is connected and not cut is at this point; the jewel and from there I inserted the ribbon then tied with twine...

The second one is more romantic and monochromatic in shades of green. (old paper and Iced spruce distress inks)
I used 2 stamps, one background the "chicken wire" which I think is very versatile; and the "Roses"
Look at the end point as well,  I simply attached the ribbon with a staple and folded a label in half and placed it on the top of the tag...

Emboss Resist Technique:
1- ink with versamark the image and stamp it in a cream card stock, (in this case the arch tag #1 and the rose in tag #2)
2- pour clear embossing powder over it, and heat emboss with your heat gun, let it cool
3- sponge various colors on different sections,
4- wipe your embossed imaged with a baby wipe to buff ink off your embossed image  and that's it...this is the "emboss resit" technique...because the embossed image "resist" the sponged inks...!
in tag # 1, I double heat emboss, (clear: arch and swirls: in gold) stamped over with other images, to add more depth and placed some dots with a "Copic" marker  around the tag and Voilà!

If you liked this images, make sure to stop by "Loast Coast Designs" LCD web page,  remember they only sell through online and if you are lucky you can see them at the stamp shows around the country...

Hope you have a nice day and thanks for stopping by...until our next Rendez-vous!

LCD stamps used here: 

tag #1: Long Swirl; Loopy Calligraphy; Door And Window Set; Set of Crowns; Hardware set (knob)

tag #2: Chicken Wire Background; Roses

One Layer Rainbowy Goodness!

Howdy folks! Lindsay here with another fabulous one layer wonder using the Party Hat Cats stamps set from Lost Coast designs. This card is so quick and easy, you will need: stamps, stencils, dye ink pads, markers, masking tape, cardstock and a scrap of paper. Oh and remember the Roltap mini brayers I showed you how to make a couple weeks ago? We will use them too! Ready to get your craft on? Well, let's get to it!

Wasn't that easy? I hope you give it a try and let me know what you think! Happy crafting!

Silhouette Witch using a DIY "Mini Roller Brayer" or "Roltap" tool

Hello Dear Stamper Friends:
Here Bibiana...
Well this whole post came to life thanks to Lindsay...she posted below (On Monday July 22nd) a card and a video on how to make a background card using the "Can Can Show Girls" stamp.

I discovered this "new" tool called "Roltap", thanks to the video that she posted here in this blog...

After seeing her video I had to have right away that tool, but unfortunately as she pointed out later in another video it turns out that this "new" tool, was an "oldie" and that it is a discontinued item:(

So following some of her suggestions, I ran to Michael's and made my own version.
I created my own "Mini Roller Brayer" Or "Roltap" tool...
here it is my take...
To view the complete tutorial on how to make this tool and see the new tool that I discovered that works like the "Roltap" visit my blog HERE ...

I decided to make a card, of course, using this new "mini brayer" or "Roltap" tool! and what better than a card for Halloween...

I used this fun "Silhouette Witch" stamp that "Lost Coast Designs" has in the Silhouette section of the their online catalogue  to make this fun background card in order to showcase how the "mini Roller Brayer" works...

I first did my background in 3 different color inks (black, gray: "London Fog: Memento ink"  and "Pumice: distress ink By Tim Holtz")...
If you prefer straight lines I guess you can use a ruler...but I do not mind the crooked lines... it goes fast, less that 3 min...and I think that's the charm of the background.
I die cut it with a "Spellbinders" label  3 die.

Then I stamped a 2nd panel using a large Background "Three Branches" stamp from "Lost Coast Designs" and I used a "leaf wheel" on the corners...just to use both "new" tools in my card.

 detail of the background...

I decided to make a gingham pattern and the broom has several layers to add some dimension...

Hope you will get inspired as I was, ...THANK YOU, Lindsay!

Thanks for stopping by and until next time,