You Rock My World: A Mixed Media Rock And Roll Explosion

So, how's that for a title eh? Well it is not very far off though. The number of media I used on this card is quite astounding: Watercolour, Cosmic Shimmer Sprays, Tonic Studios Embellishment Mousses, Brushos, Distress Inks, Embossing Powders and probably some more I can't remember:-) Lots and lots of layers to create a one of a kind card for my husband of 10 years.

So here's how I did it:

Knowing I was going to use many different wet mediums I started with an A3 piece of cold pressed water colour paper. I had sprayed it with Cosmic Shimmer Mist and watered down Tonic Studios Embellishment Mousses to create a shimmery water resistent base. I then cut two A5 sized pieces out of the middle and washi taped them down to my glass craft mat.
And then I took out my little Oxo tin of Brushos...

Brushos are small tubs of pigment powder. First I wet the page using a spray bottle of water and then I sprinkeld the brushos on. I have pierced a few holes in the lids of mine so I can sprinkle them rather than tip them onto my page. A little goes a long way. After I put them on I sprayed some more water on thill the colours started to flow.

I made sure I got some very vibrant and full colour on my pages before I took out a heat gun to dry it. To make sure it fully dried I then put my craft mat with paper taped to it in my trusty cardboard box that I usually use for spraying in:-)

After they had dried you could see the Cosmic Shimmer and embellishment Mousse splatters coming through the brusho layer. Really cool!

Next up I put some "hidden symbols" in using stamps, clear embossing powders and a heat tool. I used a Marianne Designs stamp of some Amsterdam Canal Houses (where we met and got married) and my recent purchase: a stamp of Clevedon Pier (close to where we now live).

When the heat embossing was set I broke ot my Distress Inks in Pine Needle, Chipped Sapphire and finally Black Soot to start covering the bright colours and create a Galaxy look. If you look closely you can see the heat embossed images coming through:-)

 I used the other piece to do some die cutting. I cut a bunch of Tonic Studios Dies: the Postal Type Lower Case Alphabet, the Rococo Music Electrical Guitar, Rococo Petite Musical Note and the Rococo Music Perfect Harmony. I also die cut the Stampin' Up! Swirly Scribbles Die and a small X-Cut Geometric Heart. 







For some of them I used black glitter card to make them stand out.

I matted the numbers on some black glitter card as well so they would stand out against the colourful background better.

And then it was a matter of assembling all the pieces. I laid out several arrangements and took pictures on my smartphone of each one so I could see whoch I liked and then start glueing everything on using the picture as a guide.

This was the present I had gotten him: An aluminium guitar pick that says: "10 years later I still pick you" S ❤ C  26-10-07. I found the pick on Etsy: Savage Moons, and the jewellery box at a charity shop and they gave it to me for free:-)

My husband was really happy with his gift and his card. And that makes me happy:-)

I'll be posting again soon with my first Christmas card. Have you started on your christmas cards yet?

x

Sonja

Win and Tonic: It's autumn!

One of this month's Win and Tonic themes is "Autumn colour" and as this is one of my favourite colour combinations it was easy to come up with a project:

I used a sketch I had found in Scrapbook and Cards magazine. I have a subscription to the paper version but you can read the electronic version online for free:-) It's full of card making and scrapbooking inspiration.

It was a pretty quick card to make so I actually made 2 in the same crafting session. I got to use a brand new Tonic product: Craft Perfect Striped Baker's Twine. This baker's twine will match the Craft Oerfect Cardstock and I used Espresso Brown on this card. I put some glue on the ends of the twin to keep them from unravelling.

For the finishing details I put little dots of Nuvo Drops on. These drops come in many colours and you can lots of different things with them but I use them mainly as a cost effective alternative to enamel dots:-)

For a chance of winning some great Tonic Crafty goodies head on over to the Win and Tonic blog and check out all the catergories you could enter in. Or just go and have a look for a lovely array of inspiration for your next crafting session.

Have fun!

Layering it up. Win and Tonic Challenge September 2017

Today I'd like to share with you a card I made for the new Win and Tonic challenge over at the blog. There are several choices to choose from and I choose the Technique Challenge which is all about adding dimension to your card. 

