Cards — Page 2

Mixing CAS & Monoprinting

Have you ever mixed a monoprint with clean and simple design? Monoprinting is not only super easy, it’s fun, quick and I’m always amazed at the results. I highly encourage you to give it a try. And most of us LOVE clean and simple, so why not mix them together?

It’s snowing here today in the Black Forest – hard to believe it’s almost May! Seems like a good day to work with my Gelli Plate.

In the spirit of creative card making, today we’re going to mix it up a little – for the CAS Mix it Up Challenge. I’m addicted to this challenge, and although it’s in it’s infancy – just two months old…it has a HUGE following already with some amazing card makers.

It’s the brain child of Bonnie Klass and Loll Thompson. You probably have crossed paths with one or both over the years, as they are avid card makers, have designed for numerous teams and both have distinct styles each their own.

This challenge is all about mixing clean and simple stamping/design with mixed media. Now the words mixed media get one of two reactions – interest and terror. But today’s project is hoping to not only peak your interest, but dispel the myth that all mixed media is intense, takes a long time and is only for artists who love to art journal.

Both projects today were from the creation of one monoprint. To make a monoprint you need three things – a printing plate (I use a gelli plate), some acrylic paint and a tool to spread the paint – I used a brayer.

Gelli Plates are inexpensive tools that give you the ability to make your work looks masterful, unique and will definitely leave the recipient of your card wondering…how in the world did you do that?!! Here are just a few prints I made quickly one day to give you an idea of how fun this artform is:

Today we’re going to use a 6×6 inch plate by Gelli Arts. And for this challenge, we’ll incorporated a few stencils as well – after all, that is the theme of this month’s challenge! I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised to see there’s not much else to it.

Why don’t we get started. I filmed the process for you, wrote a step by step tutorial below and added some detailed pictures. The video has three distinct parts – the monoprinting (first five minutes – yup…that’s it), card specifics and why, and lastly (final 2 1/2 minutes) – all about clean and simple design and the rules I live by – don’t miss that part!

Click Here to watch in HD on YouTube

What do you think? Of course you can always use stencils in the traditional way too – I just thought it would be fun to bring a little monoprinting into the mix.

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CAS Monoprint Tutorial

Start out by gathering up all your supplies. Monoprinting goes fast – and there’s nothing worse than not having your paper right there and your paint drying up on you!
Spread out your background color with a brayer and the rubber attachment.
Clean off your brayer on a piece of scrap paper and immediately roll over your gelli plate to “lift” some of the paint you just laid down. You want to get the look in the video – lots of color still, but a bit subdued. TIP – Don’t “lift” more than twice – you’ll remove too much paint.

Place your Latticeworks stencil by Tim Holtz over your paint and pull the positive print. TIP – if you want it to be a bit random, only pat the back of your paper in random spots. Try to leave a little paint behind, I chose to pull most of it.
Lift your stencil, and place your white card stock on the pattern left behind. Burnish the back of your paper with your hand (I like to add a piece of copy paper if my paper is shorter than my plate as in the video) to transfer as much of your print as possible.
Lift your print and try and pull a ghost print with copy paper if you can – I was unable to.

Clean your gelli plate in-between if you desire, for me that always depends on how much is left behind and what my goal with the project is.
Add the Bloom Silhouette stencil by Artplorations to your plate and add a dark color with a brayer to the desired flowers. I chose to add Paynes Grey. You want a contrasting color to your first color. Brown or Dark Purple with Yellow, Black with Blue or Red, etc…
Lift your stencil and pull the print onto your second print (the negative), if you have a ghost print – pull that as well onto another piece.

Add some marks to your Gelli Plate with more Paynes Grey and the inside of a Starbucks Cup Wrapper. The corrugated inside is great for texture.
Add the lines in three spots – if I could do mine again, I’d add the last one a bit higher. I remember thinking not too high, but my original spot in my mind would have been better. TIP – Lesson learned – go with instinct in art, not the mind.
Trim your positive and negative prints down. Measurements are below.

CAS Monoprint Card #1 – Black

Stamp Thanks from Mini Thanks (Create a Smile) in bold with Versafine Black ink (Tsukeniko) and emboss in clear.
Add the negative print to black card stock leaving more space on the bottom than the top (Rule of thirds). Add five sparkling clear sequins.
Add a little paper piercing to the top and bottom around your print and you’re set with Card #1

Dimensions:

Black card base – 5 1/2 s 4 1/4″ Folded
Monoprint – 5 1/4 x 2 7/8″ (trimmed down)

CAS Monoprint Card #2 – White

Stamp Thanks from Mini Thanks (Create a Smile) onto a scrap piece of black card stock with Versamark (Tsukeniko) and emboss in White. Trim it down as in the photo leaving more space to the right and left and just a hair top and bottom.
Adhere print to black card stock, making sure it’s centered and the black comes out left/right.
Adhere to white card base.
Add greeting, popping it up with fun foam.
Add five sparkling clear sequins.
Paper Pierce three holes top and bottom as in the photo.

