Aloha!

So, we have another domino effect today, but a GOOD thing, for a change!  It's Sunday, which means "featured stamper" day on Splitcoast, and today's FS is Jaymerz.  As I was looking through her gallery to select a card to CASE, and the one I wanted to do was this one because I loved the layout and color combo.  Frou Frou - another SCSer - sent me some images she stamped for me from the Tickled Pink set (flamingos - love 'em!), and I've been wanting to use them and thought this card would work, but then I looked at the swiss dot embossing on the orange panel, and thought "I wish I had a hibiscus embossing folder - the swiss dots just don't do it for me with flamingos..."  Then I remembered about this tutorial that Mel posted on her blog showing how to make your own texture plates, and so that's what I spent the day doing!  First off, here's the card:

 

I obviously didn't CASE the one I thought I was going to...I CASEd this one instead.  Changes include color and theme, orientation, added layers, and I moved the circle off to the side, included the sentiment on it, and changed it to an oval.  I watercolored the images with smooshed inkpads and water.  The shadow is a Prismacolor 10% cool gray marker.  On to the fun stuff!

I'm not going to write this as a tutorial, since it was Mel's brilliance and she's written a fab tutorial already, so refer to hers (link above) for full instructions.  I'm just going to show you a couple of the things I did that may be helpful.  First off, I trimmed down two pieces of a cereal box to 5 1/2" x 6 1/2" - one to use as the base of my texture plate, and one to use as a shim with it.  I made them this size because they filled most of the Cuttlebug plate this way:

  

and if I want to do a 5 1/2" square, say, instead of just a standard A2, then I'll have that capability.  Mel suggested using a light-colored or waterproof ink (like StazOn) to stamp your images to cut out, but I just used Versamark, so there's ZERO chance of color transference or bleeding.  If it's hard for you to see where to cut, then use something that works for you.  I used the smallest hibiscus stamp from Close to My Heart's Hang Ten stamp set and stamped it repeatedly all over more of the cereal box pieces.  It's easier to do the inside cuts first, before even cutting the images apart from one another - more to hang onto to move the cardboard around as you cut (I used a glass mat and a craft knife):

 

After I got them all cut out, I arranged them how I liked them on my base piece, then glued them on with Royal Coat decoupage medium.  Following Mel's lead, I also sealed the entire thing with Royal Coat after everything was stuck down.

 

Here's a closeup of the embossed panel:

 

And a pic of the whole piece attached to the card base:

 

Pretty darn cool, eh?  The embossing isn't quite as defined as I'd really, really like, but I think it's because I didn't mist it lightly with water before running it through the Cuttlebug.  That would be due to the fact that I have yet to locate my mister (Mr?) since the reorg...  Still, all in all, I'm content with it as is!

Okay, beddy-bye time for this girl!  Thanks for stopping by, sweet dreams, and I hope your week starts off fabulously!

Stamps: Stampin'Up! Tickled Pink, sentiment from Studio G; Ink: SU! Tangerine Tango, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, So Saffron, Creamy Caramel, Yo Yo Yellow, Certainly Celery, Versafine Onyx Black; Paper: SU! Tangerine Tango, white, black, watercolor; Accessories: Cuttlebug w/DIY texture plate, oval and corner punches

Comments

[leslie]

This is VERY cool!

[Mel M. M. M.]

Totally brilliant! I love your pointers. What a clever idea to use the Versamark. That flower makes heavenly embossing & that flamingo is WAY cute. Love your colouring! Thanks so much for sending the inspiration right back. I'll have to try some of your great tricks out! :O)

[Jenn Embry]

Are you tired of hearing from me yet? LOL I subscribed to your blog via feedblitz. The good part of that is that I keep up with your blog. The bad part is that I am sometimes too lazy to make it here to post comments. I've been meaning to tell you how very creative and cool I think this is. I am totally gonna have to try it. What a vibrant, fun card. Love the image.