A unique use of a layering stamp set and die - Stencilled Triad Tree Card

One of my favourite things is to find unique ways to use my supplies.  The more looks I can get from one stamp set, the better!  

For this card, I used the Snapdragon Build-a-Flower layering stamp set and dies to create a stencilled triad tree.

I'm going to tell you how I did it, but first - have you ever heard of triad trees?  It's a really simple but beautiful way to create watercolour trees.  Here's an example I made using basic red, yellow, and blue a while back:

Basic Steps for a Triad Tree:

1. Choose three colours of watercolour paint.  Usually, the three primary colours are used but the process can work with other combinations, too.
2. Splatter the three colours onto watercolour paper.  
3. Spritz the paper with water, allowing the colours to mix, concentrating the spray toward the centre of your "tree".  This will sort of create an amorphous shape with variegated colour.  
4. Once dry, paint or draw a tree trunk, positioning it wherever you think the "foliage" looks best.

This time, I used a variation of this technique alongside some inspiration from the Altenew Academy course, Celebration Stencil Techniques with Laurel Beard.

Here's how I made this stencilled triad tree card:

1.  First, I used two 'stem' stamps from the Snapdragon set to create the tree trunks.  I stamped the upper-stem pieces first, and then extended the base of the trunks with the lower-stem stamp.

2.  I then die-cut the two main flower dies from a piece of cardstock to create a DIY stencil!  I love this idea from Laurel.  (To create a differently-shaped third tree, I just used the stencil upside-down.

3.  I positioned each stencil space over the corresponding 'tree trunk' and splatter-painted overtop.  Keeping the stencil in place, I then misted the splatter-painted area, allowing the paint to spread and mix.

4. I used three colours -- a cool red, a cool green, and a bright-ish blue -- and once dry, I added a few additional splatters just to balance out the colours.

4.  After cutting down my watercolour panel, I realized the trees needing 'grounding' so they wouldn't look like they were floating in space.  I used some painter's tape to mask off a straight 'horizon' line and painted the bottom of the panel green.  It also needed a little something in the upper portion, so I used the lower-stem stamp to create 'corners'.

5.  I stamped a sentiment from the Paint-a-Flower Poppy set in black and then embossed it with clear embossing powder to give it some shine and dimension. 

6.  I then wrapped the panel with twine and mounted the whole panel onto a kraft cardstock notecard.

I think this technique could really open up the possibilities of a person's stamp-and-die collection.  The Build-a-Flower sets would be great for this, because many different stems and flower dies could be used to create an array of trees and shrubs.

Thanks for stopping by! 

😊Teri

Inlaid Die-Cut Birthday Card using the New Beginnings set from Altenew

 Hey there!

I’m excited to share my card design for my Easy Die Cutting Techniques class taught by Yana Smakula. This is one of the courses required for AECP Level 1. Listening to Yana’s beautiful accent is a definite bonus of this course! 😊

Do you ever find yourself unsatisfied with a “basic” technique? I wanted to step it up a bit to incorporate multiple pieces of inspiration from the class. I decided to inlay a flower into the leaves in order to make the two appear to be one nested piece.

Here’s how I made this card using the New Beginnings Stamp, Die, and Mask bundle:

First, I used the coordinating stencil to blend two shades of pink with a concentration toward the centre of the flower. I waited to stamp the outline of the flower until afterward, embossing with a fine white embossing powder as this seemed easier than removing ink from the embossing afterward.  

I then did the same with the leaves and cut everything out using the coordinating dies. 

To create the flower/leaf inlay, I then layered my die-cut pieces to see where I wanted the leaves to ‘nest’ against the edges of the flower. Then, I die-cut in the following order:

1. Flower

2. Leaves (from the edges of the flower space)

3. Inlaid the leaves, re-added the flower die to make space for the flower, die cut and inlaid the flower

4. Used a circle die to cut out the inlaid flower and leaves

5. Used the circle die to cut from the green panel so that I could inlay the white circle

I used some tape to hold things together across the back, then added a sentiment on a velum strip that I wrapped around the back of the panel so I could hide my adhesive. 

I added some dots with a gel pen to give some brightness and texture to my panel before mounting the whole thing on a top-folding card base and adding a few iridescent sequins to catch the light. 

This card has me wanting to try more inlaid designs! Thanks for the inspiration, Yana! 

Until next time, take care!

Teri

A Birthday Scene with Hello Bluebird’s Banner Buddies

 Hey there! Thanks for dropping by!

I’ve long admired the cute critter cards I see on Instagram but I have done very few of them myself. While I love the look, I’m just not confident (yet) with the colouring or the scene building.  

So, recently I picked up some stamps from Hello Bluebird and Mama Elephant with the hope of honing these skills. 

This little simple scene card is off to my little niece for her birthday!

I tried to increase the ‘scene factor’ by using a Simon Says Stamp heart die on a piece of Carta Bella patterned paper to frame the critters. 

