Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Day6- Stretch your Stamps

Sometimes my mind gets so excited and moving so fast that it does things before I can check what the next step is. Sometimes this flaw of mine works for me and sometimes it doesn't. This time however, I love my mistake. Trying out Donna's card technique, I reached for the clear embossing instead of the white embossing power, but I love the subtlety of this image and my mistake, or rather my interpretation.



Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Day 1- Stretch your Stamps 2- card 2

Not wanting to waste a single bit of my background stamp creation, I took the "you" and created another card. To give it a extra little oomph I covered it with Crackle accents from Ranger. The pattern may be a bit busy for the crackle technique but what the heck, the idea is to experiment and STRETCH not only your stamps but your creativity. I am going to make more of these cards.



Day 1- Stretch your stamps 2- card 1

I am so excited that there is another online card class session going on right now!
I had lots of fun recreating Kristina's card and adding my own twists.
Lots of things happening here- water colouring, emboss resist, inlay die cutting and a hint of Wink of Stella. Woo hoo :)


Supplies
Stamp: Background-unknown, sentiment-Tilted Banner Sayings-SSS
Dies: Banner- Tilted Banners-SSS, YOU- SSS
Watercolours: Artist's Loft 12pack from Michaels
Embossing Powder: Clear Recollections from Michaels
Gems: from stash various suppliers

Monday, May 19, 2014

Day 11 homework

I liked the technique Lauren demonstrated in the bonus day video at OCC-Watercoloring for Card Makers and decided to give it a try. Just to be a bit different I added the inlay technique (for the wreath but not the flowers) from a previous course at OCC.

Supplies
Inks: Distress Ink- Background:Worn Lipstick, Spun Sugar, Antique Linen, Iced Spruce,
                              Wreath: Mowed Lawn, Peeled Paint, Shabby Shutters, Iced Spruce
                               Flowers: Scattered Straw, Antique Linen, Squeezed Lemonade, Picked Raspberry,        
                               Worn Lipstick, Spun Sugar
Sentiment from Wplus9-Fresh Cut Wreath stamped with Stazon Metallic Silver on white vellum

Sunday, May 18, 2014

More Water Colouring Homework

I thought this stamp would be a great one for watercolouring
and I also see a few people thought so at OCC- Watercoloring for Cardmakers.
I tried colouring the stamp here and was pleased with the results. Now I wanted to try a different technique, something more water-colourish (if that is even a word).

While I am relatively happy with the flower image for a first attempt, as a card or painting it feels awkward to me. It looks like it is just floating. The stamp does not have a stem but I think I need to free-hand one in. I may also need to put more pink and purple in the background or maybe some green.
What ideas do you have to complete this? The purple frame and white card are only temporary.






Friday, May 16, 2014

more water colouring

I am just loving the water colour class I am taking at On-line Card Classes. Here is my latest piece of homework.


Now I just need to take a photography course.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Water Colouring an Embossed Image 2

Water Colouring and Embossed image without ironing off.
I messed up the stamping of the sentiment. Better luck and planning next time ;)

Water Colouring an Embossed Image

Tried my hand at water colouring an embossed image and then took it to the next level by ironing the EP off. Cool effects.

Water Colour Stamping Homework

Day three homework on OCC- Watercolour for Card Makers makes me look like an artist. This one is lots of fun to do :)

Vibrant Colour Wash Background day 2

Day 2 incorporated masking as part of the effect for the vibrant background. My first attempt was not perfect but it is pretty good. I'll be definitely trying this again.
Lessoned learned- do not use too much water.

Vibrant Colour Wash Background Homework

Playing along at On-line Card Classes again, this month the focus is on water colour techniques and I am quite enjoying it :)
Day 1 - Colour Blocking

This is my take on colour blocking using Distress Inks and water. I heat embossed the LOVE stamp with silver embossing powder and then flicked white acrylic paint over the card. I added a couple of sequins just for fun.



Wednesday, March 19, 2014

combining inspirations

I love water colouring stamped images with Distress Inks. This card was inspired by  Joni's choice of colours and image for her submission to the Runway Inspired Challenge and the Tracing Images on the Clean & Simple 3 online card class.


Sorry the colour isn't quite true as it is a grey and dreary day here so I tried to "enhance" it on my iPhone . Instead of tracing a stamped image I stamped with metallic ink. This has numerous possibilities. More to follow :)

Masking

On day 4 of the Clean and Simple 3 card class the homework was to create a card using a masking 3D illusion technique. I gave it whirl- not bad for a first try! Once again I had to alter my card because I got pink ink in the bottom corner of the card. My fix was to use some Distress Ink and the ink blending tool to lightly colour the edges.

Supplies:
2" heart cut from the Cricut Home Decor cartridge
re-positional adhesive to secure heart on card front
Inks: 
Stampin' Up- Crisp Cantaloupe, Raspberry Ripple, Primrose Petals, Strawberry Slush, Pistachio Pudding
Distress Inks- spun Sugar, Worn Lipstick, Picked Raspberry
Ranger Black Archival Ink
Stamps: unknown


Card 2
I managed to keep the card face clean this time :) I seem to have a fascination with purple lately. This is a fun card to make.

