Neat & Tangled May Release Recap and Winners

Happy Friday!  The May release is now available in the Neat & Tangled store.  Here's a look back at my projects for this week:

I also have a couple of winners to announce.  Congratulations to:

lynda who wins the Quilted Background
@pixlnauts from IG who wins the Foliage Frame set

I loved working with this months products, it was a great way to end my time with Neat & Tangled.  Thank you all for your sweet comment this week.  Have a great weekend, and if there's anything from the release you need, it's available now in the N&T store!

Neat & Tangled May Release & Giveaways - Day 4

It's the last day of release reveals at Neat & Tangled and today we're showing off my new Foliage Frame set.  I love all my designs, but I have been anxiously awaiting the release of this one.  

It's always nice to have sets in your collection that allow you to create lovely elegant looks quickly and easily.  This one fits that bill.  There is a die set that coordinates with the set with an opening that you can cut in the center as well as coordinating dies for the individual leaf images, but I wanted to create some simple one layer cards today.

For this first card I cut watercolored a panel of watercolor paper using a single shade of of blue and instead of an ombre wash that continues across the whole panel, I created essentially two washes that faded towards the center of the panel.

Once that was dry, I heat embossed the background using Hero Arts Sand embossing powder which adds both some texture and sparkle.

I used my MISTI to stamp the sentiment so that I could stamp ifirst n color, and then directly over top again with Versamark so the sentiment could be clear embossed.

I have been plotting this second card since I designed this set.  I started by stamping the background with white pigment ink on kraft paper.

Then using Altenew inks, I stamped the individual branches on top of the white pigment ink.  I wasn't looking to be particularly precise here.  I love the look of colored ink over pigment on kraft.  When you don't stamp exactly it actually gives you some extra dimension and gives it a more rustic/vintage feel.

Once I was done with the leaves, I added some berries in red, just randomly stamping them about the panel, and finished off with the sentiment in the center.

You definitely want to stop by the Neat & Tangled blog to check out what the rest of the team has created, there are such pretty samples today!  While you're there leave a comment to be entered to win a set.

I have a set to give away too.  To be entered, just leave me a comment.  There are extra chances to win on my Instagram account too (@mprantner).  I'll be back tomorrow with a recap and winners!

Neat & Tangled May Release and Giveaways - Day 3

Hey everyone!  Welcome back for Day 3 of the N&T May release.  Today we're showing off my newest background - Quilted Background.

When I think of quilts I tend to think of them as homespun and rustic, and this background can definitely do that, but it's also got a wonderful graphic punch that is perfect for bold, modern backgrounds.  

This first card was so easy.  I chose four shades in the same Copic family (BG000, BG02, BG05, BG07), and colored the diagonal stripes in each block of my quilt.  No shading, just straight coloring.

I trimmed out a 4x5 block section, and popped it up over a plain white panel that I had stamped the sentiment (from Typed Sentiments) on at the very bottom.  

Really easy, but a great impact.

This next card was a little more complicated.  I stamped the background on some watercolor paper and clear embossed.  Then I used watercolors to fill in the different spaces.  There are endless designs and patterns you can create just by mixing up the colors.  I was going for a light bright feel here.

Once that was done I cut the panel down some.  I started with a square, but then decided I liked it tilted as a diamond.  This required trimming off the left and right ends, and then as I continued to play with it, I decided to trim off the top and bottom tips also, to fall in line with the edge of my mat.

That panel was popped up with foam tape, and I added a sentiment strip/mat (also from the Typed Sentiments set).

This wasn't quite what I had planned when I started creating this card, but I really like the soft architectural feel.

OK, that's all I have to share today, but I know the rest of the team has some great inspiration for you over on the N&T blog.  You can also enter to win this background stamp there.

I also have a background to give away.  To be entered, leave a comment.  There are extra chances to win on my Instagram (@mprantner) too!  See you back here tomorrow for the last day of reveals!

Simon Says Stamp Celebrate You Release

Hey everyone!  The Celebrate You release just went live over at Simon Says Stamp.  If you're looking for some new birthday products there are some really good ones in there as well as some Father's Day and Fourth of July items.  There are some great basics too.  The very kind folks at Simon sent me the I Love You die to work with.

I started by painted an ombre wash on a panel of watercolor cardstock.  Once that was dry, I added that gorgeous tree using the Fluttering By stencil and some gold embossing paste.  Gold embossing paste takes a while to dry, so I applied it before work, and by the time I came home, it was fully dry.

The panel was trimmed down and then adhered to a black mat.

Then I die cut the sentiment and shadow piece adhering them together and them to the card itself.

Although there was a lot of time required for drying, this was a really simple card to put together.

