First Freebie from O! Susannah!

Don't you just love the name Moonberry? It just conjures up moonlit nights and the sweet smell of berry tarts... romantic but downhome, too. That's what my first free kit is all about.

I'm not posting terms of use, because there are no restrictions as far as what you can do with it (although I do ask for a credit if you can, and no tasteless uses, please!). Have fun. And come back for more...
Go here for part 1
and here for part 2
and here for part 3

Imagine what a full kit would be like!

I've been published by Family Crafts guide!

This was so much fun! I had a challenge from my bible study group to make a special hat (I used puzzle pieces). I was also entering the talent contest with (gulp!) singing a poem I wrote, called "I'm Puzzled"! So when Family Crafts Guide asked for a craft using puzzle pieces, I was trimmed and ready. Click on the title to go see the article and picture.

New! Improved! Digital Scrap 4 Hire at O! Susannah!

That's right, folks! I'm digging out my scrapbooking and digital designing talents and putting them to work. O! Susannah! will now be my launching place for my new Scrap 4 Hire business which will be called (strangely enough) O! Susannah! And this will be the place that I will also begin to showcase my designs and offer freebies. So get ready, because when you see what I've got in store, all you'll be able to say is O! Susannah!

The Creator

Okay, friends, I know this is not your typical post for this blog, but I simply have to share this with everyone I talk to! When I came home from Ukraine two years ago, I was mentally and emotionally spent, and was in a downward spiral. On top of that, I've had fibromyalgia all my life, and the pain and discouragement from that was just making matters worse. I was seeing doctors and taking eight different medicines twice a day. I was also seeing a psychiatrist. Then one day three weeks ago, while I was busy writing on my computer, God spoke to me and told me that He was going to heal me. When Jeff got home from work, I told him and he said, "How interesting! God told me you were going to be alright!" Immediately I began to feel better, and when I went to see my psychiatrist, she told me I really didn't need to come back, except for her to help me set some goals. However, the fibromyalgia pain was still there.

Well, today I was at a small festival in a small town when I suddenly realized that all my fibromyalgia pain was gone! In fact, pressing on the normal trigger points did not cause me any pain.

My God has completely healed me. Completely!

I just had to share that with you... and if you are interested in meeting this Creator, leave a comment and I'll be sure to contact you and introduce Him to you. If you think you are a Christian, but not positive about where you would go if you died tonight, then you aren't. Talk to me! He wants you to come to Him, and He is waiting with open arms!

Decorating Dominoes with Rubber Stamps by Kimberly Crick

General written directions for a variety of media:
--- Step 1: Getting Ready ---
Decide which look you'd like to achieve and get your supplies :)
Most dominoes come in sets of 28 or more. When working with paints or alcohol inks I would try prepping at least 10 at a time. Acrylic painting doesn't take long, but you'll be back and forth to your craft table throughout the day because of the drying times between coats.
Alcohol inks dry in a matter of minutes, so if you work on a bunch, your first ones will be dry enough to work continually. If you choose the chalk color option you can do it all in one quick sitting by coloring over your stamped image on the blank domino (no background prep work.)
I work on the domino straight from the tin (no bleaching or sanding.) The only time you may want to lightly sand the surface is if you are painting a coat of acrylic paint on it and want to make it gritty to hold the paint better. Otherwise I have not had problems working with the dominoes the way they come.
Coloring the sides and back (with the dots) of your domino: If you're using chalk on a white domino, the soft shading around the edges looks fine alone. If you are using a painted/inked background you'll want to atleast outline the edges with a Krylon Gold Leafing Marker or color the sides with a sharpie marker. This gives the artwork a more finished appearance. Alcohol inks can also be applied over all areas of the domino, and should be sealed when you're done if you plan to wear it. Another great way to give your domino a finished look (especially when making jewelry that may flip over during wear) is to spray paint it. I find that gold or silver compliments most art. You could also use any color of spray paint as your background layer in place of the techniques below.

