Spots and Stripes

This weeks' Simon Says Stamp Challenge is "Spots and Stripes". Here's my example of spots and stripes. I just love the look of the flowers and leaves, which I stamped with Versamark and embossed with Ranger's Queen's Gold embossing powder. I then applied Broken China Distress Ink directly to the paper for the flowers and Bundled Sage for the leaves. Next, I misted the flowers with a mixture of water and Perfect Pearls Pearl. When they were dry, I cut them out and mounted them with dimensional tape. If you haven't tried this technique yet, you really should give it a go. I'm certain that you will love the effect!

Until next time,

PanPastel Background

I've been experimenting with the use of PanPastel Artists' Pastels to create a quick and beautiful background on some of my cards. These artists' pastels are soft and very easy to use. Although I have some Sofft Art Sponges, I have found that a simple makeup sponge works quite well for application and is much less expensive. For the background of this card I used Phthalo Blue for the sky and Raw Umber for the ground. By passing over an area several times and applying medium pressure it is easy to deepen the colour. Conversely, by applying light pressure one can achieve a very pale and soft depth of colour. The texture of the chalk can easily be changed by the movement of your hand. I just love the effect! After applying the background, I stamped the image using a Hero Arts rubber stamp (Silhouette Grass)and Versamark Ink. I then applied and heat set the image using Ranger Embossing Antiquities in Rust. This is a really different type of embossing powder and gives a matte, rough texture to the embossed image. The picture really doesn't do this justice. I was very pleased with the result.

I am current taking another Online card making Class. This one is called "Clean and Simple Card Making" and involves Kristina Werner, Jennifer McGuire, Julie Ebersole and several of their friends. I highly recommend these classes and I'm thoroughly enjoying the fresh new ideas. I've been pretty busy and haven't had a chance to make many cards using the new ideas, but here's one that I whipped up after watching the initial class. I find that I anxiously await each day's new posting. Such fun!

Until next time,

Welcoming the New Year

2012 has finally arrived and with the new year many of us remember to count our blessings and look forward to whatever new adventures lie ahead. My family and I had a wonderful Christmas. We are still basking in the glow of love and warm comfort that grows out of the gathering of friends and family. Think positive thoughts about the things that 2012 will bring and then do your best to make them happen. Here's a little card I made with a wonderful stamp from Stamping Bella that was designed by one of my favourite artists, Mo Manning. This little boy's expression reminds me so much of the looks I sometimes encountered in my classroom and out on the playground while on yard duty. Mo has captured perfectly that slight glimmer of guilt that kids get on their faces when caught red handed doing something they know they are not supposed to be doing. I just love it! The image was coloured using Prismacolor Premier coloured pencils and blended with odourless mineral spirits using a paper stomp. This is one of my favourite ways of adding colour to my stamped images. I cut the image out and mounted it with dimensional tape on a designer paper illustrated with a winter scene. To accentuate the "Who Me?" look on the boy's face, I constructed a window on the front of the card using white cardstock as the window frame and clear acetate to give the impression of glass panes. A perfect card to celebrate a winter birthday!

Until next time,

Winter Solstice

It certainly doesn't feel like the first day of winter. It looks like it is going to be a green Christmas here in Midland, Ontario. This is very rare for us since we live in the "snow belt" of Ontario and often get dumped on with lake effect snow. I'm sure there are lots of winter sports enthusiasts that are praying for snow.

If you haven't visited Mo Manning's Digital Pencil website yet, you really should take a look. I've enjoyed using several of her digital stamps with my Copic markers. Here is a sample of one of the Christmas cards that I made with a couple of Mo's wonderful drawings. I used "carolers_three" for the front of my card:

I thought that "Ragged Angel" was a perfect complement for the inside of this Christmas card!

I'm really going to be sorry to leave my Christmas card designing behind me until next Christmas. I'm busy making Christmas tags for my gifts. I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday season! Until next time,

CHRISTMAS IS COMING FAST!

I can hardly believe that Christmas is only 20 days away! I recently took part in the 2011 Holiday Card Boot Camp. Jennifer McGuire and Kristina Werner put on a fabulous 2 week long workshop. I took away so many wonderful ideas for Christmas cards of all kinds. Here are a few of the cards that I have made recently, many of which were inspired by the cards shown in the Boot Camp.

Oh how I love making Christmas cards! Now all I have to do is get around to mailing them! Until next time,