Variations of Bleached Tulips

The Group of Cardmakers are trying the technique of bleaching on cards.  I don't mind using actual bleach but if you don't like using bleach, you can try using water (though I found it much less effective).  Since spring is just around the corner, I decided to use three different tulip stamps.

The card I am most happy with is this one:

I created a smooshed background with various red, orange, and yellow Distress inks on watercolour paper.  I used a bit too much water and it all blended into this dark peach colour.  I put it in my MISTI and stamped the tulip in Versafine black and heat embossed with clear powder.  I then used bleach and a waterbrush to lift the background colour from the tulip.  I also splattered a bit of bleach on the panel.  I chose to leave the tulip white and not add any colour to it. Trimmed it with a stitched rectangle die and added a sentiment.

Next up:

Another smooshed background - this one on white cs with yellow and orange Distress inks.  I then stamped with Distress Walnut Stain and heat embossed with clear powder.  I used bleach and a waterbrush to lift the background colour from all of the flower heads.  The embossing powder had not stuck to all of the image so I lost a bit of my stamping when I did the bleaching.  So I put it back in the MISTI (luckily I hadn't taken the stamp out) but the restamping ended up slightly off set so there's a bit of an out of focus look to the bottom of the image.

This time I added some colour - I used a bit of Distress Candied Apple to add colour to the bottoms of each flower head.  It came out more pink than red, likely because of the bleach residue on the cs.  

I trimmed the panel, popped it up on fun foam on a text embossed background, and added a sentiment.

I'm adding this card to the following challenges that all want "spring": Try It on Tuesday, Stamping Sensations, and Allsorts. 

   

The third one uses a collage style stamp:

I used various red and orange Distress inks on white cs for this smooshed background.  Again too much water and I ended up with a mostly pink background.  Like the second card, I stamped with Distress Walnut Stain and heat embossed in clear, and again, not all of it ended up embossed.  So I found when I bleached the flower heads, some of the brown lines bleached out and in other spots I ended up with pink bits mixed in with the brown embossed details of the flower heads.  I liked the effect so didn't add any additional colour in the petals, but did use a brown coloured pencil to add back some of the outlines of the petals.

I trimmed the panel, added it to the card base, stamped a sentiment that I cut into two sections and angled on the card.

Final impressions:

• I prefer using watercolour paper to regular cardstock as I found I got better bleaching.
• Heat embossing creates a dam to help you keep the bleach where you want it.  
• If you stamp with a water-based ink and don't manage to heat emboss it thoroughly, the bleach will lift it.  Therefore I will avoid Distress inks for my stamping as they are not as effective for heat embossing.  The pigment ink I used for the first card was much better. 

Brushos (or other powders that work with water) are also effective.  Here's a card I made several years ago using Brushos for the background.  See this post for details.

 

Head over to the Group of Cardmakers blog to see how the rest of the group used bleach.

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - AALL & Create tulip, unknown sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black, various red, orange, and yellow Distress inks
Paper - watercolour paper, off white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - clear embossing powder, bleach, Lil Inker's stitched rectangle die, Spellbinders oval die

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Stamplorations Framed Tulips, Rosie's Roadshow sentiment
Ink - Distress Walnut Stain, various yellow and orange Distress inks, Distress Candied Apple
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - bleach, clear embossing powder, text embossing folder, fun foam

Supplies for card 3:
Stamps - Darkroom Door tulip collage, Tim Holtz sentiment
Ink - Distress Walnut Stain, various red and orange Distress inks
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - bleach, clear embossing powder, brown coloured pencil

Gilding Flakes on Acetate

This month, the Group of Seven Cardmakers are trying out gilding flakes on acetate.  We followed the technique on this video.  Here's my card:

I patted the wreath stamp with Cosmic Shimmer Flake and Glitter Glue (using a square of foam as an applicator), then stamped onto the acetate.  Then immediately washed my stamp with warm soapy water.  Added the gilding flakes and pressed them into the glue, then used a craft scrubby to rub off the excess.  I added the acetate to the card base with double sided tape around its edges and covered it with a die cut frame so that the tape wouldn't show.

Here's a close-up of the lovely colours in my gilding flakes:

 

 

I love gilding flakes even though they're so messy to work with, but not sure I like using them on acetate (mainly because of the static).

 

Loll suggested we also try it on vellum.  I followed the same stamps as above.

 

I think my image was perhaps too detailed for gilding flakes but I do kind of like the misty look of it.  Again to cover the tape holding the gilding flakes panel to the card base, I used a die cut frame.

 

And a close up of the gilding flakes on the vellum:

I just love the colour blend!
 

There's lots more ideas from the rest of the Group of Seven over on the blog.  If you're inspired to try it, please link up so that we can see how you use the technique.