I used several techniques to add dimension to my card:

- Heat Embossing: I heat embossed the Tonic Studios Delicate Detail - Floral Flourish Stamp in white onto the card base. I also heat-embossed the "Happy" (Darkroom Doors - Whimsical Words) onto some vellum.
- Folding the Vellum over the card base was my second technique for adding dimension. Vellum can be tricky to adhere so I cut it a bit wider than my card and folded it behind the background panel to adhere.
- My third technique for adding dimension was to add some transparent Tonic Studios NUVO Jewel drops in Grey Mist (which dries clear, like water droplets). They really worked well with my water droplet background made with my new Tim Holz Distress Inks. 

So how do you like to add dimension to your projects? Let me know in the comments.

And be sure to head on over to the Win and Tonic Blog to see the other samples and why not add a card yourself and maybe you win some lovely Tonic Studios Goodies!

Happy Crafting!

Win and Tonic Challenge: Oxidized Copper Guilding

It's time again for a new challenge over at the Win and Tonic Blog. There is another fabulous prize made available by Tonic Studios so I do encourage you to check it out and join in the fun or even just check it out to get inspired to make something:

http://winandtonic.blogspot.co.uk/

This month's topic is "Anythig Goes" which means you can make any card ot project you like as long as it has at least 1 Tonic product on it. So this is the perfect month for me to show you a project I have been wanting to make for ages and finally had time and space for last month:

I am so happy with how this turned out!

Here's how to make it yourself:

1. Get your supplies together:

- Cardstock
- Liquid Glue: I used the large size Nuvo Glue Pen
- Stencil: I used a Tim Holz "Crackle" stencil
- Nuvo Guilding Flakes in Sunkissed Copper
- Embossing Folder: I used a retired Stampin' Up! folder called Alphabet Press
- Nuvo Embellishment Mousse in Aquamarine
- Typewriter Die and stamp set by Joy Crafts
- Stiff brush or sponge
- Wet wipes

2. Start by dabbing the glue onto the cardstock through the stencil. It doesn't have to be perfect but you should get a few good sized spots to have a good look later on.

Set to the side to dry up a but until the glue is dry and tacky. Wipe the glue of your stencil and die cut the typewriter while the cardstock dries.

3. Carefully open your pot of Guilding Flakes and gently put down large pieces all over the card.

4. When you have it all covered use the stiff brush to brush the excess flakes off (you can collect them in tub to use on other projects).

5. Place the guilded card in an embossing die and run it through a die cutting machine.

6. Time to add the embellishment mousse. Take a small amount out of the pot and put on your craft mat. Using you finger gently swipe it over the raised areas. Less is more here!

7. Final thing now is to assemble your card. I used some black cardstock as a base and layered  copper cardstock behind the guilded front.


8. Add the typewriter and you're done!

Hope you all liked this result and will give it a try. I'd love to see what you make. You can upload your creation to the Win and Tonic Facebook page and be in for a chance to win some fab Tonic goodies!

Have fun!

xx Sonja

Win and tonic Challenge May: Awesome Awesome Awesome

It's Win and Tonic time again peeps! And I am so excited about the Product Theme this month: Any Nuvo Product! Nuvo products are Tonic's colour media: markers, embossing powders, embellishment mousse and...glitter and glimmer!

I decided to have a play with the fabulous Glimmer Pastes. I die cut the Rococo Sneakers Die several times from white cardstock and stacked them on top of each other. Then I put some white cardstock behind it and carefully filled the empty space with Glimmer Paste in Pink Opal and Amethyst Purple. When that was dry I die cut one more sneaker from gold glitter paper and put it on top.

To make the actual card I used one of the Tonic Craft Perfect Foiled Card Blanks as a base and added a strip of turqoise dotted paper at the bottom. I die cut the word Awesome from the Miniature Moments - Awesome, Cool & Sweet die set and used a coloured in flower from the Delicate Detail Floral Flourish Stamp Set.

I hope you are inspired to make something too. Go and check out the Win and Tonic Blog to see what the other DT-members have made and what this month's price is:-)

This month these are you choices:

Colour - neutrals ie creams, taupes etc
Technique - stenciling with your dies
Product - any Nuvo product
Theme - open theme so any occasionInternational Entries also qualify!




Happy Crafting!

Love,  Sonja

Win & Tonic April Challenge: Stripe Inlay using the Best Friends die

Hello there!

