Celebrate the Wonder

Today I have another Christmas card because I couldn't just stop with one of the new Penny Black stamps for Christmas 2017.   When this "Hedgy Joy" 30-447 stamp arrived I knew it was going to be a favorite.

 

I also pulled out a couple of my favorite older releases from my Penny Black collection to create the background for the hedgy.  The trees and star are from "Robin's Kingdom" 30-056 and the sentiment is from "The Wonder" 30-040. 

The hedgy is colored using Copic Markers.  The masking I did for my background used a combination of full adhesive Post-It notes and Pebeo drawing gum.  There was a very slight bleeding of the red copic marker with the drawing gum so if I were doing it again I would use the Post-It on the hedgy or color him in after the background. The snowy effect was created by splattering the sky with drawing gum, letting it completely dry and sponging over the splatters with Distress Inks.  The drawing gum works beautifully with Distress as a resist that you simply remove with your finger or an eraser to reveal the snowy sky.    I added some fine glitter to the star and the snowy hill for a finishing touch.

Thanks for dropping by my blog.  Making cards is my greatest joy second only to sharing them with others who might get inspiration for their own creations.  Your comments, questions or suggestions are always very welcome.

Christmas Cards In August?

Yes, I know it is August but my card making friends will totally understand why my thoughts are turning to the Christmas season.  The Penny Black release for the 2017 season is available and I couldn't wait to get started on this years cards.

These two cards are my first made with my new Penny Black 40-574 "Adornments" cling stamp.  I used Hero Arts pigment inks cubes applied directly to the stamp and my Misti to ink the ornaments.  You could use masks to help with the inking, but I just applied the ink to directly to the stamp and wiped off any ink in areas that I didn't want with a baby wipe.  The beauty of the Misti is the ability to add layers of color to an image.  To add back the color for the ornament hooks I used a Micron Pen to draw over the detail.  After I was happy with the inking, I stamped over the image one last time wit Versa Mark ink and heat embossed with a clear embossing powder.  The background is created by taping off an edge with Micro Pore tape and sponging in Distress Oxide inks in "Iced Spruce" and "Antique Linen".

I made a second card on watercolor paper.  The ornaments are colored using the same method as my first card but for this one I painted in a watercolor background.  After it was totally dry I added some glittery snow to the card using my Simon Says Stamp SSST121324 "Falling Snow" stencil and Faber Castell "Glass Bead Glitter Gel".

Thanks for dropping by to check out my cards.  I hope you found my technique inspiring and gives you an idea of how I worked with this stamp.  I always welcome any comments, questions and suggestions you may have.

Stardust on My Craft Table

Hello everyone!  I have not done a recent post lately but couldn't resist sharing my latest creations using the August My Monthly Hero Kit.  When I pulled this kit out of the box, I knew that I was going to have fun making some night galaxy skies.  For a girl who likes her sparkle this one is perfect.

To get the shine started for this card, I pulled out my frequently overlooked Minc machine.   I die cut the silhouette from a both heavy white card stock and a new to me product iCraft Deco Foil "PeelnStick Toner Sheets.  I peeled off the backing and adhered the toner to the die and ran it thru my Minc. with therm-o-web "Antique Pearl" transfer foil.  Magic... beautifully foiled and perfect.

For the background, I first stamped the galaxy star images using VersaMark ink and heat embossed with white detail embossing powder.  I then placed the panel in a cardboard box and lightly sprayed the piece with the dark blue shimmer spray from the kit.  While still wet I sponged off some of the color that landed on top of my embossed images.  The sentiment was heat embossed after my panel was totally dry.  To bring back some of the detail I used my Uni-ball Signa white pen to highlight a few of the stars and the fishing line.  Then to add even more glittery fun, I backed my panel with silver glitter paper from DCWV and added a few touches of glitter adhered with Multi Media Matte.

My second card was very simple.  This beautiful specialty paper was included in the kit and it makes a wonderful backdrop for a simple silhouette like that of the floating girl.  She was heat embossed using black detail powder.  The sentiment is also heat embossed using a silver detail embossing powder.  These stars were created at the same time as the dies from the card above using my Minc. machine.  If you don't own this machine, I think that you could get a pretty result by simply embossing the star dies with a silver embossing powder.  I backed the white panel with a piece of the glitter card stock that was a left over from my first card.  After assembling my panel,  I adhered it to a  5.5" X 5.5" card made from a black shimmer card stock.

It was my pleasure to share my cards and hopefully inspire you.  Thank you, for dropping by to see them.  I am always happy to receive your comments, questions or suggestions.