Roses and Dragonfly Thank You For A Smile Card for GDP#075

Image ~ 24 February 201722 February 2018 ~ Anna Krol ~ 10 Comments

Anna’ Stampin’ Cave – Roses and Dragonfly Thank You For A Smile Card for GDP#075

Hello and welcome everyone! Today I’ve got for you a card I created for this week’s Global Design Project theme challenge: Winged Creatures. I’m bit late to the party but thankfully not too late.

I’m a big fan of detailed die-cutting and had this idea bouncing around in my head for a while now, just never had enough time to try it.

In this card, I’ve incorporated two die-cutting techniques – inlaid die-cutting and partial die-cutting – using a couple of detailed die sets: Rose Garden Thinlits Dies and Detailed Dragonfly Thinlits Dies.

Roses and Dragonfly Thank You For A Smile Card dimensions:

Sweet Sugarplum cardstock: 11-6/8″ x 4-1/8″ scored in half at 5-7/8″ (29.7 x 10.5 cm scored in half at 14.8 cm)
Whisper White cardstock cut into two panels: bottom one measure 5-6/8″ x 4″ (14,5 x 10,2 cm) and top one 5-1/2″ x 3-7/8″ (14 cm x 9,8 cm)
Blooms & Bliss Designer Series Paper: 5-1/2″ x 3-7/8″ (14 cm x 9,8 cm)

To create my card I started with die-cutting.

I wanted this small dragonfly to be in the foreground of my die-cut panel so I run it through my Big Shot first.

For this technique, you first want to die-cut the image you want to have in the foreground of your card and you work your way backwards. Everything you die-cut later will appear to be ‘behind’ this first image.

Once it has been die-cut, I removed the dragonfly die and die-cut and I placed the rose die on the panel. I placed it the way that some parts of the die overlapped the negative space where dragonfly was die-cut previously from.

Again, I run it through the Big Shot and very carefully removed my rose die-cut from the die, being careful not to lose all the separate pieces as I will need them all to inlaid them back to my panel. I die-cut two more partial roses (one at a time) from the same panel, every time making sure they overlap the space of a previously die-cut image and saving all the little die-cut pieces. I arranged all my die-cut on the desk, so I knew

Once all the images were die-cut, I adhered what was left of the panel to the Blooms & Bliss DSP piece. And now the fun began: I had to inlay all the die-cut outlines where they came from.

The easiest part was to inlay the dragonfly outline. From there, I worked my way through the roses in the same order I die-cut them. Once I was done, I matted my detailed panel with slightly bigger Whisper White piece and next mounted it onto my Sweet Sugarplum card base.

I masked bottom part of the sentiment ‘Thanks for the smile and everything else’, stamped it on a strip of Whisper White cardstock in Basic Black Archival Ink and cut it into a banner. I also cut a banner from Sweet Sugarplum cardstock and adhered them both to my card, offsetting slightly.

I was pretty happy with the outcome but I had a feeling that something was missing. So I masked the detailed part and all the edges of my card, and I added some tiny speckles in Basic Black and Sweet Sugarplum. Few rhinestones wrap up my card.

I hope you feel inspired and that you give this technique a go. Thank you for stopping by and have a blessed day,

Simply Sketched Saturday Challenge #17 – Paisleys & Posies

Image ~ 18 February 201722 February 2018 ~ Anna Krol ~ 16 Comments

Anna’ Stampin’ Cave – Simply Sketched Saturday Challenge #17 – Paisleys & Posies

Thank you for joining us for another Simply Sketched Saturday Challenge! We are so excited to be sharing this hop with you. The products used are all available in the current Annual, or seasonal, Stampin’ Up!® Catalogues*. Simply use the buttons at the bottom of the post to keep hopping!

Hello and welcome after a long break. Today’s brilliant sketch has been designed by lovely Sam from Sam’s Sentiments blog. Just check how beautiful this sketch is?! Sadly Sam wasn’t able to take a part in the hop. Such a shame.

I’ve been so busy lately with home renovating and night shifts, that only a couple of days ago I realised our monthly blog hop is today. I panic slightly first but the moment I sit down to the sketch, I knew exactly what I wanted to make. I decided to ‘dig out’ my favourite stamp set from Autumn-Winter catalogue: Paisleys & Posies, as it seemed perfect for the technique I wanted to try: watercolour with markers. Well, it’s kinda watercolour. Anyhow. I had so much fun that I created not one but three cards.

Aren’t these gorgeous?! Such bold designs! And they really super easy to make.

