Michael Strong Card of the Day - Technique Thursday

Awhile back my technique Thursday was "One-Sheet Wonder" and I created a bunch of cards using one 12x12 sheet of paper.  People asked how I made that designer paper so I figured I'd show you around Christmas time since it'd be a perfect thing to do for Christmas cards.  Here's basically what I did:

Step 1: Emboss a piece of paper (here I used an 8.5x11 sheet of paper and silver embossing powder for a festive look)

Step 2: Stain the paper with a distress stain (Tumbled Glass) -- I tried to make streaks in it for a less uniform look but you can make the staining more even if you desire.  Let dry before you go on to the next step.

Step 3: Rub another ink over your paper (Broken China) -- just go directly on the paper and smear.

Step 4: Rub another colour ink over that (I used Broken China again so as to not be too radical!) -- I probably should have done the lighter colour first but whatever...

Step 6: Spritz with water

Step 7: Use the paper to make lots and lots of different looking cards!!!  Here are a couple:

Michael Strong Card of the Day - Wednesday

I first stamped the tags in Early Espresso and punched out.  I stamped Mike's small Christmas Tree three times on Soft Suede paper in Versamark and embossed with white embossing powder.  Then I cut out the top third of one tree, the top two thirds of another tree and all of the last tree and layered them on top of one another.  I used Stampin Up! clay dyed with Early Espresso to make the button and tied with some linen thread.  I used a woodgrain embossing folder to emboss the Early Espresso core paper and then sanded so the woodgrain really stood out.  I cut a bit of burlap ribbon and took out some threads and moved the rest around to get the look I liked.  Then I assembled the card and added a bit of silver trim and paper punching to make it a bit more festive!

Michael Strong Card of the Day - Tuesday

Here are a few more Christmas cards.  For both these cards I took Mike's largest Christmas Tree die cut and cut out a scrap piece of paper so I had a stencil of the outline of the tree.  I covered up the holes and then used this stencil to sponge ink (Tumbled Glass) onto the white card stock so I had a large tree sponged on it. 

For this tree I took away the stencil and then stamped (in Broken China) the second largest and smallest tree on top of the sponging.  I stamped a third smaller tree behind without reinking so it's a bit more faded but that way I didn't have to mask the other trees.  I sponged all around the edges and added the sentiment.  Then I put on a couple of pearls, misted with some shimmer mist and added a ribbon.

For this tree I kept my stencil on the cardstock and then stamped (in Broken China) the second largest tree on top of the sponging.  I masked it and then stamped a couple trees behind it.  I added the sentiment and a couple of pearls on just the largest tree and misted with some silver mist. 

Michael Strong Card of the Day - Monday

Here is the first of my week of Christmas cards.  This one uses Mikes Medallions stamped on Crumb Cake, Soft Suede and Early Espresso.  The medallions are accented with some tiny pearls.

Santa's Clothesline

Here's a card I made for a very little girl and her family.  It uses the CottageCutz "Santa's Clothesline" die cut.  This die cut was a pain to use because there were no little holes to poke the items out with so the paper was stuck in the die most of the time -- even when I used wax paper!  Anyhow it did turn out VERY adorable -- but I won't be making too many more of these!  The background has snowflakes stamped in shimmer paint.

Triple Stamping Seahorse

So awhile back Hetty made this GORGEOUS card with the Large Sea Star and I decided to copy it using the Seahorses instead.  (I also just noticed that the seahorses have a die cut to go with them!!!  So exciting!!!)

Here's the link to Hetty's card:  Hetty's Blog

Here's the card I made copying it:

I used Tim Holtz ink (Tea Dye, Antique Linen) and Stampin Up! paper (Vanilla, Soft Suede) with a bit of linen thread and some crystal effects for the water droplet effect.  The seahorse charm I got from Michaels.

The dimensions of the squares are 3x3, 4x4 and 5x5.  The Soft Suede mat is 1/4 inch larger.

Michael Strong Card of the Day - Friday

The last card of the week!  I had to use my Seahorse again but still wanted to keep my rainbow theme so here's what I came up with:

This card uses a technique called "Triple Stamping".