Thanks for visiting!

Neat & Tangled May Release and Giveaways - Day 2

Ready for Day 2 of the Neat & Tangled May release?  Today we're featuring a new mini from Elena called G.O.A.T.

Since the GOAT acronym is most often used in relation to sports, I wanted to make a more masculine/graphic card.

I'm sneaking my new background that you'll see tomorrow, cutting out a frame for my goat and coloring it with Copics with shading towards the center of the colored section to add some dimension.

That cute little goat was also colored with Copics and die cut, and the sentiment was stamped directly on the card base.

The frame was then popped up with foam tape to add some dimension.

Be sure to head over to the N&T blog to check out the full set and see what the rest of the team created.  You can also leave a comment there to be entered to win this set.

I'll see you back here tomorrow for Day 3 and some more looks at the Quilted Background.

Neat & Tangled May Release Day 1 and Giveaways - and a Big Change

Hi all!  It's time for the May Neat & Tangled Release.  I've got a couple of items in this release that I can't wait to share with you, but today we're showing off a new set from Elena called Barnyard Buddies.

There are lots of different animals in the set that you can mix and match.  I picked a cute little trio for today's card and colored them with Copics.  The sentiment is from the Typed Sentiments set which I altered just slightly to remove the 'i'.  They do look like they are missing someone, don't they?

Then I added a few different patterned paper mats and that's was it.

You'll want to head over to the Neat & Tangled blog to see the whole reveal and enter to win this set there.

OK, I mentioned a big change right?  This really is a big one.  In fact, for me, if this year had a theme, it would be change.  There are some really exciting changes coming down the pike for Neat & Tangled that you'll start learning about soon  At the same time, I've been weathering some pretty big changes at work/home, both in terms of assignments as well as hours.  Based on all the changes happening (could I use the word change anymore in this post?!), this will be my last release/month designing for Neat & Tangled.

This was not an easy decision to come by.  I have been working with Danielle/Neat & Tangled for the last six years, as a designer, illustrator, and design team coordinator.  It's been a huge part of my life.  I am so grateful to Danielle for giving me the opportunity to dip my toes into the world of design, and for producing those designs month after month and year after year.

What comes next?  Well, honestly I'm not really sure.  I'll still be creating and sharing here on my blog - I have a very large pile of unused products that I'm looking forward to working with, and my scrapbooking has been severely neglected the last few years.  I've continued to design/illustrate, and am looking for the right fit for me going forward.  While these changes make me a little sad (because in general I am not a fan of change), I'm excited for Danielle and Neat & Tangled, and also to see what comes next for me.

Alright, enough of the sappy stuff.  This is only Day 1 of the release.  There's lots more to come, so I'll see you back here tomorrow for Day 2!

Concord and 9th Triple Step Hooray

I got this Triple Step Hooray set last year, and this week finally got around to inking it up.  I'm so glad that I did.

This set is PERFECT for mass production, and if you're someone like me who gets a little bored with mass production, this lets you change things up very easily.

I started by selecting my color combinations.  I used Altenew inks:  Silver Stone, Razzleberry, and Pure Graphite; Rouge, Crimson, and Dusk; Lemon Fresh, Bamboo, and Autumn Blaze; and Mountain Mist, Lagoon, and Galactic Stream.

Then I started stamping.  I started with the lightest colors, cleaning off each cleaning the stamp between each stamping and rotating through my color schemes.

Once the panels were complete, I also stamped the secondary sentiments, mixing those up as well, using the darkest shades from my color combinations.  Those were fussy cut and popped up on my stamped panels.

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm trying to make a dent in my patterned paper stash, so I opted for patterned paper backgrounds with a coordinating cardstock mat behind my stamped panel.

These came together so quickly, and it's so easy to change up the color schemes.  If you're looking for something to use to create quick and easy card sets, this is just the ticket. 

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Concord & 9th Clear Stamps, Triple-Step Hooray

Altenew Crisp Dye Ink Pad, Mountain Mist

Altenew Crisp Dye Ink Pad, Lagoon

Altenew Crisp Dye Ink Pad, Galactic Stream

Altenew Crisp Dye Ink Pad, Rouge

Altenew Crisp Dye Ink Pad, Crimson

Altenew Crisp Dye Ink Pad, Dusk

Altenew Crisp Dye Ink Pad, Fresh Lemon

Altenew Crisp Dye Ink Pad, Bamboo

Altenew Crisp Dye Ink Pad, Autumn Blaze

Altenew Crisp Dye Ink Pad, Silver Stone

Altenew Crisp Dye Ink Pad, Razzleberry

Altenew Crisp Dye Ink Pad, Pure Graphite