Super Saturday at Magenta: Shaving Cream with Stencils

 Hi everyone, Happy Saturday! I am over at the Magenta blog today and you can see that post here.

I have been playing pretty much non-stop with the technique that Pam introduced us to using shaving cream. This is not a new technique, but fairly new to me. You can see Pam's video on this technique here, and another post by her here. My first attempt at this technique is here, and these posts explain pretty well how to do this technique. I used Neenah Solar White 110# cardstock for these panels.

Here's my latest attempt. I made a bunch of backgrounds with shaving cream and green Distress inkers.

I was also playing with stencils and using the green shaving cream as if it was stencil paste. Once I took off the stencil, I scraped the shaving cream completely off, and it leaves ink behind. This is really addictive.

After making a lot of regular swirly backgrounds, I put all of the shaving cream in a little jar that was on my desk. From there it was easy to load on to a palette knife, and apply it to the stencil on my panel. I experimented with putting the leaves onto white cardstock, and cardstock that already had swirls on it.

For today's card, I took a panel that already had green swirls. I added additional cream using the leaf stencil, but I felt that the leaves were rather lost in the swirls. I put the stencil back down and added some Distress Crackling Campfire ink using a small blending brush.

To complete my card, I die cut my panel with the Crimped Frame die from The Greetery. I matted the panel with PTI Terracotta Tile cardstock, and adhered it to a base card. I colored the leaves with Wink of Stella clear glitter pen, and added some gems.

I love this technique and have continued playing with it and making cards in lots of colors, so there will be more cards using it with and without stencils.

Magenta Products used:

TM322 Tumbled Ash Leaves

07.969.F have a Beautiful day!

Other Products used:

Shaving cream - any (must be cream, not gel)

Distress inkers: Mowed Lawn, Twisted Citron,

Crackling Campfire

The Greetery Crimped Frame Die

iCrafter mini brushes

Wink of Stella clear glitter pen

Lucy's Little Things Rainbow Jewels

PTI Terracotta Tile cardstock

Neenah Solar White 110# cardstock

Card Exchange: Stencils and Shaving Cream

I'm participating in another fun card exchange at Magenta. This time, it's done like a chain, so the person I send to isn't the same as who will send to me. I got Carole Dion to send to, and no pressure! She is one of the best in the Magenta DT, and also a friend.

Another friend of mine, Pam Nelson, has been experimenting with making videos of interesting art and craft techniques. One of them is a technique using shaving cream to make really interesting and beautiful backgrounds. You can see that video here. (Please remember to click "thumbs up" if you like it, and thanks so much

Pam recently thought of a new twist on the shaving cream technique, using stencils. She has done a post on that twist, and you can see her post here. I tried using her technique on this card, and while I didn't do as well at it as she did, I had fun!

To start with, I put some shaving cream on a cookie sheet and added drops of Distress re-inker. I used the new Crackling Campfire, Spiced Marmalade, Wild Honey, and Mustard Seed. I knew that I wanted to use the Maple Leaf Trio stencil from Magenta, so I was going with Fall colors.

I used a palette knife to move the colors around a bit. Does this look some kind of crazy dessert to anyone else?

I wanted to just make some backgrounds to start with, since I hadn't done this before. I placed a piece of cardstock on top and pressed it in well. I was using 110# Neenah Solar White.

This is what the panel looked like when I picked it up off of the shaving cream! 

After scraping off the shaving cream with a scraper, I was left with this really interesting background. I continued making background after background and became fascinated with this process. I didn't want to waste any of the shaving cream, and even the cream that I scraped off, I put back onto the pan and continued to use it. That resulted in panels that were a big more muted and blended, but also wonderful

I wanted to use a stencil in this technique as well, and I chose this one from Magenta

I had trouble getting a clear image of the maple leaves in the several times I tried. I thought maybe that it was that the leaves were too large to work, but later learned that this was just operator error! Be sure to check out Pam's post to see how she did this.

I ended up using the shaving cream like stencil paste. I put the stencil on my panel and put lots of the shaving cream on it, scraped it off the stencil, and leaf shaped piles of shaving cream were left when I pulled the stencil off. (I somehow did not end up with a picture of that, sorry)

I let the shaving cream sit on the panel for a bit, and then once I scraped it off, I was left with this. I blended some Wild Honey Distress ink onto the panel, and splattered it with gold Liquid Peerless watercolor. I was pretty happy with how it turned out in the end.

