Easel cards -- second attempt!

Happy Saturday morning!  Before the day gets crazily underway, I wanted to post my second easel card attempts.  This card features the soon to be gone "Happy Watercolor" stamp set from the Occasions catalog which expires June 1st.  So,... if you need this beautiful set :), get her now!

On the first card below, we used the Cherry Cobbler Blendabilities markers (wonderful new alcohol markers coming out in the new catalog) to color the poppy in.  The club ladies loved these new markers and were surprised at how easily they colored this gorgeous poppy.  The easel card was created by scoring an 11 x 4 1/4" black card base at 5 1/2 and 9".  I then took a 2 x 4 1/4" strip of white card stock, used the wide scallop framelit to cut the edge, then used the coordinating embossing folder from the "delicate designs" pack to emboss the scalloped pattern.  We then used a brayer to add  Cherry Cobbler ink to the embossed design -- "brayered embossing" technique.  Colors used in this first card are: Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, and Whisper White card stock.  The Labels Framelits were used to create the graduated die cuts.

For this second card, I was showing the ladies how you could create an abstract kind of look just using stamps from this stamp set.  The set contains a brush stroke looking stamp -- that when stamped looks like a brush was swiped across the paper.  It's a look that you kind of have to get used to -- if you tend to always think inside the box, the abstract look might throw you off.  Interestingly, one gal at my class really liked the look and made her card this way, while the others colored their poppy.  Goes to show you, different strokes for different folks!  We don't all see art in exactly the same way, which is what makes life interesting, right? :)  For this card, we used Strawberry Slush card stock and ink rather than Cherry Cobbler.  Also shown here, is the soon to retire Strawberry Slush ruffle stretch trim.  Beautiful feminine ribbon that I'm sorry to see go!

There is a big Blowout sale going on right now -- select retiring products are 25-50% off while supplies last!  Whoo Hoooo!  To see what's on sale, click the shop button on my website, pull up the retiring list, and scroll on down looking for the red numbers which indicate the items on sale.  Gotta love a sale! :)

Ok! off to plant my flowers!  Happy Memorial Day weekend, Everyone!  May you have a few creative moments to yourself!

My first Easel card

Good Saturday Morning to you!!!  I have been wanting to try making an easel card for a while, and the hostess for my next stampers club requested to make one, so I decided to showcase the new set, "Happy Watercolor" from the Occasions catalog.  This beautiful set is NOT carrying over to the new catalog coming out in June. Sniff!! :( Boo!!! I love it -- because it has a poppy in it, of course... :)   So,... if you want this lovely set, better snatch it up before it's gone!  Anyways, on with the cards.  I'm actually not completely satisfied with the end result of this card, but was trying to keep the card a little less involved to make -- something I'm, Ahem..., not very good at.

The techniques I was showing on these cards, besides the easel card, is how to use markers to color, then stamp your image, and then use an aqua painter to carefully blend the stamped image in to make it look watercolored, without adding any extra ink.  You want to make sure your aqua painter tip isn't too wet, or the image gets destroyed -- so blotting it on a paper towel worked pretty well.  I think this poppy looks better stamped in black and watercolored the more traditional way, but was trying to show something different.  In addition, I was showing the brayered embossing technique -- here I embossed the 2 x 4 1/4" white strip at the bottom of the front of the card with the Delicate Designs folder, then used a brayer and cherry cobbler ink to brayer over the embossing, making the ink stick just to my embossed design.

To make the card base for the easel card, I started with a 4 1/4" by 11" strip of card stock.  I scored it at 5 1/2 and 9".  You fold the card in half on the 5 1/2" mark, and then you attach your card front just to that 2" strip at the bottom front of the card -- below that 9" fold line.  To make the card stand up, attach a sentiment to the inside of the card up on dimensions, so you have a little "ledge" for the card front to stick behind.  You can, of course, make a much more involved easel card using many other die cuts, etc, but this was designed to show how to do it in a more simplified way.

Products used on this card: Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green, Rose Red, and Whisper White card stock, Delicate Designs embossing folders, small oval, and scalloped oval punches, Gumball Green stitched satin ribbon, Window box framelits, brayer, and two way glue pen with Dazzling Diamonds glitter.

The second card below features another stamp from this set -- which looks like a Larkspur flower to me, or perhaps a Delphinium.  Whatever the case, it is so pretty.  I colored it with Elegant Eggplant and Garden Green markers and then stamped it and blended a little with my aqua painter, then added a touch of yellow to the centers of the flowers and added some Dazzling Details sparkle glue to the centers.  So elegant and pretty!

Now for a wee spoiler about the new catalog!.....  I have seen it online (just another awesome perk to being a SU demonstrator), and I love so many of the new stamps and accessories in it!  One new accessory that I am SUPER excited about are the new Blendabilities markers -- they are an alcohol based marker that is kind of like a SU version of Copic markers -- you know, the super expensive artsy, fartsy markers that you can spend a fortune on, take classes on to get "Copic certified" etc.  I actually went to a Copics class once, and didn't feel like I loved the results of what I made enough to justify the cost of purchasing all those markers -- AND the huge range of colors to choose from was overwhelming.  And here is where I can see a huge advantage with these SU ones -- they come as sets of three (for $11.95) -- three shades of the same color! so there is no guess work as to which marker to choose for your lighter shade to darkest shade.  I have pre-ordered these babies, and CANNOT WAIT to get them and show them to you!  If you like to color at all, then these will be your new best friends.  The new catalog goes live on June 2nd.  I will be doing a New Catalog open house in late June, where I will be selling off a bunch of my retired stamps and accessories, as well as showing off the brand new, amazing catalog.  Can you tell I'm excited about it? :)  There is an amazing peacock stamp in it that will be awesome to color with my new markers..... You're gonna want to be there, I'm telling you!

Oh yes!  One more great thing that's coming -- a Memento black ink pad.  It is a non-smearing, perfect stamping, black ink pad.  For those of you who have purchased a SU basic black ink pad and had issues with how it stamps, try this new Memento black ink pad.  I can't believe the difference.

Ok! off to enjoy the day with my family!