Heartfelt

 

Welcome

Sympathy cards are never easy to make.

That's why I like to keep some on hand and ready to mail out if needed.

Again, this was one done on my Gel Plate using Distress Oxide inks.

I have to share something personal today. Today is tough for me, September 11, 20 years ago. It's the last time I saw my Dad. No, I didn't lose him in the tower collapse but instead, the stress of seeing and watching it on TV and recalling all the memories of being in the 2nd World War stressed him to the point of having a stroke. He died 7 days later. I live in Canada but the loss affected us here too. 

My heart goes out to everyone affected by these terrible events.

So here's what I did to create my card.

• I started by getting out my Gel Plate, brayer and Distress Oxide inks. (Twisted Citron and  Rustic Wildnerness)  I picked up some grasses while out on a walk too to use on my plate.
•  I pressed the Twisted Citron ink pad directly onto the plate along the left side, then the Rustic Wilderness along the other side.  Using my brayer, I blended the colours together.
• I carefully laid on the grasses, then using a piece of white cardstock I rubbed over the plate with a firm hand.  (For those of you with wrist issues, I sometimes use my Speedball Baren to rub over the print.  It is a tool with a handle meant to be used in printmaking.)
• THIS PART IS IMPORTANT TO GET THE LOOK:  I lifted the paper from the bottom but not all the way off and then removed the grasses leaving the paper still attached at the top.  After all the grass was removed, I laid the paper back down and rubbed with firm pressure, then removed the whole piece from the plate.  
• I splattered with my black and then white Posca pens and set aside to dry.
• When dry, I stamped the sentiment then glued it onto a piece of black cardstock, then onto a white card base.

Thanks so much for coming by and taking a look.

Adding my card to these challenges:

Shopping Our Stash- SUMMER LOVIN

Use Your Stuff- ANYTHING GOES

The Male Room- NATURES BOUNTY

Supplies

Stamp- Sympathy (Stampin Up)

Inks- Distress Oxides, Versafine Clair

Paper- white cardstock (Scribes Nook- Waterloo, Ont.)

Accessories and Tools- Gel Arts Plate; Speedball Brayer; Posca pens; grasses from field

All Natural

Welcome

Meet today's card.

As I had mentioned, I have been making some sympathy cards to have on hand.  As it turns out, I now need a few and they are not fun to make at the time.  

This was a very simple one to create using a leaf found in my backyard.

This type of printing is called 'Cyanotype'.  I just love the results you can get.

(for more cards like this, go HERE and HERE)

So here's what I did to create my card.

• I began with a piece of white cardstock.  I got out my Gel Plate and my Distress Oxide inks.
• I pressed some Rustic Wilderness and Evergreen Bough DOX onto my Gel Plate and blended with my brayer. I like to leave a bit of space between them as not to contaminate the pads with the other colour.
• I placed the leaves from my garden onto the plate and then rubbed a piece of paper over the top of it.  I lifted the paper partially from the plate, then lifted the leaves off and rubbed the paper down again.  **Normally when lifting a print, you would take the whole piece of paper off the Gel Plate after rubbing it down and you would be left with a white out area where the leaf was.  Using this method of printing gives you the whole image printed onto your paper.....hope that makes sense!!**
• I let the print dry and then using my finger, I rubbed some white acrylic paint along the edges to add a bit of a distressed look.
• I set that aside and worked on the panel you can see behind the print.  I didn't have any cardstock to mount the print onto; all my green cardstock pieces didn't work as they were the wrong shades of green, so I decided to make my own.  I did that by using the same colours mentioned above.  I added ink with a blending brush and then splattered with lots of water to lift the colour and add interest.  

• I placed the leaf print into my Misti and stamped the sentiment with some Versafine Clair ink. 
• I splattered the print with my black and white Posca pens to add some detail.
• I glued the print onto the inked panel and then onto a heavy white card base.

Thanks so much for coming by and taking a look.

Adding my card to these challenges:

Simon Says Wed.- ANYTHING GOES

ModSquad- SYMPATHY

A Bit More Time to Craft- ANYTHING GOES

Stamps

Stamps- Scripted Bold Sentiments (Pinkfresh Studios)

Inks- Distress Oxides (mentioned above); Versafine Clair Noir

Paper- heavy white (Scribes Nook-Waterloo, Ontario)

Accessories and Tools- Gel Plate; brayer; leaf from garden; TE Blending Brushes; black and white Posca pens

Reflect

Welcome

I'm calling today's card Reflect.

