Paris Resist

Happy Saturday!

It's freezing cold here - with a - before the number! - so I plan to stay indoors and play catch-up. Since I'm a bit behind I pulled a card from the photo archives, made earlier this year. It was sent out as a rak at the time so is not available for the weekly drawing, but it involves some cool techniques so I hope you enjoy it anyhow :o)

The basis for all the colors in the card originated from this extra-wide grosgrain ribbon I had picked up in the Michael's $1 bin, and an intriguing group post that you could put your ribbon thru a printer for customized wording.

So I started by typing the words in a document style on my computer and then printing them landscape style on a sheet of cardstock. I lined the ribbon up on this cardstock directly over the words, taping both ends down as flat as possible, and ran it thru the printer again. And voila! LOL it worked better than I had hoped!

I made the top background piece by simply sponging dye inks onto glossy paper, and then stamping the Paris collage image (Hero Arts) over it repeatedly in Staz-On Stone Grey, lining up the edges.

*tip*

To get good color blending with no muddying of colors, consider using a pad like Kaleidocolor where all the colors are in the same family.

For the bottom panel, I used one of the inks from the top panel and stamped a Stampin' Up! background on off white cs, and then edged it with more ink and a sponge.

For the main image panel I stamped the Eiffel Tower stamp (Inkadinkado) on glossy cs with Versamark ink and then embossed it with white detail powder. Next I sponged some more of the same inks over it, let it sit for a minute and then wiped the color off the embossed area. I stamped the Bon Voyage text (Hero Arts, I think) over this in black Staz-On ink.

To put the card together, I layered as shown, pop-dotting the image. I punched a corner from the resist panel and added it to the bottom left corner. Looks complicated but actually pretty quick and easy.

Thanks for looking!

Snow Penguin

Are any of you wanting a cool Stampin' Up! spiral notebook punch as badly as I am?! LOL As cool as the square holes are, it finally occurred to me that I could make a mighty neat approximation using a common circle hand punch combined with the rectangle hand punch! Who said necessity is the mother of invention?...I know, I know - I'm just testing you ;o)

This card is for all of you who really love blue for Christmas, or even just a winter card to say hey to someone you like. It's not quite this bright in real life.

Card measures 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

I started with a piece of glossy cardstock. I always use Kromekote, which I bought a ream of at the last stamp show I was lucky enough to attend.

*tip*
Anytime I buy anything in bulk, paper especially, I keep the original label and attach it to the front of the folder, container, etc. You always think you'll remember the brand, but then...you know!

The first step was to use a Versamark pad to ink up two snowflake stamps (large single - Sarasota Stamps, small cluster - Stampin' Up!) and stamp them randomly over the glossy cs.

Then I used a rubber brayer, and a Kaleidocolor pad in Blue Breeze. I loaded the brayer up thoroughly by leaving the pads in the open position and running the brayer over them at a slight angle. Then, with my 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" piece of glossy cs on scrap paper, I ran the inked brayer over the cs diagonally as shown on one side, then flipped the cs around and did the other side, keeping the lighter shade in the center.

For the main image panel I stamped the penguin (Art Impressions) with VersaFine black ink, and then used a blender pen and the Kaleidocolor pad inks to color his turquoise highlight. I colored his cap and beak in with Stampin' Up! markers and the blender.
To stamp the ice, I stamped the penguin on a Post-it, cut it out and layered it over the image on the panel. Then I used the Amuse Skinny Oval and one of the colors in the K pad to stamp the ice, and then highlighted it with irred. glitter glue. After I stamped the snowflakes in the same ink around the penguin I peeled the mask off.

For the snow circle I inked up the Penny Black circle tag stamp with Stampin' Up! markers direct to the rubber, punched it out, and edged it with one of the markers.

I punched the top of the main image panel as stated above, adhered it to a black panel, then to the background panel, then white, then a black cardfront. I adhered the circle as shown and then used a silver snowflake brad.

Simple but cute, I think :o)
Thanks for looking!