Most stampers and card makers know that the term “CASE” means “copy and share everything” and I DO like to copy!! I’m continually impressed and inspired by other’s work and today’s card is no exception! Lauren Lovato is a designer for Brutus Monroe and she recently shared THIS card which I fell in love with! I’m always drawn to watercolored, spatter-y backgrounds and leaves and sprigs are some of my favorite design elements! Her card combined both so I had to CASE! (Technically, I made this card prior to seeing Lauren’s aforementioned card!) This was made specifically for my daughter’s birthday; Sara is an amazing poet and going to grad school this fall for Writing and Publishing. I’m so proud of her for pursuing her goals and “following her bliss”! The very first thing I did was to heat-emboss in black this encouraging sentiment from Stamplorations into the center of a piece of Bristol Smooth card stock. I then pulled out an old Stampin Up set called Remarkable You which I recently found on ebay and heat-embossed the leaves image using Versamark ink and then clear embossing powder. Next, I tapped out Fossilized Amber distress oxide ink onto my craft mat, spritzed with water and laid my card stock into it, then repeated that process with Mowed Lawn distress ink, and Forest Moss distress oxide ink, drying in between layers with a heat tool. As a nod to the written word, I had to add the Dictionary background stamp by Stampin Up in black over the whole card front. I rubbed off the excess inks with a paper towel to reveal the crisp white leaf outlines. Lastly, I sponged Black Soot distress oxide ink around the edges then mounted the panel to a white card base. I really, really love this card and Sara did too! I think it’s quite ironic that I had just created the Follow Your Bliss card for Sara, and then saw Lauren’s card online! Here’s my CASE of hers! Again, I used Stampin Up’s Remarkable You leaves image and embossed them in black onto a panel of Bristol Smooth. Using Zig markers, I began by scribbling a little Deep Blue into the crannies between the stems of the leaves, then moved and blended the ink outward with a water brush. I did a section at a time, letting it dry in one area then going back in to add another layer of color and water. When the dark blue background was filled in, I used Dark Pink on the leaves and again, a waterbrush to move the ink. Persian Green was then added to the leaves and blended with more water. I like that the Pink and Green colors bled into the Deep Blue background! I happily spattered on all three Zig colors and a little extra black then die-cut the circle of vellum, embossed the sentiment with black powder and attached it to my watercolored panel. A few little jewels added extra pizzazz and a black card base finished my card! Thanks to Lauren for her inspiration! I hope you will take the time to view her creations on her Instagram page or blog!
Welcome, card-loving friends! I haven’t posted in a little while and decided to look through my photo files to see what I have that may be of interest! I came across these cards which I made recently using a retired Stampin Up set called Remarkable You. I’ve admired cards made with this set for a long time but resisted buying it from ebay because it was more money than I wanted to spend. But at last I gave in and I’m glad I did! The large images allow for lots of color and texture and I love the bold lines! Unfortunately, I took the photos at night so the lighting isn’t great. On a piece of watercolor paper I heat-embossed the lotus blossom twice in black and then the leaves around them. Using a large paintbrush, I spread water generously all around the images then dropped in yellow paint from my Gansai Tambi watercolor set to create a bright and cheerful background. I painted the blossoms several times with shades of red, drying in between layers and then did a quick wash of green on the leaves. A spattering of black and white craft paint add a little more visual interest and the bold letters of the sentiment seemed to perfectly complement the overall design. I die-cut the panel with Stitched Rectangle dies then mounted it to a base card of vanilla card stock. I’m really happy with how this turned out!This is my second card made with Remarkable You and it’s a very different vibe with it’s cool, velvety tones of blue and warm shades of brown. The blossoms were stamped and embossed with Brutus Monroe’s Coffee Grounds embossing powder onto a panel of watercolor paper, then with a dark brown Zig marker, I scribbled on some color. I used a waterbrush to soften and blend the ink for a loose watercolor look. To create the background I painted a generous wash of water all over the paper and around the flower images. I tapped out Broken China, Evergreen Bough and Cracked Pistachio distress oxide inks onto my craft mat and spritzed with water, then picked up the color with a damp paintbrush and filled in the color in layers, drying between applications. I spattered more of the inks onto the background as well. When the panel was dry, I used the same Dark Brown Zig marker to write out the words then spritzed it with more water to soften and break down the ink. I wish now that I’d used a softer, more subtle shade of brown or even an aqua marker but all in all, I like how the style of the writing mimics the lines of the flowers. I cut this panel down with Stitched Rectangle dies, sponged Walnut Distress ink around the edges then mounted it to a card base of vanilla. I can’t decide which card I like the best; can you?! Thank you, as always, for visiting!
