August 2003 -- Nancy M.
"Chalked Peony Card"

fourthrk@telus.net
Vancouver, BC

(Click on picture for instructions)

How long have you been stamping?
I've been stamping for about 2.5 years. I started off as a scrapbooker. Because of the cost, I swore that I would never start stamping, like a lot of my other SBing friends. Then, shortly before DS#2 was born, I joined Club Scrap. They mail out SBing supplies with coordinating stamps and I was inspired with what CS members did with the stamps. I stamped my first Christmas cards that year. My stamping obsession snowballed last year when I joined the OSA RAK list. DH and I have Annette to thank for that. LOL. Good thing he never held me to my promise.

What is your favorite technique?
It depends. I like to use whatever technique I can to create layers, and depth - or what DH calls 'moody'. This would include layering images or colours, DTPing, using acrylics, etc. More recently, I've had a great time playing with shrink plastic. I'd like to play with that a little more.

Favorite stamp company?
If I were to look at what stamps I use the most, I would say Non Sequitur. There are a number of stamps from companies that I hope to own someday. These would include Stonehouse Stamps, Rubber Stamp Ave., Hero Arts, Beeswax, and Acey Deucy.

Favorite Asian stamps?
I feel drawn to calligraphy stamps, especially the ones that look like scribbles. Why? I think there's a spiritual element in them - the shapes of the strokes and how they flow. I often find myself staring at them, becoming lost in their beauty. The style of calligraphy has a way of conveying a mood. I also like florals, and bamboos. For a while, I had to have every dragonfly I saw. LOL.

Favorite stamping accessory? (i.e. EP, UTEE, Pearl-Ex, punch)
Swivel knife for cutting detailed images. I used to detest cutting until I discovered it. I like clear EP because of its versatility. I use it for resisting, or melting many layers to seal my work. I love my McGill drill punch for making books. I used to use a Fiskars craft drill for that purpose which created more headaches that it was worth. I also find myself reaching for the Colorbox Stylus quite often.

Favorite colors?
I think I appreciate all colours, although I do find myself being drawn to serene colours in greens and blues.

Your favorite embellishment to finish a card?
I love the look of fibers. They are so easy to coordinate with the colour scheme of cards because there are zillions of textures and colours available. If I can make an embellishment from scratch, I'll do it and it gives me a sense of accomplishment. Recently, I've made faux wax seals, tassels and paper beads. I like to use whatever I can that will enhance the feel of the card.

What is the one tool you couldn't live without? (i.e. X-acto knife, heat gun, glue stick, sponge)
Only one tool? Hmmmm. That would have to be the Xyron. I've used it for vellum, applying adhesive on irregular surfaces, etc. It's helped me solve some design problems. One time I had encountered an obstacle. I wanted to print a letter on a sheet of rice paper stationery that had such a lovely design. I knew that I had to use the stationery for my project, but because the material was so thin and delicate, I feared that it would jam up in my printer. In the end, I printed the letter on regular copy paper, ran it through the Xyron, printed side up, and adhered the rice paper stationery on top. Since the stationery was so thin, the text could still be read. I looove my Xyron.

Any helpful tips for the group?
Make an extra of everything that you create to keep for yourself. I've been doing that for almost every project and have created a portfolio, in case I feel the desire (more like courage) to teach someday. It's nice to have a visual reference of what you've done in case you ever need to make more at a later date. I look at my cards from time to time to see if I could execute them in a different way. It also becomes a visual diary of the "how" you've developed.

Join swaps, if you haven't already. It's a great way to learn and develop. MOSAS7 was my first round, and I learned something from each lady in my group. I also think it's important to give yourself time to create something that you'd be proud to share with others.

As a member of the Oriental Stamp Art group on yahoo, why do you like stamping in the Oriental theme?
For me it's a spiritual release. I am Chinese and I spent the 1st 20 years of my life running away from my heritage. I've felt the need to reconnect with what it means to be Chinese, so I can, in turn, teach my children. Oriental stamp art helps, in part, with the reconnection.

Is there any one place or city you'd like to visit to find rubberstamps, supplies, or Asian art elements?
California! Seems like there's a lot of heavy duty stampin' going on down there. Or any place that is having one of those huge conventions. I'll make it to one someday!

What other stamping lists or clubs do you belong to?
I'm on too many lists to name. LOL. I'm only active on OSA. I meet with a newly formed stamping group on the last Saturday of every month. It's been great to be able to get together with people who speak stamp lingo.

