As I write this blog post, it’s officially been about four weeks since Vermont’s Stay at Home order in the face of a global coronavirus pandemic. What an unprecedented, unsettling and bizarre time this is and it’s impact affects us all. Since I’ve quit working and have so much extra time to spend in my stamp room, I’ve made a concerted effort to mail out many cards to encourage my family and friends. It’s a small thing but if one of my cards brings a smile and a moment of joy then goal accomplished! A number of stamp companies have created special sets that feature nurses, doctors, essential workers and sentiments that express our gratitude and admiration for them. Other stamp sets are filled with beautiful images and encouraging words, like this one from Unity Stamps called In This Together. The beauty of this set is that it’s a digital stamp which means after my purchase, the company sent me a file in an email which I then downloaded to my computer. I printed out the images onto regular card stock and then colored and cut them out. I just bought a laser printer so that I can print the images onto heavier card stock and watercolor paper and can’t WAIT to create watercolor cards with this set! In the meantime I spent a very happy hour or so coloring this beautiful blossom with Prismacolor pencils, adding many layers of color! I had a panel of watercolor paper upon which I’d tried out my new Tim Holtz Alterations Collection-Mixed Media 2 die. Some of the pieces didn’t pop out but I didn’t mind the look. I layered it over a panel of lavender card stock, mounted my fussy-cut blossom using foam tape and then adhered it all to a base card of white card stock. The final touch was to sponge a little lavender ink around the sentiment which came with the set and attach it to the panel along with a few iridescent sequins. This is another card using In This Together; this time I printed out the panel with both the blossom and sentiment all together. I colored the flower with Copic markers, adding many layers of many colors as I always do, then added an array of dots inspired by Alex Syberia! See her gallery of “dotty” cards here! I felt my card needed just a little extra “something” so pulled out a small embossing folder and added this lovely raised detail to the bottom left and top right corners! Perfect! I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing these and will be inspired to use your stamps to create encouraging cards as well. Thank you for visiting!
We’re collaborating with Winnie & Walter again this week and the team has created some pretty fabulous cards and projects using their products! My card today features their very cool die called The Leaf Effect Cutaway! I paired it with one of my favorite Brutus Monroe sets, Conservatory of Quotes and I love how the leaf cut-outs accentuate the beautiful leaves on the stamp! How did I make this?! Well, I’m glad you asked!To begin, I folded a piece of textured gray cardstock to make my base card, then laid The Leaf Effect die on it and ran it through my Cuttlebug. I removed all the cut leaves then set them all aside. On a piece of white card stock, I stamped a script stamp all over with Raven Detail ink then attached it beneath the leaf-cut panel. Using bits of foam tape, I reattached some of the cut leaves to create interest and dimension. I’m thinking it may be too busy, but it’s definitely “interesting” and “dimensional”!On a piece of watercolor cardstock I heat-embossed the floral image in black, then painted it with distress oxide inks which I’d tapped onto my craft mat and watered down. When it was dry I fussy-cut the image then mounted it to the card base with more foam tape for lift.Finally, on a scrap of white card stock, I heat-embossed my sentiment (also from Conservatory of Quotes) in hot pink to match the pink blossoms. I trimmed the ends and adhered it to the flowers. Winnie & Walter’s Leaf Effect die is pretty darn awesome and I can’t wait to use it for fall cards! Please visit their website and enjoy perusing their many wonderful products! And check out Brutus Monroe’s blog to see what the team has created as well!
