Trena's Creative Space

Bunch Like You using a Resist technique & New Release at SI

This month, the Sunday Design Team is featuring at least one project that uses a resist technique.  I made this simple, yet colorful, ATC to highlight the lovely flowers in this new set.

Check out all the new sets this month. Click here!

1. Use make-up sponge to randomly smear ink colors over white card stock.
2. Ink up flower image with VersaMark and stamp, add clear embossing powder and heat set.
3. Brayer lilac ink over whole ATC. Do not cover completely. Allow some of the multi-colors to show through.
4. With clean paper towel, rub ink off embossed flower. 
5. Stamp sentiment on pink card stock with VersaMark, sprinkle with black embossing powder and heat set.  Cut out with die cut shape.
6. Ink flower image with pink and lilac ink pads, stamp on scrap white card stock. Cut out flower for embellishment.
7. Adhere sentiment die cut over ATC and add flower embellishment.

Stamps: Best of Dee Gruenig Greetings 2 ATC, Best of Dee Gruenig Japanese (NEW!)
Paper: Stampin' Up! whisper white, pink passion
Inks: Stampin' Up! pink passion, green galore, lovely lilac, Memento Tuxedo Black ink, VersaMark watermark stamp pad

Accessories: Stampin' Up! clear & detail black embossing powder, brayer, make-up sponge,  Nestabilities die cut, heat tool

Take care and STAY POSITIVE!

Trena

Japanese Swan on an Ocean of Polished Stone

More images from one of Dee's new sets coming out August 15th!   Our design team is now having monthly technique challenges. We are just finishing up a challenge with polish stone.  For August our technique is any type of resist.  Please come back and visit this month to see projects with resist. Also, for more ideas hop over and visit the Sunday International Design Team projects at  - click here!

1. Saturate a large cotton ball with alcohol (very moist, not dripping). Squeeze three drops of each color re-inker onto the cotton ball randomly. Squeeze two drops of the silver re-inker, apart from each other. Dab the cotton ball randomly around the glossy card stock. The alcohol makes the ink spread. If there’s too much ink in one spot, dab over the spot again to spread the ink. Dab over areas until you get the effect you want.  Tip: Because a little goes a long way, use at least a 5 ½” x 8 ½” sheet of card stock at a time. If you dab too much, you’ll get a big blob.
2. When using metallic inks with this technique, a fixative is needed to set the ink completely. Spray a fixative lightly over the cardstock.  Allow several minutes to dry.
3. Ink image with craft ink and stamp onto glossy card stock. Sprinkle on embossing powder and heat set.
4. Cut out image. Use craft knife to get under his chin. Set aside.
5. Brayer the top 3/4 of the vellum ATC with blue lightly. Start brayer off the top edge of the ATC and gradually come in with the ink. Check out more on this cool brayering technique from Michelle, here. Repeat two to three times. Create clouds with the template, finger sponge dauber, and blue ink.
6. Cut polish stone piece of cardstock to a size of 1” x 3 ½”. Tear along the long edge to create the look of water waves.  Rub the torn edge on the blue ink pad.
7. Place swan image on ATC and adhere down. Adhere wave over swan, aligning with the bottom of the card.
8. Use silver leafing pen to draw a boarder around the ATC. Tip:  Lay card flat on scrap paper. Make sure the leafing pen tip is saturated with paint and slowly run the pen around the card with part on the paper and part on card. The more you have on the card, the wider the boarder will be.  Allow to dry.
9. For sentiment, use Post-It Notes to cover areas of image that are not to be inked, so the just the word “Wonderful” can be inked. Ink up with VersaFine ink pad. Remove Post-It Notes around the word and stamp on illustration board.

Stamps: Best of Dee Gruenig Greetings 2 ATC, Best of Dee Gruenig Japanese ATC [to be released 8/15/09]
Paper: Strathmore Bristol vellum ATC, Stampin’ Up! glossy card stock
Inks: Stampin' Up!brocade blue ink pad & re-inker, basic black craft ink pad, night of navy re-inker, almost amethyst re-inker; Tsukineko ultimate metallic re-inker silver, VersaFine onyx black ink pad

Accessories: alcohol and cotton ball, hair spray (as fixative), Krylon silver leafing pen, Quickie Glue pen, Stampin’ Up! finger sponge dauber, Stampin’ Up! cloud template (retired) and detail black emboss powder, craft knife, 2” brayer, Post-it notes

Take care and STAY POSITIVE!

Trena

Photos From the ATC Fun

In addition to trading cards each month, one of our members shares a technique. I missed the demo last  month and I was so disappointed.  Sandy demo'd a cool background painting technique.  She has some photos on her blog of the fun I missed.   This month Kimberly showed us Sumi-e painting. She made it look so easy. That's Kimberly to the left teaching us with brush in hand. Below are some photos of all the fun we had and the ATC I traded with her - you can see how lovely she paints.  I'm going to practice and make some Sumi-e ATCs for next month's trade.  Check out all the cool art supplies in the background of the photos. It's so much fun meeting at Dick Blick's!!

     

      

      

Take care and STAY POSITIVE!

Trena

Time for My ATC Group!!