Dimensions:

White card base – 4 1/4 x 5 1/2″ Folded
Monoprint – 3 1/2 x 4 1/2″
Black Matte – 3 5/8 x 4″

In the video at the end, I go over my rules for design and clean and simple cards. It’s the last 2 1/2 minutes.

That’s it! What do you think? Don’t let mixed media scare you. It’s just combining different mediums on a project. This project used Acrylic Paint, Stencils, textured surfaces, stamping and heat embossing. We added a little sequins for bling and you’re all set – easy peasy!

Now it’s your turn to get those fingers a little inky. The challenge is coming to an end today, but there will be a new one on the 1st. There’s still time to get one last project in though!I’m also going to play along in some never ending challenges as well…I love all the companies products I used today, and can’t say enough about them. I purchased them all on my own….they are products that I use over and over again.

Playing along with – Stamplorations Anything Goes Challenge for my Bloom Silhouette Stencil, April’s Project Share over at Create a Smile , and Happy Little Stampers Stencil Monoprint challenge – how perfect is that!

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think! Have you tried a little Mixed Media before? I’d love to know!

Till next time –

Filed Under: Art, Brayer, Cards, Clean and Simple, Flowers, Mixed Media, Techniques, Uncategorized, Videos Tagged: CAS, gelli plate, mixed media, monoprinting, Stencils, tutorials

Just Awesome Shaker Card

Written by Ingrid Blackburn 7 Comments

Have you ever made a cool shaker card? I’ve been a card making fool lately, and the past week was crazy around here at The Creative Grove. Thousands, thousands and thousands of you visited, many commented and overall it was a fun, crazy and certainly creative week!

Somehow over the past seven days I managed to add three videos to My YouTube Channel , one to StampNation, two to ongoing online classes here at the grove, and one over at another channel I contribute to – insane! PLUS….you saw details on 11 projects, hundreds of you decide you wanted more inspiration so you subscribed to the free video series we have here at The Creative Grove, and two lucky people that commented among the blog hop that saw thousands of entries won the Beautiful World collection. Congrats to Donna Phelan and Terri Mansfield – contact Catherine and she’ll get you all set!

Oh, and in case you missed it – the Stamp of Approval – Beautiful World Collection sold out in just 33 hours! That’s insane – it almost didn’t make it to the public, solely StampNation Members and the wait list. CRAZY!

I wanted to say thanks for stopping by so many days, and leaving me awesome comments – I read every one – even all 471 the other day alone! So to thank you and to tell you how awesome you all are…I wanted to keep you inspired, so I have one last card for you in this series – let’s call it a bonus!

I think you all are Just Awesome – so here’s a fun little shaker card – enjoy the detailed tutorial. And if you’re wanting more – sign up for the Creative Tips E-letter and get lots of great exclusive videos and projects sent directly to you – it’s free. You can sign up here…

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I wanted something fun and a WOW card to finish off this amazing creative journey with you into the Beautiful World collection, so I figured I would create something I almost NEVER do – a shaker card.

I’ll be honest with you, originally I planned on just a window instead of a shaker card, but then I thought about who I would send this card to. While I made it with my blog readers & subscribers in mind, the practical part of actually sending the card is going to my 10 year old niece Chiarra for her awesome job competing in Odyssey of the Mind in upstate NY – her team won locally and made it to the next round. While they didn’t make it all the way to the world competition (like she wanted), I’m SO proud of her and her accomplishments – definitely shaker card worthy! So here we go…

Shaker Card Tutorial & Creative Tips

This card has precise measurements to maximize the size that fits a particular envelope I have. So I had to kind of tweak the circles. I hope this makes sense, if not, leave me a comment and I’ll clarify anything you need. 🙂

This card measures 5 x 5″ square. I like the circle shaker as it is a nice contrast with the square shape. If you do not have circle dies for this card, you can just as easily cut a square with a paper trimmer or die too!
Lay your grey square – 4 3/8 x 4 3/8″under your fun foam – 4 3 /16 x 4 3/16″ – note that the foam is just slightly smaller than the card stock. Cut a circle in the middle of both at once – fun foam compresses, so it’ll go through your Big Shot just fine. My circle measures 3 5/8″ wide.
Your circle will have a slight indent from the edge of your die. Use your scissors to cut it slightly larger. Of course if you have the in-between measurements of a slightly larger circle (sadly I don’t), then use that if you wish!

Your fun foam circle cut should be just slightly larger than your grey circle, yet hidden by the grey square. If it isn’t, trim as needed, but try to keep the skinny parts of the sides as wide as possible.
You can always use foam tape as well, but the whole piece from fun foam with no little crack to slip in- between is my preferred choice for a good shaker card.
Stamp and die cut your images from Enchanted Garden. Of course, if you use anything here – leaf, fern, snowflakes, balloons, monkeys – literally anything you have! TIP – The key is to have three – always work in odd numbers, it’s more pleasing to the eye.
Watercolor, color with copics, or do the wrinkle free distress technique (video here) for an interesting butterfly. I used the gorgeous image from Beautiful World by Gina K.

