Topflight Stamps Inky Fun

Hello Blogland, here today with my Topflight Stamps project that is super quick and simple. Finding time to Craft during the holidays can be hard but getting that few minutes of stress free fun is critical. Here is a simple way to steal 15 - 30 min of time for yourself to help keep your merry intact! 

Here is my 1st page. I decided to just stamp on card stock to make it easier, but then I will fussy cut or tear my design & put it in this Jane Davenport journal. This way I can build my coloring book as I go but can also add in art journal pages if I have more time. 

The stamp I used fits this journal perfectly. It is also chock full of fun! I thought it would make for an awesome coloring page design. It was stamped in black archival ink so if I wanted to use a wet media on top I could. I did use the Stamp Press for this to get a good image. 

Then it was a matter of pulling out some color pencils & just having a few minutes of old time coloring fun. I could literally feel my shoulders relaxing as I did this. Hot Tip: Spend a few extra minutes stamping these out ahead of time so you can just grab your image & color pencils & have an art relax.I also added in just a bit of watercolor paint in the more open areas. Thanks for joining me for my last 2019 Topflight Post! Remember code KARENBEARSE KARENBEARSE gets you a discount. I hope you have a Merry Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate, a Happy New Year and you get to spend precious time with family & friends.

AALL & Create Stamp- Bloom & Grow
Jane Davenport Mixed Media Journal  
Washi Tape


**some of these links are affiliate, I receive a small percentage from the company at no cost to you. This may help me continue to bring you techniques & more inspiration.

Christmas Junk Journal Part 3 with the Pocket Notebook.

Hello Inky Friends, I am here today with Christmas Junk Journal Part 3. Today I start working on the inside of the book focusing on 5 techniques to add some mix media fun & shiny details to your tags, pockets or cards. I also have a flip through video with more tips! I may have gotten carried away because this book is JAMMED with Joy.

Here is Book 1 of my Christmas Junk Journal Organizer. It is the journal portion of my December Daily which is a documenting concept by Ali Edwards. Every year I threaten to do DD & some years I get all the way past the 25th and some only to day 4. Most years I manage to buy an entire collection of paper & stuff though!!! I do always manage to document the story- usually just in a note book. 

Last year I did my journaling using The Journal die & added a few photos along the way. This book as you can see is not finished-opps. This year 2019 I am doing the same with the idea of printing out at least 1 photo a day that would not make the December Daily cut. Those random yet fun pics that are never printed. This way I have my story but also some pics & bonus get to use up some of my stash! 

There are 15+ papers plus tags & flip outs, folded that equals over 30 pages.

Here is a video flip through of my book! I start by showing the cover & then a flip through of Book #1- The December Journal. There are tips & tricks along the way explaining how I did things as well as part 2 which shows how I got those fabulous foiled snow flakes. I used a lot of Eileen's die cuts in this book!

I tried to do some batch crafting where instead of making 1 tag, assemble line 3... I thought for this blog post I would pick out 5 techniques & show you the fun! 

Technique 1: Epoxy Look- Die Cut & Emboss-this one is fairly self explanatory. I picked some different shapes, die cut them out of patterned paper, then heat embossed. Some were done with Eileen's clear Molten Glistening Glass & some with color. This flower is from Journal Card Flower & Leaves die cut. 

This is just a fun technique to do! Options are to distress the edges especially when using patterned paper, sprinkle glitter into the hot emboss. For this flower I added some of the Molten Golden Rod while my Glistening Glass was melted- just adds that wow factor. 

Look at how much better the deer on the left looks with the embossing added. This card also gets the wow factor with the Dec as a pull tab.  
 

Technique 2: Fun Pockets- Using the outline of the house from the House/Pocket die cut multiple patterned papers to use as pockets. 

You can either cut the paper in half or fold it in half & glue it on the edge of a page creating a pocket on either side of the page. Another idea is to actually create a house like the packaging & put it the middle of a signature as a double pocket.  

Technique 3: Decorative Napkins- Cover card stock with paper napkin using decoupage glue. Use this to create pockets, flips & tags  or background pages.

Technique 4: Foiled Accents-Make a sandwich of card stock, double sided adhesive & rub on a piece of foil. This one is a new favorite- Rainbow Shattered Glass. Cut out some Sizzix snowflakes by Tim Holtz. If you want a puffy image use Double sided foam instead.

*The lower snowflake I also added a layer of Glistening Glass emboss. Totally changes the look & now the foil is protected from scratching! The downside is you do lose the look of the shattered part of the foil.