What favorite Stamping magazines would you recommend?
I really like the Stamper's Sampler because it's filled with ideas. I have a few favourite issues of Somerset Studio, and Rubberstamper (a gift subscription from DH). I also like Australian Paperarts, and Stamping and Papercrafts, but it's difficult to find them where I live.

Published in any magazines? If yes, please list.
Yes, but in a SBing magazine called Creating Keepsakes Disney Memories. I've yet to be published in a stamping magazine. Of course, I never have any left over to send in…LOL.

Any other hobbies, talents or craft interests?
In the early mornings I like to do my reading, whether it be Harry Potter or Star Wars novels. Most of the time, however, I switch on the TV to watch Guiding Light. LOL. My guilty pleasure has been revealed. I really enjoy capturing moments and mood through photography, and have been toying with the idea of taking a program to become a professional. With 3 children, I've had to reduce my hobbies to just stamping and off shoots of what can be done with stamps (e.g. making books, jewelry, etc.). I hope that I will be able to return to my sewing, knitting, volleyball, and step aerobics one day.

What inspires you to be creative? i.e. do you listen to music while you stamp or watch TV, keep an art journal?
I flip through my stamping magazines when I want to be inspired, looking at colour combinations, and presentation. I print up material from the Internet and save them in a file for when I'm in a creative rut. I can't forget to mention OSAers. There's a lot of talent in this group. Thank you for inspiring me. While stamping, I need to have the TV on because I can't seem to work or think in complete silence.

Any art background ?
None, except for grade 8 art. I'd always been interested in science. When I started university in sciences my SIL was surprised that I wasn't entering into Fine Arts. That really puzzled me since I can't even draw stick people very well.

Have you used any unusual item in your stamping that wasn't necessarily meant for stamping? (i.e. found item or household item )
I think the most unorthodox thing I've ever used was a shelf liner that I inked up to use as a texture stamp. One time DH and I were taking a walk with our children when I spotted something on the ground and picked it up. DH said, "It's glass. What are you going to do with it"? I said, "It's RED glass. That's not easy to find. I'm sure I'll be able to use it in one of my projects."

Any favorite books on stamping or art techniques that you would recommend? Any on Asian arts & crafts?
One of my more recent finds was the Shrink Plastic 101, published by Design Originals. It really educated me on how to colour shrink plastic and the different ways to use it with your stamps. Another book I love to look at is Stamp in Colour by Dave Brethauer. It teaches techniques for using watercolour in cards. Gorgeous!

Do you have a day job when you're not stamping?
I work 24-7 on raising my wee ones. Stamping is my 15-minute breaks, and ½ hour lunch.

Tell us about your family and where you live.
Jay (DH), Kurtis (5), Ericsson (3), Casielle (21mo), and I live in lush Vancouver, British Columbia where we were all born and were raised/are being raised. We live in an area that was once Japantown that is also a 5-minute walk to Chinatown.

Jay works as the General Manager of the Old Spaghetti Factory in Gastown (a tourist trap…muhahaha), which is an 8-minute walk for him. He has been encouraging and supportive of my stamping passion. He even brings stuff home for me from his office, sure that I'll be able to use it somehow.

Kurtis, and Ericsson will start Kindergarten and Pre-school in September, respectively. Kurtis is the talkative one. Ericsson has been delayed in his speech, and has just started to speak more. Total opposites. He will be entering a school that will help him along in that area. While my two boys are in school, I'm sure Casey will be enjoying those moments of free reign around the playroom.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Lynn for creating this great feature. I've enjoyed reading all about the SAMs and am looking forward to the next unveilings. Thank you to everyone on OSA who has taken the time to share his or her talents and resources.

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INSTRUCTIONS FOR "Chalked Peony Card"

http://www.picturetrail.com/rienna

Of all of the colouring mediums that I have in my collection, I often choose to use my chalks because I like the pastel effect. Chalks are highly pigmented so they are worth the investment and will last for quite a while. I find them easier to blend than coloured pencils, which I have yet to master, and they cover an area much faster. Most importantly, they are something I can quickly clear away and keep out of reach from my kids (Watercolour paints + 21 month-old daughter = Disaster). I won’t bore you with details about using layers of colours to create depth, as some of you are more proficient than I am at this. I will say that when I do embark on a project such as this, it’s important to keep in mind the different shapes in your image (e.g. the curve of a petal or a fold of a leaf), where your
light source is coming from, the shadows resulting from the light source, and the complimentary colours you need to select to highlight the lighter and darker areas.

