More Circle Backgrounds - Faux Watercolor

I've been pulling on this solid circle image thread lately.  A couple weeks ago I created a circle background for a Pinkfresh card by free hand watercoloring circles.  Last week, I used solid stamp images to create backgrounds, and today I'm blending the two techniques, using a solid stamp to create a faux watercolor background with Distress Inks.

These backgrounds were all created using the medium sized circle image from Ellen Hutson's Wonky Backdrops set.

This technique is basically this:  I stamped the image with Distress ink, spritzed it once with water, stamped it off on a scrap piece of watercolor cardstock, spritzed it again, and then stamped onto my watercolor panel.  I spritzed it again with water and then stamped a third time on my watercolor panel.  Each time you spritz/stamp the image gets less saturated.  I wanted a lighter look with more variegation in the look so except for the second card shared below, I didn't use the initial stamping with is much more saturated.

The process is so quick and easy and makes some lovely card backgrounds.  For this first card I just created a nine by nine grid using Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink.

Once dry, I stamped a sentiment from an old Studio Calico set I have with Versafine, and embossed with Ranger Frosted Crystal Antiquities embossing powder.

The finished panel was popped up over my card base with foam tape.

Next, is the card where I did use the initial spritzing for my panel.  Note, when creating these panels, I did not wait for anything to dry.  The stamps are very wet/saturated when you stamp, so they haven't fully dried when you stamp the next time.  I really enjoyed the play between the circle images where the ink blends from one circle to the next.  This card again uses Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink.

In this detail shot you can see pretty clearly in the first row the difference between the first, second, and third spritzing/stamping.  

I trimmed the panel down and constructed a sentiment using The Stamp Market's Skinny Upper Alpha dies as well as part of a sentiment from Neat & Tangled's Typed Sentiments set which was embossed in white on a black banner and popped up with foam tape.  The 'YOU' is three layers, one a dark gray and two layers of watercolor cardstock.  The finished letters were adhered directly to the panel.  I think using the gray for the first layer helps to set the letters off a bit more.

For this next card,  I switched over to Dusty Concord Distress Ink

After creating my four by three grid, I trimmed the panel down and finished it off with Altenew's Waterbrush Hello die.  This was cut three times, adhered together and then to the panel.

Super quick and easy.  This hello might be my favorite hello die!

This is a really fun technique where you get unique results every time.  No two panels will ever look exactly alike, which is something I love.

Love Never Fails, Coloring Outside the Lines

I've been coloring outside the lines again.  Sometimes you want to color, but you don't want to have to think too hard about it.  

I recently purchased this Pretty Peonies background stamp from Simon Says Stamp.  It's such a lovely background, and there are so many different ways you can use it, but for it's first outing, I thought coloring the negative spaces would be a great way to really show off the flowers themselves and all the detail in them.

I've used this technique before after creating a random stamped background on this card.  That time I used just a single color, this time I thought I would try adding a little more depth by using two colors (R37 and R39), using the darker color around the edges of the images.  

I also used my C3 marker to lightly color over some of the detailed lines in the images to add just a little bit of emphasis and depth.

After spending all that time coloring the background, I didn't want to cover it up too much, so opted for a simple sentiment from an older Studio Calico set.

Hope your August is going well.  We're less than two weeks from the start of school, so it's starting to get a little crazy here! 

God is Within Her

I'm still having fun with Journaling cards and my Love Never Fails stamp from Studio Calico.

This time I pulled out some dies that have been languishing in my stash.  I love these fun blooms, they are actually my first ever set of Savvy dies.

The patterned paper is from an old BasicGrey pad.  I thought that colored strip in the center was a great way to ground it, and I adhered the flowers to line up with the lines in the paper to tie them together.



I added a few black sequins for some balance.

Super quick and easy. I love how journaling cards really do a lot of the design work for you!

