Saturday, September 28, 2019

Totally techniques - Chalk Boarding Technique


So great to have you back for another Totally Techniques Global Design Team blog hop. We are featuring chalk boarding technique this month and it is such a fun technique. Very simple, but very effective.

Chalk boarding is usually done on very dark card, with stamping in white. You can choose to use White Craft Ink or White Heat Embossing. I prefer heat embossing because it provides for a sharper image, but I have also employed the Craft Ink in a way that is consistent with chalk boarding.

I have done two simple card projects:
I feature Flourishing Phrases and I have heat embossed with White Embossing Powder on Basic Black card stock. I mounted the top piece on a rectangle of Whisper White and the card base is Basic Black, lined with Whisper White inside.
For the first card I have heat embossed the stamped image and highlighted the flowers of the image only. I used a dry aqua painter to apply Craft Whisper White Ink directly to the card. I stamped the sentiment from the same stamp in Tuxedo Black Memento Ink on Whisper White card and punched with the Timeless Label Punch.
I left the leaves and stems bare for contrast and added some Pearls for a touch of luxe. The pearls marry in beautifully with the chalk style stamping and black and white theme.

For my second project I have used the same stamp and colour scheme but in addition to heat embossing in white I have also distressed over the areas of the stamp image with Whisper White Craft ink, using a sponge. 
I wanted to give the impression that the black board had been used previously and the chalk residue left on the board.
The sentiment in this instance was stamped on Whisper White in Tuxedo Black Memento Ink and punched out with the Story Label Punch.
You can only just see that there are some black Rhinestone Jewels on the card to provide a little glamour!

Such an easy technique and two easy cards for inspiration enjoy.

Until next time
Shanni xx

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Saturday, September 21, 2019

Fancy Folds - W Fold Cards

Welcome back to another Fancy Folds Design Team blog hop! We are featuring W Fold cards this month and the team is doing an incredible job. If you have just popped by from Gina's blog I bet you were impressed, she has such a beautiful style!

This is my creation this month:
I followed the easy YouTube Tutorial by Stamping with ME, the card is a really easy fold but has quite the wow factor. My base card is Garden Green (its a square 6"x 6"). I lined the front with a square of Mossy Meadow and then a square of the beautiful Garden Lane Designer Series Paper which is available this month on the DSP promo, Buy 3, Get 1 Free.
Arial view so that you can see where the "W" fold comes into play. Basically its panels on the inside. This is what it looks like opened up, the middle panel sits up in a mountain which means it folds closed flat but always has the rise in the centre when its open. I used the Good Morning Magnolia and the Magnolia Blooms sets for the images and for the sentiment I used Here's to Strong Women.
I lined the inside of the card with a square of Mossy Meadow and another square from the Garden Lane DSP I love the lattice feel to this design. On the right hand side I lined the inside of the card with a square of the same DSP and mounted a square of Whisper White to the top of it. 
The centre band which forms the "W" is Garden Green card mounted with another design from the same DSP and mounted with Whisper White on both ends and then the left centre is left bare and the right centre has the sentiment mounted on and oval of Garden Green. The ovals have all been cut using the Layering Ovals.
The magnolias and sentiments have all been stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento Ink. The flowers were coloured using Stampin' Blends in the following colours: Light Flirty Flamingo. Light and Dark Petal Pink, Light and Dark Mossy Meadow, Light Old Olive, Light Soft Suede. I fussy cut all of the flowers post colouring.
I added the little scroll from Good Morning Magnolia when it dawned on me that it would be almost impossible to write on the bottom section of the card.
I added Gold Glimmer Paper features to break up the colours and to add a touch of bling. I cut them using the Christmas Cardinal Dies in Holiday Mini - I love how fine and delicate the leaves are.
I tried to place a different combination of flowers on each panel to add interest and to show off the beautiful magnolia images. Magnolias are really on trend at the moment and its great to work with the two complementary stamp sets.
I added rhinestone jewels to add extra sparkle and interest to the layout. You can also colour the rhinestones using the Stampin' Blends but on this occasion I left them as they come.
I adore this sentiment and plan to use it a heap. It's one of those stamps that you don't notice until someone uses it on a project. I discovered it recently and love every stamp in the set.
The card is quite busy but I hope the DSP and different flowers break up the design and make each feature pop.
A reverse top angle so that you can fully appreciate the internal fold. I simply adhered the panel with Tear n Tape because it has the best stickability.
Looks like a normal card from the front. . .
You can see how the cold and the rhinestones really complement the colours in the magnolias and the DSP. This DSP pack has so many gorgeous designs and they are all subtle tones of greens which look great with any project.
I hope I have whet your appetite and that you feel like experimenting with this great fold, it's easy and has a great impact.

Don't leave us yet though, we have some fabulous projects yet to come. Next cab off the rank is one of our new team members who we are so excited to hop with, Mary Ann Rossiter, you are going to love her project! Mary Ann is so creative!
See you next time!
Shanni xx

Order of the September Hop

Nadine Schweda (Germany)
Aude Barbara (France)

Fiona Carson (New Zealand)
Gina Connor (United Kingdom)
Shannean Moncrieff (Australia) - yay! that's me!!
Mary Ann Rossiter (United States)
Astrid Hofmann (Austria)
Stephanie Nash (Canada)