The Year of the Blended Background

I declare this the year of the blended background!

I call this card "Darkest Night" due to the sentiment and the background.  I used the following inks:  Memento Bahama Blue, Memento Paris Dusk and Colorbox Midnight.  I used a white gel pen for the stars.  The sentiment is from the Gina K Designs stamp set "To the Moon and Back" and is absolutely perfect for this card.  I used some iridescent sequins (which on second thought was probably a mistake since the card was perfect without it).  The technique is the Torn Paper Technique. 

I had a hard time finding a stamp set to use for the foliage silhouette.  Finally I decided on  the Inkadinkado "Down by the Seaside" set.  There is an image of a grassy foliage coming out of the middle of some seashells so I only stamped the top portion that was above the seashells.  I also did stamp surgery on the image that has a grass clump with a sign coming out of it that says Beach.  I cut the sign out of the image to create the smaller clumps of grass in the focal point of the card.

I recently purchased the Taylored Expressions blending brushes.  Everyone is selling blending brushes now and I have to tell you, they are way better for me than the foam rounds for getting a smooth blend.  No matter how careful I was before there was always one spot where you could see the outline of a round foam in the middle of my blends.  I always "fixed it" so it wasn't so obvious but it was still there.

These brushes are a game changer.  If I get a little heavy handed in one area it is really easy to blend it smooth again.  There will be a lot more blended backgrounds for me.  My daughter works at a veterinary clinic and likes my blended background cards to give as sympathy cards for the employees that have lost their pets.  The employees are loving the landscape blended backgrounds.  Here are some more.  

I have been trying to figure out what the two cards on the right need and I suddenly realized that the night scenes could use a moon and the sunrise scene could use a sun coming up.  That would make future cards with a lot of background space appear less sparse. 
 

Plaid Bear Tracks Quilted Throw using the Accuquilt Die Cutting System

I just finished this throw sized quilt for my adult nephew who had a tough year and loves the color red.  I used the Accuquilt Block on Board for the Bear Paw or Bear Tracks quilt design.

The block on board die systems have every shape you need for the pattern, all arranged on one board.  I put 4 bear tracks together to make the larger block designs.  I decided to use plaids to make it more masculine.  I didn't have enough plaid fabrics so I supplemented with some other red fabrics I already had.  

I found the absolute perfect fabric to add to the back. It even had plaid bears with the identical buffalo plaid that I used in the design.  I tried a flanged binding for the first time and I really like the way it breaks up the monotony of the black border and binding.

I am so pleased with how this turned out and my nephew is in LOVE with it.  He even wanted to know exactly how I pieced the front together so I showed him how there are little triangles that are cut out and sewn together to make squares and then the little pieces are sewn into bigger pieces and batting is put in between the front and back and it is quilted so it doesn't shift, then a binding is sewn on to finish up the edges.

Beautiful Bees Stamp Set

 This card is made with the awesome stamp set designed by Melanie Muenchinger for Gina K Designs called Beautiful Bees.  My sister is a bee keeper so I just had to have it.  This is the first card I made with this set and while I am not happy enough with it to give it away (the honeycomb is lined up very messily) I am very happy with the design of it.  I would like to try this again.  It may work better to stamp the honeycomb hexagons individually then cut them out.  That would allow me to space them more evenly.

I had a few very sloppy areas in the honeycomb-one of which is hidden by a sequin, then I decided to add 2 more sequins.  I tried covering up the other messy spot of the honeycomb with a sequin but it was too close to the other one and didn't look right.

I used Hero Arts Ombre dye ink in the color "Butter Bar to Orange Soda" as well as my trusty Gina K Designs Black Onyx dye ink.  The layers were cut with Gina K Designs Master Layouts 1 dies.

I will try to remember to post a picture when I finally get around to making a better version of this card.

Just Add Color, the Current Free Gina K Incentive Stamp Set

 

I had fun playing with the Gina K Designs free incentive stamp set that came with the order my husband got me for Christmas.  The stamp sets change and you need to spend a minimal amount before you qualify for them but hey-free is free correct?  

