WWC305 - Helen's Challenge: Anything Masculine Goes

Hello!  It is the third Wednesday so we are making masculine cards here at The Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and Helen is our hostess.   I made this card for my brother.

I used a gel press, three colors of ink  and brayer to make a blue background.  I then stenciled  over the background for a festive masculine look.

Supplies:

SSS Ring Cluster Stencil

SSS Happy Birthday Sentiment

Spellbinders Essential Rectangle die

I hope to see your card in our gallery.

Karen

Altenew Academy Level 3 Workshop

 

Hello!  I am so excited to share the final project for my Level 3 Altenew Academy Educator Certification Program.  At left I am talking about my samples for the ink-blending card we created.  

This has been such a fun journey for me! I started the certification program in May and since then I have taken 25 classes, written 25 blog posts about what I learned and completed a final project for Level 1 and Level 2.  The class instructors taught me new techniques and improved the skills I had.  I've worked hard, learned a lot and enjoyed every moment!

I invited four good friends over for a morning of card making and it became an "international event" with the on-line attendance of  Virginia Lu of Canada and Erum Tasneem of Pakistan.  They have been so encouraging and were with me every step of the way.  

I started by creating two beginner level card projects to teach to my participants:  faux watercolor stamping and ink blending with stencils.  I worked on my lesson plan, came up with a timeline and created sample cards which I submitted to Virginia in advance.  The day before, I set up the workspace for my class.

Each work station had a silicone mat, microfiber cloth, blending brush, stamps, stencils, washi tape, A2 card panels, two die cut sentiments, acrylic blocks, ink, liquid glue, A2 card bases, colored envelops, tags and ribbon.  

We talked about analogous, monochromatic and neutral colors and demonstrated how to use the color wheel.  Next we selected our ink colors, inked our stamps and then spritzed with water for a faux watercolor look.   We set our faux watercolors aside to dry and practiced ink blending on a panel.  Several of my friends liked their practice panel so much that they made a third card even though the class plan was for two.  I had plenty of extra card bases and sentiments so our impromptu cards came together just fine. For our planned second card we did ink blending over a stencil.  We then trimmed and assembled our cards and we made such a happy mess!

This is what the table looked like when we were done.  Liz created the three cards above.  The one on the right is faux watercolor, the middle is the practice ink blending panel and the left was the planned ink-blending over a stencil card.  Below is Liz with her three cards.

 Nancy and her cards are below.  Nancy created a bonus card also.

Rhonda created three cards as well.

Kathy's cards turned out great too!

Of course we needed a group photo as well.

I think my friends had a great time....as Nancy said "Making cards is relaxing, fun and therapeutic".  Exactly!

A big thank you to Virginia, Erum, Kathy, Rhonda, Nancy and Liz. What a fun day!

Essential Altenew Supplies:

Block Print Stamp Set (for faux watercoloring)

Mini Ink Cubes

Mega Bloom Stencil

Sketched Lines Stencil

Flowing Drops Stencil

Bubble Wrap Stencil

Leaves and Berries Stencil

Thanks Die

Hello Die

Sunlit Flower A2 Card Base and Envelop Set

Thanks for stopping by!  It was most enjoyable and I am happy to share the experience with you.

Karen

WWC293 - Tristan's Challenge: All About Occasions

Happy Fall Y'all...that's what we say here in Texas.  I have the Jane's Doodles Pumpkin Spice stamp set and thought it would be fun to fussy cut three of the pumpkin images and mount them on masked inked squares. This card is up on the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge Website and we would love to see your creation in our gallery.

Supplies Used
Jane's Doodles Pumpkin Spice stamp set

Taylored Expressions Square Windows Masking Stencil

Distress Ink (mustard seed, carved pumpkin and mowed lawn)

I am also playing along with:

Tic Tac Toe #085  I selected left row down:  Pumpkins, Orange, Fall

Shopping Our Stash: Happy Fall Ya'll

UPDATE:  My card was selected as a "Team Favorite" at Tic Tac Toe

I am so pleased you stopped by!

