I wasn’t planning to write a blog post about this card- okay, actually, it never occurred to me to write a post! I just pulled out this gorgeous new stamp set by Stampendous and went crazy with it! But someone requested a post to describe how I made this so here I am! I’ll try to remember to at least snap some photos of the process the next time I make a card! But for today I’ll just explain my process!The name of this set is Cling Garden Mum and it comes with a beautiful flourish stencil and some gorgeous samples depicted on the back of the packaging! I was so inspired by the samples! To begin my card, I taped the stencil to a panel of watercolor card stock and sponged on Broken China distress oxide ink. The next step was to heat emboss the giant mum directly to the stenciled panel using black embossing powder. I decided to use my Bister watercolor powders to fill in the blossom; the depth of color is determined by how much powder and how much water you add! I tried to create shading with the use of both! When the flower was colored in I decided to add the row of flourishes down the right side; to do that, I stamped them in Versamark then heat set them with clear embossing powder. I then sponged a layer of Black Soot distress ink over the whole panel, trying to stay away from the blossom. This, of course, made those flourishes pop! If you look at the top left you’ll see where I stamped on a scripty stamp using a little water then removed the dampness with paper towel. This left a faint impression for yet another detail! My card looks far more complicated than it actually was! To finish it off, I trimmed down my watercolor panel and adhered it to a base card of textured aqua card stock then added the sentiment strip. I like how this pops against the colorful background! I typically keep my inside panel quite basic with a sentiment or a coordinating strip of patterned paper as a band at the bottom, but this time I went all out! I used Technique Junkies Zinnia’s with Monarch stamp in Hickory distress oxide ink right over the stenciled pattern which I did first! I heat embossed the sentiment onto a scrap of pink then cut it with a label punch. I think I can still write a message inside despite all the other stuff going on here! I had so much fun making this card and hope I’ve inspired you to play with your own stencils and stamps! Thanks for your visit!
I’ve long admired the stamps and coloring by Lesia Zgharda, marveled at the precise and delicate detail of each image and have been enamored by their whimsical charm! I don’t know why it took me so long to place an order but I finally did and just received my package from the Ukraine today! (Am I the only one who gets a thrill knowing my mail has come from so very far away?!) I pulled out my Prismacolor pencils and chose three shades of green plus the white to get started, copying Lesia’s style! I just love this sweet image which is actually two stamps! Lesia’s cards are typically made with kraft card stock and coloring on the slightly rough surface gives the pencils some “tooth”! I finished by mounting the kraft panel to a white base card which nicely accents the white highlights! I stamped another Lesia sentiment in the center to complete my card which is appropriate for any person or occasion! After making two green wreaths I thought a purple one would be pretty and so it is! I used my blender pencil to smooth out and blend the colors more on this card. The sentiment is from a Stampendous set called Cling Garden Mum and is just a wee too big for the space but I still love it! This up close shot shows the smoothly blended pencil achieved by using the blender pencil. I’m not loving this third card but really enjoyed the creative process! The stencil is part of the Stampendous set I mentioned above and I placed it over the panel then lightly brushed white distress oxide ink over it all. After heat-setting the design with clear embossing powder it left behind a glossy, opaque impression which I feel overwhelms the delicate leaves. I liked the gray tones of it though, so mounted the panel onto a gray textured base card. A different look, for sure! My final and favorite card using the beautiful Eucalyptus Wreath was also colored in three shades of purple. I added Crystal Effects as an added detail which I think is lovely against the organic card stock! This time, however, I stenciled the background first, again using white distress oxide ink. I just love how delicate it is and what a lovely backdrop it is for the bolder wreath design! Just look at that shine! The sentiment on this card is from Studio Katia‘s Blooming Bunch stamp set. I’m so happy with how each one of these cards turned out! I hope you’ll go to Lesia Zgharda’s website and see all the wonderful images, cards and tutorials she shares there! Perhaps you’ll be inspired as I was! I leave you with this final photograph of my favorite card. Thank you for visiting!
