Monday 21 November 2016

Blast from the Past

Hello again

Today's blog offering is a New Home card for my niece who has just moved into her first flat, and it was a bit of welcome relief from my Christmas card making. I thought it fitted the blast from the past theme of this month's Claritystamp Challenge, as it uses some stamps I've had for a long time and never used, and also one of my favourite stencils; the brick wall seemed so appropriate for a new home card.
Now, Katie is a very girly girl, and has loved pink and sparkles from a very young age, so I knew the card had to have shades of pink and purple and a feminine touch.

 I started by making a print of some lace (repurposed from an old top that I no longer wear) using current adirondack ink and a gel press plate, then I placed the Clarity brickwork stencil over the print, and using the same colour ink and a Clarity stencil brush, I applied the ink gradually building up the colour, working in a circular motion so that the colour was deeper towards the edges and more faded in the centre of the piece. Using a smoothie, I then blended some of the adirondack ink around the edges for more contrast.

Using the same colour ink I stamped one of the Clarity quirky cottages on the right hand side of the card, and under that I stamped the word NEW from the "Time for something new" NDC club stamp, masking off the unwanted parts of the text. Then I added Katie's name at a right angle to the house using the Alphabet Word Chain set. I wasn't originally sure that I needed this alphabet set, as I already had the letterbox kit but now I just can't put down!!! Finally, I coloured the cottage and the open areas on the word using promarkers in complimentary colours.


I cut some swirls from a piece of glittery card, and adhered them to the left side of the card, then added a small punched bird and a mat of the same card to finish the project.

I'll get this in the post tomorrow, and would love to hear your comments. Thanks for visiting my blog, Susan x

15 comments:

  1. Very clever, Susan! I love how you have replaced a word with an image. (This was one of my favourite lessons - asking my class to take a part of their written work and change key words to pictorial clues.) Many thanks for continuing to share your art work on the Clarity Challenge blog and best wishes. ;~}

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    1. Thanks Shelagh. I remember being really jealous of my brother when I was small, as he could do his whole name as pictures (Step-hen White)and I couldn't!! Funny how some comments prompt a long long forgotten memory, Susan x

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  2. Wow Susan such a beautiful work of art crafting hugs xxx

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    1. Thank you Sheila - sending hugs back and I hope you're doing better today after wearing yourself out yesterday? x

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  3. Nice work with stencils good luck in the clarity challenge x

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  4. A lovely card Susan. I think Katie wouldn't go far wrong to frame her specially crafted card from Aunt Susan :-)
    Thank you for entering the Challenge, and good luck in the prize draw x

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    1. Thanks Carole - really appreciate your lovely comment x

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  5. Lovely card, I like your use of lace to create the background x

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  6. A lovely card Susan which I'm sure Katie loved. I really like how you created your background. Thanks for joining the Clarity challenge again this month. Good luck! x

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    1. Thanks so much Angela. Katie loved it! Now I need to rustle up a birthday card for her as well x

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  7. Lovely design Susan, I will have to try that technique with the lace it looks great x

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    1. Thanks Lesley - I can't wait for my mini gel presses to arrive, as it's a little bit addictive and I have an idea for a lace patchwork in my head!

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    2. I bought a set of the mini gel presses with my Challenge voucher but haven't had much of a go with them yet, must find a bit of lace to try out. Lace patchwork sounds good. x

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