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Hi all! Some of you have been so wonderful with previous questions about techniques and cards, I wanted to ask a few more.
After asking for opinions on which stamp sets to begin with, I decided to order Fresh Flowers and then I'll move on from there (Watercolors, Tags and More, and one of the sayings sets). Anyway, I've seen a lot of wonderful cards with this set and wanted to know some favorite color combinations and techniques for this set. Also - Some of the cards I've seen have flowers and/or leaves cut out - I've tried this on smaller stamps and I feel like they were cut out by my DS - any suggestions on cutting things out well to add dimension?
A few misc questions - what size are most of the cards posted in the gallery? I wish I had a better sense for these things. I've only been to a few workshops, so I haven't seen a lot of examples or ideas.
What is the technique for dry embossing? I haven't quite figured this one out from examples I've seen either.
Finally - where do you usually start when designing your cards - the stamps, the color combinations, the occasion? I want to really dive into this, but I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. Too bad some of you wonderful ladies don't make house calls!! HA!
Love this site and all the helpful people here! :P Julie Ann
__________________ Julie Ann
The smile of a child is music to my ears!
i usually cut my cardstock at the 5 1/2 mark.. half a sheet and score at 4 1/4 inches.. and dry embossing, you need a template and a stylus. some swear by a light box, but ive done it without all this time..
and for cutting, you need a tiny pair of snips for precision cutting.. that makes the world of difference.. or an exacto knife for inside details. oh.. and a lot of patience.. do it while watching ER or something.. that is my favorite time.
A few misc questions - what size are most of the cards posted in the gallery? I wish I had a better sense for these things. I've only been to a few workshops, so I haven't seen a lot of examples or ideas.
I believe it is a half sheet of cardstock, folded......so 4 1/4 x 5 1/2...
What is the technique for dry embossing? I haven't quite figured this one out from examples I've seen either.
Dry embossing ... you use a template, put your paper over top, and then use a stylus (or The Empressor!!) to trace the outline. When you turn your paper over, the image is raised...it's very very nice.
Finally - where do you usually start when designing your cards - the stamps, the color combinations, the occasion? I want to really dive into this, but I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. Too bad some of you wonderful ladies don't make house calls!! HA!
Holy ~ that's way too hard to answer! I usually look here, get inspired...and run for the table to CASE whatever I just fell in love with!!
__________________ ~Debbi~
Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending. ~Author Unknown
This is a lame suggestion for card designing for a new person, but it is my personal MO: copy from splitcoast. You'll call it your apprentice time & you will be working w/ the masters. Then, one day, from all your experience, you'll just start fiddling & creating. It's a beautiful thing. Good luck!
We do housecalls... they're called stamp camps and workshops! :-) You might ask your demonstrator if she has classes or nights where you can come and learn to use your stuff... :-) I'd come over, but NC is just a bit far away from WA :-)
A stadard card front is 5 1/2 X 4 1/4. Mostly I get this by cutting a sheet into two 5 1/2 X 8 1/2 pieces and folding. Sometimes, I cut the other way (4 1/4 X 11 1/2) for a different look
A lot of the time, I design cards because I have an occaision. Some of my recent occaisionas were: baby shower announcements, a birthday card, a workshop make and take featuring a retiring stamp set, a stamp camp project, and a deadline for a swap. sometimes I design a card just because I have a new stamp. I often start in the galleries to get ideas. Sometimes I just copy, and sometimes I take elements I like and add to it...
Good luck!
__________________ Geojlc --I never met a craft I didn't like!
where do you usually start when designing your cards - the stamps, the color combinations, the occasion?
I don't have the time to just sit & create... so when I need a card, I already know the occasion & recipient. Knowing who the card is for helps me to decide which stamps I'll most likely use & colors that they like. Then I go through the gallery looking at designs that have been made using the stamps that I own. I add to My Favourites any that catch my eye.. That gives me lots of ideas and I just go from there, using whatever CS I have, and embellishments, etc... Sometimes I case completely.... but mostly it's just a great springboard...
I do this a lot. I have a card in this month's contest where I cut our a flower. Because the contest has rules I couldn't emboss it so I used our excess rubber which is taller than the dimensionals to pop it up. However, I will most likely emboss the entire image before cutting it out like other cards in my gallery. One it makes it easier to cut and two it really adds a flare. I stamp and or color the image and then take an old versamark pad over the entire thing or use a versamarker if it's a small image and then use the crystal clear embossing powder to emboss!
I design a lot of my own cards, but I also CASE a lot from this website. That's what it's here for! Good luck with all your choices!
Actually, I would think that a card front would be slightly smaller than a full-size card, so that it can be layered onto a folded piece of cardstock to make a complete card.
Hi there!
You should be able to do a lot with Fresh Flowers. What I have found helpful to me while cutting something out is to make sure I make as long of cuts as possible with my paper cutting scissors. It's kinda like sewing. If you use a short snip on a long bladed pair of scissors, you get a lot of chopped looking cuts. I also try to round curves using the same long blade stroke method.
Your card size question was already answered...
Dry embossing. You need a light table or a window with sunlight going through it to start. If you decide you like dry embossing a lot, I would suggest purchasing a light table. Put your embossing template on top of light table, your *LIGHT* colored cardstock on top (this won't work with darker card stock...I found out the hard way after designing my entire project around this one color), then use an embossing stylus to use your stylus as if you were coloring in the spaces on the template by pressing down. Kinda like coloring using a dry pen. LOL! When you're finished you turn the cs over and you'll see your 3D looking dry embossed surface. WHALAH!
I can't remember if you said you were a new demo or not when you emailed me a few weeks ago about the beginner card swap, but if you are a new demo, ask your upline for hands on help so you can see first hand what's going on. If you're not a demo, ask the demo you placed your order with for more help.
Have fun creating! After checking out the galleries and playing with your cs and supplies, you'll find something to try. If you're a new demo, don't forget to check out your "Getting Started" brochure as it has many great ideas using sets that come in your kit.
Hope that helps! God bless!
Cindy
aka
crazed stamper
__________________ Stampin fool...will stamp on ANYTHING!
So much wonderful information - thanks to all for sharing!! I'm not a demo, just new to stamping and probably getting in over my head seeing so many wonderful ideas on this site and trying to figure things out. I love that everyone shares so much on this website - thanks to all once again!! I got my Fresh Flowers set today - so I'm going to search for a while and then go play! God bless! Julie Ann
__________________ Julie Ann
The smile of a child is music to my ears!
Opinions needed please!
