Tapestry Stamp Techniques

African Daisy Card and Pendant Combo

Today's project features the African Daisy stamp set, an ensemble that shouts DELICATE! We will make a card and a very usable accessory to the card, a heart-shaped pendant. If you have this stamp set already... go get it! If you don't, you can see it here.

Stamps -
African Daisy stamp set
"Hello Sunshine" sentiment mini peg stamp
Sun mini peg stamp

Papers -
Black card stock half-sheet, folded
White card stock quarter sheet (4.25 x 5 inches)
White card stock scraps
Black card stock scraps

Inks -
Kaleidacolor® Creole Spice ink pad (Yellow and Orange inks);
Versacolor Split Pea, Orchid, Green Tea, Sage;
Archival Black ink pad

Tools and Embellishments -
Embossing folder of your choice
Rubber Stamp Tapestry positioning templates -

• Circle
• Arches
• Tiny Rectangle

Clay and Accessories

INSTRUCTIONS
Take the Black card stock half-sheet and run it through the die cut machine, using your favorite embossing folder.

Next, take the Circle template and line it up in the center of the White quarter sheet.
Use Split Pea ink and a piece of blending foam to make a circle silhouette.
Trim the top and bottom edges of the white quarter sheet with a pair of scissors, using a wavy free-form pattern.

Next, stamp the outer border of the paper:

Stamp the African Daisy in Orange ink (from the Creole Spice ink pad).

Stamp the African Daisy again, this time with Yellow ink (from the Creole Spice ink pad).

Stamp the African Daisy a third time in Orchid ink.

Stamp the mini Leaf in Sage ink.

Stamp the mini Leaves in Green Tea ink.

Stamp the tiny Botanical element in Black ink.

Stamp  the mini "Hello Sunshine" in black ink.

  Then take the tiny Botanical Element stamp and, using Black ink, stamp along the border of the Circle.
Use a piece of foam scuffed in Yellow ink from the Creole Spice ink pad and edge the top and bottom of the stamped panel.

Glue the stamped panel to the Black card-base and prepare to make the pendant.

Make the Pendant
Since the instructions for the pendant are exactly the same every time, please refer back to the Nature's Path blog and simply replace this week's stamp set and pendant with the one shown in that particular set of instructions. Once you have finished the pendant, attach it to the card with a ribbon... and prepare to make the sentiment medallion.

Make the Sentiment Medallion

 

Take the Tiny Rectangle positioning template and, using Sage ink and a piece of foam, blend a rectangle onto White paper. Then take the Botanical Element stamp and sage ink and stamp around the border of the rectangle. Then stamp the Sun in Black ink at the bottom of the rectangle. Cut out the rectangle and smudge the edges with the Yellow ink from the Creole Spice ink pad. Set aside for now. 

On a piece of White card stock, stamp the "Hello Sunshine" mini stamp in Black ink. Locate the small circle on the RST "Arches" positioning template and, using a piece of foam and the Yellow ink from the Creole Spice ink pad, smudge a circle around the sentiment. Cut the circle out. Then glue the circle to the rectangle you just made. Glue the resulting ensemble to a piece of Black card stock and trim away the excess, leaving a thin border of black. Now attach the sentiment medallion to the card.

 

But wait!
For those of you who are not ready to tackle using polymer clay, here's an alternate version of this card.

Simply fasten a vertical ribbon to the card before attaching the sentiment medallion (which will now go in the center of the card) and then add a bow (tied to the vertical ribbon) under the medallion.

Until next time...
Happy Stamping from Susan and rest of the gang at Rubber Stamp Tapestry!

Petite Poppies Card with Pendant

A little obsessed with this "new" medium, I've been exploring some of our earlier stamp sets to see how they stamp on polymer clay. Fun! Today's card includes a piece of jewelry that hangs beautifully on a card for a double-duty gift for that special person.

Please refer to our Nature's Path Pendant blog entry for complete instructions on making the pendant.

Stamps -
Petite Poppies stamp set
"Just for YOU" sentiment peg stamp

Papers and Other Materials-
Goldenrod card stock half-sheet, folded
Dark Blue card stock - 4-1/8 x 5-3/8 inches
White card stock
PopIt! Shapes double-sided foam tape
White Sculpey III polymer clay

Inks - Versacolor Sage, Lavender, Cyan, Neptune, Green Tea, Bamboo, Split Pea, and Pinecone

Tools and Embellishments -
Rubber Stamp Tapestry Positioning Templates - Rectangle and Arches
Blending foam
Ribbon
Pendant (I used Large Pendant Rectangle - Antique Silver)

Instructions -
Take the positioning template and Sage ink and, using a piece of foam to blend the ink, make a guide for stamping: Make a rectangle in the center of the White paper, then use the outer edges of the template to make a second border around the rectangle.