Stamp your greeting on a strip that goes a little past your colored squares – mine measures 4 5/8″ cut. I used the greetings from All about You by CAS-usal Fridays. TIP – I keep all my 1/2″ strips from cutting down card bases and fronts. This is what I used for my banner….only when I stamped my greeting, I put in on a strip that was almost 8″ long! That gave me play for placement on the card, as I needed it to be just right.
Figure out the placement of your vines, banner and butterfly. TIP – I add a little removable adhesive (Dotto) to the back of my pieces so my vines had somewhere to clutch or they move all over the place and drive me crazy!
Secure them to where they need to be. popping in and out of your window for a cool 3D effect. Pop up your butterfly wings with a small foam dimensional uner the wings to help it stay popped up at it’s destination and the desired effect.

Attach your grey panel to your acetate sheet with strong two sided tape like sticky strip. It’s plastic, so it is a tough surface – Snail or regular adhesive will just fall apart – especially in humid areas.
Choose to do this part in whichever sequence makes you comfortable. I’ll explain how I did mine. Add sticky strip to one side of your fun foam square/circle around the perimeter. Attach to your Midnight Muse (darker blue) base – 4 5/8 x 4 5/8″. Tip – to get it just right, make sure your borders are the same – always think – is the top/bottom & left/right the same. That way you’ll be even.
Here’s the important part – fill your circle center with what you’ll be shaking before moving on to the next step. Seems simple, but I’ve forgotten that before…lol! I used a variety of sequins – colors and sizes plus a little chunky glitter. Seed beads are a great alternative too – anything that will be cool looking and make a little noise!

Add the same perimeter to the top of the fun foam. TIP – if your strip is wider than your fun foam, have the excess go to the outside, not the inside of the circle – that will just catch and shaking pieces. If you make this with a larger panel – it’s much easier to gauge – I just didn’t….lol.
Stamp your Marina Mist (lighter blue) piece – 4 1/4 x 5″ – with a cool geometric shape for interest and contrast. I used Geobuilders by Catherine Pooler Designs.
Adhere your dark/lighter blue pieces together keeping the lighter in the center either vertically or horizontally. Adhere to your white card base and you’ll all set. You have a fun interactive shaker card!

How was that for a fun card! I’ll have to film how to make another shaker card and put it on My YouTube Channel for you some day. If you have anything you’d like me to write about or film, or just have questions on a product, please let me know in the comments below! And of course, if you missed the previous 11 projects from this series, here are some links to get you to those and the videos.

Day One Day Two Day Three Day Four Day Five

Now it’s your turn….you’ve had plenty of inspiration – go get those fingers inky!

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Filed Under: Cards, Clean and Simple, Stamp of Approval, Techniques Tagged: cool cards, interactive cards, sequins, shaker card, SOA

MM Watercolor Butterflies Video

Written by Ingrid Blackburn 2 Comments

Yesterday I posted a very cool, fun and quirky butterfly card for the Wings Mixed Media challenge over at Happy Little Stampers. It was such a fun project to create, rather relaxing actually, I’m so glad that I filmed it for you! I won’t lie – the project took me two hours to create, so I had to majorly edit the video down for you. I even split it up so that you can find your way easier around the two distinct different components of this card – watercoloring the butterflies and creating the mixed media background that allows them to literally fly off the page.

Enjoy the process – grab a beverage and have fun – I’d LOVE to see your cards when you create them! And if you haven’t subscribed to my YouTube channel yet – be sure to do so so you see them as they first come out.

Part One focuses on the masked border used to create this card and the actual watercoloring process for keeping the light and darker tones in the butterflies.

Click Here to watch Part One in HD on YouTube

Part two focuses on the Mixed Media portion of this card used to literally pop the butterflies off the page.

Click Here to see Part Two in HD on YouTube

If you want to see the written tutorial and close up photos, be sure to check out the original post right HERE.

See you soon –

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Filed Under: Cards, Distress Ink, Mixed Media, Techniques, Videos, Watercolor Tagged: Cards, how to stamp, mixed media, papercrafts, Techniques, tutorials, videos, watercolor

Mixed Media Watercolored Butterflies

Written by Ingrid Blackburn 16 Comments

Have you ever wondered how to create depth & texture without bulk? You may find that it’s much easier to do than you think – just grab some watercolor brushes, a few stencils, some distress inks and you may just surprise even yourself! This month over at the Happy Little Stampers we’re challenging you to play around with Wings in your Mixed Media pieces. That could be any way you interpret it. I chose to use the bold butterfly image from Butterfly Birthday set and see if I could make it feel like it was actually fluttering on the paper with some watercolor magic and stencils in the background. What do you think? Did I hit the mark?

Be sure to stop by all the Design Team’s blogs to check out just how they created their own masterpieces. I have a written tutorial for you today, and a video for you! It’s a rather in depth project, so I split it into two videos so you can find your place better. Grab a beverage and enjoy the process! Of course if you want to see it in HD, click the link below to view on YouTube.

