Hello All -- and Happy New Year to you, since this is my first CLASSroom project for 2013! Today I wanted to share with you the fun chalkboard technique I've been playing with lately:
When I started this project, I wished I had a larger die to use (that would fill an A2 card front) and remembered another fun technique I wanted to share today, how to expand the size of your dies! So let's get started . . .
1. Start by cutting a piece of black cardstock to the width of the die you want to use but longer than you want the finished size, to give you a little wiggle room.
2. With the cutting edge of the die facing down (I'm using Fancy Labels Sizzix Framelits Die), slip one end of the cardstock into the center of your die (feeding it from the top of the die), down under the cutting edge and position it straight. The other end of your cardstock will be on top of your die and won't be cut. (I'm just showing the next smaller size of this die set in the photo above, so you can see the shape of it). Run through your die cutting machine with normal sandwich.
3. Slide the die down to the other end of your cardstock (the right end in the photo above), to the length you want your final die cut, and run through your die cutting machine again. I lengthened my die cut by a little over an inch!
4. Stamp your images with Versamark ink and emboss with white embossing powder. I used My Favorite Things' Pure Innocence Angel stamp set:
TIP: Lay your stamps face down on your die cut, so you can position the images before stamping. Then place your acrylic block on top of the stamps to "pick them up", ink them, then stamp all at once, for perfect placement!
5. Add more details and continue building your scene with other stamps, using Hero Arts Snow Chalk Ink pad. I used some swirly elements from Hero Arts ClearDesign set, Cheer Up. The white embossed images are crisper and whiter, while the images stamped with white ink are softer and a little duller, adding variety to your project.
6. You can also add some hand-drawn details with a white pencil. I added a rectangle around the sentiment and some extra lines on the sides of my swirls.
7. When you are finished with your scene, go back and stamp the first white embossed images with the white ink, shifting the stamps slightly so they create a shadow effect. This helps make your images truly look "chalky" (photo above)!
8. To finish, add some "chalk smudges" with your finger -- tap it onto your white ink pad and smudge here and there, for a realistic effect. I created a "cloud" for my angel to stand on and went around all the edges of my chalkboard, too:
I finished my card by mounting my black chalkboard piece with Copic Foam Tape to a card base of Hero Arts Mixed Layer Papers-Blush. Flower accent was cut with Tim's Tattered Florals Bigz die from red WoolFelt, sewn with a Hero Arts Blush Mixed Button. I thought this color combo would work well for Valentine for one of my daughters!
I hope you have fun with these two techniques ... thanks for stopping by the CLASSroom today! ~ Sharon
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