This week on the Penny Black blog the designers have been contributing holiday cards with a “nature” theme using new stamps from the Christmas Collection 2011.
These are a few close-up pictures of the elements on the card that can be used for visual reference with the detailed instructions given at the end of this post.
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| Water coloring done with Staedtler-Mars watercolor crayons. Berries accented with a red Glaze pen. |
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| A hand-cut window is elevated and reveals a distressed holiday sentiment. |
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| Create a unique embellishment by altering an ordinary white button. |
Instructions:
- Create a 3 ½ x 4 ½-inch card and round the corners in the upper left and lower right. Set aside.
- Cut a 3 ½ x 4 ½-inch piece of fall festival cardstock and round the upper left and lower right corners. Stamp Warm Wishes background on the front with Crimson Red VersaFine and distress the piece with the same color ink.
- Cut a 1 ¾ x 2 ½-inch window in the cardstock. This sample was done by hand, but a die-cutting machine is an alternate method.
- Lay the cardstock with the window on top of the prepared card base. Lightly trace the window with a pencil and remove the cardstock.
- Stamp the sentiment inside the traced window with black ink and heat emboss with clear powder. Erase all pencil lines and then add a bit of Toffee VersaFine ink around the verse for highlight.
- Color a white button with a Copic marker. Stamp the postage design on top of the button with Jet Black StazOn. Distress the twine with Toffee VersaFine ink. Thread the twine through the button and secure the ends on the right to the back of the cardstock with tape. Secure the button in position with dimensional foam and leave the ends of the twine on the left loose.
- Attach the cardstock to the front of the card with dimensional foam.
- Stamp Nature’s Best on watercolor paper with black ink and heat emboss with clear powder. Color the images using watercolor crayons, trim and layer on the card with dimensional foam.
- Accent the berries with a Red Glaze Pen.
All these stamps will be available at the end of August from Penny Black’s on-line store or can be pre-ordered from a retailer near you.
Don’t forget to use all these wonderful designs throughout the year. Today’s little bird would be fantastic on any type of card and the background stamp is so versatile.
Have a great weekend,
Elizabeth
Penny Black Stamps: Nature's Best 40-076, Warm Wishes 40-074, World Peace 3532H, Flowers & Wishes 30-047
Penny Black Mix & Match Cardstock: Fall Festival 16-003
Canson: Watercolor Paper
Tsukineko: Onyx Black VersaFine, Crimson Red VersaFine, Toffee VersaFine, Jet Black StazOn
Sakura: Red Glaze Pen
Staedtler-Mars Ltd.: Watercolor Crayons
White Button, Twine