Celebrating Fall

Hi everyone.  I LOVE Fall ... the colours, the crisp air ... it's magical.  And I love making fall cards.  I'm back with another Fall Birthday card using a beautiful leaf stencil.  

I started by randomly sponging the background with Distress inks:  Mustard Seed, Cracking Campfire, Gathered Twigs.  I dried my card panel and then placed the Tumbling Leaves stencil (Simon Says Stamp) overtop.  I pressed down over the stencil with my Versamark pad and then removed the stencil, sprinkling with clear embossing powder and heat set.  I wiped the panel down to make sure there was no anti-static powder left and then sponged over the whole thing with Gathered Twigs ink.  I used a dry paper towel to wipe off any excess ink that remained on top of the heat embossing (emboss resist technique).  For the last step, I splattered the panel with yellow gold Fintec watercolour paint.

I mounted the panel onto my card base, which had the top corners rounded.  Stamped the sentiment (Endless Birthday Wishes - SU!) at the top with Crackling Campfire ink.

Close-up ...

Sending the above card to the following Challenges:

1) Seize the Birthday #292 - Use the word Celebrate

2) Darnell's IDEAS Oct. Challenge - Inks / Colour Mediums

3) Stencil Fun Challenge Sept. - Anything Stenciling Goes

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps:  Endless Birthday Wishes - retired (SU!)

Paper:   White card stock (Neenah 110 lb.); Mixed Media (Strathmore 140 lb.)
Ink:   Distress Inks:  Mustard Seed, Crackling Campfire, Gathered Twigs (Tim Holtz); Versamark
Accessories:  sponges, Tumbling Leaves Stencil (SSS), Clear embossing powder (Ranger), heat tool, Fintec Yellow Gold Watercolour Paint 

Challenges:

Seize the Birthday #292 - Celebrate

IDEAS Oct. Challenge - Inks

Stencil Fun Challenge Sept.

Penny Black - The Star

Hi everyone.  Today I'm sharing a card made with an adorable, new image from Penny Black called The Star (31-182).  I watercoloured the image with distress inks and used the matching die (The Star Cut Out - 51-845) to cut out and pop up over top of my background.

The background is done on vellum, stamped multiple times with three different snowflakes from Snow Charm (Penny Black).  I stamped them in Versamark and heat embossed in white.  I flipped the vellum over and sponged Salvaged Patina randomly over the background.  The background was splattered with white ink to create falling snow and heat embossed to dry before mounting it between two frames (Semi-Circle Stackers - 51-706) from Penny Black. The Star image was adhered to the front of the vellum and a simple sentiment (Full of Christmas - 30-734) Penny Black, was stamped in black.

The whole panel was popped up with 1/4" adhesive foam strips on the back of the frame.  This allows the dreaminess of vellum to show.

Close-up ...

Sending card #1 to the following challenges:

1) NBUS Challenge #67

2) Merry Little Christmas Challenge #58 - Anything Christmas Goes

Thanks for stopping by!

Penny Black Store

 

                                            The Star (31-082)                       The Star Cut Out (51-845)

                                            Snow Charm (30-772)            Semi-Circle Stackers (51-706)

Full of Christmas (30-734)

Stamps:  The Star (Penny Black); Snow Charm (Penny Black); Posted (Penny Black)

Paper:   White card stock (Neenah 110 lb.); Mixed Media (Strathmore 140 lb.); Thick Vellum (Oplymio - Amazon)
Ink:   Black Pigment (Versafine Claire Nocturne); Shadow Grey (Archival - Ranger); Distress Inks:  Candied Apple, Aged Mahogany, Mowed Lawn, Rustic Wilderness, Brushed Corduroy, Gathered Twigs, Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Salvaged Patina, Black Soot (Tim Holtz); Zigs (Flesh Colour)
Accessories:   White embossing powder (Ranger), heat tool, watercolour brushes, sponges, diluted white ink, 

Challenges:

NBUS Challenge #67

Merry Little Christmas Challenge #58 - Anything Christmas Goes

Autumn Birthday

Hi everyone.  Today's card was made at the same time as the Stencil Monoprint card I posted a couple of days ago ...

I used brushos on mixed media paper with the Joyful Sunflower stencil to create 1) a positive print --- my card for today; then 2) flipping the wet stencil over onto a second piece of mixed media paper to create the negative (background) print for the stencil monoprint recently posted for Group of Seven.

