Last night I participated in a few online challenges as a part of a Virtual Stamp Night on one of my favorite websites. Each challenge has a set of rules to follow, or a theme... but they all have one thing in common... you only get 45 minutes from reading the challenge to create something! I tend to take
forever when I'm designing projects from scrap... so these challenges really are challenges for me... but I figure it's good for me and if I do it often enough, maybe it will start to be easier? That's the hope anyway!
Challenge One:
The first challenge that I participated in was the "Smashing Autumn" one, whiwch was to Make a card using fall colors and the Ink, Spray and Smash technique. Well, I hadn't ever heard of that technique before... so it was definitely fun to try something new! In this technique, you use LOTS of newspaper spread out and rubber gloves (or you'll get ink everywhere... believe me... I thought I wouldn't
really need the gloves, that I was just using them "in case" but I was sure glad I did use them! lol). You mist a piece of Glossy White cardstock with water, then drop or dribble re-inkers onto it. You then mist a second sheet of paper, and sandwich it on top of the first and smash them together to transfer the ink. Pull them apart, and you can keep doing this for several sheets of paper before you fade off to very light shades transferring over. The challenge said you could do up to 10 sheets, I think we did about 6 before it looked like it was about done... but this probably varies with how heavily you apply your original re-inker. The challenge hostess, Faith, posted a picture tutorial on her blog... check it out
here.
Stamps: Thoroughly Thankful, Season by Season
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Glossy White, Whisper White
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, StazOn Timber Brown
Accessories: Choc. Chip Wide Grosgrain ribbon, Reinkers, Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aquapainters
Techniques: Ink, Spray and Smash
This is a pretty simple card other than the background. For the background, I used Summer Sun, Really Rust, and Pumpkin Pie reinkers. I stamped my main image on a 3 1/4" x 3 1/4" Whisper white piece of cardstock and watercolored it in using the Watercolor Wonder Crayons and an Aquapainter. If I were to do this card again though, I would choose Very Vanilla or Naturals Ivory paper instead of the Whisper white... so that it would harmonize better with the muted look of my background. The white seems a little start to me... but since I only had 45 minutes to work in, there was no time for a switch! The ribbon is attached with glue dots, this is the new wide grosgrain ribbon that we started carrying this year, I love it! The main image is matted onto a 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" piece of Chocolate Chip paper, and attached with dimensionals. I stamped "Autumn" right on top of the background using the Timber Brown StazOn ink, then mounted the whole thing onto a standard sized (8 1/2" x 5 1/2" folded in half) Chocolate chip card base.
Challenge Two:
The second challenge was a "Trick or Treat" challenge where you were to create a treat holder out of a 2-4-6-8 box. I have done these types of boxes in classes before, but for new folks, or as a refresher, here's how you do it...
Take a piece of cardstock 5 1/2" x 8 1/2".
Along the long side, score the paper at 2".
Turn the paper 90 degrees, and score along the short width at 2", 4", 6" and 8".
- Cut along the heavy lines in the diagram below (the small piece at the bottom right is discarded)
- Stamp and decorate the upper 2" wide panels as desired. The 2" x 2" squares at the bottom will become the box bottom and will not be seen, and the 1/2" wide panel on the top is used to glue the sides of the box together and will not be seen.
- Apply sticky strip as shown with the red lines below. I find that this placement of the sticky strip holds my box bottom together best without gaping flaps.
- Fold up the bottom squares in the order indicated in blue, removing the red protective barrier on the sticky strip as you go to adhere the next square.
- Remove the red protective strip from the last piece of sticky strip along the top edge and adhere to the panel next to it (shown in diagram as the far left panel, but after you adhere the box bottom together, it will be overlapping the section with the sticky strip) to close the side of the box.
Stamps: Spooky Skyline Jumbo Wheel
Paper: Vellum cardstock
Ink: Stazon Jet Black, markers, Elegant Eggplant, Night of Navy
Accessories: Night of Navy grosgrain ribbon, Elegant Eggplant grosgrain ribbon, Vintage brads, 1/16" punch, sponges, Jumbo Wheel Handle
For the challenge, I created the 2-4-6-8 box using vellum cardstock, then scored an extra 1/4" at the "top" of the box so that I could fold it down as a cuff. The scene was made by inking the wheel in StazOn, then letting it dry. On the back side of the vellum, I colored over the black ink with markers. Then to create the colored bands in the scenery, I sponged Elegant Eggplant over the tree portion, and Night of Navy above (though it's hard to see in the picture). The ribbon is adhered to the cuff with sticky strip. Then a ribbon handle was added by punching a 1/8" punch through opposite sides of the cuff and the Elegant Eggplant ribbon and using Vintage brads to hold them together.
Challenge Three:
The final challenge for the evening (at least for me!) was "Falling in Love...With Baby". The challenge was to make any card that was for a new baby or an expecting mom/couple. I was stumped at first, then jackpot! I had an idea.
Stamps: Wanted, Event Full, Jumbo Outline Alphabet
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Naturals Ivory, Whisper White, Creamy Caramel
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel
Accessories: Markers, Metallic eyelets, Choc. Chip wide grosgrain ribbon, Bashful Blue narrow grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals, scallop punch, water mister, cutter kit
Techniques: Distressing
The size of this card is 4 1/4" X 7 1/4". I stamped "Wanted" and the "For Escape" onto the main piece of Naturals Ivory. I colored in the outline alpha with markers (darker where the letters overlapped). Then the main piece was distressed... Edges with the cutter kit, then direct to paper on the edges with the Creamy Caramel ink pad, then sponged in with Caramel a bit further. I then misted the whole piece of paper with water and crumpled it up... then dried with the heat tool so that I would stay within the 45 minutes! I adhered the layered ribbon with sticky strip.
The "Sweet Pea" is from the hostess set Event Full. I colored it in with markers, except the face. The blush blossom marker is a little too dark to look right for skin tone for my pale family, so I do the face with watercolor wonder crayons and an aquapainter. It is trimmed out and layered with dimensionals onto a Creamy Caramel scallop. The scallop is layered with more dimensionals over the ribbon. The main piece is then matted onto the Chocolate chip paper using the metallic eyelets. How fun! I kept giggling the whole time I was making this card. :) Yes, I'm a dork!
Have fun, and if you create something with one of these techniques or ideas, please send me a picture! :)
Labels: Techniques, VSN
Drake was born with VATER syndrome, which is a set of congenital anomalies that tend to occur together. He is two months old, and has already been through three surgeries, with others that will be necessary in the future. Drake has been in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) since his birth, but there is hope that he will be able to go home soon! The proceeds from my World Card Making Day event will be donated to the Fields family for use on the many costs associated with bringing him home. (Many who have attended my classes know my dear Friend Diana, who is Drake's mom.)
As an Independent Demonstrator for Stampin’ Up!®, World Card Making Day is giving me the chance to hold a fun, hands-on event that will also make a difference to a wonderful family during a difficult time. I hope you will consider joining us! All skill levels are welcome. One of the greatest joys in my life is to see someone discover their creativity and then share it with those they love. In this class, you will receive the materials and instruction to create 40 quick, easy and cute cards. The kit will also contain a take home template so that you can create additional sets of cards with any of our Simply Scrappin' kits. For the class, choose a Holiday themed kit, or an multi-occasion (non-holiday) themed kit.
Event Info
Date: Saturday, October 6th, 2007
Cost: $45.00
Location: Forest Park Inn, Gilroy, CA
Register by: September 21, 2007
Please bring your favorite adhesive and a pair of scissors (I can include these with a pre-order if you need them).
