"Hey Jude ... take a sad song & make it better!" - the Beatles

My goal is to turn my disabilities around to abilities using art therapy as a means of stroke rehabilitation on my hands & arms. I want to also use cards to spread kindness, show different fun card techniques, bring awareness to issues that are important to me, and to just spread joy in general!

Friday, October 6, 2017

Baby Boy Canvas - Something New!!!

So, this is a totally different kind of a post for me!  I wanted to try to make a multi media project because I saw so many of them being made on line and they just looked so awesome!  I thought the best way to try it was to just do it!!!  And, so here we go!!!

I started with a cheap canvas from JoAnne fabrics.  I then coated it with white gesso so that any paint that I put onto it would stick.  I tore a piece of paper into a strip to give the torn edge look.  Attached it with the gesso to make it stick.  Next, I added some mesh to just give it a bit of texture.  I noted that there needed to be a little bit of glue as well (just for my piece of mind) so I used some Tonic Nuvo glue and for some extra oomph I used so E6000!  That stuff sticks!!!

For the next step, I added some acrylic pieces (please note that it doesn't matter what color any of these pieces are because you will be painting over all of them) with the E6000 glue.  Make sure that you have the window open or are in a well vented area if you are using this glue also.  I also used this to add buttons and piece of string for texture.

After I allowed these to dry I added the letters for the baby boy's name and the clip for the picture with the E6000 glue.  I then attached the picture to the polaroid frame and set that aside to dry.  I added the white gesso over the top of all of the pieces to prep it for the paint and to give it a consistency of color.  Now onto painting!!!

I started with some Tim Holtz stains and paints.  I used the distress stain in tumbled glass and the distress paint in brushed pewter to give the first color.  I then did this a couple of times  just to get the look I was going for.  I also had used the Ranger textured grit past and had added that along the bottom of the piece and to some of the acrylic pieces.  I put some seed pearls from my stash in the areas to give some added texture and then ensured this was all dried.  Finally, for color, I added the Prima achemy iridescent paint in Magic Pond and the Tonic Nuvo glimmer paste in sapphire blue.  I had also added some Tonic nuvo mouse in Cornflower blue and used a Heidi Swapp mini stencil to give a little bit of texture.


After all of this dried, I grabbed the Heidi Swapp paint sprays in shimmer ocean to add a bit of sparkle (always have to have some sparkle). For the final touch I used the Hero Arts iridescent sparkle from the August monthly hero kit for that final touch!  It just turned out so fun!  I really loved making this and I cannot wait to make another one!

I hope you enjoyed it and that it gave you some fun ideas!  Have an awesome day!  Jude  :-)
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Social Media Links: (Please visit me for more fun art therapy!)

YouTube - Click HERE!

Hey Jude Cards Instagram - Click HERE!

Jude U Personal Instagram - Click HERE!

Snapchat Username - judeunnone

See you there!  Thanks!
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Sunday, September 24, 2017

Background Bonanza!!!

Yep - that is right - this is going to be a "background bonanza"!!  We are making a ton of cards today and we are using backgrounds that I have made while I was sick in bed!  I thought that his would be a great video to do because all of us have moments where we don't know exactly what to do with a pretty piece of paper, colored item, drawing, scrap, etc., and with this, I'm showing you how to take those items and make them into very simple and generic cards.  Fun, huh?!

As I mentioned, almost all of these items I created through watercoloring or regular coloring when I was sick in bed and unable to get into the craft room on one day or another.  So, I saved them because I didn't want them to go to waste.  I then created an assembly line style (which I have showed in a couple of videos before) where you do one thing all at once and then you move on to the next thing and complete that before moving to the next item.  It just makes the entire process go more smoothly. Now, these are not going to be the most innovative, beautiful and stylish cards that you have ever seen; but, what you are going to see are completed projects that are ready to go.  I like that!  I needed to create a grouping for a good friend who was working to get some to the Kidney Foundation and another batch for a group project that I needed to send out (all the while I was working on 20 animal rescue cards!!!!).  So, we had a LOT of cards to get completed!!!

I started with the huge stack of backgrounds that I had.  These, again, were just things that I had created in bed while too sick to get up (I am in bed 80 percent of the time unfortunately - if you do not know I am permanently disabled from two strokes).  So, I took these and then I used my MFT stitched rectangle dies, Avery Elle wonky stitched dies, and my WPlus9 scalloped rectangle dies and just loaded those up onto my Crafters Companion Gemini machine (the absolute BEST investment ever!!!)  I would just put a background on top and then run it through and repeat the process until I was finished with all the cutting.  I then did the same for a bunch of pieces of solid card stock from either Simon Says Stamp or My Favorite Things.  So now the second part was complete.

