Anything Goes with Topflight Stamps

Hello, I'm back with another Topflight Stamps card for you! This week's theme is "Anything Goes" so I had the pleasure of going through my stamp stash to find my inspiration.

My focal image for this collage card is from one of my favorite PaperArtsy designers, Lynne Perrella (set LPC048). I paired it with a gel print background and die cuts (Masterpiece Design - Tag It).

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out the Topflight Stamps store for a wide selection of different and hard to find stamps, stencils and other paper crafting supplies from all around the world! Also keep an eye on the Topflight Stamps blog. There is new inspiration posted daily!

Topflight Stamps Supplies Used:

PaperArtsy Stamp Set - LPC048

Masterpiece Design Stamp Set - Label Mania

Masterpiece Design Die Set - Tag It
Lavinia Stencil - Flourish

Versafine Pigment Ink Pad - Onyx Black
Embossing Ink Pad

embossing powder

watercolors

Gel Press Plate

Mixed Media + Halloween with Topflight Stamps

Hello, this week at Topflight Stamps our theme is "Mixed Media". I love using "all the things" so this is right up my alley! I'm in Halloween crafting mode so I chose to make an appropriately themed card.

The background is a Gel Press print to which I applied texture paste through a PaperArtsy Mini Stencil, then sprinkled with Oiled Slate WOW Embossing Powder. Once the paste was dry, I heat embossed the powder. I layered on die cuts, fussy cut Katzelkraft stamped images and fabric.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out the Topflight Stamps store for a wide selection of different and hard to find stamps, stencils and other paper crafting supplies from all around the world! Also keep an eye on the Topflight Stamps blog. There is new inspiration posted daily!

Topflight Stamps Supplies Used:

Katzelkraft Stamp Set - Cats

Katzelkraft Stamp Set - Pilgrim

Masterpiece Design Memory Planner Die Set - Tag Mini Album
AALL & Create die sets - SkyCrosssed Paradise #34
PaperArtsy Hot Picks stencil - PM025

Versafine Pigment Ink Pad - Onyx Black

Gel Press Plate

PaperArtsy Fresco Paint - various
watercolors
Texture Paste

WOW! Embossing Powder - Oiled Slate

Distress Plaid Paper Pad

NEW Lavinia Chalk Paint + Gel Press Fun at Topflight Stamps

This week our theme over at Topflight Stamps is Anything Goes! We get to play with whatever strikes our fancy. I just got my hands on some of the new Lavinia acrylic chalk paint so I pulled out my Gel Press plate and had some fun.

The paint worked well on my Gel Press plate and comes in so many lovely colors! I went to town and made a whole stack of prints. The paint dries with a matte finish so it's perfect for layering on stamping and other mixed media techniques.

I chose two of the prints to use for my tag – the tag base and the raised panel with the seahorse stamped on it. See the list below for all the different stamps and inks I used.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out the Topflight Stamps store for a wide selection of different and hard to find stamps, stencils and other paper crafting supplies from all around the world! Also keep an eye on the Topflight Stamps blog. There is new inspiration posted daily!

Topflight Stamps Supplies Used:

Lavinia Stamps - Sebastian Seahorse, Sea Creatures, Mini fish, Shoal of Fish, Seaweed 2, Fish Set

Lavinia stencil - Coral ST003

Lavinia Elements Ink - Bermuda, Mulberry

Versafine Clair Ink - Shady Lime, Twilight

Versafine Ink - Black Onyx

Gel Press plate
Lavinia acrylic chalk paint - Spruce, Calypso, Snow White, Thistle Mist, Lime Zest, Parisian

Celebrate 6 With a Topflight Stamps Birthday Hop!

It's Topflight Stamps 6th birthday and to celebrate, I’ve teamed up with some great designers to showcase celebratory projects using the unique products available at Topflight Stamps. Please hop along with us and see all the beautiful talent from this group of amazing designers! There is a master list of Hop stops on the Topflight Stamps blog. We are also Hopping on Instagram! You can start at the Topflight Stamps account @topflightstamps .

Did we mention there will be prizes?

