The Stamper's Mall Rubber Stamping Newsletter

Peeking out at the world, a pocket card by Linda Strawn

Cut a 8-1/2 x 11” beige cardstock in half and fold into a card, this card will open horizontally.

2. Use butterscotch and terracotta spray wash from www.ranger.com to spray a piece of computer copy paper. Be sure and cover your work surface with a rag or old towel to catch drips. Let this dry, when dry; crumple up into a tight ball. Be very careful and uncrumple. Use a black ink pad to lightly run over the paper, this will highlight the crumples and folds in the paper and make animal skin looking paper.

3. Glue this inside of the card only on the inside top which will fold to form the pocket.

4. Use any color of origami lizard skin paper from AITOH, turn the paper over to the backside and run an butterscotch pad and a brown pad over the textured back, this will again catch the design and make a giraffe paper. Glue this onto the inside of the card. See card for placement of paper.

5. To form the pocket, lightly mark the center of your card at the bottom and bring each corner to the center, this will form your pocket and show the different textures of paper.

6. Glue a piece of green black lizard paper to top 1/2 of front of card.

7. Use a small hole punch to punch top corners of pocket and run a piece of twine thru holes and tie into a bow to secure pocket. Add a small button into the middle of bow.

8. On a small scrap of gold cardstock stamp baby giraffe head from LOVE YOU TO BITS with black ink lightly color image and cut out.

9. Glue in bits of green raffia to inside of pocket and glue in giraffe’s head peeking out at the world.

10. Stamp a message inside where the pocket lays so when opened you will see the message.

Serene Crane Card by Susan Chong

Cut purple base card to form standard 4-1/2 x 5-1/2 inch size. Cut black cardstock to 5 x 4-1/4 inch. Cut Chalk Marble Background* paper to 4 ½ x 3-3/4 inch. (You may also use patterned paper for this layer) Cut origami paper strip to 4-1/2 x 2 inch. Affix all layers to base card as shown using your favorite paper adhesive.

Stamp Crane image (unknown source) onto a scrap of Color Wash Background paper with VersaMark ink. (You may also use patterned paper for this layer) Emboss with fine black powder. Cut out image and set aside.

Wrap pink Mizuhiki paper cord fiber through the hole of large Asian Coin Charm and then string small coin charm onto cord. String cord back through hole in large coin, wrap around the bottom of the large coin twice and attach tail of cord to back of large coin with strong tape. Affix to upper left corner of card with foam mounting tape.

Twist green Mizuhiki paper cord into several loops that vary in size. Hold together with strong tape. Affix to bottom backside of cut out Crane image.

Affix the entire Crane piece to the center of the origami paper layer with foam mounting tape.

*Shave decorating chalks into large pan of water. (9 x 13 inch pan works well.) Lay Matte cardstock on top of water and pull out. Dry completely. Seal with Krylon Fixative.

Lil' Lizards by Heather Taylor

On a 9.25" x 3" piece of Riccio Constellations paper, stamp handcarved lizard in Colorbox Chalk (Tangerine, Yellow Citrus, Lime Pastel, and Orchid Pastel) in a slightly overlapping line, gently changing the lizards' orientation up or down. Heat dry. Randomly stamp the same lizard with Versamark, not so closely spaced. Use different Moonglow embossing powders on each lizard (Starbright Gold Green, Spring Leaf Chartreuse, and Geranium Coral Blush).

Use a piece of masking tape to mask the top or bottom half of the "Happy Birthday" stamp (Anita's) and stamp in Brilliance Pearlescent Purple in upper left and lower right of main panel; emboss with Ranger Clear.

Mount on dusky rose (3.75" wide), pastel orange (3.5" wide), and light yellow cardstocks (8" x 9.25", folded in half lengthwise). It's fun to repeat the lizard motif on the business size white envelope you send the card in, too!

Wolf by Cheryl Rotnem

Stamp "Stained Glass Wolf" (unknown) in black dye ink. Color image with H2O colored pencils, blending with a brush or water pen. Use various colors to depict stain glass.

Mount the wolf onto a piece of lavender cardstock and then onto the front of mustard speckled A2 card.

Stamp letters for the word "WOLF" (See D’s Sugarloaf) at bottom on mustard cardstock in Kaleidacolor inks Royal Satin.

Wild West by Heather Taylor

On green textured cardstock, stamp Georgia O'Keeffe "Cow's Skull with Calico Roses" (Jim Stephan) with Jacquard's Castaway Clear ink. Wait 5 minutes and iron according to directions.

Randomly overstamp with ColorBox Olive Pastel, Emerald Green inkpads and Ancient Page Leaf Green, Sienna, and Emerald. Stamp "Wild West" with Nostalgique letters using the edge of a stamp positioner to keep the letters straight. Use VersaMark ink then emboss with Moonglow Starbright Gold Green. Cut to desired size and layer over a 1/8" complementary lighter and 1/4" darker cardstock layer, finishing with a medium shade for the base cardstock (this card measures 4.5" x 6.5").

Take a piece of white cotton cord and in the bottom of a small porcelain dish, drop in a couple of drops of Ancient Page Sandalwood and Palm Leaf reinkers. Saturate the cord with rubbing alcohol with a spritzer, and move it around with the end of a paintbrush until there is no more white showing. Dry and affix around edge of layers using a very thin strip of double-edge tape.