I stamped the sentiment, and die cut the panel with The Greetery Crimped Frame die. The panel was matted with So Silk Black Style cardstock and mounted to a base card. I added a few gems at the end.

This was a lot of fun, and bonus, the cards smell really good! I hope you'll give it a try.

Magenta Products used:

TM319 Maple Leaf Trio

07.969.F Have a Beautiful day!

Other Products used:

Any shaving cream (not gel)

Distress ink re-inkers: Crackling Campfire,

Spiced Marmalade, Wild Honey, Mustard Seed

Versafine Onyx Black ink

Peerless Liquid Gold watercolor

The Greetery Crimped Frame die set

Lucy's Little Things Rainbow Jewels

Neenah Solar White 110# cardstock

So Silk Black Style cardstock

Super Saturday at Magenta: Blended Distress Background

Hi! I'm over at the Magenta blog today and you can see that post here.

Awhile back I made a lot of masked blends using Distress Ink. I had lost my mojo and this activity helped me get it back. You can see that post here. I really have used a lot of the backgrounds I made that day, and this is one of them.

This is a very simple, almost one layer card. I made the blended circle using the Magenta MC27 Round Mask stencil  and 3 colors of Distress ink.

I used brushes to blend the colors, and then flicked a little water on it to add speckles. I stamped the Magenta Tranquil Buds stamp into the circle, and added the Thinking of you sentiment (from the Magenta Sally Penley Calligraphy collection), at the bottom using Versafine Onyx Black ink. I cut my panel with The Greetery Crimped Frame die and matted it with a panel of So Silk Black Style cardstock. I added a few gems from Lucy's Little Things Rainbow Jewels.

Here are the other round blends I made that day, and I also made many other blends using different stencils, which have all come in handy.

Magenta Products used:

MC27 Round Mask

42.093.M Tranquil Buds

07.982.E Thinking of you small

Other Products used:

Distress Inks: Spun Sugar;

Picked Raspberry; Festive Berries

The Greetery Crimped Frame die set

Versafine Onyx Black ink

Neenah Solar White 80# & 110# cardstock

So Silk Black Style cardstock

Rainbow Jewels  from Lucy's Little Things 

Magenta Super Saturday: Happy Birthday with Distress Blending

Hi I'm over at the Magenta blog today, and you can see that post here.  I very much felt like making a happy card today. I've been feeling a bit down lately, and bright happy colors cheer me up.

I made the background of this card by blending Distress Inks through the wonderful Square Silhouette stencil designed by Nathalie. I love the uneven edges of the stencil design.

After blending the colors, I flicked a little water all over the square to get this speckled look.

I then stamped the whimsical Graceful Tri-Petals stamp in Versamark over the panel, and embossed in gold. I decided to add more color to the petals with color pencils, and it was so easy and fast to do.

I chose out some pencils and made a quick swatch of them to find colors that would go well with the blends.

At the end, I stamped the Happy Birthday sentiment in Versamark ink and embossed with gold embossing powder. I cut the panel out with my current favorite edger, the Crimped Frame Die from The Greetery, and added 3 enamel dots.

I love how the gold embossing made it look.

I hope you enjoy! Stay safe out there everyone!

Magenta Products Used:

TM277 Square Silhouette

0810.P Graceful Tri-Petals

07.1028.D Happy Birthday

Other Products Used:

Distress Ink: Mustard Seed,

Candied Apple, Speckled Egg

Prismacolor Pencils: PC925 Crimson Lake,

PC930 Magenta, PC1003 Spanish Orange,

PC1032 Pumpkin Orange, PC1079 Blue Violet Lake,

PC1025 Periwinkle, PC912 Apple Green

Versarmark Ink

The Greetery Crimped Frame Die

Versamark Ink

Brutus Monroe Gilded Embossing Powder

PTI Terracotta Tile Cardstock

Neenah Solar White Cardstock 80# & 110#

Magenta Card Exchange: Canada

My second card exchange partner finally got her card today, and it took only a week and a half to get to Canada, the same as to the Netherlands. My card to my Netherlands exchange partner is posted here.

