Dear Paperlicious, You are a TREASURE! You make me laugh and bring joy to my life through your hysterical articles and GORGEOUS creations! Yours truly, Ellen
If you have not yet met Joan Bardee you must be living under a rock - haha! Today I have the huge honor of sharing Joan's work with you here in the CLASSroom. BUT you must head over to her blog, Dear Paperlicious! Her epic tale "Stamping Destroyed My Life" will have you in stitches. As well, you MUST go and oogle her AMAZING projects. They are clean, simple and perfectly stunning! So go now and leave a comment on the post where she links back here because #1 it is the right thing to do when someone shares there creativity with us here and #2 we have something special for a lucky individual who does that "right thing." :) You are all the best and I am thrilled to have you join us here today.
Joan, thank you SO MUCH for helping me out and in such a spectacular way!! Big huge hugs and thanks -Ellen
I’m thrilled and honored to be on the Classroom featuring two of my favorite craft companies, Essentials by Ellen and Concord & 9th. But, before we get down to crafting, can we take a moment to talk about Ellen? Ellen Hutson has devoted her career to educating fellow crafters and operating her store with the utmost integrity. She’s my go-to vendor for craft supplies. To quote my husband, “Another package from Ellen!” She’s a treasure. Thank you, Ellen, for the invitation to serve as a guest designer, and for your contributions to the paper craft industry.
Now on to the project!
I love delicate paper flowers, but they can be hard to make using card-stock or watercolor paper because those papers are so thick. One day I was staring at a scrap of watercolor paper and decided to see what would happen if I tried to peel off the top layer. Bingo! If you use this technique, you’ll get thin, delicate flowers and leaves that look fantastic in person and add a lot of dimension to a card. And, peeling paper requires no artistic skills, so it’s right up my alley!!
- Stamp images on watercolor paper and color if you wish. I chose the gorgeous flowers and leaves from Essentials by Ellen, designed by Julie Ebersole, Mondo Hydrangea and Bohemian Garden, and Concord & 9th’s Wildflower sets. I stamped the images with Hero Arts Bold Ink, Intense Black because I knew I would be using both watercolor paints and Copics (for the center of the hydrangeas) and that ink can handle both water and alcohol. Let the images dry. Tip: It can be tricky combining images from different sets. The images in Bohemian Garden have much thicker lines than those in the other sets I used. But I loved the long spikey image in that set. So, when I fussy cut it, I cut right through the middle of the black lines to make them appear thinner.
- Insert a pick, tip of craft knife, etc. into the corner of the paper. I used the Tim Holtz Tonic Retractable Craft Pick. If you press the paper together between two fingers on one hand, and insert the pick in the paper with the other hand, the pick will slip right in. It’s best to cut your piece of stamped paper into smaller blocks before peeling.
- Flip the stamped images down on your table and hold with one hand. With the other hand, gently lift off the bottom layer. You’ll avoid tearing the images by peeling off the non-stamped side of the paper.
- Now you have a bunch of images stamped on thin watercolor paper. Success!
Fussy cut or die cut the images. I cut mine by hand because, for this technique, I prefer that look. Tip: Sending paper through a die cut machine will flatten the paper and make it impossible to separate the layers. However, you can die cut images after the layers have been separated.
Once I cut out the images, I added them to a folk heart die cut from the Essentials by Ellen Folk Hearts Dies. This is a staple that I use all the time. I stamped the heart with one of the fantastic sentiments in Concord & 9th’s Beautiful set. This rather bold font pairs perfectly with the delicate lines of the flowers and leaves.
To finish the card, I adhered the heart and the delicate images to a Black Hero Arts Notecard. I love these dark notecards because the inside of the card is white. I chose a black card because it made the flowers and heart pop. Tip: If you are trying to decide how to finish a card, put your elements together without adhesive and take a photo with your phone (or camera). I originally intended to use a white card base, but when I saw the photo, the heart looked lost. There’s something about looking at a photo that gives a different perspective.
And here’s the final card. I love that dimension!
I’ll be giving this to my husband, so I won’t be mailing it. I’ll put it in a glassine bag, rather than a traditional envelope, because I don’t want those flowers and leaves to get smooshed.
I hope you try out this technique! It’s easy and uses supplies that you already have. Thanks again to Ellen for the invitation to share on the Classroom. -Joan
