More Sizzix Bell Jar Cards - Christmas

In a recent post, Tim Holtz Halloween Bell Jar cards, I showed you some super fun Halloween cards I created in a Sandy Brien class at the Stamp Art Shoppe last fall.  Here are some more amazing holiday cards created in the same class. Sandy's card designs are always so beautiful and having her as an instructor is such a treat.

I remember being delighted with how these cards turned out and thinking I would make some for other occasions during the year.  Well, it's a year later and let's just say I'm glad I saved the directions. 

Want to create some of these darling holiday scenes for yourself?  Here's some of the things we used.

        Card Base: 10" x 7"

        Large Layer (Patterned Paper) 4 3/4 x 6 3/4

        Small Layer (Solid) 4 1/4 " x 6  1/4"

        Design Layer: 4" x 6"

        Cardstock for scene die cuts

        Transparency scrap for Bell Jar

        Sentiment stamps

        Sizzix Bell Jar die 658244

        Christmas dies from Impression Obsession and Memory Box

        White embossing powder

        Versamark pen

        Distress Inks

        Gems, stickers

The snow on the pine trees is made by inking the die cut tree with Versamark and then embossing with white embossing powder.

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and create something fabulous.

Nancy

        

Sizzix Tim Holtz Bell Jar Halloween Cards - 2016 Stamp Art Shoppe Class Flashback

While searching through my "Big Box O' Halloween Stuff" for some inspiration and supplies, I was excited to find these fun cards that I made in a class at the Stamp Art Shoppe last year.  Our amazingly talented teacher, Sandy Brien, showed us how to use the Sizzix Bell Jar die with acetate to give a realistic-ish glass jar look.  She instructed us to temporarily center the bell jar transparency on our paper and carefully sponge around the edge with distress ink to make the jar look lighter. We then cleaned and dried the transparency and adhered it to the pedestal after creating our scene.  I had forgotten how cute these cards turned out.  

The ghosts, pumpkins, bats, grass and scene dies are all from Impression Obsession. The leaves were made with punches.  The fabulous bell jar die is Sizzix Bell Jar 658244, which I've seen on Amazon recently.  I have a similar Sizzix Snow Globe die with a Christmas scene that I can't wait to use with this same process. 

Sadly, the Stamp Art Shoppe closed earlier this year, but Sandy still comes to town to teach classes about once a month.  I always look forward to being enlightened by her mad skills and talent.

Thanks for visiting. 

Go forth and be fabulous.

Nancy

Brushless Watercolor Class - Tim Holtz Distress Markers

A while ago I took an amazing class from Susan Porter, one of my favorite artists, and I'm just getting around to posting the four lovely cards we created.  The brushless watercolor technique has been around for a while and is relatively easy with beautiful results.  The background in each of these cards uses a little different technique. For this card, I used Milled Lavender and Dusty Concord distress markers to color the flowers directly onto the stamp and Peeled Paint and Forest Moss to color the leaves and stems.  After coloring the stamp, I spritzed it with water using a fine mist spray bottle and used gentle pressure to stamp the image onto watercolor paper.  I added Distress Stickles in Dusty Concord to the centers of the flowers and Peeled Paint Distress Stickles to the leaves.

The second card was stamped on Mattekote stamping paper. I colored the flowers with Picked Raspberry and Seedless Preserves distress markers, the flower centers with Scattered Straw and Wild Honey, and the leaves and stems with Peeled Paint and Forest Moss. I spritzed with a fine mist before stamping. The result was a little less textured than the watercolor paper, but just as pretty, I think. 

The third flower has a pallet painted background. I scribbled Scattered Straw onto an acrylic block and spritzed with a fine mist.  On watercolor paper, I used a large flat wet paint brush to paint the rectangular area I wanted for my flower background.  Using the same brush, I picked up the diluted Scattered Straw distress ink from my acrylic block palette and painted in my defined rectangle.  I dried this area with a heat gun and then stamped my image using the brushless watercolor technique.

My final (and favorite) card has a  resist block stamped background.  I embossed the image of the tall foliage on watercolor paper with white embossing powder.   I colored the surface of a 3" x 5" acrylic block with Shabby Shutters and Peeled Paint distress markers.  With the block facing up on my table, I spritzed with water and let the colors run together.  I carefully flipped the block over  and pressed it onto my watercolor paper. I dried it with a heat gun and then stamped my image using the brushless watercolor technique.  

I always forget how fun and easy this technique is.  Have you tried it? You absolutely should!

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and be fabulous.

Nancy