Mono~Printing from Embossing Folders

Win a CGull embossing folder!  See rules at the end of this blog!

Mono-Printing: A form of printing in which each print is a one-of-a-kind

One of my favorite techniques!  I have been making dozens of mono-prints lately; maybe because they are so easy, maybe because they are simply beautiful, maybe because once they are done you can add a sentiment and have a beautifully complete card...  The reasons go on & on!!

Each time I pull a print I get a little giddy about 'the next one!!!  I am a color addict and there is just no end to the color combinations and intensities that can be achieved this way.  

Here is a quick tutorial on how to get some fun results. (and instant gratification!)

Supplies:
Oil Pastels
Embossing Folders
Water Mister
Paper
I use Prima oil pastels, but you could try paints or water reactive ink with equally beautiful but very different results.  Add to that any textured surface you can apply your color to.  Fabric, pottery, I have even seen mono-prints made from real fish!!!  I use embossing folders because they are easy to clean, readily available and come in SOOOO many beautiful patterns!  I use plain white 110lb card stock.  The results look like water color but you don't need watercolor paper.  I encourage you to be adventurous though, and try other types! 

Simply apply the oil pastel to the  raised areas of the embossing folder.  I don't always cover the entire surface, remember, the color spreads so just a little goes a long way!  once you have your colors on just give it a HEAVY mist of water. 

Here the lower image has been dry brushed with inks

Lay your paper over the embossing folder. You can smooth it or just place and lift, each will give you a different look.  Often the color will be 'drippy' so you'll have to be quick to pull the paper and get it flipped upright to dry.
  
I know the term mono indicates one, but now that you have a colored and wet folder you can pull additional prints that will each be a little different.  Spritz, place and pull you next print. I have found that I can get 5 or 6 really nice prints from one color job, sometimes I add a little color here & there before re-spritzing.  

Isn't it fun!!! You can take any folder through every season!!

You can also achieve a beautiful shimmering result by simply adding 

Perfect Pearls to the water spritzer.  

Here are a couple of my finished cards.  If you'd like to see more (and I have a LOT!) just click the label below "Mono-Print" and several from this blog will pull up :)

HAPPY MONO-PRINTING!  

Feel free to post your results on my "Hi!" Notes Facebook page, we'd all love to seem them! 

  In fact, I'll be giving away a CGull Leaf Floral embossing folder to one lucky person 

who follows this blog, comments below and posts their own mono-print 

(does not have to be a finished project) on the "Hi!" Notes FB page!!! 

Shipping to Continental US only but everyone is welcome to share their projects!

#papercraft #scrapbooking #fussycutting #monoprinting #watercolor #rubberstamping #stamping #embossing #distressink #oilpastel #sunnystudio #paperstudio #sizzix #cuttlebug #poppystamps #DCWV #UnityStampCo #

Classes and Workshops...

Hello!  I am excited you're here to check out the upcoming workshops!  Photos are intended to give you a good idea of what will be constructed during the class, taking into consideration creative license, personal taste and color preferences.
Please comment below, or PM me on Facebook to sign up for classes.  You are welcome to use PayPal (Wendy Falk) or just pay me in person :)   Class sizes are limited.  If a class sells out and there is enough interest, I will schedule another class!


The Haunted Mansion ~ Stationary box and card making kit / Original Design by Wendy Falk

FEE:  $ 35.00   MIN AGE: 15yrs 

CLASS SIZE LIMIT:  4

DATE & TIME: Sat Oct 19 / 1pm ~ 5pm

LOCATION: Enterprise Christian Church,  85035 Joseph Highway, Enterprise OR 97828

What will be provided:  

• 4 hours are scheduled for this class.  Some may be finished earlier, some will finish at home!  
• You will be provided with a pattern & detailed instructions for the stationary box as well as
• precut, black cardstock to assemble the project. 
• Each participant will also receive 2 fingertip sponge daubers and 
• 5 - A2 size (5 1/2" x 4 1/4"), folded white note cards and envelopes.  
• All parts and pieces visible in the photo will be provided.