I think after the year we have had, it's a good time to just stop and think about all we have been through.

When we were in lock-down this summer and I wasn't working, I tried to get out walking.  It gave me a chance to appreciate all the nature around me and reflect on all I was grateful for.  

During my walks, I picked up some grasses and that is how this card came to be using the grasses on my Gel Plate.  I also wanted to try and make a side fold card which was easy to do.

So here's what I did to create my card.

• I began with a piece of white cardstock and my Gel Plate.  Using my brayer, I rolled on a few different shades of acrylic paint covering my Gel Plate.  
• I took the grasses I had collected and placed them carefully over the wet paint.  I laid my cardstock over the Gel Plate and rubbed to lift the print. (You can see where the grasses were, it left my paper white creating what is called a 'cyanotype'.  I made another card using this process here.)  I just love the look it gives.
• I decided to create a side-fold card using the print. I will list all the measurements and how to's below this description.  
• After I cut all my pieces, I places the square panel into my Misti and stamped this new-to-me sentiment from Impression Obsession with some black Versafine Clair and used some black embossing powder to help make it pop over the painted bkg.  I also added some black paint splatters with my Posca pen.
• I glued it all together and then added the twine and the black gems.  
• I used my circle punch to cut a small notch in the top and bottom of my card to hold the twine in place.

 

How to Make a Side Fold Card

Main card base:  Cut a piece of cardstock 4 1/4" x 11"

Score @ 5 1/2 and 6 3/4"

Fold the 5 1/2” score as a valley (like a regular card). 

Then fold the 6 3/4” score the opposite direction.

Glue the area between the scoring together.

Card Panels:  The finished size of the panel on the left hand side 

(the part that is glued together) is 4" x 1" 

The main stamped panel is 4" x 4" 

*you will have to adjust the sizes if you are adding a border piece of cardstock to your finished pieces.  My border pieces were 1/4 inch so I adjusted my painted panels to work with that*

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Thanks so much for coming by and taking a look.

Supplies

Stamps- Be Still (IO)

Inks- Versafine Clair; acrylic paint (Dollar Tree)

Paper- heavy white (Scribes Nook); navy cs

Accessories and Tools- Gel Plate; brayer; grasses; black eb powder (Ranger); 

heat tool; black gems; twine; circle punch

Friends Become Family

Good Morning

Meet today's card.

Something I made using my Gel Plate and some grasses I picked up on my walk.  I love being able to use natural elements on my backgrounds to give interest.
Someone told me this effect is call 'cyanotype'.  I looked it up and it is an old photographing process...interesting.

So here's what I did to create my card.

• I began with a piece of heavy white cardstock and got out my Gel Plate.
• Using my Speedball brayer, I rolled on some blue and purple paint that I got from the Dollar Tree.  The paint is a lot more watery then the better quality paints.  I find it doesn't cover as well, leaving some white areas behind which I like.  
• After I covered the plate, I carefully laid down the grasses onto the paint.  *I found using a tweezers for this process to be most helpful....I didn't want to get my fingerprint in the paint.
• I immediately laid my cardstock panel over the plate and rubbed all over.  When I lifted off the paper, I was left with a white area where the grasses had been.
• I let the piece dry completely before going onto the next steps.
• I placed the dry print into my Misti and stamped the thistles and the sentiment.  I clear heat embossed them to make them pop more over the painted background.
• I simply mounted the panel onto a heavy white card base.

Thanks so much for coming by and taking a look.

Adding my card to these challenges:

Mix it Up- ANYTHING GOES> embossing

The Artistic Stamper- ANYTHING GOES

Creative Knockouts- SOMETHING TO SAY

Supplies

Stamps- Nature Flowers (Art Journey); Friends (Impression Obsession)

Inks- Acrylic Paint, Versafine Clair

Paper- heavy white (Scribes Nook)

Accessories and Tools- Speedball Brayer; Misti; clear eb powder; heat tool; grasses