Paper craft project no. 387: Imagine one layer card

Freshly Made Sketches is celebrating its 200th challenge -- an awesome milestone! The design team over there is celebrating in style -- there's a huge party with several sponsors -- STAMPlorations being one of them :o)

To celebrate along, I made this one layer card based on the sketch. Pretty simple: I stamped the trendy butterflies on the bottom part of the card, then the grungy border, and then finished the card by stamping the bold sentiment. (I resisted the urge to add some splatters...)

Hope you'll come check out the cards over at FMS and then perhaps join in the celebration by playing along!

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to smile :o)

PS: Speaking of celebrations -- we're having our own celebration over at the STAMPlorations blog! You won't want to miss this fun blog hop because there are plenty of inspiration and prizes up for grabs!

Paper craft project no. 386: Believe in the magic one layer card

New challenge at the One Layer Layer Christmas Card blog. It's anything one layer Christmas card goes, with "sleigh" as the optional twist. Hope you'll join us and share your one layer Christmas cards! Christmas is going to be here soon and it's never too early to get started on those Christmas cards :o)

I used a holiday themed stamp set from STAMPlorations (available beginning September) to create my one layer card. I stamped the framed sleigh in antique linen Distress ink, traced over the image with a red calligraphy pen, and ran my waterbrush to make the ink bleed. Then I inked up the same stamp with a black PITT artist brush pen and stamped over the image again. Masked the image before stamping the snowflakes with a gray watercolor brush marker and then did a colorwash on the card base. Finished the card by stamping the sentiment in black Memento Luxe ink.

I'm not into color challenges, but I saw the current challenge at JUGS and thought the colors were perfect for a Christmas card:

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to smile :o)

PS: There's a blog hop happening over at STAMPlorations and you won't want to miss it! Oodles of inspiration from the STAMPlorations girls, as well as prizes for several lucky hoppers! 

Paper craft project no. 385: Focus on the journey one layer mixed media card

Sharing my latest one layer mixed media card. This one's for our current challenge at The Mixed Media Card Challenge, where this month's theme is butterflies (optional element: gold).

And over at STAMPlorations, the theme for August is STAMPS & WATERCOLOR.

To create my card, I applied a layer of gesso on the card base. I watercolored the background with Sakura Koi watercolors. Next I traced the ARTplorations Shower of Flutters stencil/mask with a black calligraphy pen and ran my waterbrush over to make the ink bleed. I painted the large butterflies using Inktense pencils then stamped the coordinating Trendy Butterfly stamps in Delicata gold. I overstamped the large butterflies in black archival ink. I did some collage stamping on the background (Big Numbers Background, Narcissus, Trendy Birds, and Mixed Media Grunge) and finished the card by stamping the sentiment from the newly released Bold Sentiments: Journey set.

Linking up my card to these fun challenges:

• Craft Stamper Take It, Make It: Take a Technique (Pens and Pencils) -- entry #2; I used Inktense markers and a calligraphy pen
• Simply Create Too #92 - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to smile :o)

Paper craft project no. 384: Believe and Discover one layer cards

  

Popping by today to share two one layer cards I made featuring the ink bleeding technique, the same technique I used in this card here. (A little background on the technique: I was playing with my calligraphy pens last week as I sketched new stamp designs on my sketch book. I was prepping one of the drawings for a colorwash and when I ran my waterbrush over the sketched image, the ink bled. The next thing I know, I was testing it out on my stamps and card designs.) 

I used two of the 6 new sets in STAMPlorations' Bold Sentiments line. (If you want the chance to win one of the new sets, check out this post on the STAMPlorations blog.)

Card #1: Believe in your vision

To create this monochromatic card, I stamped the large narcissus in antique linen (Distress marker). Then I traced over the stamped image with a calligraphy pen and ran my waterbrush over the ink to create the inky, artsy look.

I'm linking up card #1 to these fun challenges:

• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
• Brown Sugar #158 - Anything Goes
• Addicted to Stamps and More #157 - Make Your Mark (I used a calligraphy pen on the stamped image)

Card #2: Discover possibilities

To create this card, I placed the ARTplorations Tribal Triangles stencil on my card base and loosely watercolored inside the triangles with Sakura Koi watercolors. After it dried, I traced the triangles with a calligraphy pen and then ran a wet brush over to let the ink bleed. I added a bit of faux texture on the card by stamping the grunge newsprint and sketchy borders.

