Water Front Christmas Cards -Two ways

 I like to maximize the use of my stamps and sometimes this requires thinking outside the box. 

For these two cards I used the stamp with sponging to create a winter ambience

Each piece of Whisper White cardstock is 4 1/2 by 2 3/4" with a matting layer 1/4" larger.  Both are added to A2 card bases layered with Whisper White

Card #1:

The trees were stamped and stamped off across the art piece using  Shaded Spruce ink.  The sky was sponged with Balmy Blue, and Night of Navy with the stars and the area below the trees embossed with white embossing powder.  A bit of gray ink was sponged under the trees after which some Dazzling Diamonds was added.

Sentiment is from Itty Bitty Christmas and in this card I added it below the art  piece,

Card #2

The  Night of Navy card base is layered with Whisper White but the difference in this card is the Diagonal striped Classic Christmas DSP in colours of Cyprus Cedar,  Night of Navy and white.  A strip of Night of Navy next to the DSP.

On the art piece the trees are stamped the same but this time they are stamped against a So Saffron morning sky.  The sentiment is added to bottom of the stamped piece,

In both cards adhesive blue gems are added randomly on the finished faree

Partial Die Cutting tabs for Try Stampin on Tuesday #433

I started out by making a dresser card for the sketch/ inspiration challenge at Try Stampin' on Tuesday #433, but along the way, the card morphed into an interactive card with tabs that opened up to reveal a scene inside.  I used a combination of the Water Front and the Snow Front stamp sets to create the scene behind the tabs using the inspiration from the picture in the challenge.

The tabs were created using the partial die cutting technique.

The front of the card is Woodwork Texture DSP adhered to a piece of Whisper White.  This piece was divided in half with 3 partially die cut stitched rectangular tabs created on the left and a larger rectangular tab on the right.

A 1/2" round circle punch made the notch in the end of the tabs so they could be opened a bit easier. In addition some 1/2" Early Espresso circles were added on each tab end.

On the front of the right side I stamped the tree image from Snow Front.

This card front was laid on top of an identical sized piece of Whisper White card stock and with a pencil lightly drew the outline of each die cut opening.   The scene was then created.

Tab 1 opens to reveal a tantalizing glimpse of the scene as well as a black embossed sentiment.

Tab 2 opens to reveal some cabins for camping

Tab 3:  now the left side of the scene is revealed. 

Tab on the right:  reveals the rest of the scene as well as the rest of the sentiment.

This art piece was added to an Early Espresso card front.

Supplies Used:

Stamps:  Water Front, Snow Front

Inks:  

Mountains:  Smokey Slate

Trees & greenery:  Mossy Meadow

Cabins and Deer:  Early Espresso

Sky:  Light Seabreeze Spray

Versa Mark

Papers:  Early Espresso card base, Whisper White, Wood Texture DSP

Accessories:  Stitched rectangle dies, 1/2" circle punch, copper metallic embellishments, Black embossing powder

Relaxing at the Beach - Try Stampin' on Tuesay #414

The hot lazy days of summer are finally here!  The Spring was rainy and cool, great for the garden, but not so great for enjoying the outdoors.  Hot, humid weather is forecast, but hopefully not as hot as what Europe is experiencing.  However, hot enough to enjoy the beach.

That's exactly what the gentleman in the card I designed for the challenge with Try Stampin' on Tuesday #414 (theme summer fun) is doing - relaxing at the beach.

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The card base is Coastal Cabana card stock, layered with a piece of Whisper White card stock embossed with the Subtle Texture embossing folder inked with Coastal Cabana ink.  I love the tone on tone effect.

On this layer are added two different panels of DSP matted with Gray Granite card stock. One strip (the smaller) is from Follow Your Art DSP, and the larger one with the Sea Gulls from Bird Ballad DSP.  I sponged the edges of both DSP panels with Gray Granite ink to blend the two different designs for the purposes of this card.

The gentleman relaxing on a chair on the beach is from "A Good Man".  The ocean behind him is stamped using a Waterfront stamp ; the sky washed with a watercolor pencil and an aqua painter, and the beach sand created using glimmer embossing paste coloured with Sahara Sand reinker. 

