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*

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

It's Snowing- Slimline

 Good Morning

I hope the start of your New Year is going well. 

Meet today's card.  

Just a fun one with lots of detail and of course, one of my favourite snowflake stamps ever. 

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

• I began with a piece of heavy white cardstock and spread some Gesso with a palette knife randomly over the panel.  (like you are buttering a piece of toast) I set that aside to dry completely.
• When dry, I rubbed some Peacock Feathers, Dusty Concord and a bit of Salty Ocean Distress Oxide inks directly onto my non-stick craft mat and sprayed with water to dilute it.  Using my brayer, I picked up the colour and brayered over the Gesso background.
• I then placed the inked piece into my Misti and stamped the Sweater Pattern Maker stamp from Picket Fence Studios using some Faded Jeans Archival ink. Love the look it gave.
• I dried the piece completely, then rubbed all over it with my Anti-static bag.  I stamped the snowflakes from Colorado Stamp with some Versamark ink, then white heat embossed them.
• Next, using my Posca white pen, I splattered to add to the snowy effect.
• I die cut the sentiment from STAMPlorations in white and glued it over the corner of my card panel. I added a white pearl to the center of the main snowflake.
• I mounted the piece onto some dark navy cardstock, then onto a heavy white card base.

Thanks so much for coming by and taking a look.

Adding my card to these challenges:

Challenge Up Your Life- SNOWFLAKES

A Bit More Time to Craft- ANYTHING GOES

The Crafting Challenge- SOMETHING NEW (sweater pattern stamp)

Supplies

Stamps- Warm Wishes Snowflake (Colorado Stamp); Sweater Pattern Maker (Picket Fence)

Inks- Versamark; Distress Oxides; Faded Jeans Archival

Paper- heavy white (Scribes Nook); navy cs

Accessories and Tools- Misti (My Sweet Petunia); white eb powder; heat tool;

brayer; Gesso; Posca pen; die (STAMPlorations)

Let is Snow- Stamping Pals Challenge

Happy New Year!!

Today, I have the pleasure of being the Guest Designer over at the 

Stamping Pals Challenge.

Seems my card was chosen a winner and they have asked me to play along with their colour challenge.

**edited....so sorry, seems like we got our wires crossed when emailing.  I used colours from a previous challenge.**

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

• I began with a piece of heavy white cardstock and placed my Three Rectangle Shadow stencil over the panel.
• I got out some paint colours that were closest to the above colours of the challenge, then using a credit card, I dragged the colours over the rectangles in a random pattern.  I dried in between the paint applications so I wouldn't end up with a bunch of muddy colours.
• With the stencil still in place, I added some black paint lines for interest with more paint and the side of the credit card.  I think it just adds a little more interest.
• I removed the stencil and washed it before the the paint would harden on it.  
• I placed the piece into my Misti and stamped the sentiment from Penny Black.
• Next, I die-cut the snowflake from Simon Says with some heavy white, then glued it over my painted panels. The center of the snowflake is a little star shape when you cut it out, so I used some more of the blue paint to colour it to match the background.  I pop dotted it back into place on the snowflake and added a pink gem to the center.
• I glued the piece onto some blue cardstock, then onto a heavy white card base.

Well I think we are so glad to be moving on from last year.  

Wishing you good health, much happiness and wonderful days ahead.

Thanks so much for coming by and taking a look.

Discount Code for A Colorful Life Designs

*Just use the code KarenFan10 to get a discount on stencils and masks.

Supplies

Stamps- Artic Antics (Penny Black)

Inks- Versafine Clair; acrylic paint

Paper- heavy white (Scribes Nook)

Accessories and Tools- Three Rectangle Shadow Stencil (A Colorful Life Designs); 

Misti (My Sweet Petunia); old credit card; Snowflake die (SSS); 

Cuttlebug; pink gem

Winter Wonderland

 Good Morning

One more Christmas card that I didn't get time to post.

I just had to play with this new-to-me Merry stamp and die I got by Taylored Expressions and the newest release in the Distress ink line; Rustic Wilderness.

I added it over a bubble painted background....so fun and easy to do.

