peaceful evergreens ink blended card

peaceful evergreens ink blended card

I love creating ink blended backgrounds such an easy way to create a totally unique background from a plain piece of Basic White cardstock!

Measurements:
BASE: Night of Navy CS: 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″
scored at 4 1/4″
Basic White CS: (2) 4″ x 5 1/4″ layers
2 1/2″ x 5 1/2″
scraps for die cut sentiments

Because of the darkness of the base cardstock I always layer a 4″ x 5 1/4″ Basic White piece of cardstock on the inside of the card to write the message. I adhered the first Basic White layer on the inside of the card.
Using a Blending Brush I colored the top 2/3’s of the other Basic White layer with Night of Navy ink.
I colored the bottom 1/3 of the blended layer with a new Blending Brush dragged through Pecan Pie ink.
I opened up my Basic White Craft ink pad and added a few drops of Craft ink refill tot he ink lid. I squeezed some water from a medium water painter and with the brush water with water and craft ink I knocked the side of the water painter onto the side of my bone folder to create a splatter background on the night of navy section of the blended layer. This makes the blended background look like a starry sky!
This is a close up picture of the splattered background.
Take the 2 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ piece of Basic White cardstock and place in the Painted Trees 3D embossing folder and emboss with the largest tree image.
Brush the embossed tree image with a Blending brush and Granny Apple Green ink. Adhere to the center of the blended layer.
Adhere a 5 1/4″ piece of Night of Navy and Gold 1/2″ Glittered Ribbon to the back of the blended layer and adhere the layer onto the card base.
Stamp the Christmas word stamp from the Peaceful Season stamp set in Night of Navy ink and die cut with the coordinated die set.
Adhere to the top of the blended layer on the card base.
Stamp the words “in the air” from the Peaceful Seasons stamp set and die cut with the coordinating dies. Pop up on Stampin’ Dimensionals and place on the card front right below the ribbon offset to the right side of the card.
Add Drusy Adhesive-Backed Embellishments to the card front around the sentiment and my August Christmas card swap is complete! What do you think?
Try this blended background technique with some stamps from your collection and let me. know how it turns out! Now go and create some art work of your very own – one stamp at a time!

Happy Stampin’
Natalie

nests of winter suite card – new mini catalog products

nests of winter suite card – new mini catalog products

Today’s blog features the Nests of Winter Suite of products – one of the coolest things in this suite in my opinion is the frame die of foliage. Today I am using the negative space of that frame die to create a background for the card!

Measurements:
BASE: Pecan Pie 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″
scored at 4 1/4″
Mossy Meadow layer 4″ x 5 1/4″
Basic White layer. 3 3/4″ x 5″
scrap for sentiment piece
Basic Beige scrap for birds stamp

Stamp the double birds in Tuxedo Black Memento ink on Basic Beige cardstock.
Using the Cherry Cobbler watercolor pencils – color the berries.
Color the bird with Balmy Blue watercolor pencil.
Color the bird’s belly with the Crushed Curry watercolor pencil.
Color the branches with Pecan Pie watercolor pencil.
Using a water painter color each colored section starting with the lightest color and then brush the water painter until it paints clear and paint the next darkest color until all colors are watercolored.
Die cut the frame from the Nest of Winter and use the negative die space for the mask, place the mask in the center of the Basic White layer and with a blending brush color the outside edges of the Basic White layer over the mask with Mossy Meadow ink.
Turn the mask 180 degrees and without reinking the blending brush brush the remaining color over the edges of the mask which will result in a lighter color bledning over the mask.
Adhere the Mossy Meadow layer onto the Pecan Pie card base.
Adhere the Basic White layer onto the card base slightly tilted.
Die cut the largest circle from the Stylish Shapes die set and stamp the sentiment in Mossy Meadow ink and drag the blending brush across the edges to just give the edges a little color.
Adhere to the lower left hand corner of the card.
Pop the double bird image up onto Stampin’ Dimensionals and layer in the upper right hand corner of the card.
I added two cork embellishments around the sentiment and the card is complete.