Paisleys & Posies cards dimensions:

3x Basic Black cardstock: 11-6/8″ x 4-1/8″ scored in half at 5-7/8″ (29.7 x 10.5 cm scored in half at 14.8 cm) + 2 x strips 1″x 4-1/8″ + 1 stripe 3/8″x 5-2/8″
3x White Vellum cardstock: 3-5/8″ x 5-3/8″(9,2 x 13,6 cm)
3x Water Colour Paper: 3-1/2″ x 5-2/8″ (8,9 x 13,3 cm)
3x Very Vanilla cardstock: 3-1/2″ x 5″ for the inside panels + scraps for sentiments
scraps of the following cardstocks for die-cutting: Basic Black, Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, Pool Party & Pear Pizzazz

To start off, I stamped various images from Paisleys & Posies Stamp Set onto the watercolour panel in Basic Black Archival Ink.

Tip of the day: Because I did my cards late at night, I had no time for the ink to dry completely but I didn’t want to smear black all over my watercolour panels. So I sprinkled clear embossing powder over the whole piece once I was done with stamping. But I didn’t heat set it, I just let embossing powder to ‘soak in’ all the ‘moisture’. I let it sit for couple of minutes and then brush off the powder.

When my panels were ready I started to colour them in with Stampin’ Markers. Nothing fancy really, and no need to stay in lines either.

For the first card, I’ve used Melon Mambo, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive and Tempting Turquoise. When all the images were coloured in, I spritzed the whole panel with water. And that’s when all the ‘magic’ happen, as all the colours blend together nicely creating a beautiful watercolour piece. It’s like making your own watercolour DSP. And each piece is different.

To add more colour I dried my panel with a heat tool. Next, I colour it in again with markers and spritz it with water. You can build up the colour as much as you wish, just remember to dry your panel in-between.

For my next card, I decided to use all markers from Brights family. But this time I only spritz it once, hence much more subtle look.

For the last cardI’ve used Subtles Stampin’ Markers and I have to say they needed the most work. I had to dry my piece and keep adding more colour several times until I was happy with the outcome. Once all my panels were created I decided to add some shimmer to them. I added few drops of Clear Wink of Stella to the water in my spritzer, and I spritzed all the panels.

Once the panels were dry I die-cut three circles from each panel: full circle using 1-7/8” circle from Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies and two ‘partial’ circles using Layered Circle Framelits Dies. I also die-cut slightly bigger scalloped circles from Basic Black cardstock to go underneath.

To assemble my cards I adhered vellum to card bases and watercolour panels on top. Next, I glued black scalloped circles underneath the watercolour ones and in-laid them back into the panels. I also adhered Basic Black strips, sliding them slightly underneath the die-cut circles.

I stamped my sentiments (masking a part of it) on a 3/8″ strip of Very Vanilla cardstock, and adhered it to the card with liquid glue. The full sentiment is stamped inside of the card.

For the final touch, I die-cut some leaves and flowers using a couple of intricate dies from Paisleys Framelits Dies and adhered them to the black stripes.

And these are my cards for today. I hope you like my take on the sketch. Now be sure to hop along to see more inspiring projects. Your next stop is very talented Hannah.

Thank you for stopping by and have a blessed day,

Simply Sketched Saturday Challenge Blog Hop #7 – A World Of Thanks

27 February 201621 February 2018 ~ Anna Krol ~ 10 Comments

Thank you for joining us for another Simply Sketched Saturday Challenge! We’re so excited to be sharing this hop with you. The products used are all available in the current Annual, or seasonal, Stampin’ Up!® Catalogues*. Simply use the buttons at the bottom of the post to keep hopping!

Today’s sketch was designed by Hannah, and I have to admit that for me it was the hardest of all sketches I’ve worked with. Even though it’s the simplest one, that for sure.

And here’s my take on the sketch:

To create my card I’ve used Whisper White for the card base, Pear Pizzaz for the first layer and again Whisper White for stamping. The stamp I’ve used is called A World of Thanks and I love the grungy feel to it.

I’ve used 3 different ink colours for my stamping: Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizzazz and Pool Party. I simply dabbed ink pads over the image, pressed the card on top and rubbed it well to make sure all ink was transferred. Next, I distressed the edges with scissors and attached my stamped image to Pear Pizzazz and next to card base.

Now I would love to hear from you. Do you like my take on the sketch?

Now, be sure to hop along and see more inspiring projects. Your next stop is Karen’s blog – go and see what she has made for you.

Thank you for stopping by and have a blessed day!