Hopefully by this time next year, I’ll be able to create a more elaborate scene for her birthday card. 

Take care,

Teri

A Field of Wildflowers from a Repurposed Snapdragon Stamp Set

This is a card design that's been brewing in my head for ages.  Like, A-G-E-S.

The loose lines of the various layers in the Build-A-Flower Snapdragon Layering stamp set from Altenew have sort of an impressionistic vibe, and when I first bought this set a couple of years ago, I imagined using the smaller stamps and the tops of the larger ones to create the illusion of depth in a field of wildflowers.

When I took the Altenew Academy course called Seasonal Scene Building, taught by Nichol Magouirk, this seemed like the perfect opportunity.  Inspired by one of her lessons in which she creates a framed scene, I set out to create the look of a meadow as seen through a 'window' of sorts.

Here's how I did it:

I started by wetting a piece of watercolour paper all over, and then putting down a light wash of yellow watercolour from the bottom-up, followed by a light wash of sky blue from the top-down.  I added water and pigment as necessary until I achieved a soft gradation.

Then, using Antique Linen distress ink, I used the more solid of the flower stamps to place a light indication of where the flowers would be.  Because I used this pale, warm ink, it easily blended into the inks I layered on top and muting the colours (as would naturally happen when looking at a distant point in a field - the colours diffuse at the further points but maintain their intensity at the closer points).

I started with my lightest purple ink and stamped randomly in the upper portions of the horizon line and down toward the middle of the foreground.  I did this with a couple of the different solid stamps to get a bit of variation in the shapes.

I then did the same with my next-lightest shade of purple, beginning slightly lower down and continuing to fill in the foreground.  I repeated this with another two darker shades of purple, and then went in with some peach and pink inks to add a bit of additional depth and dimension.  I saved the line stamps for last, using them to indicate shadows.

I then went around and dabbed on some muted green watercolour paint in the places where I could still see the yellow background to help fill everything in.  

Once I had built up enough layers -- just enough for it to look right, but I don't know how many, precisely -- I added some splatter with white, black, green, and blue shimmery watercolour to compliment the other colours and add to the loose, artistic feel.

For the frame, I cut a rectangle of heavy white cardstock and added score-lines at 1/4" intervals to give the indication of boards.  I'm really glad that I went with a plain white frame instead of the woodgrain one I tried originally, as I think it anchors the busy card panel.

I cut the banner from the edge of the cut-down card panel and stamped a sentiment from the Altenew Statement Flowers stamp set, added a few little sparkly things, and that was that!

Overall, I'm really happy with how this turned out!  I have to thank Nichol, the instructor, for the inspiration and confidence to finally get this design out of my head!

Thanks for dropping by!

😊Teri

Mini Slimline Card with Dye Inks and Misting

Hey there!  

Today I’m sharing a mini slimline card I created for my sister-in-law’s birthday. It was inspired by some of the techniques in the Altenew Academy course “Irresistible Inking Techniques” taught by Sara Naumann. 

The background was created by inking up an acrylic block and then misting it with water before stamping it on the paper to create three parallel panels. 

I used a similar inking technique for the stamps, the Morning Glory mini stamp set by Altenew, and then added a messy, squiggly ink outline and a few details with a fine-tip Sharpie. 

It was a lot of fun working with this loose, watery inking technique as it creates more of an impressionist image than the original outline-and-solid stamp set creates. 

I added a few holographic details along with a second, darker die-cut sentiment to create a shadow. 

This class was a lot of fun.  I always love when I’m inspired to make something really different from anything else I would usually make. ☺️

Thanks for stopping by! 

💕 Teri

Let It Shine! - A shimmery, shiny floral birthday card

This birthday card for my dear friend Adrienne was the perfect project for the Let It Shine class with Carissa Wiley.

I tried to get some shine in using as many variations as I could.  I started out by heat embossing some flowers and leaves from Altenew's Flower Garden stamp set on some watercolour paper using Altenew Platinum Crisp Embossing Powder.  I then added Nuvo Shimmer Powders in Catherine Wheel, Green Parade, and Solar Flare to the dry images.

I then misted the panel with water and used a small water-brush to break up any clumps of powder that didn't disperse.  

I just love the way this allows different colours to pool in every segment of the images!

I then fussy-cut out all of the pieces and arranged them in a sort of "triangle" fashion, creating one triangle with the flowers and another with the leaves.  I used some low-tack tape to keep this arrangement together, flipped over the whole stack of arranged images, and used the fine tip of my adhesive to sneak in some adhesive between each of the layers.  Once that was dry, I removed the tape and adhered it all down onto my card panel.

That panel, by the way, is another little nod to the idea of 'shine'!  That's the Kaleidoscope Texture Fades 3D Embossing Folder from Tim Holtz, and the repeated circular images with sharp angles remind me of crystals or diamonds.  The shadows they create help to enliven the highlighted facets.  It's not real shine, but I feel like it adds a similar sort of effect without making this over-the-top glitzy.

