Birthday Stash Building...

 January is the month for building the stash of Birthday cards. I make lots of Birthday cards in this time. 

I know it's February. 

Check out the birthday cards I made this January... 

 My motorbike loving nephew turned 18 in January. 
I love this tyre stencil from Tim Holtz. 

A friend of mine turned 35. 
I've been there, done that and got the T-shirt. 
The t-shirt is on an action wobbler. 

White cardstock, embossed with balloons.
Ink swiped with different shades of purple.
White "Happy Birthday" Die Cut (from Lawn Fawn).
Great birthday card. 

This fireworks stamp was in a set from 
Gina K Designs (for New Years Eve). 
It works great for any celebration occasion! 
Change up the colour combo for a 
different look! 

The following cards were created from my basket of backgrounds and die cut pieces that I have just sitting on a shelf. I was determined to use some of them up. Lots of them are left over from other cards I have made or from experiments in the craftroom. Where I was trying something out. 

Gel print background. 
Green cardstock used for the die cut 
Happy Birthday.

Everything except the "Happy Birthday"
and the sequins was a remnant from another project. 

This was all from the magic basket of left overs! 

There's more, but I want to save them for my next post. Who knows when that will be? 

Recreating cards

I made this card in 2018. It was very near the beginning of my card making journey. I had limited supplies, but my stash was starting to grow. I love this card.

I thought it would be fun to recreate/ CASE this card, using my current supplies. I don't have the Happy Birthday die anymore. I gifted it to a crafty friend. I used a different die, but the stencil is the same. I tell you, it was much easier to make this card this time around. A paper trimmer makes a huge difference and so does experience! 

I also used different inks- Catherine Pooler instead of Memento.  I decided to do the ombre inking horizontally down the card instead of vertically. I also used glossy accents on the word die cut which was stacked for dimension. 

Even the photo is better! Haha. 

Bye for now. 

Critter Cards- without colouring

If you spend a lot of money on critter stamps, you feel like you need to use them.  At least, I do. Sometimes, I don't feel like colouring my critter stamps. The thing is, there are so many other ways to use your critter stamps.  You just need to think outside the box. Let's look at a few ways you can make cards with critters, without having to build a scene or do any colouring. 

#1 Ink blending

You don't even need to ink blend realistic colours or place them where you expect.

The colours just make a bright background for the line art to sit on. 

So cute.

#2 Stamp onto coloured cardstock

You won't get any shadows or light, but it doesn't matter. 
Stamping these cute elephants on different shades of grey
cardstock gives enough contrast. A touch of stencilling
and a sweet sentiment, means this card came together
so easily and it really packs a punch.  

#3 Just stamp it  

This gelpress background didn't need much. 
Simply Stamping the hedgehogs on a basic shape is enough. 
The sentiment is simply stamped too, with a black mat. 
I'm really happy with how this card turned out. 

#Heat Embossing

This white heat embossed cat on black cardstock is so cute. 
You could heat emboss in white on brightly coloured cardstock too. 
I sent this card to a friend whose cat had crossed the rainbow bridge. 
She loved it. 

There you go, 4 ways to use your critter stamps without colouring. 

Do you have any other special tricks for using your critters (or any line art) without colouring them? 

Please share them in the comments below. 

 

More Critter Cards- Simple Scenes

Scene building is not really my thing, I can do it, but it takes a lot of effort for me.  When I have stamped out a critter and taken the time to colour it, I want a background for it, but I want the critter to be the star of the show.  Let's check out these very simple scenes set for some sweet critters. 

A cloud stencil with some light blue ink, makes a cloudy sky. 
Some post-it tape and light green ink, blends to make some grass. 
Use a card panel with a circle aperture to add some white space. 
Pop up the card panel, with a simple stamped sentiment too. 

This scene is just a bunch of critters holding up a 
Happy Birthday sentiment and some balloons. 
The background has some light ink blending around the 
edges and corners so there is a highlight in the centre. 
It doesn't get much simpler than this. 

The sentiment strip becomes 'the ground' on this card.
Some light ink blending behind the critter acts as sky. 
How cute is this dog holding the bunch of balloons in his mouth! 

I had fun building this scene! The cats are just playing
with little balls and string. They are climbing shelves and
looking down on the world. Judging you. 
I didn't worry about grounding or carpet or wallpaper. 
All those card makers who can do that are awesome. 
You can still make a great scene without feeling overwhelmed. 

