Thursday, September 27, 2018

Cards using Julie Comstock Prints


I was delighted when Julie Comstock reached out to me a couple weeks ago and invited me to use some of her digital products.  Julie was the creative force behind Cosmo Cricket, one of my favorite paper companies.

She's got some beautiful prints and downloads available at http://www.juliecomstock.us/freebies1/. I'm sharing a couple cards today using two of her Fall Patterns.  These are such pretty papers that I didn't want to cover them up.  My goal was to enhance them, adding texture and interest.

For this first card, I got out my cutting knife.  It was delicate work, but I cut around the tips of those leaves which adds both dimension and texture.


The sentiment is from my So Many Sentiments set for Neat & Tangled, and I added a bit of thread and a few sequins to finish things off.


For this next card, I added texture through stitching.  The veins of the leaves were quite thin and delicate, so instead of using floss, I used thread that was doubled up.  


I also added some Nuvo drops in Oyster.  I have to admit I am not good at embellishments.  I think I probably added a few too many and it kind of looked like my card had a pox.  To soften those drops and add some additional texture and a little sparkle, I sprinkled some glitter over the still wet drops.

I finished the card off with a sentiment from my Oak Leaf set for Neat & Tangled stamped on one of the banners from the Scalloped die set.

I've got a whole stack of papers and tags from Julie yet to use, so stay tuned for more.  And be sure to head over to Julie's site to take a look at all the things she has available for download.

*Affiliate Links Below

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Dimensional Inlay with Spellbinders


Hey everyone!  I'm sharing a CAS techniquey card today featuring this gorgeous Rosy Summer Flowers die by Stephanie Low for Spellbinders.

It's such a gorgeous die that I wanted to keep all the attention on the die.  I first cut the die twice using black cardstock.  One piece was set aside.  Then I cut a wide strip of dark red cardstock to use at the bottom of my panel.  

I wanted to do an inlay technique, and I wanted it to spill over onto that red panel, so I positioned the die so a portion of the leaves and flower were on the red piece and die cut it.  This die cut strip was then adhered to my white base panel, and the black outline piece was adhered to the panel, with the bottom portion inlaid into the red strip.

I then cut portions of the die using two colors of green cardstock and three colors of red.  These pieces were then inlaid into the black outline piece.  I used the darkest red in the center of the flower and the lightest on the outside.  The difference in color was a little too subtle at first, so I just colored over the middle pieces with my C3 Copic marker to darken it up a bit.


To add some really lovely dimension and shine, I took that second black outline piece I had set aside, pressed my Versamark pad into it, and clear embossed.  I did this several times to get a more substantial/puffy layer and then adhered it over the first black die cut, but only the flower portion - I love the extra movement and dimension you get when you leave those loose.  If you get the embossed die cut piece a little smudged when adhering it, no worries, just zap it again with a heat gun and you're good to go.

The sentiment is from Altenew's Floral Shadow set and was stamped in Versamark and clear embossed, and I added a few clear Nuvo drops to finish things off.

Monday, September 24, 2018

Neat & Tangled Retirement Sale


Hey everyone, just popping in to let you know that we're retiring a whole slew of items over at Neat & Tangled.  They are all 40% off and marked down in the store, so no coupon code is required.  You can go directly to the sale page via this link.  I have several projects in the grouping including the first stamp set I ever designed - On the Corner.

There are very low quantities for many of these items, so if you've had your eye on something and see it listed, don't wait too long.

Here are a few of my older projects featuring my retiring stamps and dies:












Here's the link again to the sale page, happy Monday!

Thursday, September 20, 2018

Layered Landscape Cards


I pulled out my Layered Landscape set the other day. This is a fun set to just play and experiment with.  You can get such great effects with it, and (as you'll see in a second) there's not really a wrong way to use it.

