Happy Monday all! Can you believe that Friday is the first day of FALL?! I cannot wait. Fall is absolutely my favorite season – which one is yours?
Today is my day to host the Technique Lover’s Challenge at Splitcoast Stampers and I decided to go with a fairly simple technique. We are going to create our own backgrounds using plain cardstock (white or colored) and score lines. The lines will fill the page or at least large sections of it. The score lines can be vertical, horizontal, diagonal in either direction, or a combo (I did diagonals in both directions in my samples.)
NOTE: I used my scoring tool but if you don’t have one, do not worry… you can use a ruler and stylus/bone folder/butter knife/etc. to create lines too – just drag the scoring tool down the rulers edge and you have score lines. If you place the paper on a more cushioned surface like a mouse pad or a piece of fun foam and your scores will be more pronounced.
You can use white card and add the lines for a little interest in a CAS card, or do ink blending to create a really fun look (if you use the side of the paper that the lines are raised, they pop out a bit when you brush ink over them or if you use the other side, they recede a bit if you brush ink over them.)
My first card used the SNSS Fall Leaves Stencil. I stenciled the leaved then inked the script block from Texture Tiles 1 THROUGH the stencil for added texture. Then I score my lines (1/2″ apart diagonally in both directions.) I added a little more ink (Distress Oxides like the rest) on over everything to make my diagonals pop. Then I added my sentiment from Everyday Greetings with VersaClair Nocturne – I used my MISTI so I could keep stamping until the sentiment got to the lower potions of the scores.My second card is CAS and the diagonals really add something to the background I think. My focal image is from SNSS new release – Holly Christmas by my sweet friend Deidre Cason. Is this not beautiful!!
I hope you try the challenge today and whatever else you do…just have fun!
Happy Monday!! I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend – mine was filled with mom time and it was wonderful! Today is my day to host the Technique Lover’s Challenge at SplitCoast Stampers. In honor of Mother’s Day, or Spring, or proms, or anything that makes you think of roses really, I wanted to try a watercolor rose technique. I found a tutorial from Jenna at ScribblingGrace.com that shows how to do simple Roses with Watercolors. Though the tutorial is based on Bible journaling, this technique is perfect for cards too. She is super sweet and really walks you through the steps.
After creating my background, I pulled out my new Sweet ‘n Sassy Set called Pray Without Ceasing. I love it. It is beautiful and is chock full of lots of encouragements and reminders that even our smallest prayers are heard!
After playing around with this, here are a few tips…. – Any watercolor should work even distress inks watered down. I grabbed a cheap set of metallic water colors I got from Michaels for $5. Just remember you need a lot of more concentrated color to begin with. – Grab a bigger piece of watercolor paper if you have it. That way you can practice a few times and just keep going on the sheet. Then you can cut it down and make a few cards with the result. – She mentions in the tutorial that she dips her paint brush in the water between certain layers. I had a hard time managing the water flow when I did this so I recommend either skipping that step at first or making sure to tap the excess water off on the side of your jar. – Have fun and don’t get too worked up over the process. I found that even the roses I didn’t love, didn’t look too bad after I added the leaved and sentiments were great cover ups
Today I have a couple of projects using this month’s God is Sovereign set. I also grabbed some stencils and water based inks to create my backgrounds. One is a simple-ish card and the other is a mixed media art journal page.
First the card… I used the Delightfully Delicate Stencil on water color paper, spritzed in and added brusho’s (powder water color.) I used the reverse side of the stencil on another sheet of watercolor for another look – this is that piece. I used the flower from God is Sovereign and a sentiment from Sentimental Wordfetti.
Now for the Art Journal Page. For this one, I threw a lot at it… I first ink blended with Distress Oxides (worn lipstick, mustard seed, and broken china) I sprayed it with water to blend it, I stamped over that with the Script Background Stamp. I added Spots randomly along the edges from Spotted (This is the stamp of the month) and used the Grunge Grid Stencil for added texture.
After I created the background, I built up a sentiment block using the words and the flower from God is Sovereign. I colored the flower with polychromos pencils and finished my page with some white paint splatters. I love it – this set like the other before it created by SNSS team member Deirdre Cason is just so sweet and versatile.
