Smile Easel Card

Hello Crafty Friends! I am up on the Magenta Blog today with the second watercoloured card made from the Magenta Floral Background stamp panel.  If you missed my first card from this set, you can find it here. This time, I used the 2 3/4" x 5 1/2" remaining panel piece to make a fun and floral "Pick Me Up" easel card.

To recap how I made the panel... I started by stamping with VersaMark ink and clear heat embossing the image on 140 lb cold press watercolour paper. Next, I watercolour painted the panel with Grass Green, Hot Pink, and Turquoise Nuance powders. Once dry, after cutting a 1 1/2" strip from the panel (which is the part that I used on the first card), I used the remaining piece as the top part of the tent based easel card.

The card is 4 x 5 1/2" in size. Once you have the panel that you want to use created, set it aside as you prep the card base. Make a tent card for the size of the front panel that you wish to use. After you have made the first fold of your tent card, fold the top panel in on itself to the centre fold, halfing it or folding it in by one quarter. Then unfold it back to a standard tent card.

For mine, I ventured into my stash and used some items that I haven't in ages. I used a lace pattern border punch on the edge of the top panel and added crochet ribbon and jewels. Next, I added gold foil to the edge of the watercoloured panel piece and adhered it to the remaining 1 1/4" of the folded bottom part of the front of the card base. This leaves the top portion unglued which it allows it to raise up once the easel part is created.

I used a 1/2 double sided tape on the bottom part inside edge and transferred gold foil onto it. Opening up the card, I adhered a thin piece of stitched velvet ribbon and another lace bordered punch piece of watercolour paper painted with the Grass Green Nuance to create the easel part.

Between the gold leaf edge and the scalloped lace boarder, I stamped the sentiment (after doing a little stamp surgery) using a MISTI so as to ensure that the stretched out sentiment was straight. To finish the front, I cut and adhered a small piece of vellum to back the gold glitter wood veneer letters from a dollar store that I used for the smile sentiment. Lastly, I added some Stardust Jelly roll pen for shimmer to the centres of the flowers.

I created a coordinating envelope out of green cardstock and I made it a bit larger to accommodate the size of the veneer letters. 

There you have it, one watercoloured panel, two cards. If you were inspired by either of these cards, be sure to share your creations either with me here or over on my Magenta post or on Instagram.

TTFN,

*****

Magenta products used:

Floral Background

MNU009 Grass Green

MNU005 Hot Pink

MNU001 Turquoise

*****

Texture Filled Tag

If you are like me, you have a stash of started projects. You know those ones that you start, then put aside as more pressing projects come along. Today's tag fits that bill. I had started it for one of Tim Holtz Tag challenges eons ago but hand not finished it. It was bagged up and put in a drawer with the background completed but it still needed all the embellishment details and words added. This week's Simon Says Stamp Monday - Add Some Texture challenge was the perfect time to dig it out and finish it off as it is chock full of various textures.

The burlap base was stenciled with texture paste and coloured with Distress Ink. Next, I adhered the torn piece of patterned paper with gel medium. While that was setting up, I stamped the compass rose onto tissue paper. Then, I collaged it onto the background and inked the edges with distress ink.

Next, I took the scanned and printed photo of a family member and added colour to it to add interest, corner punched the corners and inked the edges. It didn't quite pop enough off the background so backed it with white cardstock. The crinkle ribbon was coloured with Antique Linen spray stain and adhered to the tag prior to adding the diecut, distressed and rolled cardstock flowers and leaves. Then, I adhered a piece of pattern paper to the back of a plastic fragment piece ad fashioned a paperclip into the whole and onto the metal Treasure pin clipping it onto the ribbon. Lastly, I inked the edges of the word strips and adhered them along with the crown and the metal initials and tided off the paper ribbon at the top.

It has been a while since I crafted with my collection of Tim Holtz products, and it was fun to play with them. You can't go wrong when you are inspired by Tim. I really like how this turned out and think it would be fun to make more tags along this vintage vein featuring other family members. Be sure to check out the design team creations over at the Simon Says Stamp Monday -Add Some Texture challenge here.


TTFN,

Life is Better with You Friend

Happy Spring to those readers that are from the northern hemisphere (and happy fall to those in the southern one)! I chose a bright cheery spring colour combo for today's colouring as I join in Day 20 of Kathy Raccosin's The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge with another Angie Blom Digital Design stamp for this card. This time I used the Unicorn Love digital stamp laser printed on Strathmore 300 Series Smooth Bristol paper and watercolours. You can see my swatched watercolours combo on the bristol strip beside the finished card.

I started by using a Molotow masking fluid pen and covering all the little circles, dots and V hearts along with the single line curls in the mane. Next, using Mijello Mission Gold watercolours, I painted the top part of the background with Cobalt Turquoise. Once it was set but before it was dry, I placed the older Prima Jamie Dougherty Spark stencil over it and using a dampened papertowel, I removed some of the watercolour through the stencil to add some texture and interest to the background. While that area was drying, I turned to colouring the flowers on the unicorn's head. I used some already mixed greens from my Mijello Paint palette and used a watered down version of Bright Clear Violet for the first layer of the flowers and then added more concentrated touches. 