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Another learning lesson


Another learning lesson in card making today. The second bit of homework from the Clean & Simple 3 card class was to try a graffiti card which involves a bit of layered die cutting and stamping. I do not have many dies, only a few snowflakes, but I do have a Cricut Expression and umpteen cartridges. So I tackled this assignment with those tools.
My Cricut mat was too sticky which made taking the card off the mat very challenging. The card got creased and some of the smaller pieces ripped so I had to glue them back together.
I would not give this card to someone but I love the technique I now I know what precautions I will need to take with the next one. I also think that I must purchase some dies- Thank you Clean & Simple card class for giving me a reason to go shopping :)
This card looks a bit bare and not grounded, I think I need to alter this perhaps a frame around the graffiti may work or maybe some shapes or banner stamps like some other students have used.

update:
I think it looks better with more stamping. There are a couple flaws such as a blue mark beside the blue hearts, a pink mark at the bottom of the card, and the big one- I mis-stamped lipstick lips so I had to stamp it again and I did not line it up perfectly. Oh well this is just a practice card for learning a technique.

Friday, March 14, 2014

Oops- Follow the Directions



Today I was able to play in my craft room trying out some of the new techniques from day 5 of Clean and Simple 3 card class.
One of my crafting mentors Jennifer Mc Guire demonstrated a new technique called "ironing off embossing". I gave it try but I altered it a bit because I did not want to waste too much embossing powder. Bad move. There are reason why certain steps cannot be altered. As you can see here in this photo, there are lines on either side of the water coloured banner, this is where the embossing powder was applied and then ironed off after the water colour portion was completed. Had I embossed the entire card front except for the banner section there would be no lines.
 
It stands to reason that a line would be present because VersaMark is a watermark ink. Silly me! but this is how we learn and how new techniques are discovered. Back to creative area to try my homework assignment again. :)

update:

Here is the fix but it does not WOW me. I had to put it on a purple card rather than a white one because the previously embossed areas were very grey and it was more noticeable on a white. So purple it is.


Sunday, March 9, 2014

Believe in Rainbows


This is my version of Donna Mikasa's Celebrate card seen here; a fun watercolour technique that she used for Virginia's View Watercolour Challenge here . (Sorry I could not get the banner to download)


 
In making my version  I was left with puddles of distress ink on my craft sheet. Following the directions of the challenge "to just add water" I created this birthday card. However, I must admit that because I am on rations of watercolour paper, I attached the front panel to regular cardstock instead of wasting of what could be another card front. This move may disqualify me from the challenge, but oh well I still had fun making both cards.


  
Supplies:
Inks: Distress ink- Squeezed Lemonade, Mustard Seed, Picked Raspberry, Broken China, Mowed Lawn
Stamps: Believe- unknown, Happy Birthday- Hero Arts Fancy Basics
Embossing Powder: Stampin Up Wild Wasabi
Markers: Distress Marker- Pumice Stone
Gems: personal stash


From Lack of Colour to Full Colour


The inspiration for these two cards comes from incorporating the  CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #129 and the awesome card of Jenny who also participated in the challenge.
My idea was to have part of the image water coloured in various shades of grey, white and black and then the image changes to full colour as the sun comes out and the clouds lift. The division line between colour and non-colour was achieved by free hand painting a line with masking fluid. I painted one section then rolled the masking fluid off the water colour paper to complete the other section.   This great product was introduced to me when I explored Heather Telford's website ( a great site if you want to play with water colours and stamping).
I did not have a stamp to convey the message that I wanted so I ran the coloured image through my printer. It took a lot of fussing to get it the correct spot but I am happy with the results, except the bend on the bottom of the small card from jamming in the printer!
For the second card I settled on a "believe" sentiment because I could just not find the right words. I wish I could create my own stamp sentiments.


Supplies:
Inks: Distress Inks in Black Soot, Pumice Stone, Weathered Wood, Broken China, Tumbled Glass, Scattered Straw, Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade, Peeled Paint.
Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink
Stamp: Daisy Thanks from Stampendous
Cardstock: 110 lb white for card base, scraps of grey and blue from personal stock for matte

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Pink and Bling

I found another card challenge blog that appealed to me but after reading the rules I found I could not compete because I don't have any Mama Elephant stamps. Oh well, I can still use their photo as inspiration for designing my own card.
 
                                      
 
I created this card for a colleague who was moving out West to start a new life. I am quite happy with the way it turned out :)
Technique: scribble multiple colours of distress marker on a stamp, mist with water and stamp on watercolour paper. Using a blending tool and Distress Ink in worn lipstick, soften the edges. Pearls and sequins were added for the bling portion of the challenge. 


