Sunday, May 21, 2017

My Favorite Things: Mission Control, I Need the Balloon

Hello Everyone!
Today I will be featuring another one layered wonder using MFT's Space Explorer stamp set,  I was super happy when I got the stamp set in the mail on Friday.  I've been wanting the set since it came out two releases ago.  I had a couple ideas in mind and was sketching out one on a scratch paper, but that one didn't work out too well (I want to come back to that one in the future because I like the idea, just need to tweek it). Then I decided to do another one layered card because the one I did last week was so much fun to make.  I started by picking the images I wanted to use and laid it  out on the card panel.  The idea for this card is that the astronaut boy is "running" after a balloon to take home with him for a birthday.  At first I thought I would not have enough images on my card and was afraid I wasn't going to use enough card space; with what I wanted to do with ink blending it would be extremely difficult to add any other images later, but I kept with images I had laid out.  I used my MISTI to stamp the images with Simon Says Stamp Intense Black Ink because I wanted to Copic color them and wanted a very dark stamped outline, which is a benefit of using the MISTI.  I then created masks for each of my images as well as the shape of my moon.  Once I masked everything, I used Distress Inks (Mustard Seed, Picked Raspberry, Salty Ocean, and Chipped Sapphire) to ink blend my sky. 

Now comes the fun part, I used some water to splatter on the sky to create the distress look, then I took some white acrylic paint, watered it down to splatter all over.  The white paint really brings everything to life.  Well the white paint also brought my floors to life as well.  :P  I was using a box to cover the splatter, but I guess I was having a bit too much fun.

I then took my heat gun to dry the sky background, so that I could it off to work on the Moon.  I used a similar technique in distressing, but wanted the edge where the moon meets the sky to be defined.  I used Pumice Stone for most of the moon and then went back in on the edges with Hickory Smoke to define edge.  Once I was done distressing I used some water to splatter.  When I unmasked everything, I thought there was something missing from the moon, so i used my Copic markers to draw in some rocks.  I hope you like the card I created.  

Sunday, May 14, 2017

My Favorite Things: Up, Up, Up Scenes

Hello Everyone!
Happy Mother's day! Today I will be featuring two cards using MFT's Up in the Air.  The first, my co-worker had asked me to make a graduation card for her cousin who is graduating from USC.  I started by laying out my design on the card base and figuring out what I wanted to do.  I find I have been a bit more organized when I do this.

Once I figured out my layout, I cut out my matting for the card.  I used the USC colors for the matting, while I was at it, I die cut my hill as well as using MFT's basic stitch lines (I used the regular stitch) to put stitching around my main card piece. I then stamped out my images with Simon Says Intense Black Ink as I wanted to Copic color my images.  I tried to incorporate some more of the USC colors on the images.  Once I finished coloring I fussing cut the images out.  I then used Distress Inks (Mowed Lawn and Twisted Citron) to ink blend my boarder hill.  I then used Tumbled Glass to ink blend some clouds out onto the main card.  Most of the images were glued down flat, however, I popped up the balloon image.  I stamped a sentiment with Versafine Onyx Black and embossed with clear ink.

My next card was a labor of love.  I really wanted to do a one layered card with the same stamp set and had an idea of what I wanted to do.  At first I was toying with the sky color; did I want to do a cloud sky? I do like the look of the cloud sky but I wanted to do something a bit different for this card, so I google searched sky at different times in the day and I loved the sun set sky and wanted to mimic it.  I started by laying out my card by stamping the images on a scrap piece of paper and labeling which would be in front/back.  Then I stamped and fussy cut masks for my images.

After all my images had a mask I masked off the sky area to do my grass area by ink blending Distress Ink colors (Evergreen Bough and Cracked Pistachio).  After distressing the grass area, I asked it off to do the sky.  I took inspiration from some google images and came up with some distress colors (Antique Linen, Victorian Velvet, Seedless Preserves, Chipped Sapphire, and Black Soot).   Once the sky was distressed I then used the MFT stencil Radiating Rays to create a sun setting behind the house.

I was finally able to unmask everything and Copic color my images.  I did have a bit of a problem with my clouds.  I shouldn't have masked them because they were so stark white it would have been better to blend it in with the sky, but I solved this by lightly distressing it with the colors of the sky.  I opted to use darker colors for the trees and homes as it was at night.

I hope you like my cards. :)

Monday, May 1, 2017

Mama Elephant: Party Animals

Hello everyone!
Today I am featuring Mama Elephants Party Animal and Little Dog Agenda stamp set.  I had an idea of what I wanted to do with this card when I got the stamp set last week, so I wasn't flying at the seat of my pants like I usually am.  I laid out what images and dies I would be using.

 I started by die cutting 2 Scallop Rectangle panels with Gina Marie Designs dies; one for the base the other I used Lawn Fawn hillside and MFT grassy broader to create my outdoor scene.  I put those panels aside while I began stamping my images with Simon Says Intense Black ink so that I could Copic color them.

I then went back to my rectangle panel to ink blend with distress ink (Mowed Lawn and Twisted Citron) my grassy boarder and hillside.  The main panel I distressed with Tumbled Glass.  Once that was done I used a bowl of water and paint brush to flick and drip some water onto the panel to create a distress look.  I really should invest in a distress spray bottle for this.  After the panels were done I stamped and heat embossed (versefine black with clear embossing powder) a sentiment I used from Mama Elephant's Girlfriend stamp set.  I then I put all the images together and popped the top grassy layer up with foam tape.  I finished the inside with a little dog and confetti.  Hope you like my card...