Eclipse Card Technique

Hello! Welcome back to my blog. Today's project was created for the Blank Page Muse and I Brake For Stamp blogs. Thank you BPM & IBFS for allowing me to share the project here in my blog, too!

Today's project showcases the Eclipse technique. Eclipse technique is when you die cut a word or a shape on a background panel, then raise this die cut up slightly with foam or layered die cuts. I have created several projects using this technique. I didn't know that what its called until now. Thanks to Craft With Sarah for now I have a name for this technique. 

The stamp I used is the I Brake For Stamps License Plate Vintage Style Alphabet Rubber Stamp. This is an unmounted red rubber stamp that comes in two strips of letters and icons. You have an option to cut the letters apart or keep it together. I did not cut my stamps apart.  

Initially, I was using the Misti Stamping Tool to create my background but later on changed to a long acrylic block. To temporarily adhere the rubber stamp to the acrylic block, I applied double sided adhesive to the block then adhered the rubber stamp strip to it. The adhesive was tacky enough to keep the rubber stamp in place but not too tacky that I wasn't able to reuse it for the other rubber stamp strip. I was also able to remove the tape without ruining the acrylic block. 

I repeatedly stamped the letters on a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" watercolor paper. I highly recommend using a smooth watercolor paper to get a better impression of the letters. 

I did the paper to stamp inking technique here. After I inked the letters with Versafine Onyx Black ink, I placed the watercolor paper on top of the inked stamp and rubbed my fingers over the paper to transfer the ink. I repeated this step until I filled up the whole panel. 

I heat set the panel before coloring the letter blocks with Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers following a rainbow pattern. Once I was done with the coloring, I heat set the watercolored panel again to speed dry it. 

Here comes the fun part. I die cut a sentiment on the panel making sure I kept every piece of the die cuts. The die I used is from Lawn Fawn.

I adhered tape to the back of the opening created by the sentiment die. Using a double adhesive tape is another option.

I die cut the word on brown cardstock three more times. I applied dots of glue to the back of one of the word die cuts, then pieced this on the opening of the water colored panel. 

I adhered the drop out pieces to the opening of the letters. It already looks good at this point, right? You can actually stop here to make this into an inlay card.

Since I am making this card into an eclipse card, I adhered the other two pieces of sentiment die cuts over the piece that is pieced in the panel to build layers. I adhered the sentiment die cut from the watercolored panel on the top. 

It is kind of difficult to see the raised sentiment on the first photo but this is what makes this card magical. The sentiment is hidden and you only figure out that there is a sentiment once you run your fingers over the panel and/or tilt the card. 

An option to make the sentiment pop out more is to lightly tap embossing ink over the raised sentiment, pour clear or glittered embossing powder over it, then heat set it. I like the camouflage look of the sentiment so I kept it as is.

I hope you like today's project and give this technique a try. Thank you for visiting my blog. Have a blessed, brilliant and creative day!

Maria Giselle B.

Blank Page Muse and I Brake For Stamps are generously offering a 15% discount to their online store to YOU, my blog readers. Just use the code BPMMaria when you check out. Enjoy!

I am sharing this project at

Challenge #40~Rainbow

Challenge #311~Anything Goes

Creating a Scene With BPM Stamps

 

Hello! Welcome to another BPM blog post. Today's project shows how you can use several Blank Page Muse stamps to create a scene. 

I am using the BPM Woodlands Art Rubber Stamps and the BPM You Make Me Happy Hummingbird Clouds Flower Clear Stamp Set on this project.

After I planned how my scene will look like, I stamped the images on a scrap piece of paper to give me an idea on the placement of the images, and the order of stamping. 

It also gave me an idea which images I need to create a mask for. Since this is a draft, the stamping of the images need not to be straight. 

If you noticed, the stamping on the draft is different from the final project. I made a boo-boo on a step but it's alright. It still turned out well, what do you think?

Any image that will be on the front needs a mask. The fox had a mask but the mask fell off before I was able to take a photo.

Since most of the stamps I used are rubber stamps, I used a stamp positioner to know where to stamp the images. This is the limitation of rubber stamps compared to clear stamps. You cannot really see where you are stamping.