--- Step 2: Background Layer Options ---
Adirondack Alcohol Inks: These make fast drying faux-stone/watercolor looking effects on glossy paper, metal, plastic and other non-porous surfaces. In addition to the colored ink you'll need the "Alcohol Blending Solution" and the applicator with felt pads. First add a few randomly spaced drops of color and a couple drops of blender onto the felt pad. Then just press the pad onto your domino at random, over and over until completely covered.
The wood applicator stamp has a velcro bottom to swap out different felt pieces. You can reuse these a few times with the same colors, so put them aside to save waste. It's much better than applying with cotton balls because they do not absorb as much of the ink and it keeps it away from your hands. (If you think you're going to get messy, wear gloves because this will stain your hands for days!)
Once it is dry (usually within a minute) feel free to go back over it with more ink or other colors. The beauty of alcohol ink is that it spreads out and will not become a single muddy color as the inks touch each other. Experiment with different amounts of ink, blender and times your surface is re-inked. You'll get anything from a tea-stain or watercolor appearance to a speckled stone look.

*Important Warning About Using Alcohol Inks With Other Inks and Paints* Oddly enough, while alcohol inks stand up great against soap or water, they will smudge when used with other common stamping products (anything containing traces of alcohol.) This is mainly a problem when applying a sealing coat to your dominoes or using clear embossing inks/powders. I have tried sealing alcohol inks with painted-on clear acrylic glaze resulting in a smudged marbled effect of the inks (which could possibly be cool if you played around with it on purpose.) Since that didn't work, the next thing I tried was coating the alcohol-inked domino with Boss Gloss or VersaMark watermark ink pad or other clear embossing inks, followed with clear embossing powder: This really changed the appearance of the alcohol inks. They will become distorted and change colors/contrast.
What works: I've had good luck with the drip/paint-on Aleene's "Paper Glaze", or "Diamond Glaze" water-based dimensional adhesive by Judi-Kins or by lightly spraying Krylon's workable fixative.

Acrylic: Painted solid color, crackle and weathered wood effects can be placed on dominoes using multiple layers of acrylic paints. Your first one or two layers will look uneven as you build up the base coat. It is optional to lightly sand your domino prior to painting to help the paint stick to the slick surface. I do not recommend sanding or bleaching dominoes for other techniques since it leaves behind tiny scratch marks, but in this case your thick paint will cover it. Your surface should be ready for stamping after 3 or 4 coats, allowing to fully dry between thin layers.

Acrylic Crackle Paints: There are atleast two types of crackle acrylic paint by DecoArt (I used those roughly $1 a bottle paints along with apple barrel acrylics, but you can also get different results from nicer paints such as Lumiere or Dr. Ph. Martins which are popular among stampers depending on your budget.) One type is a "One Step Crackle" which is essentially a glossy top coat that has tiny internal cracks when it dries. In addition to creating an interesting effect, this can serve as a sealer to your base coats and make the surface smooth for stamping/coloring with a different medium (such as chalk.)
The second type of crackle paint is "Weathered Wood / Crackling Medium" which cracks the layer of acrylic painted ON TOP of it. In order to use this type you put your background base color down first, then apply the crackling medium, then another coat of paint in a different color than your background. The top layer separates randomly exposing the background color. This type of paint will produce a different effect each time, depending on types of paint used and crackle medium thickness. Practice and luck create a vintage paint feel.

Acrylic Glitter: There are many types of paint-on acrylic glitter, for a background layer I suggest finding a bottle of the clear drying kind with light glitter. This way you end up with a pretty sparkle that doesn't dominate over your stamped image.

Rubber Stamped Backgrounds: In each of my domino theme stamp sheets there are a few background patterns. Various crackle, tree bark, swirls, leaves and other patterns stamped in light colors add dimension to your domino art. Fine crackle pattern stamps are especially nice for creating a faux -porcelain china look without the mess of acrylic crackling paints. You can use any type of ink you want, but it's helpful to have a heat gun to speed up the drying time. With the color box chalk inks I used in the pics with the stamped crackle pattern, I just passed the heat gun over it for about 30 seconds (or until it looks dry) before moving on to the next step.

Ink Backgrounds: Aka 'quick and easy'. Sponge on any color ink directly from your pad onto the domino. If you are using pigment ink you can emboss it for a nice sealed surface for further coloring. Chalk ink pads can be heat set to a nice opaque paint-like finish.

