Tracy’s Craft Room

Distressing 101

I love the look of distressing. It’s amazing how much some ink and roughing up some cardstock can add interest and uniqueness to a project. It’s simple to do. And our distressing kit has all the tools you need! Here are some tips on how to use the Edge Distresser and Distressing inks to add emphasis to your next project.

How to Roughen Edges Safely with the Edge Distresser

1. Place edge of cardstock into one of the blade openings of the Edge Distresser.
2. Holding the Edge Distresser perpendicular to cardstock, drag blade lightly along edge to roughen up the cardstock and expose the white core. I like to drag the Distresser back and forth for extra roughness.
3. Repeat until desired roughness is achieved.

Add Emphasis with Distressing Ink

1. Load the Foam Tool by rubbing it into the Distressing Ink Pad.
2. Swipe the Foam Tool along the edges of the paper to achieve a shaded effect. I like to hold the cardstock or paper in my hand and then rub or brush the foam tool against the edge to feather in the ink. If you put the paper down on the table and then brush with the foam tool, you tend to have residual circle marks instead of smooth color.
3. Add as much ink as desired.

Sponge Stamping

This is an extremely easy technique called Sponge Stamping. Once you try it, you’ll have fun using this technique on flowers, balloons, lettering and anything you can dream up. Here’s how:

Supplies:

Stamps
Inks
Sponges (I like to use inexpensive makeup wedges. You can find them anywhere beauty products are sold).

Directions:

1. Decide on 2 or 3 ink colors you would like to use. You can use more than 3 ink colors if you would like but it is easy to make it appear muddied and too overwhelming so I suggest using no more than 3 colors.

2. Ink your stamp by folding your sponge in half and tapping it on the ink pad to pick up ink. Then pat it on your stamp in the desired areas. Repeat with the next color. In the sample above I inked the center of the butterfly in Hollyhock ink, and then used Topiary ink on the outer edges, slightly overlapping the colors where the inks met.

3. I like to “huff” or breath on the stamp to moisten it, and then stamp. I suggest cleaning the stamp between inkings. That’s it! Have fun!

Using Dimensional Elements

There are so many fun things you can do with Dimensional elements. Here are just a few ideas on how you can use these fun accents.

1.      Add colored cardstock or patterned paper to the element. Just trace the shape or frame onto the desired paper. Cut out and glue to the dimensional element. You can trim the edges to get them closer if needed. Or, I like to distress the edges with scissors which not only gives a fun look, but also evens up the paper and the chipboard element.

2.      Color the element with ink. You can swipe it on an ink pad for a darker color, or sponge color on with a sponge. I like to make the white elements ivory by patting it on our Colonial White ink pad. It gives a nice smooth ivory color to it in a snap! You can also swipe the edges with brown ink to antique it.

3.      Stamp on it. Stamp words or any designs you wish! The dimensional elements take and hold the ink so nicely!

4.      Add “froofy” accents. I love adding the froo-froo stuff! Ha! Ha! Ha! For example, Tie waxy flax or ribbon around the edges of the slide frame on one side (see the mini album below for examples). It’s such a cute look. You can also add staples, buttons, conchos etc. Tie two element tags together with waxy flax to make a border. Sand the edges after you cover them with paper. The possibilities are endless!

5.      Magnets. After decorating one of the frames, add a magnet strip to the back to turn it into a magnet frame. Can you imagine a fridge or magnet board covered with these adorable home made photo magnets? So cute!

Random Stamping

Do you ever look at a project with stamping in an all over design and think, “Wow! How does it looks so even? Mine never looks that even!” I used to worry over my stamping not being even all the time…until I learned this little trick. With this handy little trick it make random stamping, planned, even, and perfect every time! Your projects will look perfect. Here is how to plan your “random” stamping!