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Of course, it wouldn’t be a birthday celebration without prizes. Topflight Stamps is giving four lucky winners $50 Gift Certificates to the store. Two winners will be chosen from commenters on the blog hop and two will be chosen from commenters on the IG hop. For a chance to win, make sure to visit the stops on the hop and leave a comment by April 1st. Winners will be announced on the Topflight Stamps blog on Monday, April 3rd. U.S.A winners only due to shipping issues. Good Luck!

Let's take a look at the card I made for our Hop:

I loved this Frogs stamp set from Katzelkraft and had to make them the stars of this birthday card. They are so cute! The background I created using a round Gel Press plate and Lavinia inks. (Lavinia Elements inks work really well on the Gel Press plates!)

Don't miss the sale also going on over at Topflight Stamps! There is a wide selection of fab stamps and products sourced from all over the world.

Topflight Stamp products used:

Katzelkraft stamp set - Frogs Lavinia stamp - Fern Heads AALL & Create stamp set - Everyday Sentiments Lavinia stencil - Coral Paper Favourites - Distressed Wood

Gel Press plate - round Lavinia Elements Ink - Bermuda, Blue Atoll, Russet Orange watercolors

Sizzix Chapter 1 Card Tutorial with Eileen Hull Dies

Hello there! All this month Eileen Hull's designers have been sharing the tutorials from their fabulous projects shared in the Chapter 1 Release Party January 3rd. This week it's my turn! First up is this mixed media card I created.

The new Chapter 1 release:

Here is a bit of the how-to for my project…

1) First I embossed a piece of white card stock using the 3-D Tablecloth Embossing Folder. This new folder is right up there with Eileen's other 3-D Embossing Folders. The detail is AMAZING! I love it. I inked the embossing folder with Archival ink first, then embossed the paper. The ink transfers into the recessed areas of the embossing. It really makes the details pop.

2) The background is a full sheet of Tile Alphanumeric cut out of a gel print. You can also tear it apart at the perforations to make little letter squares or use the letters themselves. Very versa-tile! (ha ha)

3) The Library Pocket, ATC Card and Tab Die Set makes a great little pocket to hold a card that can be removed to write a little message on.

4) I also used some of Eileen's stamp sets (Buttons, Cards & More and Making Plans) to add stamping for visual texture to the card.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to keep an eye on Eileen's blog for more inspiration from the Educator and Inspiration Teams!

Supplies used:

Eileen Hull Die Set - Library Pocket, ATC Card & Tabs  ( Sizzix, SB )
Eileen Hull Die - Tile Alphanumeric  ( Sizzix, SB )
Eileen Hull 3-D Embossing Folder - Tablecloth ( Sizzix, SB )
Eileen Hull Stamp Set - Buttons, Cards & More
Eileen Hull Stamp Set - Making Plans
Gel Press Printing Plate

Some links in this post are affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! (My husband also thanks you!)

Gel Press + Eileen Hull Dies = Fabulous!

Hello! This month the Teams of Eileen Hull are collaborating with Gel Press and the paint is flying! Gel Press makes a wonderful assortment of gel plates and products for monoprinting and it is truly addictive. Once you start pulling prints you won't want to stop! Eileen's dies and gel printing are perfect combination to create fabulous projects.

I have a Full Size Journal creation to share with you this week. First though, the story behind it. Last October Tim Holtz re-imagined a beloved (but retired) Sizzix die set – and the new Village Collection was released. The original Village Dies were large steel rule dies but this new collection is a complete set of mix and match Thinlits dies. Bottom line, it's a completely awesome set and has a whole bunch of pieces that need organizing. Zoe Hillman came up with a very logical way to sort the dies on magnetic sheets that fit in Sizzix die storage envelopes and shared that with Village lovers everywhere so we could get organized too! I adapted the idea a bit to fit into binder made with Eileen's Full Size Journal Die. Perfect! Whew, now we can take a look…

Front cover

Back cover

The A5 dividers, plastic zip pockets and binder I cannibalized for the ring mechanism were all found on amazon (links in supply list below).

Now for the tips and tricks part! As far as using the Gel Press, I'm somewhat of a newbie and was winging it lol. So no fancy video from me. ;-) BUT, my teamie Karen Bearse just shared a two part video on her YouTube channel that has LOTS of great info and techniques. I highly recommend checking it out. Also, the Gel Press YouTube channel is an absolute treasure trove of videos on how to do all sorts of nifty things with Gel Press products. You will learn a ton! Don't miss those valuable resources.

