The Value of Guidelines: Masculine card using stamps repurposed for a pattern

Hey there! 

I have always struggled with masculine cards. Both my dad and my brother have September birthdays, so every year at this time, I rack my brain trying to come up with not one but two designs. #facepalmtimestwo

I always do better if I can articulate a guideline for myself. For example, when I feel like a card or scrapbook layout is missing something, my go-to strategy is to try adding an additional texture. Guidelines give me a place to start and I can always choose to ‘break the rules’ if I want to. 

This is why I was so glad to take Altenew’s class called “For the Guys”. Jennifer Rzaza shares some great ideas that were helpful for me to adopt as guidelines.

 One of the things she talks about is geometric stamps. I didn’t  have any of those, but when I saw another lesson where she uses a halftone stamp, I realized that the second layer of the cupcake wrapper has a sort of halftone gradient to it. 

I used it to stamp this pattern creating a sort of “bouncing” effect across the card panel. (Is anyone else reminded of Dr. Sheldon Cooper demonstrating the Doppler Effect? )

I added a loose outline to the “bounces” and then added a metallic embossed sentiment from the Label Love Stamp set. 

I’ll definitely be applying the mental guidelines I developed to figure projects. I think that’s the best things about taking classes - it gives me the opportunity to incorporate other people’s ideas and techniques in a way that works for my own personal style and tastes. 

Do you have any go-to guidelines when it come to cardmaking? I’d love to hear them!

Take care,

Teri 

How to use digi-stamps with no printer

Hey, everyone! 

I am so excited to share this slimline card today because: 

a) it’s a masculine card and I find those the hardest, 

b) I used some gorgeous and unique digi-stamps from Varada Sharma WITHOUT A PRINTER(!!!), and 

c) if you read this before September 27, 2020, you can enter to win some goodies from Varada Sharma over on my Instagram page.

I’ve been doing a lot of decluttering and reorganizing lately, and this meant that I didn’t have my printer hooked up when I went to design my card for VaradaSharma’s September release. #facepalm 

I was so excited when I came up with this workaround!

After opening the image file on my tablet, I turned up the brightness, washi-taped my paper to the screen, and used a pencil to trace around the images.  To freeze the screen, I used the Guided Access setting that temporarily disables the touchscreen capabilities. You could do this with a smartphone, too, though you might need to do part of the image at a time depending on the size. I started with the succulent string-of-pearls plant and then chose a hanging planter from the stamp set to match. I zoomed in and out of the image until I got the look I wanted, and then I traced around it, avoiding the pearls so the planter would appear to be behind the foliage.

The result was a light pencil sketch of a potted plant, but I erased the heaviest lines so they wouldn’t show.

I then coloured the images with my Nuvo alcohol markers and added details with Polychromos coloured pencil. A little splatter, some sequins from my stash, and this card is done! 

I chose not to add a sentiment to this one because it’s for my father and I think he will likely display it as art rather than as a card, but there are great sentiments in this kit as well. You can check those out here.  Also, be sure to enter the giveaway over on my Instagram page!

Thanks for stopping by!

Teri

"You Inspire Me" card using Label Love and Build-a-Flower Gardenia

Hi there, and welcome to my brand-new blog!

I'm so excited to be posting my first project for the Altenew Educator Certification Program!  

I chose to start with All About Layering 1, a ten-part (free!) class taught by Nicole Picadura.  Nicole's tutorials are easy to follow and she has some great suggestions for lining up tricky layered stamps.  As I practiced her techniques, I discovered that focusing on a couple of 'nooks and crannies' in the stamp, as Kathy Racoosin might call them, helped me to line up the layers.  These are the inner angles of the V-shapes in the stamp, and they were different for each layer, so I was careful to frequently refer to the colour guide on the back of the stamp set.  

My project for this class features the Build-a-Flower Gardenia and Label Love stamp sets from Altenew.  (PS: Those aren't affiliate links.  I just shared them for your convenience).

Here are the steps I took to create this card:

First, I stamped the flower outline twice, rotating the stamp so it wouldn't look repetitive and overhanging the edge of the panel.  I also stamped the outline on a separate piece of cardstock for the focal flower.

Next, I added the layers of aqua and teal.  I was very careful to study each layer stamp because I wanted to make sure I lined up those layers perfectly.

Since this class focuses on fundamental skills, I decided I should stamp by hand.  With an acrylic block.  Without my MISTI.  So, the next thing I learned is that my hands shake when I'm concentrating.

Thus, the next step was to start again. 😂

It took a couple of tries, but I'm glad I decided to complete the card without my stamp-positioning tool.  It forced me to study the stamp in more detail than I might have otherwise.  Sometimes I find that a back-to-basics approach like this helps me to get out of my 'autopilot' habits, allowing me to learn more in the process.

Once I had the four layers stamped, I started on the leaves.  Here, I didn't have the right green, so I experimented with various teals until I found a shade that would combine with the underlying muted lime ink to create the right shade of green.  In the process, I found that stamping the veins first allowed me to line things up more effectively since there was no outer line to follow.

After die-cutting the flower, I cut apart the leaves and arranged them in a visual triangle, then adhered the layers to the stamped panel, adding a couple of layers of scrap cardstock under the stamped images for a bit of dimension.  I then splattered on some metallic watercolour paint before stamping the sentiment and popping it up for added dimension.  I used the same lime-and-teal combo to match the shade of green on the leaves.

I then adhered some fun-foam to the panel before adding it to the front of a heavy white card base.  The finishing touch was adding some gems from Studio Katia's Mermaid mix.

And that's it! I learned so much from this course and process, and I'm pleased with how this card turned out...though next time, I'll probably use my MISTI. 😂

Happy crafting!

💕Teri