Karen

Multi Media Cards With Loads of Gorgeous Texture

Hello, hello and welcome!  I am excited to share a couple of cards that I made after taking Demystifying Mixed Media at Altenew Academy.  I think I can safely say this is the most fun class I've taken to date.  Tania Ahmed is a wonderful and inspiring instructor and I went crazy making backgrounds!  I made 7 cards and 8 backgrounds, two of which I am showcasing in this blog post.  I will be sharing the rest of the cards in future posts.  

I love that there are really no rules with mixed media. It seems the best thing to do is lay out your messiest supplies and then select a bunch for each card.  Do not be a minimalist when experimenting with multi-media.

This first background was made by hand-dipping the background and custom tinting my embossing paste.  

• I mixed Zig Cobalt Blue with water and Irridescent Shimmer Spray and then dipped a piece of Bristol cardstock into the colorful puddle.  I dried the panel and then repeated.
• I tinted my Embossing Paste with Carved Pumpkin distress ink for a fallish vibe.  
• I swiped the embossing paste over my stencil with a palette knife.  I wanted a rough look so I didn't cover the entire stencil and I made sure there was a variety of thickness to the paste. 
• While the embossing paste was wet, I sprinkled just a bit of Peach Embossing Powder on the paste and then heat set. I love the texture and interest it adds. 
• I heat embossed Altenew's Best Mom spray (in brown) and then watercolored and die-cut the image.  

I think the aqua, sherbet and brown make for a very striking card.

My second card uses watercolored embossing paste, tulle (a first on a card for me) and loads of paint splatters.

• I applied texture paste through the Feathered Leaves Stencil and then heat set.
• Using diluted watercolors mixed with shimmer spray, I loosely colored the background in blue and yellow.
• Using a damp paint brush, I feathered the watercolor edges and then dabbed with a cloth to soften the edges.
• I added blue, yellow and black paint splatters.  
• I stamped, watercolored and die cut the  Weekend Doodles floral spray.
• I cut an oval from some tulle gift wrapping ribbon and glued to the back of the floral spray and then adhered the combo to the card base.
• I added a simple sentiment embellished with Painted Grid Washi Tape.

I am also playing along with:

Creative Artiste's Mixed Media Challenge I used paint, shimmer spray, embossing paste, embossing powder and of course paper.  

The Flower Challenge #49 "Circles"  I love the textured circles on this background.

UPDATE:  The top card won at The Flower Challenge "Circles" Challenge

I hope you will stop by in the near future and see the rest of the Multi-Media cards that I created.

Karen

Quick and Simple Cards

Hello, hello and welcome!  I just completed Laurie Willison's Altenew Academy Class called Quick and Simple Cards and I wanted to share two of my creations.  I love making backgrounds and both of these cards focus on the backgrounds.   This first card was my homework assignment for Faux Watercoloring.  

I recently purchased  Altenew's Block Print stamp set and thought it would be fun to "faux watercolor".  The stamp set has four vingettes and I loved this one with diagonal and vertical lines.  I inked up the stamp with Carved Pumpkin, Candied Apple and Seedless Preserves Distress Inks and then spritzed with water. 

I then pressed the stamp onto Bristol cardstock and let it sit for a few seconds.  I also did a panel on watercolor paper, but the detail was lost so on this card, I used the Bristol panel.  I really love this vibrant color combination for fall.  

I wanted the focus on the background so I kept the other elements black and white.  I stamped the darling leaves cluster from The Retro Plantines stamp and die set and then die cut.  I added a simple sentiment but added a strip of Painted Grid Washi tape to the top for a little added interest.

