Exciting News!

 

 

  

I have learned so much and become a better card maker by playing challenges.  My favorite one is  Heart 2 Heart Challenges.  Not only do they provide a variety of challenges from theme to technique to sketches to product, they feature my favorite product line which, if you haven't figured out by now, is Close to My Heart.  At the end of each month, the design team selects the top ten entries spread among the month's challenges and a Top Chic of the Month.  I do not usually brag, but most months one of my cards makes the top ten.  As I scrolled down the winners list for May, I was a little disappointed to see that my "May Flowers" card was not selected for that challenge.  I think it is the best of all the cards I made last month.  As I continued to scroll down I saw why:  My card won the Top Chic of the Month award!  AND as Top Chic I get to play with the "Big Girls" as guest designer!  Yes, I am feeling a little nervous...

 

The first challenge in July a technique challenge.  This is my favorite kind because I get to try something new or get to revisit something I haven't done in a while, which is the case this month with masking.  This card uses two masking techniques.  The first one, which I used with the sentiment, is a pretty common one.  Have you ever wanted to use a particular stamp but did not want to use the whole image?  Simply put a sticky note over the part you don't want before you ink the stamp, remove the sticky after inking (critical step, lol), and stamp away.  Only the inked part shows.  Here is what the stamp looks like unmasked:

  

 

The second masking technique I used involves cutting out a shape, placing it on your paper and sponging around it.  When you lift up the shape you can see it in the un-inked part.  Think of it as reverse stamping.  My preferred sponge for this is the round yellow one which you cut into quarters because of the nice texture that allows other colors to show through.  I used CTMH's Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge to cut a solid butterfly (page 55) to use as a mask and a lacey one to use as a focal point.  A funny thing happened as I random stamped and my mask got covered with more and more layers of ink.  I liked the way it looked and used it as my focal point instead.  Here is a close up of it all dressed up with the new for summer glitter gems:

 

 

 



Did you notice that the butterfly's antennae come from the Find Your Style butterfly?  It does not show well, but I used a Sky alcohol marker to tint the bitty sparkles embellishing the embossed sentiment.  I was not really into markers until CTMH came out with alcohol markers.  Now I am working on my collection! Because one of the things I have learned from playing challenges is to decorate the inside, here it is:

 

 



 

 

Thank you, Allisa Childers, for inspiring me to pay more attention to the inside of my cards! 

 

So there is my first card as guest designer at Heart 2 Heart Challenges.  Whew!  Thank you for stopping by!  Now head on over and see what the others have done with masking.  Until next time, Hansi

 

Materials used, all from Close to my Heart:

Paper:  White Daisy and Smokey Plum cardstock

Ink:  Sky, Crystal Blue and Cotton Candy dye ink, Smokey Plum pigment ink, Sky alcohol marker

Stamps:  Live out Loud (retired), Find Your Style (retired)

Embellishments:  Pink Glitter Gems, Bitty Sparkles, Clear Detail powder

Other:  Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge

 

The example of the full stamp image:  White Daisy paper, Hollyhock, Smoothie, Sorbet, and Honey dye inks, Clear Detail embossing powder