Experimenting With Alcohol Inks

I got The Compendium of Curiosities by Tim Holz for Christmas and been reading (and petting and...) since then with great devotion. I didn't have all the products he's using in it so I persuaded my grandmom to buy some of the missing ones for a late b-day present.

Yesterday I tried alcohol inks for the first time and it resulted on this tag.

I first dropped few drops of Adirondack alcohol ink in Butterskotch on a blending tool and blend it on semi-glossy photo paper. Then I dropped a few drops of blending solution on the tool and went partially trough the orange area with the tool again. After that I took the bottle of blending solution and dropped some drops directly on the dry layer forming "bubbles" on the backround.

Next I took a needle and made some random markings and some "lighspots" on "bubbles" by scratching the paper surface with it. Then I stamped Papermania boy on top with black Archival Ink and draw some random lines, fly away -text and a few extra bubbles with felt tip pen.

Dragonfly was cut free hand out of photo paper I had first colored with Stream and Eggplant alcohol inks and then stamped on with Perfect Medium and topped with Perfect Pearls. Stamp I used was actually the same boy.

Last Bits And Pieces Of Christmas

I was reminded that I still haven't posted the last gifts from my Christmas calendar. To be honest, I couldn't remember which they was which anymore but here they are and I once more would like to thank all the ladies who took part in my calendar.

Some of them are already in use: the adorable flower charm is hanging from my mobile phone, stickers were used for gift tags and the angel keychain is decorating my camera bag. I also made some gift toppers like this with ribbons and shapes I got earlier:

I didn't only get calendar packages but I also contributed to two gift exchanges. Heidi and Riikka both sent me some nice gifts back and Riikka even included a separate birthday gift for me. I started my birthday with that mask on my face and felt extra beautiful the whole day!




My dear friends also remembered my birthday and on top of perfect presents I got this gorgeous card! Emmi had drawn me so perfectly I couldn't stop smiling to it.

Quite a challenge

Finnish post has a system which allows Christmas cards to be sent with a tad lower cost before December 15th. On December 14th I realised I have only a handful of cards. I'd simply made so many for others and for sale that I'd forgotten that I migth want to send out a few as well. These are my tuesdays creations.

First my take on Sketchy Colors #51 where I twisted the sketch 90 degrees clockwise. The lovely sheet music was sent to me by Stephanie.


Then Sketch Saturday #133. This sketch was turned 90 degrees counterclockwise.


Stamp Something asked to use a digi something. I ended up using a Pollycraft -cutie which was colored with ProMarkers.


The Crazy Challenge #45 wanted at least three designer papers on a card. I used Beccy's lovely poinsettia digi to create 3D-image and backed it with Papermania papers.

And last the ones without a challenge. I loved the mouse image and made a few cards with it. I wasn't too pleased with distressed edges on the first one so I sanded them on the second one. I used Cuttlebug embossing folders for stripes and Cosmo Cricket papers.

9.-16.

I've been busy and lazy or the other way around. We spent the weekend in Tallinn with my family and since coming home I've been trying to clean up our apartment which reminds a bit of an explosion of some sort. That is why this post contains eight delightful small gifts by Serja, Sari, Anu-Riikka, Liisa and Tarja.

I want especially thank Liisa for my initial keycharm. It's gorgeous, I'm loving it!

Not Too Sweet

I made a set of flowers for a secret purpose. I kinda wanted them to match with DCVWs Blackcurrant stack so I didn't want to make them too sweet and girly. I ended up using Core'dinations cardstocks in different greys and purples, Tattered Florals -die, Marianne Design Poinsettia -die, dotted and plain black feathers, tulle, white stems colored to black and purple with markers, pearls, half pearl, pearlstrings, Nellie Snellen leaf punch, X-cut border punch, Artemio Flower punch and last but not least, a damask stamp by Papermania.

Naughty Or Nice

Koukussa kortteihin fantasy challenge is all about fairies this time. I love these mythical little creatures in all their various forms. Maybe that's why I had serious problems deciding which way to go with them. I ended up making two different cards, one featuring my friend Emmis gorgeous naughty fairy and the other featuring my own scribble.

I used Disstress inks and sparkling gelly rollers to color this cutie. Papers are from DCVWs FABULOUS Blackcurrant stack. It has gorgeous black, grey, pink and purple designs, some matte and some shiny.

This bellydancer fairy is colored with Distress inks and some glitter pen as well. Papers are from My Minds Eye Best of Damask -stack.

Last a card that has nothing to do with fairies. My little brother turned 25 last weekend and this Pollycraft Beer Monster digi just screamed his name when I saw it. It was the first image I colored with my new Neo-Piko Markers.

5.-8.