I cut some watercolour paper 3 x 3, 4 x 4 and 5 x 5.  Then I layered them on top of each other with a bit of adhesive (not too much because you have to remove them from each other.)  I have something called a "Rainbow Sponge" which is basically just a really condensed sponge.  I put 1 drop of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple re-inker side by side on the sponge and then lightly misted it.  Then I dragged the sponge in an arc across the paper.  I then misted the paper a little bit so the colours would run.  I let dry and then stamped the Seahorse all over in black ink.  (Where the papers overlap the stamping will not be perfect but this will be covered up.)  You now remove the layers from each other and mat them (I used a ¼" mat so I cut my black 3¼ x 3¼, 4¼ x 4¼ and 5¼ x 5¼.)  Now adhere the layers on top of each other and attach to a base (5½ x 11, scored in the middle.)  I added a bit of ribbon, brads and the "Happy Birthday!" sentiment.

Michael Strong Card of the Day - Technique Thursday

I wanted to do a colourful technique so here's a rainbow stamping technique!

Step 1:

Take a clear block and smear some yellow ink directly onto the clear block.  I used Tim Holtz "Squeezed Lemonade" and it fit perfectly in the middle of my block.

Step 2:

Take a red ink pad (I used "Pickled Raspberry", which is pink) and smear it directly on the top of the clear block.  You can overlap with the yellow if you want.  (I did since you can't see the yellow transference on the red pad -- but I wouldn't put my yellow ink pad on the red ink.)

Step 3:

Take a blue ink pad ("Salty Ocean") and smear the pad directly onto the bottom of the clear block.  This is what it looks like:

Step 4:

Lightly mist the clear block and let the colours run together.  The more water on your clear block the more the colours will run together so don't put too much or they might turn muddy:

Step 5:

Press the clear block firmly down on some paper.  I used watercolour paper which helps the inks run a little.  Take the clear block off the paper and mist the paper a little if you want the colours to run more.  I misted my paper to get this rainbow effect:

Once the paper dries you can stamp on it!

I was SOOOOO excited that my Seahorses arrived I had to use the big one!  Thanks so much Mike for the FABULOUS prize!

Michael Strong Card of the Day - Wednesday

Mike's large Flower was stamped in Stampin Up! colours ("Real Red", "Tangerine Tango", "Daffodil Delight", "Wild Wasabi", "Pacific Point" and "Rich Razzleberry") with another saying I love from the set "Friendly Advice" by Inkadinkado.  I did sponge around the edge a little with black just to make it stand out a little better.

Michael Strong Card of the Day - Tuesday

The card today uses Mikes small flower stamp along with a smaller circle, set of 3 circles and outline stamp from Stampin Up!  The ink is from Stampin Up! (Melon Mambo, Tangerine Tango, Summer Sun, Wild Wasabi, Pacific Point) as is the ribbon.  The black splotches are enamel accents.  The sentiment is also Stampin Up!  This was a quick and easy card to make and I really like the bright colours.

To create the card I stamped Mikes flower in yellow across the middle of the paper.  Then I stamped the solid circle, circle outline and 3 dots in yellow around and overtop the flowers.  I then did the same thing in red at the top and blue at the bottom.  I did the colours out of order because I found it was then easier to divide my paper in fifths.  I filled in the middle parts with orange and green, overlapping with the existing colours slightly.  The sentiment I had to put in the middle on the yellow so it'd be easier to read. 

Michael Strong Card of the Day - Monday

I'm card captain again this week.  Lately I've seen quite a few cards that are "rainbowy" in nature so I've made a few of those with Mike's stamps.  Here's the first.  It uses Stampin Up! paper and buttons ("Real Red", "Tangerine Tango", "Daffodil Delight", "Wild Wasabi", "Marina Mist" and "Elegant Eggplant") with a saying I love from the set "Friendly Advice" by Inkadinkado.  Mike's small heart was embossed in white and punched out using his die cuts.  I tied a silver bow to the blue button just to make it a little different.

