Michele Reynolds
http://inspirationink.typepad.com/inspiration-ink/ michelerey@aol.com |
Signs of Santa Brick Wall |
F un Christmas card using Stampin' Up! products.
Cut cardstock pieces to the following sizes using a Stampin' Trimmer:
- card from Whisper White Thick Cardstock at 5-1/2" x 8-1/2" and scored at 4-1/4"
- 4" x 5-1/4" from Basic Black Cardstock
- 3-7/8" x 5-1/8" from Whisper White Cardstock
- 2-5/8" x 2-7/8" from Poppy Parade Cardstock
- 2-1/2" x 2-3/4" from Whisper White Cardstock
- 1" x 5-1/2" from Whisper White Cardstock
- 3/4" x 3-1/2" from Basic Black Cardstock
As you are ready to stamp using the Signs of Santa Set, place the cardstock on the Stampin' Pierce Mat. Using the mat will help you get a cleaner image each time you stamp.
Mount the Santa with list image from the Signs of Santa Set on Block D. Ink it up with the Memento Pad. Stamp it in the center of the 2-1/2" x 2-3/4" piece of white cardstock. Set aside to let dry for a few minutes.
Place the Silicone Craft Sheet on some Grid Paper on your work surface. Place the large Whisper White rectangle on the Silicone Craft Sheet horizontally. Pick out the brick wall pattern mask from the Pattern Party Decorative Masks. Place it over the cardstock and Silicone Craft Sheet.
Tip: If desired, use pieces of washi tape to hold the cardstock and mask in place. Just make sure they don't cover anywhere that you want to have the pattern.
Rub a Sponge Dauber across the open Poppy Parade Ink Pad to get it inky. Then, rub the inky dauber over a portion of the brick wall mask so you'll get ink on the left side of the white cardstock. Get more ink on the dauber as needed. Keep adding ink until you get the look you want.
Tip: I just clean my Sponge Daubers when I'm done using them by running them under water until no more color is coming off. Then, I let them air dry. They may be stained, but they are clean enough to use with any color of ink in the future.
Carefully remove the sponged white cardstock from under the mask.
Tip: I just clean my masks when I'm done by running them under water and then allowing them to air dry.
Unlock the Banner Triple Punch. Slide one end of the long strip of Whisper White Cardstock into the punch as far as it will go. Punch. Leave the punch unlocked.
Hold the Banner Triple Punch upside down so you can see the punching area. Slide one end of the strip of Basic Black Cardstock into the punch as far as it will go. Get it centered in the punching area. Punch.
Mount the "Wishing you everything..." sentiment from the Signs of Santa Set on Block B. Ink it up with the Poppy Parade Ink Pad. Stamp it in the center of the strip as close to the notch as possible so that the notch is on the right side.
Adhere the punched strip of black cardstock to the back of the punched and stamped strip of white cardstock so the black is centered in the notch and shows about 1/4".
Adhere the punched sentiment strips to the sponged, large white rectangle so the ends of the black notch almost touch the right side of the large white layer and the bottom of the white strip is about 1-1/4" up from the bottom of the large white layer. Use Paper Snips to trim off any excess cardstock from the on the left side.
Adhere the sponged large white layer with sentiment strip attached to the large black layer and then to the front of the Whisper White Thick card.
Place the stamped Santa with list image on top of some paper on your work surface (Grid Paper works great). You need to make sure that you protect your work surface with paper as the Stampin' Blends Markers do bleed through.
Start coloring with the Stampin' Blends Markers. The markers have a brush tip for coloring in larger areas and a fine tip for coloring in smaller areas. Use the light colors first and add highlights with the darker colors. If needed to blend the colors, go over things again with the lighter colors. Work on one area at a time so the inks will be wet and will blend easier.
Use the Light Petal Pink Marker to color in Santa's face, ears, and hands.
Use the Dark and Light Poppy Parade Markers to color in Santa's suit and hat.
Use the Bronze Marker to color in Santa's belt buckle.
Use the Light Smoky Slate Marker to add shadows under Santa and the list.
Use the Color Lifter Marker to remove any color that got anywhere you don't want it and to blend the edges of the shadows.
Get a small dab of White Embossing Paste from the jar using the long, skinny Palette Knife. Put it in the center of Santa's beard. Use the end of a toothpick to spread the embossing paste around on Santa's beard, mustache, and hat band. You want the texture to be fairly rough as if it was hair or fur. Get more embossing paste out of the jar as needed. Also put a large dab on the pom pom on Santa's hat. Set aside to let it dry.
Tip: If the Embossing Paste has dried out, add some water a small bit at a time and stir with a Palette Knife until well mixed and soft and spreadable again.
Once the embossing paste is dry, adhere the colored Santa with list image to the Poppy Parade rectangle. Then, adhere it to the left side of the card so the image is centered over the sentiment strip and about 3/8" in from the left side of the card.
Cut a 14" piece of Basic Black Solid Baker's Twine.
Fold the twine in half. Then, tie a small bow in the center. Trim the ends.
Use a Mini Glue Dot to adhere the bow to the card front at a slight angle where the right side of the matted Santa with list image meets the sentiment strip.