Next, I moved on to all of the base folding.  I did a Weekend Quick Tip video a while back where I mentioned that I had taken a few packs of Neenah card stock to Kinkos and had them cut it in half.  It cost about 6.00 and the entire stack was cut in half and ready for all of my card bases!  Love it!  So, I then took my folding board and proceeded to score the card stock and fold them until I had enough bases for the Kidney Foundation cards and the large set of cards that I needed for my project.  Next step was complete!


I now needed to get a bunch of sentiment strips ready so I took some Neenah shimmer card stock and loaded that into my new Tim Holtz Stamp Positioner and then used three sets of stamps - the Simon Says Stamps sets in Thankful Heart & Hand Letter Encouragement, and a MFT stamp set in True Friend.  This was my first time using the Stamp Positioner and I loved it!!!!  I used Memento Tuxedo black ink for these and then cut the strips down with my paper trimmer.


Finally I was able to put all the cards together.  I used a tape runner and matched the cards up with the fun backgrounds and either used a stamped sentiment or stamped a new sentiment with some Catherine Pooler ink on one of the solid colored pieces.  They came together super fast and were so much easier to make than if I had watercolored one piece at a time.  And, I feel that they are definitely from the heart and so full of love because they are done in my good times and in my bad per se because the watercoloring is done when I am not well and then the cards were finished when I was feeling a bit better!!!


Hope you enjoy and this gave you some tips for your own background bonanza!  Have an incredible day!  Jude  :-)

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Social Media Links:

YouTube - Click HERE!
Hey Jude Cards Instagram - Click HERE!
Jude U Personal Instagram - Click HERE!
Snapchat Username - judeunnone
See you there!  Thanks!
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Supplies:


Friday, September 15, 2017

Cross Stitch Halloween

Hey guys - hope you are doing fabulous!  I have a Halloween post for you today with some fun little cards that I made using the Paper Smooches cross stitch die!  I love this die!  I have found that this is one of my most used dies because I am getting back into cross stitch now!  Not like I used to (I don't think I could ever do those huge 11 X 17 pieces again) but I still am enjoying doing these little card pieces.  As with a lot of things, I do these in bed when I am sick.  So, what I do is just do the cross stitch panels and set them aside and then, when I feel better, take them to the craft room and add some sentiments and die cuts and turn them into cards!  Boom!  Love it!

So, with the three rectangle panel cards I created three different designs with various DMC floss.  The panels were die cut with the Paper Smooches cross stitch die.  I cut those out onto the Neenah shimmer card stock just to give it some punch and then, after I did the cross stitch I cut one of them out with the Avery Elle Wonky Stitched rectangle die and cut the other two out with the My Favorite Things stitched rectangle die.  I created two white card bases with Simon Says Stamp card stock and one black card base with Stampin' Up card stock.  I then cut sentiment strips with the My Favorite Things stitched rectangle dies as well.

For the first card, I used the Hero Arts Love You To The Moon and Bat rubber stamp and added the Wild Rose Studio intricate bat.  I used Memento dew drops ink in purple to the sentiment banner to give it a little punch and then added Wink of Stella in black to the bats to make them sparkle.  I then added Tonic Nuvo drops in Purple glitter for the bats eyes for some added punch!

For the second card, I used the Gerda Steiner Designs Bats stamp set to add that sentiment to the center panel with Memento Tuxedo black ink and I attached both of these panels to a Hero Arts copper panel that I dry embossed with the Avery Elle wonky stitched rectangle.  I added another bat to this one and then added the additional sentiments to the inside of the card with the Catherine Pooler Designs Purple Rain ink.

For the third card I added two black bats that I had cut from Simon Says Stamp black card stock and the Boo! sentiment from a cheap stamp set that I got off of eBay to the front and center of the cross stitched panel.  I attached all of the cross stitched panels to the cards with the very strong double sided adhesive that I have linked below.  I added the Tonic Nuvo chocolate fondu glitter drops and this card was finished!

There were two bonus cards that I added for this video and blog post.  I did not use the die for these videos but rather I found a pack of pre-cut cards at JoAnne Fabrics with the cross stitch pieces ready to go.  They were cut out in a circle and you just had to stitch and go!  I did one in yellow stitching and one in silver - to make one look like a moon and one look like the sun.  I added a Happy Halloween circle sentiment around the silver and black card along with some silver Tonic Nuvo drops and then I added the same die around the yellow stitches but in purple and without the words.  I added some stamped bats to that one and some additional nuvo drops and all of these cards were complete!  I loved the way they turned out and they show the recipients that you definitely put a lot of love and work into their little smile in the mail!


Hope you enjoyed!  Have an awesome day!  Jude  :-)
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Social Media Links: (Please visit me for more fun art therapy!)
YouTube - Click HERE!
Hey Jude Cards Instagram - Click HERE!
Jude U Personal Instagram - Click HERE!
Snapchat Username - judeunnone
See you there!  Thanks!
____________________________
Supplies: