Flower Shop cards & Batik Flower paper printables

So I'm addicted to colouring these little Hometown buildings from Purple Onion Designs. The flower shop is my fave, because it's so easy to add dimension by stamping an cutting a second little awning (and popping it up on a bit of foam tape).  

Ever try paint over colouring? I added some white acrylic paint to the flower shop above (with a little paint brush over the black heat-embossed image) to tone down the bricks. Something methinks I shall try again sometime.

It was also fun to colour bricks in with little dabs of grey Copic markers:

I shaded the silver buildings with a bit of light grey Copic marker to tie them in.

Do you decorate the insides of your cards?

I never used to decorate inside, but then people would open them with an expectant look on their faces and you could see a little "oh it's empty, huh..." look in their eyes. I wanted to give them something that wasn't anticlimactic, so these flowershop cards have bright flowery paper inside. (It feels especially fun inside the black card since it's a surprising pop of unexpected lightness.)

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make these cards:

Step 1) Heat emboss 2 images of the flower shop using black Archival ink & clear embossing powder. Stamp 2 extra awnings & cut them out.  

Step 2) Colour the images. I used Copic markers for both (and added white paint to parts of the the white flower shop building).

Step 3) Cut some cards A2-size. One black & one speckled/Natural cardstock.

Step 4) Stamp & heat emboss other Purple Onion Design buildings on the card-fronts. White colorbox ink on the black card with clear embossing powder & silver pigment ink with silver e.p. on the speckled card.

Step 5) Colour these surrounding buildings with a little white pencil crayon for the black card & grey Copics for the white card.

Step 6) Add sidewalks & ribbon: Cut 2 strips of cardstock to make the side walks. (I used two shades of grey & added rough lines with white Prismacolour pencil. Add white & grey ribbon with bows. Adhere the strips to the cards.

Step 7) Adhere the Flower shops to the cards. Decorate the insides with paper & add the sentiment, heat embossed on grey paper to the inside of the cards.

The sentiment above "Have a Blooming good day!" is one
that comes with the rubber stamp set:

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The stamps used here are several from The Hometown Collection drawn by
Stepanie Ackerman for Purple Onion Designs

For the main image,

Flower Shop...

...and I also used the Bakery, Ice Cream Parlor, Post Office & Doctor's Office:

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free printable Batik flower paper

To save these files:
In Firefox/Chrome: right click on the image & choose "save link as"
In Explorer: right click on the image & choose "save target as"


Light Batik flower paper sized to line the
inside of an A2 card (5-1/2" x 4-1/4") PNG:

(or you can add it to your faves here on flickr)

Light Batik flower paper to fit an A2 envelope
(for lining it) PNG:


(or you can add it to your faves here on flickr)

There's a tutorial for lining
envelopes in a hurry here:

Light Batik Flower paper - standard size
8.5" x 11" 350dpi JPG:


(or you can add it to your faves here on flickr)


Light Batik Flower paper - 12.5" square 350dpi PNG:

(or you can add it to your faves here on flickr)


If you'd like the paper brighter,
here's a vivid 12.5" square version PNG:

(or you can add it to your faves here on flickr)

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Using overlays to make faux misted papers:

You might recognize this Batik flower pattern from the 100+ overlay post.

 

I coloured it in Photoshop using spray paint style brushes
(and overlapped the hues here & there) to get a misted look.

Want to try this effect yourself? Here's a
video tutorial for how to use overlays as mist masks
by Jessica Sprague:

Thanks for stopping in. Hope your day
is bright and beautiful!

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Masculine "get well" card

It's the dreaded fellow card (well it's a card genre that's a little dread-filled
for me, at least). But I thought this Doctor's Office stamp from Purple Onion
Designs hit the right note between masculine and cute:

The building stamp has a bit of architecture, but it also has that happy doodle style. I built a frame up around it (popped up on foam tape). But then the chevron paper was so intense it was actually making Charles dizzy when I asked for a man's opinion. And who needs a get well card that makes a fella feel ill, right? So... I added white acrylic paint to tame those zig zags.


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The Doctor's Office stamp is an image drawn by
Stephanie Ackerman for Purple Onion Designs.

