Baby Toy

I made this baby card using a pink base, then layered it with a brown background, which was punched with the SU Scallop border punch at the bottom, and tied with some of the retired stitched poly ribbon.  I also used the white gel pen to faux stitch a border.  The sentiment was stamped using the SU Itty Bitty Banners set, and cut out with the new SU Bitty Banners framelits.  I also cut another larger layer of brown to add behind it. 
For the toy, I punched a 2 1/2" circle from white cardstock, then cut it in half for the base.  I used SU Pretty In Pink ink and the SU Elizabeth stamp to stamp the pattern on the base.  The rings of the toy were all punched using the SU Word Window punch.  How did I make it longer and shorter?  Very carefully!  :oP  For the longer layer, I measured the width of a word window that was already punched, then cut a strip of paper that would fit.  I fed it thought the bottom of the punch, not the normal slot, then held part of it out of the punch to punch the first end.  When the one end had the rounded edge, I took it out, and fed the opposite side into the punch (from the bottom again), then cut at the desired length.  A Quik Stick or reverse tweezers can be extremely helpful in this process!  The smaller ones were easier, because I just had to shorten them, and didn't have to worry about accidentally cutting it off before it was long enough.  I cut one last white Word Window to put up at the top of the toy, and then I was finished!  Hope you enjoy!  ~Hoppy Crafting!

Butterfly Picture Transfer

I've been seeing people do some picture transfers lately, and decided to try one of my own.  First, I printed off a picture with a whole bunch of butterflies on it.  I decided to go with a picture without people, just for my trial run.  I printed it on regular paper. 
Next, I applied gel medium to the wood I had chosen for this project.  After the wood was completely covered, I placed the printed photo, face down, onto the wood, and set it aside to dry overnight (or close to 24 hours).  (I did the first part at about 9pm, and then, after returning from work the next day, at approximately 5pm, I commenced the second stage.)
After everything was dry, I took a sponge and wet the paper on the wood, then rubbed with my fingers to remove all the paper (SUGGESTION: You may want to use rubber gloves!  My fingers were so ink-stained, that I went to work the next day with purple hands!).  When all the paper is off, let dry again. 
My final steps were to add two coats of ModPodge (allow to dry between each), to seal in the ink and make it glossy or matte (whichever you choose).  I really like how they turned out.  I also ended up using some acrylic paint to spice up the edges with some color, before hanging, but you can do whatever suits your tastes!  I've even seen this done on canvas, but I have as of yet to try it!  ~Hoppy Crafting!