Sharpie Markers with Alcohol Ink Blender: In addition to coloring your stamped art, sharpie markers (which are alcohol based) can be used to create smooth colorful backgrounds. Scribble some complimenting colors onto a domino randomly. Then use a cotton ball,q-tip or felt pad with a couple drops of Adirondack Alcohol Blending Solution (or any rubbing alcohol) and gently rub over the domino. The sharpie inks will blend and lighten, depending on how much fluid you use and times you pass over it.

Paper Backgrounds: Tissue paper can be stamped and colored with colored pencils (or other materials you'd like to use that can't be used on a slick domino) and then attached to the domino surface using a clear drying glue (such as mod podge.)

Note: Gold leafing can be tricky and I only suggest experienced crafters try it!
Gold Leaf: Various colored metal leafing sheets/flakes can be applied to your domino using the popular "Mona Lisa" brand glue pen or their paint-on adhesive that stays tacky when dry. Since some of their products contain harsh chemicals, I work with a stamp-on glue pad instead. I found an ink pad adhesive called "Palette - Stamp & Stick Gluepad" at my local Jo-Ann Crafts store. In addition to using the pad to directly cover your domino's surface, you can also use it on your rubber stamps for holding powders, glitters, chalks, metallic pigments and metal leafing. Once you stamp the image you just quickly pass a heat gun over it to make it tacky. Explore your options, there are many glue pads on the market, some do not require heat to activate.

Metal leaf sheet/flakes will stick, gently rub off the excess with your finger/small paintbrush/cloth for a metallic background to stamp over. If you're worried about lifting the metal you can seal it or emboss it in place before stamping. For my examples I tapped versamark clear ink (any clear embossing ink) over the metal, coated it in detail clear embossing powder and melted it. You will need to seal this thickly to prevent the metal leaf from chipping off your slick domino surface.

Double sided tacky tape cut to the shape of your domino can also be used in place of adhesives. I have found that tapes and the glue pens are not heat resistant though (so don't emboss over those because it might bubble/peel off.) The Palette gluepad seems to hold up well under repeat heat. I haven't tried flocking/sticky embossing powders yet, but those seem like a good option as well (if you can find them.)

Chalk Palette: The easiest technique offers incredibly smooth shading. Dominoes have a shiny white surface right out of the box and it's perfect for this. I don't usually do any prep work or backgrounds for my chalk colored dominoes, but you can use it over painted/pre-colored surfaces if desired.

--- Step 3: Stamping and Coloring ---
Choosing Your Ink Pad: I frequently use StazOn ink (a multi-surface solvent ink pad which is permanent on plastic or glass.) This provides fine detail and quick drying time on your plain, sealed or acrylic painted domino. It will not smudge when you apply versamark & chalk or marker coloring over it.
If you are stamping over alcohol inks: For some reason (probably alcohol content) the StazOn solvent inks make your rubber stamp stick to the alcohol ink covered domino, sometimes slightly lifting the color. You can still use StazOn, but it will look better if you seal the alcohol inks with a quick spray sealant (such as Krylon workable fixative) or the brush/drip-on Aleene's "Paper Glaze", or Judi-Kins Diamond Glaze water-based adhesive before stamping. My results varied with color of ink and how wet the stamp was, so you'll have to experiment.
You could also just use a chalk ink pad for stamping instead, heat set to dry. I have tried using color-box black pigment ink, but found that the color faded when i spray sealed the domino. If you'd like to use pigment inks, it's probably a good idea to melt detail embossing powder over it keep those colors vibrant.
--
If you have domino sized rubber stamps, you can use them unmounted by laying them image side up on your table. Then press the domino onto the inked stamp. I think it's easier to tell where the image is being placed when moving the domino firmly down onto the stamp. StazOn will stain your rubber and will not come off with soap/water, be sure to pick up the special solvent stamp cleaner while you're at the store.

If you're working with acrylic or alcohol inks on a colored background, stamping is my final step before sealing. Usually additional color is not needed on these vibrant backgrounds. You can play around with chalk, sharpie markers or metallic paint pens for more touches if desired.

