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| My Cards!, The focus is Backgrounds. And a few little "tricks" |
I love backgrounds and the making of them. The experimentation and the surprises. With all the circles and forms I decided to save those stamps and make them the focus of this posting. The combination created some amazing and simple cards that are easy to re-create without a lot of fuss, just some experimentation and playing with your supplies. That is why I love making backgrounds.
Card 1:
This card explores the technique that I touched on in the Team Challenge posting. It was the background for my "space friends".
First I arranged the stamps and stamped using Versamark on Watercolor paper. Heat set with a clear embossing powder. I did not show this as it is hard to see.
Here the stamps are placed on my Misti, in the end I did not use the Misti and just stamped on paper using an acrylic block. This way I was able to use more pressure. I used Tim Holtz Watercolor paper and the texture side is difficult to get a good stamping. I tried stamping on the smoother size and while it was ok, it was still not perfect. For this technique,it didn't matter. I used this paper because I like how the ink is able to "get under the stamping". Other water color papers, give a tighter "seal" and you get less seeping under the embossed area, which is what I wanted. I have said this before, Paper makes a huge difference in outcome. If you don't like something, change the paper first.
Same process as before. Using re-inkers placed drops onto an acetate sheet, misted with water and applied to paper. So let us stop here and discuss how I chose the colors. These are Twisted Citron, Ripe Persimmon and Wild Honey. I had read somewhere that if you take the Tim Holtz distress chart, downloadable from their web site, and use colors that either are linear or surround the "target" Color, you will get a compatible mix. So, I tried it:
Hard to see, but if you double click, you will see these Three Colors in a grid. Rusty Hinge would have made up the quadrant. Link to Downloadable Chart. I am not convinced that with the new addition of inks, this theory works. If you look at a color wheel, these are secondary and stand next to each other on the wheel, Yellow, Green, Orange. I will play with it a bit more and see. I do think the previous chart, (prior to addition of the new colors) worked well to find combinations to play with.
Anyway back to the card. So I lifted the acetate and smoothed it onto the paper. Added more water and continued to build up the color until I liked what I had. Then I enhanced the colors with an ink blending tool and ink pad and finally spritzed with water.
Next step, I ironed the paper to remove the embossing powder, revealing the white paper with bleed under neath
Love it!!. I did not want to cover it up, so I just added a sentiment and called it done. I didn't even add a mat. White card base, A2 size.
Card 2:
Where to go next. I wanted the circle stamp to be front and center. I tried many background ideas and they were too busy to get that focal image to stand out. I thought one might work and made the focal image in that color scheme. Only to find that it did not work and needed to rethink the background. While staring in horror and at a total loss, I noticed the paper in the Kit, the black to grey paper with all the flourishes. I had used a part of it for another card and an idea hit, Black on White, OK. So I just started stamping. Black Versafine on white Cardstock.
Trimmed down the area that I liked to a 5 " square, mounted it on my inspiration paper and now it was ready for the focal image.
That had been stamped with Versafine ink, and heat embossed with clear. I embellished it with pearls that I had colored with my Copic markers and added some clear rhinestones. But I needed something to pop it off of the background. I tried the glitter paper in the kit but it really needed color. Since I was stuck with the color scheme, I cut a circle that was covered with double sized tape and added microfine glitter in Green. Great. Popped it up on a piece of fun foam. Added the black ribbon and sentiment, a few more crystal accents. Mmmm, But is still needed something. A black bow, did nothing and I could not add a different ribbon. Oh, but the mother of invention can come in handy at times. I remember at a convention seeing ribbon being made with score tape, I went to the Web Site for this company, Sparkle and Sprinkle and found this technique, so I thought I would give it a try.
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| Length of Scor-tape or double sided tape |
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| Roll up the tape, go the whole length and make it a tight roll. |
DONE!!
Card 3: I turned this card over to my Granddaughter.
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| Paige Trunnell: Guest Artist |
Miss Paige is the photographer behind all my action shots. I could not get the pictures I have without her help. When she came in from school, she asked if "I needed any pictures taken?, I asked if she could help me make this card and she smiled. Oh but to play with all that forbidden goodies, "you bet!" But of course I had to turn it into a discussion of math and science, color wheel theory and chemistry. Wonder why she has that look? Oh well, in the end it needed to be just pink and glittery, I think it worked.
So we started with a box of sprays, white paper and the stencil from the Celebrate Kit. Color wheel was used to choose the colors. We did both direct spay and blotted up the excess paint from the stencils. I could tell after several tries that we were not "getting her vision", so I stepped back and she chose her ink and created this:
Lesson learned Grandma, stop meddling and micromanaging. There is a place for theory and a place for adventure.
Other backgrounds: all made with ColorWheel:
She did good.
The rest was pretty straight forward. She cut a pink mat, and made an A2 base, added a white ribbon and stamped a sentiment. The mat was fussy cut after tracing around the sentiment die, pink glitter was added to the edges and then mounted on fun foam.
Thank you for stopping by. Your next stop: Hetty at Craftchaos
Happy Crafting,
Josette
All supplies used are from: Celebrate Kit by Club Scrap
Inks used for spray: ColourArte, Radiant Rain and Heidi Swapp
Distress: Twisted Citron, Ripe Persimmon, Wild Honey
Other ink: Versfine Black Onxy and Versamark
Embossing powder: Hero Arts fine clear
Glitter from various vendors: Sprinkle and Sparkle, Elizabeth Crafts
Scor tape, fun foam, Pearls and chrystals, wet glue to adhere.
