Purple Faerie's 24 Days to Christmas

On the 24th day before Christmas my true love gave to me a years subscription to Technique Junkies and all the back copies in existence.

Card Created by Betsy Hawkins

Technique Junkie Technique: Ribbon Weaving

If you don't get the Technique Junkie Newsletter it would be a great request for Christmas as well as a wonderful addition to your technique library!

Christmas Cards:

A form of Christmas card began in England first when young boys practiced their writing skills by creating Christmas greetings for their parents, but it is Sir Henry Cole who is credited with creating the first real Christmas card. The first director of London's Victoria and Albert Museum, Sir Henry found himself too busy in the Christmas season of 1843 to compose individual Christmas greetings for his friends. He commissioned artist John Calcott Horsley for the illustration. The card featured three panels, with the center panel depicting a family enjoying Christmas festivities and the card was inscribed with the message "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You."

Technique ATC Swap

Here are the ATC's I got back for this swap. I submitted my Faux Parchment Java ATC for this one. This swap I participated in through the Technique Junkies, all technique information you can get by subscribing to the TJ newsletter.

Created by Top Left to Right

Susan Kesselman (Twinkling Watercolors), Cat Gondek (Top Latch Card), Shelly Schmidt (Aged Parchment), Janice Wood (AI Float), Deb Lovett (Mesh Direct), Deb Lovett (Bleached Color), Cat Gondek (Captured Beads), Juliet Arrighi (Faux Handmade Paper) and Shirley Zirkle (Twinkling H2O Resist)

I'm going to have to do this swap again...It is an ongoing swap.

Astarte's Mega-Zine

Just discovered this e-magazine and thought I'd share it with you. It is cocked full of stuff including free clip art and templates. It covers topics from scrapbooking to polymer clay art. Incredible publication.

Purple Faerie ATC Theme Swap: Technique Round

Here are the last of the Technique ATC's from the Purple Faerie Swap. I hope you have enjoyed the walk through the swap results.

Created by Denise Jack
Technique: Alcohol Ink


Created by Wendy Tunison Technique: Polished Stone


Created by Deb Lovett Technique: Spray Starch


Created by Gretchen Sheridan
Technique: Alcohol Inks

Purple Faerie ATC Theme Swap: Technique Round - Crayon Batik

Created by Mindy & Ainsleigh Rapp

Technique: Crayon Batik

Crayon Batik Tutorial

Supplies:

1. Crayons
2. Reinkers or Acrylic paints
3. Pan large enough to fit your paper into
4. Cardstock or any porous paper
5. Paper Towels

Step One

Create designs with the crayons onto your cardstock/paper

Step Two

Add your reinkers or Acrylics to your pan with enough water to submerge your paper 1/8" deep.

Step Three

Add your cardstock/paper (right side up) to the bath and let it soak up the dye mixture. When desired color/shade is obtained remove the cardstock from the bath and rinse with cool water to remove any excess dye. Lay to dry onto paper towels.

Step Four

Use the paper on a project.

Sample from Dot Calm Village

Purple Faerie ATC Theme Swap: Technique Round

Created by Allie Gower

Technique: Waxy Cuttlebug

Created by Nina Perrin

Technique: Aged Metal

Created by Betsy Hawkins

Technique: Marker Wash

Of course more of the ATC's from the Technique round of the swap...and I still have more to share so stay tuned in.

Purple Faerie ATC Theme Swap: Technique Round - Salt Dye

Created by Vanessa VanderHyde
Technique: Watercolor Salt Dye

Watercolor Salt Dye Technique

Supplies Needed

1. Reinkers, ink, watercolors
   
2. Watercolor paper or any scrapbooking (not slick) cardstock
   
3. Table salt, rock salt, sea salt - Use different size salt for different effects.
   
4. Paintbrush, rubberbrayer, waterbrush or any tool to apply color to paper

Step One

Apply color to your paper and shake salt onto paper. Let the ink dry completely then shake/brush off salt.

Step Two

Use your paper on any project.

Stamping With Di

Purple Faerie ATC Theme Swap: Technique Round

Created by Deborah Cariker
Technique: Nail Polish

Nail Polish Technique

Supplies Needed

1. **Well ventilated location to do the technique**
2. Disposable or reusable tub to hold water. Needs to be larger than the size of your paper.
3. Finger Nail Polish - at least 3 colors
4. Paper Towels
5. Card stock you will be creating the technique onto.

Step One

Fill the tub with warm water

Step Two

Drop a couple of drops of each color of the nail polish into the tub of water.

Step Three

Lay your card stock onto the surface of the water for a couple of seconds. Remove and turn over to let dry.

Note: You can replace the nail polish with many things and get the same effect. Try crushed chalk or liquid oil paint.

Sample of Deborah's Nail Polish Paper

Card Created by Vikki Howard

Technique: Cracked Glass

Artwork by Nina Perrin

Technique: Cracked Glass

(Shared with me by Sundi Hendrix)

Supplies Needed:

Clear Embossing Powder (I recommend UTEE)

Versa Mark Stamp Pad

Cardstock

Stamp Set

Craft Heater

Refrigerator

Instructions:

Step One

Stamp the image you wish onto your cardstock

Step Two

Cover the entire piece of Cardstock with the Versa Mark Ink, Cover with UTEE and heat set

Step Three

Cover entire piece of cardstock with a second layer of Versa Mark Ink and UTEE and heat set until there are no dimples in the embossing powder.

