4th Of July – Taniesa Vlasak

Christ has set me FREE |Journaling bible entry.

Published on July 4, 2016 by Taniesa2 Comments

Hi Crafty Friends!

Happy 4th of July to all of my American friends out there. Today I am wrapping up red, white, and blue week with my final project for Honey Bee Stamps. Today, rather than do a card, I thought I would share with you an entry I did in my journaling bible. Maybe even give you a few tips that might help you in your bible/art journaling. I also want to mention that there is a sale at Honey Bee Stamps today 7/4/16. 15% off your total purchase by using the code 15FREEDOM (this is on top of the sale prices listed).

Here is a close up view of my finished entry. I kept it pretty simple with just journaling the verse on the right and text along the left margin. (this is before I added the tab to the right hand page)

To begin I prepped the pages with a thin coat of clear gesso. I used the Ranger Dina Wakley Clear Gesso brand but I also love the Clear gesso by prima and use both interchangeably.

After the gesso was fully dry I masked off sections for the flag using post-it tape. I did some ink blending for the square and the stripes with Blueprint sketch distress ink and Candied Apple distress ink. After the ink dried the red wasn’t as vibrant as I would have liked so I added a bit of red acrylic paint. I also took the star stamp from the Brush Grunge Alphabet set and stamped that in the blue section with Hero Arts Unicorn white pigment ink.

After I let the pigment ink dry I stamped the stars on the other side but this time in blue chalk ink, and stamped “Christ has set me free” in Ranger archival black ink. I used the Brush Grunge Alphabet stamp set. (Can you tell I really love this alpha set?) Because the page was prepped with gesso the ink does not bleed through.

I didn’t think that the text popped out enough so I took a white paint pen (Derwent Graphik Line Painter ) and went around the stamping.

Next it was time to highlight the verse I wanted. Because I had a different plan for the page the actual verse was on I chose to use the first chapter of Galatians. Now I am really bad at hand lettering. I wish I could letter like lots of the beautiful and talented ladies and gentleman I see on Pinterest but I know my strengths and I know my weaknesses. Thankfully, I do know Photoshop! I have a love for different fonts and so I played around with the verse and came up with something I liked. (you could also use Microsoft word for something as simple as this)

After I printed out my verse I coated the back of the copy paper with Derivan liquid pencil . This stuff is AH-MAZE-ING! I saw a review on YouTube for a completely different purpose and thought it would be great for bible journaling. The rewetable version of this watercolor type paint is completely erasable! You can also wet it and blot it off that way if you prefer. I think this is much cleaner than using graphite paper, but I have used that as well with fairly good results. I do like that this paint makes a light mark when traced over. I chose the lightest grey shade that they make (Grey #3).

I applied the paint to the back side of the paper just where the text was.

You can see the paper I used to print on was cheap thin copy paper. I found this works the best so that you do not over apply the paint.

Now you can use a ballpoint pen to trace your text, but if you press to hard you run the risk of tearing through the paper. I like to use a small ended stylist to go over all of the text. You may have one in your stash if you are a card maker. These were meant to be used for dry embossing. I also love using these tools to add small white dots on my projects with acrylic paint.

Once in place go over all of the text with your tool, you can outline the text or just trace over the center depending on your font. For the bold text I chose to outline and for the thinner text i just went over it once. you can lift up your paper as you go to make sure you are getting the transfer you prefer. If you mess up, just erase and go over again.

Below is what it looks like after I was all done tracing.

Simple right? Now I don’t have to worry about straight lines, mis-spelling (provided I used spellcheck LOL) and style of text.

Now it is time to go over the text in a waterproof bleedproof pen. The pens above are all of my favorites for bible journaling. The Faber Castell Pitt artist pen (I also love the large brush markers in this same line). The Pigma Micron pens have been my go to pens for YEARS and I love that they come in a wide range of sizes. My new favorite is the Illustrated faith pens. They now come in three different sizes which I love and used all three for my outlining on this project.

I used the .25 for the thin text, the .35 for outlining the bold text, and the .65 for filling in the text and making the bolder downstroke lines in “Christ”.

I decided to fill in the words Freedom and firm with a Copic Atyou Spica red glitter pen. I thought this tied the red from the other page over to this side well. After I was done with the text, I let dry and then went around the letters carefully with a Tombow Mono Zero eraser (Ultra fine 2.3mm) I just LOVE this eraser any time I am working in my bible.

I did add some black splatter with some diluted black acrylic paint. Unfortunately it smudged just a little but I went with it. I used my WRMK Tab punch and some star dies to make the tab on the upper right that you see for a final touch. I also added a thin coat of Distress Glaze as I do on most of my finished journaling entries as this seals the paint and ink. you only need a very little bit and buff lightly with a paper towel. One jar will last you a very very long time.

