Saturday, October 22, 2011

Faux Cloisonne Thanksgiving

Time to make some Thanksgiving cards! I pulled out an old stamp set (Tags & More) today, and paired it with current colors and designer papers.


Check out SU!'s Holiday Mini catalog--page 16--to see the inspiration for my layout. Following this design took me out of my comfort zone a bit. I wouldn't have used the Soft Suede panel on top of the same color base without a contrasting mat unless I had seen it done successfully, but I like it.

The main focus of my card is the gold-embossed leaves: I used the Faux Cloisonne technique. I stamped the leaf image onto a magazine page using VersaMark ink, and then embossed with gold ep. Cutting out the leaves was the most time-consuming part of making these cards, but my trusty Paper Snips was more than up to the task.

For the main panel, I layered a few strips and a 3 3/4" square of Well Worn paper on Soft Suede card stock, and popped that whole piece up with Stampin' Dimensionals. Mini Glue Dots were perfect for adhering the cut-out leaves, keeping them secure while allowing the edges to curl up slightly for dimension. I added a loop of 1/4" Basic Black grosgrain around the panel, too.

When I use dark card stock for my card base, I usually line the card with a light piece of card stock. For this set of cards, I cut pieces of Very Vanilla, stamped with leaves in both Cajun Craze and Soft Suede inks, and also added a Thanksgiving sentiment (from another retired set) in Cajun Craze.

One of my favorite ways to dress up a card is to add a liner to the envelope. I had just enough of the paper I used on the front of the cards to line all eight envelopes with the same pattern. Stamping one Cajun Craze leaf on the front of the envelopes was my final touch.

Thanksgiving is a perfect time to remember those in our lives for whom we are thankful. Why not make a few handmade cards to send off? Happy stamping!

Friday, October 21, 2011

A Silhouette Trio

Part Two of my six-card set was this group of cards made using the Plaid Silhouette technique.


Similar in versatility to the Rock and Roll technique I posted last week, Plaid Silhouette extends the range of your bold-image stamps. I love the combination of this technique with the elephant stamp from Animal Stories.

Here is a close-up of the card with a Rose Red base.


Again, I kept both the layout and stamping simple.

The Plaid Silhouette technique uses three ink colors. Here I selected So Saffron (light) and Rose Red and Old Olive (darker). After inking the stamp with the light ink, turn the stamp over and press the edge of one of the darker ink pads on the stamp to make a series of lines. Turn the stamp 90 degrees to make crossing lines. Repeat with another dark ink pad.

If you haven't tried this one, you should. You'll love the look you get.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

An Old Favorite: Rock and Roll

I made a quick set of six cards last weekend. To save time and also make good use of some of my plentiful designer papers, I limited my stamping to one image. The rest of the detail of the card design is built right into this nifty (retired) patterned paper from Stampin' Up!.


I picked three of the colors from this paper to carry through in the cards: Old Olive, So Saffron and Rose Red. Each color served as one card base, and then I used two of the colors in the stamped owl images on each card.

Here is a close-up of the card with the Old Olive base.


After choosing the part of the design I wanted for the scenery/background, I stamped three owl images from Animal Stories. I used the Rock and Roll technique to add both Old Olive and So Saffron ink to the stamped image. It's simple. Ink the stamp with So Saffron ink. Roll the stamp on the Old Olive pad, so that the edges pick up the darker ink, but the center retains the lighter ink color. You can see that I used progressively more of the darker ink with each image I stamped.

Try this technique with some of your bold-image stamps for a fun new look!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

The Perfect Sentiment

Sometimes things just work out right. A mere two days after I received the new Ronald McDonald House Charities benefit stamp set, Turtle & Co., I was called on to make a card for a church member who had foot surgery. Not only are the images in this set cute and upbeat, but one of the sentiments is "hope you're back on your feet soon!"

For this card, I combined a layered look with a CAS style, giving the card a rich yet simple feel. I like it!


The Wisteria Wonder ruffled ribbon paired with Real Red card stock and ink helped to carry the cheery theme, too. I added a touch of texture with the small polka dot Texturz plate, and used a Blender Pen to add color from my ink pads to the turtle.


With the Real Red card base, I needed to line the inside, giving me a perfect excuse to add this cute little snail in Real Red ink. As a former Life Science teacher, I can't help but chuckle as I pair the word "feet" with a smiling, one-footed gastropod.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Cherishing Beau Chateau

The colors in the Beau Chateau dsp are real winners for me: Soft Suede, Pink Pirouette, Marina Mist...so peaceful!

This card is for an anniversary. I'm hoping the brown and blue accents balance out the pink card base, for a gender-even effect. I inked the Medallion stamp with Soft Suede Classic ink, and then added VersaMark before stamping directly onto the dsp and embossing with clear ep. There is a halfback pearl in the center.


I trimmed the sheet with a printed frame to fit the inside, and stamped the sentiment with Soft Suede ink.


Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Sunny Birthday

I'll admit to being somewhat confused by the new Blogger interface. I guess the more birthdays I have, the more new things I'll have to try to figure out.

My birthday is this week, and my present to myself is to spend some quality time with my stamps and ink! I made this card on commission. It is a riff on a card in the 2011-2012 IBC, and it is also a slight variation of one of the projects my Club ladies completed at our September meeting.


Who doesn't love the Upsy Daisy stamp set? I paired it here with the Beyond the Garden dsp, and chose Tangerine Tango for the focal image--orange in honor of Fall. For a bit of class, I used two halfback pearls on the small green panel.

The inside features another big piece of the dsp, and a reprise of the daisy image, too (this time in Daffodil Delight). When I designed this card, I thought maybe it was too spring-like, but our weather here in Minnesota is in the 80s and sunny all week long, so I guess it fits!


I hope you like this card enough to give it a try yourself!