AECP Level 1 - Easy Ink Blending Techniques

 Hello, friends!

Welcome back to my little spot on the web.  I'm glad you've stopped by!  Today's post is focused on the 4th class in my AECP Level 1 journey, Easy Ink Blending Techniques.  This course focused on learning techniques to achieve exceptional ink blending results in your cards and other projects.  I made two cards for this course - both with very different sources of inspiration.

Card 1 

Are you lucky enough to have someone in your life who lights up your world?  Or perhaps you may know someone who needs reminding that there is beauty to be seen around them?  I'm fortunate to have some amazing people in my life who show such beauty to me regularly.  Some may not even know that they do.  It got me to thinking about how to visually represent the sentiment of someone lighting up your life.  This was the perfect course to explore this idea since it involves colors and blending.  I created this card with it in mind, and I dedicate it to all those people.

 

I started by taking an A2 sized piece of white card stock and running it through my die cut machine with the largest die from a torn paper set.  This panel was used as the center of my card front.  I then took a piece of Watercolor paper and ran it through my die cut machine with a smaller torn paper die.  This piece was used as the center of the card front.

Watercolor paper was used because it allows for a nice, smooth surface for blending inks.  Regular card stock may be used, but it may pill easily if you rub the blending brush too hard against it.  I took the center piece of watercolor paper and was ready to start blending colors on it.  I wanted bright, sunny colors for this piece and chose: Altenew Citrus Burst Crisp Dye Ink, Altenew Snapdragon Crisp Dye Ink, and Altenew Coral Berry Crisp Dye Ink.  I started at the top of the piece with Citrus Burst, as you can in the pic below.  I then moved onto Snapdragon.  Going from lightest to darkest allows you to blend over some of the lighter color to create a gradient blend.  The last ink used was Coral Berry. 

 

Happy with my ink blending results, I next had to add my center strip to the middle of the larger piece of torn card stock.  I used a centering ruler to make sure the blended piece was properly centered and then used a pencil to make some small marks on the larger piece where it aligned. 

 

I applied Altenew Double Sided tape to the back of the blended piece and I set it it in place on the larger piece.  There were some small pieces that overlapped at the top and bottom, so I used some small detail scissors to trim those away.

 

It was now time for some stamping.  I took an A2 sized card base, used my centering ruler to put the combined torn piece in the center of it, and put some small pieces of Post It Tape in each corner to hold the two together.  A pencil was used to make a small mark at the top and bottom of the torn piece so that I knew where it aligned on the card case.  I did this because I knew I wanted to use double sided foam tape to prop the torn piece up from the card base.  This step ensured that I'd be able to do this and have my stamping align on both pieces.

 

I had signed up for the recent Crop & Create Cards event with Scrapbooking and Cards Today magazine and received the Altenew Bold Bouquet Stamp & Die set as part of the supplies for it.  I purposely didn't make the card for the event as I thought it would be fun to use it for this class instead.   I loaded the stamp onto my stamping platform and aligned my card with it.  Altenew Jet Black Crisp Dye Ink was applied to the stamp and I stamped it on to the card.  This step was repeated to make sure that I had a nice, crisp image that ran from my torn piece out onto the card base.

 

I could have left the uninked parts of the stamped image as plain white; however, I really wanted to emphasize the colored portion.  I chose three shades of cool gray from my Ohuhu Honolulu Alcohol Marker set that would show a similar progression of light to dark.  I chose a light gray to go with the Citrus Burst inked portion, a medium gray to go with the Snapdragon, and a darker gray to go with the Coral Berry.  I started coloring and blending them - first on the torn piece and then on the card base.

 

The next step was running a black alcohol marker along the edge of the torn piece.  I did this for two reasons - one was to emphasize it being a separate piece from the card base, and the second was to help add just a little more touch of dimension.  I put Altenew Double Sided Foam tape onto the back of the torn piece, aligned it to the base using the pencil marks that I made and pressed it into place.

