OSW Tutorial Series, Part 6

I have one more OSW card for you today and it's a Fall card.  Right now, it's that crazy time of the crafting year when you switch back and forth between seasons and holidays and it's all just plain fun.

I got to thinking that, especially with Christmas card-making time fast approaching, let's get even more bang for our buck and cut a 12 X 12" sheet of DSP into 1" strips.  Now, you can use them for 24 cards!  That's a big deal when you're making a bunch for Christmas.  You'll also have 12 (1") squares left over.  These can come in handy for cute little accents on other cards or for scrapbook pages.

This card has a top layer that is embossed and then gently sponged in random places to highlight the 'brick' wall look from the embossing.  I attached this layer with dimensionals.

The leaves are heat embossed with Gold EP and then cut with our framelits.  I added a sprig of linen thread to tie it all together.  This card is a good example of how a 1" strip can work nicely to highlight a card design.  You wouldn't want a larger strip because it would fight with the leaves and it would cover up too much of the embossed layer beneath it.  I really like how this one turned out.

For more ideas... 
          click here to check out my Pinterest board.

I hope you enjoyed my little Tutorial Series.  By now, you should be totally inspired to make some OSW cards of your own. 

- Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world. 

- Click on the tab at the top of the page to see my class schedules and registration policies or look on the left for sneak peeks. 

- Come back soon and come back often for more creative inspiration.

OSW Tutorial Series, Part 5

For today's OSW card, I have another Christmas card for you.  This one uses DSP from one of our 6 X 6" Paper Stacks.  With a couple of simple cuts, you can really get a lot of cards from a Paper Stack. 

This is cut from our Merry Moments Paper Stack.  It is full of great DSP for Christmas.  However, many of the papers could be used after is Christmas is over, as well.
Tips:
Cut the 1/2" strip off the top of the sheet first.
Then cut the sheet in half.
Notice that I've used the 1/2" scrap for part of my card.  I just turned it over to the reverse side.

I also added a tiny sliver of Silver Glimmer Paper.  With strips this thin, you can get a ton of them cut from one sheet of Glimmer Paper.

I added a silver star at the top and then attached sequins and pearls over each of the dots on the Christmas tree stamped image.  The folded doily just adds a nice finishing touch.  Once again, this is a pretty card that's pretty quick to make and looks great for Christmas.
Tips:
Instead of the Christmas tree, you could easily add a non-Christmas image and have a great card design for other occasions.
Changing the image but not the paper will change the feel of the card completely.

I have yet another part to this series, so be sure to come back to see it.  Leave me a comment if you have questions or suggestions. 

- Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world. 

- Click on the tab at the top of the page to see my class schedules and registration policies or look on the left for sneak peeks. 

- Come back soon and come back often for more creative inspiration.

OSW Tutorial Series, Part 3

Are your ready for Part 3?  I really excited to share today's card with you.  I think you'll love it as much as I do.  It's even prettier in real life because it has a Champagne Shimmer Mist spritz over it.   

The OSW design for this one just takes it down another 1/4" inch from the design in my previous post.  As you can see, we started with our largest size in my first post, then went down 1/4" for the second post and now, we're down yet another 1/4" inch.  My thinking on doing this was to leave more of the card base color showing behind the top layers, as the mat behind the top layer is still just 1/4" larger than this top layer.  This design works well when you want to really pull a strong color from your top background layer.
Tips:
Play around with different colors for your card base.
You'll know it when you see it as to which one works the best.
Choose only colors that are in your sponged layer.

You'll start by stamping all your leaves.  (I used Soft Suede to stamp all my leaves.)  After you let them dry a bit, choose several complimentary colors and randomly sponge directly over all the leaves.  Do these steps before you cut.  Let them dry a bit and then you can cut, using my diagram as a guide.  You'll have slightly larger scraps this time, so try to plan a clever way to use those.  Remember, you can always use scraps on smaller cards, note cards, gift card enclosures and even tags, so they won't go to waste.

Tips:
It's best to add the shimmer spritzing to the card top layer after cutting... one piece at a time.
You can control the spritzing better this way and it's not as messy.
Isn't it pretty?  I just love it.  I wish you could see the shimmer!