 

 

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Impression Obsession wreath stamp, unknown sentiment
Ink - gold
Paper - off white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - acetate, Cosmic Shimmer Mulled Wine gilding flakes, Cosmic Shimmer Flake and Glitter glue, Impression Obsession frame die

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Penny Black holly stamp, Rubber Soul sentiment
Ink - gold
Paper - off white cs, brushed gold shimmer cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Cosmic Shimmer Mulled Wine gilding flakes, Cosmic Shimmer Flake and Glitter glue, MFT pierced dot frame

Collage Stamps - One Stamp Only

I really like single stamps that have more than just one thing in them - they are what I call "collage stamps".  I've got two cards using them today.

The Paper Players want a CAS card using just a single stamped image.  By using one of my "collage stamps", I can get a lot of interest in a CAS card.  And since I've never used the stamp before, I'm also entering it over at NBUS.

I created a bit of a smooshed background with Distress Old Paper and Pumice Stone to give my focal image piece an aged vintage look. Then put it and the stamp in my MISTI and stamped with a light grey ink (Archival Hickory Smoke). I then coloured the branch and berries with watercolour pencils. I lost too much detail with my colouring so overstamped with black ink.  Then bordered with red, added it to an off-white card base, and put Glossy Accents on the berries.

With another "collage stamp", I made this card for 52 Christmas Card Countdown "Reindeer" and Sparkles Christmas Challenge "Christmas Critters". 

 

 

I made the background panel using various blue Distress inks and an embossing folder for the embossing folder stamping technique (see this tutorial for instructions).  

 

For the focal panel, I created a background by experimenting with using some photo paper with Oxide inks and a baby wipe. I smooshed with various shades of blue and mauve Oxide inks, drying between layers. When I was finished and the piece was completely dry, I wiped off the chalkiness of the Oxide inks and was left with a lovely glossy background.  I put it in my Misti and stamped the reindeer collage stamp with black StazOn.

 

 

 

 

Supplies for card:
Stamps - Tim Holtz Festive Collage
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne, Archival Hickory Smoke, Distress Old Paper and Pumice Stone
Paper - watercolour paper, red and off-white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Tim Holtz watercolour pencils, Glossy Accents

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Studio Light
Ink - various blue and mauve Distress and Distress Oxide inks, black StazOn
Paper - cream shimmer cs, watercolour paper, photo paper
Size - A2
Accessories - baby wipe, snowflake embossing folder

Blue and Aqua

People who follow my blog regularly will know that my favourite colour is blue.  Today I've got two cards with different shades of blue.

First up, for the Triple B Challenge which require birds, butterflies, or blooms and this month has a gorgeous blue mood board. 

A very CAS card - I stamped and heat embossed the flower and sentiment in white on black cs, then painted the flower with Posca paint pens.  Then mounted on a white card base.

Here's the Triple B mood board.  You can see I was inspired by the left and right hand images.

I then went on to the Colorful Options Challenge "Aqua".

I first sprayed the background with 3 different blue Lindy's sprays on mixed media cs. Then stamped the collage image over it. From a leftover sprayed piece, I die cut the solid base of the butterfly. The lacy top of the butterfly is out of blue shimmer cs.

Here's the Colorful Options mood board.  

Loved making these cards but I really need to get back to Christmas cards as I'm behind on the numbers I like to get made by June!

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Visible Image
Ink - ColorBox white
Paper - white and black cs
Size - A2
Accessories - white embossing powder, blue and green Posca paint pens

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - PaperArtsy leaf/script stam
Ink - Versafine Clair Twilight
Paper - blue shimmer, mixed media, and white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - 3 different Lindy's sprays (Baby Blue Eyes, Buccaneer Bay Blue, Mystic Malachi), Sizzix butterfly die

Heat Embossed Reindeer Panel and Bleached Iris

For the ABC Christmas Challenge "E is for Embossing", I went with heat embossing.

I created a background by spraying some silver spray on cs.  When dry, I stamped the image panel in black and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  I bordered with silver glitter cs and mounted on a silver shimmer card base.

For the Penny Black Saturday Challenge, I used a lovely Penny Black iris stamp I've had for ages.  It's also for Seize the Birthday "Spring Floral" - the early small irises are starting to bloom in my garden!

 

 

I created a blue background by sprinkling with various blue Brushos and spritzing with water.  I let it air dry.  Then stamped the irises and used a small paint brush and bleach to lift the Brushos colour from inside the iris image.  Then stamped a few bits of random script around the irises and added a sentiment die cut with an oval and lightly sponged with blue ink.  Bordered with black cs.

 

 

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous reindeer panel
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - white cs, silver glitter cs, silver shimmer cs
Size - A2
Accessories - silver spray, clear embossing powder

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Penny Black irises, Stampington & Co script, A Muse sentiment
Ink - Distress Tumbled Glass, Versafine Clair Twilight and Nocturne
Paper - black and white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - bleach, blue Brushos, Spellbinders oval die