This is for Linda's fun Tortoise or Hare challenge.
I work like a tortoise on tranquilizers, but that suits me just fine. I make cards because I love the process. If I don't like a card I put it in a box and use it at a later date for die cutting or a mixed media card base, stencil over it etc. When I have a string of failures, like I have this week....I have pleated punched strips littering my desk from Sabrina's challenge, I coloured in some flowers for the CAS challenge...they looked dead, the colour challenge card has been turned into punched butterflies and I didn't even try the sketch challenge.
My tip this week, if you have lost your mojo and nothing is looking right, choose one of your own cards that you love and recreate it in a different colour. I originally did this card in purple last December (MIX100). I wouldn't normally repeat a card for a challenge but it seemed appropriate as Linda has encouraged us to share tips.
The background is my favourite smack & squirt technique - smack distress ink onto a sheet of aluminium foil, squirt with water then using a foam blending tool swipe the inky water over your cardstock. After you have applied the colours (in this case green and orange) choose what areas you want to be more intense then randomly scrub undiluted distress ink onto cardstock using the blending tools.
I usually ink all around the edges with walnut stain distress ink. This seems to make the other colours look more 'blended".
The dancer is stamped with Archival ink, coloured with Distress Inks and an aquapen then when completely dry, fussy cut her. To get all the variance in the colours smacks the ink pad on foil and carefully squirt a tiny bit of water in one corner only. From this one smack of an ink pad you will have about 10 different shades of the one colour. I think I used Spiced Marmalade (if not it is ripe permisson, both are sitting in front of me as I type this LOL).
TIP: Stamp image onto a piece of acetate - no need to fussy cut unless you are using the acetate as a mask. Move the acetate image around the cardstock and work out where it will look best. I keep the acetate stamped image with the stamp.
Add foliage; use tree and foliage stamps upside down or sideways. Finish with a doodled border. The trick is to use a very fine pen, put the card squarely in front of you, hold the pen and place the side of your hand on the desk. With the pen nib touching the card drag your hand down the length of the card ensuring the side of your hand stays in constant contact with the desk. When you get to the bottom, rotate the card and do the same thing again. Do not look at the line as you are dragging your hand on the desk, look at the edge of the card. About two thirds of the way down do a loop de loop or a few zigzags or go back later and add them in. Little imperfect circles and zigzags take your eye away from the line. The line doesn't have to be straight; otherwise you would use a ruler!!
Fussy cut tip: After fussy cutting use a dauber with a small amount of black ink on it and carefully ink on the cut edge, trying not to get too much ink on the image, just the cut edge.
Date: Thursday, March 26, 2015 GMT Views: 1521
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Registered: February 26, 2013 Location: Switzerland, Three Lakes Region Posts: 544
Tue, Mar 31, 2015 @ 12:25 AM
Hi my dear Susie! I'm back! I was so busy that I had no time to upload my cards but now it's done (yes, I'm always busy but you know, it was Winter and with Öhi, Peter and the sheeps, there is a lot to do *giggle*). This card is AMAZING! It just pops in your gallery! Love the background and also the bright colors! It's just YOU!