The second card features a three tone stenciled background.  I masked off a 3/4" border and then taped the Feathered Leaves Stencil to the panel. Using three different analogous ink colors (Wild Honey, Carved Pumpkin, Mustard Seed), I ink blended each leaf a different color.  I thought these colors made such a pretty seasonal background.  I then heat embossed The Best Mom spray using chocolate brown embossing powder. I really like the effect on the card.  

I attached the panel to an A2 card and added a simple birthday sentiment on brown cardstock along with a couple of buttercream jewels. 

Two quick, simple and easy to make cards!  

I am also playing along with:

Card 1:  Try It On Tuesday Autumn Colors

Card 2: Sunday Stamps Earthy Tones Color Challenge

Thank you for stopping by!

Karen

Altenew Academy Level 2 Final Project

Hello, hello....so pleased you stopped by! I finished Altenew Academy's Level 2 Classes and wanted to share my final project.  I was challenged to make four masculine cards for four different occasions. I had loads of ideas and had a lot of fun creating.  To make my cards masculine, I used my husband's favorite colors....aqua, blue and green.   Mark probably wears an aqua or blue Columbia fishing shirt five days out of seven...he calls it his uniform!    I also used lots of die-cuts because Mark loves those on cards.   The unifying elements are handcrafted backgrounds and embossed sentiments on navy cardstock.   I've learned so much over the past three months but I decided to spotlight three favorite classes:

• Beyond Basic Backgrounds - We learned to make beautiful backgrounds to enhance our cards.
• Celebration Stencil Techniques - We learned to expand our stenciling repertoire. 
• Masking Unleashed - We learned various masking techniques that up the "wow" factor of our cards.

Encouragement Card:

This first card is my husband's favorite of the group. Mark's beverages of choice are coffee and hot tea....he makes a pot of each every day and  the color yellow is very encouraging and optimistic (In The Mood For Color). My idea was to make inlaid circle die cuts that coordinated with a hand crafted background.  We worked on inlaid die-cutting in Beyond Basic Backgrounds and stencil overlays in Celebration Stencil Techniques.  

• I started by taping my Altenew Watercolor Stripes stencil to a watercolor paper panel.  I then wet the paper with clean water and then dabbed and pounced three colors of distress ink onto the paper.  I LOVE this technique and think it makes a very fun background.  
• Next, I took a second watercolor panel and used the wet on wet technique to dab the same three colors of distress ink on the panel.  After the paper dried, I die cut three 1 1/2" circles.
• I die-cut a white watercolor paper overlay for the inlaid technique.
• I stamped, Copic colored and die cut three coffee/tea elements from Altenew's Tea Time stamp and die bundle.
• I heat embossed an encouraging sentiment on navy cardstock.
• I assembled the card using liquid glue and foam squares (for the cups and sentiment).

PRO TIP:  Don't over-wet the watercolor paper.  If you do, the ink will flow under the stencil and you will lose the white lines.  You do want it watery enough that you achieve a casual watercolor look.

Birthday Card:

This card was inspired by the class on Color Blocking and the negative masking we learned in Masking Unleashed.  I think the bold colors are both festive and masculine.

• I started by negative masking three 1 1/4" squares.  I then used ink blending brushes to liberally apply ink to the squares.
• I stamped and die cut three images from Altenew's Garden Grow stamp and die bundle.  I wanted the colors to be the star so I left the images uncolored.  I think this makes for a very eye-catching look.
• I heat embossed a birthday sentiment on blue card stock and then assembled my card.

PRO TIP:  For a sharp edge, be sure your mask is evenly and securely adhered to the card panel.

Love/Thinking of You Card:

I love ink blending and negative masking so I again drew upon the lessons learned in Masking Unleashed.

• I masked off a large negative mask around my card panel.  I blended in a medium blue and then applied a vivid blue around the edges.  So pretty and fun to do!
• I stamped, Copic colored and die cut two images from Altenew's Garden Grow stamp and die bundle.  This is one of the first stamp sets I purchased and it is still a favorite!
• I heat embossed my sentiment, assembled my card and attached to a top folding A2 card base.