It's in the Hometown stamp Collection here.
And it comes with some ultra cute sentiments:

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You might remember my gimp tutorial on how to make
your own custom coloured papers with overlays?



Well, this chevron paper is a freebie from that blog post...



To save this file:
In Firefox/Chrome: right click on the image & choose "save link as"
In Explorer: right click on the image & choose "save target as"


(or you can see the whole Soft Paper set here on Flickr)

Thanks for popping by; hope
you're feeling wonderful!


P.S. On a personal note, again... ;-) I'm really focusing on eating healthy, getting out more, and taking care of my emotional health (as per your lovely lovely words of wisdom!) Thanks again for taking the time to share your thoughts & feelings with me. It means the world. OX

P.P.S. Here's another card with a stamp
from the Hometown collection:

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"One, Two, Three... Get Loose, Now!"

Do you like that loose relaxed style that seems to be all the rage, now?

I love it! But I find it totally im-possum-ible, so I'm trying
to get a little more chilled out in my card layouts...



Not sure if this little card qualifies as relaxed, but it felt that way
when I was making it. ;-) (It's a 4-1/4 inch square card).

Step 1) Print subtle graph paper & add some splatters. This is some Distress Ink spray that I made: tumbled glass & distilled water, but instead of spraying, I flicked the inky water on using the mechanism-thingy from the inside of the spray bottle.



Step 2) Stick an SRM sticker on the paper and sand off some of the black ink.

It will take away some of the sticker ink leaving a funky distressed texture and softer look:



You could sand the sticker before you add it to your project to reduce the chance of smudges but I just stuck a piece of low tack painters tape on...



... and when you lift the tape, the black dust from sanding lifts right off:



It gives you a nice clean look and the black dust won't smudge onto your paper.

Another trick with tape that surprised me:



If you put picket fence Distress Stain on washi tape it will stay put
and it gives you a lovely texture:



Step 3) Stick the tape onto cardstock & make a little tag shape.

Step 4) Stamp the Bakery hometown stamp. (I heat embossed it with black pigment ink & clear embossing powder. One of the nicest things about the hometown building stamps is that they are not too small. (This little Bakery is just under 2.5" tall.) Makes it easy to colour!

I stamped it 2 times.

Once to cut the window out of to add a bit of acetate & layer it up:

I also stamped the Bakery image a second time to cut the awning out:

(The handy thing is that I could use the same image I cut the awning from to also cut out the yummy contents of the window to pop in behind). The layers in behind the whole thing are all grey cardstock. I like that better than foam dots since it's sturdier and looks like a shadow.

To layer it, I did this schtuff:

A) Stamped the image & cut the window out with a hobby blade.
B) Glued 3 pieces of white cardstock together (a bit smaller than the size as the image to fit in behind it).
C) Temporarily adhered the 3 layers of cardstock in behind the stamped image with the window cut out of it.
D) Cut the window out of the layers that are in behind -- using the first window cutting as a guide.
E) Cut a little piece of acetate & glue it in behind the stamped image. Permanently adhere the layers for dimension.
F) Add the awning (coloured & cut) with layers of grey cardstock in behind.
G) Add the bakery window contents in behind the little acetate window.

Step 5) Stick it all together:



Step 6) Add a little paper to the inside of the card
and line an envelope to match:



It's just simple printed digi paper, with faux stitches drawn in pen.
(I'll add the three digi papers I used for this card in the next day or two).

The tutorial for lining an envelope in a big old hurry, is here.

As soon as I saw this hometown collection,
I knew I just had to have it:



It's from Purple Onion Designs,
and it's drawn by Stephanie Ackerman.

• Bakery stamp from Purple Onion Designs hometown collection.
• White cardstock (80lb) white copy paper (thin to line envelope).
• Ranger Archival jet black ink, clear embossing powder, heat gun
  
• Dark grey cardstock, A2 sized white envelope, double-sided tape.
  
• Piano monochrome Sweet Bella tape & picket fence Distress Stain.
• SRM Sticker set: "SWEET" We've Got Your Sticker.
• Copic markers: RV-02, V000, c-7,c-3, c-1, BG-10, B-00, YG-00.
  