View Part One in HD on YouTube

View Part Two in HD on YouTube

This card is actually quite simple to do, it does take a little time, but it’s a great relaxing project – especially if you like to watercolor! Here’s how you can create your very own:

How to Create Depth & Texture without Bulk

First you’ll want to cut out a few masks. I used the coordinating Butterfly Dies for the Butterfly Birthday stamp set. I knew I was going to be watercoloring right up to the edge, so I found a way around the ‘edge’ you get when using dies as masks – you’ll see it in the video. Cut several masks – I stacked four post it notes and ran it through once since they were so thin – super easy!
Stamp your butterfly pattern in a border along your paper. Be sure to overlap them using your masks so that they are on top of each other. I used an image from the Butterfly Birthday stamp set from Happy Little Stampers. I stamped mine in Versafine Onyx Black Pigment Ink on a 12 x 3″ scrap piece of Canson 138# Mixed Media paper. That way I could make two or three projects – depending on how I cut it down.
Heat set your pigment ink before going to the next step!

Watercolor your butterflies in similar colors – some vibrant, others more matte. That will allow them to pop and compliment each other. I chose the following watercolors by Schminke – Hordam Aquarelle Artist: Cobalt, Phthalo Blue, Indigo, Paris and Winsor Newton Cotman Ultramarine and Turquoise.
Watercolor a light base coat in a watered down wash, then once dry come back to add darker highlights allowing for lightness in your wings. This helps your images to really pop!
Once your butterflies are dry, cut your border down.
Add a light watercolor wash of Schminke Translucent Orange framing your butterflies. First wet your paper on the half you’re painting, add your darkest color to the border and lighten outward. Try and keep the bulk of the color around your winged creatures.

Once dry, add a light wash of Ochre from the border inward. Try and keep some lightness to the outer border if possible. You want your wings to be the star.
While your piece is still damp and drying, ink up a script stamp in Ground Espresso Distress Ink – I used one by Kaiser Crafts and stamp in random spots. Be sure to have your butterflies covered with your masks. With the paper wet, your Distress Ink will blur a bit. If it’s too wet you will lose all detail.
Add various textures with stencils to your outer pieces around your butterflies using Wild Honey, Antique Linen and Espresso Distress Inks. I added texture with some bubble wrap & a diamond stencil (Harleen by Winnie & Walter).

Smoosh some Ground Espresso Distress Ink on your craft mat and spritz with water. Use a light wash over your orange at the edge of your butterflies. This will dirty it up a bit, tone down the orange, and help give life and depth to your winged creatures. It helps to make them seem as if they are fluttering. Keep your shadow a bit thicker on the bottom than the top. It’s okay if some touches the script, but you don’t want to wash away all the great texture you created.
Lightly Sponge a frame in Ground Espresso Distress Ink and edge your piece in Soot Black.
Splatter some Paynes Grey watercolor with a brush.

Allow it to completely dry.
Matte onto a black strip and add to a kraft colored base.
Stamp your greeting – I used the fun quirky ones from the new HLS set Doodled Flowers – I LOVE these sentiments. They are the perfect size and looks as if I just wrote it myself.

Part of what makes this project work are the complimentary colors. Not just the butterflies, but blue and orange. Other combinations that are great are purple and yellow or red and green. Basically any two colors that are on the opposite of the color wheel from one another. The black really makes it pop and I love the brown and black together. It works!

Well, there you go, not too many steps. Okay – I’ll be honest, this project did take me over an hour to do – closer to two, but don’t let that scare you. It was fun, relaxing and is truly a piece of artwork. I don’t know if the photos relay it well, but the butterflies look as if they’re about to leap off the page or twirling from one side to the other. It turned out better than I could have imagined. So I encourage you to jump on in and try it yourself. Use whatever you have – hearts, Circles, Snowmen, Butterflies – we all have butterflies! Just have fun.

I can’t wait to see your Winged Mixed Media creations – use texture, embossing, whatever you have. I chose Watercolor, Distress, stamping, and stenciling. The sky is the limit. Jump on into the Mixed Media April Challenge – Wings. I can’t wait to see what you do!

I’m also going to play along with one of my new favorite Mixed Media challenges – CAS Mix Up challenge – if you haven’t checked this one out, don’t wait! This month it’s all about stamping & stenciling – LOVE that!

Now go get those fingers inky –

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Filed Under: Cards, Challenges, Distress Ink, Mixed Media, Techniques, Uncategorized, Videos, Watercolor Tagged: mixed media cards

Showcasing the Negative

Written by Ingrid Blackburn 6 Comments

When you think Die Cuts, usually you would think about something laying on top of your project, or a paper piecing. But do you ever think in reverse? Today is all about showcasing what’s left over, once you use your die cuts to cut out your images – the negative die cut images. Over at Happy Little Stampers this month, the theme is Die Cuts. Now, normally I’d whip up something way cool piecing together some cool images that pop off your card. I thought it would be fun instead to pop UP my card and show a shadowed negative of the image. Best part – I still have the positive images cut out by my steel dies! That’s for another project….oh wait – I already created it HERE.

Before I get into the nitty gritty of how easy it is to create this very cool card – be sure to welcome our Guest Designer for this month – Christine.