What You are recommended (not required) to bring:  Because of limited tools - bringing your own cutter, ink, scissors/snips and adhesive will be more convenient for you.  Also, you are encouraged to bring any designed paper you would like used on this project.  A black base will be provided. 3 to 5 patterns of paper are typical, but you're welcome to implement your creative license with more or less!! (I will have some b/w on hand)

More about this project:  The box pockets inside of the Haunted Mansion (see below) are perfect for envelopes & greeting cards.  2 sheets of patterned paper will be more than enough to decorate the box, but if you would like to coordinate the note cards inside, additional patterned & solid colored paper are recommended!  After you've confirmed your place in class you are welcome to contact me concerning images!  I have several Autumn/Halloween rubber stamp sets that you may want to use to make embellishments for your card kit.  You are welcome to bring your own rubber stamping supplies or any other embellishment ideas you'd like to implement.  

This is a great gift or a fun motivation to make your own greeting cards! Maybe a gift with build your own card kit inside! 
I'm really excited to share this workshop with you!!

The inside & back of the box

. A quick PS: 12 x 12 paper pad collections in black & white are reasonably priced and versatile because they can be easily customized by dry brushing any colors you choose onto them!

DIY Clear Front Gem Holder

I am so excited to be crafting my new craft room!!  My daughter moved out after graduation leaving an empty bed room -  -  -  Well, almost empty!  She still needs a place to sleep when she is able to visit home, but in the mean time I have a place to stash my art supplies that isn't the dining room table!!

I LOVE to organize!  Seeing the colors and shapes I love displayed in an orderly way makes me want to use them (as opposed to the chaos of my dining room table!!)  I've never been able to see my little gems as I'm crafting so I seldom remember to use them. I pondered putting them into a drawer, or a little shelf. . . . . but I just really wanted to be able to SEE them!

Then the thought occurred to me I could make a clear fronted box for them that would take up very little shelf space!  Here's a simple picture tutorial of how I crafted it, using clear left over packaging and light weight cardboard (the kind tucked inside folded shirts) covered with my favorite colored paper!

1. Determine the size of the box you want to make.  I used my largest package to measure for the width adding 1/8" to each side of it.  The 2 sides are identical and will be the depth.  Score each edge at 1/4" for connection tabs. (no worries about the 4th side of the box, it will be clear!

     2.  The sides of the bottom tray should be the identical measurement of the 2 sides + the back.  Add 1/2 " to the overall dimension and score each side at 1/4". Snip 1 side of each corner to make tabs and glue to make a tray. 
 

        3.  If you would like to add colorful paper to the sides of your project, now is the time to do so.  It is so much easier when the paper is flat!  Adding a second layer of paper also helps the box to be more sturdy :) 

       4.  Attach the 3 panel sheet from step 1 around the outside of the tray, bending on the score lines.  Glue/tape all of the tray tabs except the ones on the front where there is no panel yet. 

      5.  Cut the clear front exactly the dimensions of the back panel, putting it into place using the tabs from the sides and bottom to affix it into place.  I used 1/8th" Scor-Tape on the tabs.

Once the clear sheet was in place I put a strip of colored paper over the adhesive showing through on the bottom. The adhesive on the sides remained hidden because I connected the paper on the outside of the plastic.

Butterfly Lantern

For my base I cut a 9x9 inch square and scored it  to maintain a 1/2inch ledge leaving the long tails to close off the bottom.  The interior scores were made to leave an opening the size of my lantern base (3x3inches).

After the vellum was placed inside the panels (& before bending and assembling the sides) the scroll green die cuts were glued to the outside center of each vellum panel.

The butterflies were die cut "skeletons" put over chalk colored crepe paper & closely trimmed.

The lantern its self was inserted into the space left in the base.  The door was trimmed 1/8th inch from the bottom so that it would be free of the base and able to swing open.

   

The final detail was the loop of ribbon simply threaded through the bead and cut flush on the bottom.  I used quite a dollop of glue on the bottom of the bead, effectively capturing the ribbon & anchoring it to the lantern.

Thanks friends!!  I so enjoy sharing my little brain storms!! If you have an idea, method or insight to share, please do so in the comments below!!

News from the Ever Cool Originals (ECO) 4-H Club

Hello again friends :)  Thought I would share with you today a fun tutorial on masking!  I had this idea for my little 4-H Club so that every member would have some knowledge of the basics of rubber stamping and scrapbooking.



