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When I did all the backgrounds with spritzing colors on the craft sheet there was a lot of ink left over and I didn't want it to go to waste. So I swooshed watercolor paper through the ink to create random spots of color and dried it.
I used the best one of these as a backdrop to black elements - a frame, a cut and tuck diecut and a sentiment diecut.
I left a thin border of the card base showing as a frame.
Ddd
This card uses the same brocade stamp as those shown yesterday but with a different technique entirely.
The stamp in inked with Versamark and stamped on white cardstock. Then it is embossed in clear powder.
The page is then sprayed with glimmer sprays in a couple of colors. The ones I had that were not clogged turned out to be black and green. These are rubbed into the open areas of the card and dried.
The last step is to place the cardstock between pieces of paper towel and scratch paper and iron it until the embossing melts and absorbs into the covering papers.
I used a die to cut the sentiment out of the panel and then cut another one from white. The panel is adhered to the background and the white word inlaid into the opening.
I used shimmer papers for the bordering and backing and finished with three butterflies punched from white cardstock.
Ddd
Still Day 1 of the online class but we've switched to 'reverse' backgrounds. Well, the class did but I didn't have one so I just decided to use a 'brocade' stamp that had the same feel as theirs.
The technique used had Distress Ink pads pressed onto a craft sheet and sprayed with water. The stamp is pressed into them and moved just enough to leave no un-inked areas. Then the stamp is pressed gently onto watercolor paper and allowed to dry.
While that is drying the ink is sprayed again and stamped onto another sheet. And this is repeated for a third impression. This gives three color values.
I used the original impression (the brightest) on a black background to intensify the colors. I cut and assembled a black 'cut and tuck' diecut. This is surrounded with 5 black punched butterflies which are overlaid with colored ones.
The second impression didn't have a panel of useable area so I trimmed off a wide and a very narrow strip to use on a white card base. I added a black diecut panel to back a dragonfly diecut with layers of both inked watercolor paper and vellum. The dragonfly was decorated with black rhinestones and a sentiment in white rubons was created before decorating the outer edge with black dashed lines.
The third impression was a beautiful pastel panel. I cut it into 1" squares and inked the edges with Distress. These were adhered to a white card base with foam tape. Dragonfly silhouettes were stamped onto random blocks and a diecut black sentiment was glued to the face. The 'I' is dotted with a black rhinestone.
That made a trio of beauties!
Ddd
Wow! Long title, huh?
I took an online class last month on learning more ways to use stamps I already own. The instructors selected two stamps for each category and spent two days covering techniques.
This is the first background stamp I used for the class - an overall pattern in line art. The one used in class was a graphic grid of sorts.
The technique was to stamp on watercolor paper with Versamark and emboss in white. Elements were watercolored and, before they dried, a brush with clear water was swished over them to dilute the color and spread it into the background. Then the background was dried. the original colors were again painted onto the elements and dried.
For this first card I cut the painted panel down to create a top and bottom panel and mounted them on foam tape on a white card base. The sentiment was stamped in the open space and the background was embellished with sticky back pearls and punched butterflies.
I used the left over piece of the created background as a strip across a white card base. This was combined with a black diecut sentiment and a thin black strip below the colored panel.
I used a 1/2 inch corner chomper to round the top corners.
Ddd
I entered only one thing in the Beading and Jewelry class at the County Fair.
Unfortunately, this beaded double-string necklace did not win an award of any kind.
Ddd
The next creations entered in the County Fair were quilts. I entered four of them.
First was the banner I entered in the Patriotic category:
This was awarded 1st place:
In the Original Design category I entered the Birdhouse Neighborhood quilt:
This was awarded 2nd place:
In the category of Machine Piecing with Machine Quilting I entered the Pinwheel Parade:
This was awarded a 3rd place:
The one quilt I entered that did not get an award was Paws and Reflect that was in the category of Multiple Techniques (standard piecing, paper piecing, applique):
It's still the favorite quilt at OUR house!
