big blooms...

 

• 6 x 4 card blank
• SU! 'flower patch' and sentiment stamp (sorry I got the sentiment 2nd hand with no name label)
• memento ink pads

I kept this card really simple with the bold flowers as the main feature. I stamped the different flowers and leaves to build up the image and finished it off with a sentiment stamped in the corner.  

'anything goes'

Mx

simple silhouettes...

 

• 6 x 4 kraft card blank and coloured cardstock
• SU! 'just believe' stamp
• SU! 'elegant butterfly' punch
• archival ink 'sepia'
• twine

I cut 3 butterflies from different coloured cardstock using the punch and lined them up on the desk. I  stamped the flowers once onto my card blank, then 2nd generation stamped onto the butterflies. I then used foam pads to stick the butterflies down the centre of the card. I added twine through holes in the top of the card and tied it in a bow following the sketch.

 

freshly made sketch #175

Mx

floral wreath...

 

• wild rose studio stamp 'everyday greetings'
• cardio stamps (floral from various sets)
• SU! 'potpourri' stamp with matching punch
• stickles 'frosted lace'
• memento ink pads

I started with a circle drawn lightly in pencil. I then added floral and foliage stamps to cover the outline using various coloured inks, inspired by the colour Q challenge. I then inked some cardstock, cut it into a banner shape and stamped it with my sentiment. Next was the butterfly, which I coloured, stamped and punched out. I glued the pieces onto my card blank following the paper players sketch and finished with glittered accents around the edge of the matt and the centres of the flowers.

 



colour Q #281



the paper players sketch #233

Mx

two by two...

• 6 x 4 kraft card blank craftwork cards digi cardstock and yellow pearl linen cardstock
• SU! 'two by two' stamp
• memento ink and promarkers
• a brown button and twine

 

I decided to create a vibrant, gender neutral baby card and thought this Noah's ark stamp would work well with the kraft and yellow colour scheme. Following the sketch, I cut my cardstock on an angle to create my mat and layers. I stamped the image (not inking the sentiment attached) and coloured this with promarkers. I then cleaned the stamp and inked only the sentiment this time. this was cut into a banner shape and layered onto more yellow. I curled the edge for a bit of dimension before gluing down all of my layers onto the card blank. the finishing touch of a button tied with twine was added to complete the sketch.

 

Sketch # 349

Mx

generation stamping

 

 Now you have the basics of stamping, you can do generation stamping. This is a really simple technique that I thought I would show you for this tutorial Tuesday. You simply ink your stamp up and stamp as normal. Then comes the generation bit ... instead of re-inking your stamp, you print it again for a 2nd generation and again for a 3rd generation. The impression fades as the generations go on, as shown in the photo above. This can create nice depth and softness for backgrounds like the one I created below.

 

 

 

Mx

simply swallowtail !!

 

For this card I took a black 6x4 card blank and added the swallowtail butterfly from SU! stamped in SU! whisper white pigment ink. The sentiment (hello you thinlits) was die cut in pink glittery cardstock and added to the card. This is a simple but effective card which makes the most of the large stamp and thanks sentiment.

 

Mx

how to stamp...

so the basics of stamping: a few simple rules to follow are: choose the size of acrylic block to match your stamp, take the ink pad to the stamp, always keep one hand on the stamp and apply even pressure with the other all over the stamp.

 

 

if you struggle with your hands or your hands are too small to grip the block, you can take the paper to the stamp instead (shown below)

 

 

there are some times when you might want to break the rules, for example when you want to create a background quickly and are using very small stamps or want to create a distressed background using the rolling technique shown below.

 

 

Mx

my magnolia valentines ...

 

I created these two valentines cards using magnolia 'tilda' stamps coloured with promarkers. I have added sizzix die cut letters for the messages and the hearts. I inked the card blanks with tim holts distress ink and stamped the background for added interest. I also used an embossing folder for the circle layer on the love card. I used stickles to add glittered accents to the bee wings and cosmic shimmer pearlescent paint and a silk edged organza bow to the love card. The love envelope and insert was also stamped with the hearts background to match the card.

 

 

Happy Valentines day all,

 

Mx

fussy cutting

This week's tutorial Tuesday is going to focus on 'fussy cutting'. This is the term used to refer to the technique of cutting out selected areas of a design. You can use it to remove a flower or image from a patterned piece of paper, or to layer up part of a design by cutting out repeating sections to create a decoupage.

 

example paper

 

The key to fussy cutting is choosing the right resource. You need to pick a paper with enough individual designs on it to make it worth cutting up. This paper is a good example of a good one to use, as it has lots of flowers you might want to use in a more simple or layered design. I like to start at the edge and work my way into the paper, being careful not to cut through any usable pieces.

 



fussy cut pieces and the paper remaining



fussy cut flower and flower in the paper, (before and after)

To fussy cut the paper, simply follow the outline of the image, cutting it with some fine, sharp paper scissors or a scalpel. You can then remove the cut out piece from the page and use it in your design. 

 

a card created with the fussy cut flowers.

You can see how you can create a completely different look from a piece of paper using the fussy cutting technique. by removing the background, I have created a clean and simple look using these bold flowers on a card blank, with the edges simply inked and a stamped message to finish off.

 

Mx

Gutting ...

you can save money when matting and layering by gutting cardstock. Gutting is effectively removing the centre of you matt before adding the next layer. I do this most often with mirri cardstock and glitter card, but also to save any speciality papers or limited supplies. You can do this in two ways: with a paper trimmer or with dies. If you have a rotary trimmer, you may struggle to control the end of the cut when you reach the corners, so I would always recommend using a craft knife or a fiskars 'personal paper trimmer' (like the one I use) instead.

 

Whatever you choose to use, the principle is basically the same. cut your matt to size and ensure you leave a good border when marking where to trim. You then cut out the centre to leave a frame of your cardstock. If you left this hole, your next layers would sink, so you must fill the space. I normally take a cheaper cardstock of a similar weight to fill the gap, cutting it to size (this is easiest when using dies, as the same one can be used for a perfect fit.) Another advantage of the dies is that you get a nice neat edge to use the central cut out as a layer, but depending on the size of your mat and the dies you have its not always possible. Once this is complete, you can hide the cheaper cardstock under your next layer. Nobody will ever know, but you can get a lot more cards for your money!!

 

before

 

gutted

 

refilled

Before you say 'its not tuesday' I would just like to apologise for being a day late. Life had got a little busy and I lost track of days, but I still wanted to share this little tutorial with you all.

 

Mx

coffee kraft...

 

I folded a kraft card blank in half and stamped the splatter background ( French foliage by SU!) in memento (rich cocoa) ink. I then cut a piece of white digi cardstock and stamped positively chevrons from SU! using tim holtz (mustard seed) distress ink, using the remaining ink to create a softer shade between the chevrons. I wrapped twine around this panel tied in a knot on the front. This was then stuck to the card blank using foam pads for dimension.  Finally, I stamped the coffee cup (perfect blend by SU!) using memento ink. I stamped it twice, colouring one brown with copics and adding the message to the other with a cream background using promarkers. I then cut out the images to decoupage the cream sections onto the complete brown cup. I stuck this onto the card to complete the cas(e) this sketch challenge.

 

Sketch #108

Mx