Three fun ink techniques with the Harvest Meadow Suite

Today I want to show you some fun effects you can create with ink. These cards are all created with the Harvest Meadow Suite and some simpe techniques.

The first card is heavily inspired by the one on page 54 of the current Stampin’ Up!® Mini Catalogue.

 

I love creating watercolour backgrounds and often get carried away, making more than I need. Sometimes they don’t look like I want them to so I store all of these extras for future craft sessions. It was in this stash that I found this colourful yellow piece with some lovely rich greens which I thought would be perfect for the project.

I mounted the flowers onto a border created with Stitched Rectangles Dies and the beautiful Cork Speciality Paper, which is absolutely gorgeous. It’s a little pricey at £7 for two 12x12 sheets but a little goes a long way – for instance, the piece I cut out of the centre here will give me accents for three or four more projects.

The background of the card is embossed using the Timeworn Type 3D embossing folder, then swiped with Whisper White Craft Ink to make the embossed areas stand out a little more. I'm really happy with the way it turned out and if you'll forgive me blowing my own trumpet for a moment, I think I prefer my version to the one in the catalogue!

The next two cards are really simple to create using our lovely Blending Brushes. All I did was swirl the ink with the brush in the centre of the card, in a circular motion, to create this soft oval of colour. The trick here is to keep going – most people give up too early and end up with wishy-washy, uneven colour.

 

Once I was happy with the colour saturation, I splashed a little water over the top. This is one of my favourite techniques and I love how it turns out. Bigger drops equals bigger splashes (I know, who knew, right?) so start small if you're not feeling confident. 

 
These blended backgrounds provide a stunning backdrop for the crisp white die-cut flowers and grasses. 

You can cut your die-cut shapes up further. There are only two stems on the grasses on these cards because I trimmed one off to provide more balance.

The final card combines some of the above techniques, with the addition of Nature’s Harvest stamps. I stamped and die-cut the flowers, colouring in using ink from ink pad lids, applied with a Blender Pen. The grasses are again created from a watercoloured piece; it had been coloured in Mint Macaron which goes perfectly with the Soft Succulent Ribbon.

The background here is again created with the Blending Brushes, with the addition of a circular mask to create a lovely moon effect. To do this, just die-cut (or draw round something if you don't have dies) a circle from thin paper. A sticky note is ideal but otherwise you can use some thin paper and some Tombow Multi-Purpose Glue; apply some tiny dots or a thin layer and allow it to dry clear to create a temporary adhesive. Then blend with your brushes as before, starting on the mask and working outwards. Avoid working towards the edges of the mask as you can disturb it and end up putting colour exactly where you don't want it.

Have you tried any of these techniques? Which is your favourite?

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Sneak Peek: Sympathy, masculine, birthday... Rooted In Nature does it all

To me, this card really evokes a woodland glade on a summer day, with rays of sunshine filtering through the tree canopy. A bit fanciful, perhaps, it IS just a card, after all.

In fact, it is one of the first cards I made for my display at OnStage Telford, when I received my box of goodies back in February. I really love this Rooted in Nature stamp set, and the wooden elements which continue the leafy theme. The ribbon is Granny Apple Green, one of my favourite new colours – it’s so vibrant and happy and, here, adds a touch of zing to an otherwise relatively subdued project.

Sheltering Tree get well card

UPDATE: Virtual Hostess Club is now full - hurrah!

Another “awkward card” from last weekend’s workshop. This time it’s a get well card but you don’t always want to put “get well soon”, especially if the prognosis is not good or unknown. So we went for a simple “thinking of you” and kept the colours pretty cheery.

The stamped bottom portion is done with the leaves from Sheltering Tree. Just keep stamping until the whole area is covered.

I’ll have some Sneak Peeks for you next week I hope, and news of my Catalogue Launch Party!

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Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com

Sheltering Tree sympathy card

This project is at the other end of the stamping spectrum, using minimal products and keeping things very, very simple. Despite this, and despite CASEing the project (from Eva Bussom) it was the hardest card I have ever had to make. It’s a sympathy card for a friend across The Pond who has suffered the most unbearable loss.  My card is a measly offering in the circumstances but at least she will know I am thinking of her and her family.

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Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com