PSX Midnight Christmas Card

This card reminds me of those Christmas services we used to go to on Christmas eve when I was a child. Those services were magical!

The card was done with an old PSX stamp, some dark blue CS, watercolors I made from PearlEx, silver EP, silver mirror card, and several Spellbinders dies. I photographed it two ways, one to show the depth, and one to show the shimmer.

I really liked this card on the diagonal, but it posed two problems. One was how to make it so it opens right, and the other is that it won't stand up without an easel. I solved the opening issue by making a blank rectangular card the same size as the church image part and attaching it behind the card, but it still needs an easel. I suppose I really should invest in some easel dies. :-)

Stamped and Painted Tiles

Sorry I have been missing for so long, but it's been busy here lately.

I have been doing two more projects with my air dry clay and silicone molds, one was a card, and the other is an altered cigar box. I'm still putting layers of varnish on the box, so it's not ready to be photographed, and it's too dark today to photograph the card, so I'm showing some coasters I made last fall. I made them for the Christmas show that never happened, so they are in my shop waiting for next summer.

These were made using some unglazed ceramic tiles I bought quite a few years ago. The stamps are mostly old PSX stamps, as well as one or two old Stampendous ones, and a couple of other brands I've had for years. They were stamped with Stazon black, and painted with ordinary craft acrylics, then coated with a couple of layers of water based varnish, and sprayed with Krylon.

They were all painted with the same colors of paint, and match in real life, but some were photographed in full sun, some outside on cloudy days, and some, inside on rainy days, so the colors look a little different.

Anyway, if you can get hold of some unglazed tiles, it's really fun and easy to stamp and paint, and the tiles make great coasters for Christmas presents!

Frantage and PSX Christmas Tree

To give everyone a break from cards made with my new Spellbinders. I am showing a card I made a couple of weeks ago using an old PSX stamp I have.

This one was done on Core'dinations Pearl CS and Gold Mirror card. All of the Frantage products were in the Gold Encrusted Jewel Kit. For the tree, I used VersaMark and detail gold EP. Next, I went around the outside with my versamark pad and added the antique gold and gold glass glitter. I also sprinkled a few bits of the antique gold around the card to add texture and detail.

For the encrusted jewel technique, I decided to use UTEE rather than the regular Frantage products, because I tend to get rather heavy handed with them. The UTEE gave a lighter look than the gold EPs. I sprinkled the UTEE between the tree and the border, then sprinkled in some gold mica flakes and glass glitter, and melted everything together.

After that, the tree looked unfinished, so I painted it with gold pearl Twinkling H20s. I did the ornaments with a gold Gellyroll pen, and they are a bit darker than the tree. It shows up more in person than it does in the photograph.

Normally I don't like messy looking cards, but the Frantage products are so much fun to play with that I use them anyway. This card really glitters and sparkles in person!

Cardinal and Chickadee Card

Today I tried my Spellbinders Bracket Borders One die set for the first time. I wish they were a little longer like the other border sets I have from Spellbinders, because it means they can't be used easily on a 5x7 card, but they worked nicely on this 5.5 x 5.5 card.

I used an old PSX stamp for this card, and stamped it with VersaMark, and embossed it with gold EP. After cutting and embossing all the layers, and putting the card together, I decided it needed some shading. All the gold shading was done with Delicata Golden Glitz, then I did some outlining of the die cuts with a gold Gellyroll pen and added a few pearls. The gold shading gave some shimmer to this card, even though you can't see it in the photo.

Special Friend and Lace Card

I'm still busy, but thank you to all my friends who visited and left comments. I'll be back to see you by next month.

I had this really pretty pink Mulberry paper from PSX, still sealed in it's plastic bag from years ago, and decided I wanted to use it on a card. I knew I wanted the card to be 5x7, so I ran a sheet of 4.5 x 6.5 white CS through the Xyron and applied the mulberry paper to that. The matte is white CS colored with Gold ink from a stamp pad, and both were mounted onto a white 5x7 card, and everything was outlined by running the edges over the stamp pad.

My favorite lace was applied before I mounted the paper onto the card, and I chose a very old Anna Griffin label from my stash for the sentiment. The label already had the bow, and I think the pink backing was also attached. (I made the card two months ago, so it's hard to remember). The label layers were also outlined in gold. The foliage was punched with either my McGill punch, or the Martha Stewart branch punch, and the roses are also from my stash.

Last, I added gold half pearls and pink rhinestones.

PSX Marshall Point Light Easel Card

Here is another nautical card from and old Marshall Point Light stamp by PSX. If you've ever seen the movie Forest Gump, this is the lighthouse from the movie. It is located in Port Clyde, Maine, near Rockland.