For this month’s project, I paired up with a rocking HLS sentiment from Everyday Sentiments and a few sparkling clear sequins – I have a great card that’s not only quick – serves double duty – not bad! Here’s how you can create your own:

How to Use Negative Die Cuts

Emboss your greeting in black first in the lower right corner of your card front – 3 13/16 x 5 1/16″. I wanted something big and bold to balance our my snowflake sky, so I chose Everyday Sentiments by HLS.
Arrange your snowflake dies – I used Bring on the Snowflakes by CAS-ual Fridays – , and cut out with your Die Cutting Machine. I got mine in the Holiday Collection from Stamp of Approval, but they’ll be released individually later this year.
Remove the dies cuts, leaving only the negative images in your card front

On a second slightly smaller piece – 3 11/16 x 4 15/16″ , sponge your desired colors or use a fun colored piece of card stock. You can do anything here, washi tape, watercolors, solids, patterned papers – it’s literally endless possibilities. I sponged an Ombre look starting with Broken China-Salty Ocean-Faded Jeans-Seedless Preserves and ending in Dusty Concord.
Adhere your colored background piece to a black piece of card stock cut slightly larger than your card front – mine is 1/16th larger – 4 x 5 1/4″

Now for the fun part – pop up your card front using fun foam, foam tape and dimensionals – I used all three with two sizes of smaller dots. Every nook and cranny was popped up – so nothing droops after shipping. You really want your card to have that full shadow effect.
Attach your black card stock to a folded A2 sized card (4 1/4 x 5 1/2″)
Add some sparkling clear sequins by pretty pink posh – and you’re all set!

And if you used colored card stock or sparkly paper, think of how easy and mass producible this card is!! Now it’s your turn – whip out those die cuts and get in on the action. It’s Happy Little Stampers birthday, so don’t miss out on some great prizes! Can’t wait to see what you create!

Now go get those fingers inky –

[optin_box style=”2″ alignment=”center” email_field=”email” email_default=”Enter your email address” email_order=”2″ integration_type=”aweber” double_optin=”Y” list=”3846012″ name_field=”name” name_default=”Enter your first name” name_order=”1″ name_required=”Y” opm_packages=””][optin_box_field name=”headline”]Learn more with our exclusive FREE video series:[/optin_box_field][optin_box_field name=”paragraph”]PHA+UGx1cyB5b3UnbGwgYmUgYWRkZWQgdG8gbXkgRlJFRSBDcmVhdGl2ZSBUaXBzIEUtbGV0dGVyIHdoZXJlIEkgc2hhcmUgZXhjbHVzaXZlIHByb2plY3RzLCB2aWRlb3MgJmFtcDsgdGhlIDEyIERheXMgb2YgQ2hyaXN0bWFzPC9wPgo=[/optin_box_field][optin_box_field name=”privacy”][/optin_box_field][optin_box_field name=”top_color”]undefined[/optin_box_field][optin_box_button type=”0″ button_below=”Y”]Get access now![/optin_box_button] [/optin_box]

Filed Under: Big Shot, Cards, Challenges, Christmas, Clean and Simple, Uncategorized Tagged: challenges, Christmas Cards, die cut techniques, die cuts, happy little stampers, negative images

Shaped Cards – Snowflake Tropics

Written by Ingrid Blackburn 14 Comments

Creating shaped cards just takes a little imagination and a large die. I thought this week I would put a little spin on my snowflake Christmas card and create a tropical scene – why not?!! After all, I did just spend 10 years in Florida!

This month at Happy Little Stampers, the Christmas Challenge focuses on Shaped Cards. Since it’s been snowing a little every day here in the forest, I thought a snowflake card would be perfect!

We also have a great guest designer this month – Rahmat – Cards & Cooking Corner Be sure to check out her blog and project too!

Tomorrow I’ll have a video to show you for this card as well, so stop on by!

How to create Shaped Cards – Tropical Snowflake

Measure your snowflake die and cut a card base slightly larger. Mine measured 3 3/4 tall by 4 1/4 wide folded. (7 1/2 x 4 1/4″)
Score your card at 3 3/4″ and mask off the back flap with a post it note.

Stamp your water using 139H Seaside Cove by Stampscapes in Early Espresso. Tip – you want to have the glistening part somewhere on your card.
Mask off the horizon line at the top of your stamped image (the sky) and sponge in your bottom. Try to keep the glisten part light. I used Broken China, Mermaid Lagoon and Peacock Feather Distress Inks and Mini Sponge Tools by Ranger.
Add a little extra color to the horizon line.Flip your mask so that the water is hidden.
Cut a sun mask using a 3/4″ circle punch and post it note. Tip – if you can’t get the mask to punch cleanly, place your post it note in between a folded piece of copy paper and punch.
Sponge your sky in your desired colors. I used Tattered Rose, Worn Lipstick & Seedless Preserves Distress Inks.

Create a stencil by punching the same punch in the center of a square post it note.
Remove the sun mask and replace it with a sun stencil. Sponge with Fossilized Amber, Mustard Seed and a tiny bit of Spiced Marmalade at the bottom.
Stamp your Palm Tree (Palm Stalks 123F [Stampscapes] – cut apart) & Palm Fronds – Stampscapes fronds #2 & #3 in Espresso.
Add the birds either with a stamp or draw by hand. I used a partial stamping of Gulls #302A with an Espresso Marker, and free hand drew a few more.
Stamp your greeting – I needed a small stacked greeting, so I used this one from Christmas Bell Medley by Stamplorations.
Now that your scene is done, we can create the shaped card.
Keep your card folded as you run it through your Big Shot or other die cutting machine.