Just some ink smooshing to make this bubbly, watery background
for this adorable whale was needed. Keeping the scene smaller than the card
by using a wide strip give the card some white space, a sort of frame and makes
the scene building so much easier. 

I used masking to contain this scene. 
Simple shapes and a bit of post-it tape and we're done. 

This is almost a one layer card with some great masking. 
A grey alcohol marker was the only real addition to ground the critter. 
This dog is so cute! 

That's that then, 

Next time, Critter cards for when you don't feel like colouring! 

 

Critter Cards and Stencils

 I love critter cards and critter stamp sets.  They are so cute! 

I am not great at using critter stamp sets and making critter cards.  I am getting better at stamping out the critters and colouring them. I don't feel quite so intimidated as I used to when I saw a critter set. I don't have lots of critter stamp sets, but the collection is growing a bit. The thing I really struggle with, when it comes to critters, is how to use them on my card.  I'm not great at scene building... too much work babe! While I can come up with a scene and think of a great story for the critters, the time and effort to get my scenes to look right are just too much.  

So, let's take a look at some cards I've made using critter stamps from my stash. 

A brick wall stencil makes a cute backdrop for these "hot" chicks.
An action wobbler means that the critter is the star and
 the fading out brick just compliments it making a cute little scene.
I can totally see these chicks exercising in their home gyms!

Just another stencilled backgound here. 
The monkey looks like he is hanging around in the jungle. 
I didn't have to worry about trees, ground, or sky,
but this totally works.

If you want to get really fancy, use some texture/ embossing paste
through your stencil. This partial stencilling looks so cool. 
If your critter is looking a bit lost, just add a plain die cut shape behind it.

I have some critter cards with simple scenes to share with you next time. Until then, let me know how you use your critter stamps. I'm always looking for new ideas. 

Brayer backgrounds...

I have wanted to purchase a Brayer for a long time. I had seen crafters use it in lots of different ways.  When I got a gelpress, I had to get a brayer. I loved it so much, I ended up buying another one!  I have one for paint and one for ink.  Jennifer McGuire has two videos demonstrating ways to use a brayer. 

While you can use a brayer to apply ink to large background stanmps, your gelpress and embossing folders, you can also use it to apply ink directly onto the paper.  Rolling the brayer in the ink and then onto the cardstock will give you an interesting texture and you will never be able to make two backgrounds that looks exactly the same. I had loads of fun playing with my brayer, inks and different paper/ cardstock.  Have a look at these. 

This card background uses the matte side of some photo paper.  
A big die cut sentiment and this card is done.  How cool is that? 
You could do something similar in any other colour combination. 
I like ot use inks that "play nicely", mixing together without making brown. 
Of course, I think I used brown in this particular card, but usually I wouldn't. 

These cards look similar because they use the same colour combination. 
I used the shiny side of the photo paper for these cards. The card to the left
is made mostly from scraps.  The sentiments on these cards were cut from 
backgrounds that were also made using my brayer, ink and stencils. 

These cards are actually quite 'flat' but there is quite a bit of dimension. 
I achieved this, by rolling different shades of green ink on the card panel. 
There are darker and lighter spots on the card which sort of reminds me of 
a patchy field where the kids used to practice soccer. Using a grassy stencil
I ink blended over the top to give it a different texture. The hexagons were
just diecut from a hexagon nesting die set. Adding a simple sentiment strip,
finishes this card off perfectly.  No need for further embellishment. 

You could use any analagous colour combination and several different types of cardstock to play with this technique and make lots of backgrounds. One last card for you..

All the paper in this card was coloured using my gelpress.
The ink was applied using a brayer. It gives a softer feel. I really like it. 

Get out your Brayer and have a play.  See what you can make with it. 

Until next time, Happy Crafting!

A Card by Request

#8 asked me to make her a card with a bunny. Sounds simple enough, right? 

Here's what I made. This card came together quite quickly too. 

Some simple ink blending with a grassy stencil, then some light blue ink blending set the scene. I die cut some white clouds to add some dimension to this card. I love the picket fence border die too. My neice (#8) loves Peter Rabbit.  I'm a bit of a fan myself. Of course this meant that the bunny had to be brown like Peter. I coloured the rabbit using alcohol markers and fussy cut it so I could stick it onto the ink blended background. 

#8 lives far away from us, so this "miss you" sentiment from Lawn Fawn's chit chat stamp (with co-ordinating dies) seemed fitting. 

Let me know in the comments, what are your favourite critter cards to make? 

Stay tuned for my critter card series starting next week! 