I stamped this onto K&Co DP using brown ink, then embossed it with clear EP. The sentiment is from JustRite. I used my Ranger nibs to color it with white and various shades of brown. It was matted with generic CS in shades of brown and mounted onto an antique metallic copper colored card, and K&Co dimensional stickers were added.

PSX Portland Head Light Card

I finally got a chance to make a new card. My shop is pretty well set up for the summer, even though it will be a few more weeks before the tourists arrive on our island. I don't have very many nautical cards, so I figured I'd better concentrate on those for a while.

This one is done from my old PSX Portland Head stamp. I was planning on coloring it with Copics, so I stamped it with Memento Black, then I remembered the soft coloring I got when I used stamp pads and Ranger Nibs on another card a few months ago. I liked the softer colors, so I used various inks to color this one with the nibs as well. The colors aren't quite as bright as this in real life, and the red is much less bright.

The blue around the lighthouse, as well as the wider blue mat were done using VersaMagic Aegean Blue with a sponge dauber. The narrow mats were done with a dark green and an antique gold metallic. The anchors were punched from the same antique gold using a MS punch, and the square knot was tied using hemp cord.

Finished Mini Album to go with Cigar Box

I finished the mini album which goes with the cigar box I posted a few days ago. The cigar box will have to wait though, I had to start the other two jewelry boxes because they were commissioned.

The front of the album is done with a copper colored pearlized CS from Core'dinations. The lighthouse is from JustRite, and is stamped using VersaMark onto a pale gold Core'dinations Pearl CS, and embossed in gold. All die cuts were done with Spellbinders. The tags at the top and bottom are for labeling with whatever the recipient wants.

I only photographed a few of the pages, but they are alternating pages made with DP from K&Co, white CS, which I distressed with Antique Linen and Tea Dye, and made journaling lines with a gold Gellyroll pen, and white CS distressed with Antique Linen and lightly stamped with gold ink. There are four different stamps used for the various pages, Portland Head Light from PSX, a fish shack and boat from PSX, a clipper ship from Stampendous, and Bass Harbor Head from an unknown company.

The stamped pages can be used either for journaling, photos, or memorabilia, and the DP pages can either be left as is, or photos or memorabilia added.

This album is quite small, 4x7, to fit into the cigar box, so the recipient may want to use it more for a journal than an album.

PSX Floral and Filigree Card

This morning I designed a card around some paper I've had forever, but I wasn't happy with the card. Since I won't have time to make anything tomorrow, I will probably upload that one tomorrow anyway.

While I was looking for a stamp I liked for that card, I came across a very old Floral set from PSX. I've always liked the set, but the stamps are very small, and I haven't used them in years. I kept the set out, and decided to use it to make another card after I finished the one I wasn't having much luck with. This is the card I made with it.

I cut a bunch of white CS using Spellbinders Decorative Labels Eight . The card itself is also cut with this die set by folding the card in half and cutting it so the fold was inside the filigree on the folded side, then I layered a single die cut sheet over that for the front of the card so it would have filigree all around it.

The DP is some very old Anna Griffin CS from my stash, and is cut with Spellbinders Labels Eight. I used a gold pen to outline the die cuts.

The DP was mounted flat onto the filigree layers, then each layer was mounted dimensionally on top of the one below it.

The design was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black, then colored with Copics. I wanted the design to look more like an embellishment, so after coloring it, I ran VersaMark over it and used clear EP over the whole thing. I really wanted to use UTEE, but no matter how many times I've tried that, I've never gotten a finish I was happy with. I think I need to try the UTEE in a toaster oven. Anyway, I like the one coat of clear EP because it is shiny but has a little bit of texture to it.

The design is mounted dimensionally on top, and Liquid Pearls were added to the filigree.

PSX Lupine and Vellum Card

I haven't used vellum in a long time, so I decided to use this PSX Lupine stamp. This card didn't come out at all the way I had planned. I stamped the Lupine onto vellum with VersaMark and embossed it with white EP, then colored the Lupine on the back side of the vellum with Copics. Actually the Lupine didn't have large enough petals to shade well and have it show up on the front. The vellum was supposed to be mounted onto light pink paper, but the Copics didn't show up well on that at all. The only thing that worked was white CS.

Next, I mounted the vellum onto the white CS using tiny deep pink brads, and used a Krylon pen to go around the edges. That was matted onto Core'dinations gemstones, dimensionally mounted onto Anna Griffin DP, then more Gemstones, and then a white card. All the layers were outlined with the Krylon pen. This card isn't as bright as it looks in the photo, and is really a little pinker rather than being as peachy as this.

I added some gold pearls as accents, then I tried a ton of bows, but none looked good any where on it, so I added some gold outline stickers to the corners. After that, this little bow didn't look quite so silly as it did without the corners.

