Stencilling with Mica Powders

This month, the Group of Cardmakers are experimenting with stencilling with mica powders.  Some of them will work without a binding agent.  Others need something like Heat & Stick powder to get them to adhere.  I tried both.

First of all, with the binding agent, in this case SU Heat & Stick powder.  

I pressed Versamark ink through my holly stencil, removed the stencil, then sprinkled the card panel with Heat & Stick, and used a heat tool to melt powder.  I washed and dried the stencil, placed it back over the image, and brushed green Pearl-Ex over it.  I die cut the best section of it with a label die.  I had some green glitter cs that matched the Pearl-Ex really well so cut the next size up of the label die set and bordered it with that and then put it on a dry embossed background.  Added a sentiment on a banner and red gemstones for the berries.

I then used a different holly stencil on black cs but with Perfect Pearls which work without a binding agent.

Like the first card, I pressed Versamark over the stencil, washed and dried the stencil, replaced it over the image, and brushed green Perfect Pearls over it.  A Swiffer cloth removes any excess.  Trimmed the panel with another label die and popped it up on fun foam on a panel embossed with another holly embossing folder.  I used a Lavinia stick-on sentiment on this one.  And again red gemstones for berries.

There is quite a difference between the two in terms of texture.  The use of Heat & Stick results in a noticeably textured finish whereas the mica powders that don't require Heat & Stick have a very flat, very smooth, and more pearlescent finish.

I went on to make a third card.  This one uses Heat & Stick and LuminArte mica powder on black cs. 

I kept the whole panel as a background and bordered it with silver glitter cs.  I die cut a Star of David out of the same silver glitter cs and also out of scrap cs and glued them together for more dimension.  Added it to the background, along with a strip of fancy ribbon that has six-pointed stars to tie in with the Star of David.  I put the Happy Hanukkah sentiment inside as I didn't want the front to be more cluttered.

I find the black background on the above Hanukkah card a bit heavy so I made one more with the same stencil on a white cs.  Again it uses the Heat and Stick, this time with a lighter blue mica powder made by Arteza.

I trimmed it down to a square, topped it with a die cut menorah in silver and gold glitter cs, and a small sentiment heat embossed in silver.  It's on a white shimmer card base. 

I think I have a strong preference for doing this on a white background rather than a black one.  Please let me know in the comments which you prefer! 

We'd love to see anything you might make using stencilling with mica powders.  Let us know if you have any hints for us.  There are more examples and more detailed instructions over at Group of Cardmakers. 

 

Supplies:
Stamps - unknown sentiments
Ink - Versamark, Memento Cottage Ivy
Paper - white and black cs, silver glitter cs, green glitter cs, gold glitter cs, white shimmer cs
Size - A2, last one 4.75" square
Accessories - SU Heat & Stick powder, green Pearl Ex powder, green Perfect Pearls powder, Dutch Iris LuminArte mica powder, pale blue Arteza mica powder, Penny Black holly stencil, SSS Holiday greenery stencil. Spellbinders label dies, sentiment banner die, Sizzix holly embossing folders, fun foam, red gemstones, SSS Star of David die, silver ribbon, Neat and Tangled star stencil, Spellbinders rectangle and square dies, silver embossing powder, PTI menorah die

Die Eclipse for Hanukkah and Sympathy

The Group of Seven Cardmakers are trying a technique called Cover Die Eclipse.  The technique is detailed in Gina K's video here.  

 Here's the technique:

• Using your Misti, stamp two card fronts with the same large image.  I used a menorah stamp with bright blue ink.
• Using a cover die (I used one that was not necessarily meant for a Hanukkah card but has six-pointed stars in it so it works really well for Hanukkah), cut ONE of the stamped panels. 
• Glue the stamped cover die cut onto your second stamped panel, being sure to perfectly line up the stamped patterns.

I finished the card by bordering with silver shimmer cs and adding a sentiment tag also bordered with silver.

I don't have any other cover dies so decided to try the technique using a Tim Holtz corner die for my second card.

I stamped the branch image in black on two pieces of white cs and cut one panel with the corner die.  For this card, I wanted more dimension so cut two more plain white panels with the corner die.  I glued them together and then glued the stamped die cut panel on top of them.  Then glued it to my uncut stamped panel, lining up the image carefully.  I bordered with black and added a black die cut sentiment.

The conclusion is that some images work better with a few die cut layers while others look better with just one.  Check out what the other member of the Group of Seven cardmakers did with this technique.

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - SU menorah and sentiment
Ink - Distress Blueprint Sketch
Paper - white and silver cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Neat and Tangled cover plate die

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Impression Obsession branch
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - white and black cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Tim Holtz corner die, Dee's Distinctively sentiment die

Under the Wire Again

There are so many great challenges out there but sadly I miss some of the deadlines and then there are these where I just get a card posted in time.

For Christmas Cards All Year Round "Holiday Song or Carol", I chose O Little Town of Bethlehem:

Stamped, coloured with coloured pencils, and a strip of gold tape added down one side for a bit of embellishment.

The Christmas Kickstart Challenge wants "Christmas not as we know it" so I went with some very different looking snowmen:

My friend Bonnie kindly stamped off a few of this image and sent them to me.  This is a variation on one I posted a couple of months ago.  Stamped, watercoloured, bordered in black.

And a threefer today.  Inkspirational wants a card for any of the seasonal holidays so I am posting a Hanukkah one for this one.

I created the focal image by stamping and heat embossing the menorah in silver and die cutting with a circle die.  The background has a flourish and sentiment stamped and heat embossed in blue.   I embellished with little silver jewel stickers on the flourish.

   

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Woodware Peaceful Night
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - white cs
Size - 7.25x3.75"
Accessories - coloured pencils, gold tape

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Rubber Cottage "Snowflakes"
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - watercolour paper, off white and black cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints

Supplies for card 3:
Stamps - Hero Arts Happy Hanukkah, SU flourish, Rubbernecker Hanukkah sentiment frame
Ink - ColorBox True Blue and Silver
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - clear and silver embossing powders, Dazzles silver jewel stickers, Spellbinders circle and rectangle dies

Ink Blending on Coloured Cardstock

Our Group of Seven Cardmakers technique for May was ink blending on coloured cardstock.  It's a great easy technique to add extra interest to coloured cardstock.  We used a video called "Be Bold and Add Drama to Your Cards".

I ended up making three cards while practising the techniques, two for Hannukah and one for Christmas.

For both of these cards, I used a lighter blue cs and a slightly darker shade of blue ink for blending around the edges.  The images are heat embossed in silver and the panels are bordered in silver.  On the first card I added some water splatters as well as the white splatters, but on the second, I just did white splatters.

Here's the Christmas card:

I did this first on a darker red cs but the ink blending didn't show up enough so I redid it using a lighter red cs.  Gold heat embossing, gold splatters, and a gold card base tied it all together.

These really are quick and easy cards to make so I'm sure I'll be using the technique again.  My only piece of advice to those of you who want to try it is to make sure your coloured cs is light enough to leave some contrast with your ink blending.

Head over to Group of Seven for more information and samples from the rest of the group.  Feel free to link up any cards you make using the technique but just be aware we are not a challenge and don't promise to comment on all of your cards.

Supplies for Hanukkah cards:
Stamps - SU Jewish Celebrations
Ink - Versamark, Distress Faded Jeans
Paper - white, blue, silver cs
Size - 5.25" square
Accessories - TH silver embossing powder, white paint

Supplies for Christmas cards:
Stamps - Penny Black
Ink - ColorBox gold, Distress Aged Mahogany
Paper - red, black, gold cs
Size - A2
Accessories - TH gold embossing powder, gold paint