Clean and Simple II: Glitterama Day 9

Well, they had me as soon as I saw the word glitter - say no more, I was willing to give it a go!  In certain instances, you just gotta have a little bling .... right?

The picture doesn't give a very good idea of the glittery effect but maybe it's because I used watercolour paper which isn't very smooth to begin with.  I swiped the paper with Distress Stains (bundled sage and broken china) and used an aqua pen to create an ombre effect from dark to light.

I stamped the sentiment from Studio Calico Snap On and then heat set the piece of cardstock very well before adding Sticky Stuff powder and then layering Rock Candy glitter and reheating to set.
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I wanted to make one more card with Distress Stains using broken china and a metallic pewter as well.  I didn't add glitter to this one but mounted it on a light grey card base and added a dragonfly from PTI's Happy Trails and a silver embossed sentiment from the same stamp set. 

 I mounted the sentiment panel to the base with foam dots.

The pewter distress stain adds some nice shine and sparkle in person - it was a good purchase!

Clean and Simple II - Day 8 - fun with plaid stamping

The ingenious Laura Bassen shared with us a video on plaid stamping and I had such fun creating this card using her technique.  I created a mask with my QuicKutz hexagon nesting die and some Eclipse masking paper.  I then grabbed a stamp from PTI's Faux Ribbon and used the thickest 'ribbon'.  I flipped it around for a wider stripe.

I stamped the colours in an ombre effect with darker and lighter tones using a variety of Fresh inks (merlot, fuschia, red currant, and sugar).  I added the sentiment from Studio Calico Snap On with my ever faithful Versafine Black Onyx.

I decided this card needed a little something extra so I added some glitter (Rock Candy distress glitter from Ranger/Tim Holtz) using a Quickie glue pen.  So fun and sparkly in person!

So, thank you, Laura - your video was awesome and it was great to see your personality and humour thoughout.  You always inspire me with your amazing cards - you have such an eye for good design!

**edited to add a reply to a comment below - the video that Laura made is not public as it was in the Clean and Simple II card class but you basically just layer stripes of different colours side by side using a mask of any shape you like.  Sorry I can't share a link to her video, Kathryn! :) Here is an explanation that she did over at Ellen Hutson's CLASSroom.

Supplies:
Paper: Staples 110lb light grey
Ink: Fresh (merlot, fuschia, red currant, sugar);  Versafine Black Onyx
Stamps: PTI Faux Ribbon, Studio Calico Snap On
Misc: QuicKutz hexagon nesting die, Eclipse masking paper, Rock Candy glitter

Clean and Simple II - patchwork stamping and a little glitter

Another go at patchwork stamping with a fun sentiment - how can you go wrong with "oh, snap"?!!

I took a piece of white cardstock and stamped 'oh snap' from  Studio Calico Snap On using Fresh silver lilac, tuscan olive and steel blue.  I then punched it out with a 1 3/4 punch and used some foam dots
on a blue strip that I covered with a bit of narrow scor tape and some Martha Stewart blue topaz glitter.

I love using scor tape with glitter - it adheres so well!

Supplies:
Paper: American Crafts textured black cardstock, blue from stash, Staples 110 lb white
Stamps:  Studio Calico Snap On
Ink: Fresh silver lilac, tuscan olive, steel blue
Misc: foam dots, Martha Stewart blue topaz glitter, scor tape

Clean and simple II - day 6 - another go at patchwork stamping

 I liked the look of this technique so I tried it again ... what fun!

I made a super simple card with PTI's Rosie Posie hexagons and Hero Arts Made with love sentiment set.

For the patchwork stamping, I used a few Hero Arts mid tone inks - wet cement, cup o' joe, and red royal.  The graphic sentiment is stamped in the nice deep rich Versafine Black Onyx.

Have you tried this technique yet?  It looks great with solid stamps so give it a try!

Supplies:
Paper: Staples 110lb white
Stamps: PTI Rosie Posie, Hero Arts Made with love
Ink:   Hero Arts mid tone inks - wet cement, cup o' joe, and red royal; Versafine Black Onyx

Clean and simple II - day 6 - patchwork stamping

I had such fun doing some patchwork stamping today - it's a really cool technique!

I grabbed Rosie Posie from PTI and some Jenni Bowlin inks (weather vane, speckled egg and lavender sachet) and stamped the flower using the three colours.

For some texture, I used PTI's canvas impression plate and then got started on the sentiment.  I wanted to have the perfect colour to match so I swiped some Jenni Bowlin weather vane ink on white cardstock, heat set it and then stamped the Mat Stack 1 collection sentiment from PTI with Versamark and white Zing embossing powder.

Some pearls and  foam dots for the sentiment and the card is done!  I am definitely going to try this technique again.