*Affiliate Links Below

Memento Ink Pad, Tuxedo Black

Savvy Stamps Dies, Flower Blossom, Set 1

Be Still and Know

I've been eyeing this Love Never Fails stamp set from Studio Calico for a while now, and finally picked it up a couple weeks ago.

I really wanted to ink it up, and still had that Documenter kit out (because as you may recall I never put anything away), so I pulled out this striped journaling card to use as the panel for my focal point.

I wanted a really bold image to go with the sentiment, and chose the large peony from my favorite Jane's Doodles' stamp ever, Pretty Peonies.  It was colored with Copics, fussy cut, and popped up on the journaling card.



A simple black mat finished things off.

Thanks for stopping by, hope your day is going well!

World Card Making Day and Giveaway Reminder

Every year on World Card Making Day (and National Scrapbooking Day) I'm a little frustrated by my inability to get anything created.  This is partly because I get a little overwhelmed by the number of challenges out there and because with two small girls and a husband who is usually coaching on Saturday I'm doing a lot of running around as opposed to sitting down and creating.

This year I decided to just focus my efforts on one thing as opposed to trying to sift through all the many challenges occurring and trying to do all of them or combine them, etc.

I opted to complete the Studio Calico challenges.  There were six of them, and what I loved about them this year was how doable they were.  No find 10 random things to put on your card or use a digi element or some other more difficult/complicated thing.

So here they are for your perusal.  The first challenge was to use a journaling card.  This took no time at all, and I might try and recreate it with patterned paper.  The journaling card is SC as is the small stamped sentiment and the congrats die is Ellen Hutson.

The next challenge was to create a fall card.  I pulled out the Maple Leaves Journaling Card Die which I die cut from regular cardstock and watercolored with Kuretake Gansai watercolors.  Because I used regular cardstock the warping gives the die cut extra dimension.  I love this die more every time I use it!  The patterned paper is BG Persimmon.

Next we needed to create a card using alpha stamps or stickers.  I needed a birthday card for this weekend, so I used this cute critter from Mama Elephant with some thickers.  So quick and easy!

The next challenge was to use a stamp/die in your stash that you haven't had a chance to use yet.  I pulled out this Terrarium set from SC.  I stamped the terrarium on a piece of scrap cardstock and then cut out the middle so I could use it to ink the inside of the bottle.  I also added some embossing powder to some of the stones at the bottom and used a gold Wink of Stella pen to add highlights to the plants.

The penultimate challenge was to use two or more die cuts.  I've had these Maggie Holmes flower dies forever and this was a great chance to put them to use.  They're paired with an SC sentiment die. I used Copics to add some color/shading to the flower/leaf die cuts.

The last challenge was to create a Christmas card that was relatively easy to mass produce and mail.  I pulled out the Winter Trees set I designed for Neat & Tangled last year.  It's stamped on Kraft cardstock.  Then I colored the entire image in (dry) with Inktense pencils.  Once that was done I used a wet (not very wet) brush to activate and blend the coloring.  Super easy.  I finished it with some white splatters and then stamped the sentiment.





And there you have it.  None of these was particularly time consuming to make and I really love that I was able to get out some things that had been languishing in my pile of stamps/dies to use.  I also love that I was able to knock out another Christmas card.

OK, just a reminder that the giveaway of the exclusive Neat & Tangled stamp set from this month's Scrapbook Circle kit ends tonight.  If you haven't yet entered to win, you can do that here.  Good luck, I'll pop in this weekend to announce the winner.

End of the year cards

We're just about done with the school year here.  Ellie's done on Friday, and Carina's preschool transitions to a more summer camp type format starting next week.

Instead of creating coordinated card sets for the teachers this year, I opted to just package up some of my cards for them since I think those are always nicer than the sets of cards that I make.  They're also getting gift certificates to a local bakery because carbs are always an excellent reward for a job well done.

Anyway, I had ordered the Teacher's Pet stamp set and coordinating die a while back from Studio Calico because I thought it would be perfect for this purpose, and it's always nice to follow through on my crafting plans.