The embossing of the chalk image came out of an experiment. I knew, as with other powder-type colouring mediums, that the chalks needed to be fixed with a spray. Since I didn’t have a spray fixative on hand, and I don’t like the idea of using hair spray (because it yellows with time), I thought I’d seal my project with clear EP. Wow. I really liked the result. The chalk blended even more as the EP was heated. The colours even darkened and became more vivid. What a bonus!

Supplies:
5mm pompoms, chalks, reverse grip tweezers (RGT), alligator clip applicator, and swivel knife

Materials:
Smooth white cardstock
Black, and red dye inkpads
Stamps – Botanical Peony (Hero Arts), Script and Tiny Chop (Non Sequitur)
Chalk – flesh, pink, orchid, lime green, green, dark green, yellow-orange, and orange
(Craft-T Products)
Chalk applicator – I used an alligator clip applicator
5mm pompoms (or smaller)
White eraser (optional)
Swivel knife and cutting mat (optional), scissors, or X-acto
Clear EP
Versamark*
Embossing gun
Translucent vellum (3 x 3.5”)
Hand decorated green paper (4.25 x 3.5”) **
Gold Momi origami paper (4.5 x 3.75”), plus remnant for dragonfly
Dragonfly punch
Black Indian paper with gold print for matting (5 x 4.25”)
and making paper beads*** (cut into a triangle 2.5 x 5”)
Black card stock (4.75 x 4” for matting, and 5 x 7 “ folded card)
Replica of Chinese coin
Black embroidery floss
Mini gold ‘bells’ (silent kind found at Michaels)
Two-way glue or any liquid glue
Yes! Glue, or similar for gluing coin onto cardstock
Xyron permanent adhesive, or similar adhesive for vellum
*I’ve only used Versamark and it hasn’t noticeably removed any of the chalk. I don’t know if regular embossing pads would
remove it from the surface.
**I used a ‘Backgrounds to Dye For’ technique, introduced to me by Brenda Marks to create the green/gold decorative paper
(see description at end).
***See ‘how to’ at end.
1. Stamp peony onto smooth white cardstock in black dye ink.
2. Take a look at your stamped image to determine where the light source would be coming from. Judging by the shadow of the leaves around the bloom, the light source looks like it would be
coming straight down from the two o’clock position.
3. Secure a pompom to your alligator clip (or RGT) and pick up some flesh coloured chalk. Rub the chalk lightly over the petals, applying more colour as needed. It’s always best to start with a little colour, and apply more when necessary. Add more colour to the top edges of the petals. For the first layer of colour, don’t worry. Just apply a base of colour that will still be visible layering your last colour. Apply the lime green in the same manner on the leaves and petals. Don’t worry about covering the image with an even coat. The variation in colour intensity gives it more of a natural look. Since I was going to cut out the flower after I finished colouring, I wasn’t worried about getting chalk outside the lines. If the image was not going to be cut out, I would have cleaned up the areas with white eraser after each layer of colour.
4. Pick up pink with a fresh pompom. This time, apply the colour to the petal to where there would be the most shadow. In this case, I felt that there would be a greater colour intensity starting at the base of the petals. Apply colour lightly at first, working it upward and away, in a sweeping motion, toward the top edges of the petals. Blend it consistently with the curve of the petals. Follow the shadows detailed by the stamp image. This kind of stamps really help identify where
you would lay down more colour.
5. Apply the green, concentrating mainly on the veins of the leaves, and the shadowed areas. Apply more green on areas under the flower, where the leaves curve, and where a shadow would be cast on the leaves by the stems in front of them. Apply a light coat of yellow-orange to the center of the flower.
6. Lightly pick up the orchid coloured chalk with another pompom. Lightly dust the lower edges of the flower petals, gradually adding more as required. Blend the new colour upward toward the center of the petals in a small circular motion to get a subtle graduation of colour. Apply the orchid in other areas where a shadow would be cast, and where there is a curve in the petal, while keeping in mind where the light source is coming from.
7. Lightly chalk the leaves in with the dark green in the same manner as the previous layer was done, emphasizing the shadows and veins. Dust a bit of orange chalk in the center of the flower.
8. Cut out the peony using a swivel knife (or scissors, X-acto, etc). Emboss cutout using Versamark and clear EP. Colours will smooth out and become more vivid especially the lighter colours. A really neat effect.
9. Tear translucent vellum diagonally from corner to corner. Glue cutout onto one piece of vellum with two-way glue (or anything similar) as shown below. Run this through the Xyron. Set aside.
10. Stamp oriental script in black, and chop in red on the upper right area of hand decorated green cardstock. Layer the vellum/peony on the green paper. Layer this onto gold Momi paper, black cardstock, and then the gold print Indian paper. Glue onto front of black folded cardstock toward the right.
11. Punch out dragonfly from remnant gold Momi and glue to the left of the peony.
12. Make paper beads with gold print Indian paper (see end). When dry, thread embroidery floss through gold bells and paper beads leaving enough floss in between the paper beads to pull through the replica coin. Tie knots on each end. Glue knots and hide them in the hole of the beads. Pull the embroidery floss through the gold coin and secure. Glue to the top left of card.
Tips:
-It’s always best to start with a light application of chalk, adding more as needed.
-I have found that swivel knives are perfect for cutting images with details. You can get the same results with the Coluzzle knife since it works in exactly the same fashion. Although you may cut your picture
out using scissors, getting into the tight areas may be difficult. X-actos will work as well but I find that the swivel knife is easier to use when cutting curved areas because it swivels to the shape that you are trying to cut.
-Once you’ve finished with each pompom you may store it inside its corresponding chalk case so that you’ll always be able to find it, and it won’t be contaminated by the other colours. The pompoms are really inexpensive (roughly $3 Canadian/100) so that you may have one pompom for each colour you own.
-There are applicators designed specifically for chalks, but it can become very expensive to buy one for each colour of chalk. I don’t recommend using Q-Tips as indicated in other literature as the cotton swab will not hold up to continuous use. Others have used eye shadow applicators, but I find with continued use (2-3 times), I’ve worn holes in them.
-If the image isn’t going to be cut out, you can use a white eraser to clean up the areas. Or leave as is to get a dreamy, misty look. It depends on what you want.
-If you don’t have a Xyron you can try using that 3M tape made especially for vellum. I haven’t tried it as of yet so I’m not able to offer any advice.

