Ombre Starburst

Yesterday I showed you one of the cards we did at my techniques class this month...today I have another take on the Starburst Technique.  Inspired by a design on Pinterest, this one is very much out of my comfort zone...

Thank you card featuring the Starburst technique and the Ombre technique with sentiment from One in a Million.

Very CAS and graphic, no?  Not my usual style, but it was fun to try something different.  To get the ombre effect I used the following colours, from lightest to darkest:  Soft Sky, Pool Party, Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay and Island Indigo.  To create  the starburst I cut my strips 1-3/4" wide and 5-1/2" long and then cut each strip diagonally from corner to corner.  I left tiny white borders showing between each strip, partly because I liked the look of it and partly to make  the five strips fit properly (sometimes necessity really IS the mother of invention!).  I used Island Indigo Chevron Ribbon and Bermuda Bay Candy Dots to embellish this otherwise very plain design.  The sentiment is stamped in Basic Gray and comes from the One in a Million stamp set.  The gals at my class liked this card and I have to say so do I.  Sometimes stepping out of your usual style is fun and inspires different, but fabulous things!  Give it a try...I dare you!!

Today is the day!

Announcing a brand new challenge blog to inspire your creativity!  I am so excited to be part of the design team for The Technique Twist!

Come join the fun!

This fun new blog is where we take challenges to the next level! Our goal is to see you go beyond the norm and push your creative boundaries!  Best of all, we want you to have FUN & learn something new! :)  To celebrate our launch we are hosting a blog hop.  You'll find the list and details at the bottom of this post.  

Now for the projects!  Our first technique challenge is Blown Ink.  I have to admit I had never tried this one before, but I sure am glad I did!  I played around and came up with two completely different looks that I just love.  Check them out:

Blown Ink Technique Sample 1

Blown Ink Technique Sample 2

 Cool, huh?  So, are you ready for the how-to?  For the background on the first sample I blew drops of reinker from directly above using a drinking straw and very controlled puffs of air to get as uniform a look as possible. When I was happy with the colour and pattern, I did the Dazzling Diamond Dust technique over top so the whole thing sparkles.  I used the new In-colours for my pallette:  Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding, Strawberry Slush and Coastal Cabana and then added some Daffodil Delight for a bit of pop.  I thought it looked very psychedelic, so I pulled out a long retired stamp called Extreme Guitar for the focal image.  The sentiment is from a long-retired Hostess set called Perfect Words.  It was a hit with my 6-year old son who is like a magpie with anything sparkly.  I could barely wrest it out of his hands long enough to take a picture LOL!
For the background on the second sample I used watercolour paper that I spritzed with water first to allow me more control over how my ink spread when I blew it.  Then I used Tempting Turquoise, Gumball Green, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, Real Red and Rich Razzleberry reinkers and blew drops across the damp paper to get the rainbow backgroud.  Kind of a blend of Reinker Splash technique and Blown Ink. The butterflies are from the Papillon Potpourri set and the sentiment comes from the One in A Million set.
What I loved about playing with this technique was the fact that I had no plan in mind for either card.  I just played and played and the cards kind of designed themselves!
Now for the Blog Hop details.  Listed below you'll see a series of links to each designer's blog.  Be sure to check out all of their work... you'll be surprised at how many different looks you can get with just one technique.  There's even a little incentive to participate in the Hop.  As you navigate the blog hop, be sure to leave a comment on each designer's post.  If you do, you'll be entered into a draw for some fabulous Stampin' Up! swag!  There will be one randomly chosen winner who will receive a truckload of great product.  My contribution to the  swag bag is the recently-retired Snow Much Fun stamp set 

and a package of Silver Glimmer paper.  

Perfect for getting a head start on your Christmas crafting this summer. So...start hopping!

It's our first challenge at The Technique Twist Challenge blog & what better way to celebrate than with a blog hop!  To enter, leave a comment on each blog for your chance to win a great prize pack!

The Technique Twist Challenge 01:Blown Ink

Jessica

Julz

Lauri

Leena (you are here!)

Pam

 We'll randomly draw one name as our winner out of all the entries! Contest ends on June 26, 2013 at 11:59pm ET. Good luck!