This stamp set came with the stamps for the sentiment as well as a die to cut out the word you.  I stamped "You" onto a small piece of white card stock with Jet Black ink and cut it out with my die machine and corresponding die.  I put the "MATTER TO ME" onto a stamping block, inked it with the Jet Black ink, and stamped it onto the card base.  Double sided foam tape was put on the back of the word You, and I placed it on the card base.  A few Taylored Expressions Bits & Pieces Clear Drip Drops were then glued down for just a little extra pop.

 

I love this card - it makes me happy.  I think it truly represents adding some light to life and some color to a black, white, and gray world.

 

Card 2

At the risk of embarrassment, I'll share with you that the inspiration for my second card is a shopping bag from Bath & Body Works!  I always loved the combination of white, blue, and pink on the bag and wanted to use them on a card.  I also knew that I wanted a full, ink blended panel as the front of this card since the focus of this course is on ink blending.  I didn't necessarily have a vision as I did with Card 1 . . . just started to create.  I made some decisions along the way and am really happy with the resulting project.

I started with an A2 sized panel of white card stock, and used Post It Tape to mask alternating stripes down it.  I removed the tape covering the first, third, and fifth stripes and blended those areas with Altenew Iceberg Crisp Dye Ink.  I then put the tape back over those stripes, removed the tape from the second, fourth, and sixth stripes, and blended those areas with Altenew Eastern Sky Crisp Dye Ink  

 

 With the blue ink blending done, I took a ruler lined it up next to the line between stripes one and two, and made a white line with a Sakura Gelly Roll White Gel pen.  I repeated this step between each of the stripes.

 

I now had a card base . . . how would I incorporate the pink from the bag?  I looked through my stash of Altenew treasures and came across the Floral Halos Stamp & Die Set.  I saw the circular frames and the flowers and went with it.  I liked the idea of the circular frame adding a different shape to the card.  I took the die for one of the frames, a scrap of blue foil card stock, and put it through my die cut machine.  I ran the frame die through again with a scrap of white shimmer card stock to create the center for the frame.  I like the white shimmer paper from Recollections because it adds just a subtle bit of sparkle to the card.  I grabbed another piece of that card stock, took a floral stamp and a branch stamp from the set, loaded them with some Jet Black ink, and stamped them using my stamping platform.  I blended Pink and Shadow Pink together on the flowers using my Ohuhu alcohol markers to color them, and blended Yellow Green and Absinthe together for the leaves.  Barium Yellow was used to color the flower centers and Old Red was used to color the berries.  I then took my Sakura White Gelly Roll pen and added a little bit of white to the front of the flowers.  I like how it softens the pink.  The flower and branch were cut out using the corresponding dies.

It time to assemble the frame and flowers.  I put the frame face side down on my craft mat, placed the white circle face side down in the middle of it, and affixed a piece of scotch tape across the back to secure the two pieces together.  I flipped it over, applied double sided tape to the back of the flower and branch, placed them on the frame, put double sided foam tape on the back of the frame and adhered it to the card base.

For the sentiment, I chose to use the Altenew You Matter Die Set.  I cut large "you" from white card stock and the shadow from navy blue card stock.  I adhered them together with double sided tape, cut the extended part of the Y to shorten it a bit, put some craft glue on the back, and adhered it to the card.  I cut the "I BELIEVE IN" using the die cut on some navy card stock.  I adhered it to a scrap of white card stock using craft glue, cut off the extra white card stock, put double sided tape on the back and adhered it to the card.  Finished!

I now have two cards with different sources of inspiration but using two kinds of ink blending - blending using ink cubes and a brush and blending ink from alcohol markers.  I hope you enjoy them.  Until next time . . . be well!

AECP Level 1: Clean & Simple Boutique Cards

 Hello, friends!

The words "clean & simple" intimidated me when I first started making cards.  I assumed that I couldn't use color . . . and color is something that I'm definitely not afraid to use.  However, my third AECP Level 1 course, Clean & Simple Boutique Cards, taught me that I had nothing to fear.  I learned how to create cards with a minimal look that STILL incorporate color.  I was so inspired by this course with Jennifer Rasa that I made three cards.  I hope you enjoy them!

