Birthday Blooms - Watercoloring and Stamping with Brusho Crystals - SUO Challenges #198

I love coloring. I love using different media to do my coloring.  I find the entire process very relaxing.  So I just had to participate in this week's challenge at SUO

The challenge is "All About the Coloring" - and for this challenge I challenged myself - to use a different medium to color with.

When Brusho Crystals appeared in the Occasion catalogue I was probably one of the first people to order it.  But learning about it's properties and behaviors proved a bit more difficult.

It was a steep learning curve - from knowing how to open the crystal containers to how much of the crystals to use.  I was not enamored with the bright splashes of background colors I created, so have  worked hard to tone down the colors and find different methods of using it.

For today's card, I made the Brusho Crystals into watercolor paints, and applied this paint in layers to an image.  I even experimented using the Brusho directly onto stamps to create a background for the card I was planning.

Here's the card:

The floral image was stamped and embossed with copper embossing powder on a separate pierce of  Whisper White card stock.

To make the Brusho Crystals into watercolor paints, a small amount of Crystals were added to separate ink wells of a paint palette along with about 3 drops of water. and the mixture stirred.  Colors used:  Prussian Blue, Mossy Green, and Yellow.

The aqua painter was used to apply each color in layers, allowing each layer to dry before adding more color.  I even mixed some of the colors to get a more realistic look i.e. yellow with the green on the leaves.

The image was the fussy cut and set aside while I stamped the panel.

This was another experiment.

I added some Prussian Blue crystals to a cotton ball and added a small amount of water.  This I used as an ink pad.  The small single flower stamp was then inked up and stamped repeatedly to create the panel background..  Some empty spots were filled in using the dot stamp and Pear Pizzazz ink.  In retrospect I could have used a baby wipe but I didn't have any so opted for a cotton ball.

I'm actually surprised it worked as well as it did.

Before matting the panel with Marina Mist card stock I sponged the edges lightly with some Marina Mist ink.

The card base is Marina Mist card stock, layered with Whisper White embossed with the Petal Burst embossing folder. The matted panel was added to the left side of the card front with dimensionals.  Some 1/4" white organza ribbon was added near the bottom of the panel prior to being adhered to the card front.  A double ribbon was added as well.

I added the cut out flower using dimensionals across the panel of the card front .

Here's a better look at the stamped panel with the floral image attached.

The sentiment, from Many More Thanks, was also embossed with copper embossing powder, and diet cut using the Petal Passion framelits.  It was added to the card front using dimensionals.

Supplies Used:

Stamps:  Birthday Blooms, Many More Thanks

Inks:  Versa Mark, Marina Mist, Pear Pizazz, Brusho Crystals, Pear Pizzazz

Papers:  Marina Mist, Whisper White

Accessories:  Aqua painter, Copper Embossing Powder, 1/4" White Organza ribbon, Petal Passion Framelits, Petal Burst embossing folder, Dimensionals

Partial M-Fold Card Using Springtime Foil DSP - a CASE

I took some time off from getting ready for my craft sale tomorrow,  to case a card made by Jan Brown, a SU Demonstrator in the UK.  She had made a video of this partial M-fold card and I was fascinated by it.  The video is a bit long, but was very informative and well worth watching.

Here's my take on the card.  Actually, I made 2 of them.

I used the new SAB Springtime Foil DSP- 2 patterns, one of which has a floral pattern, the flowers and leaves were coloured with blendabilites.  I cut a large flower and a smaller flower with a leaf for the sentiment panel. The butterfly is from the Move Me More thinlets.

Stamps:  Birthday Blooms, Hold onto Hope 

Inks:  Blendabilities (Cherry Cobbler, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive), Berry Burst

Papers:  Berry Burst, Whisper White, Springtime Foil DSP

Accessories:  Move Me More Thinlets, Pearls

The second card is more like the one Jan made in the video.

This time the base of the card was Pool Party and  the flowers were coloured with Pool Party blendabilites,

Big Birthday Tulle Shaker Card

I love to learn different ways to make shaker cards.  The main disadvantage of the traditional method of making shakers is the thickness of the resultant card, increasing the postage cost,

One outstanding advantage of making shakers using tulle instead of window sheets, and tear and tape adhesive instead of thick double sided tape, is that the resultant card is thin and is light in weight.

Again, Jennifer McGuire was the inspiration for using this technique.

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A 4 by 5 1/4" piece of  Shimmer White cardstock was temporarily adhered to a Red Rose card front and then die cut with a non SU flower shaped die and two pieces of white tulle were cut slightly larger than the die cut area.




