Saturday 6 September 2014

Peace

Like many card makers, I've begun my Christmas cards. This first set has come about for a couple of reasons ...

Firstly, 'Peace' is really the message I want to send out this Christmas, and the design I've started with has  a lot of dark and also some light, fitting with the turmoil the world is currently undergoing, but overall sending a message of Peace and Hope.

Secondly, yesterday I was trying to heat emboss the raised surfaces of an embossed panel, but had no luck at all. I finished up with big, chunky, blocky sections of silver, but they were too pretty to toss, so I've added stencilling, and stamping in very dark shades to try and give some balance.

Despite the gold-look in this one, the embossing is silver.

The name of this lovely, graceful Embossing  Folder is 'Waterfall' by Couture Creations. First I sponged using Distress 'Broken China'. I love this colour, especially for skies.


Next, more sponging with Memento 'Nautical Blue'. This is the first time I've used this shade, and I love it. 


To darken the blue shading even further, and to add some visual texture, I stamped with my SU 'En Francais' stamp ~ but any script stamp would do. I also sponged the colour [Archival 'Cobalt'], through a couple of sheets I had left over from hole punching and from cutting out some stamens from the Heartfelt Creations 'Aster' die set. A snowflake stamp would be good here, but I had this on my table and thought it worked well. The big blocky chunks of silver are actually starting to look as if they belong!

I trimmed a piece of navy card to matt my main image, but it wasn't the right shade ~ too purpley. All I had though, and black looked wrong.

A heavy sponging with the 'Nautical Blue' fixed the problem.

I used the 'Peace' stamp from this set for the sentiment, and stamped it onto a small label that I'd die-cut ages ago using the Card Creator A2 'Distressed Edges' set, but any tag would do, or a hand-cut one ... the white tag was sponged on the edges with 'Nautical Blue' and matted onto a small piece of the navy card, just the cut-off end of the piece I used to matt the main panel.

These doves are a die set by Memory Box, called 'Peace Doves'. It comes as a set of two. I sponged the edges to give the illusion of shape.


And here are the three cards I came up with ... all the same, but all a little different. I may go back and add some more text to the one on the right, but other than that I'm fairly happy, and really glad I didn't  toss the panels yesterday!

10 comments:

  1. These are lovely, the doves look as though they are flying through waterfalls...xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Fiona! Yes, it's a pretty embossing folder this one!! How are you?

    ReplyDelete
  3. These are gorgeous! I love all the texture and patterns you added. You've created a beautiful backdrop for your doves and sentiment. I really love your step by step tutorial. You turned your "mistake" into a masterpiece!! Great wish for peace as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lisa, thank you so much. It was good to be able to repurpose the mistake, but I do need to work on my embossing skills!! Thank you for taking the time to leave me such a lovely comment!

      Delete
  4. These cards are so beautiful! Love the colors you chose for them too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Verna, Thank you so much for finding my blog and visiting. Yes, I like blue and silver too. I have a few more of these I'd like to do, but I've been side-tracked caring for a baby magpie!

      Delete
  5. You make such beautiful cards! I had to return the favor and pop on by! Love your photo tutorials too! I am also an avid sea glass collector, can't get enough of the stuff, love photography--on an amateur level and love beading and card making. Soul Sisters On Opposite Seas lol

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks so much Donna, for visiting my blog and leaving me a comment. Yes, amazing to have such similar interests .. one of which is pretty unusual, here is Australia anyway. Are you a member of either seaglasslovers.ning or seaglassartistsandcollectors.ning? Thank again again, for your kind comments.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Amazing cards, Virginia, and absolutely love that you've shared your process!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cheryl, thank you so much. As you can see, they are pretty easy. All these techniques are really basic. I think it's that 'Waterfall' EF that gives this card a bit of a special look. [Not saying it is, just that I like the folder.]

      Delete