Technique 5: Metallix- to add a touch of raised metallic shine. Grab your favorite Christmas stencil. To help keep stencil in place spritz with Pixie spray, wait a minute and now your stencil is sticky & will adhere to your paper. Scrape Metallix Gel on with a palette knife. 

Keep the gel level with the stencil to get a good crisp image. Set aside to dry. You can add details to tags, pockets, frames etc this way. Once it is dry highlight the letters with a paint pen. Hot Tip: Take your favorite die cuts & make your own stencil. 


This month the Eileen Hull Inspiration team are making Christmas projects or doing a roundup of favorite projects or both so check Eileen's blog every week for inspiration. If you haven't I highly recommend you join the Eileen Hull Fan club on Facebook, where she does weekly live teaching videos, it is just a great group of encouraging inspiring folks. Remember to answer the few questions to make sure you are not a spammer. 

Here is the cover that this book will slide into as I continue to build it. Here are the links:
Christmas Junk Journal Part 1- the Book Cover
"                           "      Part 2- Tags & Ephemera

Supply List:
Eileen Hull Pocket Notebook die by Sizzix, Journaling Words, Journaling Cards- Flowers & Leaves, House Pocket, 
"             " Molten Dimensions Embossing Powder by Emerald Creek 
ColorBlends Ink
Tim Holtz dies by Sizzix
Therm*O*Web Deco Foil, Metallix & Double Sided Adhesive. 

*Affiliate- some of these companies have given me product to use, play & experiment with. The ideas are my own but I tend to work with companies whose products I like so enjoy the inspiration. 

Inspired Book- Creative Mess Booklet #1

Hello Topflight Stamps Fans, I have post #2 for my Inspired Book that I made last month. November has been a crazy month of travel, teaching & kid stuff. This is going to be an inky post with a favorite technique for making the booklets that go in your journals. If you are on the Journal craze or just want to make a creative notebook I hope you have a chance to make one of these books. 

My 1st booklet is to write down ideas, inspirations & anything artsy that comes to mind. I made the cover a separate piece & the lined booklet was sewn together. This way I can simple replace the booklet when full leaving the cover intact. My pages were cut from lined paper 8"wide x 6.5" tall. It is hard to see the booklet in this pic, more on that below.

I have been playing with Gel Plate a lot lately mainly due to some of the classes I am teaching. I love the way ink moves so differently on the plate & allows for some unique quick & easy backgrounds. For the cover of my book I decided to experiment with Infusions to see how it worked on the plate. Basically sprinkle the Infusions on the plate & spritz with water. Dab the paper on the plate picking up the colors. A little goes a long way so just sprinkle a bit to start with and add a generous 2-3 spritzes of water. 

Infusions colors are so rich & concentrated. I did one layer (left hand side) of dabbing the paper down, dried with a heat gun & then added a 2nd layer (right hand side) more sparingly. Love how rich this color is! The interesting thing is I think the gel plate holds the walnut crystals allowing for more pigment to show through. 

I added a 2nd color- Royal Blood and just added a touch here & there. Love this background!!! I think you get a richer color with the Gel Plate, less of the brown from the walnut crystals. Just an extra tool in the tool box. 

Speaking of tools, did you know that on the Topflight Stamps shop page, a lot of the stamps shown have inspiration right there for you? Just click on the mini image to the right of the main image. I used this sample by Rachel Greig owner of Darkroom Door to inspire my cover. 

Loving the look of the background created, & not wanting to potentially wreak it meant putting the sentiment on another paper. The sentiment was embossed so it would really show. Adding the quote in Glistening Glass which is clear seemed a good idea. That means my sentiment will be white like the card stock. I put a few sprinkles of A Bit Jaded on the Gel Press, spritzed with water & once my image had cooled dabbed the paper in it. The emboss will resist the ink as it is water based. Sorry the colors are off in this photo you see the true color below.

I mistakenly rubbed off some of the word "am" but mistakes often create opportunity. I  re-stamped the word on white paper & cut it out, distressed the edges & popped it on my card. Love how that looks, really adds to the sentiment. I also carefully stamped some of the splats from the stamp with black ink, then distressed the edges.

Lastly I stamped some random images on my background just to add some interest. I used Grunge Marks & Arty Hexagons both from Darkroom Door Stamps.

I used a variety of stamps which I got from Topflight Stamps to add fun & interest to my pages. Some of the images were direct to paper but because it is thin the images were seen on the other side. Most were stamped on copy paper & cut out then glued.