It’s Wednesday and we’re back with some great projects using Clear Toner Sheets! I used mine as an overlay this time for not one, but TWO cards! Now, I’m not a martini lover but when I made this fun background using Brutus Monroe’s Paint Spots stencil and distress oxide inks, the shape and colors made me think of martini’s! I just happen to have Unity Stamps I Like It Dirty stamp set and pulled that out to play! But first, let me tell you how I made the background ; on a panel of watercolor cardstock, I taped down my stencil then sponged over it with Pistachio oxide ink, shifted the stencil, added Squeezed Lemonade then shifted the stencil again and finished with Picked Raspberry! Voila!For the main image, I stamped out the martini glass onto a die-cut circle of cardstock using Raven Detail Ink, then colored it with Zig markers. Next, I added a layer of Crystal Effects glue over the glass to give it shine! I stamped out the funny sentiment onto a scrap of paper, trimmed it down and mounted it with a bit of foam tape.To assemble my card, I trimmed down the Coffee Rings toner sheet to fit my card front and attached it to the dotted background with four pink brads. I then adhered it to my black card base and mounted the big circle to that with another circle of fun foam. I am so tickled with how this card came out! Almost makes me want a martini! 😀How freaking cute is this?! After I completed the card above, I decided to make another background using the Paint Spots stencil! You can’t see much of this one, but here’s how I did it. On a panel of watercolor cardstock, I again taped my stencil down and sponged on Twisted Citron oxide ink, shifted the stencil, added Worn Lipstick and finally another layer of Squeezed Lemonade. I love the look of Emboss Resist so shifted my stencil one more time and using a sponge dauber with Versamark ink, I filled in the spaces. I heat-embossed them with clear powder and the end result was a layer of shiny spots! Next, I heavily sponged Black Soot oxide over the whole panel, then rubbed it off the embossed dots with a paper towel. I die-cut the panel with a stitched circle die and set it aside.On another die-cut circle of white card stock, I stamped the martini glass again but this time colored with Copics! I added some stippled dots around the glass with assorted shades of pink for a little visual interest. I stamped the sentiment directly onto the image. An olive green card base was embossed with a large dots folder, then I die-cut that into a larger circle, keeping one edge flat on the fold.I ran the Coffee Rings Toner Sheet through the Cuttlebug with the smaller circle die and stapled it to the martini glass circle! As you can see, I layered them all together, attaching the layers with adhesive. Finally, I added little pink and green ribbons to the staples for one more detail! Phew! This sounds like it was a lot of work, but it actually took me about half an hour to make, total! I had so much fun making these two cards, and think the Toner Sheet adds a really great dimension! But, just wait till you see what Marie, Berina, and Waleska have made! We’re all going a bit crazy with the new stuff at Brutus Monroe!!
I love this pairing of Altenew’s Layered Floral Cover die with the Drybrush Foil Transfer Sheet from Brutus Monroe! Have you heard about the newest collaboration between Deco Foil and Brutus Monroe?! A custom line of foils is now available and I used one of them for my card today! I’m waiting for an Amazon order of a pretty inexpensive laminator to arrive, so in the meantime, I kept this project simple! To create this card, I first cut a sheet of the foil to fit my A2 card base and attached it with adhesive. I then ran a piece of white cardstock and the bottom layer of the Floral Cover die through my Cuttlebug, and then a piece of black with the top layer of the die. (The lighting in my photo makes the white cardstock have a pink tinge, but it’s crisp white in real life!) After I cut the two coordinating dies, I simply attached the white layer to the foil then glued the black layer over it. How easy was that?! My sentiment is from Brutus Monroe’s elegant set called Sharon’s Script and I heat-embossed it in black onto a strip of white cardstock, trimmed the end and lifted it with a strip of foam tape. This was a very simple card to make and I love how the lines on the foil look almost like rain in the background! There are so many fabulous projects already made by the Inspiration Team so take a look at the blog! And I hope you’ll take the time to check out all the newly released foils and supplies in stock at the store and online at Brutus Monroe! I’m eager to stretch myself with these new-to-me products and when that laminator arrives, I’ll find new ways to use them! Thanks for stopping by today!
Welcome to our blog hop for the Brutus Monroe Inspiration Team! This week’s theme is die-cutting and I decided to take out My Favorite Things Striped Sentiment die and combine it with the adorable Birthday Bears by Brutus Monroe! I used Brutus Monroe’s awesome Lunchbag cardstock to cut my first panel and then embossed it for some added texture. I then cut another panel with teal glitter cardstock; as you can see, I just popped the teal stripes into the Lunchbag panel for some fun contrast! I adhered the panel to a base card of vanilla and moved on to the bears!
I stamped the two bears onto a piece of watercolor cardstock using Antique Linen Distress ink and got out my Zigs to watercolor them! They’re such “chubby little cubbies”! After fussy-cutting out the bears, I attached them to my card with pieces of foam tape for lift. The HAPPY BIRTHDAY sentiment is from, you guessed it! Super Sentimental! I stamped that with Raven Detail ink onto a scrap of cardstock then trimmed it into a little banner, sponged a little Broken China distress ink around the edges and added it to my card front.Combining dies and stamps make for a really interesting card and I love how this one turned out! I just may tuck it away for a grandsons birthday! Be sure to take a peek at what Waleska, Berina, Aletha and Marie have created! It’s great to see how diverse our group of crafters is!
CopyCatCards 