Supplies:
Paper: Staples 110lb white
Stamps: PTI Mat Stack 1 collection 1, Rosie Posie
Ink: Versamark, Jenni Bowlin speckled egg, weather vane, lavender sachet
Misc:  foam dots, white Zing embossing powder, PTI Canvas impression plate

Clean and Simple II - embrace the negative space yet again

 I continued to embrace the negative space with this super simple card.  I love gray cardstock and found a medium gray (or is it grey?!) from SU that I bought last year.  If PTI ever comes out with a medium gray (or even a light gray!) I would be very happy.  For now I have a Staples light gray (even though the weight is not quite heavy enough for my liking) and SU's Basic Gray for a mid tone

I used WPlus9's Heartfelt Mix again using Versamark and lots of embossing powder (Zing gold and blush).  The little clothes pin is Versafine Black Onyx with some clear Zing embossing powder.

I just love that blush embossed chevron heart - such texture!

Supplies:
Paper: SU Basic Gray
Stamps: WPlus9 Heartfelt Mix
Ink:   Versamark, Versafine Black Onyx
Misc:  Zing embossing powder (blush, clear, gold)

Clean and Simple II - more masking from day 2

 So I tried the double masking from the other day over at the online class Clean and Simple II.  This is inspiring me to make cards in different ways and try some techniques for the first time and revisit others that I haven't done in a while. 

 I masked using an Angled Labels die (PTI) to make a mask from Eclipse paper and then sponged over some pale blue ink (Fresh sky blue).  I used the reverse of the mask to stamp the Studio Calico grid pattern background stamp using some Fresh slate ink.

Then I stamped Edward's name using Alpha Dots from Paper Smooches to personalize the card for little E who is a new arrival to one of my colleagues.  I used a Fiskars Baby Boy set for 'baby' and stamped it all using the nice and dark ink ( Versafine Black Onyx).

I used some stamps from the Fiskars set on the inside of the card with Versafine Black Onyx and Fresh red currant.

I like making my cards as personalized as possible and what is more personal than the baby's name itself! :)

Supplies:
Paper: Staples 110lb white
Ink: Versafine Black Onyx; Fresh sky blue, red currant, slate
Stamps: Fiskars Baby Boy, Paper Smooches Alpha Dot, Studio Calico grid pattern background stamp
Misc: Eclipse masking paper

Embrace the negative space - Clean and simple II

So I am new to the whole misting and splattering ... I bought a few bottles but haven't used them too often.  I had an idea for a sentiment that would work perfectly for a splattered card.  I grabbed my Studio Calico Mister Huey's mists in shine and opaque white.  I used my box that I mist and do any other messy techniques in - it works well and keeps the work area clean.  I flicked a bunch of the ink onto the kraft card stock and then took it out and let it dry a bit before stamping.

I made the sentiment using Kelly Purkey's Plain Jane stamp set - I love the modern graphic look of this font.  I stamped it with Versafine Black Onyx and added three dots from PTI's Polka Dot Basics.

Hard to see the shine, but it's there - promise! :)

I added the sentiment from WPlus9's Heartfelt Mix - just perfect.  A Versamarked heart from the same stamp set and the card is all done.

So I think I embraced the white space ... even though it wasn't white after all.  And I finally did some ink splattering ... :)  This is the perfect card for a friend of mine who is going through a tough time - I think this will work well ...

Supplies:
Paper: PTI Kraft
Stamps: Kelly Purkey Plain Jane alpha, WPlus9 Heartfelt Mix
Ink: Versafine Black Onyx, Versamark, Studio Calico Mister Huey's (opaque white, shine)

Embrace the negative space - Day 4

This class is a lot of fun and I am having a great time watching the videos and getting ideas and inspiration.  I have been pretty busy so have only managed to make cards sporadically rather than every day ... Oh, well - I am doing my best and still getting a lot out of the sessions! :)

I bought some wood veneer from Impress Rubber Stamps recently and decided to try die cutting it.  I stamped the text from PTI's BB Text Style in birch ink.  How appropriate that that's the name of the ink, right?!

I die cut the heart and also did some clouds at the same time - it cut like butter!  I stamped the arrow from  Studio Calico Snap On in chocolate ink on the card base and on the heart itself ... A few foam dots and the heart has a bit more dimension.

 The sentiment is stamped in Fresh ink's fuschia and then heat embossed in clear from the same stamp set.

 I will definitely be playing more with these wood veneer sheets ... what fun!

Supplies:
Paper: Staples 110lb white, Impress wood veneer sheets
Ink: Fresh ink - chocolate, fuschia, birch; Versamark
Stamps: PTI BB Text Style,  Studio Calico Snap On
Misc: WPlus9 Heartfelt Mix (heart) die, foam dots, clear embossing powder

Clean and Simple: Day 3 Stamping Techniques (offset stamping)

Offset stamping looks really cool ... so for my first card, I sort of used the technique as a jumping off point.
And I have always loved when the talented Maile Belles and others do a popped up panel on a card base with only a portion cut off the side.  So I decided to try both of these on a card.  I found this cool wood tape that was in the home hardware section of a Daiso Japanese dollar store (if you can find one, go because they have the coolest things!!).  It is actually wood repair tape and I thought it would be a fun thing to use like washi tape.

I added a strip along the edge and then cut the card front down so the wood tape could peek through.  I stamped the feather from  Studio Calico Snap On in Fresh birch and chocolate and added the sentiment from Hero Arts Everyday Greetings with Memento Espresso Truffle.

