Little Bits: : Club Scrap: Team Challenge, Quad Prints

Well this was definetly a challenge for me. I like matchy matchy. To get my head around how to integrate the colors of the quad pages with the colors and images of this kit, caused me great pause at the beginning. Then I decided I just needed to think outside the box. This set of cards is a representation of that creative exercise. How to create something, when it is not naturally what you would do, but is needed. Think about a Birthday Card for someone that is really picky or your sense of humor doesn't quite translate to theirs? What if you always use Pink and Blue and they hate those colors. What would you make?

So, the bottom line, we need to stretch and grow if we are to become creative and adaptable. My challenge to you is, to explore your creativity and design skills, make something that is not "your usual". Use different papers, different colors, just see what you can do when faced with a stash of supplies and you need to create something.

So, here is what I came up with. If you have been watching all the creations coming out of this kit, you will notice that mine do not fit the mold. Well maybe one does, but the bicycle? Let us take a closer look and discuss the elements. And the Creative Process

Quad Prints

Quad PrintsQuad Prints

Card 1: The Circus

This was the first one I came up with. It does use the circus theme. I wanted to continue with my Masking exercise from the Panda cards, so this is masking.

First I stamped the Big Top Tent, in Distress: Fired Brick and heat embossed in Clear Embossing Powder. The Mask was applied and the Ferris Wheel Stamped, in Versafine Onyx Black and heat embossed. This picture is showing the mask. After the stamping and coloring was completed, this was fussy cut. I had intended to use this as a Silhouette, but it isn't Seattle or New York, so I moved on.

Fussy cut and the blue Copics: B05, B06 and B000, have been added

The tag was stamped on White Card Stock, also in Versafine Onyx Black and heat embossed. Then colored with Copics: B06, R27, Y13, Y18. The card was then blended with Distress: Antique Linen, cut out and the corners punched out. This was attached to a Quad Print with brads. Also has the corners cut out.

Card base: This is an A2 Card. One Quad print was cut 4 1/8 X 5 3/8 (Blue and white check) and a second was cut 4 X 5.25 and layered onto a white card base. The white checkered ribbon was placed around the bottom of the card

It works and is Circus. But I needed 2 more!!! Time to think.

Just a note: Wonder why I use different inks, sometimes I heat emboss and sometimes not? It is all to do with the method that will used to color. Stay tuned for the blog hop, we will talk about all things Copic.

Card 2: This one caused me great pause!!

I sat staring at the box of prints, what to do. For the most part, the sentiments were too large for the prints, they need to be a mat, but none of them said circus. Then it hit me. There was a Quad print with a wheel and a sentiment that included the word "Ride". OK. I needed to get that part of the sentiment out of the stamp. Often when faced with this issue, I just cut the stamp. But cutting this stamp wouldn't really work that well, but Masking would. Thus, I masked the Stamp.

Using removable tape, I covered up what I did not want, inked the stamp, removed the tape and stamped

Hard to photograph due to reflection, but here are two views of the card pieces.

Ok. I stamped this in Archival Potting Soil and embossed with clear embossing powder. Then I inked the card with Distress ink: Brushed Corduroy, sprayed with water to distress it further, cut out using a label die from Spellbinders. Matt for tag was cut from Gold Card Stock. The Quad was also cut with the label die and a mat for it was cut from the same Gold Card Stock. So far so good.

Now I needed a "ride". I looked at bicycle stamps, motorcycle stamps,car stamps, nothing spoke to me. Then I remembered I had a bicycle die. Except I didn't have anything metal worked. Card stock was too flat, so I put this card aside and moved on. A few days later, I was at the grocery store. I had an inspiration, CANS!!! So I went looking for the Can that worked with my image. Red coke cans, no, Pepsi, no, beer, maybe, but then I spied this cool green and gold can, and it worked with my paper!!! Home it went. I must confess, I did not pour the contents down the drain.

Using a good pair of sheers, I cut the can apart and placed the die onto the can. I actually placed the die on the colored part to cut, That way I could get all the color in the right place, but I could not get it to photograph well. So I took this with the inside of the can. It cut well, but I did have to run it through my Big Shot twice, then moved to my Vagabond and finished the job. I think, if I had used the Vagabond first it would have worked better. The Vagabond exerts a bit more pressure than the Big Shot, but oh well, I needed the exercise.

I also cut a mat for it out of the gold and inked the edges with Distress Walnut Stain. This was then mounted using foam squares to raise the metal image from the mat. I was going for a shadow effect.

Added to Card. Matched the curve of the handle bars to the Wheel . I was thinking Evolution, from wagon wheel to Bicycle. I really wasn't a philosophy major, but I think I spent too much time thinking while making these cards, LOL.

Ok, two down, Now what!!!

Card 3: Pink!!! It needs to be Pink! OK?

So I needed a card that was mostly one layer, used Quad prints and was Pink.

Easy, lets see: Stamped the sentiment in White Opaque Ink on Kraft Card Stock and heat embossed with White Embossing powder. Used Chalk ink: Versamagic in Pink Petunia and Malted Mauve to add interest to the card and a bit of color. Matted it onto a white card base, matted with Pink Card Stock from the kit and the Striped Quad print. Added the White Ribbon. Done. Well not quite, something was missing!

I decided on a pinwheel as this is suppose to be about the circus. Here is a photo log on how I created the pinwheel.

using a 2.25 inch square die, cut quad paper.

Marked Center and drew lines from each corner

Cut along the lines, leaving slightly more than a quarter inch at the center

punch holes on one side of each triangle

Using a brad, align the holes and then push down through center of pinwheel, adhere to card front.

Whew, I am tired. Seems like we went a long way to get this project wrapped up. But I am most pleased with the results. I hope you enjoyed my dialog and journey through the creative process.

My next projects will involve a lot of coloring and discussing the topic of Copic Marker selection and how to go about choosing which ones to add to your collection.

So join me next week for Club Scraps Blog Hop.