I have some Spring inspiration for you and another change to win some fab Tonic Studios Goodies by taking part in the Tonic & Win Challenge this month.

The themes this month are:

Colour - think Spring, so anything pastel, greens, whatever makes you think of this season
Technique - make an Easter Treat box or bag or gift
Product – any basic shape die
Theme – open theme so any occasion

You can take one of the themes above and you need to use at least one Tonic Studios product. Make sure you have your entry posted by May 13th to be considered for a price. You can add it to the blog or post it on the Win & Tonic Monthly Challenge Facebook page.

I decided to go with the Spring Colours theme and made this Striped Cardstock Inlay card with the Tonic Studios Miniature Moments Best Friends die.



I learned this inlay technique from one of Jennifer McGuire's YouTube videos. I just used up some leftover cardstock in fresh spring colours and cut them into different size strips using my Tonic Studios 8" Guillotine. I then applied that to a piece of adhesive paper.

You can then die cut the sentiment, making sure you keep the inside bits of the letters. You die cut the sentiment one more time from regular white cardstock. You then adhere another piece of adhesive sheet right behind the die cut "window", this will allow you to put the white die cut into the striped piece. And then you can pop in the inner bits and pieces as well.

I then cut the who striped piece down a bit and matted on a piece of copper card. I adhered all that onto a white card blank.

Love how it turned out!

Hope you have fun in the challenge yourself. Make sure you check out all the other inspiration on the blog.

Tonic Studios launch Belle Boutique at Hochanda

People, do I have something lovely to share with you! Tonic Studios is launching some new stamps on Hochanda today (available in the UK, US and The Netherlands:-). They are the Belle Boutique rubber stamps: 3 individual ladies in beautiful gowns and 1 couple dancing. 

They are about 12-13 cm (~4  inches) high and have a brush pen sketched look. It really reminded me of a French Boutique full of designer balll gowns so I set about making a that:

I had to do a good bit of fuzzy cutting, particularly for the open backed dress and put some acetate behind it for support. But I am so happy with the result.

I stamped the ladies on some thick white cardstock ( I Use Stampin' Up! Thick Whisper White), coloured in the dresses with the Nuvo Brush Script pens and added details with the new Glitter Markers. These are just fab and will also be launched today.

Making the card base took a good bit of measuring but it worked out in the end. The scissors at the bottom hold the front up. If you want to send the card off flat you can just fold it flat.

The measuring tape is some washi tape I had in my stash. The Blush Gold card base is from Tonic Studios and the Patterned Paper is some scrapbooking paper I had in my stash. 

I made 2 more cards that I'll share on my Instagram later as well but I hope you can check out the show. There should be some fab inspiration on there from my fellow design team members.

The first show today airs at 5 PM UK time but there will be more shows and you can always watch the last 7 days worth of shows at your leisure. But they might be sold out by then:-)

In the UK you can find Hochanda at:

SKY 663 (24/7)

 

FREEVIEW 85 (24/7)

 

FREESAT 817 (24/7)

From the 1st of February you can watch www.hochanda.com in Netherlands on SBS9 every morning at 8am, for 3 hours.

Snailmail Mini Album

You may remember that I did a video about the Oh Happy Day Card Kit last year. It is such a cute box full of different sized cards in fresh, fun colours and prints. Already then I was thinking that it would be great to make a mini album with some of the cards and stickers. And last week I finally got around to it. I am a big fan of snailmail: writing fun, decorated letters to penpals around the world. I've had one penpal in Denmark for over 30 years now and we have been sending each other photo-booklet snail mail for several years now. She's a very creative lady so I thought she would appreciate this:

To make one of these yourself gather the following supplies:

- Different sized double cards
- Pockey tool
- Some thread
- Needle
- Stickers and embellishments
- Stamps and inks: I used Staz On and you can also use Tsukineko Brilliance ink to stamp on photos, esspecially home printed pictures.
- Photos printed in different sizes
- Temporary adhesive (I uses a Pritt temporary adhesive runner but you could also use a bit of Washi Tape)
- Adhesive (I used Stampin' Up! Fine Tip Glue Pen and Snail Tape runner)

Start by picking out some cards and putting them together. I picked a strong black and white pattern for the outside, mixed the sizes on the inside and also added and envelope. I plan to write on the white sides and put pictures on the patterned pages. Have a think about how many pictures to put and where so you know what to print and at which size. I use photo shop elements to combine different sized pictures on one sheet of A4 photopaper to print. You could also use a layout app to put different photos and print from that. Or just cut to size your ordered 4 x 6 inch prints.