To add a bit more interest, I impressed the front panel with my trusty PTI linen impression plate - this is a great choice as it is subtle but adds a little texture.

I popped the front panel up on foam dots and congratulated myself on finding something so useful at the dollar store!  Who knew?!

Since this one was not *really* offset stamping, I made a few more actually using the technique properly.

I used the dotted cloud from WPlus9's Heartfelt Mix and stamped it in Fresh silver lilac and provincial grey and then the sentiment using Paper Smooches Alpha Dots and PTI's BB Polka Dots.  Fresh ink's steel blue and sky blue for the sentiment and dots for a little extra colour.

Since this was a simple one layer card, I used PTI's linen impression plate yet again ...

My next card was made after the sun went down so I apologize for the dark pictures .... I used PTI's Turning a New Leaf using Fresh ink's pear and tuscan olive using the offset stamping.

I added a Smokey Shadow double ended banner die cut and used my new Studio Calico wood veneer letters for the sentiment.

Supplies:
thinking of you 
Paper: Staples 110lb white
Stamps: Studio Calico Snap On, Hero Arts Everyday Greetings
Ink: Fresh ink - birch, chocolate; Memento Espresso Truffle
Misc:  foam dots, Daiso wood tape, PTI linen impression plate

what's up
Paper: Staples 110lb white
Stamps: WPlus9 Heartfelt Mix, PTI Polka Dot basics, Paper Smooches Alpha Dots
Ink: Fresh ink (silver lilac, provincial grey, steel blue, sky blue)
Misc: PTI linen impression plate

hi
Paper: Staples 110lb white, PTI Smokey Shadow
Stamps: PTI Turning a new leaf
Ink: Fresh ink (pear, tuscan olive)
Misc: Studio Calico wood veneer letters, PTI Double Ended Banners die, PTI linen impression plate

Clean and Simple: Day 3 - Stamping Techniques (Gradient Stamping)

I was inspired by Jennifer's information on gradient stamping - what a fun idea!  I have seen the ombre effect around the blogs but hadn't really tried it myself.  I took out some sets to make some cards and had fun getting inky.

For my first card, I used WPlus9 Defining Words in a variety of  Jenni Bowlin inks (spiced tin, soap powder, speckled egg) and  Distress Ink in weathered wood.  I die cut a heart from WPlus9's Heartfelt Mix in PTI's Enchanted Evening and adhered it with foam dots and added some Rock Candy stickles.

 Here's a look at the Rock Candy Stickles - it looks like sugar almost - in person it is a pretty fun effect!

I made a simliar card with a Mat Stack 4 die cut and some sentiments from the ever so cute Studio Calico Snap On stamp set using Versafine Black Onyx for a bold message.  I added a pink heart from WPlus9's Heartfelt Mix stamped in Fresh ink (sugar) on the mat stack.

I used my Papertrey Vintage Tea dye duo to ink up the edges - adds a little more definition between the background and the die cut.

For my next gradient card, I grabbed the gorgeous Lovely Layers stamp set from Papertrey.  I stamped a row of the blossoms (or medallions?) in Fresh ink - sugar, fuschia, red currant and merlot.  I added a sentiment from Fabulous Frames using Fresh ink in chocolate.

 I like the look of the kraft cardstock with the gradient inks ... so simple but really effective.

I continued on my roll of gradient stamping and grabbed a graphic set, also from Papertrey.  Background Basics was designed by one of my favourite modern and clean designers - Maile Belles.  I stamped the circles in sugar at the top but they weren't very visible so changed my idea and stamped the rows in red currant, fuschia, merlot, and chocolate plus the solid ones in fuschia.  I mounted it to a white card base and added the sentiment from Signature Greetings in red currant.

 I kept it flat for easy mailing .... I usually use foam dots but resisted the urge this time! :)

Supplies:

Blue Gradient Heart Card

Paper: Staples 110lb white, PTI Enchanted Evening

Stamps: WPlus9 Defining Words, Heartfelt Mix
Ink: Jenni Bowlin inks (spiced tin, soap powder, speckled egg); Distress Ink (weathered wood).
Misc: foam dots, WPlus9 Heartfelt Mix die, Rock Candy stickles

Love you ... you rock

Paper: Staples 110lb white, PTI Enchanted Evening

Stamps: WPlus9 Defining Words, Heartfelt Mix; Studio Calico Snap On
Ink: Jenni Bowlin inks (spiced tin, soap powder, speckled egg); Distress Ink (weathered wood), Fresh ink (sugar), Versafine Black Onyx; PTI Vintage Tea Dye duo
Misc: foam dots, PTI Mat Stack 4

This is the life
Paper: PTI Kraft
Ink: Fresh ink (sugar, fuschia, red currant, merlot, chocolate)
Stamps: PTI Lovely Layers, Fabulous Frames

Love you so much
Paper: Staples 110lb white, PTI kraft
Ink: Fresh ink (sugar, fuschia, red currant, merlot, chocolate)
Stamps: BB Circles, Signature Greetings