I've been lazy posting my christmas calendar packages. I have however gotten some nice surprises that deserve big thank yous.

Anu-Riikka sent me some cute brads. I'm a sucker for all metal parts, especially those with kind of antique finishing so I sure loved these!

Sixth of December was out independence day. To grace it Liisa sent me some candles in our flags colors.

On seventh I found a cute little Santa bear pin from my package. Sari was responsible for that aaaaaaaawww in our apartment.

Today I got some really nice papers. I especially like those lime and turqoise ones on left bottom corner. Thank you Tarja!

I Got Finally Started On Our Wedding Album

I've had our wedding pictures for months but for some reason I just haven't had the feeling to do anything with them. Now I finally found simple enough album and started making pages of them.

All designer papers this far are from My Minds Eye Best of Damask -collection. I love the collection but at few points I've wished the papers were a bit heavier. Die cutting with metal dies doesn't always go as planned and they rip so easily when one tries to remove them from the die.

I stamped swirls on album cover with Olive green StaZon ink and added some half pearls. The same swirls were used everywhere, invitations, thank you notes, lanterns, candles etc.

I love the Marianne Design die I used to cut the shape behind our names but one has to be very careful removing cardstock from the die. Swirls are from another Marianne Design die set.

I have used quotations by Paolo Coelho all over the album. They are the same ones we had in our candy boxes.

Dear Santa...

I decided to post my wishlist here as it's the easiest way to let all my friends know what wacky and megalomaniac wishes fill my head. Santa knows I'm almost always being nice!

Tim Holz Compendium of Curiosities

Kate Jacob; Knit the Season: A Friday Night Knitting Club Novel


Sizzix Dies

Neo-Piko Markers


I already have the following colors:

400, 404, 408, 411, 417, 421, 429, 440, 450, 455, 457, 467, 468, 471, 491, 492, 499, 500, 506, 508, 515, 516, 517, 519, 524, 525, 527, 533, 534, 537, 540, 545, 552, 560, 573, 576, 600

Distress Inks


I already have the following colors:

Barn Door, Chipped Sapphire, Stormy Sky, Victorian Velvet, Wild Honey, Antique Linen, Black Soot, Brushed Corduroy, Dusty Concord, Faded Jeans, Mustard Seed, Peeled Paint, Pine Needles, Shabby Shutters, Spiced Marmelade, Vintage Photo, Weathered Wood

Tiny flexible molds, mainly for flowers and cameos

Zutter Bind-It-All

Singstar Suomihitit

I can't think of much else right now. Of course I love everything handmade and anything by Lindy's Stamp Gang, The Greeting Farm, Cherry Pie, Doodle Factory, Spellbinders...

4.

Laura-Ilona was resposible for todays package. It contained tea and a lovely vintage sticker. I think I'll go brew myself a cup of that Wild Berry after I've done posting.

3.

I almost forgot to blog todays package. Liisa sent me a reflector. It reminds me of Mario's Yoshi.

2.

Riikka has sent me some cute pictures, few stamped Magnolias, candy, two gorgeous acrylic pieces, 3D-picture and some chocolate. Thank you, I'm being spoiled!

1.

I got to open my first calendar package today. Liisa had sent me some cute Santa heads and other embellishment.

I'm late!

Unfortunately I got this lantern ready so late that I needed to run out so I didn't get the chance to blog it for last weeks P*skarteluhaaste which was all about plaids. I'm not satisfied with this, I was just in too much of a hurry. But it's got green and red plaids and a Christmas Fairy by Sketching Stamper.

In Her Shoes

A friend of mine was here yesterday to make Christmas cards. She mentioned she wanted something shaped like a shoe for her fathers card. As she worked on her other cards I started to plan a shoe. At some point she realised what I was doing.

This cardstock shoe sure wouldn't fit a grown man and it came out more feminine than I meant it to but all in all I'm quite satisfied with it, being the ex tempore project that it was.

I used cardstock, tapestry, eyelets, bronze sparkle gel pen and some ribbon in it. Everything is put together with double sided tape and I really hope it'll hold.

I'm quite pleased with my patterns excluding toe part. It should be rounder but I don't know if cardstock even shapes that way. If someone wants to try this project I can scan the pattern.

Another thing I made while she was working was this not so christmasy Christmas card. I printed out a verse of a carol for it. Freely translated it says "On the sky a star just lighted, star so bright, star so big..." which I think suits this little digi alien by Pollycraft better than well.

Blog Candy

Sveta is offering quick blog candy at her blog Svetan puuhailut. She is drawing the winner on Wednesday at 7 pm (GMT +2) so be quick.

Piia decided to give out blog candy for every advent. The first one is up now at her blog Piian Räpellykset.