I'm linking up card #2 to these fun challenges:

• Artistic Inspirations #137 - Anything goes with a twist of water (I used watercolors)
• Crafting from the Heart #72 - Anything Goes
• Craft Your Passion #274 - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to smile :o)

Paper craft project no. 383: Merry, merry, merry one layer mixed media card

The awesome Kimberly Wiener is the muse over at the Muse Christmas Visions challenge. Her card is simply delicious with all the bold colors and artsy-ness. I haven't been able to craft much lately (I'm 2.5 weeks away from my due date -- yay!) but her card was just the thing I needed to get me inspired and make my one layer mixed media card this afternoon. Here's her card:

I took my cue from the frames, colors, and layout and then simply added my own twist (one layer). I stamped the grungy frame in archival inks, took my Sakura Koi watercolors and did a wash on the frames. I used antique linen distress marker to stamp the Christmas images on the 3 frames and traced them with a black calligraphy pen. Then I took a waterbrush and ran it over the stamped/traced images to let the ink bleed out and create the inky effect. I added fine splatters by flicking my waterbrush against Inktense pencils. I finished the card by stamping "merry" several times on the fourth frame.

Here's a close up:

Linking up my card to these fun challenges:

• Craft Stamper Take It, Make It: Take a Technique (Pens and Pencils) -- I used Distress markers, Inktense pencils, and calligraphy pen
• Addicted to Stamps and More #156 - Anything Goes
• Christmas Card Challenges #36 - Anything Goes
• That Craft Place Mixed Media Anything Goes
• Sparkles Christmas Challenge #55 - No Designer Papers
• Craftyhazelnuts's Christmas Challenge Extra - Anything Christmas Goes

Thanks so much for stopping by! Don't forget to smile :o)

Paper craft project no. 382: One layer cards featuring Lotus Love!

   

Today's a super special day because there's a special stamp release + mini blog hop happening over at the STAMPlorations blog. Deepti, Cornelia, LauraJane, and I are sharing cards we made using a fabulous new set that Deepti designed: Lotus Love! If you hop along, you could be the lucky winner of the set :o) Comment on the STAMPlorations blog and designers' blogs by Friday, August 7.

I made 2 one layer cards:

Card #1

For this card, I used Canson watercolor paper as my card base. I created the frame by masking. I stamped the different images using a black Faber-Castell PITT artist brush pen and watercolored them with Sakura Koi watercolors. I kept the card pretty simple by sticking to just two colors and leaving out a sentiment (which I'll stamp later depending on the occasion).

*****

Card #2
I used watercolor paper again as a card base. First, I stamped the lotus image then masked off two sides before stamping the same image again. I used Sakura Koi watercolors and Inktense pencils to color the lotus. Removed the masking tape on the sides then stamped the grunge newsprint and brick (from Mixed Media Grunge) and the sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to smile!

Challenges:

Card #1: Always Something Creative #104 - CAS; Sisters of Craft - ATG

Card #2: OLS #19 - Strip Down; HLS August CAS Challenge - Masking

Paper craft project no. 381: Create without fear one layer mixed media card

Time for a new challenge at The Mixed Media Card Challenge blog. This month's theme is pretty easy: butterflies! The optional element is "gold".

To create my one layer mixed media card, I applied a thin layer of gesso on my card base. I stamped the butterfly in archival ink, took my waterbrush and painted the wings with water before layering various colors (Sakura Koi watercolor and Inktense pencils) and letting the colors drip. Stamped the sentiment, added faux texture with the numbers background, and then finished the card by stamping the grunge newspaper background to create a border.

Linking my card to these fun challenges:

• Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
• Crafting with Dragonfiles - Card with Butterfly
• Suzy Bee's Bloomin' Challenge #91 - ATG + Add Feathers or Wings
• Simply Create Too #91 - ATG
• 4 Crafty Chicks #257 - ATG
• Addicted to Stamps #155 - Photo (I went with the colors on the photo)

I hope you'll check out the gorgeous mixed media cards that the rest of the design team made and then share your own butterfly-inspired mixed media card by linking it up to the gallery! The challenge doesn't close until August 25 so plenty of time to play with us!

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to smile :o)