This week we are going nautical over at the Global Design Project challenge blog. I must admit, I love the beach but since I don't really live near the ocean, I just don't have a lot of nautical-themed stamps. I counted and I basically have two stamps (maybe three if you count the sentiment), so I thought about excusing myself from this week's challenge. But that wasn't a good attitude, so I got out my Guy Greetings stamp set and got busy...and I do mean busy. Seriously, I made three cards for this challenge.
My Guy Greetings stamp set hasn't seen much ink (probably because there are no flowers in it), but let me just tell you that I immediately fell in love with the anchor in this set. I don't really do many masculine cards, but this set made me a believer. Let's start with my favorite card. Lately I have enjoyed watercoloring on my cards with ink refills and that is what I did here. Afterall, it only makes sense...watercolor on a nautical card (think about it).
I stamped the anchor several times with Basic Black Archival Ink on watercolor paper. (Canson XL 140lb. cold pressed is my favorite for this technique.) I made sure it was completely dry before moving on to the next step. Because I was going for a vintage look and the background is very soft, I started with a very light wash of Crumb Cake ink over the entire background. I didn't take too much care to avoid the anchors because it just doesn't matter at this point. What does matter is that you make sure the background is completely dry before moving on to the next layer of color. I used an AquaPainter to color the ropes with a heavier concentration of Crumb Cake ink. Next, I concentrated on the anchors themselves, but don't put away that Crumb Cake ink...we will use it again later on. I used a light wash of Night of Navy ink refill over each anchor and made sure they were completely dry (with a little help from my heat tool) before going back and adding some shading with a slightly more concentrated bit of color. If you find that your shadows aren't dark enough, you can come back with a third application of Night of Navy.
Again, make sure everything is completely dry before adding more color to the background. I have had several people ask me to show my technique for this background and hopefully someday soon I will be able to do a video, but for now just let me say that LESS IS MORE! You basically need to build your color by dabbing the AquaPainter on the background areas and avoiding the anchors. You don't really need to mask anything, but be careful where you apply color. I probably have at least three layers of color on this background.
I stamped this lovely sentiment from Thoughtful Branches set on Whisper White cardstock. It is a limited edition set and only available August 2-30, 2016. (FYI, the Artisan Design Team will be featuring the Thoughtful Branches set on Tuesday, August 2nd, so be sure to check back.) I thought it looked a little plain, so I stamped the anchor in the background with Crumb Cake ink...it is very subtle but it made a BIG difference! I used my new Layer Squares Framelits to cut out the sentiment and frame. Finally, I trimmed down the background panel, tied on some linen thread and then mounted everything on a Thick Whisper White card base using some white craft foam. I trimmed away the foam around the linen thread so that the panel would lie flat.
And for those of you who don't like or want to watercolor, I created two additional cards using the anchor and sentiment from Guy Greetings.
I started by stamping an over-sized panel of Night of Navy cardstock with the Diagonal Stripe background stamp. I stamped with Night of Navy ink for a tone-on-tone effect. By using a MISTI tool (made by My Sweet Petunia), I was able to stamp the background multiple times for a richer concentration of color on the stripes. I trimmed down the panel and mounted it on a matching top-folding card base. Next, I stamped the anchor on the diagonal several times on Whisper White cardstock using Night of Navy ink. I trimmed down the panel and mounted it on a slightly larger layer of Night of Navy cardstock. I found video instructions on how to tie a Carrick Bend Knot here. I took some practice, but I think you will agree that it is a nice masculine alternative to a bow. I used double strands of Thick Baker's Twine to give the knot some extra bulk. I secured the ends of the twine behind the panel with tape to help minimize the bulk and used Dimensionals to add height to the rest of the panel.
Finally, I stamped the sentiment on Whisper White cardstock and used the Circle Layers Framelits to die cut it. I used Real Red ink (stamped off) for the anchor and mounted it to the card front with Dimensionals.
For this next card I kept it simple. I stamped the anchor several times on the diagonal with Night of Navy ink on matching cardstock.
I cut a 1.25" strip of the stripped paper from the Floral Boutique DSP and applied it to the lower portion of the card front. Next, I used three strands of Night of Navy Solid Baker's Twine. It is thinner so I had to take a bit more care when tying the knot. Finally, I stamped the sentiment just like the last card and attached it to the front with Dimensionals.
We would love to have you play along with us this week. Be sure to check out what the other talented designers/players have created for this fun challenge at the Global Design Project Challenge Blog.
I WOULD LOVE TO BE YOUR STAMPIN' UP! DEMONSTRATOR
If you are in the United States and need a demonstrator, then you can order your supplies in my online store here.
Have a blessed day!
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