PRO TIP:  I think using two shades of blue added depth to my one layer card background.  

Anniversary Card:

I knew I wanted to use the wreath from Altenew's Weekend Doodles and I thought it would be beautiful colored in green.  This was the starting point for my card.  After I had stamped, Copic colored and die cut the wreath I thought about backgrounds.  I finally decided to go with another bold color coordinated stenciled background.

• I Copic colored the wreath with 3 different shades of yellow-green and green.  
• I started by taping my Altenew Watercolor Stripes stencil to a watercolor paper panel.  I then wet the paper with clean water and then dabbed and pounced four colors of distress ink onto the paper.  I told you above that I love this technique!  
• I die-cut and assembled the card on a top-folding A2 base.    

Here is a photo of all the cards.  To see what I did with the muslin bag, please keep reading.

Upcycled Item:

Finally, we were asked to upcycle or alter an item. I ordered some muslin favor bags for my daughter's wedding and have quite a few left so I thought this would be the basis for my upcycle project.  I thought they would be cute "envelops" for cards given in person or fun little gift pouches. A lot of the techniques we learned at Altenew Academy can be applied to non-card projects and I would like to share the processes I used to  decorate my muslin bags:

·        Stamping on fabric

·        Coloring on fabric

·        Ink blending on fabric

·        Felt die-cuts adhered to fabric

·        Stamp layering on fabric

I started by personalizing a little bag for each of the cards that I created above. 

For the first two cards, I ironed the bag, secured it in my Misti and stamped just once.  That is all it needed and I was afraid the fabric might shift if I stamped it a second time.  I then did some easy coloring with my Tombow markers.  The fabric colors well but you can’t do much complicated shading.

 

For the Encouragement Card, I masked three squares and then ink blended white pigment ink inside the squares. I let the ink dry and then I stamped (with black Pigment ink) 3 coffee mugs.  I finished by drawing a black border around each square with a permanent marker.  Simple but graphic looking.

For the Color Block Card, I again masked three squares and then ink blended with the same (distress) inks I used on the cards.  It is interesting that the colors change a bit on fabric, but the result is a bright fun pouch.

PRO TIP:  I inserted a piece of paper inside the bag to prevent the ink and glue from bleeding through to the backside. 

While I was at it, I wanted to do some felt die-cutting.  For my first card I die cut five balloons from felt and glued blue thread to the back.  For the second card I die-cut a Mega Alphabet B and added a sprig of die-cut greenery.

PRO TIP:  To keep the felt from stretching and tearing while die cutting, I first glued a piece of regular paper to the back of the felt.  I let it dry overnight and did my die-cutting the next day.  This makes a huge difference in the quality of the die-cut!

My final idea was to do a bit of stamp layering on fabric.  I used pigment ink, dried with my heat tool and then moved on to the next color.  This card is definitely feminine but I wanted to try the technique on muslin and all my layering stamps are flowers. 

Featured Altenew Products:

Altenew Watercolor Stripes stencil

Altenew Tea Time stamp and die bundle

Altenew Garden Grow stamp and die bundle

Altenew Weekend Doodles stamp and die set

Altenew Bride to Be stamp and die bundle

Altenew Mega Alphabet B die

Altenew Card Base Envelop set

I really enjoyed putting this project together!

Karen

WWC285 - Karen's Challenge: Anything Goes with a Masculine Twist

Hello and welcome!  I am so pleased to be hosting this week's "Masculine Challenge" at the Watercooler Wedenesday Challenge. My husband's birthday is coming up and this is the card I created for him. I was going for a playful summery card.  

My process:

• I started out by inkblending over a stencil to create the background panel.
• I then ink blended another small panel for the circle die-cut inserts.  I let both panels dry for a few hours.
• I die cut the decorative wave border and then three circles from a piece of white card stock.
• I then die cut three ink-blended circles from the small panel.
• I stamped, Copic colored  and die cut the animals.
• I adhered the white panel to the blue background using foam tape. I also used foam tape to add the colored circle inserts for an inlaid look.  I popped on the animals with foam squares and added the sentiment.

