June 2017 – Artful Musings

Hello my crafty peeps! I’m happy to be here again this month as part of the Fun & Crafty blog hop. This month we are highlighting the new 2017-19 In Colors from Stampin’ Up. I am always amazed at how well the new colors weave into the existing palette as well as coordinating with one another. These new In Colors are no exception. I decided to focus on my favorite of the five new, Lemon Lime Twist. This color is a light and vibrant green that works well with many other colors including these: Pool Party, Island Indigo, and Melon Mambo. To see the full range of In Color combinations for all the new In Colors, please click here. Today I am presenting two original cards.

For the first card I began with a Whisper White A2 card base. Next, I ran the Split Chevron cover plate from My Favorite Things through my Big Shot three times: once in Lemon Lime Twist card stock and two times out of Lemon Lime Twist Fresh Florals DSP. I love inlaid die cutting and decided to fill up the Chevron pieces using these three colors and letting the Whisper White show through in some spots. For the finishing touch I wanted to add a die cut sentiment in Pacific Point card stock but realized I didn’t have any on hand. Fortunately, I have the ink pad and using a dauber, I was able to turn Whisper White card stock into Pacific Point card stock. Because the background is inlaid (essentially one layer) I decided to add some dimension for the sentiment so I die cut it three times (twice in white). I glued these together with the inked one on top and, ‘Voila!’, dimension.

For the second card I began with an A2 Whisper White card base. I added a Lemon Lime Twist mat (4″ x 5.25″) and then cut Fresh Florals DSP strips in various sizes. I glued the DSP strips down to the mat leaving a place for the sentiment. Using my MISTI I was able to stamp the whole sentiment at once, making sure it was well positioned within the allotted space. There are several great hostess sets, and Dare to Dream is one at the top of my list.

BONUS: over the past month and a half we (the Fun-N-Crafty team) have been playing with the new SU products. Below are two cards I made at recent events, one from a shoe box swap with my SU team (card by Kathy) and the other from a catalog party I helped a fellow team member with (card by Nicole). Both cards feature Lemon Lime Twist along with Berry Burst.

There is a ton of inspiration throughout this hop. Since you started here, I encourage you to grab a cup of tea and visit the other talented team members listed below to leave them some blog love! Next up is the talented Pamela over at Stinky Tofu. Until next time, remember, creativity and imperfection live together in all we do. “Grace is the face love wears when it meets imperfection.”

~xoxo

Christine – Artful Musings (you are here)
Pamela – Stinky Tofu
Kathy – Stampablog
Merit – MB Squared Designs
Susan – Stampin’ By the SF Bay
Jennifer – NW Stamper

Supplies Used:
Card Stock: Whisper White, Lemon Lime Twist, Berry Burst, Chocolate Chip, & Kraft
Ink: Lemon Lime Twist (144086), Berry Burst (144083), & Pacific Point (126951)
Stamps: Thankful Thoughts (141522), Dare to Dream (143769), & Colorful Seasons (143726)
Dies: Seasonal Layers (143751) & Sunshine Wishes (141489)
Punches: Banner Punch (138292) & Pretty Label Punch (143715)
Paper: Fresh Florals DSP (144131), Vellum (101856), & Metallic Doilies (138392)
Embellishments: Bitty Bows (144217) & Silver Thread (138402)
Extras: Paper Trimmer, Score Board, Adhesive, Big Shot, Sponges/Daubers & Scissors

Hello my crafty peeps and welcome to another Innovation Station post! This is a monthly feature focusing innovative tips and tricks. During the 2nd week of each month I plan to share an innovation that I find myself going to again and again.

This month’s innovation is white washing as a coloring technique. White washing is just what you might think, it’s the process of coloring an image with white chalk ink using a water brush and then using markers (Distress, Stampin’ Write, or ZIG Clean Color) or ink pads to add color over the top of the “whitewash”.

You start off by rubbing your embossing buddy over your card stock and then stamping your image in VersaMark ink. Pour white embossing powder over your image and then heat set. HINT: Let your heat tool heat up for 8-10 seconds before putting it over your image and the embossing powder will melt faster and cause less paper warping. Once the embossing powder is cooled you can begin white washing a layer of craft white over the image using a water brush and ink in the lid of your stamp pad. Never put your water brush directly onto the stamp pad.

Once the white washed layer is dry you can begin adding color using ink in the lid of your stamp pad and a water brush. I typically lay dark color in the corners and then using the water brush pull it through the space. Once you are satisfied and it is dry you can use a damp cloth to wipe the ink off the embossed areas. Typically this technique is done on kraft card stock, but I’ve also had fun results on gray so I’m showing that as well. Here are flowers, two on kraft and two on basic gray card stock. Both sets use Calypso Coral and Lemon Lime Twist over the Craft white. The colors look different over the gray versus the kraft, don’t they? Lastly, I will sometimes add some clear Wink of Stella over the image for that little bit of shine.

Open stamps work best for this technique and it is perfect when paired with floral images because it adds a dreamy quality to them, but it will work with any stamp with large open spaces.

Thanks for hanging out with me, and learning (or relearning) a fun innovation! Join me next month for another go to innovation, inlaid die cutting. Until next time, remember, creativity and imperfection live together in all we do. “Grace is the face love wears when it meets imperfection.”

~xoxo

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Thinking Of You, Beautiful Bunch, & Butterfly Basics
Ink: Versa Mark, Calypso Coral, Lemon Lime Twist, & Berry Burst
Embossing Powder: White
Tools: Water Brush, Heat Tool, Embossing Buddy
Card Stock: Kraft & Basic Gray

Month: June 2017

Fun-n-Crafty | Let’s “Lemon Lime” Twist Again

Innovation Station | White Washed