For both of these cards I wanted to create many layers, and wanted the bottoms of the stamped images to kind of fade out - I didn't want a distinct line.  To get that effect, I used a paintbrush to just add a wash of color to the bottom of a panel of watercolor cardstock.  The landscape image was then inked with Distress Ink, spritzed with water, and stamped.

This wasn't perfect, you could still see a bit of a line, but I added more water with the paintbrush to soften it further, and since I was stamping additional layers over top, it worked pretty well.

I repeated this with several colors, and for the last two layers, used Distress Oxide ink, partly because I wanted to use those colors, and partly to see how those world react.  Distress Oxides definitely have more solid coverage, but they also have a more distinct line.


I set the panel aside to dry, and when I came back and looked at it, realized that I kind of liked the panel upside down better.  I had left some white space at the top of the landscape, so I went in with my watercolors filling that space in to create a dark mountain in the foreground. 

The sentiment, also from the Layered Landscape set, was embossed on the panel and then it was popped up over the card base.

Here's a look at the card upside down, so you can see the progression of how it was stamped.  See, there really isn't a right way to use this set!


I wanted to do a little more experimenting with the Distress Oxides, so for this next card I used the same basic technique, but used Distress Oxides instead.


As mentioned previously, because these have much better coverage, the line from the bottom of the image when stamped is more distinct.  While I again wet the panel before I stamped each layer, for the oxides, I really had to work the bottom of the stamp to blend out the bottom.  I also in a couple cases used my brush to move the pigment around a bit on the stamped image themselves to help with the blending.



I added a fair bit of splatter using Heidi Swapp Gold Lame and Black Velvet and Brushed Pewter Distress Stain.

The sentiment was then stamped in Versafine and clear embossed, and the panel popped up over the card base.

This really is a fun set to play with, and good news, it just came back in stock and Neat & Tangled.  

Would love to know which is your favorite!

*Affiliate Links Below to Ellen Hutson and in text to Neat & Tangled

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Maple Leaves Give Thanks


Fall is my favorite season. I love the colors, the smells, the cool, crisp air. Today I'm sharing a decidedly fall card featuring one of my older Neat & Tangled sets, Maple Leaves Journaling Card.

Paper piecing has always been one of my favorite techniques.  Yes, it's labor intensive and kind of fiddly, but I really love the results.  

All the patterned papers are from an older Doodlebug collection called Flea Market.  I stamped the journaling card stamp on four different pieces of patterned paper as well as on a piece of white cardstock.  That teal green piece was used as the base, and then the leaves and sentiment strip were adhered over top.


To soften the sentiment piece, I added a bit of very subtle Copic coloring using my W1 Copic marker.

The mat on the card base is also from the Flea Market collection, and the journaling card piece was popped up for some extra dimension.

Thanks so much for visiting!

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Altenew City Scene Stencil


Hey everyone!  Creative time has been a bit scarce for me lately - the school year and fall sports are keeping my free hours less free!  I did have a bit of time to create this weekend, and pulled out the City Scene Stencil from Altenew.  I just love this stencil and wish I had thought of it first!

I placed the stencil down over some dark gray cardstock and spritzed it with Brushed Pewter Distress Stain.

The stencil was removed, and then I flipped it to use the other skyline, and placed it back on the panel, but shifted down a bit.


I sprayed again, but I didn't get the contrast I wanted, so I used a paper towel and brushed with downward strokes to kind of spread the excess stain that was left on the stencil to get a sharper edge/distinction.

To add even more of a contrast, I used a Versamark pen to trace that portion of the skyline (after I dried the stain with a heat gun), and embossed with Liquid Platinum embossing powder.


I went back and forth on sentiments, but ended up using this one from my Layered Landscapes set for Neat & Tangled.

I trimmed off 1/8th of an inch from the edge and popped the panel up.

It's a really CAS card, but has a wonderful shine to it.

Hope your week is going well!

*Affiliate Links Below to Ellen Hutson and in text to Altenew and Neat & Tangled