Cards using Perfect Pearls

I love reading other crafty blogs and learning about new (or rather new to me) products and techniques.  Last week I watched an amazing video showcasing stamping and using Perfect Pearls.  You can find the blog post I was inspired by here:

http://nicholeheady.typepad.com/capture_the_moment/2013/04/make-it-monday-113.html

At first I was a little hesitant to try the Perfect Pearls.  Mostly I was afraid of the mess and getting pigment everywhere.  I feel the same way about glitter.  I love the stuff, but don't want to be walking around with flecks of glitter stuck to my nose.  The cards on the blog were so lovely, so I had to give it a try, and honestly I am super glad that I did.  Best tip ever - When working with glitter or fine pigments, use a Swiffer dust cloth to wipe down your surfaces and work space.  Keeps everything nice and tidy and fine particles really cling to them well.
I purchased the Ranger Perfect Pearls set from Michaels.  I chose a set that included four colors: Mandarin, Green Patina, Perfect Bronze and Biscotti.  I also bought the Ranger Perfect Medium to stamp my images with.  I love the way you can blend one pigment into another creating a smooth transition of color in one image.  It kind of seemed like magic when I made my first card.
I used Basic Grey's Medallion Stamps and a stamp set from Unity Stamps for these four cards.
It was really easy.  First stamp the image using the Perfect Medium, then apply the Perfect Pearls fine powder pigment with a paintbrush over the image, wipe away the excess powder and an iridescent image remains.
I made four cards in less than 30 minutes.  With a little bit of bronze metallic twine and a few orange rhinestones the cards were complete. I suggest watching the YouTube video included in the blog link above for complete instructions. 

Another Card Book

So I should admit this was actually the first card book I made.  I sent it to a friend for her birthday but wasn't sure if she had received it yet, so I did not want to post it until I was sure.  At this point enough time has passed and hopefully it arrived safe and sound. I once again used the Stack the Deck binding system to make six pockets which fit six cards and envelopes inside.  The cover and folders are covered using Basic Grey's Fact and Fiction lines.  It is possible that the clouds are from a different Basic Grey line.  I love the whimsy of the clouds and kite for the cover.
I did not get a good picture of the cards I included in this card book. I used six cards from Pebbles Card Making pad and stickers from Elizabeth Craft designs for the cards. 
I absolutely love the Pebbles Card Making Pad.  Each pad contains 36 cards that are pre-scored and you can just tear out from the pad.  Each card is blank on the inside and the outside is a fun basic pattern.  Each pad contains nine different colors,two patterns for each color and two of each card.

 
The patterns include chevron and polka dots.   They are great basics and for a card maker like myself, these card pads are a must have.  I bought both the primaries and the brights color pads.  They can be purchased at www.pebblesinc.com

Card Books



So recently I have been really into making mini-albums.  As I have mentioned before, I ♥ papercrafts and tend to lean more towards card making than scrapbooking.  Scrapbooking intimidates me, but mini-albums are smaller scaled like cards and easier for me to wrap my head around.  My recent obsession is combining the mini-album and cards into a card book.  Perfect for gift giving (in fact I gave this book to a friend for her birthday) the book holds six cards and can easily be reused to hold other cards or made into a mini album to hold photos and such. 

I used the "What's Up" collection by Basic Grey for the mini album and all the cards. I think the "Stack the Deck" book binding technique is the easiest way to make mini albums.  You can find the instructions on how to make a "Stack the Deck" binding here http://followingthepapertrail.blogspot.com/2011/12/on-first-day-of-christmas-projects-2011.html.

Each of these cards is A2 sized and I used A2 envelopes for the pockets of the book as well. Sooner or later I will charge the battery of my camera and stop using my cell phone to take photos for my blog.  Although I have to admit I think the camera on my cell phone is 14 megapixels and my camera is only 10. 

Side note: One of my goals for this year to get enough courage to make and sell these little gems and other papercrafts at a local craft fair.  Of course that requires having enough time and inventory to do so.  Hopefully one day I will get there, until then I will continue to make gifts for my friends and showcasing things here on my blog.   Additionally, I would love to teach a class at a local scrapbooking store as well.  Anyone interested in learning how to make one of these cards books?  Let me know and maybe I can put on a class. 

 

The Northwest Paperchase and Easter Cards

For the first two weeks in March the Northwest Paperchase happens and scrapbook stores in Washington and Oregon offer 20% discounts, fun make and takes and loads of fun times.  This year I made it to 17 of the 23 scrapbook stores that were participating. I love going to so many different stores and learning new things along the way.  The sheer amount of creativity out there is amazing and I am constantly inspired to try new techniques. 

At the Scrappy Stamper in Centralia, Washington I saw some beautiful cards samples and learned a delightful new technique that incorporates Scor-Tape sheets, microfine glitter, Elizabeth Craft Design stickers and Copic markers. I have to be honest, I love the look of glitter, but I hate getting it everywhere and finding it on my face or my clothing later on.  I was a little nervous at first because these cards not only have glitter, but uses microglitter.  The little bit of mess was worth it though.  First you adhere the Scor-Tape squares to plain cardstock.  Then once you have cut the cardstock down to the right size you remove the adhesive backing and cover the surface with microglitter.I used a tray to keep the glitter contained.  Once covered in glitter, shake the excess off and use a bone folder to really rub the glitter into the surface of the adhesive.  Then apply the sticker and use Copic markers to color right on top of the glitter within the sticker outline.  I love the way the Copic markers blend and are so vibrant on top of the glitter.  I used the brush end of my Copic sketch markers and the glitter did not come off onto the marker. I finished the cards by mounting the glittered squares onto gold cardstock and adhering the eggs to the front of cream A2 sized cards.  I embellished using some gold and cream washi tape and gold hemp twine.  A Happy Easter stamp from Impress Rubber Stamps finishes the cards.