1. Stamp one image in corner of your project.

2. Add another stamping near it.

3. When you add your 3rd stamp, make a triangle shape from the other 2 stamps.

4. For stamp number 4, make another triangle from one side of the first triangle.

5. Continue making “triangles” until you cover the paper. Forming triangles like this helps you space the stamped images evenly. Make sure as you fill your paper that you make some stamped images go off the edges of the paper. It adds to the continuity and makes it look more natural.

How to Use Liquid Glass

“Liquid glass? What’s that?” you may be asking. Liquid glass is an easy product to make images shine, look 3-D, and pop off the page! You can add liquid glass to any stamped image or even My Stickease.  Basically, all you have to do is squeeze it out to cover the desired area and that’s it! Here are a few tips on how to use this product effortlessly:

1. Don’t shake the bottle! When you shake the bottle it add bubbles and makes the surface less smooth when you squeeze it out. If you have bubbles, gently squeeze a little out onto a scrap paper so that you can get the air bubbles out before your start your project.

2. Be sure to clean off the tip each time you use it so you don’t get globs of it stuck to the outside.

3. It’s best to keep the liquid flowing from the bottle instead of stopping and starting. Move your hand holding the bottle over the area you want to cover; this helps keep you from building air bubbles in the work. If bubbles form, use the tip of a toothpick to pop the bubbles.

4. Allow time to dry. 10-15 minutes depending on the thickness. If it’s really thick let it sit longer.

5. Add sparkle to the liquid glass. Use the liquid glue like normal then sprinkle with glitter while wet.

6. To get a fun textured look, stamp tone on tone and then go back and put liquid glass on the the stamped areas. It makes a fun look.

7. It’s also the perfect adhesive for our sculpting foam. Regular adhesives do not hold well when using sculpting foam or Makin’s Clay, but a little glob of the liquid glass makes a great adhesive.

8. You can squeeze out circles onto waxed paper and make your own clear pebbles. You can use them to put over stamped images, or make bubbles for a fish etc. Very fun.

9. If you are using liquid glass on an image that will but cut out, first stamp the image, apply liquid glass, and then cut out after drying. If you cut out the image before applying the liquid glass, the paper may curl.

Rolling Technique

This little technique is simple and easy but has a great WOW effect. It adds dimension and depth to a stamped image. You can use this method to shade an image or add additional color. And no special supplies are needed. Here’s how:

Supplies:

Ink pads in at least 2 colors
stamps

Directions:

1. Ink your stamp in one color of ink. Use the lightest shade of your chosen inks.
2. Take your stamp and “roll” the edges on a second color of ink. I hold the stamp and just roll it so that the edges pick up the extra ink then stamp it. You can re-roll it to pick up extra ink in different spots if desired. For the second ink color you can use a darker shade of the initial color or a contrasting color for a nice effect.
3. You can play around with little extras like adding 2 different accent inks. You may also roll just one side of a stamp (for example to make an apple turn red on just one side). Play around with different looks and have fun!

Candle Soot Technique

This technique looks complicated but is so easy! You don’t even need ink. The resulting look is beautiful and unusual. This technique has a huge “WOW factor!” You will love it! Here’s how to stamp with candle soot.

Supplies Needed:

Cardstock
Candle
Hairspray or Matte Sealer spray
Rubber stamp

Directions:

1. Light your candle. I like to use a big pillar candle or a taper candle firmly in a candlestick. Now, take a piece of cardstock and swipe it through the flame. Hold the cardstock parallel to the counter or table and swipe it through the flame, kind of near the top of the flame works best. Hold the cardstock lightly on the edges. Soot will accumulate on the bottom side of the cardstock. Continue to swipe as many times as need to cover the cardstock in soot. Start at one end and work towards the other end of the cardstock. If you swipe quickly the soot goes on lightly. When you go slowly the soot accumulates thicker. Play around see what speed works best and gives the best coverage. When you have finished coating the cardstock with soot, take an uninked stamp and stamp it on the cardstock. The stamp lifts off the soot. Clean your stamp. Handle the piece with care as the soot can rub off before it is sealed. Carefully spray the cardstock with hairspray or a matte finishing spray like for tole painting. This seals in the soot so that it will not rub off. When you seal it, the color will change from a brownish black to more of a gray. That is normal.Now, just mount and attach the stamped piece on your card, gift bag or project of any kind.

