The inspiration for the background came while I was at a panel discussion for my full time job. The hotel room where the event was being held had a brocade-like print wallpaper that had light vertical stripes on it. I quickly jotted down the idea and tried it out that night. I first tried it with white and vanilla craft inks, but the look wasn’t quite right. So then I tried the Champagne Mist shimmer paint and it was perfect!

To make the stripes look nice, I used my Hobby Blade to cut a rectangle into a beat-up presentation cover I “rescued” from work. I then positioned it over the cardstock and applied the paint using a sponge dauber.

The landscape was painted on Watercolor paper using Watercolor Wonder Crayons and the Eiffel tower was stamped on Brushed Silver card stock with StazOn.

The window frame was made from Kraft (now Crumb Cake) cardstock that I stamped with the Woodgrain stamp and then colored using Creamy Caramel Classic Ink applied with a Stamping Sponge. I then cut it off and then attached using dimensionals.

The frame with the sentiment is from the Hodgepodge Hardware in Styled Vanilla. For the insert, I stamped the flourish stamp in Chic Boutique in Versamark and then gold embossed. I then stamped the sentiment in Old Olive.

The frame is attached with Old Olive 5/8″ Satin Ribbon that is tied with some Linen Thread that has had Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint applied to it.

Recipe:

• Stamps: Chic Boutique, Woodgrain
• Ink/Coloring: Black Stazon, Old Olive, Versamark, Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint, Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Chocolate Chip Classic Ink, Creamy Caramel Classic Ink
• Paper: Storybook Specialty, Watercolor Paper, Very Vanilla, Kraft (now Crumb Cake), Brushed Silver
• Accessories: Styled Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware, Linen Thread, Gold Embossing Powder, 5/8″ Old Olive Satin Ribbon

Share and Enjoy:

]]> http://onyxstamps.com/2010/06/almost-artisan-card-2-merci/feed/ 0 http://onyxstamps.com/2010/01/i-hear-cupid-coming/ http://onyxstamps.com/2010/01/i-hear-cupid-coming/#comments Sat, 23 Jan 2010 22:54:20 +0000 Katy http://onyxstamps.com/?p=354 The crazy holiday season sapped my creative mojo, but I’m recharged and ready to create again. My upline has encouraged me to submit my work for Stampin’ Up!’s Artisan Award, which is given to the Demonstrators that show exceptional creativity and talent. Working on the cards, scrapbook pages, and 3D items that will make up my entry is very challenging and rewarding, but unfortunately I can’t show any of that work here.

Earlier this week I was starting to feel the need to step away from it for a bit, so today I decided to make a Valentine’s Day card for my Dad. What I came up with is a great card for a guy because it doesn’t have ribbons, and glitter, and all the fun stuff that I love to put on cards. Here is the front:

See…no frills. Very clean and simple actually. But accomplishing this wasn’t simple. To start I used Jan Tink’s Woodgrain technique to stamp then “stain” the cardstock to look more like real wood. I started with Kraft cardstock, stamped with Chocolate Chip and Creamy Caramel, and rubbed with More Mustard and Close to Cocoa. I skipped the last step, where she stamps in very vanilla, because I was doing it from memory and totally forgot that part.  I then punched the front with the Heart to Heart punch, and then used the paper piercing templates to add some detail to the lower corners.

Now, the outside may be clean and simple, but the inside has Valentine’s Day bursting all over:

I cut a piece of Autumn Traditions DSP just shy of 4 1/4″ x 11″. The reddish side is what was going to peek through the front, and the opposite side, with the pine cones didn’t really scream valentines day. So I took a slightly used transparent report cover that I’d rescued from the trash bin at work, cut a small piece and punched it with the Heart to Heart punch.  I then used that as a stencil, and using a sponge dauber I stenciled the hearts onto the pine cone side of the paper. (Note: If you don’t have a collection of slightly used report covers like I do, you can use the Stampin’ Up Window Sheets to accomplish the same effect.)

To make room to write a message I cut a piece of Very Vanilla and used a stamp from the Love You Much stamp set, masking the scallop-y part so that the card stayed “guy-like”.

When I glued the DSP layer into the card, I popped up the front of the card with Stampin’ Dimensionals to add a little “pop”, but used SNAIL on the inside so it is flat enough to write on.

Recipe:

• Stamp Sets: Woodgrain, Love You Much
• Paper: Autumn Traditions DSP, Kraft, Very Vanilla
• Ink: Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, More Mustard, Really Rust
• Tools: Heart to Heart Punch, Stamping Sponges, Sponge Daubers