There you have it, my completed two page entry. All in all I am happy with how it came out. I love our country and the freedom so many have fought for. It also made me reflect on the freedom I have in Christ.

As a little freebie gift and a way for you to practice using the text transfer method I shared (or graphite paper), I created a little printable for you all. You could even use this as a tip in for your bible. Print it out on a laser printer and you can run it through your foiling machine too! Lots of possibilities.

Download your free printable here.

Listed below (and within my blog post) are the links to the products I have used for this project. Affiliate links may be used, this means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. I really appreciate your support toward the costs of running this blog.

Stamps used:

Honey Bee Stamps Brush Grunge Alphabet set (on sale as I type this 7/4/16)

Other products used:

Glitter paper
Blueprint sketch distress ink
Hero Arts Unicorn white pigment ink
post-it tape
Candied Apple distress ink
Ranger Dina Wakley Clear Gesso
Clear gesso by prima
Ranger archival black ink
Derwent Graphik Line Painter
Derivan liquid pencil
small ended stylist
Faber Castell Pitt artist pen
Pigma Micron pens
Illustrated faith pens
Copic Atyou Spica Glitter Pen
Tombow Mono Zero eraser (Ultra fine 2.3mm)
WRMK Tab punch
star dies
graphite paper
Distress Glaze

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you have a Fabulous and safe Independence day celebration!

Happy crafting!

It’s a Star Spangled Week!

Published on July 1, 2016 by Taniesa2 Comments

Well, Hello there crafty friends!

Hope you all have had a fantastic week. This week I have been playing along with the Red White and Blue week challenge at Honey Bee Stamps. Although I have shared my projects on Instagram, I thought I would round ’em all up for you in one big blog post. I also show a bit on how I achieved some of the looks.

First up was one layer Patriotic Bee Free card.

For this card I used the Sweet As Honey stamp set. I stamped the honeycomb trio in a miscellaneous pattern and used copics in blues, reds, and gray shades. The cute little bee was from the same set and I stamped the sentiment from the Hand Lettered Alphabet. Instead of doing a gray shadow on the letter I used my Sakura Clear Stardust Gel Pen as well as outlined the letters with light Copic blue markers .

Next is a very simple watercolor one layer card.

For this card I took a piece of Distress watercolor paper and layered up some red and blue watercolor. I used the Daniel Smith Watercolor Essential Set watercolor’s but any kind of watercolors will do just fine. I did 4 different layers letting them air dry fully in between painting each layer. I then stamped the little stars and hearts from the Just Sayin’ stamp set. They didn’t quite show up as bright as I would have liked so after the Hero Arts Unicorn white pigment ink was dry I went over the stars with a Sakura Clear Stardust Gel Pen and went over the hearts with a Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen. I stamped the BLESSED sentiment from the Bless your heart stamp set. Once dry, I die cut the panel with Lawn Fawn Large Stitched Rectangle die (Large) and layered with some blue Glitter paper. I placed both on a red card base.

For my next card I decided to do a little rustic americana look.

This card took a bit more time because I did a lot of masking. Here is a few photos of the process…

First I measured out the stripes evenly and then blocked off the blue stars section. I used full adhesive post-its and post-it tape to help me mask off around each of the stripes as I stamped. I used Red Royal Hero Arts shadow ink for the red stamping and for the white stripes I used Wet Cement Hero Arts shadow ink. The HAPPY stamp is from the Happy Everything stamp set. For the red ink blending I used the Candied Apple distress ink.

Below is a photo of the stripes when I lifted off the masking papers.

Below is the finished flag before distressing. For the blue section I applied Blueprint sketch distress ink and then stamped the “4th” with Hero Arts Indigo Bold ink . The 4 is from the brush grunge alpha set and the “th” is from the Hand lettered numeric set. I added stars from various Honey Bee stamp sets stamped in Hero Arts Unicorn white pigment ink. Some of the stars I went over with my Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen.

Time for distressing! First I crumpled up the flag and flattened it, then crumpled smashed and smooshed it again. After I flattened it out again it was ready for some staining. Sometimes it pays to hang on to your older crafty things. I had some Walnut ink from years ago that I mixed with some water. I added a few sprays on a piece of acetate along with some Faber-Castel Gel Medium to give me a glaze that I could paint on top of the flag.

Once it was fully dry (I left it for about an hour or two while I did other things) I ran it though my American Crafts Heidi Swapp MINC machine. I used a heat setting of 5. It came out super flat the first time though.

Finally I wrapped around some May Arts Natural twine and then attached a bow in the center with a glue dot. I adhered the piece to a cream card base. For a finishing touch I stamped some stars from the Country Wreath stamp set on the flap of a kraft envelope. I love adding a matching envelope whenever I can.

That brings me to today’s card and my final card for this week’s Red White and Blue Challenge. This one I think was my favorite out of all of the cards I completed this week.