The crayon box was stamped with Versafine and then colored with Kuretake watercolors.  Then I just picked some of the coordinating colors out of the crayon box to serve as card bases and for the sentiment die cut.

This is such a fun set and it's got some great sentiments/images for kids too, so I'm thinking maybe some lunch box/encouragement notes for next year might have to be created.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies Used
Paper/Cardstock:  Canson Watercolor Paper; MFT - Electric Red cardstock; Avery Elle - Jungle and Blue cardstock; Misc scrap of AC cardstock (orange color)
Stamps:  Studio Calico - Teacher's Pet; MFT - You're Super
Ink:  Versafine
Other:  Studio Calico - Teacher's Pet coordinating die; Kuretake Gansai Watercolors; Tombow - Mono and Multi Mono adhesive

Last two SC WCMD Projects

Just a couple more WCMD projects to share for the Studio Calico challenges.  This first card is based on this pin from Shanna Noel.



I loved the look of it with all the brushstrokes, the symmetry of the horns, the flowers, so I pulled out my Kuretake watercolors and just played a little.

This was such a fun card to put together, I loved the painting process and wanted to keep that image the focus, so I opted for a very simple little banner and sentiment.

Last project a quick journaling card I whipped up.



This is 4x6 and uses my Origami Map set.  I wanted a little white space at the bottom where someone could write, and for balance I added a little bit of washi up top.

There are a few other WCMD challenges I want to try and play along with, but I think I'm done with the SC challenges.

Thanks for visiting!

Supplies Used
Card
Paper/Cardstock:  Avery Elle - Speckled Cardstock; Canson - Watercolor paper
Stamps:  Paper Smooches - Many Thanks
Ink:  Versa fine
Other:  Kuretake - Gansai watercolors; Recollections - Foam Adhesive
Journaling Card
Paper/Cardstock:  PTI - Kraft cardstock; Canson - Watercolor Paper
Stamps:  Neat & Tangled - Origami Map
Ink:  WPlus9 - White Pigment Ink; Versafine
Other:  Misc Washi; Tombow - Mono Adhesive

WCMD Thanks

I was able to get another WCMD challenge card done last night.

I knew I wanted to create my own patterned paper based on this mood board from SC using Paper Smooches' Botanicals 2 set.



I used a combination of first and second generation stamping for this, the blue and gray branches are both second generation.

Once I had filled up the panel, I went back with a variation on rock and roll stamping, except in this case I only did the rolling on a clean stamp.  I used that to add some black accents to the edges/tips of the yellow and blue branches.

I then repeated this process on the other side of the yellow branches, but this time I used Versamark and embossed using some Egyptian Gold powder from Judikins.  It's less puffy, but more sparkly.  You can see that glimmer/gleam a little better in this photo:



I used some parchment paper for the mats, as well as to soften the background behind the sentiment.  Note:  parchment paper is slippery, so you need to sand it a little before you adhere things to it.

I'm also going to link this up over at Winnie & Walter for their WCMD Pattern Play challenge.

That's all for today!  Thanks for coming by!

Supplies Used
Paper/Cardstock:  PTI - Kraft and True Black cardstock; CTMH - White Daisy Cardstock; Wilton - Parchment Paper
Stamps:  Paper Smooches - Botanicals 2
Ink:  CTMH - Sunkiss Yellow, Sweet Leaf, Grey Wool, and Lagoon; MFT - Hybrid Black Ink; Versamark
Other:  Paper Smooches - Thanks Die; Judikins - Egyptian Gold Embossing Powder; Tombow - Mono and Mono Aqua adhesive

Happy Holidays for WCMD

I finished up another card for some of the WCMD challenges out there.  One of the challenges at Studio Calico was to make a Christmas card, and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to ink up a couple of the Ellen Hutson stamps that I didn't showcase during the hop the other day.  Speaking of which, you still have time to hop and win, here's my EH post.

This card uses the Christmas Scribbles and Tis the Season stamp sets, and I used the WCMD sketch at Moxie Fab World for inspiration.

