is posted on Jennifer's blog! It's a good one!!!!
Think Outside the Box!
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Cool Stuff from Gay in the UK!
My online friend Gay sent me a package last week...a package that included her absolutely drop-dead gorgeous card for one of the OLW challenges.
That masking and sponging is divine!!!! Plus, the pine branch is perfectly placed for superb interest and sheer gorgeousness.
She included a pile of die cuts for me to play with, and these are the first cards I made with them.
The intricate frames are soooo pretty, and I knew I wanted to go with something elegant on them. Alas, I don't have a whole lot of elegant stamps, but then I remembered Everyday Blessings from Papertrey, and these came together lickety-split. The card stock is from GinaK...thanks again, Jimmi!
I'm going to have so much fun using the rest of the die cuts...thanks so much, Gay.
Supplies
stamps: Papertrey
ink: Brilliance lavender and purple, Memento black
paper: GinaK
accessories: die cuts, gemstones, glue pen
 |
| Gay's Fabulous Christmas Card |
That masking and sponging is divine!!!! Plus, the pine branch is perfectly placed for superb interest and sheer gorgeousness.
She included a pile of die cuts for me to play with, and these are the first cards I made with them.
The intricate frames are soooo pretty, and I knew I wanted to go with something elegant on them. Alas, I don't have a whole lot of elegant stamps, but then I remembered Everyday Blessings from Papertrey, and these came together lickety-split. The card stock is from GinaK...thanks again, Jimmi!
I'm going to have so much fun using the rest of the die cuts...thanks so much, Gay.
Supplies
stamps: Papertrey
ink: Brilliance lavender and purple, Memento black
paper: GinaK
accessories: die cuts, gemstones, glue pen
Monday, May 7, 2012
Masking Big Backgrounds
So. We've looked at three ways to use a large background stamp: 1) as all-over background, 2) as partial background, and 3) for adding interest to punched shapes. A fourth way to use large background stamps is to mask an area and stamp a defined space, such as a border, ground, or sky.
For today's card, I used two large post-it notes to mask off a 5/8" strip on a largish piece of scrap paper. Then, I stamped the background, having only inked part of it (no need to waste ink...but make sure you ink enough to cover the intended area!).
I liked the black-and-white effect of this card, but the card seemed a little blah. So I fell back on my design mantra: Bling Never Hurts.
That's better!
I really like seeing big backgrounds masked to form hills or ground for scenes, too. I've not had a chance to make such a card in a while and hope to use Envelope Pattern that way soon. The cross-hatching would make lovely grass, don't you think?
By the way, I'm running low on these bling flowers and have been hoarding them. Whenever I catch myself "saving" craft supplies, I give myself a stern talking-to:
"Do NOT save stuff. USE it. If you don't use it, one day, you may look at it and wonder why you liked it in the first place. When that happens, you wasted money and opportunity. USE it WHEN you LOVE it. Don't worry. There will always be new things to love. So NO SAVING!!!"
Then, I hang my head in shame and use it. Because I'm right, aren't I?
Supplies
stamps: Hero Arts
paper: PTI white
ink: Memento
accessories: dimensionals, bling flowers
For today's card, I used two large post-it notes to mask off a 5/8" strip on a largish piece of scrap paper. Then, I stamped the background, having only inked part of it (no need to waste ink...but make sure you ink enough to cover the intended area!).
I liked the black-and-white effect of this card, but the card seemed a little blah. So I fell back on my design mantra: Bling Never Hurts.
That's better!
I really like seeing big backgrounds masked to form hills or ground for scenes, too. I've not had a chance to make such a card in a while and hope to use Envelope Pattern that way soon. The cross-hatching would make lovely grass, don't you think?
By the way, I'm running low on these bling flowers and have been hoarding them. Whenever I catch myself "saving" craft supplies, I give myself a stern talking-to:
"Do NOT save stuff. USE it. If you don't use it, one day, you may look at it and wonder why you liked it in the first place. When that happens, you wasted money and opportunity. USE it WHEN you LOVE it. Don't worry. There will always be new things to love. So NO SAVING!!!"
Then, I hang my head in shame and use it. Because I'm right, aren't I?
Supplies
stamps: Hero Arts
paper: PTI white
ink: Memento
accessories: dimensionals, bling flowers
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Punches and Envelope Pattern
Large background stamps can create interesting designs for punching, especially finer ones like Envelope Pattern by Hero Arts.
Flowers are always good for this, well, you can't really call it a technique, but maybe procedure works.