Retro Autumn Thanks

In case you missed it, I love the Fall.  I think my favourite thing about this season is the vibrant and rich tapestry of colour nature provides.  Like it is the last hurrah before the dull grayness of winter.  Today's project a celebration of Fall colours.  I based the layout on this week's sketch over at Retro Sketches.  First, here is the sketch:

And here is my card:

Autumn Thank You card for RS27 featuring the French Foliage stamp set and Orchard Harvest DSP

I told you this card was all about colour!  I really love the Orchard Harvest DSP...there truly isn't a single pattern in that pack that I dislike...not something I can always say!  I used it as the basis for my colour scheme:  Lucky Limeade, More Mustard, Island Indigo, Cajun Craze and Early Espresso.  I embossed the card base with my woodgrain TIEF...where has that one been all my life?!?  I added a couple of little Naturals Designer buttons and some quilted satin ribbon from last year's Holiday Mini.  Can you believe that is the only ribbon I own in Early Espresso??  Gonna have to do something about that with my next order.  in the meantime I hope you'll forgive the use of retired product :)

One more Reason to Smile

Today I have my last project in my week-long series featuring the beautiful Reason to Smile stamp set.  I hope you've enjoyed seeing just how versatile this set is.  I know I've certainly enjoyed playing with it to create all of these projects!  My final sample is another one that I designed for my monthly techniques group.  It uses the Faux Linen technique...

Bright and colourful Birthday card featuring the Reason to Smile stamp set with sentiment from Perfect Punches.

Inside view with sentiments from One in a Million

I just love the combination of Melon Mambo and Gumball Green!  What a vibrant, cheerful duo they are!  I'm not sure it shows in the photo, but the background on the front of the card is done using the Faux Linen technique.  I stamped the line-art Daisy image all over using Whisper White craft ink once I had created my coloured linen background.  For the focal image, I watercoloured it a little differently.  I began by stamping my images on watercolour paper after inking the stamp with markers.  I then used a blender pen to blur the image and pull colour from the stamped lines to fill in the rest of the image.  The result is a soft, blurred watercolour effect.  The rest of this card is pretty straightforward and came together quickly. 
I hope I've shown you just how wonderful this stamp set is.  If you missed my previous projects using this set, just click back through the last week's worth of posts to view them.  Then call or email to place your order and get this stamp set for just $5 when your order reaches $60.  Hurry...this offer only lasts until the end of the month and then this stamp set will be gone for good!

Now for yet another fantastic project from Craft Project Central.  Today's fun idea comes from fellow Canadian Tara Bourgoin.  Check this out:

Gift Cards and Tags set designed by Tara Bourgoin

This cute set has everything one needs to be prepared for birthdays, dinner invitations and other special events.  It also makes a wonderful gift.  To access the instructions to make this project and nine others, visit Craft Project Central and subscribe to July. 

What's on your desk?

I knew it was time to clean up my stamping corner when my son came downstairs the other day and said "Mommy, what a mess!  You need to clean this up!"  You know it's bad when  a 5-year-old says it's time to clean up!  As I was digging through the pile of months' worth of scraps I found a piece of Whisper White I had embossed and then cast aside.  It became the foundation for today's project.  Have a look:

Baby Card featuring the  Baby Boutique and One in a Million stamp sets

Inside view with sentiment from Curly Cute.

Whaddya think?  It wasn't much of a leap to arrive at a baby card with all that embossing.  I added a scrap of Patio Party DSP and used a bit of pleated satin ribbon leftover  from the last Occasions Mini that I also found laying in the pile on my desk (that'll give you an idea how long it's been since I cleaned up!)  I love the new Baby Boutique stamp set...so sweet!  I'm sure I'll have plenty of opportunity to use this card this summer.  SO many gals I know are expecting...surely one of them will have a little boy!

One in a Million Birthday

Today is my friend's birthday and, while  I remembered her birthday was coming up, and on several occasions thought about mailing her a card, sadly, I have not yet done so.  I am THE WORST when it comes to sending cards!!  I make dozens and dozens of them and they rarely see the inside of an envelope!  Today's project is one I designed for my techniques group that met this past week with the intention of sending it to my friend when I was done with it.  It is still sitting on my stamping table.  She'll get it next week and not be in the least bit surprised that I'm late...again!  I used this week's sketch over at Mojo Monday as my inspiration.  I made a few alterations to the original sketch, moving a few elements around. Here is the sketch:

And here is my version:

Birthday card for MOJO245 featuring the Tie-dye technique and Betsy's Blossoms stamp set with sentiment from One in a Million

Inside view

Fun and bright, eh?  I used the Tie-dye technique with Tangerine Tango and Melon Mambo to stamp the flowers from Betsy's Blossoms.  The leaves and sentiment are stamped in Gumball Green.  In case you're wondering what the DSP is, it is from the International Bazaar pack...so in love with that paper!  I also broke in my new chevron embossing folder...love that one too! 
I have SO much to do this weekend...two classes next week to prep for, a new project to design for another guest designer gig and more BIG cards to make for work...I need a four-day weekend!!  The good news is that I'll have lots to share with you next week!  In the meantime, have a great weekend!