Archive for January, 2009
Dahling! You’re a Little Overdressed!
So, This is a Little Distressing…
…on so many levels! This project began as an experiment inspired by a technique I saw on Tim Holtz’s blog, using “Distress”Inks by Ranger. (Distress Inks/distressing – get it)? But even more distressing was looking at the pictures of my husband, Brian and I “then and now!” Twenty-four years of living leaves a few marks!
But seriously, I really love how this layout turned out. Believe it or not, it started out as two pieces of smooth white Bazzil cardstock. I created the background in layers. First, I used Tim Holtz’s alpha masks to right on the white cardstock to spell out my title, then I inked the background using a really cool technique. I smeared some Broken China Distress Ink on a non-stick craft mat, then diluted it by spraying liberally with water. Then I rolled my rubber brayer gently through the puddles and applied it to the paper. When I had filled the two pages, I let it dry and did it again using Faded Jeans Distress Ink.
After removing the letter masks, I applied Peeled Paint Distress Ink to the edges of the paper and over the title using a Foam Blending Tool. I made the letters “pop” more by outlining with my Signo White Gel Pen. Finally, I added more texture and depth to my background by stamping the same Hero Arts swirl repeatedly in creamy brown and white inks and mounted the whole shebang on kraft cardstock.
The embellishments for this layout were cut out using my favourite Sizzix dies from Grungeboard. I coloured most of them using various Distress Inks and a blending tool, then highlighting a few of them with Distress Stickles. Except the bird. Again, I wanted to try a technique from Tim. This one involved painting the grungeboard with Pewter Distress Crackle Paint (after all, I didn’t want to be the only one on the layout showing some wear and tear)! When dry, I was able to add colour by dabbing alcohol inks right over the crackle paint. In real life, it is very shiny and cool looking!
The layout was finished by adding the aforementioned distressing pictures, and some velvet scalloped ribbon from American Craft. Whew!
What I really love about this project is that I finally feel like I have successfully combined my two passions – stamping and scrapbooking -in a way that does justice to both.
Dahling! You’re a Little Overdressed!
So, This is a Little Distressing…
…on so many levels! This project began as an experiment inspired by a technique I saw on Tim Holtz’s blog, using “Distress”Inks by Ranger. (Distress Inks/distressing – get it)? But even more distressing was looking at the pictures of my husband, Brian and I “then and now!” Twenty-four years of living leaves a few marks!
But seriously, I really love how this layout turned out. Believe it or not, it started out as two pieces of smooth white Bazzil cardstock. I created the background in layers. First, I used Tim Holtz’s alpha masks to right on the white cardstock to spell out my title, then I inked the background using a really cool technique. I smeared some Broken China Distress Ink on a non-stick craft mat, then diluted it by spraying liberally with water. Then I rolled my rubber brayer gently through the puddles and applied it to the paper. When I had filled the two pages, I let it dry and did it again using Faded Jeans Distress Ink.
After removing the letter masks, I applied Peeled Paint Distress Ink to the edges of the paper and over the title using a Foam Blending Tool. I made the letters “pop” more by outlining with my Signo White Gel Pen. Finally, I added more texture and depth to my background by stamping the same Hero Arts swirl repeatedly in creamy brown and white inks and mounted the whole shebang on kraft cardstock.
The embellishments for this layout were cut out using my favourite Sizzix dies from Grungeboard. I coloured most of them using various Distress Inks and a blending tool, then highlighting a few of them with Distress Stickles. Except the bird. Again, I wanted to try a technique from Tim. This one involved painting the grungeboard with Pewter Distress Crackle Paint (after all, I didn’t want to be the only one on the layout showing some wear and tear)! When dry, I was able to add colour by dabbing alcohol inks right over the crackle paint. In real life, it is very shiny and cool looking!
The layout was finished by adding the aforementioned distressing pictures, and some velvet scalloped ribbon from American Craft. Whew!
What I really love about this project is that I finally feel like I have successfully combined my two passions – stamping and scrapbooking -in a way that does justice to both.
LSC205 on Splitcoast
LSC205 on Splitcoast
One Sheet Wonder – Take Two!
As promised, I tackled the same one sheet wonder template that Donna used and completed 15 cards that don’t look anything like Donna’s (not on purpose – it just turned out that way)! There are a couple of reasons why my cards look different.
First, I approached the whole project as an exercise in minimalism – which is just a really nice way of saying “lazy!” I started with a really neutral colour palette of Chocolate Chip, Bordering Blue, Very Vanilla and Grey – then punched it up with one really bright colour, Kiwi Kiss. This is a great way to draw focus where you want it without using lots of stamps and embellishments. Then I added interest and detail using a few selected images from the Stampin’ Up sets “Always” and “Baroque Motifs.” All of my sentiments are from the SU set, “Full of Life,” and I made them the focal point of my cards.