Embossing 101

Embossing is the method of making an image raised. It is a wonderfully elegant look and easy to do. Embossing can give your project a touch of class. You need just a few simple supplies and the steps are easy. Here is the low down on how to emboss.

Supplies Needed:

*Stamps
*Tinted embossing ink
*Embossing powder

Tinted embossing ink is preferred over regular stamping ink because it is specially formulated to stay moist longer so that you have plenty of time to emboss the design. Also, this ink has a slight blue tint so you can see where you have stamped. It dries clear when heated.

Embossing powder is a fine grain powder that melts when heated. Close to My Heart offers embossing powders in beautiful colors that coordinate with our color line.

Directions:

1. Stamp your desired image with tinted embossing ink.
2. Sprinkle embossing powder over the image and tap off the excess. I like to use our craft tray when embossing to catch the excess powder. Then I simply shake the excess powder back into the jar through the funnel end of the craft tray. No mess!
3. Heat set the powder with a craft heater. As the embossing powder is heated you can watch it melt. Make sure that you keep the tool moving over the paper to avoid over melting any one particular area. That’s all there is to it!

Additional Tips and Ideas:

1. Using multiple embossing powder colors is easy. Simple stamp and emboss one color. Then stamp and emboss the next etc. It’s a great way to take advantage of the beautiful colors of embossing powders available as seen in the sample card here.
2. When embossing keep a fine paintbrush or cotton swap on hand to brush away excess powder that make stick around your design. Do not blow on it to remove extra bits of powder or you may also blow it off the design.
3. You can use an Embossing Pen (#Z724, $2.95) to crate your own design to be embossed. You can use this pen which has both fine and bullet tips to hand write messages or titles, draw details to be embossed or touch up mistakes in embossed designs.
4. I often hold my project with a wooden clothespin or pair of tweezers while embossing to prevent my fingers from becoming too hot.

Second Generation Stamping

This technique is so common and you will find yourself using it a lot once you try it. Second generation stamping is a great way to add depth to a project. It is also a wonderful way to use many of our layered stamps that have a solid version and an outline version. Here are a few simple steps:

Tips:

1. Let’s say that you are doing a background with solid leaves. Ink up your stamp and stamp a leaf on your paper.

2. Now ink up your stamp again, but this time stamp it on a scrap piece of paper and then on your project without re-inking the stamp. The result is a lighter image.

3. You can create even 3rd or 4th generation images if you wish, by simply stamping it multiple times on a scrap piece of paper before stamping it on your project.

4. To use this technique with 2-part stamps, stamp the outline version with a first generation stamping.  Then stamp the solid fill-in stamp with a lighter, second generation image on top of the outline image.

5. This is a technique that I use very frequently and examples are found on many of the artwork samples on this web site.

Chalked Backgrounds

My friend Diana gave me a beautiful card matted with a piece of background paper that she created using chalks! It was so beautiful and I just had to learn how. Did you know that you can create your own beautiful background paper using just chalk and a chalk eraser?! I have always enjoyed coloring with chalks, but this is a fun new way to use them. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is to do. Here’s how!

Supplies:

CTMH soft chalks
Cardstock
Cotton Ball
Chalk Eraser

Directions:

1. Rub a cotton ball on the chalk to pick up the color.

2. Rub the chalk all over the cardstock to get a nice rich, even background.

3. Use the chalk eraser to erase away the chalk in the design you choose. On the sample card on my web site, a plaid pattern was created simply by erasing a straight line! You could get creative and make swirls, checks, even write messages!