Some random cards, a new technique and a VENT!!!

I made this card with my new Gruffies stamp after I spend over an hour perusing Kelly's blog - she inspired me to get them and ink them up! I coloured these two with my SU pastels, a medium I hadn't used in awhile! I put Crystal Effects on the shovel and added sugar coated brads. The sentiment says "spring has sprung" and it is from a clear Whipper Snapper set of the same name!! The card base is blue bayou (SU)
These 2 cards are the new technique I tried...FAUX WOOD! Inspired by Donelda, I thought I'd better get on it, and try it! I also wanted to use my new camping Riley. I coloured them both with prismas and gamsol but I made one tent brown and the other olive! Making the faux wood was easy and looks so cool. I started with More Mustard base, then swiped white Color Box ink down it, then swiped Chocolate Chip over that. It looks so real! I'm going to try it with a different colour base to see what effects that has...maybe this weekend!!! I used Kraft paper (seems to be my new fave) and chocolate chip for the base and layers!

Now, my vent. As some of you know, I've had a table at a Farmer's Market in a small town close to Calgary for the last 3 weeks. Last night I was SO frustrated I came home and cried. It was nice out, so it was busier than last week when it was rainy. BUT, no one bought ANYTHING! Nothing...nadda...zip...zilch! A few browsed, some said they'd buy some next week, others said they had no money...WHO DOESN'T TAKE MONEY TO A FARMER'S MARKET????? And, how many people spend oodles of dollars on mini donuts and ice cream?? ARGHHHH!!!! I'm wondering if it is even worth my time - 30 min. drive there - 30 min. home, gas (which is up to $1.30/litre here), $10 for the table and 3 hours of my time! Tim thinks it might be how I have things displayed, so I told him he had to build me something! LOL That went over well! I might have to do it myself!

I wish I had taken pics of my table so you could visualize it. On the right side of the table, I have my cards in short plastic bins, with bright coloured headings (birthday, wedding, etc.) and they are separated into 5 bins so several people can look at a time. I also had about 10 cards "show cased" on plastic plate holders (Father's Day, Grad, wedding, showers) and a big sign that said GET YOUR CARDS AND GIFTS FOR GRAD, FATHER'S DAY, WEDDINGS, TEACHERS. On the left half of the table, I have my 3D items - card kits (5 cards, envies, and a matching pen), wine charms, notebooks, bookmarks, pens, post it note holders, photo clips, etc.)

What I would like is a mini-Hallmark display case...like they have in the card stores - tiered but smaller so I can display the cards better. I'm not sure people like flipping through the bins. Or I need to buy one of those spinny card racks...but where do I find those???? Any pointers or tips would be helpful...I'm really at a loss!! Do you think I need to put them in plastic envelopes and sell them that way? I've thought about it, but the sloth in me doesn't want to sit and stuff them all....LOL Next week the BC fruit guy is coming so it will be really busy...I NEED to do something to catch their eye and keep them at my table & not at the schmoozy jewelery guys table beside me!!! He hits on all the women that walk by..it's hilarious! HELP ME!!!!!!!!!!

Knight in Shining Armour!!

I made these cards with my new Fairy Tale set by Doodle Factory - there are about 20 stamps in the set and they are CUTE! There is a wizard, a princess, a horse, dragons, a cart, a castle, a turret, frog, etc. Check them out at Starving Artistamps

So, here are the DEETS!! I MADE MY OWN TECHNIQUE (well, at least I think I did!! I'm sure it's somewhere but I came up with it on my own!) I call it...Faux Armour!! LOL I have seen faux denim & faux wood, but I needed something shiny and silver to go with my little knight. So, I rubbed Going Grey ink on my cardstock, then sponged on silver metallic reinker all over to give it shimmer (boy did it stink though! UGH) Done!

The first card I paper pieced his suit with another piece of "faux armoured" cardstock, but the second card I coloured him using gamsol & prismas. I added Crystal Effects to the shield in the first card, and all over his armour and shield in the second one. The sentiment is from Father Figure (Verve Visual) I added some brads and some photo corners and mounted it all on black to make it pop!!! What do you think???? He's cute eh?? You REALLY gotta check out the whole set - so cute!!!

Faux Suede Father's Day card

I made this card for my Daddy, who was a mechanic (he's retired now!) He used to come home and his work boots, clothes and hands would be so greasy, I can still smell it to this day!!! I wanted to "dirty" it up a bit so I crumpled the image and used Walnut Ink to distress it. I distressed the edges of the white and Close to Cocoa with my Heidi Swapp Edge Distressor (scissors work just as well though!) I coloured the puppy with Gamsol (OMS) and prisma's. I used some scrap leather string I had for "man ribbon" (LOL) and attached it to the faux suede background. That is then layered on Close to Cocoa and then on Chocolate Chip. The image is from a SU set called For Father. The sentiment is from A little birdie told me (SU). Now, for the technique!!! FAUX SUEDE - so fun, so easy and the texture IRL is amazingly "REAL"!!! The photo doesn't do it justice so TRY this technique & you'll see for yourself!!

What you need:

wax paper, a brayer, liquid applique (I used brown here but I have all sorts of colours), heat gun, cardstock cut to size that you want to be "suede" (I used Vanilla), scrap paper to lay down to protect your work surface

What to do:

1. squirt some liquid applique (LA) on the wax paper (be generous)

2. roll your brayer in the LA & get it nice and covered

3. place cardstock piece on scrap paper and roll brayer onto cardstock covering it all up - it doesn't have to be evenly distributed just cover all the paper; add more if you need it; make sure there are no big "globs" or they will puff up and you want this fairly flat

4. Using your heat gun, heat up the LA - you will see the colour change when it is "done"

5. FEEL the texture - it is glorious!!! I LOVE this technique!!!

6. You can stamp right on the LA if you want or use it as a background base

That's it....easy eh?? Let me know if you try this - I'd love to see what you come up with!! There are lots of other great ideas in the SCS gallery if you want to check them out - I just did a search for Faux Suede and got pages of cards!!! HAVE FUN!!!!!