April 11, 2015

SHOREBIRDS WITH SQUIGGLES

Here is a card, using the beautiful stamp set, Wetlands, that is lots of fun to make. Just be careful that you don't get entangled in the weeds!


See the weeds that I'm referring to? Aren't they cute and squiggly? I'm sure some of you already know how they are created. But, for those who don't, can you guess? 

Simple! You twist and turn rubbers bands onto a brayer roller, ink it up, and roll across your background. Instant weeds! 


I will divulge to you in the instructions to follow how to create your own faux brads as shown below:


If you'd like to try your hand at a card similar to this, here's how:

Supplies:
Wetlands stamp set
Hearts A Flutter stamp set

Naturals Ivory cardstock
Pool Party cardstock
Soft Suede cardstock

Early Espresso ink
Soft Suede ink
Pool Party ink

Brayer (I used the acrylic roller attachment. If you use the rubber attachment, remove the rubber bands as soon as you finish your background. Otherwise, you will have permanent dents. Yuk.)
Rubber Bands (EXPERIMENT WITH VARYING THICKNESSES FOR A COOL EFFECT.)
Stampin' Sponge
Heat Tool
Pewter Embossing Powder
Paper Punch
Stampin' Pierce Mat
Paper Piercing Tool
Essentials Paper Percing Pack
Big Shot
Hearts A Flutter Framelits
Ovals Collection Framelits
Apothecary Accents Framelits
Stampin' Dimensionals
Glue Dots
Large Oval Punch

Directions:
Fold a half sheet of Pool Party cardstock in half, creasing well with a bone folder.

Twist several rubber bands onto the roller of a brayer, spacing them haphazardly, but equally. (Do a few practice rolls on scrap paper to make sure you like the pattern your rubber band placement makes,) Run the rubber-banded brayer through the Pool Party ink several times and roll it up a 4" x 5 1/4" piece of Naturals Ivory cardstock. Continue this process until you are satisfied with your background. Sponge all edges of this piece with Soft Suede ink.

From Soft Suede cardstock, use the Apothecary Accents Framelits to cut the largest label in your Big Shot. Use the Piercing Tool on the Stampin' Pierce Mat and the Essentials Paper Piercing Pack to pierce the edges of this piece. 

On a scrap of Soft Suede cardstock, stamp the lined banner from the Hearts A Flutter stamp set. Cut this out with the Big Shot and the appropriate Hearts A Flutter Framelit. Adhere to the bottom of the large label, letting the two tail ends stick out.

On Pool Party cardstock, stamp the shorebirds in Early Espresso ink. Cut this piece out with the appropriately-sized Framelit from the Ovals Collection with the Big Shot. Sponge the lower portion of this piece with Soft Suede ink.

Cut the last frame from the Apothecary Accents from Pool Party cardstock. Sponge the edges with Soft Suede. Cut this piece in half, and adhere each half to the sides of the oval. Adhere this portion to the large brown label.

On a scrap of Pool Party cardstock, stamp the sentiment in Early Espresso ink. Punch this out with the Large Oval Punch. Sponge the edges with Soft Suede ink. Adhere this label to the larger oval with two pieces of Stampin' Dimensionals.

TO MAKE THE FAUX BRADS: Apply VersaMark Ink directly to a scrap of Soft Suede cardstock. Cover this with Pewter Embossing Powder. (I realize this embossing powder is retired [SOB!], but I'm hoping everyone stocked up on it while it was still available like I did.) Heat to emboss. Once this has cooled, use a paper punch to punch out five "brads". Attach to the upper right portion o the bird oval with Glue Dots.

NOTE: Keep this embossed piece so you can make further faux brads for other projects!

You do not have to add these brads. But, I have to admit that after I had "finished" this card, sans brads, I was truly disappointed with how empty it looked. So, after exploring several options, this is what I came up with, and with the addition of these faux brads, I consider the card quite finished and very satisfying. What is your opinion?

Squiggly
Smiles.



13 comments:

  1. So cute! Love anything with birds, ducks, chickens...

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  2. Lovely work :)

    Thanks for sharing at Creative Mondays..

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  3. SO cute! I totally love this! Very spring-like!

    Thanks for joining the Link Up this week!

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  4. I love your card. The brads really add to it.

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  5. So cute! Your stuff just makes me happy :)
    Thanks for sharing!
    Karen

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    Replies
    1. Oh my, Karen. YOU just make me happy! Thank you. :>)

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  6. wooow...pretty neat! Love the color and the design. This is one pretty card indeed..Cheers..

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  7. You are so talented...i love to see what ideas you will bring to the Thursday Blog Hop every week!

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  8. Adorable! Thanks for the instructions & for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty :)

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  9. Excited to feature you at A Little Bird Told Me Link Party!

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  10. Thanks for sharing on My 2 Favorite Things on Thursday - Link Party!! I hope to see you again tomorrow ... I love having you!! Pinned!

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  11. Thank you for sharing your post recently at Brag About It Link Party on VMG206. I'm hosting a Series in June "30 Days of Summer" and I 'd love to feature you!
    To participate, please email me your post (with an introduction and link back to your site) at vmg206 at gmail. I hope you join us!
    ~ Megin of VMG206

    ReplyDelete