Step Four

Place project into the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes

Step Five

Remove project from refrigerator and gently bend the cardstock. The UTEE will crack in the places you bend the paper.

Options

Ink the front of the cardstock with distressing ink to give it an antique look and show off the cracks more clearly.

Artwork by Dawn Neal

Artwork by Adeline Brill

Techniques Month: Exploring a Technique

Using the Sketch Challenge as a base here is the second piece of the Joseph's Coat with a Twist technique paper I created. It is hard to see but I accented with silver. I used Scribbles 3D silver paint in all the open spaces of the butterfly and dragonfly. I edged each bug in silver and then mounted onto black cardstock so it would pop slightly off the background paper. Again I used a rub on on the ribbon slide with silver wired ribbon folded in half.
Stamp Set is by Close to my Heart

Techniques Month: Exploring a Technique with a Sketch Challenge

Here is the sketch

Here is the sample (note the technique on the background paper) I used the Joseph's Coat with a Twist paper that I created a few days ago.

So here is the challenge. Create a card or even an ATC using the above sketch. Submit your card challenge entry to me at my email address purplefaeriepc@yahoo.com by March 3rd.

Once all the cards are in I will post them all and we will have a vote. The winner will receive a Blog Candy goodie bag worth at least $35. I will publish a sneak peek at the Blog Candy in a few days.

Techniques Month: Exploring a Technique

Here is the second sheet I made using this same technique. Beautiful background and texture paper. Now to create something with them....I'll share that soon I promise!

Techniques Month: Exploring a Technique

I decided to keep moving in my quest through all the techniques featured in the Volume 6, Issue 3 Feb 2008 Technique Junkie Newsletter. This technique is called Joseph Coat with a twist. I'm having so much fun with it. I've already made two pieces of cardstock with it. Here is one for you to see. It is hard to tell anything right now but I'm going to make something using this paper and you will see it pop out at you. Beautiful isn't it? I used the C1184 Frogs stamp set by Close to My Heart for the background and now will continue to use that same stamp set to finalize it.

Techniques Month: Exploring another technique

After making my ATC cards with the technique I shared with you last time (Acrylic Gesso Wash) I had some scraps left. With those scraps I used my 1/2" square punch and punched out the remaining squares. Using a bit of Liquid Glass (my favorite liquid glue) I glued some itty bitty flowers onto them. I had no idea what I'd ever use them for and had been saving them all week. This is how they turned out.

Now a new technique I learned from the latest Technique Junkie Newsletter is the Re-inker Splash. My example isn't a very good one. I think I'm going to have to keep trying this one out again and again. I used Chocolate and Garden Green re-inkers and for the metallic I used pearl. Now this scan does not do it justice, but here is a

sample of the results of doing this technique.

I've been working on an ATC for a swap I'm in and using both of these elements I created the following ATC. I stamped with StazOn onto the Re-inker Splash glossy cardstock with the Purple Faerie Clover Tree stamp and cut it out and adheared it to the ATC front added the mini inchie to the corner for a bit of bling. I then stamped the words with the Purple Faerie Kiss Me I'm Irish stamp and used liquid glass on the letters to give them a bit of bling...but something was still missing. I ended up using my Anita's Classic Gold Acrylic Metallic paint and lightly brushed all the edges. I found that when I stamped onto the Re-inker Splash paper you really get a lot of depth to a piece. This is a technique I'm going to have to play more with.

So here is the final ATC results

Techniques Month: Exploring a Technique

Here is the final card I made using the Metallic Alcohol Roll Technique. I used the same sheet I had previously shown. Stamps are Purple Faerie PC stamps and are now available for purchase. I used a water color brush to fill in the Celtic Knot and then liquid glass for it to match the glossy cardstock of the technique. The paper above the technique paper is some (very old) Close to My Heart paper.

February is Technique Month; here at Purple Faerie that is

Yep, it is official that here at Purple Faerie, February it is now Technique Month.

My number 1 resource for techniques is via the Technique Junkie Newsletter. The think tank behind this resource is Pat Huntoon. She is an incredibly innovative force who's passion is scrapbooking and stamping. Check out her article in this months Purple Faerie Newsletter, if you are not currently a subscriber to the newsletter sign up via the link provided on the blog or on the website.

The two techniques I'm going to show you samples of are all from the Technique Junkie Newsletter.

This first technique is called Acrylic Gesso Wash and it is a technique on Waterpaper. You can find it in the June/July 2007 issue.

Here is the sample I made an entire 8x10 sheet of this.

This is the ATC I then made from that sheet.

This is a sample of using the Metallic Alcohol Roll Technique in the October/November 2007 issue of the newsletter.

I haven'te made anything using this as of yet. I am holding onto it for some cards I'm planning on doing for a swap. I'll share those once I get some time to work on them.