SPOTLIGHTING TECHNIQUE TUTORIAL

A couple days ago I introduced you to the Spotlighting Technique by showing you the collaborative effort between my granddaughter, Stella, and me. Remember?

Hi Stella!

In that post, I promised that I would treat you to a tutorial on how to do this cool technique.

The photo below shows the card featuring the Spotlighting Technique that my Stamp-In girls re-created at my workshop last Monday.

This photo shows a closeup of how you mesh the spotlighted <colored> portion 

with the original <uncolored> portion.

 Once again, the whole perspective of the Spotlighting Technique on the card:

I had the girls use a combination of the Watercolor Pencils with an Aqua Painter to colorize the spotlighted portion.

I must point out that looking at my coloring at closer than normal range is akin to looking at an Impressionist painting close-up. In fact, the photo below shows a close up and personal view of one of Claude Monet's paintings. Doesn't look like too much, eh? 

 And, now mine, close up and personal: Doesn't look like too much, eh? 

As promised, here is the tutorial for the Spotlighting Technique (in fact, the tutorial for this card!): Enjoy!

SUPPLIES:

Happy Birthday Gorgeous stamp set (page 77 of the new catalog)

You've Got This (page 101 of the new catalog)

Crumb Cake cardstock

Real Red cardstock

Whisper White cardstock

Red/Pink Striped DSP

Black Memento Ink

Watercolor Pencils

Aqua Painter

Red Dots (I made these and dried them with red Enamel Accents by Ranger)

Stampin' Dimensionals

INSTRUCTIONS:

Fold a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" piece of Crumb Cake cardstock in half, creasing it well with a bone folder.

In black ink, stamp the flower image centered on a 3" x 4" piece of Crumb Cake cardstock.

Stamp just the lower right portion of the flower itself onto a 1 3/4" x 1 3/4" piece of Whisper White cardstock. Using an Aqua Painter and your choice of Watercolor Pencils, color the flower on the white as you wish. Mount this piece onto a 1 7/8" square of Real Red cardstock. Add a few Stampin' Dimensionals to the back of this piece, and matching up the flower lines, adhere it over the uncolored image.

Mount this entire piece to a 3 1/8" x 4 1/8" piece of Real Red cardstock and adhere it to the card base with equal margins at the right and top.

In black ink, stamp the sentiment onto a 3/4" x 3" piece of Whisper White cardstock. Add two of the homemade red dots alongside the words. Adhere this to a 3 1/8" x 7/8" piece of Real Red cardstock. Use a few Dimensionals to add it to the bottom of the card.

Finish off with a 3/4" x 5 1/2" strip of striped Designer Series Paper.

Spotlighted

Smiles.

COLLABORATION SPOTLIGHT

Are you familiar with the Spotlighting Technique? There are several different paths you can take to do the spotlighting. But one way is to stamp a larger image, stamp part of it again on a piece of white cardstock, color this smaller piece, mat it in a narrow mat, then apply it over the same portion of the original inked image. Got that?? 

When the girls came to my Stamp-In Workshop this past Monday, one of their creations was a spotlighting card. I will share that card, complete with tutorial, in my next blog post.

Anyway, Stella, my precious 9-year-old granddaughter, came for a brief visit with her mom, dad and dog, Chloe. I showed her the four cards that would be made at the workshop two days hence, and she liked the spotlighting one, so we decided to collaborate on one for her to take home.

And here is the result:

Using the cute stamp set, From the Herd, Stella did all the stamping and the coloring of the spotlighted piece using Stampin' Write Markers. She also chose the color scheme and the portion of the image that would be spotlighted. My part in this collaboration was cutting and gluing. 

 I love how she colored her spotlighted portion. We decided to add googly eyes to the pig's face.

Spotlighted

Smiles.

SOFT BLUE HYDRANGEA

While this card was quite fun to make, it was another story entirely when it came to photographing it. Difficult to say the least. Impossible to capture its ethereal beauty. The photo below is the best one I managed to take of the full card.

Recently I had shared a post with you in which the card I created was done with the Floating Reinker Technique.

This time though I decided to come at it from a slightly different angle. Usually when doing this technique, it is done on Shimmery White Cardstock. With Stampin' Up! reintroducing their Glossy Card Stock (page 194 of the new big catalog), I wanted to give that a try.

 To reiterate how to do the Floating Reinker Technique, you need a stamp that has "compartments", such as the poof of hydrangea blossoms I used in this card. Stamp the image in VersaMark ink, spritz with water and use an Aqua Painter to drop reinkers onto the watery surface, allowing the inks to move and blend. 

I used three reinkers, a blue, a turquoise and a soft purple, on the flower portion, and two greens for the stem and leaves.

The glossy cardstock turned out to be something of a disappointment -- at least, in comparison to the Shimmery White Paper. The paper didn't become quite saturated enough with the inks. So, the end result was a bit too pale and unassuming.

 After the inks had dried, I fussy cut the flower and put the card together. In keeping with the softness of the overall composition, I used a bit of vellum with handwriting on it as the basis for the flower.

I am not exaggerating when I say that I actually tied eight different bows from varying ribbons. None were quite right. Finally, I hit upon this softly dotted ribbon that looked beautiful when added to the stem with a Mini Glue Dot.

The photo below shows the detail of the flower a bit better.

Give the Floating Reinker Technique a try with glossy cardstock. I'd like to know what kind of results you get, and if you are satisfied with the look. 

Soft

Smiles.

FRILLY ANNIVERSARY HEART

As implied in my last blog post, this past Friday, June 2, my husband and I celebrated 44 years of married life together. Although the days preceding our anniversary were filled with sorrowful thoughts and lots of tears, I forced myself to create for my husband a frilly card of love. Call it Creative Therapy if you will.

Using the Bloomin' Hearts Thinlits (page 215 of the new catalog), I made a frilly romantic heart from a piece of beautiful printed vellum. You see, my bridesmaids' dresses were orange (yes, we got married in 1973, and that was an IN color!). So, often when I create my husband's anniversary card, I reach for an orange tone.

After I'd die cut the heart, I placed it atop a piece of Whisper White cardstock, trimming around the edges and leaving a simple white border.

Using Stampin' Dimensionals on the heart itself as well as on the banner sentiment makes the focal point stand out more and adds wanted dimension.

I must admit that, by the time I was able to take the photos of the card, it wasn't in the best shape. You see, I had presented it to my husband at the hotel the morning of my dad's funeral. Apparently, he put it in his luggage not too carefully. It is, unfortunately, a bit smooshed and "loved" looking. 

Even though I used a piece of Designer Series Paper for the background, which would have been lovely on its own, I decided to add a bit more interest to it by embossing in white circles from the Playful Backgrounds set (page 150).

To match the DSP background of the card, I incorporated the same paper for the sentiment banner.

Because my finished card ended up measuring a nontraditional 5 1/4" x 5 1/4", it would not, of course, fit within a traditional-sized envelope. So, I turned to my trusty Envelope Punch Board to create a  custom envelope for the card using the same Designer Series Paper.

Frilly

Smiles.

SUNSET ON A BITTERSWEET DAY

It was a glorious sunset

the evening of June second.

A fitting end to a

bittersweet day.

Forty-four years ago today

my dad walked me 

down the aisle.

To become a bride.

Today I walked my dad

up the aisle.

To become an angel.

Rest in peace, my dad,

heaven's newest angel.

Bittersweet

Smiles.