Collage Valentine's Day Card

Today I'm up on the STAMPlorations blog with a whole feature tutorial on how to create this collagey Valentine wonder! 

I talk all about creating a colorful decoupaged background.

Creating a grungy background using the Artsy Border Maker stamp set. 

And the perfect non-mushy sentiment and focal image using the Funny Kinda Love stamp set.

Go check out my tutorial on the STAMPlorations blog and also feel free to use my code STAMPGIRLBECCA for 20% off anything in the STAMPlorations store. :) 

I also would be remiss if I didn't mention where I got all my lovely collage papers. My friend Lauren Bergold of all the GOOD blog names were taken gave me these awesome papers as a gift and I, of course, am in love with them. She finds the perfect old books, dictionaries, and encyclopedias and creates amazing packages of collage paper in her Etsy store.

Layered Mixed Media Card Ken Oliver Color Burst Tutorial

If you've been following along on my blog, you know I've been stuck in CAS (or the Becca version of CAS anyway) for quite a little jaunt. 

I was bound and determined to break myself out of that zone and this weekend I set out to get messy. REAL messy. 

 

I also realized that it's been awhile since I've made an official tutorial for you, my bloggy followers (although I do post regular tutorials on both the STAMPlorations and Coffee Loving Papercrafters blogs). 

Here is my remedy for that! PS If you like the tutorial, please consider Pinning it!

To be completely truthful, this card was alllllllmost a CAS design. I stamped a lovely tree from the Wendy Vecchi Card Art Sentiments stamp set.I thought I'd create a scene with the tree using some Ken Oliver Color Burst Crystals.... SO I spritzed my paper with water, plopped some crystals on, AND - hated  the result. It's not at all the lovely scene I was picturing. 

So what did I do? Rather than putting the project into the trash bin, I cut it into different sized rectangles and started layering. 

I used a dry brush and some gesso on a sheet of black paper for my base. I love the look of the brush strokes still in plain view. 

Once I was happy with the position of my rectangles (and don't ask, please HOW many times I rearranged the pieces) I started gluing them down and defining the edges using a Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pen.<----psssttt these pens are divine for writing over pretty much any mixed media surfaces!

OOOOOOooo - I think defining the edges really helps to make the individual pieces POP. I also added a layer of white scribbles to the edge of my black cardstock, using a white gel pen. 

I didn't want to cover up too much of my colorful panels, so I added a bold black butterfly die cut (PSSTTT... you can get it for 20% off in the STAMPlorations shop by using code STAMPGIRLBECCA) and a vellum overlay with a simple sentiment. 

I'm going to link up my creation to the following challenges:
More Mixed Media Challenge - ATG + Brights
Creative Craft Cottage - Add a Butterfly
Mix It Up - Anything Goes + Optional Paper Piecing

Taaaadaaaa! Messy beauty achieved. I'll have you know that creating this little number broke me out of my CAS shell and I'm back to my mixed media love.

Collage Christmas Card

It's hard to feel very ho-ho-ho without any snow-snow-snow and we've got a problem here in the typically blustery land of North Dakota. There's no snow. We've gotten one good flake-fest, but it melted within 24 hours. There is *gasp* greeeeen grass. 

Well, this is just depressing. 

What better way to ease me out of my funk, then by making a funky Christmas card?
 
It's a brand new month - and that means a brand new challenge up at STAMPlorations theme & sketch. 

Here's the deets - You can play with the sketch OR the theme OR both! You can use >>ANY<< kind of stamps that you want (I know - easy peasy, right?). 

As for me, I snatched onto that theme so hard and I just ran with it. And ran, and ran, and ran. 

My dear bloggy friend, Betty Keefe, kindly contributed to my hoarding errmm... collecting? ways by giving me a bag full o' vintage sheet music. Yes, yes, there apparently is a song entitled "My Papa Was a Woodman". (Cue next stop - a  youtube hunt to find a video of this).

As tempting as the woodman was... I found this fun green cover and decided to die cut some trees using CUTplorations Trendy Christmas Tree matching die set. If you haven't noticed lately - I'm a little obsessed with this die set. 

Next, I took on the current challenge over at Shopping our Stash, which has a new-to-me technique on display called the Borgello Technique. My other dear bloggy friend, Lauren Bergold also contributed to my collection (ok, ok, it definitely is a hoarding situation) by sending me a bunch of random bits and vintage bobs - including some weird book pages and sheet music and a cool fabric patch. 

If you haven't heard of the Borgello Technique - you're in good company. It goes a little something like this:

I started stamped a layer of ho ho ho!s (or oh! oh! oh!s depending on which way you're reading from) around the edges using Warm Hands, Warm Hearts stamp set and then layered on my layers. I also cut two layers of wording using CUTplorations Jingle All the Way Phrase Die Cut.

Taaaa-daaaaa!

Decidedly merry in a very different, collagey way! As  you can see, I added some "stitching" using a white gel pen. 

This card is also going to hang out with:
Crafty Creations Challenges - Christmas
Try it on Tuesday - Layer it Up
The Crazy Challenge - Christmas 

Thanks for popping by!

Mixed Media Cards with a Gelatos Collage Tutorial

I have a new favorite love and her name is Gelatos. Today, I'm going to show you a collage technique tutorial using Faber Castell's Gelatos. I will say up front that my card is heavily inspired by a video I watched from Nadia Cannizzo. 

I've seen amazing cards done with Gelatos but I have never used them before. A couple of weeks ago, I picked up four sticks to try them out and the verdict is: 

I am going to go broke. Sigh*

I made this card for the crafty Christi Conley because she was my

March Card Chain Challenge recipient. If you want to sign up to receive a card from another crafter in the blogosphere, check out the Society of Stampaholic's Card Chain Challenge!

Step One:

Prep you paper by applying a thin layer of Gesso

Why? Because if you don't, it will make it harder to blend. You technically don't have to use the gesso, but if you don't, you'll have to apply a lot more of the Gelatos.

Step Two: 

Scribble on a small amount of the Gelatos. 

I am using pink and purple shades.

Blend with your fingertips. Dip them in a little bit of water as you go along to make blending easier. 

Just so you all can see the difference, the sheet on the left was when I tried to blend an un-gessoed piece of paper. The right is with the gesso. 

After I had a good blend, I used a baby wipe to remove some of the Gelatos in areas for more visual interest. 

Step Three:

Stamp some images on the piece of the paper and

 then cut into small pieces. 

I am using STAMPlorations Trendy Butterflies set. 

Step Four: 

Create a base for your card. I gessoed a piece of card stock and then scraped a Distress Ink Pad (Scattered Straw) directly over the top. 

I like the look of this vs. sponging because it creates a distressed, shabby look. 

Step Five:

Use glue to adhere your collage pieces to the base, 

alternating directions and stacking.

Then outline the squares with Gelato and blend with your finger. 

I used a combination of pink and purple and blended some color into the base, too. 

Right is during the process and left is the finished product. 

Step Six: 

Add your other pieces

As you can see - I made two cards! I loved the look of this so much, I had to keep playing. The gorgeous sentiments are both from STAMPlorations Blossom Overture set.

I am going to send my cards over to the following challenges: 

Mixed Media World - Anything Goes

Simon Says Wednesday - Anything Goes

Hiding in my Craft Room - Anything Goes

Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Crafting for All Seasons - Pastel Hues

Thank you for stopping by! Leave me a comment or follow my blog and I will try to return the favor!