First, stamp the background on scrap paper. For this floral card, I inked it with three different colors using Memento Dew Drop ink pads. Then, punch your flowers (or whatever shape you want) out of the stamped paper. Then, use them as you would any punched shapes.
Bling doesn't hurt.
Of course, this works with any punch, so I decided to use my Fiskar's pumpkin punch, which has separate shapes for the stem and leaf and pumpkin. I inked the stamp with orange and green to create the scrap from which I punched the shapes.
And then I made this card. It looks better in real life...something about the contrast in Picasa made the punch looked washed out and the orange card too intense. But trust me, it's not so bad!
So take a look at your big background stamps and see if any would complement your punches (or dies) nicely. Cupcakes, leaves, and holiday shapes might all be enhanced with fine-detail backgrounds!
Supplies
stamps: PTI Beautiful Blessings (top card), Falling Leaves (bottom card)
ink: Memento
paper: PTI white, SU pumpkin pie
accessories: punches, dimensionals, rhinestones, corner chomper,
Flowers are always good for this, well, you can't really call it a technique, but maybe procedure works.
First, stamp the background on scrap paper. For this floral card, I inked it with three different colors using Memento Dew Drop ink pads. Then, punch your flowers (or whatever shape you want) out of the stamped paper. Then, use them as you would any punched shapes.
Bling doesn't hurt.
Of course, this works with any punch, so I decided to use my Fiskar's pumpkin punch, which has separate shapes for the stem and leaf and pumpkin. I inked the stamp with orange and green to create the scrap from which I punched the shapes.
And then I made this card. It looks better in real life...something about the contrast in Picasa made the punch looked washed out and the orange card too intense. But trust me, it's not so bad!
So take a look at your big background stamps and see if any would complement your punches (or dies) nicely. Cupcakes, leaves, and holiday shapes might all be enhanced with fine-detail backgrounds!
Supplies
stamps: PTI Beautiful Blessings (top card), Falling Leaves (bottom card)
ink: Memento
paper: PTI white, SU pumpkin pie
accessories: punches, dimensionals, rhinestones, corner chomper,
Friday, May 4, 2012
More Fun with Envelope Pattern
Thanks for the warm response to Wednesday night's post. My apologies this one is late.
And no, Joyce, I am not kidding about standing on your big stamps. I actually prefer it to the inking-rubber-side-up method because it gets me moving and practicing balance. *snort*
Carol Duvall demonstrated standing on big stamps years ago, at a time when I was horribly frustrated by poor impressions and ruined card stock. My craft room had a carpeted floor, so I took a 12"-square piece of smooth plywood I'd had cut for an improvised book press, and used that to support the card stock. Worked beautifully, and I've done it ever since.
The other method came to my attention via some thread on SCS. It's slightly more time-consuming and can be prone to error if you don't rub the entire stamp well, but otherwise it's just as effective as standing. Someone suggested using a brayer to do the rubbing, which sounds like a great idea.
As for inking large stamps...I've read at SCS that some people use brayers to ink the stamps, but I've never really liked brayers all that much. I ink large stamps by placing them on the table rubber-side-up and holding the pad upside down. I get all obsessive about coverage (does that shock you? you must be new here) and tap the pads over the rubber repeatedly. It takes longer, but the little dew drop pads are easier to ink with than big SU felt pads, which I find sometimes don't give as good coverage for big stamps due to bowing of the felt...even on well-inked pads. I wonder if the new SU pads will work better, but the tiny pads give good control.
Enough chit-chat. Let's get to the card.
Yesterday's card showed the most obvious use of large stamps...all-over backgrounds. Today's card shows how you can use it for part of the background. I inked the stamp and then placed it so it would leave clean space on the right of the scrap of paper.
I should have taken a picture before I added the green hearts. The card didn't look at all unified until those three went down. The green hearts around the sentiment carry the green color over the baker's twine and help relate the two parts of the card. They also make three elements (hearts, envelope pattern, and card base) green. Three is a very good number.
Color is often a major contributor to a card's unity, so if you're working on a design and it's not coming together, think about how repeating color can help.
supplies
stamps: Hero Arts
ink: Memento
paper: Gina K
accessories: baker's twine, dimensionals
And no, Joyce, I am not kidding about standing on your big stamps. I actually prefer it to the inking-rubber-side-up method because it gets me moving and practicing balance. *snort*
Carol Duvall demonstrated standing on big stamps years ago, at a time when I was horribly frustrated by poor impressions and ruined card stock. My craft room had a carpeted floor, so I took a 12"-square piece of smooth plywood I'd had cut for an improvised book press, and used that to support the card stock. Worked beautifully, and I've done it ever since.