Card 1

 

My first card is a clean and simple birthday card that used a white A2 sized card base and only two colors: black and silver.  What I like about this card is that it can be used for anyone since the colors and images are neutral.  I also decided to change it up a bit by using a Spanish birthday sentiment.  I have several Puerto Rican family members and friends in my life, and this is an easy way for me to incorporate their culture into our celebrations.

I started the card by stamping one of the beautiful butterflies from the Altenew Dovetail Butterflies Stamp and Die Set:

• I stamped the base layer using Tsukineko Delicata Silvery Shimmer Ink.  I knew that this would provide just the right amount of silvery shimmer to the butterfly.
• I then stamped the next layer using Altenew Jet Black Crisp Dye Ink.
• Next up was using the die and my die cutting machine to cut out the butterfly.

For the leaves, I used the leaf stamps from the Altenew Calming Reverie Stamp & Die Set.  I didn't have to use the leaf base stamp since I used silver shimmer card stock to create them.  I loaded Altenew Jet Black Crisp Dye Ink onto the detail stamp and stamped it.  I repeated that to create a second set of leaves.  I love how this stamp provides shading to leaves and how the black ink and silver card stock play so well together.  You can see this in the pic below.  I used the coordinating die and my die cut machine to cut out each set of leaves.

Stamping was now done and I turned my attention to creating the frame for the card.  It was created using some black card stock and one of the frame dies from the Taylored Expressions Frame in Frame 3 Cutting Plate.  It's the perfect A2 sized frame with just a little bit of detail on it.

I played around with some layouts before stamping and embossing the sentiment.  I found my placement for the leaves and butterfly and was ready to heat emboss.  Jennifer gave a great tip in this class that made my heat embossing a success - brush some baking powder over the where you plan to emboss on the card stock.  It acts like anti-static powder and helps the excess embossing powder glide off of your card stock.  Baking powder was brushed on and I was ready to move forward.  I used the Feliz Cumpleanos from the Altenew Birthdays Around the World Stamp Set, loaded it with some Sizzix Clear Embossing Ink, and stamped it.  Simon Says Stamp Ultra Fine Silver Embossing Powder was sprinkled over the embossing ink and I gently tapped the card stock to remove the excess.  I used my heat tool to apply heat to the card stock.  You can see in the pic below that this resulted in a smooth and consistent silver sentiment that looks just beautiful.

 

Time to put it all together!  I did so by:

• Putting some Altenew Double-sided Tape on the back of the leaves and adhering them to the card embossed card base.  I trimmed the parts of the leaves that were hanging off of the base with some scissors.
• Putting some Altenew Double-sided Tape on the back of the butterfly and adhered it to the card base.
  
• Cutting some Altenew Double-sided Foam tape the fit around the black frame, affixing the foam tape to the back of the frame, and adhering it to the card base.

 

Card 2

 

 

The second card for the course includes shades of blue, cool patterns, and heat embossing.  I think it's a great card to send to a fellow crafter/artist or even just to let someone know that you're thinking of them.

I used an A2 sized piece Recollections White Shimmer Card Stock for the front panel of the card.  It adds just a little bit of shimmer and shine to the card - even in the parts where you add ink.

 

 

 

The card was made with stamps from the Altenew Painted Rainbow Outline Stamp Set:

• I started with the color splash stamps and chose a light blue to start the stamping.  Concord & 9th Harbor Premium Dye Ink was loaded onto the first color splash stamp and stamped onto the front panel using my stamping platform.  I repeated this step again to ensure good ink coverage.
• This was repeated for each of the five remaining color splash stamps using the following inks: Altenew Iceberg Crisp Dye Ink, Altenew Eastern Sky Crisp Dye Ink, Altenew Ultramarine Crisp Dye Ink, Altenew Azurite Crisp Dye Ink, and Concord & 9th Midnight Premium Dye Ink.