My husband loves animal die-cuts so I think he will really like the card. 

Supplies Used:

My Favorite Things Lucky Dog

Simon Says Stamp Stacking Animals

Sugar Pea Designs Element Builder (wave border)

Simon Says Stamp Grid Stencil

Simon Says Stamp Stitched Circle dies

Distress Ink

Bristol Card Stock for ink blending

XPress It Card Stock for the animals

Copic Markers

I am also playing along with:

Inspired By “Critters” Challenge My husband loves critters, dog etc. so that is the theme of my birthday card.

AAA Birthday “Tic Tac Toe” I went with bright (summery colors), embossing (sentiment) and masculine (for my husband).

Allsorts Summer Fun Challenge

UPDATE:  I was so pleased to see my card was selected "Top 3"  at The AAA Birthday Challenge. 

I am so pleased that you stopped by!

Karen

Altenew Academy - Masking Unleashed

Hello!  Well, I am still camping out while work continues on my house, but it left me plenty of time to finish my next Altenew class called Masking Unleashed. I did have to run home to get my inks and blending brushes.  Svitlana Shayevich taught us loads of useful tips and techniques.

 For this card, I chose to work on negative masking.  In the past, I’ve done positive masking where you cover the image you are working on.  With negative masking, you cover the area surrounding an image.  In lesson 4, Svitlana also taught us how to ink blend with  Negative Masking.

 I decided Altenew’s Mega Alphaget “T” die would work well and started planning a thank you card.

My Process:

• I trimmed a piece of masking paper to 4 1/4” x 5 1/2”,  taped the die in the center and then ran it through my die cutting machine. I then carefully adhered it to a Bristol Cardstock panel.  
• Next, I lightly blended four shades of Distress Ink from the bottom to the top.
• I taped the stencil at an angle over the “T” and blended 5 shades over the stencil using a much heavier hand.  I carefully peeled back the masking paper, trimmed the panel down, attached some craft foam to the back and added it to a top folding A2 panel.
• I die cut a sentiment from navy Cardstock and glued it to the panel.  I also added three enamel dots in coordinating colors.

Pro Tip: Make sure the masking paper is firmly in place before you start ink blending so you have sharp clean lines.  I used a bone folder.

Featured Supplies:

Altenew Mega Alphabet “T” die

Altenew Watercolor Stripes stencil

Altenew Thanks die

Altenew New Day Enamel Dots

Just Add Ink “T” Challenge. My card is T for thanks.

I am so pleased that you stopped by!

Karen

WWC278 - Michelle's Challenge: Anything Goes with a Feminine Twist

Do you ever have a leftover scrap that you just love?  That is how this card came to be....I made a pretty background  (link to card here) and had a bit left so that was the starting point for this creation.  I thought it was a pretty feminine card so I selected it to be my design team card for this week's Watercooler Wednesday "Feminine" Challenge.

I added a bold floral focal point, heat embossed a sentiment, created a layered look with foam tape and added a couple of embellishments from my scrapbooking days.  

Supplies Used:

Altenew Watercolor Stripes Stencil

Altenew Smile More stamp and die bundle

Spellbinder's Sentiment

Distress Inks (Salty Ocean, Mermaid Lagoon, Twisted Citron)

Zig Markers:  Emerald, Green Shadow, Pale Yellow, Yellow, Bright Yellow

Initial Embellishments

Make My Monday "Use Stencils" Challenge My background is watercoloring with distress ink over a stencil.

Festive Friday FF0062  I picked CAS design, birthday theme and floral theme.

Cut It Up Summer Colors Challenge

Sweet Stampin' Create Your Own Background

I am so pleased that you stopped by!

Karen