MCC Card Design Workshop Wk 4 - Details

Links: Glenda Waterworth, My Creative Classroom (MCC)

The final week of the course was all about the details & finishing touches of cardmaking. Edges, matting & layering, embellishments & internal decoration all fall into this category & it was really good to think outside my own little box.

I realised that I have never actually tried using the same colour mat for backing paper, image & sentiment nor have I used a die for making an internal aperture. The card I made incorporates both of these elements as well as making a panel of my own backing paper to match. I only had the one piece of patterned paper so my perfectionist streak (the little imp is still jumping up & down on my shoulder) had to settle for not having the internal paper centred. I usually ink edges but left them uninked so as not to detract from the detailed & precise matting.

front of card 

close-up showing wet embossed image &
stamped pattern for background

close-up showing effect of same colour matting

inside of card 

close-up showing aperture & texture of
turquoise cardstock

close-up of decorated end panel

Recipe
Stamps Chocolate Baroque UDLSP0155 Delightful Damask.
InksVersaMark watermark stamp pad with Stampendous Pacific Blue Embossing Powder (focal image); VersaMagic Sea Breeze Chalk (patterned panel beneath focal image); Turquoise Dye (sentiment & internal corners).
Cardstock White & assorted textures of turquoise from stash.
Paper Graphicus Guild Membership Pack.
Die Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Seventeen.
The flowers are all from my stash.

Edited 1st June
I have just checked to see when I bought the Delightful Damask set of stamps as this is the first time I've used it - September 2008 just after I first discovered stamping! Therefore it qualifies for Judith's Forgotten Friday 56 challenging crafters to utilize an unused craft item or items. 

I decided to make a sample sheet to illustrate the various effects of using different tools for inking plus the paper piercing patterns I like to use in conjunction with punched scalloped shapes. The latter I mix & match with the two layering methods shown & vary them with inked & uninked edges.

The label die-cut is the smallest from Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Sixteen & the ornate die-cut is from the Spellbinders Shapeabitlities Ironwork Motifs. Woodware punches were used for the ovals & scalloped ovals. As usual my photos can be clicked for enlarging.

Kiss & Kinetic Alphatag

It was some time ago that I decided upon Kiss & Kinetic for my Baroque Guild "K" Alphatag & to use one of my solid butterfly stamps for the kissing technique.  I still had that in mind when making my previous card for the Clever Cards exercise & so deliberately chose to use a flower for that one in order that there should be some variety between the two. However, when it came to finding a paper from my Guild Pack to match the butterfly, I was thwarted & kept coming back to this pinky red floral paper (with the same pattern as I'd already used). Moreover, the solid floral image from the Fantasy Floral set worked beautifully with the patterend egg from the Baroque Eggs set when it came to showing the fusion of the two images during the kissing technique so I just went with it & ended up with two floral waterfalls after all.

front of tag

close-up of first image

close-up of second image

detail of second image & part
of flip strip as it is pulled

close-up of third image

detail of third image & all
of flip strip as it is extended

I was really pleased with this as the three stages of the waterfall demonstrate the kissing technique beautifully. For the first image the solid floral stamp was inked with pink & stamped. For the second image the patterned stamp was inked with red & stamped onto the CLEAN solid flower which was then stamped onto the cardstock. Finally for the third image the solid flower was inked with pink, the patterned image with red, the two stamps pressed together & the solid stamp used for stamping the image onto the cardstock.

back of tag 

close-up showing paper pierced scallops & inked
edges of theme panel

Recipe
Stamps Chocolate Baroque UA4SP0185 Fantasy Floral (flowers), UA4SP0385 Baroque Eggs (floral pattern) & UA4SP0389 Lace Fragments (lace pattern); Elusive Images UDLHC0181 Sketchy Alphabet (letter "K").
Inks Memento Angel Pink & Rhubarb Stalk; Adirondack Pigment Snow Cap.
Colouring Faber-Castell Polychromos Pencil (adding definition to letter "K" & small solid flower on flip strip).
Pens etc... White Pentel K118 Hybrid Gel Grip Pen.
Cardstock White & red from stash.
Paper Graphicus Guild Membership Pack.
Dies Sizzix Movers & Shapers L Die - TAg & Bookplates.
Punch Woodware (scalloped rectangle).
The ribbons & pearls, brads & floral eyelet are from my stash.