I honestly didn't know if I would like this stamp set because I like clean and simple, one layer, elegant floral cards.  I thought about making the rainbow "brush strokes" like in the first card and then adding a black floral silhouette through the strokes but when I looked through my stamps I didn't have anything that I thought would work.  The third card pictured is actually the first of the three that I made.  I got a smudge in the white space where I wanted to put the sentiment so I decided to put the rainbow in the air and add the layered sentiment that you see.  It fit better in that arrangement. The last card I made is the middle one in the picture.  This type of card doesn't appeal to me but I know many people appreciate colorful cards and I like to use my stamps as much as possible so I did experiment with the "rings".  I figure I can still add a birthday sentiment to the inside or perhaps a different sentiment at a later date making it so that it can fit many occasions.

I send many cards per year to nursing homes and people that request card showers so the card that says you are beautiful like a rainbow is going to be perfect for that purpose.

I also used the Master Layouts 1 dies that was part of the gift my husband bought from Gina K Designs to cut the card layers and the ovals.  My paper cutting leaves a lot to be desired.  These dies are a game changer for me.

The Versatile Gina K Designs Holiday Tapestry Stamp Set

I recently posted some embossed Christmas Cards I made (and 2 Birthday Cards) using this awesome Gina K Designs Holiday Tapestry Stamp set.  I wanted to make some cards that were not embossed so I gave it another try.  I used Gina K Designs Card stock in Blue Raspberry and Christmas Pine.  The green and blue inks are memento and the multi colored one is the multi-colored Tsukineko Kaleidacolor in the Spectrum Colors variety.  I am not sure if this is available any more but there are videos of how to make your own multi-colored temporary ink pads using baby wipes on You Tube.

The cards seemed a little bit boring so I added pearl embellishments to the flowers and I used Wink Of Stella to the leaf designs in the center of the designs at the top and the bottom of the cards.  You cannot see the sparkle in the photos but it really make the design seem special in real life.  

The Stamping Village Happy Birthday Collaboration Stamp Set

I love this collaboration stamp set that has images provided from multiple stamp companies.  I purchased it several months ago but finally got the chance to play with it.  

I had an old 6 x 6 paper pack (birthday themed) that I paired with it.  I cut the larger layer 3.5 inches by 5 inches.  I then cut down the biggest left over piece of the same patterned paper to 1 1/2 inches by 5 inches.  That allowed me to utilize most of the paper on 2 separate cards.  I mixed and matched several of the papers throughout all of these cards.  I also took several more of the left over pieces and made my own background design on one of them. I really like to get as much use from my papers as possible.

I picked out 2 copic marker colors that coordinated with the multicolored papers and used them throughout all of the cards.  I stamped one image in each of the smaller rectangles then minimally colored them.  One of the stamps was a "And Many More" stamp which is stamped inside the 3 cards that say Happy (or Hoppy) birthday.  I used the "Sending Birthday Wishes" stamp inside the other cards.  The only stamp I did not use on these juvenile type cards was the "Happy Birthday with love" one by Gina K Designs.  It has hearts all over it and just reads more mature to me.  I will make an adult card with that one.

The cards seemed a little "flat" in design to me so I added wink of stella to all the colored images and I also added a line of gemstones to the cake image card.  It seemed more teenage in design to me and definitely for a girl.  Now they all look good.  I have 11 nieces and nephews that are baby to high school age.  I also have 4 adult nieces and nephews but that's another story.  These cards can go to the family with 5 children and I don't have to worry that I sent the same card to more than one child in the family.  That is a relief.

 

Embossed Christmas and Birthday Cards

 

I am in love with the Gina K Designs Holiday Tapestry stamp set.  It works equally well for Christmas as for Birthdays or other occasions.  I made 2 Birthday cards using the set along with the Gina K Designs wreath builder template and one of the cards used some of the stamps from the original Wreath Builder stamp set.  I used the analagous colors of blue and green card stock (specifically Blue Denim and Fresh Asparagus Gina K Designs card stock) for the birthday cards.

For the Christmas cards I made 12.  3 are red and gold while 9 are blue and silver.  They are specifically made with the Gina K Designs Holiday Tapestry stamp set, Blue Denim Gina K card stock, Red Velvet Gina K card stock and Stampendous detail gold embossing powder plus Hero Arts silver embossing powder.  I had an unknown brand of silver and gold glitter papers for the background card stock and the black frame is also from an unknown brand.

As always, these are A2 sized cards (4 1/4 inches by 5 1/2 inches).

I do believe that the Holiday Tapestry stamp set with be my all time favorite set!