Yay!! Alex Syberia Designs has just released new images and this one’s a WOW! It’s called Sketch Roses Bouquet and is packed with beautifully detailed blossoms! I wanted lots of space to play around with color so printed it in 8X10 size onto a piece of Neenah white card stock then started coloring with Copics! But I must do a disclaimer before you read any further! Three of my four cards are snarky and a bit off-color, so if that isn’t your thing, please stop reading!Enter Snarky Roses #1 After cutting my 8X10 print into four panels, I trimmed them down to fit on a panel of white which contrasts nicely with the bright colors! A spattering of Alex’s dot-coloring adds a touch of whimsy to my multi-colored roses!
I printed out my snarky sentiment on the computer, mounted it to a strip of deep yellow card stock then to the card with a bit of foam tape. Thank goodness for friends with whom you can relax and be yourself, right?!Snarky Roses #2 just makes me laugh! Again, a card that’s only appropriate for that friend who gets your snarky humor! I didn’t add the dot coloring but instead, filled in the space surrounding the roses completely with black Copic marker. I love how it makes those colors really pop! A strip of neon green accents my humorous sentiment this time. Another silly sentiment that makes Snarky Roses #3 just downright funny! Again, I filled in the background completely with black so as to feature the beautiful roses. I purposely left little uncolored specks for visual interest but wish I’d done more! There was no shading done in my coloring of this image; I just filled in each section with a solid layer of color, sometimes coloring over other colors. It was different to use the Copics this way but kinda fun! Lastly, I do especially love this card and how the white embossed sentiments really pop against the colorful flowers and the dots of extra color! The beauty of digital stamps is that you can resize them for numerous projects! I don’t often print out an image to such a large size but it was great for coloring and an easy way to get four cards from one print! I hope you’ll check out all the fabulous projects that others have created with Alex’s designs either on Instagram or in her Etsy shop! Happy shopping!
Fall is taking it’s time getting to Vermont as we’ve been enjoying prolonged summer temperatures, but I’m ready for all things “fall”!! I made another card using Brutus Monroe’s Simple Blend Circle stencil and paired it with Papertrey Ink’s Meadow Greens again! To make this card, I placed the Circle stencil frame over a piece of watercolor card stock and filled in the center with Zest Surface Ink, making it darker around the edges and lighter in the center. Next, I stamped some leaves from Meadow Greens using Versamark so I could clear emboss them. When that was done, I spattered black paint over the panel then heat-embossed in black the “Hello Fall” sentiment directly onto the card.I set that aside in order to create my leaves by tapping out Fossilized Amber, Fired Brick and Carved Pumpkin distress oxide inks onto my craft mat, spritzed with water then pressed another piece of watercolor card stock into the ink, drying between colors. Before I die-cut the leaves from the inked paper, I stamped the pretty script stamp all over the panel. The little raccoon is from The Greeting Farm and I colored him with Copics then cut him out and mounted him with 3D Foam Squares. The leaves were folded and attached in the same manner.Lastly, I embossed the “you’re my favorite” sentiment onto a strip of black paper then added that as my final touch! A base card of Terracotta compliments the leaves and sets off the brighter colors beautifully! BTW, did you notice my awesome new Brutus Monroe watermark??
I had a few hours of free time yesterday and having received a box of goodies recently from Thermoweb, I just had to play! Check out this background! I made it with the Crackle stencil, repositioning it for each color! It totally reminded me of retro formica countertops which inspired my use of the retro ladies from Unity Stamps “Queen of the Universe” set!After trimming down the stenciled panel I added a layer of vellum over it and a black layer beneath it. I’ve been living in the Dark Ages, making vellum cards without the wonderful Thermoweb Sticky Strip Runner which doesn’t show through!! Anyway, I heat-embossed the two ladies, colored them with Zig markers then fussy-cut them out and mounted one with flat adhesive and the other with the handy-dandy Thermoweb 3D White Foam Squares! The sentiment is by Unity Stamps as well, called Bad Influence!
Finally, all the pieces were attached to an aqua blue card base. I love snarky cards and this was really fun to make! Now, which friend is going to get this one…?! 😀
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!!
CopyCatCards 