If you're working with chalk and you just rubber stamped onto a blank white domino, continue to coloring by:
Coloring with a Chalk Palette: After your stamped image has dried, tap your domino onto a "VersaMark" clear watermark ink pad. This creates a slightly sticky clear layer on the surface to hold the chalk color. Use the chalk palette brushes (usually soft tipped eye shadow swabs or Q-Tips) to gently pat color onto your domino. Don't rub it too much or you'll remove the thin coat of versamark that is keeping the chalk in place. The more you press the lighter your colors will become. Blending will come naturally with practice.
Move onto the sealing step asap. Versamark will stay sticky forever, which will attract dust to your art unless you seal it within the day.
Sharpie Markers: I use these to color the entire sides of dominoes or to trace around the edges to give it a clean finished look. The gold leaf example images were colored with sharpie markers. Caution: Since sharpies are alcohol based they will erase/smudge your stamp lines if you are not careful while coloring.

--- Step 4: Sealing and Drilling Options ---
Non-toxic indoor brush-on sealing: I've had the best luck with Mod Podge Gloss clear drying glue/sealer. You add a few drops onto your domino surface. As long as you gently glide it around with a flat broad tip soft paint brush or a cosmetic sponge, it will not disturb your inks, paints or chalks. Thin layers are best, to avoid creating potential bubbles in thicker glazes. The best info on sealers is in the picture comparison of brush/wipe-on sealers towards the middle of this page.

There are a lot of other clear drying paint-on finishes/gloss/sealants, but many will smudge your artwork while brushing it on. All acrylic paint on sealers I tried (including "triple thick" and other deco art / apple barrel acrylic brand products) distorted my alcohol inks.

In the past customers have recommended "Polycrylic" which is a water-based acrylic spray that when sprayed in light coats, will not disturb your dominoes made with chalk, acrylic, StazOn, paper or gold leafing backgrounds. Spray sealers can provide a very clean smooth finish. As of May 2009 A few people have emailed me stating their Polycrylic spray is resulting in sticky or bubbly results. There may be a chemical stability problem at the manufacturer. I would seek an alternative sealer, there are a variety of glossy clear sealers to choose from at Home Depot or Michaels craft stores.
Sealing alcohol based inks: If you have used a lot of markers (like sharpies), alcohol inks or wet pigment/dye inks (that were not heat set or embossed), I would first brush on a thin coat of Aleene's Paper Glaze to prevent smudging. Or, if you prefer to only use spray sealers, try Krylon workable fixative as a quick coat before applying the final sealant such as Krylon Matte Finish, Crystal Clear Sealant, Polycrylic or other clear spray sealer. Especially if you can't get your final sealer to work right with just a couple really light coats (instead of spraying one heavy mist at once, which might cause ink bleeding.)
Important note: I DO NOT USE SPRAY SEALERS! Sorry, I can't help with this issue past this page. Check out my wipe-on sealer images towards the middle of this page within the picture tutorials. Anything written about spray sealers are just options passed on from other customers to help you make an informed selection. I use a very light coat of mod podge for most of my work, finding a sealer that is the right look for you takes some experimenting.

*Caution for wearing alcohol inked jewelry* Sealing your art will usually prevent any problems, but it should be noted that if it comes in contact with alcohol it may bleed ink. If you spray perfume on (or are standing next to the punch-bowl at a party, lol) be careful not to douse your art!

I own a dremel hand drill and a mini-vice clamp for the side of my craft table. This should make drilling holes into your domino very easy (a mini-vacuum is handy too, for the mess.) You can put more time into elaborate designs by using craft wire in many holes, or simply tie a ribbon in a single top hole. If you do not have a hand drill, you can also glue flat sided beads or pendant bails (a bale with a loop and an extended flat piece to attach to the back of your pendant) to your domino with a strong jewelry glue (such as "E-6000" brand.)

I drill prior to decorating when using thicker media such as gold leaf or embossing powders. If you are using the chalk method and spray sealing you should be able to drill afterwards if you want to use your artwork as a guide for hole placement. I only drill front to back, short ways.

Ever wonder how a sewing machine works?

Take a look at this animation. It really shows it perfectly!

Fun little video on wet felting SOAP!

Take a look here. You'll really like this, I bet!