Just stamp away- off course I used a trusty stamping press to make sure my images were crisp. These stamps are Seth Apter.

I also added some stenciling using different colored inks & a dabber to get a nice image. Some pages also had washi added for more color & interest. What I love about this project is I can use any colors or themes as the book goes on, it doesn't have to be matching. This washi is Alexander Renke & the stencil is Pronty.

Seriously love how these wee foxes look! They are from washi tape. The stamps are PaperArtsy Scrapcosy 5. Look at the fox looking up are the mushroom- too fun. 

Lastly I added some more Glistening Glass embossing powder to the outside of my book to give it the same shine as the spine. It will also protect that crackle paste so it doesn't chip off. I also added the A Flair For Buttons butterfly. For the full tutorial on this book you can go here. That's it for this post. I hope you can get some arting done today!

Supplies:

PaperArtsy- Infusions in Blackcurretn, Royal Blood & A Bit Jaded

"          "      Stamps-Zinski Art 41, Scrapcosy 05,

Seth Apter Stamps by PaperArtsy

Eileen Hull Glistening Glass by Emerald Creek

Stamperia Steampunk News Stamp

Darkroom Door - I Am Creative,
Collage Stamp & Polka Dots Stencil

Pronty Grunge Circle Stencil

Washi Tape- various & Foxes
Gel Press 

*Affiliate- some of these companies have given me product to use, play & experiment with. The ideas are my own but I tend to work with companies whose products I like so enjoy the inspiration. 

**some of these links are affiliate, I receive a small percentage from the company at no cost to you. This may help me continue to bring you techniques & more inspiration.

Christmas Junk Journal Organizer Part 2

Hello Blogland, I am here with part 2 of my junk Christmas junk journal. This will be my design team post for Topflight Stamps so let's see what inky fun we can get up to! Happy Mix Media Monday!

My book will need some tags, pockets & in general some shenanigans. How about we make ephemera that can be used for scrap booking, art journal or even your December Daily? These pieces can also be used as a back ground for cards, tags, etc.

I started with some random pieces of white card stock. Next sprinkled some of the PaperArtsy Infusion on my craft sheet & spritzed with water. See the magical crystals come to life? This is Sunset Beach.

I then took a wet paint brush to smooth the color across the card- hum pretty but it takes away from what makes this product special- multiple colors & the walnut crystals. 

Next up, sprinkle some crystals on the craft mat, spritz with water & with a new piece of card stock I tapped it into the colorful puddles, moving the card around to get the color on the card. I left some spaces white. Dry the card somewhat. To add more dynamics, repeat the last step with a change of color & add it into the white areas. Dry the card. Continue by adding color on top of the existing color, if you have added too much just pull the color up with a tag or paper towel. This is Royal Blood & Black Current.

It was fun to experiment, I even grabbed some tags that already had some back ground on them & just dabbed some color on top. I also added color to that red card from the top photo- more Royal Blood & Black Knight- that would be perfect for something Halloween like! I may have over done that one a tad- hee hee.

This sample instead of tapping into the puddles, the paper was dragged through creating streaks. The card on the right was made using the left over ink & that is why it is lighter. It was finished off by adding some Lemonchello directly on top & then spritzing with water, using my finger to spread. I hope you give this product a good play & experiment to see what else it does! 

Dry all the card stock really well. Time to pull out the die cuts! Cut a bunch of tags, shapes ephemera etc. I will list the dies I used in the supplies. 

These pieces are so rich in color & I just love the look of the these. I also am finding it makes more sense to die cut a bunch of things when you are crafting than to just do 1 at a time. The key to this is to have you die pieces organized so they are easy to find & pull out when you don't have time to cut. I have that solution for you further down in the post. 

Next step was to grab some stamps & make some ephemera. I put on a movie & just had fun making bits'n pieces for my junk journal. Using more die cuts or pieces of pattern paper & stamping randomly. 

Here is one of the tags I made. The background was one of my Infusion samples. Some random stamping on the background. Colored in the stamped images with watercolor paint & added some ephemera.

If you want an idea of how to organize your ephemera I made another book to house my die cuts in an easy way. You can find that post here. There is also a link to a video that shows how to thread these books once we are done. 

Here is the cover of the book that is Part 1 which will house the fun ephemera that was show today. It was made using Eileen Hull's Pocket Notebook die, & there is a full tutorial which you can find here.

I hope you join me next month for part 3 where the insides of the book will be worked on. Stay tuned! 