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

• I began with a piece of heavy white cardstock for my card front panel.  I put some Peacock Feathers Distress and Salty Ocean re-inker into a cup of water, then added some Dawn Dish Soap and mixed it up really well.  That was my bubble solution.
• Using a straw, I blew bubbles into the mixture and then placed my paper over the bubbles to create the bubble front of my card.  I repeated that process until I was happy with the coverage.  It looked a bit flat so I added some Evergreen Bough re-inker to the same mixture and made more bubbles.  I let the panel dry completely before moving onto the next step.
• I placed the piece into my Misti and stamped the snowflakes randomly around the outside edge using some Versamark ink.  I then white heat embossed them all.
• I stamped the 'Merry' over the bubble background in the center of the panel with some Rustic Wilderness ink and clear heat embossed it that gave it great shine.  The 'Merry' stamp comes with a die so I positioned that over the Merry and die cut it out in my Cuttlebug.
• Using the die again and some white cardstock, I cut it out 3 more times and glued them all together with the one I cut from the stamped panel.
• I glued the panel onto a heavy white card base, then I fit the die cuts back into the cut away area and glued them in place.  *by die cutting all the pieces and gluing them together, it raised up the sentiment to make it more prominent on my card front*
• To add interest, I glued some little white pearl dots onto the center of the snowflakes.

Thanks so much for coming by and taking a look.

Supplies

Stamps- Merry (Taylored Expressions); Snowflakes (Recollections)

Inks- Versamark; Distress Re-inkers (listed above)

Paper- heavy white (Scribes Nook(

Accessories and Tool- Misti (My Sweet Petunia); clear eb powder; white eb powder; 

Dawn dish soap; straw; Cuttlebug

Oh Christmas Tree

Welcome

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas despite this nasty virus.

I'm in Ontario, Canada and we are in a lock down again although our numbers are not nearly what they are in the U.S.  I'm so thankful that our Government here has taken mandatory steps to help fight this.

I'm off work for awhile, so card making is on the agenda.

I did make this card a few weeks ago but never had time to post it.

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

• I began with a piece of paint roll off from my brayer when I was using my Gel Plate. (*to clarify:  when you are using a Gel Plate, you must brayer off paint from the plate to make it smooth before taking a print.  I always roll onto scrap paper and keep them for card fronts*) I keep all the roll offs to use as backgrounds or even to use for die-cutting.  This one just had a faint bit of greens on it so that was my starting point.
• I placed the piece into my Misti, then positioned the Evergreen from Darkroom Door, over the painted bkg.  Using my Tombow markers, I coloured directly onto my stamp, sprayed with water and pressed onto the paper.  I repeated that process a number of time using different shades of green inks.  It really does give the appearance of watercolouring.
• When the branches were dry, I used the end of my paintbrush to dot some red paint over the branches to look like berries.  (for some reason they would not photograph red!)
• I stamped the sentiment from SU with some Versafine Clair in the bottom corner and clear heat embossed it.
• To add more interest, I added the green lines using an old credit card rubbed onto my Peeled Paint Distress Oxide pad.  
• I mounted the piece onto some green cardstock, then onto a heavy white card base.
• Lastly, I added 3 little black gems under the sentiment.

Thanks so much for coming by and taking a look.

Supplies

Stamps- Evergreen (Darkroom Door); Happy Holidays (SU)

Inks- Tombow markers; Versafine Clair; Distress Ox

Paper- heavy white (Scribes Nook)

Accessories and Tools- Misti (My Sweet Petunia); black gems; Mister (TH); old credit card;

clear eb powder; heat tool; brayer to paint the bkg.

Merry Christmas

 Merry Christmas!!

Wishing you a wonderful day filled with magic and loving memories.

Little Christmas Scene

Merry Christmas and Welcome

Meet today's card.

A simple one featuring a cute little die and this leftover piece of blue inked paper that I used for the sky.

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

• I began with a piece of heavy white cardstock that would become the base panel of my card front.  I found this piece of inked blue paper in my stash that would become the sky for my little winter scene.  I think???? I used Distress Oxides to ink it up but it's been sitting in my pile for so long I'm not sure.  (I need to get better at writing on the back of my leftover pieces what I actually did).  I glued that onto the white cardstock.  
• Next, I die cut the Houses on the Hill die from Your Next Stamp and glued that over the blue sky.
• To give the look of snow, I tore some more white cardstock and layered it over to look like little snowbanks.
• Using my white Posca pen, I added the white snow.
• I placed the piece into my Misti and stamped the sentiment from Penny Black with some Versafine Clair ink and clear heat embossed it.  I added 3 black gems under the sentiment.
• For the background blue panel, I took a piece of blue cardstock and scored some lines using my ScorPal.  It really made a difference and added a lot of interest.
• I rounded the corners with my Corner Rounder and then pop dot mounted it over the scored background.
• Lastly, I glued it all onto a heavy white card base.

Thanks so much for coming by and taking a look.

Supplies

Stamps- Penny Black

Inks- Versafine Clair

Paper- heavy white (Scribes Nook); blue (Michaels)

Accessories and Tools- ScorPal; die (YNS); black gems; Cuttlebug; Misti (My Sweet Petunia);

clear eb powder; pop dots; Posca Pen