The only rule was to use Magenta stamps or products. My Canadian exchange partner is Christine Alexander, who is another Magenta Design Team member. She is amazing! Be sure to check out her blog here.

I started out by masking a 1" strip across the bottom 1/3 of the card for a sentiment. Then I stamped the beautiful Magenta Floral Background in Hero Arts Unicorn White ink.

I colored the petals and leaves with Prismacolor pencils, and then put the panel back into the stamp platform and stamped with Versamark ink. I embossed it with silver embossing powder.

At the end I stamped the Magenta hello stamp that was designed by Sally Penley, into the space left by the masking. I added a few gems.

The card I received from Christine was amazing! It was like a little book where she had stamped several panels. You can see the card she sent me on her blog here.

Magenta Products used:

14.660.R Floral Background

07.976.G hello!

Other Products used:

Prismacolor Pencils: PC992 Lt Aqua,

PC905 Aquamarine, PC105 Cobalt Turquoise,

PC912 Apple Green, PC1005 Limepeel

Versamark Ink

Hero Arts Unicorn White ink

JudiKins Detail silver embossing powder

Versafine Clair Warm Breeze ink

Strathmore Blue Tone Mixed Media cardstock

So Silk Glamour Green cardstock

Neenah Solar White 110# cardstock

Magenta Card Exchange: The Netherlands

My friend Mariëtte van Leeuwen, another Magenta DT member, had the great idea to start up a card exchange for those who love Magenta stamps. After calling for interested participants on FaceBook, she matched up partners to exchange cards. I was matched to one person in The Netherlands and one in Canada. I was afraid that my cards would take a really long time to get to The Netherlands especially. Lately it has taken my mail 6 weeks to two months to arrive in Iceland, and I thought it would be similar, but my card arrived to my partner Lizenka Schuijl Commandeur, in The Netherlands in only a week and a half.

This card was done by masking off a strip and blending Distress Ink, one of my favorite techniques. I then stamped the beautiful Clematis Vine stamp and embossed in gold. The hello stamp is from the Magenta Sally Penley collection. You can see other examples and more information using this technique here and here.

I had already received Lizenka's beautiful card days ago

by Lizenka Schuijl Commandeur

Magenta Products used:

09.230.N Clematis Vine

07.976.G hello!

Other Products used:

Distress ink: Wild Honey,

Rusty Hinge, Abandoned Coral

The Greetery Crimped Frame Die

So Silk Black Style cardstock

Neenah Solar White 80# & 110# cardstock

The Greetery Pinwheels and Distress Ink

Someone closest to me in this world is a friend I met in high school; and people, that was a very long time ago. I have known this person for nearly 56 years. We had just moved back to the states from Japan, and I was starting high school at a new school, in a new town, where I didn't know anyone. I met her in the girls bathroom, where we were both hiding during lunch. Who knew we would be friends for life? She is almost exactly a month older than I am, and I have spent a lifetime teasing her during that month about being old. Then it's my turn.

This birthday is a big one for both of us; and it had to be the Pandemic year that we turn 70! 

Here is another card I made for her a few years ago.

Can I just say that I love the products from The Greetery? Betsy Veldman's sense of design is amazing, and she really thinks of every little detail. The layering stencils that are part of this set are incredible...easy to use, festive and beautiful. I used Jennifer McGuire's technique of constructing a quick jig to make multiple panels. You can see her post here. 

I used Distress Inks in rainbow colors. You can use more than one color on each pinwheel, but I chose to use tone on tone, so each pinwheel is done in one color, but the second inking was a lighter application (I actually just used what was left on my brush from the first inking.

The stencil set has 4 layered stencils, plus some individual pinwheels and masks

Once I had inked a number of panels (so I have more for future use) I took one and cut it with the Greetery's Crimped Edge die. I can't stop using this die for the beautiful edge it gives to my panels.

Next, I got out an old die set that I have from PTI, which die cuts large numbers. I die cut the 70 from the panel and also from black craft foam, and popped it up in place. The sentiment is from another Greetery set called Birthday Blooms.

I sent her card a week ahead, so I hope it gets there in time. Either way, I'm sure we will be chatting on the phone or FaceTime on or near her birthday, as we do every year.

