Spinner choice

 Hi Friends! 

Today I used two methods of creative motivation for help to create this card. The first is the spinner. I created a digital spinner that has all products, themes, techniques, etc. that I can think of on it. I spin the wheel and go with that. It can help with creative block but most importantly it helps me not to do the same thing with the same products all the time. It helps to use things I have. 

 

The spinner gave me: flower 

The second thing I used is this basket of card panels. These are left over from previous projects or I sat down and just made a whole of bunch of panels using a certain method. 

 I picked the first flower stamp set I saw and sat down with the basket to pick out the perfect panel. 

I chose this pink watercolored background.

I stamped the design on. I could have just left it at that but I was in the mood to add some color to it. I used Tim Holtz's watercolor pencils. I love how pigments these are and they are a dream to use. 

I wasn't sure how well they would cover the pink and they did well. The black ink that I stamped with claims to be waterproof when dry. I heat set it before painting and it still tried to smear. I just tried very hard to keep the brush from dragging through it. 

Now to add a little bling. I love Kuretake Gansai Tambi watercolors too. This palette is one of my most used art supplies and look at how new it still looks!

Just add some water, grab a brush. The fan brushes work very well but you can use others. 

Little specs of gold, so pretty. 

I decide to use the sentiment that came with the flower stamp. I stamped it in black and then in clear so I could add clear embossing powder. 

I love the beauty of heat embossing!

It adds texture and shine.

I used a black background panel and a white card base. 

~Paula

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Please Note: This post contains product links so you can easily find any supplies and/or tools you may be interested in. As an Amazon Associate, I may be compensated for a purchase made using my link. However, no additional cost is extended to you. The other links are just to help guide you in the right direction. I am not affiliated with those companies but I encourage you to shop small businesses as much as possible.

Papers are just from my collection. I always grab from my scraps first and I don’t keep track of where they came from.

The stamp set is by Honey Doo Crafts in the UK. I bought it at a trade show but I cannot find this set on their website. They have many really beautiful sets to check out at Honey Doo Crafts

Halloween Trick or Treat Card with Peddler's Den

 Hi Friends!

I have another Halloween card to show you. I really don't get sick of making Halloween cards! Today's card is totally inspired by the stamp I used that is the trick or treaters. The moment I saw this stamp I knew I wanted to use it. I found it at a vendor booth at Mega Meet this last spring in Michigan. I took a few artsy kind of classes as I am always trying to be more creative. One instructor that I took a few classes from also was a vendor and the stamp came from their shop: Peddler's Den

 

 The tree stamp in the background also came from their shop. (links provided at bottom)

I don't very often create square cards because in the US they require higher postage to mail them because the postal machines for some strange reason cannot handle square cards and have to be hand cancelled. We can put people in space and make ridiculous fake photos with AI but square cards at the post office are a problem. The workaround is to put a square card in a rectangular envelope or pay more for the non-machinable postage stamp. 

I wanted this card to be a fun so I added an additional fold to hide the inside but allow the inside to become part of the whole scene. 

I cut a base in black. I folded it in half. and folded on of the halves in half. I then cut white bases for each folded section. 

I stamped the tree stamp on the biggest piece towards the top. I taped the 2 smaller pieces together and stamped them just the same. I then used inks and a blending brush to give the landscape a sky you might find at dusk. At this point I stared and decided if I wanted to add some details to bring the tree landscape down into the white part of just keep that hardline separation between top and bottom. I decided to keep it lined like that knowing I was going to add purple below. I wanted it to have some whimsy and mystery and I think it helps.

I taped the pieces on the black base and tested out what I had hoped to achieve to far and it looks just the way I wanted.

So here's the bummer part. I forgot to take progress pictures for the bottom. I was having so much fun bringing it together that I just didn't stop. But here is what I did: I stamped the trick or treaters on a piece of scrap paper and used heat embossing to give them some texture. I cut them out -- some people call it "fussy cutting" I don't. It's just cutting, let's not get ridiculous and add extra words. The kids are colored with colored pencils. I used colored pencils for the ground path they are walking on. The purple and gray background are inks applied with brushes. The sentiment is the same ink with heat embossing to add texture and shine. 

Once the card is opened fully, the whole scene comes into view with a beautiful haunted house that the kids are contemplating if they should ring that doorbell.

And then bats start to fly -- okay they really don't. I added them last. :)

I hope you enjoyed the whimsy of this one. 

~Paula

If you like, please follow my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/paulasstudiomi

Please Note: This post contains product links so you can easily find any supplies and/or tools you may be interested in. As an Amazon Associate, I may be compensated for a purchase made using my link. However, no additional cost is extended to you. The other links are just to help guide you in the right direction. I am not affiliated with those companies but I encourage you to shop small businesses as much as possible.

Papers are just from my collection. I always grab from my scraps first and I don’t keep track of where they came from.