The two card stock pieces were separated and tear and tape adhesive was applied close to the die cut edges and along the top, bottom, and sides of each of the pieces. The Sparkles embellishments were suspended between the 2 tulle layers once the two pieces of card stock are adhered together.

The sentiment was gold embossed below the window.

I stamped and white embossed the images twice on Shimmer Whisper cardstock and colored by  sponging and then spritzed with  home made glitter water to allow the colors to blend. After they were dry, the flowers and leaves and fussy cut.- separating the flowers and leaves so I could place them where I wanted.

Dimensionals were used to adhere the larger blooms; tombo for the smaller ones as well as the  leaves.

A 1 3/8" Whisper White circle was  adhered to the back of the image on the inside of the card.  This gives it extra support and prevents any adhesive from adhering it to the inside of the card.

A white organza bow was placed below the larger bloom and some extra sequins were placed around the front.

One thing I would do differently next time is to place the inside sentiment below the tulle covered window.  As you can see from the picture below, I situated the sentiment at the same level as the window.

Supplies Used:
Stamps:  Birthday Bloom
Inks: Crushed Curry, Rose Red, Melon Mambo, Pear Pizzazz, Old Olive, Versa Mark
Papers: Rose Red, Shimmer White
Accessories: Floral die (non SU), Tulle (non SU), Sprinkles embellishments, White embossing powder, Hand made shimmer spray, 5/8" white organza ribbon, gold glimmer ribbon (retired)

Birthday Blooms - Cracked Glass Technique

The Cracked Glass Technique was a really fun technique to do, and so easy as well.  One can even do a number of cracked glass images ahead of time and then make them into cards as needed.
For this technique I used the tutorial by splitcoaststampers here

To make the cracked glass focal piece, I first stamped and coloured the image from "Birthday Blooms".  I used Flirty Flamingo, Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry, Pear Pizzaz and Old Olive ink pads and an aquapainter.

The oval framelits were used to die cut the image, and then I started the process of the technique.
The surface was wiped with a embossing buddy; versa mark was then generously applied all.  Clear embossing powder was poured over the image, and heat set.  This step was done at least 3 times or until the surface looked smooth and shiny.  After letting it cool, I bent the image in several directions until I heard a crack.  The cracks didn't particularly show up very well, so I sponged ith Chocolate chip ink.

The focal image was then applied to a piece of Old Olive cardstock, the corners of which were punched with the Triple corner punch (retired).

The base card is Melon Mambo, layered with Whisper White.  On the Whisper White, three pieces of striped Old Olive DSP were cut into 1 1/2 pieces, and one end punch with the Triple Punch.  These pieces were adhered to the Whisper White layer with a gap between them.

Since my Flirty Flamingo ribbon has not arrived yet, I used a retired ribbon, the 1/4" cotton melon mambo ribbon.  It was adhered at the top half, wrapping the ends around the Whisper White/Old Olive DSP layer.

The art piece was applied to the card front  using dimensionals, slightly off center, and a bow make from the ribbon on the right side.

No sentiment was attached on purpose.  I am doing this more and more each time so that my card becomes more versatile.

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Birthday Blooms
Inks: Black Memento, Flirty Flamingo, Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry, Pear Pizzazz, Old Olive, Versa Mark, Chocolate Chip
Papers: Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Old Olive DSP, Old Olive
Accessories: Clear Embossing powder, Heat tool, 1/4" melon mambo ribbon, triple punch, triple corner punch.

Another Pinwheel Card - for a 100th Birthday

This time I used the English Garden DSP, and decorated the bellyband with pop up balloons that lay flat for mailing.

The balloons were made using the stamp set "Balloon Celebration" stamping first in Rose Red and than with Cherry Cobbler ink.  They were punched using the Balloon Bouquet punch, a coiled thin wire was hot glued to the back of each balloon.
On the front of each balloon was each of the letter for 100, die cut in gold glimmer paper,
using the retired Timeless type Alphabet Junior Sizzlet" die.

This shows the attachment of the balloons to the bellyband around the folded card.

Close up of the Bellyband shows the rose made using the Blossom Petal Punch.  The Sentiment was stamped in Rose Red ink and is from the stamp set "Balloon Celebration"

After the former picture was taken I realized a bit of green was needed on the belly band, so I die cut a leaf from the Botanical Blooms Builder framelits.

The inside was stamped using the Birthday Blooms stamp set.  The flowers were coloured with Rose Red ink and blender pen. The colour was accented with Cherry Cobbler ink.