Warty, Wild&Wacky Wednesday

Here's my last Halloween card!  The background was made using Distress Stains (Wild Honey, Ripe Persimmon and Rusty Hinge) and then Distress ink (Wild Honey) was blended around the edge.  I stamped a script stamp on the top right with Distress ink (Rusty Hinge) and then stained crinkle ribbon with the Distress Stains I used above.  Hope everyone has a GREAT Halloween and don't let the spooks get you!

Michael Strong Card of the Day - Torturous Tuesday

Some spooks stole all of Herma's Halloween cards so I decided to show some of my rejects from last week.  The only thing I need is a scary adjective that starts with "W" -- I used "wicked" last week for Wednesday.  Any ideas for tomorrow?

For this one I used some Distress stains (Wild Honey, Ripe Persimmon) and then stamped Mike's Spooky Cat in Black Soot Distress ink.  The leaves are a Tim Holtz die cut with matching embossing folder.  I think this one got rejected because it was a little bit boring.  Anyhow here it is:

Michael Strong Jewel Challenge

This month's challenge was to use jewels on your card.  I needed to make another card for a blind person so I decided to put some jewels on her card.  They are another texture after all. I also wanted to make the card in shades of black and white thinking this would be easier to see contrasts -- she's not totally blind. 

To begin with I put some Goosebumps into a mini mister and added a drop of black re-inker.  Then I sprayed this on top of some white cardstock and let dry.  This creates quite a bit of texture from the spray and splatter.  Then I added an oval canvas sticker that I stamped Mike's small medallion on and sponged.  I also marbled a bit of Stampin Up! clay with black and stamped on that.  I added some black yarn, black thread, white and black brads (different types) and then some clear rhinestones and a glitter embellishment.  Quite a few different textures here to feel and I hope she likes it!

Michael Strong Card of the Day - Frenzied Friday

The technique that I sort of used (but made a few changes to) is called "Ghost in Distress".

First I stamped a script stamp in versamark (on vanilla cardstock) and embossed using clear embossing powder.  Then I splotched Distress Stains (Wild Honey, Rusty Hinge, bit of Black Soot) onto a craft sheet and dragged my card stock through.  I then stamped Mikes Spooky Cat in Black Soot when the cardstock was still a bit wet.  This caused the ink to run a little.  I let that dry and then sponged around the edges with Distress inks (Wild Honey, Black Soot).

Hope you enjoyed the spine tingling week!

Michael Strong Card of the Day - Trembling Technique Thursday

This type of card is called a "Center Step" card.  For the main image I used a technique called "Ghosting".  I stamped a bat in versamark ink all over my paper and let dry.  Then I sponged on top of the images with Distress inks (Pumice Stone and Black Soot).  The versamark resisted the ink and you can see it coming through.  Then I stamped the bat a few more times with Pumice Stone and Mikes Spooky Tree in Black Soot.  I put glitter on the bats and used an old Stampin Up! pumpkin for a bit of colour.

Here's a close up of the ghostly bats:

Michael Strong Card of the Day - Wicked Wednesday

Today I'm back with more "Ghostly Splatters".  I sprayed some Goosebumps on a sheet of paper and let dry.  Then sprayed some Dylusions (Squeezed Orange and Postbox Red) over top.  The Goosebumps acts as a resist and creates those white splotches you see.  Then I stamped Mike's Spooky Tree in blak craft ink.  The bats are cut from a movers and shapers die from Tim Holtz.

Michael Strong Card of the Day - Terrifying Tuesday

This totally terrifying card uses a technique called "Ghosts in the Shadows".

I stamped Mike's Spooky Cat in white craft ink and then let dry.  Then I sponged strips of dark and light grey ink overtop.  Lastly I stamped the cat again in black and grey ink and white craft ink.

