Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Tagging nature

Hello!
I am really excited to be a part of the fantastic design team that Sheri Russ has pulled together for the new monthly Mixed Media Card Challenge (MMCC)! This month's theme is nature with an optional element of a tag.

I find comfort in being surrounded by nature and know I am fortunate that my home is nestled in a birch forest. Inspiration for my cards often comes from nature which is one of my most frequent card themes. Here is the card I designed for this month:


The little bird is the inital greeter to my scene.  The acrylic tag is a Tim Holtz fragment.  On the back I used  his alcohol ink resist technique and the bird is stamped on the front. So fun to see the depth of ink through the acrylic.

Now, I'll share my secret fast and easy watercolor technique. The background for the focal image and the card base are made with a brayer, inked on a multi-color ink pad and misted before rolling.  The focal piece was rolled onto watercolor paper while the background is on flat cardstock. 

For added detail the flower stamps were inked and misted before stamping and some added sponging adds depth to the meadow.  An embossed band adds texture and depth and helps move the viewer's eye across the scene.

Hey, why don't you consider looking in your stash to find your under-loved brayer and multi-ink pads and roll out some colorful watercolor backgrounds?  It is one of many fun places to start a mixed media card. But no matter, I hope you get inky and try the Mixed Media Card Challenge this month!  

I am looking forward to seeing your card!
...Jan









15 comments:

  1. Hi Jan! What a beaitiful card!! So glad to be on the team with you!

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  2. Hi Jan! Gorgeous card!! Love your secret for watercoloring ... just give that a try! :) So excited to be on the MMCC team with you! Loll xx

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  3. Beautiful inking, love the sweet little tag!

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  4. Your card is artsy gorgeous, Jan! And I'm envious of your home nestled in a birch forest. Loved reading about the different techniques you used to pull this card together. Brayers are awesome, aren't they? Love having you on the team!

    ~Shery

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  5. This is great! Love the layers and colors! Nicely done! Happy to be on the team with you it will be fun!

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  6. I just recently got my brayer out to use with the Gelliplate - now you've given me another idea for using it! I love the vibrant colours and the gorgeous little tag!

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  7. FAB use of your brayer Jan! So happy to be on this amazing DT with you :)

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  8. great background and great card! so happy to be on this team with you!!! xoxo, Sanna

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  9. Hi Jan, love your brayer trick - fab results! Glad to be on this fab team with you!

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  10. Jan, it's beautiful! I love the techniques you used on the fragment. The silhouette of the bird on the front and the alcohol ink resist on the back. You achieved wonderful textures through inking, sponging, and embossing. Lovely card!

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  11. Lovely work as always Jan. You will be pleased to know that I have been "messing" about with inky backgrounds. Great to hear from you!

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  12. Congrats on the Design Team! Well deserved, your creations are always fabulous to look at, can't wait to see more!

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  13. Wow! Amazing effect and great looking results! I have joined your followers and look forward to more of your creations! Ingrid xx

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  14. Nestled in a birch forest, eh? I can see that wonderful influence in your cards. And I'm jealous that you have such a good relationship with your brayer ;)

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