Supplies:
PaperArtsy Infusions- Emerald Isle, Sunset Beach, Royal Blood, Black Knight, Black Current, & A Bit Jaded.  
Paper Artsy Stamps- ZA18, ESN40,ETS27, 
Eileen Hull die cuts by Sizzix
Tim Holtz Tags & Ephemera & diecuts by Sizzix
Cardstock

Christmas Junk Journal Organizer with Eileen Hull's Pocket Notebook

Hello Blogland, I am here today with Part 1 of a Christmas Organizer using Eileen Hull's Pocket Notebook. This is a project that I have had in my brain for literally years, or a variation of it anyway. As November has hit the Inspiration Team are working on holiday projects so grab your favorite beverage- coffee, spiced cider or wine depending on the time of day!

Here is my finished book cover. This is a definite case of having an idea in your head with no idea if it will work out in practice. The best part for you is I will have a list of what I would do different next time, as I did come across some challenges along the way. 

I wanted this book cover to be made of fabric with quilt like padding but sturdy enough that it could hold many pages & end up being a chunky junk journal. I set off on this journey with some luscious Tim Holtz fabric. It is not Christmas themed but has the potential with the map, postage & package labels... love it! Here is the back of my book. Directly below in red is what I would do differently. If you are making a book read the steps 1st & in red see how I would fix my challenges & do things differently.  

I am entering this in the Mini Album Makers Challenge this month. 

 *I would change the way I make the next book. I think I would fuse the fleece to the inside papers & cut the covers using the die. Next assemble the book covers as usual. Then hand cut the fabric larger than the book & adhere the fabric with double sided adhesive, leaving a 1/4" around the edges so I am not sewing through the adhesive. Another option to solve this problem would be distressing the edges or adding something around the edges like lace. 

Step 1: Carry on this way if the edges don't bother you & you want the look I achieved. Cut a piece of fabric large enough to cut 2 book covers out of & iron on the Therm*O*Web Heat n Bond Fusible Fleece. Follow the directions on the packaging. This will be the outer layer of our book. 

Step 2: Cut 4 pieces of book paper or newspaper (this will be sandwiched on the inside of the book so it doesn't matter what it looks like). Cut 2 pieces of music paper being careful with the direction- ie: cut one piece with the holes on the left & one with the holes on the right so when you put your book together the music & words are the right way up. Adhere 3 pages together either with a glue stick or double sided adhesive keeping the glue away from the edges so you won't sew through glue. Make sure the music paper is on top to create the inside covers. 

Assemble the 2 covers using Red Liner Tape along one of the middle edges & lining up the middle hole.

Sew around the cover. *this is what it would look like if you are using the other method. The cover would be sewn from the inside of the book. It will be necessary to  re-punch the holes through the fabric with a cropodile. Follow the rest of the directions as normal.

Here is my book after the edges have been sewn.

Step 3: At this point I felt my spine needed some re-enforcement so I cut a piece of mat board to fit inside the spine, covered it with double sided adhesive & fabric. I went with fabric, tearing instead of cutting it about 1/2" wider then the board. Just a design decision. Alternatively you could also paint the mat board or cover it in paper. 

Adhere & then re-punch the holes using a cropodile or punch, don't worry if you can't see the holes very well because of the fabric & the batting. Hot Tip- fabric only tears in one direction you may have to cut it & fray by pulling at the strands along the edges. Also cut your fabric a little longer as well so the mat board doesn't show. The base of our book is done!!! Now it is time to decorate. 

I had the hardest time trying to figure out what to put on my cover! I had ideas of die cut corrugated deer, Santa ephemera or junk journal type ephemera. Nothing was working, I think in part I did not want to cover up the fabric. Finally I went with a combo of digital ephemera & die cuts. I am really happy with how this turned out!

Here is part 2 in the series you can find it here. This one is a tutorial on how to create tags, pockets etc to build the ephemera for the book. Next month I will work more on the inside Junk Journal pages, the binding & theme of the book.I hope you have a chance to get inky today!

Part 3 is up! It includes how to make the 1st book which is a December Journal booklet. 

Supplies:
Eileen Hull Pocket Notebook die by Sizzix 
Tim Holtz Snowflake, Tree & Deer dies by Sizzix
HeatnBond Fusible Fleece by Therm*O*Web
Double Sided Adhesive & RedLiner Tape by Therm*O*Web
Fabric & Christmas Ephemera by Tim Holtz
Owl Digital Tickets by Artymaze
Flowers by Prima Marketing
Distress Oxide in Gathered Twig by Ranger