Michael Strong Card of the Day - Manic Monday

This manic card uses a technique called "Ghostly Splatters" for it's effect.  So I sprayed and splattered Goosebumps on some paper and let dry.  Then I sprayed some Dylusions sprays (Squeezed Orange and Pure Sunshine) overtop.  The Goosebumps acted as a resist and that's why you see the white splotches.  I stamped Mikes Spooky Tree in black and then cut it out with my Spellbinders to make the focal image.  For the side image I used some scrap paper from the original technique and coloured the spiderweb from the tree with black marker and stamped it.  Then I coloured the bat from the witch stamp in the same set (again in black) and stamped it.  The fence is an old Sizzix die and the "eek" is from an old Stampin Up! set (Bitty Boos Too).

I really wanted to terrify everyone so I went to the graveyard to take a picture of the card (hoping to get a ghost in the picture or something) and luckily there was a corpse there for extra atmosphere!  So I propped the card up on a bloody hand and VOILA -- my card!

You can run away screaming now...

Halloween Countdown - Look if you DARE!!!

I'm card captain starting on Monday and all the cards will be spooky in honor of Halloween which is coming up shortly!  I just wanted to warn everyone so the faint of heart will avoid my blog for the next week.  Here is a preview of the horrors to come:

I used Distress Stains (Ripe Persimmon, Mustard Seed and Wild Honey) for the background and made Mikes Witch the focal point. 

Michael Strong Card of the Day - Friday

Here is my card for today:

This uses some Radiant Rains (Majestic Blue, Teal Zircon and Snap Dragon) for the background, some Distress Paint and Distress ink with stencils and Mike's smaller Star which was embossed in white on white cardstock and then lightly sponged with some more Distress ink (Milled Lavender).  The sentiment was also embossed in white.  The white dots are enamel accents.

Brayered Stains

Here's my example of brayered stains using Mike's Gecko

This uses Distress Stains (Ripe Persimmon, Barn Door, Squeezed Lemonade) and Distress inks (Gathered Twigs, Frayed Burlap).  I stamped with the "Frayed Burlap" first but it wasn't dark enough so I stamped over top with "Gathered Twigs".  This caused it to look really blurry but I kinda like it that way!

Smudge Stamping

Here is an example of smudge stamping.  I used Mike's Gecko and Tim Holtz inks -- "Gathered Twigs", "Tea Dye" and "Antique Linen".

Here's the other card:

Michael Strong Card of the Day - Technique Thursday

My technique for today is something called "Bokeh Background".  I saw a tutorial for it in SplitCoastStampers a few weeks ago and wanted to try it.  I didn't quite understand why they stamped the dots all over but if you look up Bokeh in the dictionary it basically tells you that it's the out of focus area in a photograph so the dots are really the whole point of the technique.  I didn't do exactly what they said to do but I really like the results and it's a VERY quick card to make.

First I stamped some small circles in Tim Holtz's "Broken China" and "Tumbled Glass".  I'd stamp a few times before re-inking the stamp so the dots would get lighter and lighter.  Then I stamped the main image (Cloisonne Shell) in "Broken China" and the script stamp in "Tumbled Glass".  The sentiment is also stamped in "Broken China".  I added a few tiny white brads and I was done in just a minute!

For this one I used Tim Holtz's "Spun Sugar" and "Worn Lipstick".  For the script stamp I covered the stamp with "Spun Sugar" and then randomly dabbed on a bit of "Worn Lipstick".  The Cloisonne Heart was stamped in "Worn Lipstick".

This one used Tim Holtz's "Gathered Twigs", "Scattered Straw" and "Antique Linen".  Love my Cloisonne Gecko!

Radiant Rains Background

This card uses some Radiant Rains (Majestic Blue, Teal Zircon and Snap Dragon) and Black Soot Distress paint for the background.  Mike's small Octagon stamp, some black enameling and yarn complete the card.

Michael Strong Card of the Day - Wednesday

Here is the card for Wednesday:

This used a combination of Tim Holtz Distress Paint (white) and Pickled Raspberry Distress Stain to create the pink background.  Then I used stencils with Distress Paint (black) and Distress ink (Pickled Raspberry).  To make the octagon I put Pickled Raspberry on some white paper and stamped Mike's smallest octagon with black craft ink.  Then I put on some black embossing powder.  Ooops!  I forgot that the distress inks are embossable!  I flicked off most of the powder and embossed anyhow.  I actually like the look of it with the rest of the card -- a little grungy.  The black dots are enamel.