We are constructing our own little "Sampler Scrapbook" of techniques!!  Our first page was concerning "Resist", which I did not document.
But here's the final result. Each page includes one technique & defines it!
           


Our second page is all about masking!!  So much fun ~ the kids are visibly delighted with the results, especially since how great it looks can't be seen until removing the mask!

Here are the basic steps in photographs:


It may look confusing, but EACH TIME YOU STAMP cut out the identical image and place it over the one you've just stamped!  Don't remove any of the masks until you're finished. HINT:  I use inexpensive copier paper for masking, & sometimes acetate for hardier, re-usable masks!

ANOTHER NOTE OF IMPORTANCE: It is important when you cut out your images to "split the line" as you cut. With heavier materials such as cardstock or acetate you will want to eliminate the line as you cut. If you cut on the line or outside of it you will wind up with a 'glow' around your image where the ink can not touch!

As I stamped the last images I did not have to cover them with a mask since nothing more was going to go over or around them!  REMOVE the mask & color in any desired areas!  It is that simple (time consuming but simple)                          

Hooray! Next meeting is heat embossing and pressure embossing!! If you have any questions, ideas to share or need more clarity, please don't hesitate to comment below  !!  Have a great sunshiney day !!  😎

Jewel Picker 101 🏶🏶 DYI 🏶

I have been watching with envy all the 'professional' paper crafters picking up delicate pieces and precisely placing them using an amazing tool with a tiny, tacky tip.  Unfortunately, the one I would like to have is over $30!!!! Others I have read reviews on complained the tip didn't last.

If you've read my post on turning wood mounted stamps into cling stamps then you know I have fallen in love with Aleene's TACK-IT Over & Over repositionable adhesive.  As I was making some glue dots with it ~ it suddenly occurred to me that it could be used on the end of any pointed object as a jewel picker!!!  I used a "Sheezley" tool for ceramics but you could use a toothpick (disposable, no storage!) a dried up pen with a cap to protect the sticky, etc!

Here you can see the completely dried blob of glue I put on the tip. It is super tacky and picks up even the tiniest bead with only a gentle touch.  I have even used it to clean some flecks of embossing powder off a project before heating. It can get into tiny tight places where it is hard to use even the tiniest of brushes to flick away culprit granules.

Once the tip doesn't retain the sticky (I used it a LOT!) just pull it off and put another on.  Be prepared, it does take 30 minutes or so to dry, so it may be a good idea to have 2 of them so one is always ready to go.

Good luck, hope this will come in as handy for you as it has for me!!  🏶

Converting Wood Mounted Rubber Stamps to Cling Mountings (the easy way)

I have been spending a lot of time lately trying to reorganize my "craft room" ~ actually our dining table and built in 1970s china hutch!!  The main focus of my efforts has been to get my wood mounted stamps onto cling backgrounds so that I can use them easily in my MISTI stamping tool!!  In trying to be discerning as I go, I have found none of my stamps are better as wood mounts!!


This is a little emotional for me because despite my absolute love of stamping, I also look at the stamp as an actual piece of art; often displaying the blocks as part of my décor!!  Now many of those beautiful representations of the stamp are in piles, bags full of jumbled wood blocks with no rubber stamp left on them!!!

That brings me to my next point ~ storage of rubber stamps without the bulk and weight of the wood blocks is FAR SUPERIOR!! I will, at some point, have so much extra space!!!  I have also figured out a system that works great for me........     Interested?  Read on :)

This will be a long post but if your thinking about converting your stamps I do have some information that will be helpful :)

First of all, I have found that I don't have to purchase the cling foam to mount my plain rubber stamps on, as I've been doing now and then for a few years. This process is very tedious because of needing to cut out the stamps after they're mounted and it can be expensive and slow too!  I have also discovered with a MISTI you do not need to have the foam backs because you can re-ink & stamp if your image doesn't transfer the first time!

So, how to get the stamps to "cling"?  I have discovered a great product called Aleene's TACK-IT Over & Over.  Another plus concerning this product, you can make glue dots with it too!!