I hope you are inspired.
Thanks for stopping by! Lyn
By the way… there is a sale going on right now and there is still time for you to take advantage of it – the hard part will choosing 🙂
Happy Monday Everyone! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. We are getting a little “false Spring” here in Georgia. Today we have a high of 61 degrees and a low of 51 degrees and I am ready to plant something haha – It isn’t time though! While I wait, I will satisfy my need with some floral images on my cards:)
This is my week to host the Technique Lover’s Challenge at SplitcoastStampers. I found THIS VIDEO and thought it looked so fun. Not too hard, but still very unique. She calls it a “flip flap” card but we already have a technique with that name and it is different from this one so I am calling this a “Layered Flap Card”. I hope you have fun with this challenge. I really love the results and can’t wait to see what you think!
Here is the front of the card:
I used Distress Oxides and SNSS Texture Tiles 11 to create a little texture on the kraft (Neenah Dessert Storm) front panel. I stamped the florals from God is Good and God is Love with Simon Says Stamps Intense Black and colored them with Copics (R00, R01, R01, R05, BG10, BG11, BG15, and YG93, YG95, YG99.) I stamped the inside sentiment with Vesafine Clair Nocturne.
Here is the card as it opens up. The pattern paper that creates the “flap arm” is recycled from my 2021 calendar/planner. I loved the pattern and have been holding onto it waiting for the perfect project. This was it. I built the card around it and I love it!
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you were inspired! Come on over and join the challenge at SCS this week!
I don’t know about you guys but lately I have been seeing some adorable hand painted signs and tiered tray decorations. My sister decorates her tray for all the seasons. She cuts out the image on a silhouette and “weeds” out the image to leave a stencil of sorts then adheres that to her wood piece and paints through the stencil…NOPE! That is too much work for me!
This weekend we celebrated her birthday and I decided to see if I could create a few mini signs for her tray using stamps…YES! That is more my speed!
I took scrap wood blocks from another left over project (They were about 3″X4″.) I also painted onto a wood slice tag I had. You can use any wood pieces you have. I painted them with chalk paint. When it dried, I sanded it for a smooth surface and the corners for a distress look (Paint a under layer of darker color if you want darker distressed edges.) Then with STAZON inks, I stamped firmly only my block. I let it sit for a a little longer than I would with paper then pulled it off – it really stuck down so don’t be surprised if you have to pull it with a little strength (but be gentle :))
That is it. It turned out precious! And it didn’t require all those steps – I just dug through my stash of stamps and saw them with brand new eyes! It was awesome to have new uses for them. I have a stack of them on my desk now begging to be used on the next “Sign”. Yay – this project was a win twice! And with Christmas being just down the road, it may be a great gift idea too. Hmmmm…
For my first project, I found a little piece of scrap wood (3″x4″x1″ thick). I painted an under layer of black chalk paint, then when that dried, I painted a layer of white chalk paint. When that dried, I sanded the edges for a distressed look, wiped it down then using Jet Black STAZON, I stamped a sentiment from My Thoughts of You from Sweet N Sassy Stamps (all of the sentiments would have worked for this project but My sister is my best friend and this one seemed most perfect!) This is so simple but so awesome! I love it on the tray!
For my next projects, I created a little pumpkin from a 3″ scrap of 2×2. I painted it up in shades of orange. I drilled a hole in the top and added a dowel for the stem. THEN I created a SIMPLE monogram wood slice sign using an alphabet stamp called County Fair Alpha
Then I painted a scrap of wood (3″x4″ – 1″ thick). I painted it with java chalk paint then when that dried I painted another layer with sheepskin chalk paint, then when it dried I sanded it for a distress looked and glued down a copic colored, fussy cut digi stamp from Sweet Sassy called Autumn Gnome. I stamped sentiments from Fall Remix: Rhubarb’s Harvest with Timber Brown STAZON. For this one, since I had the cut out digi, I added a layer of matte Mod Podge.
I hope you were inspired! I have challenged the Technique Lovers to try this as this week’s TLC challenge at SplitCoast Stampers. Come join the fun!
