Pulling out the brayer

I've had a brayer for years, since I first started stamping. I used to see all of the wonderful backgrounds that people would make using one. I've always felt like I'm brayer-challenged. I could never get that same smooth look that others seemed to produce with ease.

Recently I became a design team member for Scottish Borders Stamping. One of the first techniques that I've had to use involved, what else, a brayer. So, I'm learning to use and love my brayer.

This is a card using glossy cardstock and Versamark as a resist. I brayered over the Versamarked images with the hydrangea Big and Juicy rainbow pad dye inks. I overstamped those same images with that same rainbow ink.


The stamp images are by Time to Stamp. The sentiment was stamped with Victorian Violet Brilliance ink on a strip of vellum.

Paris - Wednesday Stamper

This week's theme for Wednesday Stamper is Paris. I used images from Time to Stamp, sentiments by Jody Poesy, and Spellbinders Wizard die cuts made from Bazzill Bling.

Butterflies - Wednesday Stamper

I got on a roll with this week's Wednesday Stamper theme of butterflies. I love spring and it feels like spring here today. Here are three cards that I made using this theme.

The lighter butterfly images were made using a Technique Tuesday stamp and Castaway ink applied to cardstock to which I'd applied Peeled Paint distress ink. The darker toned butterflies were Art by Moonlight images stamped with Versamark. The sentiment was also by Art by Moonlight. Art by Moonlight stamps, as well as a number of other gorgeous stamp lines, are available at Stamp Francisco. The winged people are by Time to Stamp.


This card originally started out as an ATC that I turned into an A2 size card. The stamps used were both Art by Moonlight. The main image was colored with colored pencils and Gamsol. The card front was embossed with the tapestry texture Cuttlebug embossing folder.


This card was made with a Sunday International art doll image stamped on Scarlet's Letter Bazzill paper. The other stamp images were by Ma Vinci. The butterflies were Spellbinders cut and emboss dies used on more Scarlet's Letter paper then brushed with a charcoal chalk ink Cat's Eye.

Valentine - Wednesday Stamper

I decided to do a collage card for this week's Valentine theme on Wednesday Stamper. The stamps are all by Time to Stamp. The coin envelope was distressed with Ranger Distress inks, embossed with a Cuttlebug folder, and then the embossing was accented with chalk ink. The embossed heart and the photo corners are Ellison die cuts.

Too Cold and Too Cool!

I've been making cards this morning. I don't feel like heading out into the cold and I have nothing that needs to be done urgently, so I've been crafting. What a great idea, eh? Okay, that was the too cold part.

Here's what's too cool. Ethel on Two Peas posted a tutorial on making collages that lit the lightbulb in my head. I've always enjoyed making computer graphics, including collages. The difference is that on the computer I can undo steps. I can move things around. I can edit them. Stamped collages are more intimidating because once that image is down, you can't undo it if you don't like it. Well, to put it simply, her method involves stamping the images on paper, cutting them out, and then positioning them on the card before you stamp. DING! That made so much sense to me! So, I gave that a try this morning. Here's the card....


All of the images are by Time to Stamp, the Winged Whimsy plate. I used primarily chalk inks for this. Not too bad, eh?

I'm still having fun with texture plates and looking for different ways to use them in cardmaking. This next card just has a strip of embossed paper as an accent underneath the Prima flowers. The stamp is by Stampendous. Again, the embossing is subtle, but distinct.


For this last card I used more Cuttlebug embossing folders and dies. The sentiment is heartfelt, as I'm wishing for Spring today (BRRRR!), and is by Olive Wimple.


Hope you're staying warm, wherever you may be!