I colored the image with Copics, added a little washi for the road, and finished it off with some Lawn Trimmings.

Short and sweet today, there are more stamps calling my name!

Supplies Used
Paper/Cardstock:  Avery Elle - White an Cherry cardstock; PTI - Kraft cardstock
Stamps:  Ellen Hutson - Christmas Scribbles, Tis the Season
Ink:  MFT - Black Hybrid Ink
Other:  Queen & Co - Washi Tape; Copics; Lawn Fawn - Lawn Trimmings; Tombow - Mono Adhesive

you & me for SC Sunday Sketch

I found myself in rare circumstance yesterday morning:  Home Alone.

Ellie was off of school for a teacher workday, so my parents took the girls Monday night and were going to keep them Tuesday.  That allowed Andrew and I to go on a date, and sleep in a little.  Mother Nature was on my side as by the time I woke up, work was cancelled for me, and the girls were still out at my parents.  I called them to tell them to go ahead and bring them back before the snow got too bad, and then decided to try and get a layout done.


This might be the fastest layout I have ever done.  That's partly because I already had a plan.  As soon as I saw the Sunday sketch at SC this week, I knew which photo I wanted to use.



This is one of the professional photos taken from my little sister's wedding in July.  Carina loves to look at me with a deep stare and then bring her forehead to touch mine.  It's like a little kiss, always in the moment, and something that I never would have been able to photograph on my own, so I am grateful that the photographer was able to capture it.

I stayed very true to the sketch, kind of mentally assigned sizes to the different boxes based on the bottom right hand one, which I decided would be 4" x 3".

The hardest part of the layout was picking out the papers.  I pulled out several different collections to get the right fit, and was trying to create balance by using visual triangles with the main colors.

No embellishments on this one, just pretty papers and a sweet photo.  To get the heart just right, I put a piece of scrap vellum over the photo and sketched the heart, erasing and adjusting until I was happy with it.  Then I layered my good piece of vellum over that heart, traced it and cut it out.



I always have issues with how vellum is adhered. I didn't want it to sit flat here, I wanted some movement so I just stitched it on at the top.

The sentiment was cut with my silhouette portrait.

Thanks for coming by!  Hope that you are having a wonderful week!

Supplies Used
Paper/Cardstock:  Basic Grey - RSVP collection (used both 6x6 and 12x12 papers); Pink Paislee - Portfolio 6x6 papers; Little Yellow Bicycle - Poppy 6x6 papers; GCD Studio - Special Delivery Collection; October Afternoon - Travel Girl 8x8 pad; CTMH - White Daisy and Slate Cardstock; Recollections - Vellum
Other:  Silhouette Portrait and LD Mosquito font; Tombow - Mono and Multi Mono adhesives; AC - 05 Black Journaling Pen; Sewing Machine

A few more SC CHA Challenge Cards

I was planning to try a few different challenges, but I got sucked into Challenge #4 - to use a kit 2+ months old to create a project.  I went and looked and my old Studio Calico kits and realized that I had never ever used a single bit of my Sock Hop card kit.  Oops.

So, I buckled down and decided to just spend a couple hours with the kit/challenge and see what I could make.  I ended up with three cards, and I still have enough kit to make many more.  I also challenged myself to use only the kit, with the exception of ink/adhesive, and I'm pretty happy with the results.

Of course I had to make sure to get a birthday card in.

This one is a little more modern for me.  I thought about trimming down the green panel so that it's flush with the card, but I like the angles you see, so I kept it as is.

And this was just a little fun with piecing.

Thanks for coming by, have a great Friday and long weekend!

Supplies Used:  Studio Calico Sock Hop Card Kit; Memento - Tuxedo Black Ink; Tombow - Mono Adhesive; Xyron - 1 1/2" Sticker Macker; EKSuccess - Foam Squares; Tim Holtz - Tiny Attacher

SC CHA Challenges

There are some CHA challenges going on over at Studio Calico, although they close today, so you need to hurry if you want to play along.

