Group of Seven Stencil Monoprints

The Group of Seven Cardmakers are playing with the stencil monoprint technique this month.  I tried it with two different mediums - ink pads and mica sprays.

First up using Distress ink pads:

I patted various shades of blue and purple mini Distress ink pads on my star stencil, spritzed with water, and laid it down on watercolour paper, pressing lightly with a rag.  I removed the stencil and patted up any excess watery ink.  I had some areas around the edges without any colour so I sponged the same inks around all the blank edges.

I die cut the Santa and reindeer twice from black cs and glued them together, then added them to the stencil monoprint, along with a sentiment banner.

I wasn't 100% happy with the monoprint as there were some blotchy sections, especially around where the reindeer are - the result of not enough water when I spritzed.  So I decided to try doing one using TH mica sprays, thinking I'd get better coverage on the stencil:

I still got some blotchy sections over on the right but I trimmed the panel down and got rid of most of them.  I used three different colours of mica sprays and got a nice blend of colours.  I added a snow bank and sentiment (die cut from white glitter cs) and two reindeer (die cut from copper shimmer cs and from scrap cs and glued together for more substance).  The card base is the same copper cs as the reindeer.

There are two good videos on the technique here:

Stencil Monoprint by Lee-Ann Cross (6:50)

Stenciling with Brushos by Loll Thompson (2:29)

 

And please head over to the Group of Seven blog to see more samples by the rest of the group.  If you give it a try, we'd love to have you link your card up as inspiration for us and others. 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - unknown sentiment
Ink - TH Distress inks (Chipped Sapphire, Faded Jeans, Stormy Sky)
Paper - watercolour paper, white cs
Size - 6x4.25"
Accessories - star stencil, Santa die,

Supplies for card 2:
Paper - watercolour paper, copper shimmer cs, white glitter cs
Size - A2
Accessories - TH mica sprays (Winter Frost, Fresh Balsam, Frosted Juniper), TCW tree stencil, SSS stitched slopes die, TH reindeer and joy die

A Poinsettia and a Pony

52 Christmas Card Throwdown wants flowers on a Christmas card.  What better than a poinsettia?  I'm also adding it to Rudolph Days.

Stamped and watercoloured, framed with a pierced dot frame (cut twice and stacked for more dimension), gold pearl drops added to the centre of the flower and glossy accents added to the berries.

For ABC Christmas Challenge "S is for Stencils", I stencilled snowflakes in the background.  It's also for Sweet Stampin' "For a Child" - that child could have been me as I spent my childhood longing for a pony!  And for Stamping Sensations "Animals'.

I did the stencilling first and then put the panel in my MISTI so that I could get a good impression with my black stamping.

    

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - poinsettia, sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - watercolour paper, off white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - MFT pierced rectangle frame, watercolour paints, glossy accents, gold pearl drops

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Isobel Craft Collection Thelwell stamps, Penny Black sentiment, SSS sentiment
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne, Distress Broken China
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - TCW snowflake mask

Too Many Reindeer and a Lot of Sweet Peas

Shopping our Stash's challenge is called "Don't Really Need Another One" - use something that is our weakness and we buy too many of.  I really do have too many reindeer dies!

I created a background by sprinkling blue and green Magicals powders on photo paper, spritzing with water, and letting the colours run and dry naturally. When dry, I trimmed the panel, added a torn white cs snowy ground and two die cut reindeer. The panel is matted with black cs and the sentiment is made with a wax seal kit. It might be hard to read in the photo but it says Merry Christmas.  Here's a close-up of the seal:

The Flower Challenge wants a stamped flower.

A simple stamped and watercoloured image, with a vertical sentiment. It's larger than my usual A2 as it's a big image.

 

Supplies for card 1:
Paper - white and black cs, photo paper
Size - A2
Accessories - blue and green Magicals, reindeer dies, sealing wax set

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Stamps Happen Sweet Peas, Hero Arts sentiment
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - watercolour paper, off white cs
Size - 6.25x4.75"
Accessories - watercolour paints

Colourful Christmas Tree

The new Peace on Earth mood board has a lot of colourful rainbow Christmas decorations.  I was inspired by the lower left image (see the mood board at the end of my post).

I stamped the tree and then coloured the little circles in a similar colour palette to the image.  I trimmed the panel with a dotted rectangle die and added a sentiment banner across the top.  I went over the coloured dots with Glossy Accents.  

I wanted to border it with rainbow glitter cs but didn't have any left so created my own - I die cut a rectangle of cs, ran strips of double sided tape down the four edges, and sprinkled with JoAnn's multi-coloured glitter.  It's a bit chunky so it left sticky bits of the tape exposed so I took a fine clear glitter and added it over the coloured glitter to fill in all the sticky bits of tape.

We'd love you to check out the rest of the inspiration from our Peace on Earth Design Team, and if you're inspired by our mood board, or prefer to make an anything Christmas card, we'd love to have you join us.

I'm also adding it to the Christmas Cards All Year Round "Trees" challenge.

Supplies:
Stamps - Lavinia Christmas tree, unknown sentiment
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - alcohol markers, Sizzix Dotted Rectangle die, banner die, Spellbinders rectangle die, double-sided tape, JoAnn's multi-coloured chunky glitter, MS fine clear glitter, Glossy Accents

Tea with Books and Sunflowers with Horses

Sweet Stampin' wants to see "Beverages" and Shopping our Stash wants to see a "Just Because" card.   A friend gave me this stamp set as she thought it was perfect for me as a retired librarian - it's the first time I've used it so entering it in NBUS as well.

I coloured it in blue as I'm going to send it to my youngest sister who loves blue, tea, and reading as much as I do, and loves to get cards from me.

The image is coloured with coloured pencils and popped up on fun foam. The background is an embossing folder that went well with the scrolls on the tea cup.

I've also got a card for Double D "Sunflowers". 

I stamped the image and coloured it with coloured pencils, bordered with black cs, mounted on a kraft card base, and added a white heat embossed sentiment on a scrap of black cs.

   

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - unknown
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - coloured pencils, Cuttlebug embossing folder, fun foam

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Impression Obsession horses, Rubber Soul sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black, ColorBox white
Paper - white, black, and kraft cs
Size - A2
Accessories - coloured pencils, white embossing powder

Leafy Sympathy and Christmas Dog

A sympathy / thinking of you card that is for Can You Handle the Pressure (Leaves), AAA Card Challenge (Sympathy or Get Well), and My Time to Craft (something tree-related, which of course, leaves are).

I used a leafy embossing folder for my background and an oval die cut for the sentiment that both cuts and dry embosses.  For the focal image, I stamped the leaves in two different shades of green, trimmed the panel and popped it up on fun foam.

I can't do a post at this time of year without including a Christmas card.  For Inkspirational (CAS with an Animal).

A simple stamped and watercoloured image, bordered with black, and on a mini slimline red card base.

 

  

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - SU Very Versailles, Rubber Stamp Tapestry sentiment
Ink - Memento Bamboo Leaves, Distress Bundled Sage
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Cuttlebug embossing folder, oval die, fun foam

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Colorado Craft Co. dog, PB sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Clair
Paper - watercolour paper, red and black cs
Size - 6.25x3.25"
Accessories - watercolour paints