I'm really happy with both cards. :)  I haven't done many prints with stencils recently and Group of Seven inspired me to get inky. :)  

The top card uses the print, along with a small black sentiment banner with Happy Birthday heat embossed in copper.  Simple, quick, and easy card to make, celebrating fall's colours.  

Close-up ...

Sharing at the following challenges:

1) Darnell's Sept. Challenge - Stencils

2) Beautiful Bloosoms Challenge - Sept. - Mood Board #21

3) Seize the Birthday #292 - Anything Birthday Goes

  

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps:  Many Everyday Message - retired (Hero Arts)

Paper:   White card stock (Neenah 110 lb.); Mixed Media (Strathmore 140 lb.); Black card stock (SU!)
Ink:   Brushos: Terra Cotta, Orange, Leaf Green, Light Brown; Versamark
Accessories:  Joyful Sunflower (The Crafter's Workshop); water mister, Copper embossing powder (Ranger), heat tool

Challenges:

IDEAS  Sept. Challenge - Stencils

Beautiful Bloosoms Challenge - Sept. - Mood Board #21

Seize the Birthday #292

Stencil Monoprint - Group of Seven

Hi everyone.  This month we are looking back at an older technique, Stencil Monoprint.  It's an easy and fun technique that creates lovely backgrounds or main panels for cards.

Please check out the details for the technique and link to videos on the blog ...

Group of Seven Cardmakers

* * * * *

My first card above uses powdered inks (Brushos - Terra Cotta, Orange, Leaf Green, Light Brown).  Using powdered inks or sprays allows me to make a positive (print) and negative (monoprint) from just one application of colour (see pictorial below).  I used one of my favourite stencils (Joyful Sunflower - The Crafter's Workshop), which was a gift from a sweet friend several years ago.  I'll share my print card at another time. 

Sending the above card to Just Us Girls #746 - Stencil Week.

* * * * *

For my second card, I used powdered inks again (Brushos - Lime Green, Leaf Green), along with the Wander & Find stencil (Carta Bella - retired).

I stamped the Pop Sunflower image onto mixed media paper, watercoloured using Distress Inks, fussy-cut, and popped it up over my Stencil Monoprint background.  That little bird is so sweet! :)

Sending this card to Seize the Birthday #292 - Anything Birthday Goes.

* * * * *

Here is a pictorial of my process of making the Stencil monoprints with powdered inks.

 

   1) Stencil on mixed media paper        2) Brushos sprinkled over stencil

 

                            3) Right card - Water misted over      4) Left card - Inky stencil flipped onto

                                 Brushos (positive print)                       second card / blotted with

                                                                                                     paper towel  (stencil monoprint)                    

 

                                  5)  Stencil removed                               6) Left to Right - 

                                       / paper left to air dry                            Stencil monoprint/ Print

                                       (finished Stencil Monoprint)             

Here's what I learned when I experimented with this technique ...

• This is an easy technique that works with lots of different mediums, substrates, and stencils. 
• It can be a main panel or background - so lots of flexibility
• Use a generous amount of water so the colour spreads, especially when using powdered inks.
• Important to remove the stencil quickly after spraying with water.  This prevents the water from spreading under the stencil and loosing definition of the design.
• You can create several panels with one application of ink.  Repeat adding inked (wet) stencil onto card and blotting with paper towel until there isn't any colour left.  First stencil monoprint will be the strongest colours, each monoprint will be lighter in colour than the previous.

Thanks for stopping by!

Card #1:

Stamps:  Simply Sentiments (Lawn Fawn)

Paper:   White card stock (Neenah 110 lb.); Mixed Media (Strathmore 140 lb.); Early Espresso (SU!)
Ink:   Brushos: Terra Cotta, Orange, Leaf Green, Light Brown; Versamark
Accessories:   Clear acrylic block to elevate panel when adding stencil and ink (optional - but worth it), Mini Joyful Sunflower stencil (The Crafter's Workshop); Water Mister, White embossing powder (Ranger); heat tool

Card #2:

Stamps:  Many Everyday Messages (Hero Arts - retired)

Paper:   White card stock (Neenah 110 lb.); Mixed Media (Strathmore 140 lb.)
Ink:   Black Pigment: Versafine Clair Nocturne; Brushos: Lime Green, Leaf Green; Distress Inks:  Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Ripe Persimmon, Gathered Twigs, Mowed Lawn (Tim Holtz)

Accessories:   Clear acrylic block to elevate panel when adding stencil and ink (optional - but worth it),

Challenges:

Group of Seven - Stencil Monoprint

Just Us Girls #746 - Stencil Week

Seize the Birthday #292 - Anything Birthday Goes