When Less is More....
(sometimes that's exactly what is called for)
7/3/20233 min read
Would you like to experiment with a design like this? You'll find a supply list below, including a link to the stencil I used from A Colorful Life Designs . Follow the link and use discount code ChrisFan10 to save 10% on your entire order! (Master Creator Bundles are excluded as they already have a 20% discount built in.)
Let’s Get Started:
Card Base: 5.5 x 8.5, scored and folded at 4.25
Card Face: 35.5 x 3.75
Small Piece of Gold Cardstock for diecut word
Strip of Gold Cardstock 5.5 x 1/4"
Card Face:
I used my T ruler to draw a (very light) pencil line 1/4" in from the left hand edge, from the top to the bottom...
I positioned one of the postage stamp stencils about half way down the card, lining it up with the pencil line. ***
I secured this with mint tape, got out my ink pads and blending brushes and set to work.
I applied a bright pink ink, using a heavy pressure on the left, but allowing it to fade out as I moved right I didn't want the right hand edge of the image to be visible at all.
I removed the stencil and wiped it off. Then I repositioned it above the image just created, leaving just a little space between the two.
I added yellow ink to this one, again heavy on the left and fading to the right. Once the yellow was done, I brought in the brush I used for the pink ink and used residual ink to go over the bottom of the image to create a blended look between the two.
I removed the stencil and wiped it off and respositioned it as before.
I added yellow ink as before, but this time did not add any pink to the mixture. I left the entire image yellow. (I had run out of room at the top of the card, so only part of this one is visible.)
I removed the stencil and wiped it off. This time I repositioned it slightly below the first (pink) one.
I added yellow ink, again using heavy pressure on the left and allowing it to fade as I moved to the right. Then I came back in and applied residual pink ink to the top of the image to create a blend.
I removed the stencil, wiped it off and repositioned it slightly below.
I added only yellow ink to this final rectangle. Again, I had run out of room, so only part of this image is visible on the card.
I stamped the large floral image with black ink - I used my stamp positioner to ensure placement, and stamped a couple of times to get a nice intense image.
*** each time I put the stencil in place, it was lined up with the pencil line.
Other:
The die cut 'love' was already prepared and waiting in my stash: I glued it in place. I decided to glue it on the left and leave the right hand side of the card complely clean.
I erased the pencil line from the card face.
Assembly:
I glued to the card face to the card base, alliging to the right hand edge.
I glued the strip of gold cardstock to the left hand edge.
I added three small gold metallic circles to the card face as shown, completing it.
Final thoughts:
I didn't measure the space between the rectangles, but I did a pretty good job of keeping them evenly spaced. To guarantee the result you could create a spacer: cut a narrow strip of card stock at the desired width and secure it at the top of the stenciled image. Butting the stencil up to that strip will ensure perfectly even spacing.
On the other hand, my eyeballing of the mid-point wasn't bang on, as you can see in the pattern on the card face. Next time I'll measure - maybe! LOL.
This design feels light, airy and minimal to me, and I'm happy with it.
Supplies: (and links where possible)
I have listed which products I have used, and where they were purchased. It's a huge marketplace and in most instances there are multiple sources and many alternatives to choose from.
Stencil: postage stamp masks, A Colorful Life Designs
Stamps: Band Together, Stampin' Up!, retired
Ink: Stampin' Up!
Mint Tape: Scrapbook.com
Blending Brushes: Stampin' Up!
Adhesive: Tombo Aqua, Michaels
Card Base: Accent 100 lb., Amazon
Card Face: Accent 80 lb., Amazon