Be sure to slightly mis-align the top so that the card fold remains intact – meaning you have a flat edge at the uppermost top two snowflake arms (for lack of a better word!)
Cut your die, make sure it cuts through both pieces!
And there you have it – a snowflake shaped card.

Now this card is rather small, but it’s cute and would actually make a super cute tag or ornament – you could even pop a photo on the inside in the shape of a circle.

So I hope that inspired you a bit. I’m looking forward to seeing what you create. Don’t forget to check out the design teams cards too – we all have different shapes! Enter the Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge here.

Earlier this week, I saw my super talented friends Kristie and Bonnie play along with tropical themed Christmas cards for Merry Monday, so I thought I’d join them by combining the two challenges for this project! Be sure to check out those amazing cards too!

Hope you give both challenges a try. I’ll be back in a few days with a Mixed Media one!

Keep those fingers inky –

[optin_box style=”2″ alignment=”center” email_field=”email” email_default=”Enter your email address” email_order=”2″ integration_type=”aweber” double_optin=”Y” list=”3846012″ name_field=”name” name_default=”Enter your first name” name_order=”1″ name_required=”Y” opm_packages=””][optin_box_field name=”headline”]Learn with our exclusive FREE video series[/optin_box_field][optin_box_field name=”paragraph”]PHA+R2V0IHRoZSBmcmVlIENyZWF0aXZlIFRpcHMgRS1sZXR0ZXIgYW5kIGxlYXJuIHdpdGggc3Vic2NyaWJlciBleGNsdXNpdmUgdmlkZW8gYW5kIHBpY3RvcmlhbCBjb250ZW50LiBJbmNsdWRpbmcgb3VyIHllYXJseSAxMiBEYXlzIG9mIENocmlzdG1hcyBzZXJpZXMhPC9wPgo=[/optin_box_field][optin_box_field name=”privacy”][/optin_box_field][optin_box_field name=”top_color”]undefined[/optin_box_field][optin_box_button type=”0″ button_below=”Y”]Get Instant Access![/optin_box_button] [/optin_box]

Filed Under: Cards, Challenges, Clean and Simple, Scenic, Stampscapes, Uncategorized, Videos

Watercolor Smash in the Mix Mash Forest

Written by Ingrid Blackburn 6 Comments

Have you ever tried the Watercolor Smash technique? It’s a super easy one that creates amazing looks. Paired here together with the Mix Mash stamp set by Happy Little Stampers, you get a fun and quirky little scene made out of some graphic elements. Don’t you just love stretching your stamps in ways they weren’t intended?

So you can fully understand all the little tips and ideas that went into creating this card, I filmed a short video tutorial for you. I don’t know how your mind works, but the first time I saw this stamp set, this card idea popped into my head! Enjoy the video:

Watch on YouTube

The Watercolor Smash Technique Tutorial

The scene was created on a 6 3/8 x 3 1/4″ piece of 140# cold pressed Hahnnenmuhle watercolor paper. The final card is 4 1/4 x 6 3/8″ folded Sahara Sand card stock by Stampin Up. You’ll also need a white – 6 3/8 x 3 7/16″.
I had an idea to create a sunny, snowy day – I know…contradiction…so I wanted to add some flicked masking fluid first with a toothbrush. You have to set it aside to fully dry before beginning – no heat tool!
To keep with the quirky theme, add a few of the smallest circles from Mix Mash in the sky portion of the card. Emboss in clear embossing powder.
Add the sun by first stamping in Versamark Ink, then Mustard Seed Distress Ink (Ranger).

Add the trees in the same manner as the sun, using Peeled Paint and Forest Moss Distress with Versamark. TIP – clean your stamp in between so you don’t get green in your watermark pad! I also varied the size and height of the trees so it wasn’t too uniform.
Emboss trees in clear, add trunks using a Ground Espresso Distress Marker. Don’t do too many at once before adding the embossing powder – you don’t want the ink to soak into your watercolor paper to quickly. If it does, run over it with a Versamarker, but be sure to only get the brown!
Lay down the colors as in the video – Tumbled Glass, Broken China, Mermaid Lagoon and Chipped Sapphire.
Add a fair amount of water with a fine mist spritz bottle.
Lay your project – image side to ink over your blue palette and smash, holding your card stock there so the ink and water can grab onto your project. You’ll see the sides of your paper curl up just a bit.

Don’t worry if you didn’t get it right in one smash. That’s the beauty of this technique. Keep smashing to get the color you want in certain sections. To get a smooth look, be sure not to allow your project to dry in between.
Use a Pentel Water brush loaded with Broken China to move color into desired spots. TIP – Be sure your brush has the same amount of water as your paper, if it is too dry, it will pull watercolor from your project.
Once you have the look you are going for, dry your project – either naturally, or with a heat tool. I chose to use a heat tool, but don’t hover over your embossed images too much – you’ll over-emboss them! TIP – if your paper is too soaked and bent, your color and water will seep to the outside. To keep that from happening, just dry the edges a bit with a heat tool so that your project flattens out a bit, then continue to dry naturally if so desired.