I used Versafine Onyx Blank ink, a watercolor friendly ink, in stamping the images since I used this medium in coloring the images and the background. I heat set the panel before coloring to make sure that the ink is dry before watercoloring. I used mostly Tim Holtz Distress Ink Re-inkers. For the colors that I don't have, I used the Kuretake Gansai Tambi.

Once I was done coloring the images, I free painted the background. I started painting the sky since this used a very light color. It is easier to paint over a lighter color with a darker color than vice versa. It is harder to lighten up a dark color once you have painted it.

I hope you like today's project. Have a blessed, brilliant and creative day!

Maria Giselle B.

Blank Page Muse is generously offering a 15% discount to their online store to YOU, my blog readers. Just use the code BPMMaria when you check out. Enjoy!

 

Lunar Animals One Layer Greeting Card

 

Hello! Welcome back to my blog. I am glad you are here. I will be taking a month long break from blogging and creating. I hope you like my last project before my August hiatus. 

Mama Elephant is one of my favorite brands. The are searching for Guest Designers. So exciting, right?  I certainly want to give this a try. 

My card was inspired by a card I previously made with a similar design. Please check it out if you have time (Almost a One Layer Card).

To create the layout, I arranged the lunar animals from the Mama Elephant Lunar Animals stamp set based on its order on the Lunar Calendar. I have several pieces of stamped and die cut images left from a previous project that I used to plan the layout. For the animals that are lacking, I die cut scraps of cardstock with the coordinating dies. I used these die cuts as guide for placement of the stamp on a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" scrap paper. Once I am happy with the arrangement, I picked the die cuts with a Glad Press N' Seal.

Using the Misti Stamping Tool, I positioned on a corner a top folding heavy weight A2 note card. I positioned the Glad Press N' Seal over the A2 note card. I matched the animal stamp with the die cut. I picked the animal stamps with the door of the Misti then carefully removed the Glad Press N' Seal. I inked the stamps with Memento Black Tuxedo ink since I will be coloring the images with Copic markers. Without re-inking the stamps, I stamped the images on a Post-It Note which I die cut later on using the coordinating die.

I cleaned the stamps, then returned it back to the clear sheet. I placed the Glad Press N' Seal again over the note card, then repeated the process of lining and stamping the stamps. I stamped one row of animals at a time. 

I created a DIY stencil with a re-purposed plastic from a broken accordion file. I die cut a square on this plastic film using a square die that is large enough to fit the lunar animal stamp. I applied large Post-It Notes inside and on the back of the notecard to protect it from any stray ink.

I covered each lunar animal with the coordinating Post-It Note die cut to act as a mask. I positioned the DIY stencil over the panel with the square opening over the stamped die cut mask. I blended different Tim Holtz Distress Oxides on each lunar animal. I blended a color on the square opening, cleaned the DIY stencil and re-positioned the stencil on the next lunar animal. I repeated this process until I have blended inks on all of the lunar animals. I flicked some water droplets over the panel and picked the extra water droplets with a dry paper towel.

My most favorite part about masking is removing the mask and unveiling the image underneath it.

I colored the images with Copic markers. I stamped a simple message on the panel using a sentiment stamp from Mama Elephant Sunday Sentiments stamp set. I stamped the sentiment using Versafine Onyx Black ink. I poured clear embossing powder over the wet ink then heat set it until the powder is melted.

I hope you like today's project. Thank you for visiting my blog. I hope you come back again after my blogging break. Will I see you in September?

Have a blessed, brilliant and creative day!

Maria Giselle B.

I am sharing this project at

Anything Goes

4 Legged Friends

Ink Smooshing With Acetate

Hello! Welcome back to my blog. The month of July is almost over. I am thankful for this month for a lot of reasons. One of which is I became a part of the Altenew's July Release Blog Hop. Some of my cards are featured on Altenew's shop, online catalogue and social media sites. It is such an honor. 

Today's card features products from this month's release which are currently out of stock. Just click the 'notify me' button at the Altenew website to be informed once these products are back in stock if you are interested in purchasing it. 

The colors I used are inspired by this month's Altenew Inspiration Challenge.

I stamped the flower from the Altenew Build-A-Garden Sulfur Cosmos stamp set to a watercolor cardstock. I stamped it twice to fill a 6" x 4 1/2" panel. I used Versafine Onyx Black ink for the stamping. I dried the ink using a heat gun before doing the ink smooshing.

