Splitcoast Tutorial: Trapped Crystal

This week's tutorial over on Splitcoast is a fun and final nod to winter - called Trapped Crystal, it's our author's favorite way to recreate the look of ice on a card front.

Be sure to check out the tutorial for her tips on layering clear glaze and glitter under acetate to capture all the sparkle - I (of course) had to pull out of the winter theme, so here are my sparkly gems instead. This is a set I designed last year, and it's got so many possibilities! I created my acetate panel on a base of matboard and layered it with a frame and die cut piece, then lined up and stamped the gems in the openings with Stazon ink. The glitter I used is "jumbo glitter" - at an angle you can really see it shine! 

 I cut out the 2 words with my Scan-n-Cut, which I'm still getting acquainted with - this only took me 4 or 5 tries to get right...! Here's a look at the clear set - I think it's a really fun one, especially for making backgrounds! I love all the sentiment possibilities too.

Precious Gems clear set

On an unrelated but also sparkly note, I added a couple of sewing themed pieces to my Etsy store yesterday -

While you're over there, check the sale section for some amazing prices on overstock and discontinued items!

Cheers - spring comes tomorrowwww!!

Impression Obsession - Die Cut Obsession

There are so many amazing dies at Impression Obsession - this special Monday feature lets them have the spotlight! We hope you're inspired!

Here's an 8x10 canvas I created using a whole bunch of dies - this was a catalog sample for last summer's release, and so much fun to do. I'm sorry that I don't have process photos - these kinds of projects are pretty spontaneous for me, and I'm just grabbing products and working in multiple layers. I'll see what I can remember though!

 The background is done with these amazing paints, which are wonderful for gel printing as well. I added a bunch of those, then misted the area to let the colors feather and blend. I stamped a script background using Versafine ink and white acrylic paint.

The ledger background was stamped with Hybrid ink onto tissue paper, and adhered to the background with matte gel medium... that's a great trick for adding detailed images onto canvas.

I did a little altering to create my die cut scene - this is the die I used for the girl - I cut off the watering can and flipped the image: 

Girl with Watering Can

The Bike die set comes with the basket, which I filled with a bunch of flowers and leaves - those are nicely grouped in multiples for projects like this.

Tiny 3 Leaf Cluster
Tiny Single Leaves
Tiny 6 Petals
Tiny 5 Petals

The letters are from this alphabet die set: 

Alphabet Typewriter LC

Matte gel medium is great for attaching die cuts to canvas, and gives you time to get things placed before it dries.

Be sure to check out the other designers' blogs for inspiration - see the I.O. blog for all the details!

Splitcoast Tutorial: Nested Portfolio Card

This week's tutorial over on Splitcoast is a fun interactive project, and sort of 2 cards in one - it's a Nested Portfolio Card!

I'm playing with the Stinkerbell set from Whimsy Stamps today - this  set was the very first Paper Door kit release, and it's full of sassy fun!

Stinkerbell

The card is designed with an inset frame in the front, and the little portfolio fits in there just so, and pulls out for a fun interactive element. I used a few of the set elements to fill each panel. I love that "POOF!" 

Here's the inside of my little portfolio - I colored the fairies with Copics, and it was fun to make everything coordinate! (I definitely need carb and cleaning fairies, too!)

I used this pretty stencil for all my background panels - I just inked it up with Oxide inks, misted, and laid my little panels down into the wet ink. So soft and pretty.

Here's the inside of the card - another stencil print, and a couple of mix-match words from this set.

That's all I know! I hope you're having a great week! One more thing if you've made it this far - be sure to check out Spellbinders' warehouse sale this week - some amazing deals to be had!

Cheers!

Impression Obsession - Old is New

With such a huge collection of wonderful stamps from so many artists, sometimes the older stamps in the Impression Obsession catalog find their way out of the spotlight. We don't want them to be forgotten, so from now on you'll be seeing our team feature them regularly. We hope you're inspired!

K9979 Lovely Soft Roses
D13353 Invincible Summer

This card is actually very similar to the tutorial card I shared last Wednesday - it was a trial run for a tutorial idea that turned out to be too complex for the time I had to work with. Maybe I'll attempt it another time. The roses are watercolored using Qor Modern Watercolors. 

I added a little stenciling around the image - so here's a subtle peek at a not-yet-released stencil from A Colorful Life that's full of small floral patterns - I brushed through the stencil with dye ink and then misted lightly to blend. 