You will stamp in the lighter area between the center rectangle (where the pendant will eventually rest) and the outer portion you just blended.

Stamp the Flower in Lavender ink, stamping a second time before re-inking for added dimension.

 
Stamp the Flower again, this time with Cyan ink.

Stamp the Flower a third time, using Neptune ink.

 
Stamp the Berries in Bamboo ink.

Stamp the Leaves in Sage ink.

Stamp the Leaves in Green Tea ink.

Stamp the Leaves again, this time with Split Pea ink.

Stamp the Tiny Leaves in Pinecone ink.

When you have finished stamping, trim around the rectangle and any stamped images coming out of the rectangle, leaving a thin border of white. Then glue this stamped piece to the Dark Blue paper, leaving an unglued portion between the stamped panel and the dark blue paper, which will later hold the chain of the pendant. Next tie the ribbon around the card front. Now glue this piece to the Goldenrod card base.

SENTIMENT MEDALLION

Template, Split Pea ink, and blending foam make the sentiment medallion easy!

Take the sentiment peg stamp and Neptune ink and make an impression on a scrap of White paper. Then stamp some flowers and Leaves in Green Tea ink under the sentiment. Line up the circle from the Arches positioning template around the sentiment you just stamped and make a circle silhouette using a piece of blending foam and Split Pea ink. Then cut out around the shaded circle and the protruding leaves you just stamped. Attach the resulting medallion to the ribbon and you're almost done!

Pendant on card

NOW IT'S TIME TO MAKE THE PENDANT (See blog entry for Nature's Path Pendant - complete with photos)
We'll make a mold for the pendant so we can make the images raised instead of recessed.

MAKE THE MOLD
Take the pendant and fill the space with clay.  Make sure the clay is not above the rim of the metal. (I like it only slightly recessed) Spray the clay with water, which will serve as a release agent so the rubber will not stick to the clay. Then stamp with the Petite Poppies set onto the clay.

Bake the mold. Leave the clay inside the pendant to bake it, making sure not to heat the polymer clay over 275 degrees (for 25 minutes) to avoid the release of fumes. Bake it on a piece of cardstock or cardboard.

After completely cool, remove the baked clay from the metal heart with an Exacto knife, being very careful not to cut yourself.  Goggles or protective eyewear should be worn when using the knife. Insert the knife blade between the metal and clay on the outer edge until you can lift the clay out of the metal.  Remember, this clay will bend and it has a lot of flexibility.

MAKE THE POLYMER CLAY PENDANT
Next, refill the metal pendant with polymer clay and spray lightly with water. Then place the baked mold over the clay-filled pendant and press until the excess clay squishes out of the sides.

Gently remove the mold. Bake the clay (it can stay inside the pendant) at 275 degrees for 25 minutes.  If you are unsure about the temperature, use an oven thermometer.  Do not over bake or heat over 275 degrees. Cool completely and remove from pendant.  Lightly sand edges with fine grade sand paper.  At this point, before putting the clay back inside the pendant, is the best time to add color to the clay.

Next, take a piece of foam and some thinned acrylic paint and colorize the clay, working the color into the recessed areas of the clay. Do this quickly because acrylic dries pretty fast. You can use either a brush or a sponge. Spray lightly with water to disperse the color before the acrylic starts to dry. For quick drying, you can put it back in the oven for 4-5 minutes.  Cool completely.

Lightly sand the outside rough edges and surface with a fine grade sandpaper and then glue the polymer clay rectangle into the pendant. Mount the pendant on a chain and you are ready to add it to the lovely card that someone special is sure to appreciate!

   Until next time...
Happy Stamping from Susan and rest of the gang at Rubber Stamp Tapestry!

 

 

Cameo!

We have a new classic Italian style Cameo stamp here at RST and I wanted to make a card with it! To convey the antique look of an old cameo, I used Bark ink for the cameo and for some of the flowers. Of course purples, lavenders, and greens are a must for Springtime cards!

