Thank you for
inviting me back as today’s Guest Designer! I want to share a card project that
was sparked by my friend Toni’s request for cards to send out through her
church’s Card Ministry.
I wanted to be able
to send her at least two dozen and I thought it would be a good idea to design
something that could be made with my favorite method: By the Batch. Once upon a
time I wrote a book with that title. It’s been discontinued but copies are
still floating around on eBay and Amazon. {Amazon.ca | Amazon.com}
The gist of it is this – Make lots of one-of-a-kind cards in
a series using the same supplies for all of them. I don’t enjoy producing
assembly-line duplicates and I find that with this method the more cards I make
the more I want to make because I keep getting new ideas as I go along. I love
lining them up while the inks dry – ‘show and tell’ with only me as the
audience! And it’s kind of like doubling or tripling the recipe when baking cookies:
There’s a bountiful outcome and only one mess to clean up!
I selected the beautiful and inspiring quote from Albert
Camus that Suzanne Cannon turned into an equally beautiful calligraphic stamp. The
stamp is called ‘In the Midst of Winter’ but I have dubbed these cards
‘Invincible Summer’ because that’s the part of the quote that warms my heart
most. Suzanne’s new Crackle Background stamp fit nicely with the direction I
wanted to take.
Crackle Background |
In the Midst of Winter |
I mixed in two of her new 4 Seasons dies for one of the
cards to show what can be done with some Shimmer Sheetz and a few extra minutes
of your time!
Do you have some corner edger scissors or corner punches
tucked away in your tool box? If so, put them to use for the triple-layer
background cards. Just a few seconds more and an extra half-sheet of cardstock for
this option.
INSTRUCTIONS
If you are an
experienced card maker, look through the photo gallery (scroll below), head straight to
the supply list and skip the instructions. Create your own versions of the
card, customize as you choose.
If you are a beginner,
follow the steps below. And remember, even if you are new to card making you
can still customize the project to suit your needs! Choose different inks,
different quotes and background stamps. Change to tent-fold cards or card bases
made from purchased patterned cardstock. It’s all in your hands. Trust your
eye. The worst thing that can happen is you waste a piece of cardstock now and
then.
(The instructions are long, but I didn’t want to miss a
single detail that a beginner might need!)
1. Lightly sponge several pieces of white cardstock with
teal ink. With the same ink, stamp the Camus quote many times. Be sure to leave
about an inch and a half between the impressions!
2. Make a batch of A2 size (4.5” x 5.5”) side-fold card
bases from the same white cardstock. Leave some of these white. Smudge the
others with teal and yellow inks, using a different sponge for each color.
Refer to the photos. Allow the colors to overlap here and there. Use circular
motions as well as long strokes. Create rays that radiate like the sun. Also, use
teal ink to randomly and imprecisely over-stamp with Crackle Background. TIP:
Apply uneven hand pressure and do not re-ink every time you use the crackle
pattern stamp. Second and third ‘ghost’ impressions add a terrific element of
surprise and a softer layer of color.
3. For triple-layer background cards: Smudge a few extra
pieces of white cardstock, stamp some with crackle pattern. Trim rectangles so
they will fit on card front when layered, cut corners with decorative scissors
or use corner punches. Center two contrasting rectangles onto card base.
4. Back pieces of Turquoise Gemstone and Yellow Iridescent
Shimmer Sheetz with Clear Double Sided Adhesive Sheet and die cut the word
Winter from Turquoise and the word Summer from Yellow. Reminder: You MUST use a
metal adaptor plate or the Sizzix Big Shot with Precision Base Plate to die cut
Shimmer Sheetz. Review Els van de Burgt’s video tutorial HERE if you are new to this
technique. Go straight to step 7 to
complete the card that uses Shimmer Sheetz words.
5. Tear the stamped quotes around all four edges, or leave a
90-degree angle corner at the top as shown on two of the samples. Smudge a bit
of yellow ink over the words Invincible Summer to give the feel of sunshine.
Attach a quote to each of the card fronts. TIP: To create a white edge, tear
the cardstock toward you. To create a blue edge, tear the cardstock away from
you.
6. Accent with simple embellishments: Glitter Dots in Gold
or Turquoise, or a mix of the two; or add dimensional dots or brads. Refer to
the photos for ideas on where to place them.
7. To complete Card 1 with die cut Shimmer Sheetz ‘Winter’
and ‘Summer’: Choose a card base that has teal ink toward the top, yellow ink
toward the bottom, and yellow ink around the outside edges. Cut apart the lines
within the quote and glue them in place as follows – ‘In the midst of’ above
the word Winter, followed by the three lines that say ‘I found there was,’ and
‘within me, an’ and ‘invincible’ (allowing the flourish at the end of the word
Winter to overlap right after the comma on the first of these three lines. Then
add the word Summer and the ‘Camus’ attribution (allowing the flourish below
Summer to overlap the cardstock with Camus’ name).
Card 1 Design
Strategies to Notice:
The first strip and the last strip are both ½” high, while
the three strips at the center are much thinner. The top strip is taller by
necessity because of the flourish above the ‘d’ but the final strip with only
the word ‘Camus’ on it is taller so that the card has some visual ‘weight’
toward the bottom! This is intentional, not something random. My goal was to
keep the eye moving through the words. And the line spacing is uneven by
intention. That also helps the eye keep moving.
CARD GALLERY (click on the image to see it enlarged)
SUPPLY LIST
Quietfire Design –
A Way With Words 4 Seasons die set Quietfire Site | Elizabeth Craft Designs Site
Shimmer Sheetz in Turquoise Gemstone
Shimmer Sheetz in Yellow Iridescent
Clear Double Sided Adhesive Sheet
Glitter Dots Peel-offs in Turquoise/Silver and Gold/Silver
3 comments:
very nice. Love the one with the 2 dies. Have a great day
Oh, they are even more beautiful in person! Don't you just love that quote?!
Toni
Oh, my goodness.......I LOVE LOVE LOVE these!!! Thank you for sharing your "By the Batch" helpful tips and techniques! Like you, I find making identical cards boring, but making a series like this is super-fun. These are incredibly beautiful!! Had to PIN!!
<3 J
jwoolbright at gmail dot com
HerPeacefulGarden.blogspot.com
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