I am using Karin markers for coloring. I used the Neon Yellow, Neon Yellow-Orange and Neon Pink. I applied the pigment to a palette and spritz it with water to dilute the ink. Using a flat brush, I applied water to the stamped panel. This will help mute the color. I picked the ink using a scrap piece of acetate. I transferred the color to the stamped panel by pouncing the acetate to the stamped panel. I heat set in between inking to dry the ink. I repeated this process until I am happy with the coloring of the panel. There are a lot of advantages in using this technique. You can select which area of your project to pounce the ink on. You can also create new colors when the two colors of ink mix while it is still wet. And you can intensify the color by pouncing the acetate with the ink on an area again.

I have a stash of watercolor paper strips from cutting the watercolor paper to 8 1/2" x 11" since most watercolor papers come in 9" x 12". To make use of these watercolor paper strips, I colored a row of sentiments on the debossed side of the Altenew Raised Sentiments 3D Embossing Folder. I used the same colors I used on the smooshed panel. I positioned the watercolor paper strip over this inked portion of the embossing folder, then run it through my Sizzix Big Shot machine. With this technique, the color from the embossing folder transferred to the strip while giving an embossed impression on the paper strip as well. The embossed letters remained white in color.

The ink on the embossing folder can be wiped off with a baby wipe or with a Hero Arts Ultra Clean Spray if the ink won't come off with the baby wipe. 

I trimmed the strips narrower using a craft knife to make it into quarter inch sentiment strips.

I cut the floral panel at 1 3/4". I built the panel by adhering the sentiment strip on a paper cut at 4 1/4" x 5 1/2". You can adhere the strips straight onto a notecard but I like doing it on scrap paper first. 

I adhered this strip to the top most edge of the paper. I adhered the floral strip next, then repeated the process until the paper is covered with the sentiment strips and the floral panels. I trimmed off any excess.

I adhered this to a top folding A2 note card. 

Thank you for visiting my blog. I hope you like today's project. Have a blessed, brilliant and creative day!

Maria Giselle B.

(I added above links to the Altenew products I used on my card. My affiliate link is: https://altenew.com/6358517. There will be no additional cost to you should you decide to purchase these product/s. It is just a way to help a fellow crafter sustain her love for crafting. While in the Altenew blog, don't forget to check out the rest of the products included in this month's release. Thank you for your support!)

I am sharing this project at

Altenew Challenge Blog

Add A Sentiment

 

Stitching on Stamped Images

Hello! Welcome back to my blog. I am on the Blank Page Muse blog today with this card. I used a leaf stamp from the Blank Page Muse Scribble & Scratch Mixed Media Set 2 rubber stamps on this project. I repeatedly stamped the leaf using the Gina K Designs Wreath Builder template to create a flower. Just stretching out this craft supply. If you don't have this stencil or a tool that helps build a wreath, just lightly trace a line on the cardstock panel. Use these lines as a guide in stamping your image.

I also made a DIY stencil to add color to the stamped leaves. I stamped the leaf on a Post-It Note. I cut the leaf off to create a paper with a window. I lined the opening of the DIY stencil with the stamped leaf on the cardstock panel. I blended the ink over it. 

I poked holes on the outline of the stamped image. I added chain stitch to these holes using 6 strands of embroidery floss. I layered several sequins for the flower center.

I rotated the square to make this into a diamond orientation. To complete the tiled look, I cut triangles for the corners using the same cardstock I used for the focal point. I poked holes on these triangles. I  did a simple up and down stitching on these triangles using light blue and silver embroidery flosses. I used lesser strands, 4 for the light blue one and 2 for the silver one for a subtle look. I don't want the focus taken away from the flower.

I adhered the stitched elements of my project to a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" navy cardstock. I trimmed off the excess.

I die cut a sentiment strip on the same navy cardstock I used for the card panel. The die I used is from Altenew. I adhered this strip to a glittered white cardstock. I trimmed off the excess. I adhered this to the bottom of the front panel. 

I hope you like today's project. Have a blessed, brilliant and creative day!

Maria Giselle B.

Blank Page Muse is generously offering a 15% discount to their online store to YOU, my blog readers. Just use the code BPMMaria when you check out. Enjoy!