 








Saturday, January 18, 2014

Ombre Challenge

An Internet search of card challenges lead me to Craft Stamp's  Ombre Challenge 
                                                
I tried my hand at an ombre watercolour technique. I used Distress Markers to colour diagonal stripes across a background stamp. I then spritzed it lightly with water to blend the colours and stamped it on watercolour paper. I quite like the effect. I will definitely try this again and I may spritz a bit of Perfect Pearls on it to add some more interest.
The sentiment stamp I am not too fussy on. I found it hard to read so I tried tracing over the wording with a blue marker- did not like it. Then I tried several types of black markers and gel pens still did not like it. The best I could come up with was scribbling over it with a blue Copic marker- better but not the greatest. I guess this card will be a work in progress :)


Supplies:
Tim Holtz Distress Markers- Tumbled Glass, Broken China, Faded Jeans, and Chipped Sapphire
Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink
Merriest Christmas Wishes stamp from Hero Arts
Begin Anywhere stamp - Michael's
Pearls- from stash
 
 


Friday, January 17, 2014

Abstract Watercolour Dahlia

I am having more fun with watercolour paper and Distress Inks. Here is my latest creation using the same colour scheme from my last post save for Vintage Photo, making this card have a more feminine feel.
My last post and this post were inspired by the  His & Hers Card Class



Supplies:
Inks:  Distress Ink in Tumbled Glass, Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint, and Crushed Olive
          Jet Black Archival Ink
Stamp: Penny Black - Dahlia

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Masculine Thinking of You


I personally find it very challenging to create cards for men. Here is what I came up with after revisiting  some of the Online Card Classes from the card divas Jennifer McGuire and Kristina Werner and friends.
Sorry the photography is not the greatest as I am still getting used to my new camera.
The real card is not that yellow. I may try to post another photo if we ever get some sunlight here LOL.


Supplies:
Distress Ink in Tumbled Glass, Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint, Vintage Photo, and Crushed Olive
Stamps: Tim Holtz - ? and Hero Arts -CL140

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Colourfully Comforting a Friend


This is a sympathy card I made for a friend whose father passed away just before Christmas. I wanted to use cheery colours not sombre ones. Colourful cards cheered me up last Christmas when my father passed away so I was hoping to do the same for my friend.
My inspiration for this technique came from 3 Umbrellas here and the layout came from here on Pintrest.

Supplies:
Ink:       Distress Ink in Picked Raspberry, Squeezed Lemonade, Spiced Marmalade, Scattered Straw
             Jet Black Archival Ink
Stamps: Stampendous- Encouraging Words, Hero Arts- Blossom Art, Inkadinkado- Dot Flourishes
Paper:   Base-110lb white card stock, banner- 65lb white card stock, Mat- 65lb black card stock all
             from Michael's  
             Flower & Sentiment square- Canson Water Colour Paper

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Runway Inspired Challenge Interpretation #3

To Enter the RIC #51 challenge each card needs it's own post ( what a novice I am!)
Here is my third interpretation- see earlier post for supplies used.

Runway Inspired Challenge- interpretation #2


Still having mojo energy left after completing the first card challenge, I used this card sketch idea and the red, blue, and black colour theme from RIC #51 to create the next two cards.




Supplies:
Paper: Recollections 110 lb white cardstock
Stamp: Do what you love... from Studio G, Hello bubble from Inkadinkado
Ink: Jet Black
Other: Button and twine from stash

Resolution Keeping: My first card challenge- interpretation #1



Here is my first attempt at participating in a card challenge using the  Runway Inspired Challenge ric#51 image.

 
Focusing on the imagery of a person and an umbrella I had lots of fun coming up with this card.
 
Supplies:
Stamps: Tim Holtz Creative Muse , Recollections Allover Script Text and Studio G Alphabet 30 stamps ( sorry can't find a link)
Inks: Ditto Blue (sorry can't find a link), Distress Ink in Barn Door, Ranger Jet Black Archival ink
Embossing: Recollections White powder and VersaMark watermark ink pad. 
Other: Stamping Mask Paper, cardstock white 110 lb from Michael's, and blue from my stash.
 
 





















 

I have made a new year's resolution to make more time for my creative side. I need my circle of well-being to be more rounded, it is a little lopsided right now much like my body but that is an entirely different post LOL. To help achieve this goal of being more rounded and balanced, my plan is to participate in more card making challenges and posting the creations to this blog.
Scouring the internet for inspiration I came across this talented lady's website  heathertelford.com . Sheer Awesomeness.

I have not been one to make a lot of one layer cards so she has inspired me to try this card using her  stamping technique  here.


For stamping I used Penny Black's Glory of Modesty and Stampendous' Encouraging Words with Stampin' Up's Crisp Cantaloupe , Tim Holtz's Distress markers and ink pad in Barn Door and Ranger's Archival Ink in jet black.
For masking I tried the masking paper from Inkadinkado . The white cardstock is 110lb cardstock from Michael's.

After completing this card I tried a few more with different colours.
 


This was fun and the possibilities are endless with background stamps.