Hope your day is a sweet one!

P.S. On an extra personal note: Sorry the posts around here continue to be random. I've been working on managing my energy levels and diet (anemia and the no gluten or dairy or egg etc...) It's has been a bit of a struggle. I'm a regular zombie, I tell ya (and oh man my house is a big old MESS!) :-) But Charles is more patient than a saint, and we've been enjoying days here and there spent in the community garden and spent with our amazing family. I am starting to have some non-zombie days and my migraines are fewer! Yay!!! I hope you and yours are feeling oh so well, and are as lucky as we are.

P.P.S. "One, Two, Three... Get loose now!" Got that song stuck in your head? Here's "It Takes Two make a Think go Right" (for my fellow the Rob Base & D.J. Easy Rock fans). :-D And of course, "Joy & Pain" too!

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Wrinkle-free Distress Ink technique

Digital stuff is a delight, but don't you just love the
pure fun of getting inky with rubber stamps?



"let the wind take you away!"

You might not be able to tell from the usual style of cards around this joint that I am obsessed with Distress Inks. I just finished making 44 custom spray inks with Distress Ink refills that I can't wait to show you, in detail.

(Not to mention all kinds of obsessive organizing
that just makes my heart sing with happy):

card

The sky background: This card is my real first try at the wrinkle free Distress Ink technique invented by Tim Holtz. I tried it way back when, with other inks, but it is much more vibrant and textural with Distress inks. I used these inks: Pine Needles, Tumbled Glass, Broken China, and Iced Spruce.

To make the clouds...

- I doodled some cloud shapes & cut out them out.
- Swiped over them with white acrylic paint & let it dry.
- Adhered them to the Distress Ink background.
- Pierced & stitched the outline with white thread.

To add the balloon...

- I stamped the Purple Onion Designs balloon on patterned paper (Crate paper Paper Heart 6x6).
- Then to make a quick template for stitching the string out of black thread, I cut a scrap of clear plastic from some packaging and stamped the balloon again (in stazon so it would be permanent) pierced holes in the plastic:

- Then I laid it over my card, and pierced holes where the string would be... and hand stitched the balloon string with a needle and black thread.
- Finally, the balloon itself is covered in clear lacquer glue to make it shiny & popped up on foam dots for dimension.

To add the sentiment...

- I stamped the sentiment in silver on tracing paper.
- Then heat embossed it with silver embossing powder.
- Finally I cut it out & adhered the tracing paper to the bottom of the clouds with gluestick and added a couple of hand stitches at either side to anchor each word visually.

(white Distress Stain edging)

Ever feel like the edges of the card need something
to tie all the elements together visually?

Sometimes white paint is just the thing, but sometimes pure paint is too bold.
The one Distress Stain I've tried out (the white one Picket Fence) is perfect...

If you swipe it around the edges once you get a soft white look
& you can go around a couple more times, layering it for bolder white.

If you have white Distress Stain, you might be interested
in this Painted Distress Ink tutorial:

The balloon stamp & Sentiment are from Purple
Onion Designs' The Sweetest Day collection:


&

The Purple Onion Designs blog is filled with
lots of gorgeous stuff, if you want some inspiration:

• Stazon ink & clear plastic packaging for piercing template
• Paper piercer, needle & black and white thread
• Patterned paper: Crate paper Paper Heart 6x6
• White cardstock, white acrylic paint, and Tracing paper
• Silver pigment ink, silver embossing powder, a heat gun
  
• Distress Inks: Pine Needles, Tumbled Glass, Broken China, and Iced Spruce.
• Scor-Pal Stay Put Craft Mat
  
• Distress Stain (white) Picket Fence
  

Here's hoping your day is delightful one,


P.S. If you're curious about the wrinkle free Distress Ink technique you can see Tim's video for it here. And he has many more videos on his new site here.

P.S. Downloading excitement!!! Thank you all so much for liking the overlays. You all made my week with your kind words! Sorry about the downloading troubles in Chrome or Explorer. If you check that overlay and other freebie posts, you'll find that downloading from any browser just got a lot simpler. Thanks again, Suruha You're the best!

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