Today starts a new challenge at Bugaboo Stamps and as the new format says…Anything Goes! I have tried slimline cards before (I think they were called tall cards then :)) but I really wanted to play around with a tall digi and make it tall enough for a slimline card. I found the perfect image in Morning Coffee. I totally know how she feels some days are just like that. And mornings…grrr.
For my card, I made my image as tall as I could and still keep it the right width (a slimline card is essentially 8.5″ tall and 3.5″ wide.) I colored up my image with Copic markers then did some detailing with Polychromos pencils. I had a clear stamp set from Sweet N Sassy Stamps that had coffee splashes and spots and a perfect sentiment for this not ready for the morning gal… I had a slimline die set in my stash waiting for me to finally give it some love so I layered the image. I used some banner dies to cut out and mount my sentiment. It was a little harder than I thought it would be to work with a canvas this size using just one image, but in the end, I absolutely LOVE how this came together!
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you were inspired! Grab your supplies and try a slimline card if you haven’t – they fit in a business envelope for the same stamp as an A2 card 🙂
Today we have a new challenge at Catch the Bug and it is a BINGO challenge.
For my card, I used several Washi Tapes to create a striped background paper. I didn’t really use a pattern for the stripes but just went with it. I colored up LB Bunny with Copic markers Finally, I Die cut rectangle layers starting with wonky rectangle image, then Rectangle nesting dies from A Jillian Vance Design. It is bring and Spring-y.
That is the center column and I really like how it turned out.
Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you were inspired!
Today I have a card using the new Texture Tiles 10 set to create a galaxy look.
First, I heat embossed the star tile randomly over a piece of Bristol smooth cardstock with clear embossing powder. Then I inked up the background with Distress Oxides with the galaxy technique. For this one, I let the background be the main focus of the card. I found a sentiment in the Over the Moon set that was perfect. I heat embossed the sentiment on a vellum strip that I wrapped around the card. I added some acrylic stars for dimension and that is all there is to this one.
It only has a few pieces to it but it has a a lot going on. I love galaxy cards and am always excited to get a chance to create one.
I hope you are inspired to try a new background technique – this one is really fun!
I am in charge of today’s Technique Lover’s Challenge at SplitCoast Stampers. I found a super fun technique by Natasha Foote. I have been binge watching her videos lately and can’t wait to try more techniques from her.
Today’s technique is a “floating element” technique. I had so much fun with this one and even better, I got to use up some of my scraps. (I always save the leftover pieces from handmade backgrounds for fun card techniques just like this one.) It was a perfect touch for my sweet little 4.25″x4.25″ square card.
I used a thanks die and layered it up 4 high. Then I used one of the tiny sentiments from the Texture Tiles 7 set. I rounded the bottom corners, added some sequins, and left it clean and simple otherwise.
I hope you are inspired and if so, why don’t you head on over and join in on the challenge.
Today I have a fun project once again inspired by Gina K…
For this project, you will need a leaf from your yard, your neighbor’s yard, a tree on the path you walk – you get the picture right 🙂 It is best if it is a green leaf as it is a little more flexible. We are going to use the leaf as our stamp and then we are going to emboss it.
On a scratch piece of paper, lay the leaf with the “front” side up. “Ink” it up with embossing ink (I used VersaMark). Gently pick the leaf up and lay it face down (“inked” side down) on a piece of card stock. At this point, you can lay a piece of paper on top and very firmly press along the leaf to get the ink onto the cardstock or you can do what i did and run it through your die cutting machine – I used the same sandwich I use for thin metal dies. This way it wasn’t too loose but not too tight either. I found this way got me the best results but pressing also creates pretty results.
When you take it out, gently lift the ink and add embossing powder to and heat it with your heat tool and that is it – add a sentiment and you are done!
There are lots of possibilities with this one. I grabbed some already ink blended cardstock from my stash which gave a great background to my leaf. But you can go with plain card, or designer paper, you choose! You can use metallic embossing powder like I did or you could go with clear and do an emboss resist, or even a Joseph’s Coat technique could be fun.
My Purple House 