Backgrounds to Dye for
This is a very simple technique to create decorated paper for your projects, introduced to me by Brenda Marks (bless her heart). If you find yourself in need of a certain coloured cardstock to coordinate with your stamp projects, you’ll find this is an easy way to create just that. What’s even better is that you don’t need any special tools that a stamper doesn’t already own (we have them all already, don’t we? LOL)
Materials
Light cardstock – white or cream (I used white cardstock that had printed flecks)
Green dye ink
Green pigment ink
Gold pigment ink
Rubber Brayer
Clean meat tray, or anything that had a lip on the sides (eg. *cookie sheet)
Spray bottle of rubbing alcohol
*Do not use for food afterward
1. Put drops of dye, and pigment inks onto the meat tray. Spritz the inks with alcohol.
2. Roll brayer over the inks (but not too much that the inks are all mixed together). Roll onto cardstock at various angles.
3. Allow to dry
You may DTP with a bit of Radiant Pearls or metallic pigment as well after brayering. I made a whole bunch of these a while ago and I’m still finding places to use them in my projects.

Paper Beads
This is a great way to use up remnants of paper to create embellishments. It’s really easy and fun to do. I like how the beads created a continuity with the paper I used to matt the peony.
Materials
Minimum of 2.5 x 5” Gold print Indian paper
Ruler
Pencil
X-acto and cutting matt
Skewer or thin knitting needle
Two-way glue, or any liquid glue
Dimensional Magic, Crystal Lacquer, Diamond Glaze, or anything that dries clear (some use clear nail polish).
1. With a pencil and ruler, mark off .5” from the edge on the short side of the Indian paper. Proceed to mark 1” increments after that until you reach the end.
2. On the opposite edge, mark off in 1” increments until the end is reached.
3. Place the ruler on the .5” mark on the first edge and line it up with the first 1” mark on the opposite edge of the paper. Connect the points using a pencil, or you can cut using an X-acto right away. Angle the ruler in the opposite direction to connect the next mark on the first edge to the first 1” mark on the opposite edge. You will now have marked off your first triangle. Continue marking off the rest of your triangles. Cut out the triangles.
4. Line up the short side of the triangle with your skewer/knitting needle. The triangle should be on the bottom with the tip on the triangle pointing away from you. Begin to roll. After the 1st or 2nd
roll, dab a bit of liquid glue on the wrong side of the paper triangle and continue to roll until you’re almost at the end. Dab a bit more glue along the backside to the tip of the triangle and finish rolling to the end. Make sure that you haven’t rolled too tightly so that your bead has become a permanent part of the skewer/knitting needle. You can remove it at this point and thread it on a thin piece of wire.
5. Brush Dimensional Magic (or any similar alternative) to cover the bead. Dimensional Magic will give it a glossy finish. Allow to dry on wire.

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