MCC Card Design Workshop Wk 3 - Waterfall Card

Links: Glenda Waterworth, My Creative Classroom (MCC)

One of the cards Glenda demonstrated making was the "Waterfall Card" which includes a kinetic or interactive element. Since I'd already decided that I was going to use the waterfall movement for my next Baroque Guild Alphatag it seemed the logical choice for my third Clever Card exercise.

front of card

pull tab to reveal second image

pull again to reveal third image
plus sentiment

close-up of first image

close=up of second image

close-up of third image

inside of card

close-up to show paper piercing detail

NB I cannot explain why there is a green tinge to the photos above. The green tinge is actually a crisp white & despite varying the time of day & light conditions when photographing the photos  produced have a green tinge. 

                                        

Recipe
Stamps Chocolate Baroque UA4SP0146 Big Flowers & UDLSP0155 Delightful Damask (sentiment).
Inks Memories Dye Black (images & sentiment), Memento Sweet Plum (inking various cardstock & paper edges).
Pens etc... Memento Tuxedo Black Dual Marker, White Pentel K118 Hybrid Gel Grip Pen.
Colouring Faber-Castell Polychromos Pencils with paper stumps & Sansodor.
Cardstock White card blank (Craft UK Ltd); white & an assortment of mauves in various finishes from stash.
Paper Graphicus Guild Membership Pack.
Punches Woodware (circle & scalloped circle).
The ribbons, floral brads & eyelet are from stash.

MCC Card Design Workshop Wk 3 - Clever Cards

Links: Glenda Waterworth, My Creative Classroom (MCC)

The third week's optional exercises are to create 3 "Clever Cards" choosing from the selection of tutorials given in the classroom (for copyright reasons I shall not be explaining the construction of these projects) or creating our own.

 HIDDEN SECRET CARD

Stamps: Chocolate Baroque UA5SP0346 Doodle Birds, UA5SP0347 Doodle Butterfly & UA6GW0278 Art Nouveau Birthday (sentiment).

Inks: ColorBox Chalk Rose Coral (tone on tone stamping plus inking some paper & cardstock edges);  Memories Dye Artprint Brown (sentiment).

Colouring: Stickles Glitter Glue (Copper)

Cardstock: Pink & Copper from stash.

Papers: K&Company Wild Raspberry.

Punches: Woodware (butterfly & scalloped oval), Punch Bunch (flower).

front of card

inside BUT gently prise apart along that middle fold.........

..... & the message is revealed

My second card was inspired by a small ATC sized Christmas Easel Card that Glenda showed at the end of her easel card tutorial. I was reminded of a small image that I'd not used whilst working on my Just Joseph's Coat Alphatag & thought that I could make a small place setting card (3x3 inches) for a Halloween party with it. I've never made anything with a Halloween theme before - coming from a very Evangelical Christian Background it's not something that I've been drawn to - but I decided to go with the idea & think of it in terms of an All Hallows Eve Celebration or a Tolkien Themed Night (the little house looks like a Hobbit one to me).

EASEL CARD

Stamps: Chocolate Baroque UA6SP0374 Halloween Raven (house) &  UA6SP0373 Boo (owl).

Inks: Kaleidacolor Melon Melody, Plaid Black Dye, Emboss Tinted Embossing Stamp Pad

with Stampendous Detail Clear Embossing Powder (house); VersaFine Onyx Black (owl).

Markers:Memento Dual & Tombow.

Cardstock: Orange glitter & an assortment of blacks in various finishes from stash.