Ddd
My next category to participate in at the County Fair was in the area of rubber stamping and other paper crafts.
First was the entry of hand carved rubber stamps and a card made with them. I used my humbingbird and my hibiscus - awarded 1st place:
In alcohol ink coloring - awarded 1st place:
For an embellished card - awarded 1st place:
For Paper Embroidery - awarded 1st place:
For a Watercolored Card - awarded 3rd place
For a Birthday Card - awarded 3rd place:
Cards entered without getting awards were a Christmas Card:
... and a Greeting Card:
Ddd
Last month I entered a number of items in the County Fair. Over the next few days I will show the entries and awards in the categories I entered.
First up is the Agricultural Products class.
In this I entered White Onions - awarded 1st place:
Russet Potatoes - awarded 1st place:
Crookneck Squash - awarded 1st place:
Plums - awarded 1st place:
Those items not awarded prizes were Carrots:
Green Beans:
and Cucumbers:
This is the first year I have entered any garden produce so it was a very good showing.
Ddd
We've made it all the way to OWH sketch 150 in the self-challenge. Really? 150 sketches? WOW!
In the long session of 'powerless' crafting I did not have at hand any dies or other tools to for making an oval - of any size. I decided to ammend the sketch by cutting a rectangle of the prescribed size and used the 1/2" corner chomper to round the corners. I then used pink marker to define the edges.
The sketch looks complicated but, by using the right papers, it is much simplified.
I found a suitable text sticker in my vast file and framed it in pink cut the right size for the sketch.
Ddd
With a symetrical sketch and simple shapes OWH 149 had a little 'boring' to overcome.
I had colored up a dragonfly image and decided to cut a circle frame for it instead of cutting the image itself. I added a white border to it and then went looking for background. I ended up selecting several in monochrome and decided to add a strip to the sketch to separate the main players.
The image was popped up on foam tape.
The Tim Holtz word sticker booklet alternates pages of white and kraft stickers so I chose the kraft for the sentiment on this card.
Ddd
I'm not one to embrace the use of tags on cards but had to steel myself and go for it for OWH sketch 148:
I love this Anna Griffin botanical image of a poppy. I had colored it up with four color combinations and decided to go with the brightest red one for the tag.
Three very different background papers were selected: tiny red text for the top, a dark for the center roughly corresponding to the area of the image with the mass of leaves, and red at the bottom to balance the red flower head.
The image tag was bordered with dark marker ink to separate it from the light upper background and then popped up on foam tape.
I added three word stickers from a Tim Holtz pad.
Ddd
Another day to skate by - OWH sketch 147 is one I have used before so I can post without making a new project.
I posted this back on January 10, 2013. I had some clear vinyl stickers featuring kids. Unfortunately they were square instead of round, but I just added a round element as backing to bring it into the intention of the sketch. Adding a scalloped border to it adds to its impact.
I used more of the same colors and many graphic papers to frame up this image.
The sentiment is stamped directly into the open white stripe of the background paper.
Ddd
We've come back to a sketch that has some nice design elements in OWH 146:
I had on hand the perfect image for this sketch - right size and everything! YAY!
I selected backing papers that picked up colors from the image and bordered all of them with black to define them. The focal image was popped up on foam tape.
I found a text sticker with appropriate colors and bordered it with black as well. I popped it up on foam tape to equal status with the image.
Ddd
OWH sketch 145 calls for a really large image.
Fortunately I have just such an image among those I recently stamped and colored. I love this little bunny image, especially with the ears swooped around.
I wanted to provide some grounding for the rabbit and the horizontal strip was perfect for this. I used a craft knife to cut the feet loose from the background and slipped the strip behind them. Making it out of woodgrain turns it into a floor.
I found the phrase on a sticker sheet and it seems to fit the image.
