Another Sympathy Card

While making the last card, I made another panel using that same technique demonstrated by Jennifer McGuire in the Onlinecardclasses.com Stretch Your Stamps 2 class using the Ornate Florals Cover-a-Card stamp from Impression Obsession, Versamark and Perfect Pearls.  This time I stopped after adding the Perfect Pearls and did not add the clear embossing powder.  I think it liked it the effect better without it.  I wasn't sure what to do with the panel at first, but I decided to inlay it as is so popular right now.  I used the same With Sympathy die from Simon Says Stamp.  It was not particularly fun to inlay because there were sooooo many little bits of paper to fill in the spaces.  I guess I wasn't thinking about that when I settled on that technique.  Once it was done, it still needed something.  I had just watched a video where Kristina Werner used Glossy Accents to make her sentiment stand out, so I thought I would do that.  Big mistake.  This sentiment is so dainty that it was really difficult to add the Glossy Accents without making a big old mess. 

 

Thinking of You - Inspired by Kristina Werner

I spent the first part of the week in DC.  I never really sleep well when I'm away from home, especially if I'm on my own.  So I watched a lot, I do mean a lot, of crafting videos and couldn't wait to get home to get into my craft room.  But, jet lag, work and life just got in the way until today.  It turned out that was okay because I also got to open some new goodies, including the new round blending tools, so I was super excited to play with them.

One of the videos I watched was a fabulous one-layer card made by the equally fabulous Kristina Werner.  You can find her blog post and the video here.  I encourage you to subscribe to her You Tube channel and blog.  They are amazing.

So for today's card, I made my own version into a thinking of you card.  I used a Heidi Swapp heart stencil I picked up at the Creating Keepsakes Convention, some Worn Lipstick Distress Ink and the new round blending tool.  Can I just tell you how much I love, love, LOVE the round tool?  It's so much easier to use.  I can see a lot more blending with Distress Ink in my future.

After I had my hearts down, I shifted the stencil and used a black pen to outline the hearts on the shadow and added Wink of Stella to the hearts.  Then I added a sentiment from the Fiskars All Year Greetings set with some Versafine Ink.  Then I matted it on some black card stock and popped it onto a white top folding card base.  But I didn't like how the sentiment looked.

 So on to version #2.  I did all the same, except I masked off the place for my sentiment and made the panel slightly larger.  I made the mat a little smaller too.  I liked this version a lot better. 

My First Attempt with Art Impressions

This last weekend I attended CKC in Portland for the sixth year in a row.  It's changed a bit since I first started, but one thing that never changes is the inspiration I find there.  I happened upon a booth in the vendor fair for Art Impressions.  I remembered that I had watched Kristina Werner make the cutest cat card using their stamps, so I just had to check them out.  They had some of the cutest whimsical stamps, but then I saw the most amazing demonstration of their watercolor stamps.  I stood there for the longest time with another group of crafters watching the owner, Bonnie Krebs, create such beautiful scenes with just a handful of stamps, markers, a little water, a brush and some watercolor paper.  I knew immediately I was going to have to try it myself.

I picked out a few stamps that I thought would be basic enough to get started but also versatile enough to let me be creative.  As I was purchasing my new stamps, I struck up a conversation with the owner's husband and learned that they live not to far from me and my favorite local art store, Runaway Arts and Crafts carries their products - no wonder the name was so familiar.  I'm sure I've walked by their stamps in that store a ton of times and never gave them a thought because I simply didn't know how to use them. 

So tonight, I pulled them out because I thought they may do well for the sympathy card I need to make for a co-worker.  I was so surprised how fun, easy and FAST it was to make the potted plant on this card.  I watched their You Tube video and then just followed the easy steps to make my own version.  Then it was just add a background with Fancy Pants paper from the 6x6 pad called Park Bench and a little ribbon. 

Inspired by Kristina Werner to Play with Distress Inks

I was perusing blogs for inspiration when I watched a video Kristina Werner made showing a fun watercolor technique with Distress Inks.  If you haven't subscribed to Kristina's You Tube channel, you are missing out.  So hop right over to her channel for some fabulous inspiration.

I just had to try my hand at her "spritz and flick" method using my new Distress Ink markers and some heat embossing using a fun stamp set from Technique Tuesday called All Occasions.  Watch out though, it's a bit addictive.  I ended up making something like 12 cards!

 

I even loved how my craft table looked with all inks pooled in a rainbow effect.  So pretty!