Products Used:

The Greetery GSTE-009 Pinwheel Party Stencil

The Greetery GS-18-015 Birthday Blooms Stamp Set

The Greetery GD-M-016 Crimped Frame Die Set

PTD-0341 By The Numbers Mats

Distress Ink: Abandoned Coral,

Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade,

Twisted Citron, Peacock Feathers,

Wilted Violet

Black Craft Foam

Neenah Solar White 80# & 110# cardstock

So Silk Black Style Cardstock

Gina K Jet Black Amalgam ink

Super Saturday at Magenta: Happy Zen Birthday

Hi! I'm over at the Magenta blog today and you can see that post here.

I think we can all agree that guy cards are the hardest to make. I learned this new technique called "reverse stenciling" from Rina and Gina Krupsky on a Gina K Designs video. You can see their video here.

Basically, it involves creating a background by blending inks onto a white piece of cardstock. You then apply black ink through your stencil. It's easy and really ingenious. I feel like this looks almost like a stamp. In reality it's a stencil from the Magenta Zen Trio stencil collection, inspired by some Zentangle patterns I drew for them.

I chose 3 colors of Distress ink to blend for this card. You can see that I wasn't too careful about blending perfectly; it really will not matter. I did splash some water droplets onto the panel.

I then taped the panel to the stencil and applied black ink using a blending brush. I used Versafine ink, and later on another card I tried Distress Black Soot (after a friend said that she had had success with the Distress ink). I admit that this part seemed a little messy to me and I had to use some of my spray alcohol to clean my stencils (especially with the Versafine) There is a resin in Versafine ink, and it did not want to clean off the stencil - even with soap and water. Alcohol worked fine to clean it.

Here's my finished background piece. I absolutely love how this turns out. I will do some more with other types of stencils. This one is perfect for a guy card, and will be for my 15 year old grandson. This technique will also work just fine for any kind of card you are making, depending on the stencil.

A tip is that if you choose a stencil with more plastic than openings, you will have a more colorful result. If you choose one with thin plastic lines and big openings, you will have a lot of black on your panel. I like the pretty, blended colors to show.

To finish my card, I cut a square of black cardstock and stamped the sentiment from the Magenta Wishing You Happy Birthday set with Versamark and embossed in white. I actually cut the Happy Birthday off the bottom of this stamp to use it separately. You can, of course still use the pieces together if you do this.

I die cut the panel with my new favorite, The Greetery Crimped Frame die, and mounted it onto a black mat panel and then onto a base card.

I attached the sentiment to mimic the diamond shape of the stencil pattern, and adhered it with foam tape to pop it up a little. I added 3 gems for just a bit of sparkle.

My grandsons are so sweet and always remark on my cards. On some recent cards, one of them said "Thanks for the Birthday cards. I like the art in the cards..." This one gets cards for life ;-)

Magenta Products Used:

TM54 Zen Trio

07.1034.I

Other Products Used:

Distress Ink: Fossilized Amber,

Mowed Lawn, Salty Ocean

Versafine ink

Blending brushes

The Greetery GD-M-016 Crimped Frame Die

Versamark ink

JudiKins Opaque White embossing powder

PTI True Black cardstock

Neenah Solar White 80# & 110# cardstock

Rainbow jewels from Lucy's Little Things

Happy Birthday Pam!

Today is my friend Pam's birthday, and I hope she is having a lovely day. To make her card, I used a stamp from Art Impressions Windows to the World collection. This one is called "With a Friend." It's perfect for Pam because she enjoys working in her amazingly beautiful garden, and she has some lovely kittie companions as well.

I stamped the image on watercolor cardstock, and colored the scene with Tombow markers. I pulled out the colors with a water brush. I love these stamps because they color up so quickly and easily.

I used a background that I had previously made. You can see that post here. I matted both the square and the background panels with PTI Terracotta Tile cardstock. I die cut the background with my new favorite die from The Greetery GD-M-016 Crimped Frame die.

Products Used:

Art Impressions Windows to the World stamp With a Friend

Various Tombow markers

Distress ink: Picked Raspberry, Wild Honey,

The Greetery GD-M-016 Crimped Frame die

Mustard Seed, Twisted Citron

Versafine Onyx Black ink

PTI Terracotta Tile cardstock

Strathmore watercolor cardstock

Neenah Solar White 80# & 110# cardstock