Acrylic Block Stamping

The Group of Cardmakers are revisiting an old background technique - Acrylic Block Stamping.  

First up, a very basic way of doing it:

This is the original way I learned to do this - inking up a block with ink (in this case, with Distress Peeled Paint), spritzing with water, and stamping the block onto mixed media cs.  I used a block with a curved edge and grid lines on it to add extra interest.

I trimmed the panel, added a white die cut branch, popped it up on fun foam on a white card base, added a red sentiment, and embellished the branch with red Smooch for the berries.

For my second card, I used a different medium to colour the acrylic block - Twinkling H2Os watercolour paints.

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I spritzed the acrylic block with water, and then added my favourite shade of blue Twinkling H2O paint. I pressed it onto watercolour paper and let it dry. I then stamped the dragonfly and used a sparkly embossing powder, the colour of which is "marcasite" - not quite black, but darker than grey or silver, and with a lot of sparkle in it. I used the same powder on the sentiment. I added a shimmery black border and mounted it on a cream card base. For the third one, I used a technique I found on SCS (see here) that uses a coordinating colour of spray for the spritz instead of plain water. I used two Oxide inks - Broken China and Tumbled Glass - and smeared them randomly on a large block. I spritzed with Distress Blueprint Sketch spray and that started the two inks blending and moving. I wanted more movement so also spritzed with some water. Then I stamped the block onto watercolour paper. I love the blend of the blues and the variation in intensity! I die cut two reindeer out of off white cs (cutting each twice and gluing together for more substance). I trimmed the background panel, added the reindeer and a sentiment. There are lots more examples over at The Group of Cardmakers!

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - A Muse sentiment
Ink - Distress Peeled Paint, Memento Lady Bug
Paper - white and mixed media cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Penny Black Winter Branch die, red Smooch accent ink, fun foam, acrylic block

Supplies for card:
Stamps - Old Island Stamp Co. dragonfly, SU sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - Gina K ivory cs, watercolour paper, shimmery black cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Stampendous Marcasite embossing powder, Twinkling H2O Blue Flame, acrylic block

Supplies for card 3:
Stamps - Simon Says Stamp sentiment
Ink - Distress Oxide Broken China and Tumbled Glass
Paper - watercolour paper, off white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - acrylic stamp block, Distress Blueprint Sketch spray, MFT reindeer dies

Birds and Berries

I could make nothing but bird-themed Christmas cards as I love them so much.  So I was very happy to see the new Peace on Earth mood board.  I was inspired by the top left image of the birds with the berries.

The image is stamped and watercoloured.  I used gold watercolour paint for the oval border that is part of the stamp to reflect the lovely golden light in the mood board image.  Then I fussy cut around the border, popped it up on fun foam on the card base, and added a sentiment die cut with a banner die.

Here's the Peace on Earth mood board:

Please go to Peace on Earth and check out the beautiful bird-themed cards by the rest of the Design Team.

I'm also adding the card to the CAS Christmas Challenge "Bird".

Supplies:
Stamps - Northwoods birds, unknown sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - watercolour paper, off white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, fun foam

Summer Cottage Garden and Dove Flying High

A card for Shopping Our Stash's "Summertime" challenge and Allsorts "Garden" challenge:

Stamped, coloured with coloured pencils, trimmed with a pierced dot rectangle die and layered over a pink rectangle so that the pink shows through the pierced dots.  Then bordered with some floral dp, and added to a yellow card base.

I used the same floral dp to line an envelope:

 

 

It's going to a friend who just bought a new house.

 

Try It On Tuesday's challenge is "Flying High" - something that flies high in the sky.  I made a peace-themed Christmas card with a dove flying high among the stars.

 

I sponged silver ink through a star die, leaving space on the bottom right corner for a stamped heat embossed sentiment.  I covered a piece of scrap cs with double sided tape and added blue / silver gilding flakes.  Then die cut the dove out of it.
 

     

 

 

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps -
Ink -
Paper -
Size -
Accessories -

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - unknown sentiment
Ink - silver
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Sizzix Delicate Wings dove die, Cosmic Shimmer Blue Ice gilding flakes, star stencil, silver embossing powder

Santa and a Lamp Post

I struggled a bit getting inspiration from the new Peace on Earth mood board (see it at the end of this post).  I couldn't come up with an idea for a Christmas card with a nautical or beach element in it.  So instead, I went with incorporating the blue lamp from the top left image and the Santa dressed in non-traditional colours from the bottom left image.

The lamp post was stamped and heat embossed with a metallic blue powder but came out too grey so I went over it with a blue alcohol ink marker and got it quite close to the blue of the lamp in the mood board.  The Santa is a really old SU stamp.  He's heat embossed, then watercoloured with pearlescent watercolour paints.  I painted a bit of rough ground at the bottom and splattered with a bit of blue and gold.  And bordered with a gold shimmer cs that matches the gold of Santa's stars.

Here's the mood board.  Head over to Peace on Earth to see how the rest of the Design Team interpreted it.

Supplies:
Stamps - SU Star Santa, Penny Black lamp post, Art Impressions sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - waterddolour paper, gold shimmer and off white cs
Size - 6x4.25"
Accessories - clear embossing powder, metallic blue embossing powder, blue alcohol marker, Yasutomo pearlescent watercolour paints

CAS Christmas Bird

Great news!  My dear friend, Loll, has resurrected her CAS Christmas Challenge - one of my favourite challenges ever, since I love making Christmas cards and mostly my style is quite CAS!  I'm thrilled to be back on the Design Team.

Our first challenge is Birds.  And what better than a robin for a Christmas card?

The robin is stamped and watercoloured, then fussy cut.  I die cut the "joy" square out of copper shimmer cs.  I ran a narrow embossing folder across the front of the card base, then glued the "joy" square on top of it, and mounted the robin on top of the word "joy".

Please head over to CAS Christmas to see what our first Guest Designer (Bobby (bits and pieces) and the rest of the Design Team made to inspire you.  Then link up your CAS Christmas card featuring birds!

Supplies:
Stamps - Stampworkds Sheena Douglas robin
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - watercolour paper, off white linen cs, copper shimmer cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, Memory Box "joy" square, narrow mistletoe embossing folder

Cat in Knitwear, Pine in Circles, and Cocoa with Gingerbread Men

Three for Christmas today.  For the ABC Christmas Challenges "K is for Knitwear", I've got a cat all wrapped up in a knitted scarf.

Stamped and watercoloured, trimmed with a deckle edged rectangle and popped up on fun foam on a colour matched background layer. And for Try It On Tuesday "Going Round in Circles" and Inkspirational "For the Guys", a masculine Christmas card: I put the pine branch and pine cone in my MISTI and inked them up with Tombow markers and gave them a light spritz before stamping.  I trimmed it with a stitched circle die, cut a dark brown circle to border it with, and added it to a kraft card base. And a third card for Time Out "A Favourite Beverage" and The Male Room "Food and / or Drink": Stamped, coloured with coloured pencils, trimmed with a deckle rectangle die, popped up on fun foam on a background of dp featuring gingerbread men.

  

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Tim Holtz Christmas Snarky Cat
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - watercolour paper, off white and teal cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, Spellbinders deckle rectangle die, fun foam

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - SU Ornamental Pine, unknown sentiment
Ink - gold ink
Paper - watercolour paper, dark brown and craft cs
Size - 4.75" square
Accessories - Tombow markers, Lil Inkers stitched circle die, Spellbinders circle die, sentiment banner die

Supplies for card 3:
Stamps - unknown
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - gingerbread man dp, white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - coloured pencils, Spellbinders deckle rectangle die, fun foam