Two simple cards with flowers

Hi everyone,

Today I'm sharing a few cards with you. Usually, I like my cards to be quite simple, and so are these two.

I cut two 4 x 5 1/4 inch bases from watercolor paper and got out four colors of Oxide inks, put some on my glass plate and thinned them down with water.

With a fan brush I put splatters of different colors on the cards and dried between the layers. For the left background I used cracking campfire, victorian velvet and cracked pistachio. For the left one I replaced crackling campfire with rustic wilderness. I always started with the most intense color as the base layer and dried it between the different colors.

After the backgrounds were ready, I stamped Cat Kerr's nature collage on top. I decided that I wanted one card to be horizontally and the other one vertically. In the detail photos at the end of this post you can see how the oxide ink shows a little through the stamped image - an effect I really like.

Next, I stamped my quotes onto some watercolor paper, trimmed them down and placed them onto some black cardstock that's just a little larger than the white paper. I added them to the card front with some foam tape.

With my deckle edge trimmer I cut two more black cardstock pieces to approximately 4 1/8 x 5 3/8 inch, glued the card front on top and then everything to my white card base.

As I said, quite simple but I think the splatter background makes it very special. Here are a few more (detail) photos:

Stamps used:

Nature collage by Cat Kerr (20036)

I Hope You Know (20224)

Do All Things With Love (19545)

Other material:
- Canson watercolor paper
- Black and white cardstock
- Distress Oxide Inks (cracking campfire, victorian velvet, cracked pistachio, rustic wilderness)
- Versaclaire ink (nocturne)
- Fan brush

- Deckle edge trimmer (Tim Holtz)


See you soon!

Trust your own wings

Hello everybody,

there is still some time left to join the STRENGTH themed challenge over in the VLVS Facebook group. You need a little creative kickstart? Here we go! I went for an art journal page about self-confidence.

I started my page by applying water with a big watercolor brush in the shape of a big circle. Then I added some Starburst sprays from Lindy's. I used the sprays more as a watercolor.
To create more depth I worked with various layers - adding water (by spraying or flicking or with a brush), adding the spray paint, drying, continuing with another layer. It was so much fun!
As a final touch I drew a few scribbely lines around the circle.

For some background texture I chose two stamps, a nature collage and the waybill/invoice, which I stamped with black Versafine ink.

As a focal image I used the flying bird. I stamped it and got out my watercolors. Somehow I was able to blend the red from the bird's body into the turquoise of its wings without getting a muddy shade. After it had dried, I did some fussy cutting and inked the cutting edges with a black marker. This way the image blends better into the background.
I also cut the sentiment from a sheet of scrapbooking paper, glued it down and added some thin black lines around it.

Here are some more photos:

Stamps used:
Nature Collage by Cat Kerr (20036)
Waybill/Invoice Background (19416)
Large Bird Flying Left (19001) 


Other materials:
- art journal (mine is a handbound one, 7.5 x 7.5 inch)
- Lindy's Gang Starburst Sprays (Tibetan Poppy Teal, Sea Mint Green, Sea Grass Green and Whale Watch Blue)
- watercolor
- Versafine Ink (Onyx Black)
- marker (fine tip and brush nib)
- scrapbooking paper ("Letters to you" from ABstudio)


Hope to see your entry to the challenge! 

See you soon,

Thursday Inspiration with Jenn Engle

Hey everyone! I'm here to inspire you to join in our Monthly Challenge. I was so inspired by the colorful sky background and the black silhouette against it, that I created a very simple trio of ATCs.

My ATCs are just some black embossing with some of my fave new VLVS stamps and playing with Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers like they are watercolors. I really like the simplicity of them.

STAMPS USED:

Wire Rings

NatureCollage

Thanks for looking!
~Jenn

She Spread Her Wings with Cracked Glass Technique

Hello everyone. Shanna here and I am so excited to be back sharing my Viva Las VegaStamps creations with you! I decided I wanted to play along with the brand new challenge. Have you seen it yet? If not check it out and play with us!

Now I have a video here so you can check out the process off how I made this card. 

I really love the dark tones in this challenge and I went for it. I started with the stamp Nature Collage by Cat Kerr - 20036 with StazOn black ink on some mixed media paper.  Then I stamped the image Waybill Invoice Background - 19416  with some Old Paper Distress Ink. Then I went around the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and then some Hickory Smoke Distress Ink around the outer edges. That way the center really pops.

I sprinkled the cardstock with water droplets to remove some of the ink and dabbed it dry with a paper towel. Then I used Vintage Photo Distress Ink with the stamp Numbers Set - 19659 around the edges. I let it dry fast and then I went to town covering the whole thing with Versamark Ink and then thick embossing powder. I used a heat gun to melt it down. I did this twice maybe even three time for good measure. Once your done melting it all with your heat gun pop it in the freezer for 3-5 minutes. YES THE FREEZER! When you pull it out bend it and watch the magic happen but do this GENTLY. Sometimes pieces can come off and you don't want that. If you don't like the way it cracks you can reheat it down and refreeze it. 

I then used Walnut Stain Distress Ink to blend over the cracks so you can see them better. I stamped She Spread Her Wings - 19634 and Dragonfly Wings - 11042 on white cardstock and cut them out. Then I adhered it to my card with some black thread in the background for more texture and pop.

  

 

I really hope you like my take on the current Viva Las VegaStamps challenge and my cracked glass technique. It is really fun and I hope you give it a try and share it with us in the Viva LasVegaStamps! Groupies Page. 

Also don't forget to subscribe to the YouTube Channel for all the amazing videos the team will be sharing.

VLVS Stamps Used:

Waybill Invoice Background - 19416  from Plate 1440

She Spread Her Wings - 19634 from Plate 1459

Nature Collage by Cat Kerr - 20036  Plate 1487

Numbers Set - 19659  Plate 1456

Dragonfly Wings - 11042 Plate 1124

Others

Canson Mixed Media Paper

Distress Inks in Old Paper, Vintage Photo, Hickory Smoke, and Walnut Stain

Staz On Jet Black 

VersaMark Watermark Ink

Thick Embossing Powder

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