I stamped some birds in the sky from "Sailing Home". 

Because the sentiment was too long for the art piece, I using a Basic Black marker to high light the words so that the sentiment could fit on the art piece. Dimensionals are used to add the sentiment to the art piece.

This art piece is added to the card front with dimensionals.

To finish the card, a bow made using the braided Sahara Sand trim is added to the bottom of the smaller DSP panel.

Supplies Used:

Stamps:  A Good Man,ncils, Free as a Bird, Waterfront, Sailing Home

Inks:  Coastal Cabana, Black Memento, Sahara Sand reinker, watercolor pencAils, Gray Granite

Papers:  Coastal Cabana, Whisper White, Gray Granite, Bird Ballad DSP, Follow Your Art DSP.

Accessories:  Subtle Texture 3D Embossing folder, 1/16 Sahara Sand braided twine, Dimensionals, Shimmer Embossing paste, Aqua painter

Sunset at the Cottage

I love sunsets - always have, and lately the sunsets have been so beautiful.

I've been making a lot of cards using Rooted in Nature suite, and today I combined the stamp set with two other stamp sets, Waterfront, and High Tide - to create a sunset scene at the cottage

I was a bit hesitant about the effectiveness of the sponge brayers, but I used them today (along with some of the new colors) to create this beautiful sunset and was pleasantly surprised.  So, using this tool, I applied the following colors for the sky:  Mango Melody, Poppy Parade and Highland Heather. I added some birds and clouds from High tide.

Coastal Cabana was used for the water, with the horizon  identified using a Coastal Cabana marker.  Details in the water was created by using the water stamp High Tide.

The two trees were stamped one at a  time and side by side using Mossy Meadow.  A stamp from Waterfront, stamped in Soft Suede,  was  to create the rocky knol upon which the trees were growing.

The focal image was trimmed, then matted with Basic Black card stock, adhered to a Whisper White layer which was added to the Basic Black card base

An Adirondack chair, die cut in Highland Heather cardstock, was adhered to the lower right card front to complete the cottage image.

Supplies Used:
Stamps:  Rooted In Nature, High Tide, Waterfront
Inks:  Mango Melody, Poppy Parade, Highland Heather, Coastal Cabana, Soft Suede, Mossy Meadow, Basic Gray, Coastal Cabana marker
Papers:  Basic Black, Whisper White, Highland Heather, dimensionals
Accessories:  Colorful Seasons framelits, Sponge Brayer

Watercoloring with stamps - another Occasions sneak peak

The "Water front" stamp set is so neat!  The stamping makes it look like watercoloring - but of course it's stamping.

See what I mean?  I finished the card so that it looks like it's been placed in a frame. 

The placement of the sun provided orientation for the rest of the images. Here are the colours of inks I used:

• Mountains:  Soft Suede
• Grass:  Lucky Limeade
• Trees:  Trunk - Early Espresso marker;  Branches - Always Artichoke marker
• Cabin:  Early Espresso.  Windows coloured with Daffodil Delight marker
• Water:  Pool Party, Soft Sky, Marina Mist
• Sun:  Crushed  Curry
• Birds:  Basic Gray

The birds are from the stamp set "Wherever You Go"

After I finished the scene I took the fine end of an Early Espresso marker and used "grounding" marks under the hut, and trees, and along the shore line and base of the mountain.  I also sponged lightly around the sun and incorporated some Crushed Curry reflections into the water.

The edges of all card stock were sponged with Basic Gray ink

The art piece was masked with Soft Suede card stock, layered onto Whisper White card stock and then added to an Always Artichoke card base.

Supplies Used:

Stamps:  Water Front, Wherever You Go"

Inks:  Crushed Curry, Soft Suede, Lucky Limeade, Early Espresso, Pool Party, Soft Sky, Marina Mist, Markers (Early Espresso, Always Artichoke, Daffodil Delight), Basic Gray

Papers:  Always Artichoke, Whisper White, Soft Suede