The circle & scalloped circle punches are Woodware & the apple brad is Hot Off The Press.

easel card standing

close-up showing Joseph's Coat Technique 

inside of card - I paper pierced the little scallops

angled view showing dimensional shaping of owl & contrast between
 Moondust & textured black cardstocks

Just Joseph's Coat Alphatag

After messing around with a number of ideas for my Baroque Guild "J" Alphatag I suddenly remembered the Joseph's Coat Technique & decided to see what I could do with that. I've had some odd pieces of brayered cardstock lying around (over a year I think!) so I used a piece of it for the flower. The image was heat embossed onto the brayered cardstock with clear embossing powder, covered in black dye ink, allowed to dry & then buffed with a kitchen towel before being cut out.

front of tag 

close-up of upper section

close-up of lower section

back of tag 

close-up showing paper pierced scallops  & inked edges
of theme panel plus tone on tone stamping

Recipe
Stamps Chocolate Baroque UA4SP0385 Baroque Eggs (flower), UA5SP0292 Romantica (swirls).
Inks Kaleidacolor Melon Melody, Plaid Black Dye, Emboss Tinted Embossing Stamp Pad with Stampendous Detail Clear Embossing Powder. Pine Needles Distress Ink (tone on tone stamping & inking various cardstock edges).
Pens etc... Memento Tuxedo Black Dual Marker, Staedtler Triplus Fineliner.
Cardstock Semi-glossy white & an assortment of greens in various finishes from stash.
Paper Graphicus Guild Membership Pack.
Dies Sizzix Movers & Shapers L Die - Tag & Bookplates; Spellbinders Shapeabilities Sprighly Sprockets & Ironwork Motifs.
Punch Woodware (scalloped squares).
The gems & ribbons are from stash.

Challenges Entered
Since the colours of my flower are reminiscent of those found amongst spring daffodils & tulips my tag is eligible for entry into the following spring themed challenges:
Snazzy Challenge....  "Spring Colours" 
Pan Pastel UK Challenge 16 - Spring Time 

MCC Card Design Workshop Wk 2 - Contrast & Harmony

Links: Glenda Waterworth, My Creative Classroom (MCC)

This exercise involved selecting a sketch (from a batch of them provided by Glenda) with which to make two cards, one using principles of harmony & the other principles of contrast. I had quite a hard time with this & don't like either of my projects. At one time I would have binned them & started again & repeated the exercise until I had something I was happy with, but that would always leave me rather behind. This time I am determined to keep up so I shall rest content with what I have done: a course is all about learning - not about completing something perfectly & I can always revisit these topics once the course is complete.

principles of harmony in colour & shape

close-up of star panel

principles of contrast in colour & shape

   

close-up of star panel

One of the reasons that I struggled was because I was probably too literal in my interpretation & trying to achieve harmony with both colour & shape in the one & contrast again with colour & shape in the other at the same time as making a comparison between the two. My creativeness was stifled by trying to do the exercise "properly." 

Another reason for my battle was that I selected the paper because I knew I had a stamp to go with it & that then bore consequences for harmony & contrast. The harmonic colours had to be based on the purples & the shape had to be angular. The only way I could add contrast in the second project was by using the complementary yellow or gold colour & curved shapes (rounded corners, circles in place of squares, a wavy border in place of a zigzag).

Recipe
Stamp Chocolate Baroque UA4SP0170 Christmas Fusion.
Inks VersaMark watermark stamp pad with Stampendous Detail Clear & Detail Gold Embossing Powder (images); Memento Grape Jelly, Brilliance Galaxy Gold & Encore Gold (inking various cardstock edges).
Colouring Copic Ciao Marker for colouring small square gems.
Cardstock Pale yellow & assorted purples in various finishes from stash.
Paper Graphicus Guild Membership Pack.
Punches etc... Woodware (circle, corner rounder & paper trimmer with decorative edge blades).
The gems & pearls were from stash.