Ddd
Ah, back to a sketch that makes sense in the 'design' world. OWH 144 has a layout that I was glad to work with:
The colored stamped image I wanted to use was not the prescribed size so I cut a background in that size and mounted the image on top of it. A yellow background and green graphic block mimic colors in the image.
For the embellishment (heart on the sketch) I used a 3D sentiment sticker that features the same colors.
Ddd
A very strange sketch is OWH 143.
That's it? Four strips 1/2" wide? Oh yeah, cut on an angle?
Well, this calls for some creative adjustment! I selected a stamped and colored image of the flag since it was already made up of stripes. I figured it would contribute to the impression it was waving to cut it into the diagonal strips.
I decided it needed a very quiet background and added a thin blue border to echo the blue field. It was looking a little (OK, a LOT) plain so I added some tissue tape with music to jazz it up.
The cardstock sentiment sticker picked up on the red and blue as well as the general tone of the background paper.
Ddd
OWH 142 is a banner sketch... really, just three banners
I had more of the lacy stripes from the sheet I cut down to use yesterday but they were not as wide as any of the banners on the sketch. I decided to use them anyway.
I cut a subtle woodgrain for the center banner and added all three of them to a green graphic background. I used a soft gray marker to shade around the center banner to separate it from the background.
I used a 3D sticker to provide the sentiment and satisfy the shaped element on the sketch.
Ddd
Oh no! Another very strange sketch! I guess that is why it is called a 'challenge'!
This is OWH sketch 141:
There was nothing in the recently colored images that would suit for that big half-circle on the left. So I went to the sticker file to see what might inspire me there.
Nice - some vellum stickers with clusters of butterflies. I do like me some butterflies! I drew the half-circle on grid paper (since I didn't have any circle-drawing/cutting tools in my temporary stock of 'powerless' supplies I drew around a color-wheel that was in the front of the sticker box). The vellum stickers were arranged inside the arc with some hanging slightly over the edge. Then I cut along the arc while fussy-cutting the overhanging butterflies.
I chose the pink background to match the butterflies and a single stripe from a lacy striped paper for the crosspiece. A single butterfly from the recently stamped and colored image takes the place of the circle image on the sketch.
Silver peel-off stickers provide the sentiment.
Ddd
If yesterday's sketch showed imagination run amuck, today's is imagination on sedatives. I looked at OWH 140 and my reaction was, "and then....?"
I started with the horizontal piece and selected one of the butterflies I had colored in a solid orange. The wingspan was perfect but, being a product of nature, needed a softer look. I chose to round the corners with a 1/2-inch corner chomper. I also ran a brown marker around the edges so it would separate from the background.
I chose brown and soft orange for the solid blocks of background.
I went through a Tim Holtz book of word stickers and chose three to make a little phrase. Aligning them along the edge of one block keeps the graphic feel going. Having them in white ties together with the image and the thin edge of the card base peeking out.
Ddd
This is a sketch I would never have chosen to do if it had not been for this self-challenge (to use every one of the Operation Write Home sketches - in order). Since I'm not allowing myself to skip any sketches it was time to grit my teeth and press on. Here is OWH sketch 139:
In my opinion, this sketch is ghastly. So, in order to use it, I had to 're-imagine' it into something I could work with. My thought process went something like this: "what an awful shape... what can I use that is an interesting shape but not awful... I could fussy-cut something... that large butterfly I colored has some scroll-y edges...what if I used that whole image instead of half an ugly shape... oh, I like where this is going... just need some solid papers in the right colors... found 'em... let's glue this thing!"
I had used three golden tone markers and a teal marker for coloring the butterfly and cut it out leaving a thin white border around it. I chose solids in apricot and teal for the upper and lower backgrounds and a grid for the crosspiece. A strip of tissue tape with butterflies settles the apricot.
The colors on this are SO far off (stupid camera).
I added a Dazzles sentiment in gold across the grid strip.
Ddd