The other method came to my attention via some thread on SCS. It's slightly more time-consuming and can be prone to error if you don't rub the entire stamp well, but otherwise it's just as effective as standing. Someone suggested using a brayer to do the rubbing, which sounds like a great idea.
As for inking large stamps...I've read at SCS that some people use brayers to ink the stamps, but I've never really liked brayers all that much. I ink large stamps by placing them on the table rubber-side-up and holding the pad upside down. I get all obsessive about coverage (does that shock you? you must be new here) and tap the pads over the rubber repeatedly. It takes longer, but the little dew drop pads are easier to ink with than big SU felt pads, which I find sometimes don't give as good coverage for big stamps due to bowing of the felt...even on well-inked pads. I wonder if the new SU pads will work better, but the tiny pads give good control.
Enough chit-chat. Let's get to the card.
Yesterday's card showed the most obvious use of large stamps...all-over backgrounds. Today's card shows how you can use it for part of the background. I inked the stamp and then placed it so it would leave clean space on the right of the scrap of paper.
I should have taken a picture before I added the green hearts. The card didn't look at all unified until those three went down. The green hearts around the sentiment carry the green color over the baker's twine and help relate the two parts of the card. They also make three elements (hearts, envelope pattern, and card base) green. Three is a very good number.
Color is often a major contributor to a card's unity, so if you're working on a design and it's not coming together, think about how repeating color can help.
supplies
stamps: Hero Arts
ink: Memento
paper: Gina K
accessories: baker's twine, dimensionals
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Finally...It Is MINE!!!!
I have wanted this stamp for, oh, forever. And every time I went to place a Hero order at my favorite, trusted Hero suppliers, it was out of stock. Duh. It's, well, cool.
I finally got lucky on my last order...when there was just one left!
Over the next few days, I'm going to show a variety of uses for small patterned backgrounds like this. We'll start with the most obvious use of a big background stamp...a big background.
This card uses an old sentiment (Stampabilities, I think) that I just love, some turquoise bling flowers that I just love, and a piece of A Muse card stock (thanks, Joan!) that I just love.
Tonight, I'm all about the love, basking in the glow of cool stamp ownership.
Stamping Tip: When using big background stamps, I use one of two methods for getting a good impression. #1) Ink the stamp and place it inky side up on the table. place the card to be stamped on the stamp, cover with a sheet of scrap paper, and use a bone folder to rub over the surface of the stamp. #2) Place the paper to be stamped on a solid floor or piece of good-one-side plywood. Place the inked stamp down on the paper and then stand on the stamp. Works every time.
Supplies
stamps: Stampabilities, Hero Arts
ink: Memento gray, SU cool caribbean
paper: A Muse, no-name white, PTI gray
accessories: dimensionals, gemstone flowers
I finally got lucky on my last order...when there was just one left!
Over the next few days, I'm going to show a variety of uses for small patterned backgrounds like this. We'll start with the most obvious use of a big background stamp...a big background.
This card uses an old sentiment (Stampabilities, I think) that I just love, some turquoise bling flowers that I just love, and a piece of A Muse card stock (thanks, Joan!) that I just love.
Tonight, I'm all about the love, basking in the glow of cool stamp ownership.
Stamping Tip: When using big background stamps, I use one of two methods for getting a good impression. #1) Ink the stamp and place it inky side up on the table. place the card to be stamped on the stamp, cover with a sheet of scrap paper, and use a bone folder to rub over the surface of the stamp. #2) Place the paper to be stamped on a solid floor or piece of good-one-side plywood. Place the inked stamp down on the paper and then stand on the stamp. Works every time.
Supplies
stamps: Stampabilities, Hero Arts
ink: Memento gray, SU cool caribbean
paper: A Muse, no-name white, PTI gray
accessories: dimensionals, gemstone flowers
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
The New One-Layer Wednesday Challenge!!!!
Welcome to the New One-Layer Wednesday Challenge! I am so happy to announce the introduction of two new OLW hosts who will join Jennifer and me. Each woman brings a whole lotta CAS talent to the fun!
First up, Cheryl Emery of The Paperie Journey. She avidly participates in all sorts of challenges, including the CAS challenge on SCS and the Less Is More Challenge. Check out her blog and you'll see she's a fearless stamper, versatile, willing to try anything, and wonderfully talented, too!
Our second new host is the inestimable Heather Telford of Bits & Pieces. I've been a huge fan of Heather's amazing skills with a sponge for years. Her fabulous sense of color and masterful use of white space really define her soft-yet-crisp CAS style.