  

Here are the cards I made this month. I did more painting than stamping this month. It was fun!! Sometimes that 2 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches is not enough room. :o)

I took photos at this month's meeting. I'll post with in the next couple of days.

Take care and STAY POSITIVE!

Trena

The ATC Live Trade was Fun!!

Last weekend I attended my very first ATC Live Trade and I had a ball!! The group is super - talented, sharing, fun, and just a lovely group of people. The time flew by. We laughed and laughed, and giggled. The manager had nerve enough to put us at the front of the store. :o)

I've added my new art sisters to Sites that I'm Inspired By... on my side bar. Please go check them out!!

My first ATC Trading Group!

 

I joined a local ATC Trading Group! I think it will be fun and also help me expand my artistic skills. Sharing a picture of my first batch of ATCs I'm taking (if you visit my blog, some will look familiar to you :o)). Today is my first meeting, but I have exchanged email, visited blogs,  and talked with some of the group. They a fun, talented group.  I hope someone will want to trade with me!!

Take care and STAY POSITIVE!

Trena

New ATC Stamps from Sunday International!

 

   

Sunday International will be launching a new stamp series later this month....it's the Best of Dee Gruenig, ATC size stamps!! I am so excited. I really, really dig the the bold design of Dee's images and am looking forward to the smaller versions for ATCs and all the "posh-abilities" [as Dee says :o)] of using the various size images.

1. I started with the envelop. I used the brayer to color in the sky first and then masked a line for the water level and brayered the water.
2. I colored the hippo image with a gray marker and added a little black around the edges and stamped him under water.  I added his eyes and eye brows with  the fine tip of the LaPlumeII marker.  I added some underwater plants (on the front and back) and sponged the the lower part of the card to make it look like the water's bottom.
3. I then brayered the water again to make him look under water and added a few bubbles with the fine tip of the LaPlumeII marker.
4. For the ATC, I used the brayer to color in the sky first and then sponged the greens from the caribbean blox for the grass.
5. I then stamped some plants and a tree for the background - stamping off on scrap paper first and then onto the ATC. I wanted to make them look they were behind the animals - less vivid.  I used the blending blox for the plants and markers for the tree.
6. For the animals, I used markers directly on the images, blending at least two colors on the stamp for depth and interest.  I stamped them onto glossy stick paper. I also stamped some plants using the blending blox.
7. I cut out the images and layered them onto the ATC.

 

Excerpt compliments of Posh Impressions April 24th Newsletter

Sunday International is working hard to present a series of special sets called The Best of Dee Gruenig. Twelve sets will be introduced as the first collection with six pairs of small sets that work well together. They will feature the following three special changes.

 Change #1 - Offered on sheets of rubber to save you money, you can mount them on cushions for use with acrylic see-through mounts. They are also available as ready to use stamps mounted on the fabulous EZ Mount cushion. You can now get them both ways.

Change #2- All images are reduced in size to be used for ATCs, inchies and other smaller projects. They also provide size variation for use with Dee’s usual larger images.

Change #3 - Where appropriate, images normally facing in one direction have been reversed for additional variation and combining when stamping.

Expect them in May and please tell your friends about including mentioning in your chats, forums and clubs.

Stamps: NEW! coming soon Jr. Jungle ATC-Best of Dee Gruenig Collection
Paper: ATC envelop, Crack N' Peel Glossy Sticker Paper, Strathmore Artist Trading Cards-Bristol Vellum
Inks: Stampin' Up! cool caribbean, ballet blue, Marvy Blending Blox shades of caribbean
Accessories: Marvy Brush Art Markers 1, 12, Marvy LaPlumeII 1, 4, 10, 11, 13 18, 29, 46, sponge

Take care and STAY POSITIVE!

Trena

I Love Coloring!

[May 10: Updated to include photos of Copic colors used]

One of my favorite techniques is coloring!  One of my favorite mediums to color with is Copic markers! The Rubbernecker challenge this week is to create something with "your favorite technique."  Also this week, Marianne asked about any experience we've had using Strathmore papers.  I did some coloring on one of the papers she recommended to see what it was like.   I liked coloring on the Vellum. I found it easy to blend and easy to erase - two important things! :o) 

1. Stamped image onto ATC
2. Colored with markers, starting with lightest color and coming back with darker color to show contrast. Then going back again with lighter color to blend.
3. I used the colorless marker (0) to really lighten some areas.
4. I colored her hair black, then went back with the colorless marker in small circles to give a little texture.
5. I used a glitter pen on her necklace and belt to add a little bling.
6. Assembled card and added Dew Drops.

1. Stamped image onto ATC
2. Colored with markers, starting with yellows - lightest shade first and coming back with darker color to show contrast. Then going back again with lighter color to blend.
   
3. I used the stamp as my guide for shading and put the darker colors where the hatches were on the image.
4. I used a glitter pen on one side of the flower pedals.
5. Colored the background by putting down the blue marker on my nonstick mat and picking it up with the colorless blender to give a really subtle background.

Stamps: Rubbernecker
Paper: Strathmore Artist Trading Cards Assorted Pack (Vellum Bristol sheets), A Muse Card, Stampin' Up! basic black
Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Accessories: Copic Markers, atyou Spica glitter pen, Dew Drops

Take care and STAY POSITIVE!

Trena