I love a simple one layered card that looks like it has a lot of dimension to it. This card was a lot of fun to create.

First I cut a heart out of a piece of acetate with a metal die (heart). and then attached it to a piece of hot press watercolor paper. The brand I like to use for ink blending like this is by Fluid. It’s reasonably priced, very smooth, and takes ink blending really well (the pad I used is linked in the supply section at the bottom of this post).

Below are the red and blue inks that I used for this project Blueprint sketch distress inkand Candied Apple distress ink . I applied using little Makeup Blender Sponges. These allowed a smoother application of these colors with the stencil for me. The stamping was done in Hero Arts Indigo Bold ink and Red Royal Hero Arts shadow ink.

I used the Paint swash from the Brush grunge Alpha set. It is normally at a curve but I straightened it on my Misti Stamp Tool for the stripes (the very bottom little brush stroke stamp is from Color My World stamp set)

After I stamped the stripes I shaded the outside edge with the Candied Apple distress ink. I went over it with a dry Makeup Blender Sponge after applying to soften the line further and remove excess ink.

I did the same process for the blue section. Masking off the red area I shaded using the Blueprint sketch distress ink.

Then for the “stars” I stamped the paint splotch from the Color My World stamp set.

After all the heart was complete. I placed the die cut heart that I saved from die cutting the stencil over the heart and shaded the outside edges with Hickory Smoke distress ink. I let this dry fully on its own for about a half hour. I then applied powder from my EK success powder embossing tool. I stamped the word Blessed from the Bless your heart stamp set with Versafine Onyx Black ink and then covered the title with some clear sparkle embossing powder and heat set.

I mounted the base on some thin fun foam and then placed that on a royal blue card base with just enough blue to peek out on the sides of the card. I finished everything off by adding some clear iridescent sequins.

Honey Bee Stamp sets used:

Sweet As Honey

Hand Lettered Alphabet

Hand Lettered Numeric

Hand lettered Alphabet and Hand Lettered Numeric are also available as a set HERE

Brush Grunge Alphabet

Color My World

Other products used:

Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen
Sakura Clear Stardust Gel Pen
Distress watercolor paper
Glitter paper
Copic Grey Markers
Copic blue markers
Daniel Smith Watercolor Essential Set
Lawn Fawn Large Stitched Rectangle die
Red Royal Hero Arts shadow ink
Wet Cement Hero Arts shadow ink
Blueprint sketch distress ink
Hero Arts Indigo Bold ink
Hero Arts Unicorn white pigment ink
full adhesive post-its
post-it tape
Candied Apple distress ink
Walnut ink
Bulk Buy: Faber-Castel (2-Pack) Gel Medium Jar 100ml FC770303
American Crafts Heidi Swapp MINC Foil Applicator with Transfer Folder, Foil & Art Prints, 6″
May Arts Natural twine
kraft envelope
acetate
metal die (heart)
Fluid watercolor paper
Sankuwen 4pcs Flawless Makeup Blender Foundation Puff Multi Shape Sponges
Misti Stamp Tool
Hickory Smoke distress ink
EK success powder embossing tool
Versafine Onyx Black ink
clear sparkle embossing powder
fun foam

I hope you like my little collection of Red White and Blue from this week! Thank you so much for stopping by!

Have a wonderful weekend and a happy and safe Independence Day!

Happy Crafting!

Red, White, and Blue Week!

Published on June 27, 2016June 30, 2016 by TaniesaLeave a comment

Hey Friends!!!

I’m so excited to share a bit of news and a challenge with you! This week over on the Honey Bee Stamps Blog is “Red, White, & Blue Week!” Designers will be sharing their project using this color palette.

RWB Color Palette

Of course it ties in with the 4th of July festivities but it does not have to be an Independence Day or Americana project, It can be anything using any types of products (not just Honey Bee Stamps)

This fun will run starting Today, Monday 6/27 Thru Monday 7/4. During this week, the Design Team will be posting their creations using the Red, White & Blue color theme and you will have a chance to participate in the fun (not to mention have a chance at winning a prize!)

THE CHALLENGE

We would love to challenge our customers, friends & crafty kids to play along with us. Share your creations on the Honey Bee Stamps Website, Honey Bee Stamps Facebook Page or on Instagram using the hashtag #HBSChallenge so that we can see everything you create! We challenge you to share anything crafty (cards, scrapbook pages, mixed media). While we love to see you use Honey Bee Stamp products, they are not required to participate. The color palate above is just a starting off point. It can be ANY shades of red, white, and blue.

I will be playing along too! Both here on my blog and on my instagram account as well as on the Honey Bee Stamps blog. Look for a few fun projects from me and the rest of the Honey Bee design team!

Have a FANTASTIC week, my friends!

Happy Crafting!