Next, I turned to the unicorn's body. I added in shading with a grey/graphite Stabilo All pencil and activated it with water. Then, I watered down some Vicki Boutin Iridescent CreativeFX glaze and painted the body with it to give it a pearlescent shine for some magical shimmer quality. The shading didn't show through enough in some areas so I added a touch of Indigo watercolour to the mix and then painted over the shaded areas to define them more. Next, I added some white watercolour to a bit of the iridescent glaze to lightened areas that I had left for highlights. It is really hard to show the shimmer in a photo but I tried angling the card as I was taking the photo to see if I could pick it up. If you look at the ears and carefully on the body, you might see it. 

Then, I coloured the grass. I started with a wash of Yellow Green and then added bits of Sap Green and Hooker's Green. While that was setting up, I erased the masking fluid from the single curl lines of the unicorn's mane. Next, I added the final green touches with a concentrated amount of Sap Green on the blades of grass and in the circles and leaves.

Next up was the mane. For pink, I used the Zig Clean Color Real Brush marker. I started by pre-wetting sections that I was going to work on with water. Then going in with the marker along the ends and using more water and a number two brush round brush to pull the colour up through the sections to create an ombre effect. While that was drying, I added some touches of pink to the background v hearts and iridescent glitter glue to the dots, circles and v hearts. Then, I erased the masking fluid on the mane and added the glitter glue there too. Next, I did the same to the grass and the unicorn's corn and set it aside to dry while I cut and folded the card base.

Now with the painting dry and complete, I die cut it with the Simon Says Stamp Wonky Rectangles die. To finish off the card, I adhered scrap cereal board to the back of the die cut panel and glued it onto a white cardbase that I sized to allow a 1/4 inch frame area. For the sentiment, I used the one that comes with the Fox and the Owl digital kit that I had laser printed on my initial bristol piece. I cut it out, cereal board backed it and adhered it to the card. I went over some of the lines with a Pigma Micron 005 black pen to darken them. Lastly, I punched out some mini butterflies from the scrap cast off areas from the die cut panel background and added two of them. Here is a another look at the finished card:

Supplies: 300 Series Smooth Bristol (Strathmore), white cardstock (Staples), unicorn and sentiment digital stamp (Angie Blom Digital Designs), Mission Gold watercolour paints (Mijello), pink Zig Clean Color Real Brush marker (Kuritake), grey/graphite All watercolour pencil (Stabilo), Vicki Boutin Iridescent CreativeFX Glaze (American Crafts), Jamie Dougherty Sparks stencil (Prima), Hologram Iridescent Glitter Glue (VivaDecor), Wonky Rectangles Wafer Die (Simon Says Stamp), butterflies punch (Martha Stewart), black 005 Pigma Micron pen (Sakura), Original Tacky Glue (Aleene's)

Design techniques, products used and colour inspirations came from various Simon Says Stamp challenges - Monday Challenge Blog's Stencil Fun challenge, the Simon Says Stamp Flickr Challenge #145 Crazy for Coloring, and Simon Says Stamp IG Spring has Sprung challenge. Be sure to check each of the SSS challenges and Kathy's blog, FB or IG #thedailymarker30day for awesome eye candy and inspiration.

TTFN,

Circles All Around

I was inspired by the Simon Says Stamp Monday Going Around in Circles challenge  that I made another card for the challenge. This one was made with foiled alcohol inked Yupo paper circles.

Not wanting to waste any of the awesome yellow, orange and blue coloured background that was left after fussy cutting out a stamped lifted design in the making of this card, I used a glue pen and added some gold foil accents.

Next, I used a variety of circle punches (3/8", 1/2", 3/4" & 1" sizes) to punch out circles. After arranging some of them on a 3 4/2" x 5 1/2" white card base, I adhered them at different level using glue, Glue Dots, and Foam to give them a variety of dimensions.

I die cut the Simon Says Stamp Script Thanks from Black Bazzill cardstock and adhered it to the card. Then, I stamped "a bunch" from a Winnie and Walter stamp set. To finish the card off, I doodled a double ring of faux stitches around three of the circles using a 05 Micron pen.

Thanks to Simon Says Stamp Monday Going Around in Circles challenge as it sparked some great ideas and I had circles of fun.

TTFN,

Sending a Blizzard

Hello friends! I am off at Scrapbook and Cards Today's Crop & Create today and I am sending a little Magenta love your way with this snowflakes inspired card. 

I started with 140 lb cold press watercolour paper and used the snowflakes mask with Cerulean Blue and Wisteria Nuance powders along with texture paste (on the first) and gel medium (on the last two) to create four panels in differing hues. Once dry, I tore the end 1 1/2" strip off, worked the raw edges to give them some curl and glued them to a base card. Next, I stamped the sentiment with white pigment ink onto a piece of black cardstock and adhered it with foam tape for more dimension.

*****

Magenta products used:

MC05

07.888.G



  MNU011



MNU016

TTFN,

Day 13 - The 30 Day Colouring Challenge

Day 13 of Kathy Racoosin's 30 Days of Colouring had me watercolouring with Magenta Nuance Powders to create a card for a dear friend. She is very much in my thoughts and I know she will appreciate it.

