Blog Archives

Thinking Inking

10/29/2017

Texture play with ink and stencils

What I have been discovering in card making is a sense of freedom to try new things. I am more willing as a card maker to attempt a new technique or practice with a product with the understanding that I will mess up but each mistake is a step in the overall journey. To that end, I recently went to Jenn Shurkus' Creative Journey: An Art Retreat on Cape Cod. At that retreat, I was able to play with some stamps and techniques I do not normally try and get some ideas. My friend also won a Tim Holtz Plaid Layering Stencil which I am highlighting in today's card. I am also highlighting some techniques that may seem a bit daunting but I encourage you to try them and take a step forward on your creative journey.

A great background can sometimes be all you need to make your card. I started with a piece of Neenah Solar White 80lb paper cut to 5 3/4 x 4 1/2. I applied Distress Inks with my Mini Blending Tool by starting off the paper and moving in a circular motion onto the paper. This process takes patience as you build up the color layers. Wanting to create an ombre effect, I chose three pink colors: Spun Sugar, Worn Lipstick and Picked Raspberry and three orange colors: Dried Marigold, Wild Honey and Carved Pumpkin. Visually dividing the paper into halves, I applied Spun Sugar to the top half, Worn Lipstick to the top third and Picked Raspberry to the top quarter of the paper. After drying the ink, I turned my paper 180 degrees and in the same manner created an ombre of Dried Marigold to the half, Wild Honey to the third and Carved Pumpkin to the quarter of the page making sure to blend between colors. I then used my lightest shade: Spun Sugar and Dried Marigold to go over their respective halves of the paper and blend them into the middle.

My Monthly Hero August Stamp Kit Ideas

10/13/2017

Stamp Kits

Hero Arts has been putting out monthly stamp kits that include: stamps, dies, paper and some embellishments for over a two years now. It is a great way to get a set of exclusive stamps and accouterments for a great price. The Kits sell out quickly so you need to either pay for a subscription or order quickly. I like ordering these because I come up with a ton of ideas of what to do with them quickly. Here are a few of my ideas using the August Kit highlighting: die inlay, stencils and watercoloring.

Color Study

10/8/2017

Using different colors with the same stamp

Savannah has this shirt with swipes of color that each contain a different phrase. I wanted to do something similar and thought Right At Home's Watercolor background stamp would be a great compliment to my idea. To give my cards a different look, I stamped the background with different colors of inks. Please read along for how I made 5 completely different cards using the same stamp.

Birthday Balloons

10/1/2017

Birthday card with masking

Papercrafting and making cards is so much fun. I really love how an idea pops into my head out of nowhere and then all of a sudden it's realized onto a card. Ultimately paper crafting is a two dimensional medium so even though I may have the grandiose of ideas, it's still got to fit in a 2-D medium. Enter: Masking. Masking allows for a bit of depth to your scene and especially if you have coordinating dies is simple to do.