Club Scrap September Blog Hop: Garden Shed

Another blog hop is upon us.  This is one of my favorite kits.  I love bees, butterflies and honeycomb.
As usual lets start with some housekeeping.  You should have landed here from: Donna.  Since I am at the end of the hop, you can just start over by clicking This link to start at the beginning.

So as you know, if you have been following me for a time or joining in the blog hops, that I like to pick a technique and see where it goes.  This month the kit was soft and almost vintage and screamed watercolors.  So I busted out my new set of Mission Watercolors and started to play, sort of.  After a bit, I decided I could not just write about watercoloring, how boring, so I settled on masking.  Masking is an important technique and there are many ways to go about it.   So in this posting I will explore 3 ways.  Are you ready?

Card 1:

I love this card.  In person it is soft with shading and has that vintage feel I was after.

My inspiration was the paper that came in the kit.

Started by arranging my stamps on my Misti.

Checked arrangement by stamping on a clear grid sheet.  I also do this just in case I need to add another stamping (which I did) and then I can line everything up.  This is a good trick even if you don't have a MISTI, just stamp on an acetate sheet and then placement is a breeze.  I stamped the image in black and heat embossed in clear (only because I forgot to use Archival in the first place). 

I coated the images with masking fluid.  You could also use rubber cement.  This must be very dry.  I usually leave it for at 30 min to 1 hour.  If you get in a big hurry you will peal off the ink with with the fluid.  Another good reason to place the stamps at one time and not move them.  Takes time to line them up again!!

Started the watercoloring.  Add color and let dry to avoid bloom.  Once dry go back in and add more.

When Happy, and dry!!!, remove the masking fluid.  

Finished!!.  Added some doodles.  All that was left was to stamp and heat emboss the saying, add a little color and mount it onto a card.  A few sequins added just the right amount of bling.

Card 2

This card is using Distress inks to color the background paper.  The technique is the butterfly.  This is a masking technique that I use a lot and have posted about before.  I did some shadow stamping to kick it up a notch.  

This is what I call creative Stamping.  I wanted a bit of a "shadow" effect.  So, I stamped my image onto the plastic grid sheet, and then didn't clean the stamp well.  Kind of hit and missed.  Then inked up with Versamark and heat embossed in Clear.  That gave me a grey look in some areas and clear in others or at least less grey.  Following me?

 Crushed Olive, Peacock Feathers and Fossilized Amber Distress inks were smushed on to my sheet and sprayed with water and then I drug the watercolor paper through the ink.  See how the clear embossing protected the area under the butterfly, Cool.

Next step is to remove the embossing powder.  You can use a clean sheet of paper and an iron, or I use my laminator to remove the embossing.  I layer clean white paper between the carrier sheet and the artwork, run it through and the embossing powder is transferred to the white paper.  

See how the first stamping created a shadow once the embossing was removed. 

I put the image back into my misty.  Used the stamped grid sheet to line it u, offset it a bit and stamped in black Onyx Versafine Ink.  

Last step is to cut down to size, stamp the greeting, add some sequins and mount it onto an A2 Card base.  Done!!!

Card 3:

This card didn't quite come out the way I had envisioned, but the technique is worth reviewing.  This is done using masking papers.   

This technique if you are not brave, works best with a misty.  That way I can stamp several, should I make a mess or want to mass produce.

Stamps arranged on Misty, all I have to do, is rotate the paper.  The biggest trick is to keep the paper clean.  So I insert a plain piece of paper over the stamps that are not being used.  

Here is a photo of the masking in place,  There is one on the wheelbarrow and one on the green stems under the flower. 

Mask removed.  I used a fine point marker to fill in the gaps, added some doodles.  

All that was left was to Watercolor the images, stamp the sentiment, add some sequins.  Still did not look quite right, so added some charms.  Perfect!!

Another look.  This not my favorite one, but it is sweet and looks better in person.  In hind site, I should have clear embossed the image to keep the watercolor in control.  Oh well, next time.

Well that is it for this blog hop.  If you would like to revisit all the wonderful projects again, Click This Link!

Until next time,

Happy Crafing,

Josette

Links:

Garden Shed