A Good Idea

White-on-white and lots of lovely texture - that was the game plan for this one . . .

 My first plan was to  brayer the cardstock with the various colors before die cutting the flowers.  But I decided to add the colors after die cutting so that the attractive, recessed veins on the petals would stand out.  Much more interesting, yes?

To add some subtle glimmer, I've glued on a few silver sequins, burying them under the foliage so that the holes in the sequins don't show.  That's probably being overly anal, but there it is . . .

Cardstock:   Papers by Catherine White, Strathmore Ultimate White          

Stamps:       Concord & 9^th Fine Line Florals text

Inks:             Vivid Sky Blue, Plum, Taupe, Cobblestone

Dies:            Concord & 9^th Fine Line Florals, TopUnder/Amazon

                     “Three Lobed Flower”, Spellbinders Floral Berry Accents,

                     Studio Calico Nested Rectangles, Bottone/Amazon Leafy

                     Border, Wplus9 Banner Trio, Carl punch Flower Center                

Emb Folder: Sizzix Happy Texture

Doo Dads:    Sequins Flat Matte Silver  

Journey, Dance, Sing

When it comes to intricate, lacy background dies, I get weak in the knees . . .

I popped this one up with foam dots to increase the shadows and drama, and then added the orchids which I colored with the ever-wonderful Life Changing Brushes.  A few words, some crystal raindrops, and I'm very happy with the results!

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute, Strathmore Ultimate White 

Stamps:       The Artful Stamper Elegant Orchid, The Artful Stamper

                     Celebrate Werdz: “Journey”, “Sing”, “Dance”

Inks:             VersaFine Olympia Green, Distress Peeled Paint,

                     Tattered Rose, Worn Lipstick

Dies:            DieNamics Pierced Rectangle Frames, Tim Holtz

                     Intricate Lace, The Artful Stamper Elegant Orchid                       

Doo Dads:    Crystal drops

Deepest Sympathy

I got lucky this time and the camera actually picked up part of the gleam on the dogwood flowers and the butterfly . . .

My discovery of the Fine Tec Metallic Watercolors came via artist Dina Kowal on Splitcoast Stampers.  I'm very grateful to her for steering me towards these lovely paints.  The set contains six metallic colors in varying shades of gold plus the silver one used on this card.  It's actually more white than silver and it's beautiful. 

The colors are very saturated, look like metal,  and are fabulous on dark cardstock as well as light.  This set now has a permanent home on my worktable . . .

Cardstock:   Utopia Matte White 

Stamps:       Unknown Dogwood, Vippies Dotty Snow, Alias Smith &

                     Rowe “With Deepest Sympathy”

Inks:             VersaFine Olympia Green

Watercolors:   Fine Tec Watercolor Sterling Silver, Inca Gold, Zig

                        Real Brush Bright Yellow

Emb Powder:  Vippies Transcendence

Dies:            Gina Marie Stitched Rounded Squares, Elizabeth Craft

                     Small Butterfly       

Doo Dads:    PSX Glitter Glue Sparkles: Buttercup      

To You

I broke out the brayer for the background on this one . . .

The ivory color of the cardstock base wasn't the shade of creamy beige I was after, so I inked up my brayer with Antique Linen and went to work.  Until I figured out the best ways to stroke on the color, I didn't have much luck with brayering.  But I love that handy tool now!

I start at the bottom and go up, covering with a single layer of ink.  Then I rotate the cardstock 180°, re-ink and repeat.  I do the same two steps crosswise.  The result is usually an interesting, slightly textured look reminiscent of stone. 

Early in the process, however, the results are splotchy and the temptation is to correct that.  Don't.  Too much ink applied while going in one direction makes lines and densely inked areas that are hard to even out.  Just rotate the cardstock, re-ink, and stroke again.  If more ink is desired for a smoother look, I then go corner to corner diagonally.

The focal layer was colored with my Life Changing Brushes and then spattered with water.

 

For my much-loved sister-in-law:  may her birthday be a blessed one!

Cardstock:   Papers by Catherine White, Strathmore Ultimate White          

Stamps:       Stampendous Agapanthus Cluster, Taylored Expressions

                     Simple Strips Background

Inks:             Distress Antique Linen, Faded Jeans, Dusty Concord,

                     Frayed Burlap

Dies:            Studio Calico Nested Rectangles, Taylored Expressions

                     Simple Strips Background

Doo Dads:    Wink of Stella Black, Claudine Hellmuth, Black Gesso          

A Special Father

When I began putting this layout together, it seemed that there was way too much white on the background, so I decided to tone it down a little . . .