Jennifer, Cheryl, Heather, and I will alternate hosting the OLW challenge. To make it easier for you to find the challenge each week, I'm going to put a special section on my sidebar with links for the other three blogs, plus I'll announce where the challenge is every Wednesday.
Yippy!!!!!! I hope you find this as exciting as I do!!!!
And now for One-Layer Wednesday #86: Women Rule
In honor of our new hosts, the challenge this week is to make a card for a woman in your life. She may be your mom, of course, with Mother's Day right around the corner, or any other woman who is special to you for any reason.
You'll get a bonus point (good for a cyber-hug!) if you share some little detail about the person that you've incorporated into your card...an inside joke, favorite color, favorite image, etc.
My card is for my sister, Lisa, who has been my best friend since her birth. Well, in truth we drove our mother insane with our bickering, as only two sisters can. Our last fight, however, was in 1983...almost 30 years ago! We started girl-slapping at each other, realized at the same moment how utterly stupid that was, dissolved into laughter, threw our arms around each other, and have been best friends ever since.
The card combines three Papertrey Ink stamp sets: Simply Jane, Stampers Sampler Sentiments, and Silent Night (a Christmas set with that fabulous flourish). The inks are Memento, the paper is PTI, and the corners were rounded with a Corner Chomper.
My Bonus Point: Lisa's favorite color growing up was brown because she felt sorry for it, hence my use of browns on the card.
OLW86 Rules
1. A one-layer card is defined as a single piece of card stock folded in half. NO other layers allowed.
2. Make a card for any woman in your life...mom, sister, BFF, the lady who serves your mocha at Starbucks, whoever. Please keep embellishments to a minimum. As a bonus, please share something about your card that makes it personal for its intended recipient.
3. Upload your creation somewhere on the Internet, and then link to it using the InLinkz button on the sidebar of Simplicity. Please make sure to link directly to the card and not just to your blog so people will be able to find it easily!
4. The most important rule of all, of course, is to HAVE FUN!!!!!
First up, Cheryl Emery of The Paperie Journey. She avidly participates in all sorts of challenges, including the CAS challenge on SCS and the Less Is More Challenge. Check out her blog and you'll see she's a fearless stamper, versatile, willing to try anything, and wonderfully talented, too!
Our second new host is the inestimable Heather Telford of Bits & Pieces. I've been a huge fan of Heather's amazing skills with a sponge for years. Her fabulous sense of color and masterful use of white space really define her soft-yet-crisp CAS style.
Jennifer, Cheryl, Heather, and I will alternate hosting the OLW challenge. To make it easier for you to find the challenge each week, I'm going to put a special section on my sidebar with links for the other three blogs, plus I'll announce where the challenge is every Wednesday.
Yippy!!!!!! I hope you find this as exciting as I do!!!!
And now for One-Layer Wednesday #86: Women Rule
In honor of our new hosts, the challenge this week is to make a card for a woman in your life. She may be your mom, of course, with Mother's Day right around the corner, or any other woman who is special to you for any reason.
You'll get a bonus point (good for a cyber-hug!) if you share some little detail about the person that you've incorporated into your card...an inside joke, favorite color, favorite image, etc.
My card is for my sister, Lisa, who has been my best friend since her birth. Well, in truth we drove our mother insane with our bickering, as only two sisters can. Our last fight, however, was in 1983...almost 30 years ago! We started girl-slapping at each other, realized at the same moment how utterly stupid that was, dissolved into laughter, threw our arms around each other, and have been best friends ever since.
The card combines three Papertrey Ink stamp sets: Simply Jane, Stampers Sampler Sentiments, and Silent Night (a Christmas set with that fabulous flourish). The inks are Memento, the paper is PTI, and the corners were rounded with a Corner Chomper.
My Bonus Point: Lisa's favorite color growing up was brown because she felt sorry for it, hence my use of browns on the card.
OLW86 Rules
1. A one-layer card is defined as a single piece of card stock folded in half. NO other layers allowed.
2. Make a card for any woman in your life...mom, sister, BFF, the lady who serves your mocha at Starbucks, whoever. Please keep embellishments to a minimum. As a bonus, please share something about your card that makes it personal for its intended recipient.
3. Upload your creation somewhere on the Internet, and then link to it using the InLinkz button on the sidebar of Simplicity. Please make sure to link directly to the card and not just to your blog so people will be able to find it easily!
4. The most important rule of all, of course, is to HAVE FUN!!!!!
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