In the photo below, you can see a bit of the shimmer, but not the sparkle.  The top two cut leaves are embossed with Gold EP and the bottom leaf is cut from a Gold Foil Sheet.  Notice that I've used linen thread in two ways on this card.  First, I wrapped it around the top 2 layers of the card.  Second, I tied a double strand of thread around the stems.

I chose not to add a text to the front of the card, so I could have it ready for most any occasion for the Fall season.  Who wouldn't love to get a pretty card like this one?  I think this one is a WOW for a male or female recipient.  

I have several more parts to this series, so keep coming back to see what's next.  Leave me a comment if you have questions or suggestions. 

- Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world. 

- Click on the tab at the top of the page to see my class schedules and registration policies or look on the left for sneak peeks. 

- Come back soon and come back often for more creative inspiration.

OSW Tutorial Series, Part 2

Are you ready for Part 2 today?  Yesterday was the first day of Autumn, so I will share a beautiful card that fits the season and is all about OSW.  So... Happy Fall and now...let's get creating!  

This OSW is similar to my Part 1 card.  It just takes it down by 1/4" so that you can layer another color of CS behind it before attaching it to the card base.  This is a nice way to get two accent colors behind your top layer and pull together your color story.  For this OSW, we stamp first and then cut, using the diagram above.

Now, you're ready to design and create your own DSP.  This is really fun and you can get as creative as you'd like.  Using the design above on the left, stamp all your leaves, one color at a time.  You can divide up your colors however you'd like.  If you completely change your color story, you can have a card that's designed just like mine but takes on an entirely new look.

Tip:
To make the process go a little quicker, I chose my ink colors and then set a leaf stamp on each pad to plan how to best use my colors.  I stamped all of 1 ink color/leaf and then moved to the next.

For this OSW, you'll get 6 card layers and then have a few little scrap pieces left over.  Save those for accents on future projects or give them to the kids to play with making their own creations.

Because my design is pretty busy, I decided to stamp only my top accent leaf and place a gold one and a plain CS one behind it.  They are attached with dimensionals and tied with a little sprig of linen thread.

Notice how a simple band of ribbon across your card can tone down a busy design and compliment it.  When this ribbon first came out, I had a customer go into a bit of a tangent about how it was pretty but too bulky for a ribbon.  She wanted flat bows.  My answer is to think outside the box.  Who says a ribbon is only for making bows?  To see more ideas on using ribbons, click here.

I have several more parts to this series, so keep coming back to see what's next.  Leave me a comment if you have questions or suggestions. 

- Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world. 

- Click on the tab at the top of the page to see my class schedules and registration policies or look on the left for sneak peeks. 

- Come back soon and come back often for more creative inspiration.

OSW Tutorial Series, Part 1

Are you ready for a fun, new series?  This series is all about OSW cards --- One Sheet Wonder.  In other words... getting the biggest bang for your buck from a 12 X 12" piece of CS (card stock) or DSP (Designer Series Papers).  With Christmas preparations coming right up, I think you'll find this series useful when it comes to making your cards.  We generally make more cards for Christmas than at any other time of the year.

I'd like to make a few points before we go any further:
- There are MANY different ways you can divide up a 12 X 12" sheet.
- Some of them are very complicated.  I chose not to work with those.
- Let's be real?  Wouldn't you prefer quick and easy?  I certainly do.
- Want to take it further?  Get some grid paper and start working your math skills.

Now... let's start with the easiest one of all. 

Divide your paper into 4" strips.
Turn your paper and cut into 5 1/4" pieces.
You'll end up with 6 card fronts and 3 smaller pieces.
The smaller pieces are wide enough to go across the front of the card.
You can use these pieces over 3 card fronts and then use ribbon on the other 3 card fronts, because you can get 6 cards from a sheet of CS or DSP by dividing it up this way.
Remember, your DSP is double-sided with coordinating designs, so it's an easy way to not end up with scraps or have to cut something else to add to your card.
I added a simple butterfly embellishment and called it complete.

Here's a close-up of the card.  I had a scrap of black CS, so I added that across the inside of the card.  The base of this card is black, so you have to put something else inside, so you can stamp or write a message.  I tried using sahara sand instead of white for the inside on this one and I love it.
By keeping it simple, I can now grab this card to use for most any occasion whenever I need a card right away.