Sometimes using the negative space that might easily just get tossed in the trash produces a beautiful unexpected background! Try using those negative die spaces and see what you can create – one die, one stamp at a time!

Happy Stampin’
Natalie

more color mondays – gray granite, petal pink and balmy blue

more color mondays – gray granite, petal pink and balmy blue

I’m glad to be back in my stamp studio and creating cards for you! Today’s More Color Monday combines soft subtle colors with one of my favorite neutrals Gray Granite. Petal Pink and Balmy Blue both from our Subtles collection are the other two colors today and I chose the Changing Leaves Hybrid bundle.

Measurements:
BASE: Gray Granite: 4 1/4″ x 11″
scored at 5 1/2″
Basic White: 3 1/2″ x 4″ & scrap for sentiment
Subtles DSP: 1″ x 4″
Balmy Blue scraps for die leaves
Petal Pink Scraps for die leaves

Emboss the Basic White 3 1/2″ x 4″ layer in the Changing leaves embossing folder. I love this folder it can die cut and emboss at the same time if you choose to but this time I wanted the image uncut and whole.
Using a blending brush I added Petal Pink ink in a circular motion to the edges of the embossed layer. Petal Pink has a brownish pink hue and reminds me of old paper when applied like this.
I die cut Balmy Blue and Petal Pink leaf dies from the Changing Leaves die set.
I stamped the sentiment with Balmy Blue ink onto the small Stylish Shapes banner (I always cut some out of my Basic White scraps and have them on the edge of my creating station on my desk)
I pressed extra ink onto the lid of my Balmy Blue stamp pad to create an ink palette and using a water painter I added water to the lid and the extra ink and dipped the water painter into the inky water. Using the handle of my blending brush I smacked the waterpainter onto the handle while over the embossed layer flicking ink splatters over the entire surface of that layer this is a fun way to add a bit of colored depth and dimension to the layer.
I adhered the Balmy Blue DSP striped pattern to the edge of the embossed layer and adhered both to the right side of the card front.

I popped up the sentiment piece onto mini Stampin’ Dimensionals and added the die cut leaves around the sentiment and placed it on the center left hand side of the card front.

I added Adhesive-Backed Pastel Sequins to the card front to finish it off with some matching sparkle. Simple and sweet I love the way this card turned out. Remember little additions like coloring the edges with a blending brush and ink splatter can take your card to the next level.

Try to level up your creation today – one stamp at a time!

Happy Stampin’
Natalie

creating water splattered colored backgrounds

creating water splattered colored backgrounds

I love creating fun backgrounds and papers to die cut from and today’s post is all about creating interest with color and water!

Measurements:
BASE: Pool Party: 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″
scored at 4 1/4″
Basic White layer: 4′ x 5 1/4″

Using blending brushes and Coastal Cabana ink color the Basic White layer in various random spots.

Using a new blending brush color new spots with Lost Lagoon ink.
Fill in the remaining white space with Old Olive ink with a blending brush.
Take a medium water painter and squeeze the barrell until water is dropping from the paint brush. Drop and flick water droplets onto the colored Basic White layer until the desired amount is covered in water droplets.
The water will lift the color from the paper creating lighter and white spots of visual interest.
Place in the hybrid Changing Leaves folder with the die and cut and emboss at the same time!
Run a Pool Party card front through the embossing folder only.
Take the die cuts from the hybrid folder and start to adhere them onto the card base.
I fussy cut some of the embossed images from the water splattered paper and popped up some of the embossed images around the card base edges for some depth and dimension.
I cut the larger sentiment strip from the die set and making sure the paper was completely dry – stamped a sentiment in Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I popped up the sentiment die piece with Stampin’ Dimensionals and placed in the lower quadrant of the card front.
I added a few more cut leaves to add balance to the card.
I finished the card with the Ombre Matte Decorative Dots and the card is complete.

The water splattered background adds visual interest and color variation to the card!

Try this technique and see what art work you can come up with! Now go and create some art of your own – one stamp at a time!

Happy Stampin’
Natalie