Stencil Techniques

 Stencils are an excellent tool for your Crafty Stash!  Stencils are versatile and a great price. 

Ink Blend Stencils for Colourful Backgrounds

Suitable for any sentiment! :) 

Ink Blend to build a scene

Simple ink blending, with lighter hand around the center. 
Make space for a suitable sentiment. 

Ink Blend and Print for Positive and Negative Image

One colour, ink blends to make these bamboo trunks.

All this excess ink, would have gone to waste. 
Spraying with water, and stamping onto watercolour paper, 
makes this one of a kind print. 

Texture Pastes! 

Th silver background, is a luxe paste spread through the stencil-
just like frosting a cake. 

Ink Sprays

This card uses texture paste (on the red sentiment and banner).
The glittery background uses the same stencil with a shimmer spray. 
So sparkly! 

A drop of ink refill mixed with some pigment powder
and some water, makes a shimmery ink spray.
Even if you use the same stencil, each time
will give a unique look.  The powder collects
in different places. 

Stencils are so much fun to use. Basic stencils come in various shapes and sizes.  You can use them with so many different media - ink, paint, spray, texture paste, glitter paste and even pens.  The great thing about stencils, is you can usually make a lot of backgrounds or images quickly and they are easy to turn into cards. I haven't even covered how you can use stencils with a gel press! 

If you have stencils in your stash, I recommend you pull them out and have a play.  I'm certain you will have fun! 

Happy Crafting! 

Gel Press for Cardmaking!

 I am usually very slow to jump on the wagon of the latest card making trend.  I've been watching cardmakers use a Gel Press for (literally) years.  The whole idea of purchasing paint and using different paper to make backgrounds felt a bit much.  Then, I gradually got more and more comfortable with my card making skills and media and I wanted to try something new.  I saw that many card makers were finding the joy of just playing with the Gel Press and making some beautiful brackgrounds for cards. 

Then, I saw Jennifer McGuire make some gorgeous cards using ink on her Gel Press.  OMGGM!  You mean I don't have to buy paint?!  You mean I can stretch my supplies and use them in different ways to make different and interesting cards?!  Okay, I gotta get on board with this! So, I bought a round Gel Press to do some experimenting and then I had to get a rectangular one.  I am hooked!  Check out the beautiful cards I've made since buying a Gel Press.  I have more backgrounds in my file too.  :) 

Using some die cut circles to mask off the Gel Press before 
laying down ink, meant that I had the beginning of a beautiful 
bokeh background.  Overlapping circles and adding extra layers
means that this background has so much depth.
I finished off the background by using stencil and some silver pigment ink. 
So pretty! 

A stencil and some paint for this background. Texture and depth
without adding too much bulk to the actual card.  So cool. 
I die cut the background using a rounded rectangle die. 
A glitter die cut word and a glitter butterfly tops off this card. 

The background on this card was a huge experiment. 
A single stencil, some bubble wrap and only two colours
of ink, used on the Gel Press and there is so much dimension
on this card!  All this needed was a big stamped sentiment
and a black mat.  Of course, I added sequins, because... sequins! 

I still find it hard to believe that this card started with two 
pages out of an old visual diary. These colours are so vibrant. 
A bit of old fashioned 'stripping' and paper weaving takes this 
card to the next level. Some simple stamping to make it all
into a celebration card. 

Just ink on a stencil, then card stock laid over the Gel Press. 
Use a brayer to get good coverage and all of a sudden you
have a great background ready for a quick card. I didn't get 
the best coverage on this background, but an offset  wonky card panel
covers the gaps and no one will ever know.  Except you guys! 

The Gel Press, a stencil and one ink colour,
created this quirky card.  The background wasn't quite right
to fit properly on the card base straight.  Wrapping the paper around the card base this way, 
looks so cool with the black behind it.  A 'hero' image and a sentiment.  
I love this card! 

As crafters, we don't need every new product and every new tool. There is no way we can possibly keep up with all the trends.  The most important thing is that creating brings you joy.  Don't feel the peer pressure to buy more stuff.  Then again, buying the Gel Press has allowed me to stretch the supplies I already have and make some awesome cards.  Sometimes, it's worth the cost of the new tool.  I also bought a Brayer... something I was wanting to buy anyway, which is perfect for the Gel Press and can be used for so many more techniques.  If you are wanting to invest in something new, you might as well choose something that can be used for lots of things.  The Gel Press is also easy to store, clean and use.  Totally worth it!