 I took the lightest ink I have, inked up my favorite marble image, and stamped it over the entire background.  I love the subtle but effective results and will use this idea often in future. 

However, the rest of the layout does not exactly warm the cockles of my heart . . .  I've looked at it six ways from Sunday and cannot figure out how to fix it.  As Father's Day is nipping at my heels, I need to let this go, wish myself better luck next time, and move on to the next one. 

Meanwhile, a Happy Father's Day to one and all!

Cardstock:   Unknown Textured Blue, Strathmore #90 Watercolor

                     paper, Marcos Jute   

Stamps:       Stampin Up “For a Special Father”, KaiserCraft Marble

Inks:             Gina K Amalgam: Black, Whisper

Watercolors:   Zig Real Brush Haze Blue, Pale Green, Light Green,

                        Brick Beige

Dies:            Frantic Stamper Striped Frame & Insert, Elizabeth Craft 

                     Jewels 1               

Doo Dads:    Elizabeth Craft Peel Off Stickers: Black  

All Animals Go to Heaven

When my friend's much-loved dog Lucy died, this was the card I put together for her . . .

The encouraging quote from Pope Francis reads:

All animals go to heaven.  Paradise is open to all God's creatures.

The colors were blended with my Life Changing Brushes and I cannot over-emphasize how wonderful those brushes are.  They are a joy to use and the results are always perfectly smooth.

Lucy was a sweet little dog . . . she'll be missed for a very long time.

Cardstock:   Papers by Catherine White, Bazzill Steel Blue, Strathmore

                     #90 Watercolor paper

Stamps:       Our Daily Bread Never Forgotten: “All animals” quote

Inks:             Distress Bundled Sage, Weathered Wood, Victorian Velvet

Emb Powder:   Stampendous Shabby White

Dies:            Arich “Rounded Corners Stitched Rectangle”, Spellbinders

                     Curved Matting Basics B, Memory Box Lorelai Leaf               

Emb Folder: Darice Thin Lines

Doo Dads:    Gesso White

Time Flies

My extraordinary friend Richard loves clocks . . . so much so that he's got a two story section of wall covered with them.  The joy of them wears a little thin when the two annual time changes roll around and it takes a very long ladder to re-set them, but Richard is only in his mid-eighties and is more than willing to cope.  Which is why I call him "extraordinary".  Naturally, his birthday card features a clock theme . . .

I've collected a stash of watch and clock parts for years because I really love the intricate look of them, so it was fun to put them to work here.  The problem was adhering them, as there's not that much solid metal surface to work with.  I decided that two-sided glue dots were the best solution as they're so strong.  But even the smallest dots left some glue exposed, so I dusted them with a dark gold glitter that works well with the aged brass of the clockworks.  Not too much pizzazz - just a bit of shimmery interest . . .

Cardstock:   Papers by Catherine Ivory, Bazzill Raven 

Stamps:       Lasting Impressions Watch Face, PSX Pocket Watch

Inks:             Gina K Amalgam, Colorbox Gold

Emb Powder:   Ranger Gold

Dies:            Gina Marie Stitched Rounded Squares, Cheery Lynn

                     Wings, Memory Box Grosgrain Ribbons, DieVersions

                     text Noodles                     

Emb Folder: Darice Clock Background

Doo Dads:    Watch parts, Stamp’n Around glitter Gold Dust 

Happy

I love taking color cues from fabrics or printed papers.  I like to use color combinations that are already pleasing to the eye and see how close I can get with inks and cardstock.  This combination of dark and light blues, cream, and olive green was fun to work with, especially when I discovered that Peeled Paint was a perfect match to the green in the paisley pattern . . .

The mini tile background was first stenciled in a dark blue which didn't work.  Next I tried a light blue stencil paste, which also didn't work.  So I took my Life Changing brushes and blended Peeled Paint over the whole area, trying for light and dark areas to add interest.  The dried stencil paste took the color perfectly.  Another discovery was that the brushes are excellent in going over rough surfaces:  unlike sponges which catch on heavy texture, the Life Changing bristles are able to apply color while going right around such obstacles and are not remotely harmed in the process . . .

Cardstock:   Papers by Catherine Ivory, Unknown scraps: Blue,

                     Textured Oatmeal, Paisley designer paper 

Inks:             Distress Stormy Sky, Peeled Paint

Dies:            Frantic Stamper Belly Band, Tim Holtz                      

Stencil:        The Crafters Workshop Mini Chevron Tiles

Doo Dads:    Delta Texture Magic French Blue, Nuvo Aqua Shimmer

                     Glitter Gloss