Specifically for my journal:

I got all crazy and printed directly onto the mat board substrate I used for the covers. I also could have done prints on paper and then adhered the paper to the mat board before cutting the covers. I just went for it though. I like to live dangerously that way. ;-)

So after playing around, here are the covers with their 'base' layers. Pretty happy with that! Next I added some 'clouds' using one of the small plates from a Petites set:

I put the small plate onto one of my acrylic stamping blocks, applied white paint to it with a brayer, and then added texture with the center of a used up tape roll. I used the prepped gel plate just like a stamp!

Which brings me to 'found objects'. Random stuff from the recycle bin and around the house make fab tools for gel printing. Press them into the paint on your plate for added texture! Here's a photo of some of the things I used during these print making sessions. Stencils and foam stamps are also great tools. Keep your eyes open and all sorts of 'print possibilities' will present themselves.

I knew I was going to collage elements to the journal covers (houses and trees) so I created appropriately colored prints for the purpose during my printing play time.

I cut the elements out with the dies and glued them onto the covers.

I used the Impressables plate to add more layers over the collaged elements. (Print shown was for practice. I used the plate to print directly onto the covers by the base of the houses.)

Super fun texture plate. I will definitely be
experimenting more with it!

I added more details with foam stamps I had previously made with a flower die set of Eileen's. I also went in with a brown Stablio water soluble pencil to blend around some of the elements to add more depth.

Here's a peek at the insides:

I covered the inside covers with pages from a vintage 'how to build houses' book I have. (Appropriate right!) Then I did a little bit of gel printing over it. I still wanted the book pages to show through in spots so I didn't make it too heavy.

I printed on the dividers as well 'cause, why not?

Adding the ring binder spine: 

I cut the plastic cover away from the metal binder spine but I left some strips of plastic intact around the rivets that had attached the spine to the cover. I used E6000 glue to glue the tabs onto the cover spine. After it was dry, I also tied the metal binder spine in for added strength and decoration.

A look at some of the die pocket pages:

The pages are thin magnetic sheets adhered to heavy cardstock. They fit right into the zip pockets. Easy!

Whew! Thanks for stopping by and be sure to keep an eye on Eileen's blog for more inspiration from the Educator and Inspiration Teams.

Also keep an eye on the Gel Press YouTube channel to see how their Design Team utilizes Eileen's dies in their projects this month!

Supplies used:

Dies:

Eileen Hull Sizzix 

Full Size Journal Die  ( Sizzix / SB )

Folio Page, Pocket & Flowers Die Set  ( Sizzix / SB )

Vintage Truck Die ( Sizzix / SB )

Mandala Thinlits Die ( Sizzix / SB )

House Ornament Die - retired

Gel Press supplies:

Impressables Retro Leaves 12x12" Plate

Plate 8x10"

Petites - Call Out Set

Other:

mat board

brayer

lots of different acrylic paints from my stash

found objects for mark making

thick cardstock

Stablio water soluble pencil - brown

From Amazon:

plastic A5 binder

tabbed A5 dividers

plastic zip A5 envelopes

magnetic sheets

Some links in this post are affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! (My husband also thanks you!) 

Feeling Fall-ish Birthday Card with Eileen Hull

Hello and welcome to November! This month the theme on Eileen's blog is 'Seasonal Makes' which covers all the bases this time of year. I created a fall themed card for my mother-in-law's birthday next week. Take a look:

The card background is a monoprint made using a gel plate and then stamped with one of Eileen's new stamps (Snail Mail Everyday Sentiments).

I used some of Eileen's retired flower and leaf dies to cut the parts for the embellishment. The big flower on the bottom I embossed using her fabulous (seriously one of my favorite 3-D Embossing Folders) new Sweater folder.  I used a double sided adhesive sheet to attach the plaid fabric to a piece of cardstock before cutting out the center flower. This helps stabilize the shape and prevents fraying at the edges. 

There you go, this is a clean and simple card for me lol.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to keep an eye on Eileen's blog for more inspiration from the Educator and Inspiration Teams.