I then added a few sequins, again in a triangle.  These are Pure Sheen Sequins in Pink Tutu by Nuvo.  

Check out that shimmer! 

My sentiment is from a pre-printed toner sheet by Simon Says Stamp.  Adrienne is one of my favourite sassy friends, so I knew I needed a sassy sentiment for her!  I used my laminator to foil the sentiment, and then embossed "Happy Birthday" with that same Platinum Embossing Powder on the inside.

I'm really happy with how this card turned out.  Carissa's explanation of using varying triangles and how to place embellishments led to a card that I'm really happy with!  This is one of the elements of cardmaking that has been challenging for me, so I was excited to get some insight into the design theory behind cards that look cohesive.

Thanks for stopping by!

Build-A-Flower Snapdragons - Boutique Cards, 2 Ways

Hey there!  I’m back with another project for my Altenew Educator Certification Program requirements. 

This time, the course is Clean and Simple Boutique Cards with Jennifer Rzaza. 

I was inspired to create a couple of cards with a stamp set I love but have only used once or twice: the Build-a-Flower Snapdragons by Altenew. This was one of my first-ever layering stamp sets, and like many new stampers, I had found it difficult to align the layers just right. I have a lot more confidence after taking All About Layering and having a lot more experience under my belt, so I thought I would give it another try. 

Plus, snapdragons are one of my favourite flowers!

I gave myself the additional challenge of using the set twice and with colours I wouldn’t normally choose. 

This first card has a bit of a masculine vibe, I think  my dad is a nature-lover, so this would be a great card for him. I started by stamping the yellow base layer of the flower in Altenew Fresh Lemon and then stamped over that with Distress Oxide Ink in Spiced Marmalade  

The green stem is stamped in Evergreen. I also did some offset stamping with the sentiment, starting with Fresh Lemon for the highlight, then shifting my card base in my Misti and stamping again in Evergreen. 

I finished this off with some sketchy Distress Marker outlining for a hand-drawn feel. To give it that subtle-but-formal boutique touch, I used my scoring board to add a debossed (scored line) border frame to the whole card front. 

For my second card, I used just the sketchy outline layer of one of the flowers in the set. Can you believe I’d never done the “make your own pattern”technique before? I don’t know how I missed it! 

I suppose that, being primarily a colourist, I have always tended toward bigger blooms with lots of space to colour. Yet again, Altenew is pushing my creative boundaries and I’m really enjoying it. 

I finished this off with some loose watercolouring and a bold sentiment strip embossed in white and in Altenew’s Platinum Crisp Embossing Powder. 

This was another inspiring class! I’m glad I finally tried out pattern making and also worked with some colours that are out-of-the-norm for me. 

What about you? Are there any techniques that are pretty common, but that you’ve never tried before?

-Teri

Masculine Valentine’s Day Card

Hey there! 😊 Happy Valentine’s Day!

I used one of my recent classes for my Altenew Educator Certification requirements, Easy Ink Blending Techniques, as a chance to make my husband’s Valentine’s Day card. 

I was inspired by several elements of Amy Lee’s class with this card.  I used Altenew’s “A Walk in the Woods” stamp set to created an emboss-resist. I used a few different colours of ink, including the ones I used to stand the sentiment from Label Love (also by Altenew). 

Amy gave a great suggestion to search Pinterest for colour combo ideas. I wanted to use this Copper Penny embossing powder from Brutus Monroe, so I spent some time looking for a palette I liked. I found this one super inspiring:

I am so glad I looked for this, because I have really struggled with that embossing powder. I love the colour but I’ve just never been sure what to pair it with! I’m excited to try out some more options in future projects. 

If I could do it again, I think I would add some

more layers of faux-watercolour to intensify the colour. 

I finished it off with some cobalt-blue heart confetti and mounted the panel on a Neenah solar white card base.

I really enjoyed this class because it pushed me to combine techniques and skills in a way that I wouldn’t have otherwise. 😊

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Bam! Final Project for Altenew Academy’s All About Layering 2

Altenew Academy’s All About Layering 2  with Nicole Picadura inspired me to kick my layers up a notch. 

(Side note: whatever happened to Emeril Lagasse?)

This is one of the classes required for my Altenew Educator Certification Program, and it was a lot of fun!  I experimented with layering my flowers ‘out of order’, meaning that I didn’t add the layers in the same order each time. I really like the variation this provides, as it gives the impression that these are multiple different flowers even when there are repeated stamps. 

Rotating the diecut flowers also helped to create that visual variation. 

This is one of the first projects I have done where I layered very different shades of ink, and I love the bold look it gives! I’ve mainly been a colourist in the past so it’s fun to venture into new territory. 

I even layered up the sentiment stamping to help give some depth, and then added white highlights for additional dimension. 

Some dimensional gems and embellishments, and this card was complete! 

Bam!

(Seriously - whatever happened to that guy?!)

PS: Thanks for another great class, Nicole Picadura!