When your project is fully dry, rub off your masking fluid.
Place the white matte where it will be on the folded card base – do not adhere yet.
Stamp greeting from Mix Mash set in Ground Espresso ink to match your trunks. Zap with a heat tool to set.
Add Mono liquid glue to the back, adhere to a white matte and then to the stone folded card base.

That’s it! I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. I love this card – it’s fun nature is what I love about stamping. This technique is so fun, easy and one I use frequently. Once you’ve done a few, you’ll quickly add it to your stamping toolbox. Be sure to subscribe for an exclusive video series with more techniques below!

Keep those fingers inky –

[optin_box style=”2″ alignment=”center” method=”post” email_field=”email” email_default=”Enter your email address” email_order=”2″ integration_type=”aweber” double_optin=”Y” list=”3846012″ name_field=”name” name_default=”Enter your first name” name_order=”1″ name_required=”Y” opm_packages=””][optin_box_field name=”headline”]Learn with our exclusive FREE video series[/optin_box_field][optin_box_field name=”paragraph”]PHA+R2V0IHRoZSBmcmVlIENyZWF0aXZlIFRpcHMgRS1sZXR0ZXIgYW5kIGxlYXJuIHdpdGggc3Vic2NyaWJlciBleGNsdXNpdmUgdmlkZW8gYW5kIHBpY3RvcmlhbCBjb250ZW50LiBJbmNsdWRpbmcgb3VyIHllYXJseSAxMiBEYXlzIG9mIENocmlzdG1hcyBzZXJpZXMhPC9wPgo=[/optin_box_field][optin_box_field name=”privacy”][/optin_box_field][optin_box_field name=”top_color”]undefined[/optin_box_field][optin_box_button type=”0″ button_below=”Y”]Send me exclusive tips![/optin_box_button] [/optin_box]

Filed Under: Cards, Distress Ink, Mixed Media, Scenic, Uncategorized, Videos, Watercolor Tagged: stamping videos, Techniques, watercolor, watercolor smash

Video, 2 Tutorials, Blog Hop & Prizes

Written by Ingrid Blackburn 4 Comments

I have all sorts of goodness for you today! Towards the bottom of this über long post, I have two – yes TWO tutorials for you – one in video form and another after.

First I wanted to tell you about an exclusive collection of stamping stuff just coming available – yup…it’s brand spankin new – not on the market yet! There’s a blog hop filled with awesome projects – great to inspire you this morning, plus at the bottom, I have a new video for you and more crafty goodness!

Normally I would be participating alongside these great card makers for a great blog hop showcasing the new Stamp of Approval collection – Young at Heart. But alas, customs has benched me. They’ve kept my supplies – secretly I think they’re having too much fun making birthday cards and have decided to keep all the fun for themselves! Not to worry, I still have all the information you need, plus I have some fun inspiration for you too!

Stamp of Approval (SOA) is an exclusive box of Stamps, Dies and Stencils designed by Catherine Pooler and some of your favorite stamp companies. Available quarterly, and only till they sell out – and let me be the first to tell you, it’s quick – the first SOA sold out in hours!

This year, StampNation celebrated it’s 5th Birthday, so naturally a box about birthdays makes sense – it’s called the Young at Heart Collection. I would think that birthday cards are probably the #1 card type made – so I’m sure you’ll find something in it for you. But don’t think just birthdays – after seeing the products myself in the videos, I have all sorts of ideas for non-birthday cards too! Here are some links to the three videos highlighting product from the box:

The stamps, dies and stencils designed for this collection are first only available through the SOA box. They will eventually be released by their stamp companies sometime later in 2016/2017, so this is your chance to get your hands on some great products before everyone else – I’m all about that! 🙂

Here’s how it works – you have to be on the waitlist to get the information and link about when the box goes on sale! And it goes quick. If you are a StampNation member – you’ll get the link an hour before the public on February 3rd! This box has products by CAS-ual Fridays, Sugar Pea Designs and Winnie & Walter – three of the hottest stamp companies out there today!!

And to give you some incredible inspiration, hop along with this talented blog hop. Be sure to leave a comment on everyone’s blog – Catherine is giving away two boxes!! And not to worry, if you purchase one and end up a winner – you’ll be reimbursed. The boxes are stuffed with over $100 worth of brand new product…that’s a pretty awesome prize!!!

Neutral Tone Stenciling Video Tutorial

So, are you on creative inspiration overload yet? I hope not, because I have some crafty goodness to share with you too! The other day I released a new video on my YouTube channel. It’s a great birthday card that is quick, easy and has some great neutral tones in it – perfect for a masculine card. Here it is:

Watch video on YouTube

It’s a pretty straight forward card and the stencil really is the star here.

Don’t you just love that stencil from Hero Arts! I love all the neutral tones. It’s simple, and kind of reminds me of New Mexico/Arizona a bit. What do you think?