Stamps –
Tatted Border 3” Block Stamp
Cherry Blossoms stamp set
NEW Cameo Mini Stamp

Papers -
Green card stock half-sheet, folded
Green card stock scrap
Lavender quarter sheet
White card stock scraps

Inks -
Versacolor Hyacinth, Grape, Bark, Green Tea

Tools and Embellishments -
Rubber Stamp Tapestry Positioning Template – Small Shapes
Two embossing folders of your choice
Gold Paint Pen
PopIt! Shapes (I used Square) double sided foam tape
Ribbons

Instructions -
Take the Green card base and run it through the embossing folder. Then tear a portion from the bottom of the front flap. Run the Lavender quarter sheet through the other embossing folder. Glue the Lavender quarter sheet behind the front flap. Set aside for now.

Take a piece of White card stock and stamp the following:

Stamp the Tatted Border block stamp with Hyacinth ink to make a border.

Stamp the Flower in Grape ink, stamping a second time before reinking for added dimension.

Stamp the Flower again, this time in Bark ink.

Stamp the Floral Cluster in Grape ink.

Stamp the Leaves in Green Tea ink.

Then use scissors to cut out the resulting stamped portion of paper. Glue this piece to the card base. Set aside for now.

Make the medallion -

On another piece of White paper, use the Oval from the Small Shapes Positioning Template, with Hyacinth ink and a piece of foam to make an oval silhouette.

Then stamp the Flower Cluster in Hyacinth ink. Stamp again, this time using Grape ink.

 

Make tiny dots around the border of the oval using the Gold paint pen. Then trim out the oval, leaving a thin border of white paper.Then Use some PopIt! tape to attach the oval to the card base.

Then on a White piece of paper, stamp the Cameo stamp with Bark ink. Cut out the cameo and mount it on a scrap of Green paper. Trim away the excess, leaving a thin pinstripe of the darker paper. Glue this to the Oval you made earlier.

Now for some embellishments -

Use the Gold Paint pen to make dots above the torn portion of the card base where the Green and Lavender papers meet. Then tie your ribbons and you're finished!

 

Along the Way...

Along the way to designing this week's card, I tried several things. Above are some of the elements that didn't make it onto this card but can be used for other projects.

In fact, I chose the medallion pictured on the far right... and made a little gift tag...

Thank You Card with Nature's Path

This week we wanted to show you how nicely Nature's Path, the new set we introduced with our first-ever polymer clay project, works on paper! This week we have some other new stamps, including "a BIG Thank You" and our nifty cruiser bicycle.

Stamps -
Nature's Path stamp set
"a BIG Thank You" sentiment peg stamp
Cruiser Bicycle

Papers -
Sage Green card stock half-sheet, folded
White card stock

Inks - Versacolor Umber, Ash Rose, Pinecone, Bamboo, and Sage

Tools and Embellishments -
RST Positioning Templates - "Oval Small" and "Small Shapes"
PopIt! Shapes (I used Square) double sided foam tape
Sheer Ribbon

Instructions -
Take a White quarter sheet and prepare to stamp the following:

Stamp the Flowers in Umber ink around the border of the paper, stamping a second time before re-inking for added depth.

Stamp the Flowers again, this time in Ash Rose ink.

Stamp the Heart Vines in Pinecone ink.

Stamp the Open Leaves in Bamboo ink.
Then edge the paper with the Sage ink pad.
Wrap and attach the ribbon around the bottom portion of the quarter sheet. Then glue the quarter sheet to the folded half-sheet.

Stamp the Medallions -

CENTERPIECE
Take the "a BIG Thank You" sentiment peg stamp and, using Pinecone ink, make an impression on White paper. Then take the Oval - Small positioning template and some Umber ink on a piece of blending foam and smudge an oval shape, centering the sentiment in the template. Cut the oval out. Then stamp the Heart Vines in Umber ink around the outer edges of the oval. Mount the oval onto the card base using foam tape.

Using Pinecone ink, stamp the Cruiser Bicycle on a piece of White card stock. Take the Small Shapes template and center the Hexagon shape around the stamped sentiment. Use Ash Rose ink and a blending foam to smudge the shape around the sentiment and then cut out. Glue the bicycle medallion on top of the ribbon and you're finished!

 

Until next time...
Happy Stamping from Susan and rest of the gang at Rubber Stamp Tapestry!

 

Nature's Path Pendant

Clay is such a wonderful medium. My definition of clay has always been "that magical stuff that dreams are made of." Since leaving my clay background as a full time, production potter for over 25 years - for papercrafting, I have not looked back. Yet, on occasion I have missed the versatility of clay and especially the use of negative and positive images in mold making.