After I had used the gold pen around the vellum, I had noticed that the vellum lifted up a bit at the bottom. I was hoping it would settle back down, but it didn't. Since I couldn't take the brads off after it was mounted onto the paper below, I decided to try a little bit of Glossy accents to take the little pucker out. They show a little bit, but not too bad. I also didn't notice that when I pushed it down into the glossy accents, I pushed the bottom of the dimensional layer down as well. I just went over and slid my fingernail under it, and it's back up and the whole bottom is level now, but not in the photo. Maybe I will rephotograph it tomorrow if it gets light enough. (We are going to get snow, so I hope it isn't really dark tomorrow).

Anyway, I guess the card is okay, but it isn't what I expected.

I was thinking of you when I made it Jill! :-)

PSX Grist Mill Card

I wanted to use another of my old PSX stamps to make a card. Since this stamp would work for a man, I decided to use a minimum of embellishments. I think this would work for either a man or a woman, and can be used for many different reasons.

It is stamped with Distress Peeled Paint, and is simply layered and matted with two different greens and an antique looking metallic gold from my stash.

The only embellishments are a few pearls which were white, but I colored them with my Krylon pen.

The first package from Amazon came really quickly, it only took two days! I got it today. It only had my colorless blender refiller, but I was really missing it since my Copic ran out of ink.

I wasn't sure how to refill, and my injector thing hasn't come yet, so I went over to the Copic site and found directions. It was really easy! For the Sketch markers, all you have to do is drip 15 or 20 drops onto the broad end of the marker. I didn't have to remove the nib at all, and it worked!

Happy Anniversary Easel Card PSX Stamp

I was going through my older stamps, and realized I hadn't used this Happy Anniversary stamp from PSX in years.

I decided to do an easel card, and I wanted it to be warm and romantic looking, so I chose this paper from K&Co, and used VersaMagic Perfect Plumaria to do the stamping and shading.

The tags were made with two Spellbinders dies. I shaded the scalloped one, and used a blending stump to outline the inside of the top one with the Plumaria ink. Then I ran the stamp pad around the outside edges. The blending stump didn't make as sharp an outline as I would have liked, so I went over it with a matching Gelly Roll pen.

The tags are mounted dimensionally on their rectangular backgrounds, and those are mounted dimensionally onto the card.

For the foliage, I used the McGill punch because I wanted the branches to be a little larger than the MS ones. It's nice to have both punches because they are virtually identical except for the size. Sometimes I use both on one project, and at other times I only use one.

The roses are a little brighter than I would have liked, but not as bright as in this photo. They are a deeper red in real life, and the ribbon exactly matches the red paper I used for matting, even though it looks purple in this photo.

I finished the card by adding deep red pearls.

PSX Stamps Lighthouse Boxes

I made this box using one of my old PSX stamps to match the one I made last summer. The one I made last summer is shown below. The two boxes are identical except for the stamps. Last summer I did Portland Head, and I used Pemaquid Point Light on the new one.

I hope I can find boxes this size when I get out to NY to visit the kids for Christmas, because we can no longer get them here. I have a few more Maine Lighthouse stamps that I want to use, and these were the perfect size for them.

I love using stamps as painting patterns, they have so much detail!

Wooden Sled Ornament with PSX Santa Stamp

I actually made a card today, but it didn't turn out the way I expected it to. I made one of those star shaped ornament cards with the five squares that you use the origami squash fold on, then glue together, and when you hang it, it's supposed to look like a star. It was all lacy and die cut, stamped and embossed, and it took hours to do, but when you open mine, it looks like a wheel or something. It's round, but flat on the outside edges. Not at all like a star. Part of why it took hours wasn't only because of all the work I put into each piece, but also because I spent hours trying to find one on the internet so I could see what I did wrong. Since I don't know what they are really called, it was difficult to find them. Anyway, when I finally found some, they were made exactly like mine, but the ones on the internet look like stars, not wheels with flat sides. :-(

I guess I will have to do some more research and try to figure it out.

Anyway, every year my mother and I take some of our things to a Christmas benefit show, so when I'm not making cards for it, I'm doing other crafts. The show is this Saturday. One of the things I made is this wooden sled from AC Moore.

I base coated it with white and antique gold paint, then added a few coats of metallic gold and some sparkly white from Martha Stewart. After that, I stamped this santa from an old PSX stamp with versamark, then embossed it with gold EP. I drew a line around the top to frame it with a gold pen, and put a few coats of varnish on it.

It's quite pretty in person, much prettier than the paper wheel I made today!

Gold PSX Church Card

I decided to make a simpler card today. I wish all the pearlescence showed in this photograph, because in person, it's very pretty.

