Making life brighter one card at a time
I watched a mixed media video by Libby Hickson at Hero Arts on the weekend and learnt about creating texture with Hero Paste using rubber stamps. I decided to create this card to try it out, and I’m also using it for my Just Add Ink wildlife submission this week. The texture of the water is so fun!
These inky things of beauty came about from the recent 4-in-1 card video by Jennifer McGuire , and the fact that I want to try more mixed media techniques. There was a challenge in the Hero Arts Mixed Media Facebook group this month to create a project with at least two different types of media – then I watched Jennifer’s video and the rest is history. It’s the most fun and liberating project I’ve done for a while … just playing with whatever I laid my hands on with no plans for how it would end up looking like!
I’m still surprised that I managed to make these, but the hardest part now is turning them into cards – the first once I created, though, was turned into a birthday card this morning – and hopefully the recipient will enjoy it.
As for the two media types used in the project? Well there were a LOT more than that in the end – dye ink, pigment ink, heat embossing, Distress mica spray, Hero paste and Hero pearls – with a final touch of acrylic paint splatter! So much fun trying some of these products out for the very first time, and also christening some stamp sets etc at the same time too!
Here’s where it all began … I chose some cool colours in the purple/purpley-blue range from Gina K Designs. And I’m also using the finished card for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge, as it includes multiple areas of stamping.
Add a ton of different products randomly around the panels – using multiple stamps and stencils from various brands (Stampin’ Up!, Gina K Designs, Simon Says Stamp, Pink & Main, and My Favorite Things from memory) – and a masterpiece is born. OK, perhaps not an actual masterpiece … but truth be told I’m pretty chuffed with it, and can’t believe I actually made it myself!
I needed a birthday card this morning for someone who’s a lover of the colour purple and who enjoys the odd glass or two of wine … so hopefully this card fits the bill.
I started completing old class projects but got sidetracked with these class products from Scrapbook.com and decided on a totally different card layout. This is for the Can You Handle the Pressure challenge to use stripes in the dry embossing. I flipped the embossing folder over so the debossed side faced up to make it look like planks, and I swinked the planks with a bit of light grey ink for a distressed look. I used a different embossing folder on the ‘vase’ for an additional set of stripes. I think it also works well for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge of ‘bright and cheerful’.
I had a bit of FUNN with my Craft Roulette card this week – after I got the idea into my head I just had to run with it. And it works perfectly for the Cut It Up Challenge to use a die cut to create a scene this week too.
I picked up this set of ornament dies from my PO Box today and put them straight to work. I used an ink smooshed panel experiment that I thought worked like a gradient panel so I’m using this as my card for the sketch challenge over at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown.
I created this card for the Sketch Saturday challenge, including cookies as the optional food element.
I joined the Hero Arts mixed media Facebook group, hoping to dip my toes into the mixed media creative world to learn something new and to see if I enjoyed the techniques. This week saw the first challenge where we watched a demonstration video about adding very simple texture to a cardfront – and this is my attempt at trying to replicate it. Sadly I don’t have any of the Hero Arts mixed media products yet, so I made do with whatever paste I could find (it was a very thick pastillage texture paste from Gina K that I hadn’t opened yet). It didn’t give the same results, but I’m super happy with how it turned out! I used the Mermaid stamp set by Hero Arts for my image and sentiment – as for what I used on the background, I threw so many different types of ink etc at it, I couldn’t honestly tell you what ended up in the final product!
I have so much more to learn with mixed media, but I’m looking forward to the journey along the way.
While I’m at it, I think this card also works well for the following challenges: The Paper Funday great outdoors challenge, Never Before Used Schtuff challenge, and Simon Says Stamp happy birthday challenge.
Such a beautiful die set from Honey Bee – I decided it was perfect for the TGIF colour challenge this week.
My goodness 4.25” square makes such a tiddly cute card!
I decided to try a very clean and simple card done all in gold heat embossing. I was going to add a bold gold sentiment, but at the last minute opted for a classic subtle sentiment instead. This was inspired by the Peace on Earth challenge this week. I used an old retired Stampin’ Up! stamp for the wavy star border to simulate a snowy landscape, and the rest of the stamps are from last year’s Santa Lane Christmas kit by Spellbinders.