The paisley stamp really spoke to me and I decided to feature it in the design.  I first stamped it with Altenew Jet Black Crisp Dye Ink.  Once dry, I brushed some baking powder over the card base since the rest of the card would made with heat embossing.  After brushing on baking powder, the next steps included:

• Stamped the paisley stamp again using Sizzix Clear Embossing Ink and used my stamping platform to achieve perfect alignment.
• Arranged the sentiment stamps where I wanted them placed and, using my stamping platform, stamped all three onto the card base using Sizzix Clear Embossing Ink.
• Sprinkled Ranger Super Fine Black Embossing Powder over the card base and then gently tapped off the excess.
• Applied heat to the areas with embossing powder.  You know it's done when you see the appearance embossing powder change from flat to shiny.
• Brushed the card base to make sure that all of the baking powder was gone.
• Used Altenew Double-sided Tape to adhere the panel to an A2 sized card base.
  

I used some Post It Tape to cover the sentiments and then sprinkled some drops  Altenew Jet Black Ink Spray over the card base.  You may choose to also cover the paisley stamp with Post It Tape to avoid getting ink spots over the image.  I decided not to because I wanted a more messy/splashy look for the card.  Voila . . . the card is finished!

Card 3

 

 

My final card for the course is simple in style but full of love.  It starts with a white A2 sized card base.  I took the one set of right and left hands from the Altenew A Little Bit of Love Stamp Set, loaded them with Altenew Jet Black Crisp Dye Ink, and stamped them onto the card base using my stamping platform.  I then used a Sakura Glaze Black Pen to trace over the hand outlines.  The glaze pen gives just a little more dimension and some shine to the image.

I wanted the card sentiment to really stand out and there were quite a few ways that I could achieve that.  I ultimately decided to go with some depth and dimension with a little pop of color.  I used the words love you from the Altenew Versatile Greetings Die Set.  I cut the shows for each word once from white card stock, and then cut the actual words four times from white card stock.  I used craft glue to adhere all four loves together and then glued that stack to the shadow.  I repeated this for the word you.  I then cut the words love and you from red glitter card stock and glued each onto the respective word bundle.  Both word stacks were then adhered to the card using Altenew Double-sided Foam tape.  I really like the depth it gives and the pop of color that it adds!

The final step was to cut an outline frame to put around the image and greeting.  I cut it from black cardstock using one of the frames from the Taylored Expressions Frame in Frame 3 Cutting Plate, cut some Altenew Double-sided Foam tape to the size of the frame, and adhered the frame to the card.  The look is clean and simple, and the card is a perfect way to tell someone that you love them.

That wraps up this post on the Clean & Simple Boutique Cards course.  Until next time . . . be well!

AECP Level 1: All About Layering 4

Hello, friends!

Welcome back to the Paper Play blog.  I just finished my second course in AECP Level 1, All About Layering 4, which continued to focus on layering different stamps and inks together to create images. I'm happy to share with you my two projects from the course.

Card # 1:

My first card focuses on the gorgeous Altenew Calming Reverie Stamp and Die Bundle.  This set may be used for so many different types of cards and occasions.  My inspiration for the card came to me as soon as I saw the set on the Altenew website.  I knew that I wanted to show the juxtaposition of this flower in a vibrant color against a monochromatic color.  I love the look of one pop of color standing out against a more muted color palette.  

I started with stamping the red flower first:

• There are two stamps used to create the main part of the flower.
• Stamped the first one with the Altenew Ruby Red Crisp Dye Ink using my Tonic Studios Stamping Platform; loaded up my stamp with lots of color and pressed down, and repeated this step again as I wasn't happy with the color saturation.
• Noticed that there were a few spots that didn't take on as much color as the rest of the flower base. It dawned on me as I looked at the second stamp for the flower base that I'd be using black ink for it and that it might cover up these few spots.
• TIP for layering stamps and inks: the second color will be darker than the first and may help cover up any color variations from the first stamp!  Align the second stamp onto the stamped image to see if you'll get coverage like this.
• Aligned the second stamp with the stamped image, loaded it onto my stamping platform, inked it up with Altenew Jet Black Crisp Dye Ink, and stamped it.  The black did indeed cover up those lesser saturated red spots, and I was happy with my image.  You can see this in the pic below.

There are three stamps used to create the center of the flower:

• Aligned the first stamp, loaded it onto my stamping platform, inked it with Concord & 9th Cranberry Premium Due Ink, and stamped it.
• Repeated this process with the second & third flower center stamps using Concord & 9th Buttercup Premium Dye Ink and Altenew Jet Black Crisp Dye Ink.