Supplies: 90 lb cold press Montval watercolour paper (Canson), Hot Pink and Grass Green Nuance powders and sentiment stamp (Magenta), mask (MarieLune designs), Gold Glitz Delicata ink (Tsukineko), clear fine emboss powder, Stitched Rectangle die and Assorted Moonshine Sequins (Simon Says Stamp), graphite All pencil (Stabilo), border punch (Fiskars), green cardstock (misc.)

I used a mask like a stamp and transferred the Nuance coloured image onto watercolour paper. Next, I used the largest Stitched Rectangle die from Simon Says Stamp to cut out it. Then, I stamped the Magenta sentiment with Gold Glitz Delicata and heat embossed it with fine clear emboss powder. I used a graphite Stabilo All pencil to give some shadowing of the sentiment to make it show up a bit better against the leaves. Next, I adhered the panel to a border punched green cardstock base. Lastly, I added a spattering of my favourite Simon Says Stamp's Assorted Moonshine Sequins to finish it off.

I am entering this card into the Flower Challenge # 6, Simon Says Stamp Wednesday For a Special Lady Challenge and Simon Says Stamp's Flickr Challenge #66 Get Coloring (in honour of Kathy's Challenge).

           

If you would like to see what else I have been colouring throughout the challenge, check out my Instagram feed.


TTFN,

Magenta December Challenge

I love snowflakes and since we didn't seem to be getting any anytime soon from mother nature in my neck of the woods earlier, I created my own for my DT contribution to this month's Magenta Winter challenge.

On 140 lb. pre- cut watercolour paper, I pre-wet my paper to start the activation process for the Nuance powder. Adding more water and powder until I achieved a desired look. Once dry, I placed the snowflakes mask down on the paper and traced the outline with a white Signo pigment pen.

I heat embossed the sentiment onto vellum, used a punch to cut it out, and then sprayed it with glimmer Sheer Shimmer Spritz. Using the overspray left on my craft mat, I brushed it onto some of the snowflakes too. A ribbon bow, a metal snowflake charm, and some foam tape to adhere it to the card base was all that was needed to call my winter snow blizzard card done.

There is still time to join us in this month's challenge. Find out all the details and check out my fellow DT members' creations based on the Winter theme here.

TTFN,

Together

What do you get when you mix a fun sketch with a recipe challenge?

For me, it resulted in this... 

This is both my DT take on LGS August Week 3 sketch and me taking a crack at Sassy Scrappers Recipe Challenge for August.

    

Watercolouring with mists... check. I had filled two mini misters with leftover diluted Magenta Hot Pink and Orange Nuance from a previous project and it was just the right colour for the MME My Girl collection embellis that I wanted to use. I sprayed them on a clear gessoed background. After stamping with the white ink, I decided it need a bit more watercolour feel so I repeatedly stamped with the watercolour after spritzing it on my craft mat and then loading my stamp from there. Not perfect impressions but that is totally okay for the look that I wanted.

I used the orange Nuance spray on the Maya Road canvas tags after I stencilled them with a mix of whipped spackle and clear gloss medium. Nothing like some creative chemistry in improvising when you want a certain effect but do not have the product. ;) After they were dry, I dabbed a bit of Dreamsicle Glimmer Mist as it was a different and darker orange to give some further details to the tags.

After I sewed three rounds of circles and arranged my other elements, including the title using Thickers (another check in the recipe), it was time for the last recipe item or rather items... enamel dots. I used both the MME My Girl collection ones and some Simple Stories DIY pink ones.

See the other creative interpretations that my fellow design team members came up with based on the sketch here and fellow recipe challenge participants here.

TTFN,

Flowers for a Friend

Well it's another tri-factor of inspiration in the creation of this mixed media card that I made this weekend. This one is for a friend in need of some cheering up. Nothing like a bouquet of flowers and a handmade card to do the trick.

Supplies: cardstock (CTMH), gesso and light molding paste (Golden), clear gesso (Liquitex), Salty Ocean and Faded Jeans Tim Holtz Distress Inks (Ranger), Fading Floral stencil, flowers, and butterfly stickers (Prima), friends stamp and ticket corner punch (Stampin' Up), Versamark (Tsukineko), emboss powder (Stampendous), hemp cord (Darice), thread (Somore), red marker (Sharpie)

A few close ups...

After using the white gesso, I went back over in clear gesso as it seems to work better with watercolour. Then I used the light molding paste and once it was dry, I applied Tim Holtz Distress Inks in Salty Ocean and Faded Jeans. I added some Salty Ocean splatters.

I heat embossed the friends F and then ticket corner punched it before inking the edges. I added a little red Sharpie to this bottom butterfly sticker so that it would pop a bit more and better co-ordinated with the top one. Little swipes of white gesso put the finishing touches on the Prima flowers.

Playing along with Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge blog for The Love of Plants and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog for Friends or Superhero.

                 

Colour inspiration comes from Colour Me... Striking for their challenge #75.

TTFN,