Clarity Stamp Challenge 38 Mid-month

Clarity Stamps Challenge April 2016

Techniques – Masking

'Butterfly Magic!'

Hi again and welcome back to 'Masking Month' in Shelagh-land. This is my second exhibit for the 'Masking Challenge' and I this time I used one stamp. This butterfly image has a variety of lines you can follow to allow you to decoupage it and that's just what I've done here. I made a number of these using different colouring mediums and I have listed them at the end of this blog, including 'the one that got away.' So - grab your Clarity stamps and matching masks or, as I have done, arm yourself with a sticky note-pad and have a go. A £50 Clarity Voucher awaits the winner. Happy Masking!

(Remember to check out the rules and also how to send your submission via your own blog or to claritystampchallenge.blogspot.com in which case it will be posted on your behalf.)

Materials:-

·         Cardstock:- Clarity Stencil card 7x7

·         Stamps:- Clarity ‘Butterfly’ from ‘Butterfly and Montage’ set, ‘Magical’ from Word Chain 7

·         Stencil:- Clarity Round Aperture

·         Inkpads:- Archival:- Watering Can

·         Pencils:- Polychromos

·         Embossing Powder:- WOW Black Sparkle

·         Perfect Pearls:- Blue Smoke, Forever Blue, Forever Violet, Forever Green, Mint

·         Red Liner Tape
*Most items are available from the Clarity Stamp website www.claritystamp.co.uk

Instructions:-

1.    Stamp the butterfly onto a ‘post-it’ pad. Cut out four masks – no need to repeat, just peel off four sheets prior to snipping! (Please ensure the image is stamped onto the where the ‘sticky’ bit is - I know because I’ve stamped it elsewhere and after much fussy-cutting the mask was fit to be junked!)

2.    Attach circle aperture to card with low-tack tape and lightly draw a faint pencil-line around inner circumference. Remove stencil.

3.    Ink up the butterfly stamp with ‘Watering Can’ Archival and stamp at top of 7x7 card, aligning horizontal wing separation with circle line. Mask.

4.    Ink up and stamp again to right of butterfly, again keeping mid-wing line in tune with the pencilled circle. Mask.

5.    Repeat around circle line – seven butterfly images in total. (N.B. I found it easier to leave the first mask in place.)

6.    On another card stamp seven separate butterflies to create 'free-flying butterflies' using the same ink pad as before. (The photo above shows one butterfly attached to the top image and four that have be cut out in decreasing size for a decoupage effect. I also chose to use a different central word.) PS The change in word was due to my mislaying the 'Magical;' now repatriated with its other pals on the 'Chain Gang!'

7.    Colour each butterfly with selected colour-choice of Polychromos and also the extra ‘free-flying’ butterflies to tone in.

8.    Cut out the free- flying butterflies and and gently curl wings around a pencil, finger, paintbrush handle or what ever is nearby. Attach to coloured-in images on card. (I used white glue.)

9.    Stamp ‘Magical’ (or 'Amazing' as above) using Versamark, add embossing powder and heat with heat gun.

Coloured with Polychromos

10.  Apply red-liner tape around the perimeter of card, select and apply Perfect Pearls of choice. ‘Stipple’ in Perfect Pearls with brush.

11.  Et voila! Magical Butterflies!

Coloured with Distress Markers.

This was my favourite colouring as it comprised more muted tones but as you can see, I made a right mess of stamping 'Magical.' Will find some use for it though - too much work to go to waste.

Thanks again for visiting my blog and remember 'You've got to be in it to win it,' as one famous game host said. 

Best wishes,

Shelagh.

Clarity Stamp Challenge 38 Technique - Masking

Clarity Stamp Challenge 38

Technique - Masking

Clarity Stamps Challenge April 2016

Technique – Masking

‘Save the Last Dance!’

Hello there and welcome once again. Here we are with lengthening evenings, nesting birds,trees and shrubs in blossom and not forgetting the prolific sprouting of the grass - time to learn how to use the petrol mower, I think. 

This month's brief is a bit of a departure from the usual as it is technique-based. MASKING!

Happy Masking!

Materials:-

·         Cardstock:- Stencil card 7x7;

·         Stamps:- 1)Wedding Folk 5, 
2)‘Big Top’ (tent) from Circus set, 
3)Frame and Sentiment from ‘Happily Ever After’ set, 
4)Musical stave from ‘Joy and Birdsong’ set, 
5)‘Vines’ border from ‘Treehouse and Vines’ set.

·         Stencils:- ‘Stripes,’ ‘Circle’ and ‘Wavy Circle from ‘Framer Shapes sets 1&2’

·         Inkpads:- Distress ‘Spun Sugar,’ Versafine Onyx Black

·         Detail Clear Embossing Powder

Instructions:-

1.    Place the ‘Framer’ circle stencil to fit the 7x7 card and lightly draw the inside circle with a pencil to form a placement guide for the stamps.

2.    Make mask by stamping onto post-it notes (please make sure they are stamped nearest the sticky side) 

1) the lady with hat and the single tuxedo-ed gentleman from the ‘Wedding Folk 5’ set;

2) the frame from the ‘Happily Ever After’ set, the musical stave from the 'Joy and Birdsong' set and cut each out.

3.    Stamp the lady onto the lower third of the outlined circle using Onyx Black then heat emboss. Stamp the gentlemen next to the lady as before. Mask each figure. 

4.    Stamp circus tent above couple as above and heat emboss. Stamp musical stave to appear that the couple are standing on it. Mask.

6.    Place Circle aperture over the masked images and secure at top with low-tack tape. (No photo for this)

7.    Load Clarity brush with Spun Sugar and sweep around and over circle. Remove stencil.Replace with irregular aperture and sweep more Spun Sugar so the frilly edge is lighter than the regular circle.

Stamp frame between foot of pink circle and bottom of card.Stamp the 'Happily Ever After' sentiment. (Here I have placed the clean stamp on the stamped frame in the correct position.)

This photo shows the mount placed over so it can be stamped in the correct position.

 Mask.

9.    (N.B. I have misplaced the stencil 'innie' since making this card - we've had workmen in the house and things were 'put' away' - and writing my step by step so I made one by drawing round the inside circumference and doing a bit of fussy cutting.)

10.  Remove aperture stencil and replace with ‘Irregular innie.’ (I made a loop with low tack tape, placed it on the reverse of shape to secure.) 

Place over ‘Stripes’ stencil and sweep over more ‘Spun Sugar.’ Remove ‘Stripes’ and replace again to complete the stripes on the card. Sweep once more with ‘Spun Sugar.’

11.  Remove stencils and masks. Scribble an outline around circle and irregular circle using a Micron pen. Decorate each line on the circus tent with scalloped edges using a Micron pen and draw a horizontal line at its base to 'ground' it. Add some tufts of grass to suit.

12.  Edge with a black Sharpie or similar. Mount onto a square card or try out the idea below.

From here I placed the ‘Circle’ stencil over another 7x7 sheet of Clarity stencil card, lightly drew around the inner circumference then using a glass mat as a base, cut out the inner circle with a craft knife. (Very unusual for me as I always seem to drag the card layers but for once it was a success!!)

I then repeated as before (twice – one for the inside and one for the front) with the ‘Stripes’ stencil, edged, cut back and mounted onto an aperture card which I’d cut to suit. The vines were stamped in black for the inside and with Versamark and a variety of pink ‘WOW’ embossing powders for the exterior.

Et Voila! 'Save the Last Dance For Me!!!'