Hold them together and using your pokey tool make several holes in the spine. I did 3 holes for a 6 inch high booklet. If your booklet is bigger you could make more holes. Then sew the cards together with some thread. I finished on the outside of the spine and left a good lenght of thread after I knotted it off. I want to hang something on it later.

When you have your booklet sewn together start thinking about what embellishments would go well on which page. I have found that if I start with the pictures and words I have a hard time finding the right embellishments and things start taking too long. So I use some temporary adhesive to tack them into place before I add pictures. I usually end up moving stuff around when I do the pictures but I know roughly what I have to play with.

When you are happy with your photos and embellishments you can write your letter. I did not have enough room to say everything so I stuffed another two pages into the little envelope:-)

Round off with extra embellishments and craft a fun envelope to send it on its way.

Happy letter writing people!

xx

Sonja

Tonic Studios January Challenge: win a set of 12 NUVO Mousses

Hi everyone!

I have some exciting news to share with you: I have been asked to join the Tonic Studios Challenge Blog Design Team and I said yes! Of course:-)

This Monthly Challenge is held at:

http://winandtonic.blogspot.co.uk/

And each month there are several categories to choose from and you have a chance at winning a prize. Now, being on the regular stamping design team I had already found out how generous they are so it is no suprise that they sponsor the challenge blog with some great prizes as well. This month you can win a set of 12 colours of Nuvo Embellishment Mousse:

This is a sample picture. Exact colours on the Challenge Blog

So to take part you need to make a new card using at least one Tonic Studios product (die, stamp, drops etc.) that fits the theme and get them onto the Challenge Blog. There are two ways to do this:

1. Make a blog post about your make and link this post at the bottom of the Monthly Challenge.
2. If you do not have a blog you can post your picture on a specific Challenge Facebook Page. The administrators there will upload your picture for you. 

All info on joining is here: 
http://winandtonic.blogspot.co.uk/p/entering-challenge.html

January's Challenge is:

Take Your Pick

There’s a list of options and you can choose any of the options. You can also combine some of the options if you want. There’s a colour option, a technique option, a product option and a theme option.

And this month they are:

1. Colour - open so please feel free to use any colour/s you want
2. Technique - layering – so nice and easy
3. Product – any Tonic Studios strip or border die or punch
4. Theme – love and marriage (Valentine’s Day :-)

I decided to go with the Colour Challenge:



I made the background using Nuvo Aqua Flow Watercolor Brush Pens on watercolour paper. I squeezed a few drops of colour from 3 colours onto a clear stamping block and then pushed the block onto a piece of watercolour paper that I had sprayed with a bit of water:



The butterfly is from the Roccoco Laura Butterfly die and stamp set. I coloured it in with the Aqua Flow Markers before cutting it out and then placed it on a second die cut butterfly in black to create some contrast.

I also added a few sequins and some glossy accents drops:



Really love how fresh and modern this looks.

I hope you can join in or at least go and check out all the fabulous entries there for inspiration. Winners are picked on February 14th, 2017 so get your entries in there well before that.

Wintry Birthday Wishes

Hello there! And a Happy New Year!

It's 2017 and I am rearing to go. I'll start things off with some wintry cards I made just before Christmas using some new Tonic Studios Sentiment Dies: Birthday Wishes and Sent with Love.

For the backgrounds I mixed three of my favourite Distress Inks: Picked Raspberry, Broken China and Seedless Preserves. Then I stamped a snowflake background (Hero Arts) onto it in Embossing ink and heat embossed with Stampin' Up! Irridescent Ice to give it some sparkle. Lastly I die cut both sentiments twice: once in white and once in black. I then stacked the white sentiment onto the black sentiment so that it overlapped a bit to create a shadow effect to make the sentiment stand out more. And then I adhered them to a thick cardstock base and sent them off to their new homes!

Thanks for dropping by and hope I inspired you to go and make something yourself.

xx

Sonja