Introducing our newest set, Nature's Path, which was made especially for polymer clay, precious metal clay (pmc), art silver clay, etc.  Nature's Path also works beautifully on paper!

Working as a potter was a messy job. Clay dust was everywhere and I was not a neat potter at all. I got wet clay in in my hair, on my face, down my legs and up past my elbows. 

Now I have discovered polymer clay. Just 25 minutes in a toaster oven at 275 degrees and it is done!  At one time I was such an art snob that I never would have considered using "plastic clay." To me, if a piece of clay was not fired to cone 10 in a reduction atmosphere then it was not "real." Boy, have I come a long way :)

 Instructions:

With only three woodsy peg stamps, Nature's Path turns polymer clay into a beautiful piece of jewelry!

Materials -
You will need the Natures Path peg stamp set
Clay and accessories
Exacto knife
water and a fine mist sprayer is helpful
acrylic paint
foam or small artist brush
plastic clay-making tools are helpful
fine sand paper
a toaster oven
goggles or protective eyewear
and some heavy-duty glue (I like to use E6000 or a similar glue)

 

Because we want the images to be raised instead of concave, we will first make a mold out of the polymer clay. I love molds. You can re-create the same design over and over with a single mold.  Just think of the jewelry you can make to sell or give away.  Rubber Stamp Tapestry is an angel company which means that you can use our images to make products to sell.  Not all rubber stamp manufacturers are angel companies so it is a good idea to ask before using rubber stamps to make items that you intend to sell.

When choosing rubber stamps for polymer clay, I have found that the more detailed the better.  Since our images are tiny and highly detailed, they lend themselves well to polymer clay and the mold making process.

Back to the instructions.

Take the pendant and lay a  piece of narrow ribbon (I use an organza) inside the pendant. This ribbon will help you remove the clay once it is baked.

This shows how to use the ribbon before filling the pendant with clay. This helps when removing the clay from the pendant.

Now fill the space with clay.  Make sure the clay is not above the rim of the metal. (I like it only slightly recessed) Spray the clay with water, which will serve as a release agent so the rubber will not stick to the clay. Then use the stamps in the set to create your own little garden!

Bake the mold. Leave the clay inside the pendant to bake it, making sure not to heat the polymer clay over 275 degrees (for 25 minutes) to avoid the release of fumes. Bake it on a piece of cardstock or cardboard.

After completely cool, remove the baked clay from the metal heart, using the ribbon.  Remember, this clay will bend and it has a lot of flexibility.

Next, place the ribbon back in the pendant and refill the pendant with polymer clay and spray lightly with water. Then place the baked mold over the clay filled pendant and press until the excess clay squishes out of the sides.

This images shows a differently shaped pendant for the purposes of illustration. I used a clay tool to remove the excess clay as shown in this photo.

Gently remove the mold (the top heart). Bake the resulting piece inside of the pendant at 275 degrees for 25 minutes.  If you are unsure about the temperature, use an oven thermometer.  Do not over bake or heat over 275 degrees. Cool completely and remove from metal pendant.  Lightly sand edges with fine grade sand paper.  At this point, before putting the clay back inside the pendant, is the best time to add color to the clay.

 

  
It it better to first remove the fired clay from the pendant before working with color, to avoid painting the metal.  If you forget (like I did in the above photo), no big deal, just scrub the paint off with a plastic dish scrubber.

Next, take a piece of foam and some thinned acrylic paint and colorize the clay, working the color into the recessed areas of the clay. Do this quickly because acrylic dries pretty fast. You can use either a brush or a sponge. Spray lightly with water to disperse the color before the acrylic starts to dry. For quick drying, you can put it back in the oven for 4-5 minutes.  Cool completely.

Lightly sand the outside rough edges and surface with a fine grade sandpaper and then glue the heart into the pendant. Mount the pendant on a chain and you are ready for the party!

 

Nunn Design’s Pateras are gorgeous! They are cast in pewter and plated in precious metals and are made right here in the USA and you don't have to worry about lead or other toxic materials. You can see the rest of the Becky Nunn's findings that we sell here. 

I sure hope you enjoyed this new adventure and that you will stay tuned. We have great plans for other pieces of jewelry and paper crafting embellishments... in clay!

Until next time...
Happy Stamping from Susan and rest of the gang at Rubber Stamp Tapestry!