Supplies:
Stamps: Birthday Blooms, Balloon Celebration
Inks: Black Memento, Rose Red, Cherry Cobbler, Pear Pizzazz, Mossy Meadow
Papers: English Garden DSP, Rose Red, Old Olive, Whisper White, Gold Glimmer paper
Accessories: Botanical Blooms Builder, Balloon Bouquet punch, Blossom Builder punch, Timeless Type Alphabet Junior Sizzlets dies (retired), thin wires (non SU), glue gun

Grateful Bunch Thanks - Freshly Made Sketches #219

I always seem to be in need of Thank you cards, so the card  for the sketch challenge with Freshly Made Sketches is a Thank You one.

 

• The base card stock is Rose Red, layered with Whisper White embossed with the Decorative Dots embossing folder.
• On the left side is a 2" piece of Rose Red DSP, around which is wrapped a double ribbon - the chevron ribbon and the 1/8" taffeta gold ribbon.
• The image panel is a  2 1/2 by 3 1/8" Whisper White cardstock, matted with Basic Black cardstock.
• The "dots" stamp from "Birthday Blooms" was randomly stamped over the surface of the Whisper White piece - in Crumb Cake, Gold, and Rose Red.
• On a separate piece of Whisper White, two large flowers from "Grateful Bunch" were stamped in Crumb Cake, and 2 in Gold Encore ink.  They were hand cut and the petals snipped to the center.  Two black circles were punched with the 1/2" circle punch for the flower centers.  Also stamped were two of the smaller flower trio using Rose Red ink.  They were punched with the new "Blossom Bunch Punch".  Again, the petals of the larger of the 3 flowers were snipped to the center.  A  gold foil circle was punched using the 1/8" hand held punch to become the center of the Rose Red flower.  Using the Owl Builder punch, the pupil of the eye was used to punch a gold foil circle for the smallest flower.
• Two gold foil leaves were punched using the Bird Builder punch.
• The butterfly was stamped using Black Memento ink, coloured with a Rose Red and Basic Black marker.  Gold Wink of stella was applied to the butterfly, and then it was hand cut.

The large flowers were distressed with a stylus and the edges curled up.  

The two larger Crumb Cake flowers were adhered together alternating the petals.  A black 1/2"  centerwas attached to the flowers with a dimensional and clear Wink of Stella applied.  I then took the Crumb Cake ink pad and rubbed the petal edges with ink.
The same was done with the gold coloured flowers only the edges were rubbed with the gold ink.

Two of the larger and the two smallest of the  Rose Red flowers were adhered together with petals alternating, and a gold foil circle added to the center.

The two larger petals were adhered to the Whisper White panel as indicated in the photo.  Gold foil leaves emerged from under each one.  The rose red flowers were snuggled under the large flowers.

The butterfly was the embellishment at the upper left corner.

The image panel was adhered to the card front using dimensiionals.

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Grateful Bunch, Birthday Blooms, Another Thank You
Inks: Crumb Cake, Gold Encore, Rose Red
Papers: Rose Red, Whisper White, Basic Black, Gold foil, Rose Red DSP, Black and Rose Red markers
Accessories: Chevron ribbon, 1/8" gold taffeta ribbon, Decorative dots embossing folder, Bird Builder Punch, Owl Builder Punch 1/8" hand held punch, 1/2" circle punch, Clear Wink of Stella glitter brush, Gold Wink of Stella glitter brush, dimensionals, gold sequins, dimensionals.

Birthday Blooms - Freshly Made Sketches #217

This stamp, used to make the card for the Freshly Made Sketches  sketch challenge gives you another sneak peak into what's coming in the new Occasions Catalogue in January.

• Base card is Pacific Point cardstock. layered with Mint Macaroon, then Pretty Petals DSP.
• the image is stamped in Black Memento ink, and coloured with Aqua painter and ink pads- using Soft Sky, Pacific Point, Night of Navy, Daffodil Delight, Crumb Cake, Mint Maroon, Pear Pizzazz, Always Artichoke.  Using the "dot" stamp, dots were stamped around the images.

          Some glitter was added to the center, around the flowers and on bits of the petals.

          This is a close up of one of the flowers.

• After trimming it to size, the image was matted with Pacific Point cardstock. 

The image panel was adhered to the front of the card using dimensionals.
A strip of Whisper White matted with Pacific  Point was placed at the lower part of the image, and the sentiment was stamped on the middle of that strip. Metal rimmed pearls were placed at either end of this strip. This sentiment is from "Butterfly Basics"

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Birthday Blooms, Butterfly Basics
Inks: Black Memento, Soft Sky, Pacific Point, Night of Navy, Mint Macaroon, Pear Pizzazz, Always Artichoke, Daffodil Delight, Crumb Cake
Papers: Pacific Point, Whisper White, Mint Maroon, Pretty Petals DSP
Accessories: White Baker's Twine, dimensionals, Aquapainter, Wink of Stella glitter brush, metal rimmed pearls