Two stamps are used to compose the leaves: 

• Inked the base leaves image stamp with Altenew Shadow Creek Crisp Dye Ink and stamped it.
• Aligned the second stamp with the stamped image, loaded it onto my stamping platform, inked it with Altenew Jet Black Crisp Dye Ink, and stamped it.

The first flower was now complete!  I repeated the steps above using the following inks to create the gray monochromatic flowers and leaves: Altenew Gray Denim Crisp Dye Ink, Altenew Charcoal Suit Crisp Dye Ink, Altenew Silver Lake Crisp Due Ink, Altenew Cloudy Night Crisp Dye Ink, and Altenew Jet Black Crisp Dye Ink.  The stamped flowers were then cut out using the coordinating dies.

A 5x7 white card base was used in order to accommodate the size of these flowers.  My design had some black ink spots in the background and I thought that some splashes of black ink might be too small.  I decided to use one of the color splash stamps from the Altenew A Splash of Color Stamp Set to make the background spots larger.  I stamped it in several places using Altenew Jet Black Crisp Dye Ink.

I was now ready to assemble the design:

• Started by cutting the set of gray leaves in half so that each gray flower would have some leaves with it.
• Affixed one half at the top of the card using Altenew double sided tape, and one at the bottom.
• Placed the two gray flowers in the corners on the left hand side of the card and used double sided tape to affix them once I was happy with the placement.
• Following along the card edges, cut off the excess parts of the gray flowers that stuck out from the base.
• Adhered the green leaves to the center-right area of the card using double sided tape.
• Put the red flower into position using Altenew double sided foam tape to add some dimension.

I really wanted the card sentiment to say something about the juxtaposition of colors.  Luckily for me, the A Splash of Color stamp set had the perfect one:

 

I used the following steps to create it: 

• Used a torn paper die to cut a piece of small piece of light gray card stock for the sentiment.
• Put the sentiment stamp onto my stamping platform.
• Loaded Altenew Jet Black Crisp Dye Ink onto the stamp and used a small microfiber cloth to remove the ink from the word color.
• Stamped the sentiment and wiped off the remaining ink using the cloth.
• Used a red alcohol marker to ink the word color and stamped it.
• Traced over the stamped word color with a red glitter gel pen.
• Put double sided foam tape onto the back and affixed the sentiment to the upper left hand corner of the card.

Three Taylored Expressions Bits & Pieces Drip Drops were added to the card using craft glue.

Card #2

My second card showcases the Altenew Build a Flower: Columbine Stamp & Die Set.  This columbine flower is so pretty.  It was a bit of a challenge for me since this set doesn't have an outline stamp to help guide you along.  The resulting flower doesn't have any colored lines outlining the flower, and it was my first time creating one like this.  Luckily, with the stamp set layering guide and a little bit of patience, I created a beautiful columbine that made me smile.

 

The flower uses eight different stamps to create the image - three for the outside shape of the flower, three for the inside shape of the flower, and two for the stamen.  The process to create it included:

• Loaded the first stamp onto my stamping platform, inked it with Altenew Iceberg Crisp Dye Ink, and stamped it.
• Carefully aligned the next stamp, loaded it onto my stamping platform, inked it with Altenew Eastern Sky Crisp Dye Ink, and stamped it.
• Repeated these steps for each of the next six stamps using the following inks: Altenew Azurite Crisp Dye Ink, Altenew Iceberg Crisp Dye Ink, Altenew Ultramarine Crisp Dye Ink, Concord & 9th Buttercup Premium Dye Ink, and Altenew Marigold Crisp Dye Ink.
• I found that the best way to align the stamps with the stamped image is to make sure that you're looking at it from a direct overhead view.  This allows you to see where the stamps line up and intersect.
  

Next up was stamping the leaves, which was created using three different stamps and inks:

• Loaded the first stamp onto my stamping platform, inked it with Altenew Limeade Crisp Dye Ink, and stamped it.
• Carefully aligned the second stamp with the stamped image, loaded it onto my stamping platform, inked the stamp with Altenew Bamboo Crisp Dye Ink, and stamped it.
• Repeated these steps for the third stamp using Altenew Fresh Leaf Dye Ink.