Tips:
Why not choose some DSP you really like and make up a group of cards to have ready for special occasions.  This is great not only for Christmas cards, but also for party invitations or thank you notes.
You may even want to start some sort of container with dividers to keep your cards sorted.  OR... You may just want to keep a few out in a cute container where you can grab them quickly when you need them.  This also helps you to keep an eye on how many are left in your 'stash' so you'll know when to get busy on making some more.
What are cards we need the most often?
Birthday
Thank You
Thinking of You
Sympathy
How about 9 cards instead of 6?
Simple!!!  Make 3 just like this card and then take your remaining 3 card fronts and cut them diagonally.  Now you can make 6 more cards instead of 3 more!  I'll share some of these variations in a future post. 

I have several more parts to this series, so keep coming back to see what's next.  Leave me a comment if you have questions or suggestions. 

- Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world. 

- Click on the tab at the top of the page to see my class schedules and registration policies or look on the left for sneak peeks. 

- Come back soon and come back often for more creative inspiration.

New Version of the Acrylic Block Technique and Sneak Peek at My OSW Cards

I have lots of stamping goodness for you today that I hope will inspire you to create something beautiful this weekend.  First up, I have a NEW version of the Acrylic Block Technique and then I have a sneak peek at my OSW cards, along with a bit on what it's all about.

My card today features a beautiful color story for Fall --- Crushed Curry, Cajun Craze and a bit of Soft Suede.  I won't even start in on how much I love making Fall cards or how much I love, love, love our new Vintage Leaves stamps AND coordinating framelits.  Over the moon, truly!!!

So how did I do this acrylic block technique?  It is super simple! 
Ink up the entire acrylic block by tapping it on the ink pad color you want to use.  Hold the block about an arm's length away and lightly spritz it one or two times.  Then... stamp, hold it onto the CS for just a little while and you get a beautiful background image.  It is more intense than when you use this technique with markers, because your ink is applied with a much greater intensity.  By spritzing the block, you give it more interest in how it comes out on your CS.  I did not use watercolor paper for this technique and it worked just fine.  You could use it if you wanted to play with how it changes the image a bit.  It would still be very pretty.

The little speckles are from an Awesomely Artistic stamp.  I seem to be using that stamp set about as often as my beloved Gorgeous Grunge lately.  I make all the cards for my church to send out each month and this one will be for September.  I've actually just finished October and have a few more bows to tie onto the November cards and then I'll go ahead and make the cards for December and finish up for 2015.  I've heard so many touching comments from people in our church about how much the love and appreciate the cards and that just touches my heart.  I find myself putting more and more into them each month because I know how much joy they will bring.  I want them to be my very best.

And now... let's move on to more about my OSW cards and the class where we'll be making them.  The class is my September Saturday Stampers class for September 19.  It will be from 1:00-4:00 and the fee is $20.  It involves more materials and a lot more prep time on my part and I know you'll find it worth it and then some. 
You'll be going home with all 5 of these cards, along with 2 OSW sheets AND lots of helpful templates.  So what is OSW?  It stands for One Sheet Wonder.  It's really all about how can I get the most bang for the buck from 1 sheet of CS (card stock) or DSP (Designer Series Papers).  I'll show you several versions and give you lots of ideas.  Most of the ideas and templates will be for 12 X 12" CS or DSP, but I'll also show you several ways to use an 8 1/2 X 11" piece of CS.

Sound like fun?  As they say in the beautiful state of Minnesota: "You bet!"  Below are the 2 sheets we'll be making at the class.  I have already made and cut the pieces you'll use for your cards during the class, so you'll go home with these 2 pieces uncut and ready for your own set of beautiful cards.  I really am looking forward to this class.  Sign up early to save your spot.  If you don't live in the area, follow along on your own, using my ideas to inspire you.  Be sure to leave me a comment on what you tried.  I love hearing from you.

- Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world. 

- Click on the tab at the top of the page to see my class schedules and registration policies or look on the left for sneak peeks. 

- Come back soon and come back often for more creative inspiration.