Just For Fun....Let's BLOG HOP!!

Edited to add that comments are now closed for the blog candy!  Thanks for all the comments!!
Hey Peoples!! I hope you are having a great week!  Let's just say that I'm really glad that I can see the weekend in site! (wink)

But hey!! The design team for Just for Fun Stamps ® thought that everyone might need a little end of the week "pick me up" so we are having a BLOG HOP!!

The image that I'm sharing today has been previously only available at the different stamp shows that Just for Fun ® attends, but they are going to be putting them on their web site soon for all you web savy shoppers to have access too!!

On to my card~~I'm sooooo excited to share this project with you!!  I totally went a different creative route with the stamp image that I want to share!! I've been "stalking" metal embossing art for a while now.  When I was at the Craft Supershow in Anaheim a couple of weeks ago, I found myself pretty much glued to MercArt booth.  Now, metal embossing takes some time and I never got myself in a good position to do the make and take.  Soooo, being the fearless crafter that I am, I bought myself the book, Metal Embossing Workshop by Magdalena S. Muldoon,  a very basic tool set, a sampler of metal and came home to create this:

 OHHHH!!! How much fun was this?!! Now, in hind-sight, I should have taken step by step pictures of how I did this.  But.....hind sight is 20/20 and I'm obviously lacking in vision!!  I will do my best to describe how I made this image using the this lovely stamp!   I stamped this image (D3355) on a piece of scrap paper.  I then layed it on my metal (placed over a piece of acrylic) and traced the outline using a stylus.  This becomes the "front" of the image.  I then turned the metal over to the "back" side and layed it on a piece of suede and embossed the image using either my stylus, a paper stump or plastic embossing tool.  I kept flipping the image back on forth working on both sides to refine the lines and add more detail.   I used a wheel to create the frame around the image (just excuse my less than straight lines!!) Once I was happy with the image I filled in the embossed areas with a backing paste so that they could not be squished flat.  I took a small wire brush and burnished around the image to give a contrast in the texture.  I have to say I'm pretty pleased with how this turned out for my FIRST attempt at this technique!!

I then used my go to technique of wrinkle free distress using distress inks in antique linen and old paper on a piece of very vanilla cardstock.  I then inked up the Michaelangelo background with distress ink in old mahogany and lightly layed my wrinkle free distress piece over it and "finger walked" along the paper to get a faded image.  I versamarked the paper and applied glassy glaze enamel and melted with my heat gun.  Repeated this step 3 more times and stuck the paper in the freezer for a few minutes.  Pulled it out and gently cracked the glaze (this is called the cracked glass technique).  I matted my metal image on a piece of chocolate chip and cranberry crisp and used sticky red liner tape to adhere it to the glossy surface of the cracked glass background.  This was adhered to a top scored pure luxury 120# vanilla card base.

Now~~ to finish it all, I pulled out an embossed piece of chocolate felt that I've had in my stash for a while.  I cut out a center frame (ok, ok...I'll admit, this is the second one as I decided I wanted a thicker frame along the sides after cutting the first one!).  I then layered this using foam tape over the main image giving it a recessed frame look in real life. 

I just LOOOVE how this turned out!!  This is just ONE "outside the box" idea for using my stamps!!  I can't wait to try it again (and practice my metal embossing) using other stamp images!!

GUESS WHAT?!!  I have some BLOG CANDY TO SHARE!  Yep!! I'm the lucky recipiant of some extra stamps that are waiting to be added to the Just For Fun Stamp® web site!! Included in this lot of 7 unmounted stamps (ready to be used on your acrylic blocks) is the image that I used for my project today! Leave me a comment listing at least ONE NEW creative endevor that you are considering trying and I'll have random. kid pick a comment Sunday evening and post the winner Monday, Feb. 8th. 

Now you are going to want to visit all the rock stars (hehe, that's my pet nick name for all the other girls on the design team....seriously, these girls are IT in the stamping world!!) and see what wonderful creations that they have to share with you!!  I heard rumors that some of the other gals may have some blog candy to give away too (not sure if that is all hear say or not!  Guess you'll just have to hop along and see for yourselves!! heehee

Broni Holcomb:  Splashes of Watercolor

Heidi Blankenship: Embellished Dreams

Linda Duke:  Linda's Works of Heart

Sandy Sandrus:  Cleverideas

Terre Fry:  Terre's Scrap Therapy

and last but not least!

Sherry Cheever:  Walkin' on the Bad Side

 Thanks for dropping by again today!! I hope you enjoyed my new creative adventure using stamps and metal!!  Can't wait to read what your creative adventure plans are (one always needs some new possibilities!!)