All of the paper is Core'dinations pearl in white and two shades of gold, with some gold mirror card for matting. I did the embossing with gold EP, and added gold outline stickers and gold pearls. I only used a few simple embellishments because the pearls and metallics don't really need anything else in person.

I love these old PSX stamps, and am glad I got so many back when they were still in business.

PSX Church Christmas Card

This is the last card I made for my commission, but in the mean time, I've been selling a lot of Christmas cards, so I guess I will still have to make more!

I used another of my old PSX stamps to make this one. Those stamps were so beautiful, and it was a shame that they had been sitting in my drawer unused for such a long time.

For this one, I had this beautiful pearlescent, textured blue that I thought would be perfect for this stamp. I really wanted to mat it with silver miror card, but unfortunately I don't have enough left, so I used a silver JellyRoll to outline the blue CS where it was mounted on the white pearl CS. I cut around the embossed stamp with scissors so it would sit directly on the blue background, then cut the background to fit into the frame.

The stamping was all done with VersaMark and embossed with some old silver tinsel EP I've had for years. The background was cut with one of my Spellbinders dies, and the little silver things in the corners were pieces I cut out from some Dresden paper trims, and added pearls to. I added silver Stickles to some of the points in the frame.

This card reminds me of the Christmas Eve midnight services we used to have at the church I attended as a child. Those services were so beautiful and peaceful, with the dark sky and snow, and are one of the things I still miss now that I've grown up and moved away.

PSX Birds and Sleigh Card

I made this card a few days ago. All the paper was cut with Spellbinders Labels Four, and the matching Grand Labels Four. All the paper is pearlescent. The white and ivory are both Core'dinations, and the two shades of green were in my stash.

The card itself was die cut on the fold with Core'dinations pearl white paper using Grand Labels Four, then the layers were added on top of the card to make the curve at the top match the bottom. Each layer was outlined with PenTouch Gold.

The image was stamped with one of my old PSX stamps using VersaMark, then embossed with Super Fine Detail Gold and colored with Copics. (The pinecones are actually brown, but my phone's camera always seems to pick up the red pigment in the brown, and make it look more red than it is). Since the card was pretty flat, I added the pearls around the frame for dimension.

PSX Lupine Card

I tried another of my older stamps today.

This one is Lupine by PSX. During June, our island is blanketed in these lovely flowers. They grow wild all over the island, and just about everyone has them in their yards. We have so many that we have an annual Lupine Festival, so I thought I should make a card with them.

The lupine on this card appears darker in the photograph than it is in person. It is actually a closer shade of pink to the background, but as usual, my phone's camera picked up the red pigments in the ink.

It is stamped with VersaMark and embossed with Superfine Detail Gold. The paper is my favorite Core'dinations pearl paper in white and pink. The flowers are colored with Copics and look shimmery because of the paper.

The lacy background was cut with a Spellbinders die. I had to die cut two frames and put them together to fit the stamp. The stamp is on a separate sheet and mounted onto the lacy piece to hide the seam, then outlined with PenTouch Gold.

I outlined the whole outside of the card with gold and added Liquid Pearls to finish it.

Tomorrow morning we are headed off for the weekend, I hope everyone who has a long weekend has a great time!

PSX Fish Shack

I made this card using one of my old PSX stamps. I colored it mostly with Copics, but since I have so few of them, I also used some colored pencils. I wish I had colored the boat red, because it isn't colorful enough to suit me. The colors are so vintage looking that it reminds me of an old engraving I have from the 1800's though, so I don't mind it. The netting on this card is more of the 100 year old seining twine from the weir that used to be in the cove where my shop is.

The image is stamped onto ivory CS with VersaFine Onyx Black and cut with a Spellbinders Grand Calibur die. I mounted that onto green CS and cut around it to mat the image.

The card is also cut with the same die set. I cut the mottled blue CS with a larger die, then cut the ivory card larger than the background paper. The ivory card and center motif were distressed with Antique Linen.

The stamped motif and netting are mounted dimensionally onto the card.

PSX Portland Head Light Stamped and Painted

I started making another card this morning, but it was so nice out I decided to do something I could make outdoors instead. I painted the bottom of this wooden box with Barn red, and the top with sky blue. Then I stamped one of my old PSX stamps on it, and painted the stamp with acrylic paint with a medium added so it would be more of a wash than an opaque painted effect.

I used Stazon to stamp it because I knew the paint and varnish wouldn't affect the Stazon. The box wasn't rough, and I sanded it, but the label in the bottom corner didn't quite cover. I decided to leave it as it is because I was afraid I would mess it up if I tried to fix it.

Everything in the gift shop my mother and I run is made by us, so sometimes I have to do something besides a card, and I thought this came out rather nice. I just have to varnish it and clean up the latch a bit and it will be done.