Be sure to check out the other designers' blogs for inspiration - see the I.O. blog for all the details!

Impression Obsession DT Challenge: Sending Hugs

The Impression Obsession team's challenge today is to create a project to express friendship, affirmation, or sympathy. I can't think of a better source of affirmation in my young life than Mr. Rogers! Who wouldn't want a hug from him? I miss that man.

WP915 Fred Said clear set - back in stock!!
L13763 Shoe Background

I started by stamping the Shoe Background tone on tone for my background. This is actually 2 impressions, but I designed the stamp so it could be lined up and stamped repeatedly.

The sentiment and shoes are from the Fred Said clear set, which is back in stock now - thank you for loving that one! The focal panel is watercolored with QoR paints - I used a clear glaze pen on the shoe laces and soles to resist the paint just in those areas - it leaves a glaze and really does a good job keeping those areas white! I also used my favorite stencil (Grunge Dots) with the watercolor to add a little texture to the ground. Or maybe it's shag carpet. Who knows?

It's true!

Be sure to check out the other designers' blogs for inspiration, and remember you can enter these challenges too, using your Impression Obsession stamps! See the I.O. blog for all the details - you might even win a $25 gift certificate!! We'd love to have you join us.

Splitcoast Tutorial: Die Debossed Watercolor

This week's tutorial over on Splitcoast is one of my favorite die techniques, Die Debossed Watercolor. I've shared some of my samples here over the last few weeks!  

For my video sample I used this gorgeous rose die from Spellbinders - this set is only available for a limited time, so grab it if you love it! It was a kit club item last June, and was very popular. So pretty and so many possibilities for edge cuts and so much more.

Blooming Roses - Large Die Of The Month Kit June 2018

Check the tutorial page to see how I made this card - I have the regular tutorial video, and a full, sped up video of the whole painting process.

The sentiment I used is from Gina K's Wreath Builder set - there are some really sweet sentiments in there!

I hope you're having a good week! 

Impression Obsession - Die Cut Obsession

There are so many amazing dies at Impression Obsession - this special Monday feature lets them have the spotlight! We hope you're inspired!

Open Scroll Flower
To Live

This card was actually inspired by a catalog sample I made for this die when it was released, and you'll see it if you click on either of the links above! It's also a sample for the tutorial I'll be sharing over on Splitcoast on Wednesday. The die is used to impress an outline into watercolor paper, and that outline can be used as a guideline for painting. Just another way to stretch the dies you have!

I colored my panel in with QoR paints, and layered it on a gel printed panel. When I make a batch of thank you tags for Etsy orders, I clean my plate off on a stack of cardstock panels I have set aside. It makes for really random layering and very interesting prints! This one had some beautiful layers and  a really pretty gradient.

The sentiment is one of my designs - I love the narrow design, and these inspiring words!

Be sure to check out the other designers' blogs for inspiration - see the I.O. blog for all the details!

Splitcoast Tutorial: Stencil Sponging

This week's tutorial over on Splitcoast is simply a review of stenciling basics: Stencil Sponging. We have everyone from beginners to industry professionals in our scope, and it's great to have a resource to point to! Some great tips in the video as well.

I love this gorgeous big bee stencil! This one is by Clearsnap, and it's from a set of 3 stencils in one of their Art Screens Trio series - this is really a great price for a set of 3 high quality stencils, and these ones are so fun! I love BIG images, and these are great for a card front or a wood piece - there are so many ways stencils can go!

ColorBox Art Screens Trio - Buzzy

I masked off each section of the bee to add in my colors - a lighter color first with a medium sized brush and a darker color with a smaller brush for more detail and shading. I used colored pencils to outline the wing sections, and then the wing outlines, to connect the legs and head together and to the body, and then to shade in the stripes on the bee. (Remember stencils are a tool - you can add in the details on your panel that needed to be removed to hold the stencil together!)  I used a Copic marker to add the shadow of the bee onto the panel. I used a wide range of inks, just choosing from the ones I have in reach on my desk: Distress, Distress Oxides, Versafine, and ColorBox Premium Dye.

The honeycomb stencil is a part of this set as well - I shifted the stencil around to add a couple of layers for depth, then came in from the edge with the ink as well to build up a background. This little sentiment is from a set by Inky Antics, and it was perfect!

Buzz describes my week so far - I am feeling a little overwhelmed and overloaded this week! Good things going on - I just need to remind myself to schedule pauses. Cheers, friends!