How I Made My Mother's Day Cards
Dedicated to my Mom, who emailed me to say she was still trying to figure out how I made these cards! Plus, she has also commented that I rarely post here - and she is right - so here goes...
I have been having fun playing around with a set from Hot Off the Press (HOTP). I have to admit, HTOP is definitely a favorite. Great papers, beautiful die-cuts, and my obsession - Dazzles! I just love the many ways to use them, including the technique I used for the cards I made for my Mom and Gram for Mother's Day this year.
Here's the supply list (for both cards):
From HOTP (I got these in a set):
- Fresh Cut Paper Pack
- Beauty & Blossoms Dazzles
- Foil Fresh Cut Tags & Labels
White cardstock
Crystal Glitter Ritz, transparent micro-fine glitter - Warm Highlight
Marvy Le Plume II markers and blender pens
Silver line stickers (I got mine as part of a card topper set from Flower Soft)
Foam squares
Permanent adhesive dot roller
Powder Puff Chalking Ink (I used Maraschino Cherry)
Card stock base
[NOTE: There are other marker and blender sets that will work with this technique - test it out first to be sure it will blend correctly.]
Here's how I did it:
The card base is basic, pastel cardstock; I used an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet, scored and folded in half. The fronts were then covered with some of the paper with a more muted pattern. Then I layered a coordinating piece of more vivid paper; on one card horizontally with only top and bottom borders, and on the other a square with a border all around. A third layer is added in a contrasting color with muted pattern, as shown in each. I inked the edges of each layering piece lightly with the chalking ink before adhering. The silver line tape was added as outline, as shown, on each.
The embellishments were the fun part for me; since I learned this technique, I have been using it everywhere! Start by selecting the Dazzle image you want to use (or stamp, because you can also use this technique with stamps) and cut a piece of white cardstock large enough to accommodate the image with some border all around. I cut out around my images in the end, but you don't have to.
The Scor-Tape sheets are double-sided tape - really sticky! Cut the same size piece out of the sheet and, removing one side of the tape, stick it to the white cardstock. [NOTE: It will be easier if you get all your supplies ready for this next part BEFORE you remove the second side of the protective covering on the tape!] I use a tray and old make-up brush as tools.
OK, remove the second side of the tape and then remove the Dazzle sticker from its backer sheet and CAREFULLY lay it down on the sticky tape. Confession: I completely ruined the first one of these I tried; both things are sticky and so it is nearly impossible to lift and re-position without stretching the Dazzle out of shape. Just GO SLOW! Use the backing sheets that you removed from the tape to lay over the image and press down firmly to completely adhere the sticker. (It won't stick to the backing!)
Now place the sticky cardboard with the Dazzle image in the tray and pour the Glitter Ritz micro-fine glitter all over it. Using your finger, rub the glitter into the paper until it is completely covered evenly. Tap off the extra, then brush off the image with the brush. Set the tray aside (you can pour the leftover glitter back in the jar - you really don't use much for this technique!), then go at it with your finger again, with pressure this time - as you burnish it, you'll notice the shine come up even more and no glitter flakes off.
Now you get to color it in! I have been playing around with various shading techniques; with very tiny bits of color, the blending brush can then be used to make great shading effects. [NOTE: Use a tapping motion to color/blend the image to minimize the damage to the marker tip, instead of a sweeping or coloring motion, which leads to the glitter shredding the marker tip.] When done, I fussy-cut the images and using foam squares, layered the images onto the card, on top of a foiled tag (from the HOTP set).
Oh, yes! As I said, you can also use this technique with regular stamps. Stamp the image on the white card stock BEFORE you add the double-sided tape sheet over it, add the glitter, etc. The marker and blender pens I use work just fine to color in the image without too much bleeding, but you should test out your markers first.
Of course, I didn't invent this technique - I learned it from a YouTube video. You would be amazed how much you can learn from people's YouTubes! Here's the one I learned from originally (if you are impatient, the relevant part starts at about 23:17):
Scrap Made Simple Video
Stacy at ScrapMadeSimple also has a great video with variations:
Silk Glitter and Velvet Sheets
If you like this stuff , search YouTube for "Glitter Ritz" and check out all the different things people have done!