The last piece of the flower to create was the stem.  I stamped it using Altenew Fresh Leaf Dye Ink.

 

All pieces of the flower were then cut using the coordinating dies, and the flower was assembled using craft glue.  I used a white gel pen from the Altenew Must-Have Gel Pen Set to add some white highlights onto the columbine flower.

 

I created the card sentiment, hello, using the word and shadow dies from the Altenew Versatile Greetings Die Set.  I cut the word hello from a light blue card stock, and the shadow from a darker shade of blue card stock. The word was then glued onto the shadow.

 

An A2 sized piece of white card stock and used to create the front panel of the card.  I had a vision of this columbine standing in front of a old, white-washed fence.  I chose the Weathered Wall stamp from Deep Red Stamps and filled this front panel with the image using Altenew Jet Black Crisp Dye ink.  I then added a slightly distressed look to it with a little Tim Holtz Antique Linen and Weathered Wood Distress Inks using some ink brushes.

The front panel was adhered to the card base using Altenew double sided tape.  I then adhered the columbine and greeting to the card using Altenew Double Sided Tape, and added three Taylored Expressions Bits & Pieces Clear Drip Drops to the columbine with some craft glue.

Below is a pic of both cards together.  I hope you enjoyed them as much I enjoyed creating them.  Until next time . . . be well!

 

AECP Level 1: All About Layering 3

Hello, friends!

Welcome back to Paper Play!  I'm excited to share with you this card making post that focuses on my first completed AECP Level 1 course, All About Layering 3.  The subject of this course was using multiple stamps from a set to layer different inks to create the images.  I made two cards for this course that I'm sharing with you today.

Card 1

The first card that I made used the Altenew Build a Flower: Wild Rose Layering Stamp and Die set.  This beautiful stamp set includes 6 stamps to layer & build the wild rose, 4 stamps to layer & build the leaves, and two other stamps used to make some flowers & branches to accompany your completed rose.  The stamp set also comes with a layering guide that walks you through the layering steps and points out how to align the various stamps to create the images.  

When layering inks, you want to start with the lightest one and work your way up to the darkest one since it’s easy to layer on color . . . but not as easy to take it away.  I also suggest using a stamping platform to stamp each layer so that you can easily stamp the image again if you're not happy with the first go at it.  It ensures that you will stamp the image in the same spot and allows you to not have to align it again.

With this in mind, I started my on my rose image:

• Stamped base image with Concord & 9th Ballet Slippers Premium Dye ink onto a piece of white card stock.
• Aligned the rose outline stamp on the base image using my Tonic Studios stamping platform, inked the stamp using Altenew Jet Black Crisp Dye ink, and stamped it.
• Repeated that process for stamps 3, 4, 5, and 6 using the following Altenew Crisp Dye inks: Cotton Candy, Pink Pearl, Citrus Burst, and Sunkissed.
  
• Note in the picture below how each shade of pink sits on or next to the other and creates a beautiful layered detail to the rose.

I did this again for the set of leaves, using:

• Altenew Bamboo Crisp Dye ink for stamp 1,
• Altenew Jet Black Crisp Dye ink for the outline,
• Concord & 9th Parsley Premium Dye ink for the third stamp,
• Concord & 9th Evergreen Premium Dye ink for the fourth.
• These green inks are so vibrant and work so well layered together.

I then stamped the extra branches and flowers with Altenew Jet Black Crisp Dye ink and colored them using Ohuhu Honolulu Series alcohol art markers.

All of the stamping and coloring was now complete and I used the coordinating dies to cut out the rose, leaves, branches, and flowers.  I needed a front panel and base for my card, and knew that I wanted to use a patterned background behind the flower that wouldn't take away from it:

• Used a background die with an A2 (4.25" x 5.5") piece of white card stock.
• You can see that it created the background with the diamond shapes cut out of it.
• Cut an A2 sized piece of pink card stock and used double sided tape to adhere the white background to the pink.  Don't you love the little pops of pink peeking out from behind the white?
• Cut an A2 sized card base from white card stock, and used double sided tape to adhere the white & pink panel to it. I used the hugs word and shadow dies from the Altenew Versatile Greetings Die Set for the card sentiment  The word hugs was cut from a small piece of white card stock colored with the Concord & 9th Parsley ink, and the shadow was cut from pink card stock.  I used craft glue to paste the word over the shadow.