Michael Strong Card of the Day - Tuesday

Here is the card for Tuesday.

For the tags I used some stencils and Dylusions sprays (Bubblegum Pink and Crushed Grape).  I sponged around the edges with black ink and added some black enamel accents.  A bit of ribbon and string with a tiny tag and I was done!

Michael Strong Card of the Day - Monday

Here is my card for Monday.  It uses the monthly sketch.

I used Dylusions sprays (Cut Grass and Fresh Lime) and a stencil to make the green paper then stamped Mike's smaller Paisley stamp in black.  The dots are make with black enamel accents.

Michael Strong Card of the Day - Friday

So the first few days of the week used up some papers I had made using some Dylusions Sprays.  Some were wondering how I made them.  Here's how:

Wednesday's cards are the easiest to show.  Basically I took some sprays (Postbox Red, Cherry Pie and Squeezed Orange) and sprayed over my entire 8.5x11 sheet of paper.

Then you need to dry the paper.  If you have the time, you can just wait for it to dry on it's own.  If you want it quickly, you can place another sheet of paper on top and pick up the excess ink to make another sheet to use or you can just use a paper towel to get most of the wetness out.  Then you can use your embosser to dry the sheet completely.  Do you need to dry this completely?  No.  I just found that the wetter the paper the more likely the next step is to smear.  Sometimes you want this look and sometimes you don't.  So before I did the next step I dried my paper thoroughly.

Then I took a stencil (uneven circles)

and placed it over cardstock and sprayed water on it.  The sprays react with water and make the colour lighter.  I then dried off the stencil, placed it on the other side and sprayed with Postbox Red.  Here is a picture of the result:

You can see the side on the left has the lighter coloured circles while the side on the right has the darker ones.

Now I'm going to show you what happens if you don't dry the paper first.  Here's a picture I took of my two sheets (I sprayed one and put the other on top to soak up the excess dyes) before I used the stencil. 

The papers here are damp but not soaking wet.  I use my stencil and come up with this:

The part of the left is sprayed with water and the part on the right is sprayed with Postbox Red.  Because the paper is still wet the new spray runs into the paper and you can't really tell that I used a circle stencil.  But I really like the look on the water sprayed side!  Kinda tie-dye-ish.

You can also use the reverse side of the stencil.  After the stencil is sprayed there is some dye left over on it.  Flip the stencil over and stamp on the other piece like so:

I just kept placing it on the paper randomly until all the dye was gone from my stencil.  That's an interesting look also.


You can use smaller pieces of paper but I just normally use a bigger size and cut it in 4 or just use my favourite parts.

To get my rainbow look I drizzled some different colours (Postbox Red, Squeezed Orange, Lemon Zest, Fresh Lime, Vibrant Turquoise, Crushed Grape) each in a line about 3 inches long side by side like so:

Then I put some paper (5.25x4 inches) on top of the dyes and dragged it through:

Here I did the same but sprayed the dyes with water before putting a sheet of paper on top:

There was still some dye on my craft sheet so I sprayed with water and put another sheet on:

Here's me playing around some more:

I sprayed Vibrant Turquoise, After Midnight and Crushed Grape on a craft sheet:

Then I sprayed with water to combine them:

 Now I put my sheet of paper (8.5x11) on top and squished flat.

Another sheet of paper:

and another:

Here I sprayed Bubblegum Pink, Squeezed Orange, Lemon Zest, Fresh Lime, Vibrant Turquoise, and Crushed Grape on a craft sheet to make little blobs.

 Then I sprayed with water:

I took an 8.5x11 sheet of paper and dragged it through the dye.  There was still some dye left so I sprayed with water and again ran a sheet (8.5x11) through.  I managed to get three sheets decorated before I ran out of dye:

First time:

 Second time:

Third time:

Then I just took the part I liked best about each sheet and cut into 4x5.25.  Here they are.  The first sheet I pulled through is on the right.  The second is on the left.

So here is the card of the day using one of those pieces -- 'cause somedays you just need a rainbow hug!