• Stamps that are not yet mounted to wood blocks but prepped for it (like new Stampin' Up! sets) - Crazy but just peel off the protective backing, trim your stamp and stick it to something like a fleece blanket or a t-shirt. Lift & stick over & over until the permanent stickum is not so permanent.  I did this to mine OVER & OVER and no problem having them stick really well to acrylic blocks or the MISTI.  Don't be shy ;) Save the backing & just stick them back to it for storage!
  

     

• Trimming stamps - It is important to properly trim your stamps if you use them a lot.  It is so upsetting to have the part of the stamp with no image leave an inky shadow, spot or line! I even trim some of my factory die cut stamps if there is too much extra rubber or a "window" area that needs removed from the center of the stamp.  MOST IMPORTANTLY you do not want to under cut the image, always make sure your scissors are angled so that there's just a little more cushion than rubber.  If not you may have an immensely difficult getting all of the image to stamp, MISTI or not!!

      

The First photo shows the correct angle to trim at. THE SECOND PHOTO IS A BIG NO -WRONG ANGLE!! The third photo shows what it should look like when you're finished.  You don't have to trim as closely as I do, I just like them that way!! (easier to place maybe??)Below is an example of a poorly trimmed stamp, I may have to remove the cushion to make it stamp properly (the cushion should always be a little bigger than the stamp (or identical!)

     

• Removing stamps from wood blocks - Fairly simple & self explanatory. JUST GO SLOW!  It's not the end of the world to remove the cushion from the stamp, but personally I like to leave it on there if possible.  You can carefully used a razor edge to help peel the cushion from the wood cleanly. If any chunks of the cushion come off, you will have a hard time getting a nice image, so in that case I would just remove the cushion.  The rubber needs to be "clean" and smooth before you add the adhesive, as does the cushion if you've left it on the stamp.

     

• Adhesion - Very simple and economical!  Just put a dab of Aleene's Tack-It Over & Over on the back of each stamp, cushion or no. I use my finger to smear it thinly around. Lessons I've learned doing this:  A little goes a long way!!  The deeper the glue the clingier it gets and believe me, you don't need it that clingy!! Also remember the idea is for it to stick to your "block" and come off only when you want it to!  So you don't have to spread the glue edge to edge and especially don't use it where there is a narrowly cut outcropping (like a broom handle shape).  In fact, if you have a small or narrow sentiment just a little glue at each end will be plenty. Always smear it thin and flat, you don't want the glue to be dimensional or lumpy, it will cause problems with how the image stamps. 

     

• TIP:  I collect a large number of similar stamps to work on all at once. This way they can be stored as a genre & I promise, you'll want to do a bunch at once because the dry time is a couple of hours (Prob not that long, but I want to be on the safe side) & once you have them done it's rewarding to have enough to fill a couple of containers with.  You will be happily surprised how many will now fit in a container that originally housed only 5 or 6 of the wood mounted lovelies! 4 or 5 sets are now in each case!!

• STORAGE:  I am so excited to share how I've decided to store these gems!  I have been keeping the plastic from different packaging for years, often using it to make clear cards or embossing it for great effects!  This time I cut them the size to fit inside my storage containers of choice; wood mount Stampin' Up! cases!  You can use any case you'd like because the beauty of it is that you can cut the plastic to fit any size case you have.  Your newly cling mounted stamps will stay clean & organized stuck to both sides of each sheet of plastic!! I cut inexpensive typing paper to size to fit in the lid and base of the container and stamp it with the stamps that will be stored in the box.  Once there is no room to stamp, it's time to make a fresh box.  I can easily see from the outside what stamps are inside and I use different inks, often writing their color beside the image, now I'll have a catalog of inks too!

Below is an example of how I store the cases in our "china" hutch!!  A sharpie label on the end of each case helps me remember what is in each one.  I have tried to use only the size of case that spans the shelf depth for optimal storage space.  This photo shows cling stamps that have backing, but the stamps mounted as above store in the exact same way!  They are also easier to find because instead of a lot of loose stamps in a case I just have a couple of plastic panels to pick up and flip while looking!!

Good Luck ~ Hope this lengthy post was of some benefit to you. Feel free to share it in whatever stamping community you might be a part of & please feel free to leave any comments or ideas you have in the comments :)