My first project is for the card sketch.


I used the BG Clippings 6x6 pad.  The main panel is a piece of very thin striped paper that I laid a Dreamweavers stencil over and lightly sponged.  Since I really love that stencil image, I wanted the panels in the card to be very subtle.  I cut three pieces of vellum, ran them through my Xyron and adhere them over top of the stenciled paper.



I used a bold color for the pennant pice in the back and kept it square because I think that fits this CAS card a bit better.  Another sheet of patterned paper as a mat and some sequins/patterned and vellum circles finished this off.  Sitting those pearl sequins inside the larger ones adds a bit of interest and adds just a touch of color as opposed to if the entire larger colored sequin was showing.

I'm going to link this card up over at Dreamweaver's also, they have a CAS challenge this month.

Next a layout.  This challenge was more for Project Lifer's, to use a photo taken with their phone, but since I don't do PL, I just went with a traditional layout, hopefully that counts.  



These photos were taken with my iPhone back in March when we were visiting Andrew's family.  Andrew ran track in college, so we stopped by to check out the new facility.  The girls of course had a great time trying it out and Ellie had to lay down in Lane 5 (as she was five at the time for a photo op).  Ellie says she wants to run when she gets to high school (Andrew is a coach), she also says she wants him to be her Social Studies teacher and that they will ride to school together everyday.  I need to record these things....

Anyway, this is a mishmash of BG papers (there's some Carte Postale, RSVP, and Persimmon), a little vellum, and some Elle's Studio.  For the tabbed paper I just traced an Elle's tab tag and cut it out.  really easy.  I kept this one really CAS.  I thought about stitching, but my bobbin is almost out of thread, and for some reason I hate to be bothered winding bobbins, so when that happens I tend to avoid my sewing machine.

OK, that's all for today.  Have a wonderful day!

Supplies Used

Card
Paper/Cardstock:  BG - Clippings 6x6 Pad; Avery Elle - Silver Fox Cardstock; Recollections - Vellum
Stamps:  Mama Elephant - Filigree
Ink:  Versafine - Smokey Gray; CTMH - Juniper
Other:  Dreamweaver's - Tree Line Stencil; Lawn Fawn - Into the Woods Sequins; CTMH - Liquid Glass; Tombow - Mono Adhesive; EKSuccess - Dimensional Adhesive

Paper/Cardstock:  BG - Persimmon, Carte Postale, and RSVP collections; Recollections - Vellum
Other:  Elle's Studio - Penelope Frames; BC - Carte Postale 12x12 Collection Pack Alpha sheet; AC - Amy Tangerine Hello Thickers, 08 Black Journaling Pen

One more for SC WCMD Challenges

 
I had some extra time yesterday, so I threw together one more card for the Studio Calico World Card Making Day challenges.  This is another two-fer.  For the sketch, below, and also the use your scraps challenge. 

Since I was cleaning up the scrap space yesterday, I made a little pile of scraps I thought I could use if I had time to make another card.  Happily I did, and this is what I came up with.  (The rest of the scraps will head to the girls' scrap bin for their projects.)

I went a little less layered with the sketch, I like seeing a bit of daylight between the different boxes, and I changed up the pennant to run the width of the card and added a line of stitching because it looked a bit stark.  Some string and dots finished it off.  This isn't my normal style, but I really like how it turned out. 

I'm not sure the origin of a couple of the scraps, I know they are from MME pads, but I can't remember which ones, there's also some Little Yellow Bicycle, Echo Park, and Glitz, and the pink piece is the zip strip from some Elle's Studio paper.

Thanks for coming by!

Supplies used
Paper/Cardstock:  CTMH - Colonial White Cardstock; Misc scraps
Stamps:  WPlus9 - Quite Like You
Ink:  CTMH - Cocoa
Other:  MME - Find Your Wings Enamel Dots; CTMH - Dimensional Foam Tape; Sewing Machine/Thread; Tombow - Mono Adhesive