I’ve been playing around with stencils for the past month on overdrive. Mostly because I’ve been creating content for the Stencil Class over at StampNation that’s been going on for the past 2 1/2 weeks!

You may remember my Gelli Plate creation from last month, well, I filmed a video for the stencil class at SN and put up many more samples.

Gelli Plate Monoprinting in Layers Tutorial

Here’s a new one for you though. I have been having SO much fun with my Gelli Plate – it’s an amazing tool that really allows my inner artist to break out. Do you have one, or are you thinking about getting one? Let me know in the comments below!

Working with a gelli arts printing plate has been truly an eye opening experience. While I won’t say I’m and expert, I have learned a ton along the way! For instance, paper and paint do matter. You want a paint that will give you time to work, acrylics dry so quickly, the longer your paint remains open, the more flexibility you have. And when you’re new to something like this – that’s key. That doesn’t mean you can’t use your cheap acrylics, just work quickly!

For this project, I started by layering on some Phthalo Blue. I cleared my brayer of any paint and promptly brayered some back off. leaving only some around the edge and a little in the center.
The key to creating a monoprint in layers on your Gelli Plate, is to allow the layers to dry inbetween.
Next you’ll want to add another color – I chose Cobalt Blue. Repeat the process pulling up a lot of the blue.
Add your stencil – I added the Tula stencil by Memory Box. Pull a positive print to use on another project. That leaves a lot open space.
Finally, add your lightest color – I chose Ochre for a contrast.
I pulled the entire print up at this point. The Ochre allowed the dried layers enough moisture to pull the print up in it’s entirety. If your paint isn’t open enough, this can be a frustrating process and you won’t pull up all your colors. Sometimes that can look cool, other times it can just be frustrating. You’ll find that sweet spot for yourself.

The interesting thing with this print is that in some spots the blue and yellow blended to form a slight green – that only gives this a more worn and aged look. The background naturally is the star, so keep the rest of the card simple. I added the Handlettered Thanks die by WPlus9 and a few Rhinestones.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you enjoyed these couple of projects – can you tell I have stenciling on the brain? Be sure to check out the new SOA box, or hop on over the StampNation and check it out along with the free stenciling class. I have a few videos in lessons #5 & #14.

See you next time, till then, keep those fingers inky!

[optin_box style=”2″ alignment=”center” email_field=”email” email_default=”Enter your email address” email_order=”2″ integration_type=”aweber” double_optin=”Y” list=”3846012″ name_field=”name” name_default=”Enter your first name” name_order=”1″ name_required=”Y”][optin_box_field name=”headline”]Learn with our exclusive FREE video series[/optin_box_field][optin_box_field name=”paragraph”]PHA+R2V0IHRoZSBmcmVlIENyZWF0aXZlIFRpcHMgRS1sZXR0ZXIgYW5kIGxlYXJuIHdpdGggc3Vic2NyaWJlciBleGNsdXNpdmUgdmlkZW8gYW5kIHBpY3RvcmlhbCBjb250ZW50LsKgPGVtPjxzdHJvbmc+SW5jbHVkaW5nwqA8L3N0cm9uZz48L2VtPm91ciB5ZWFybHkgMTIgRGF5cyBvZiBDaHJpc3RtYXMgc2VyaWVzITwvcD4K[/optin_box_field][optin_box_field name=”privacy”][/optin_box_field][optin_box_field name=”top_color”]undefined[/optin_box_field][optin_box_button type=”0″ button_below=”Y”]Send me exclusive tips now![/optin_box_button] [/optin_box]

Filed Under: Masculine, Mixed Media, Techniques, Uncategorized, Videos Tagged: catherine pooler, gelli plate, masculine cards, monoprinting, Stamp of Approval, Stenciling on cards

Mixing CAS & Monoprinting

CAS Monoprint Tutorial

CAS Monoprint Card #1 – Black

CAS Monoprint Card #2 – White

Just Awesome Shaker Card

Shaker Card Tutorial & Creative Tips

Day One Day Two Day Three Day Four Day Five

MM Watercolor Butterflies Video

Mixed Media Watercolored Butterflies

How to Create Depth & Texture without Bulk

Showcasing the Negative

How to Use Negative Die Cuts

Shaped Cards – Snowflake Tropics

How to create Shaped Cards – Tropical Snowflake

Watercolor Smash in the Mix Mash Forest

The Watercolor Smash Technique Tutorial

Video, 2 Tutorials, Blog Hop & Prizes

Neutral Tone Stenciling Video Tutorial

Gelli Plate Monoprinting in Layers Tutorial

Thanks for Visiting!

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Classroom Links

Disclaimer

CAS Monoprint Tutorial

CAS Monoprint Card #1 – Black

CAS Monoprint Card #2 – White

Shaker Card Tutorial & Creative Tips

How to Create Depth & Texture without Bulk

How to Use Negative Die Cuts

How to create Shaped Cards – Tropical Snowflake

The Watercolor Smash Technique Tutorial

Neutral Tone Stenciling Video Tutorial

Gelli Plate Monoprinting in Layers Tutorial

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Thanks for Visiting!

Copyright

Classroom Links

Disclaimer