Supplies used:

Dies:

Eileen Hull Sizzix 

Sweater, 3-D Textured Impressions Embossing Folder  ( Sizzix / SB )

Romance Flower Die #661110 - retired

Leaves Die - retired

Heart & Soul Flower Die #661108 - retired

Other:

Eileen Hull Maker Forte stamp set - Snail Mail Everyday Sentiments

Gel Press Plate

Archival (permanent) inks

Distress Inks

acrylic paint

fabric

Double sided adhesive sheets

Some links in this post are affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! (My husband also thanks you!) 

New Eileen Hull Sizzix Dies - Notepad Die Tutorial

Hello Eileen Hull fans! Did you catch the Chapter 4 Release party and blog hop last week? If so, then you know that Eileen's latest release is awesome! Here's what she had to say about it:

"The Chapter 4 Sizzix Release is exciting for so many reasons – there are two never-done-before designs! One is the Full Size Journal which is a Bigz Pro size – you will need a machine with at least a 9" throat to cut this die- like a Big Shot Plus or Pro. Not to worry, if you don't have that machine, Eileen will have the pre-cut pieces available in her Etsy store for you to work with. The other new technology is a 3-D Embossing Folder! It's called Sweater and is oh so cozy. Also new this release is a Bigz Notepad Die with lots of options for materials and uses, and a Heart Mandala Thinlits Die to decorate with! "

Today I'm sharing the tutorial for the monoprinted Post-it pad holder I made using the Notepad and Heart Mandala Dies.

Open it up and you will find a Post-it pad!

More foiling on the back:

Let's see how it all came together!

Step 1 - after cutting out the cover pieces using Sizzix mat board, I printed directly onto the surfaces using my Gel Press plate. If you haven't played with monoprinting on gel plates you are missing out on a ton of fun! (Go fall into the rabbit hole of the Gel Press YouTube channel, you won't be sorry! If you are totally unfamiliar, here is a basics video.)

I brayered blue paint onto my gel plate and pressed a piece of bubble wrap into the paint to leave a texture. Next I pressed my cover pieces onto the plate to transfer the paint. (I did this to both sides.)

Step 2 - Creating layers in gel plate printing is the fun part! I added another color layer over the blue. I brayered pink paint onto the plate and positioned a mask cut from deli paper using the Heart Mandala Die. (Dies are so versatile!) The mask prevents the paint underneath from transferring onto your print (thus revealing the underlying layer already on your print).

At this stage, when the paint was dry on the covers, I also added more visual texture by stamping on them with archival inks.

Step 3 - Adding the foiling: Here's another trick to extend the use of your dies! I cut a Heart Mandala shape out of a double sided adhesive sheet. After peeling off the backing paper on one side, I stuck it onto the front cover and then carefully trimmed off the overhanging bits to use on the back cover.

The supplies!

I made sure to burnish the shapes down well so the adhesive would be firmly stuck to the covers.

After peeling off the second backing sheet, all I had to do was lay the Sizzix Effectz Foil sheet (shiny side up) over the sticky part, burnish, then peel off. Easy! I repeated for the back cover. What a great way to add bling to a project.

Step 4 - Since I wanted the notepad cover to be the height of a Post-it pad, I trimmed off the last two sections of the Notepad spine to make it thinner.

Step 5 - Finishing inside: the 5" long Post-it pad is too long to fit into the cover so I trimmed it and then glued it onto the back cover.

Step 6 - For a closure, I punched two holes into the back cover and then slid the ends of these elastic straps through.

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to keep an eye on Eileen's blog for more inspiration from the Educator and Inspiration Teams.

Supplies used:

Dies:

Eileen Hull Sizzix 

Notepad Die  ( Sizzix / SB )

Heart Mandala Die  ( Sizzix / SB )

Other:

Eileen Hull Therm-o-web Easy Cut Adhesive Sheets

Sizzix Effectz - Gold Foil Sheets

Gel Press plate

brayer

Tim Holtz Stamp Sets - Ledger Script, Grunged

Sizzix Mat Board

Crafter's Pick - The Ultimate! glue

Tim Holtz Idea-ology: Elastic Bands

lots of different acrylic paints from my stash

Archival (permanent) inks

Some links in this post are affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! (My husband also thanks you!)