Thank You Notes Using Botanical Blooms & What I Love Stamp Sets

8 January 201621 February 2018 ~ Anna Krol ~ 2 Comments

Today I decided to show you some thank you notes I’ve made using Botanical Blooms Stamp Set and coordinating Botanical Builder Framelits Dies.

I just love how these turned out!

The idea behind these note cards was pretty simple. I wanted to create a panel card with floral design on one side and plain on the back, where you could leave a private message. Sentiments come from two different stamp sets: on the left from Rose Wonder Stamp Set and the other one is from Botanicals For You Stamp Set.

As my note cards aren’t typical size, they measure 3×4″, I created little holders for them using envelope punch board.

Now just a belly band to wrap it up together. Aren’t these A W E S O M E!!! I love love love these dies so much!

For a second lot, I have used the same idea just different stamp set and colours.

To create these I’ve used What I Love stamp set.

I love this three-step stamp set. It’s got a WOW factor without much effort. All I have done is to stamp step nr 3 & 2 in Mint Macaron, and nr 1 heat embossed in white. And voila!

To “break” all that white I decorated the holder using sponges and one of Happy Patterns stencils. To decorate belly band I’ve used a border die from Botanical Builder and few punches: Petite Petals and Pansy punch. Super easy! As I was on the roll 😉 I also made these super lovely tags.

Hope you like my note cards. They are super easy and what fun to make! And you?

Have a blessed day,

Easy Peasy Bokeh Technique And Tin Of Cards Stamp Set By Stampin’ Up!

26 July 201521 February 2018 ~ Anna Krol ~ 4 Comments

Bokeh technique! Have you ever tried it?! I loved this technique “from aside” for a while but never get around to try it myself. Until now 🙂 And why oh! why I waited so long?! hahaha

This is such a cool and easy technique and you can achieve this effect in many different ways. But wait, what the bokeh effect is and means?! In photography bokeh (originally /ˈboʊkɛ/, /ˈboʊkeɪ/ boh-kay — also sometimes pronounced as /ˈboʊkə/ boh-kə is the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in the out-of-focus parts of an image produced by a lens. The term comes from the Japanese word boke (暈け or ボケ), which means “blur” or “haze”, or boke-aji (ボケ味), the “blur quality”. The Japanese term boke is also used in the sense of a mental haze or senility. The term bokashi (暈かし) is related, meaning intentional blurring or gradation.

Cool, hey? 🙂

To achieve a similar effect on your card you can try the watercolour technique background which can be pretty amazing, and for the “blur” you simply add lighter “circles” with white pigment ink. And what’s cool about the pigment ink, you can make your circles as soft or as intense as you wish.

The first card I created is for my hubby’s 41st Birthday which happens to be today! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY!!! I love you to the moon and back! You are such a blessing in my life xx

You must have noticed our ‘cheeky little thing’ photobomb the picture haha

And here’s the card –

For the background, I’ve used three colours of ink: Pool Party, Bermuda Bay and Island Indigo. I’ve sponged the panel randomly, making sure all the colours are blended well. When I was happy with my background I started adding circles in various sizes with Whisper White Craft Ink and sponge.

Sentiment and border come from Tin Of Cards stamp set that coordinates with Tin Of Cards Project Kit. But this set is so versatile with its bold images. Once you’ve created your beautiful kit you can use that stamp set over and over again on different occasions. I stamped the sentiment in Versamark and heat-embossed with black embossing powder. Stars are punched with Confetti Stars Punch. To add some WOW effect I added Crystal Effects to the sentiment and stars. I love how they “pop!” from the card.

But because I had all my supplies out, I’ve created three more cards using same technique and stamp set but different colours.

For this one, I used Daffodil Delight, Watermelon Wonder and Melon Mambo. For a little twist, I stamped my sentiment onto vellum and added a circle full of punched out stars so the background is peeking from behind. I really love this effect. Larger star comes from Itty Bitty Accents punch pack and it holds vellum in place.

My third card is a Thank You card. And again same technique but different sentiment and colours: So Saffron, Pear Pizzazz and Old Olive. And again I used Crystal Effects on stars and sentiment.

For my last card today I used Wisteria Wonder, Perfect Plum and Rich Razzleberry.

But this time I decided to add a vellum “screen” to my layout. Such an easy way to intensify the blur effect.

Hope you like my today’s cards and that I’ve inspired you to try bokeh technique yourself. Honestly, I had lots of fun creating these cards and would love to hear what you think about them. Please let me know in the comments below.

Thank you so much for stopping by,

Anna' Stampin' Cave

creative life by anna krol – stampin' up! uk independent demonstrator

Thank You Card