Brutus Monroe Simple Blends

I’m really getting into making fall cards and this week on Brutus Monroe’s blog the team is sharing projects that feature the handy-dandy Simple Blend Circle stencil!  It comes with the circle cut-out and the frame around it so you can use it both ways!  For my card I used the frame part of it.  Here’s what I did!  To start, I did my usual tapping of distress oxide inks onto my craft mat, spritzed with water and dragged my watercolor cardstock through it, drying between colors.  I used Fired Brick, Carved Pumpkin, Fossilized Amber and a little Aged Mahogany.

After that I stamped Winnie & Walter’s Renee’s Leaves all over the panel, using Raven Detail ink.  I then spattered some black paint over it all and set it aside to dry.  The cute little bear is from Birthday Bears, and I stamped him on a scrap of watercolor cardstock, colored him with my Zig markers and cut him out.

Before I attached him to the background panel, I laid the circle frame from Simple Blend-Circle stencil over the corner of the panel and filled in the space with Picket Fence distress oxide ink using a sponge dauber.  When it was dry, I added a layer of Versamark, then clear embossing powder and heat set it.  It created a paler, shiny circle behind my bear!  I ran it through the Cuttlebug with Stitched Rectangle dies to trim it down, then again using a Fall Leaves embossing folder.

I drew faux stitching around the embossed circle then around a few of the leaves to mimic the “stitched” panel!  After mounting Birthday Bear to the panel with 3D Foam Squares, I attached the whole thing to an off-white card base.   A few fall flowers added the final detail along with black embossed sentiment strips!  Let’s see what the Team has made with their Simple Blend stencil!  JESS   MARIE   WALESKA   BERINA  HEATHER B.

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Happy Hauntings with Glitterstock!

I’m having so much fun choosing which Glitterstock color to use for a new project and decided to use Tangerine for this card!  The color itself prompted a Halloween card with it’s gorgeous rusty-orange glitters!  To begin this card, I tapped Carved Pumpkin distress oxide ink onto my craft mat then spritzed it with water and dragged my watercolor cardstock through it.  After drying with my heat tool, I used Black Soot next, again drying before adding my final color, Dried Marigold.

 

If you look closely you can see the faint impression of Winnie & Walter’s Scenery stencil which I foiled using Thermoweb’s Deco Foil in Copper!  It made me think of a spider web!  Anyway, after dusting the surface with my Embossing Buddy, I heat-embossed my Inkadinkado stamp in black right over all the colors!

I have a skulls and crossbone stamp which I use on my biker cards, and thought it’d make a fun accent so stamped that in Raven Detail ink over the background.  Next I used my Stitched Rectangle dies to cut the panel and also cut the edge of a strip of Tangerine Glitterstock and attached them together with Thermoweb’s Sticky Tape Runner, then mounted it to a panel of white card stock.  I used my scissors to rough up the edges of the white paper.

I adhered the panel to a black card base which I embossed with Tim Holtz’ Gridlock Set folder, then added some copper sequins for a bit of bling to accent the Glitterstock on the left!  The sentiment is from a retired CTMH set called Thriller and I heat-embossed it onto white scraps, trimmed it down and mounted it with Thermoweb Sticky Dots!  I love how all the pieces came together in this card!  If you’re looking for a great glitter card stock, be sure to consider Brutus Monroe’s Glitterstock!  It comes in a variety of colors, doesn’t leave glitter “crumbs” at all and cuts like a dream!

More Fall Frenzy!

I’ve been on a bit of a watercolor kick lately and created this fall card with Winnie & Walter’s Renee’s Leaves stamp set and their cool stencil, Scenery!  As usual, I had no idea what I was going to make, but began by just sponging distress oxide inks (Broken China/Faded Jeans) onto my watercolor cardstock then dripped water onto it and dried with my heat tool.  I placed the stencil over it and sponged more Faded Jeans oxide ink through the center portion.

On a separate piece of watercolor cardstock, I heat-embossed several of Renee’s Leaves then colored them with Zig markers and a watery brush.  I fussy-cut them out and then attached them with bits of Thermoweb’s 3D Foam Squares for lift.

Black spatters of paint and some drops of Black Nuvo Drops added interest!  My sentiment is from The Greeting Farm.  I like how the geometric pattern of the stencil compliments the organic falling leaves!  Happy Fall!  

I’m a CopyCat!

I am a shameless copy cat!  I saw a fantastic card the other day on one of my Facebook stamping groups and was inspired to recreate Tania’s card which you’ll find here!  My stencil, stamps and dies are different but Tania gave great instructions in her video and I actually cranked this out in about half an hour!  So!  Here’s what I did!  Starting on a piece of Brutus Monroe’s Not Your Mama’s Ultra Heavy cardstock, I laid down a stencil I made with Winnie & Walter’s The Leaf Effect die, then using a palette knife, I spread a thin layer of Unicorn Horn Glitter Glaze over mainly the center of the stencil.  I used my heat tool to dry the glaze because I was too impatient to wait for it to air dry!  

 

Following Tania’s instructions, I then sprinkled three Brusho colors onto the stenciled panel, spritzed with water and patted off the excess with a paper towel.  She used ultra-thick embossing powder granules for her card, but I don’t have that, so instead I sprinkled on some silver embossing powder and using my heat gun, heated it from below so the powder would stay in place.   I don’t recall where I got my Thank You die (AC Moore, perhaps?) but I cut it from black and then white cardstock, glued them together with Brutus Monroe’s All Purpose Craft Glue and layered them, slightly offset.  

To complete my card, I twisted a little circlet of silver thread and placed it under the sentiment and added a few colorful sequins for the last detail!  A black card base is a perfect frame for all the colors and texture!  I’m pretty happy with my card and appreciate the great inspiration from Tania!  

Fall Frenzy with Winnie & Walter!

“Down, down, yellow and brown, the leaves are falling all over town!”  That’s a little song I used to sing to my girls and although the leaves aren’t falling here in Vermont yet, a few maple trees are beginning to change colors!  It’s hard to believe fall is just around the corner, especially as we’ve had temps in the 90’s recently!  But as much as I hate to see the summer end, I do love fall and everything about it!  Today’s card is watercolored using Winnie & Walter’s Renee’s Leaves stamp set and Zig markers.  On a piece of watercolor cardstock, I randomly stamped a variety of the leaves then heat-embossed them in black.  

 

I LOVE coloring backgrounds and usually begin with that first, as I did here using a couple shades of blue Zigs.  I then colored in the leaves and used a watery brush to move the ink.  When the panel was dry, I spattered (of course I did!!) white and black paint for a little added texture, then adhered it to a white card base.  I found a piece of yellow vellum in my stash and heat-embossed my sentiment (a dollar find from AC Moore!) onto it then attached it to my watercolored panel using Thermoweb’s Sticky Strip Runner.  I had a leftover fussy-cut leaf from another card I’d made so lifted it with a few little 3D Foam Squares from Thermoweb!  I guess I don’t mind fall coming after all!  

The Leaf Effect

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!