I adhered the leaves, small flowers, and branches to the card using double sided tape.  The rose and sentiment were adhered using double sided foam tape to give some added dimension.

Card 2

 

The second card was made using the Altenew Fairy Tale Florals Stamp & Die set.  This time I started with the front panel and card base:

• Cut an A2 sized card base from white card stock.
• Cut an A2 sized piece of cream colored Recollections card stock and used the Altenew Organic Linen Embossing Folder to create the front panel.
• I knew that this embossing folder would give me a nice amount of texture in the background.
  

It was now time to focus on some coloring.  This particular stamp set has flowers and leaves that do not take on ink when stamped - only the raised shading area take on the ink. That means that the uninked areas are the color of the card stock you use.  I was stamping on white card stock and knew that I wanted to have colored flowers in addition to a layer of inked shading.  I started by stamping the outline image using black ink, and then coloring it using Ohuhu Honolulu Series Artist Alcohol Markers (Pale Grayish Blue, Pink, and Viola.)  I used the Altenew Bamboo Artist Marker for the base of the leaves.

Time for some stamping fun to layer in the shading!  This set also comes with a stamping guide that walks you through how to align and stamp each part of the image.  I stamped the flowers and leaves with:

• Tim Holtz Blueprint Sketch Distress ink on the blue flower and blue bud.
• Tim Holtz Wilted Violet Distress ink on the purple flower.
• Concord & 9th Honeysuckle Premium Dye ink on the pink flower and bud
• Concord & 9th Parsley Premium Dye ink on the leaves.
• You can see in the pic below how the stamped ink shading is layered onto the colored images and helps make them pop!
  

 The sentiment was made by using the “you're the best” stamps from the set and stamping them with black ink on to a piece of 1" x 7" vellum.  I traced over the words using a Sakura Black Glaze pen to give it a little dimension and help it stand out.

The last steps included die cutting the images using the companion dies and a combination of double sided tape and double sided foam tape to put the card together.  There was a little space down in the bottom left corner that was calling out for some attention.  I used some craft glue to adhere three Taylored Expressions Bits & Pieces Clear Drip Drops to make it happy!

Here are both cards side by side:

I hope that you enjoyed these cards and learning more about my creative process.  I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, or any thoughts on the blog.  Please consider leaving a comment below or reaching out to me on social media on Instagram or Facebook!

Until next time . . . be well!

So I’ve started a blog . . .

Hello, friends!  Thanks for stopping by and checking out my little space on the internet.  Many of you may know that I have been crafting for several years - making Christmas ornaments, decorations, and gifts for friends children.  I started paper crafting during the Covid pandemic and have been focusing more on creating cards.  Crafting for me is like therapy.  I spend my daylight hours living in spreadsheets, creating financial models, and things like that.  It can be stressful at times and doesn’t allow me to be very creative.  That’s where crafting comes in - it’s my escape . . . my time to design & create.  A happy companion to being therapeutic is that it also allows me to create cards to share with friends.  It makes me happy to give someone a card and see them smile.

I have been on the design team for Wishbone Stamps since September 2022 and have truly been enjoying it.  I’m now starting another chapter in my crafting journey.  I have been accepted into the Altenew Educator Certification Program (AECP)!  I’ll be completing 20 courses and creating several projects to become certified.  This certification work will help me learn new techniques, improve my skills, and open up opportunities to teach.  I really like the products from AlteNew and am truly excited to start this journey!

This blog will allow me to share the projects that I create in the program with more detail than a social media post.  Blogging is something that I have been toying with for a while, and now I have the push that I needed to start!

I hope that you’ll consider joining me on this creative journey by reading my posts, perhaps interacting with them, and asking me questions.  I appreciate all feedback that you share with me.  Perhaps you’ll even choose to subscribe?  I thank you for any and all support!

Crafty posts will start as I go work through the courses.  More to come!