I am sharing this project at

Simon Says: Beautiful Blooms

Add A Sentiment

Santa & Reindeer Silhouette Card

Hello! Welcome back to my blog. This is my second card for the Kat Scrappiness Christmas in July celebration. As part of this celebration, Kat Scrappiness is having a sale on their Christmas products. They also have a You Pick 3 Christmas Challenge on the KS blog. I have links to both at the bottom of this post. 

I created a DIY stencil using a re-purpose plastic from a worn out expandable file. I die cut a circle on the center of the plastic. Depending on the cutting die, sometimes the cut does not go through even with the use of a metal shim. It's alright. Just use a craft knife to reinforce the cut created by the metal die. 

To create the moon, I temporarily adhered the stencil with the circle opening over a smooth white cardstock cut at 4 1/4" x 5 1/2". I blended gray inks over the circle opening. Once done, I splattered some gray mica water over the blended circle. I set this aside to dry. Once dry, I removed the stencil.

I sprayed a temporary adhesive on one side of the DIY circle stencil. I covered the ink blended moon with this circle stencil. I blended blue inks around the circle stencil. I started the blending from the circle going outward, using the lightest blue ink first then slowly progressing towards the darkest ink. I splattered white mica water over the panel and set this to dry.

My die cuts were created using dies from the KS The Night Before Christmas Window Scene Craft dies. I die cut the Santa and the reindeers on black cardstock. I die cut it three times and adhered one on top of the other for a bit of dimension.

I die cut an extra piece of the Santa and reindeer on black cardstock. I did some die cut surgery to customize this die cut. I snipped off Santa and adhered the remaining reindeers die cut to the back of the layered Santa and reindeer die cut. I offset it so it looks like there are two rows of reindeers pulling Santa's sleigh.

I just need the top of the trees so I partially die cut the Christmas tree on the die set on black cardstock. I die cut three pieces of trees. I adhered the trees to the bottom right of the inked panel. I trimmed off any excess.

I adhered Santa and the reindeers on the moon. I splattered white ink over the trees for a snowy look.

I trimmed this panel into 4" x 5 1/4" then matted it with a dark glitter gold patterned paper from the KS Autumn Faux Glitter 6x6 paper pad. The glitter paper is cut at 4 1/4" x 5 1/2".

For my pick 3, I used the following on my project:

1. Die cuts
2. Add snow
3. Add gold touches.

I hope you like today's project. You still have time to enjoy the Kat Scrappiness sale and also join this month's blog challenge. 

Have a blessed, brilliant and creative day!

Maria Giselle B.

I added below links to the Kat Scrappiness products I used on this card. There will be no additional cost to you should you decide to purchase any of these products. While you are at the Kat Scrappiness website, do check out their wide array of products. They have a new release, too! Enjoy!

Kat Scrappiness

Kat Scrappiness Blog

I am sharing this project at

Challenge #108~Holiday Time

#308~Christmas in July #29

Christmas in July 4 Kids #9

Monochromatic Card

 

Hello! Welcome back to my blog. Have you had those moments when you think you can re-make a stamp design using whatever craft supply you have? This card is a product of such moment. Just another way to stretch those supplies. 

The leaf stamp is from the Blank Page Muse You Make Me Happy stamp set. I used the leaf in a cascading design to mimic vines. I used a midnight blue cardstock for the card panel. After prepping the area with an anti-static powder tool, I stamped the leaf one branch at a time using Versamark ink. 

I poured silver embossing ink over the sticky ink. 

Despite the use of an anti-static tool, I end up having stray powders. I gently removed these stray, melted powder with an electric eraser. You can use a craft knife too if you don't have this kind of eraser.

I colored the leaves with a light blue acrylic marker. This marker gives a bold matte color. Despite coloring over the leaf spine with the acrylic marker, the embossing retained its shiny property.

I blended ink on the blank area of the panel with a dark blue ink. I splattered some gray mica water over the blended portion of the panel. Once this has dried, I adhered letter die cuts to create the sentiment. 

These letter die cuts were doubled up for some dimension. I also colored it with a blue acrylic marker to tie in with the color of the leaves.

This card is very easy to pull together. I encouraged you to give it a try. 

Thank you for visiting my blog. Have a blessed, brilliant and creative day!

Maria Giselle B.

Blank Page Muse is generously offering a 15% discount to their online store to YOU, my blog readers. Just use the code BPMMaria when you check out. Enjoy!