Finally, I ended up altering the template here and there because I seem to be psychologically incapable of following directions and I kept snipping away and changing things up. Then I felt like using some of the great SU punches and….. I think you probably see where this is headed! So, I did a quick sketch of how the template would look now, with the alterations I made in case anyone wants to try reproducing my cards.
One Sheet Wonder – Take Two!
As promised, I tackled the same one sheet wonder template that Donna used and completed 15 cards that don’t look anything like Donna’s (not on purpose – it just turned out that way)! There are a couple of reasons why my cards look different.
First, I approached the whole project as an exercise in minimalism – which is just a really nice way of saying “lazy!” I started with a really neutral colour palette of Chocolate Chip, Bordering Blue, Very Vanilla and Grey – then punched it up with one really bright colour, Kiwi Kiss. This is a great way to draw focus where you want it without using lots of stamps and embellishments. Then I added interest and detail using a few selected images from the Stampin’ Up sets “Always” and “Baroque Motifs.” All of my sentiments are from the SU set, “Full of Life,” and I made them the focal point of my cards.
Finally, I ended up altering the template here and there because I seem to be psychologically incapable of following directions and I kept snipping away and changing things up. Then I felt like using some of the great SU punches and….. I think you probably see where this is headed! So, I did a quick sketch of how the template would look now, with the alterations I made in case anyone wants to try reproducing my cards.
It’s a Miracle!
Every once in a while, I love to boost my card stash with a little project called the “One Sheet Wonder.” Traditionally, you stamp a background pattern over an 8.5 x 11″ piece of cardstock, then cut it into various sizes and shapes, and layer them onto coordinating card bases to create 8-10 cards in one session.
Well, I recently stumbled upon a virtuoso of this project called Mae Collins and I really liked what she had done with the concept. Mae used a 12×12 piece of patterned paper, created a template for 15 cards, and used stamps to add depth and embellishment to her cards. You can see her template and resulting cards here. Brilliant!
So Donna and I decided to each tackle one of Mae’s templates individually and then compare what we came up with. I think the results clearly showcase our different strengths and styles! Today, we are featuring Donna’s cards.
These are so gorgeous! Donna’s style is very elegant and feminine with lots of beautiful details. She followed Mae’s template very faithfully, using a palette of red riding hood red, kiwi kiss, very vanilla, and pirouette pink from Stampin’ Up. The patterned paper and all the ribbons and embellies are also from SU. She used stamps from a wide variety of sets to create a collection that is truly for every occasion! When you look at the individual cards below, you’ll see what I mean about her attention to detail. There are notched corners, inked edges, ink dyed fabric flowers (from the “pretties” kit), beautiful hardware (from the ‘styled silver hodgepodge” kit, and – of course- lots of her favourite ribbons!
…………………..
What I love most about the One Sheet Wonder challenge is that my cards look totally different, even though we started with the same template! Tune in tomorrow to see my take on this project!
Cathy
It’s a Miracle!
Every once in a while, I love to boost my card stash with a little project called the “One Sheet Wonder.” Traditionally, you stamp a background pattern over an 8.5 x 11″ piece of cardstock, then cut it into various sizes and shapes, and layer them onto coordinating card bases to create 8-10 cards in one session.
Well, I recently stumbled upon a virtuoso of this project called Mae Collins and I really liked what she had done with the concept. Mae used a 12×12 piece of patterned paper, created a template for 15 cards, and used stamps to add depth and embellishment to her cards. You can see her template and resulting cards here. Brilliant!
So Donna and I decided to each tackle one of Mae’s templates individually and then compare what we came up with. I think the results clearly showcase our different strengths and styles! Today, we are featuring Donna’s cards.
These are so gorgeous! Donna’s style is very elegant and feminine with lots of beautiful details. She followed Mae’s template very faithfully, using a palette of red riding hood red, kiwi kiss, very vanilla, and pirouette pink from Stampin’ Up. The patterned paper and all the ribbons and embellies are also from SU. She used stamps from a wide variety of sets to create a collection that is truly for every occasion! When you look at the individual cards below, you’ll see what I mean about her attention to detail. There are notched corners, inked edges, ink dyed fabric flowers (from the “pretties” kit), beautiful hardware (from the ‘styled silver hodgepodge” kit, and – of course- lots of her favourite ribbons!
…………………..
What I love most about the One Sheet Wonder challenge is that my cards look totally different, even though we started with the same template! Tune in tomorrow to see my take on this project!
Cathy