Gelli Printing: Introduction

Oh my friends...

I could have titled this blog...The best messy kind of fun EVER!

I LOVE creating these one of a kind mono prints. You never know what you are going to get...and that is the beauty of it! I took a mono printing class YEARS ago...like, back when I lived in Dallas kind of years ago. Back then, the way you made mono prints was either with a press (think big and expensive) or by creating a gel printing plate (think jello and disintegration). I had fun...but it seemed like it took such a major commitment to even THINK about making prints. So I was delighted to discover a new tool...the Gelli Arts Gel Printing Plate. It is created of silicone and mineral oil...and doesn't disintegrate! Lovely!

Gelli Arts Gel Plates come in 6x6, 8x10, and 12x14 sizes

I could hardly wait to get my hands on one! And now that I have it - I find that I want to get it out at least once or twice a week...just to see what I can create. Here is a little introduction tutorial...

So far I have printed on card stock, patterned paper, tissue paper, muslin and deli papers. Every one has it's own benefits... The makers of the Gelli Arts Plate recommend that you use acrylic paint. I have tried several brands and find that you can get great prints even with the very cheapest acrylic paint that you can get at the craft store. For some of the more layered techniques, you may want to upgrade to student grade or artist grade paints...and mix in an extender. To get the best prints (usually two versions each time), you need the paint to stay wet...or fluid.

If you have watched the tutorial, you know that I created these with stencils. It is such a GREAT way to use your supplies in a different way! I have so many more combinations I can't wait to try.

There are also so many things that you can do with your prints. They are great to use for your art journaling, as backgrounds for scrapbook pages, or for cards. Here is a card that I created with a couple of pages of prints.

If you would like to see the tutorial of how I made this card you can check it out here.

I hope I have piqued your interest. I talked with Scott Shaw over at Bluemoon Scrapbooking, and they are now carrying all three sizes of the Gelli Plate. I use the 8x10 Gelli Plate. I like its versatility. If you are a card maker, you may be more interested in the 6x6 size. You all know me...I only want to invest in tools that I will use a LOT! This is one of those tools. I do love the end results...but it is the best thing I have found to overcome "creativity block or lost mojo!" Because it is so freeing, a few minutes spent slopping around with paint, stencils and an assortment of scrapers/texture makers gets my creative juices flowing...and later when I need to be inspired for a project a quick look through my stack of prints often sparks an idea....BONUS!

Soft Rubber Brayer

If you are interested in trying this for yourself, you will need a Gelli Plate, a soft rubber brayer and some acrylic paint (whatever kind you already have in your stash)...and most importantly...your playful creative heart!  Have Fun!

Products used:

Visual Weight: Collage Stamping

I'm introducing a new series. I thought we might go a bit deeper on some projects and look at why certain things work together to make a good design. You know I'm not big on "rules" when it comes to art...so these tutorials will be more focused on why certain elements appeal to us.

This first tutorial is about visual weight. Several of you have asked for a tutorial on creating stamping collages - like I have posted the last few days. I created all of these cards "Thanks" card, "Vintage Camera" card and "Sunflower Collage" card utilizing the concept of Visual Weight.

You can see in this picture that I recreated the the background collage first in just black (no attention paid to visual weight) and then with black a grey (using only intensity to create visual weight).

Here is the tutorial...



Let me know what you think! Have a great week!

Collage Stamping Has Officially Become an Obsession

I seriously love creating these collage stamped backgrounds! Wish I had discovered it sooner! I am so glad that the Papertrey Ink Make It Monday Challenge got me thinking about this technique.  You can check out the beautiful card that Dawn made here.

I am preparing for a class I am going to teach - French Country Inspired Projects. I have had fun researching...finding lots of things that will be my inspiration for creating these projects. I have started a Board on Pinterest called French Country. If you would like to check it out - there is a link over in the side bar that will take you to my Pinterest Account.

So, as I am preparing for this class the first thing that I did was to look into color combinations and iconic images that would help give my projects the FEEL of French Country. I found that Golden Yellow, True Red and Deep Blues are often used - so I pulled out some of my supplies that might work within these color ranges.

                                     

I found this really helpful...and need to incorporate this step into my regular creative process.

I knew that I wanted to work with Sunflowers - as they are one of those "iconic" images found in French Country home decor.  I pulled out the Sunflower Bouquet stamp and die set - and decided to make it my focal image. 

And then of course, I couldn't help but create a stamped collage background. Several of you have asked me to do a tutorial on my process of creating a stamping collage - so I turned the camera on while I was in the midst of putting this card together. 

I even created a bit of a collage inside the card as well. I felt like the card front would have been too busy and overloaded if I had added a sentiment to it - so I opted for moving it inside.

 Have you tried using your stamps to create a collage? Do...it is lots of fun! Here the tutorial to show you how I put this card together...Enjoy!




Hope you have a great rest of your weekend! See you soon!

Products I used:

More Collage Stamping: MIM #110

I am having the best time working out these stamping collages! You know I particularly love finding new ways to use supplies I already have...and this technique of using stamps from different collections and pairing them with inks of different intensity to create a cohesive collage is just SO MUCH FUN...and a terrific way to stretch your supplies.

Here is a close up...I just love the way the frame draws attention to the silhouetted couple...but because the inks are lighter, the provide balance for the focal image (vintage camera). I also added some embossing to the top because it seemed empty - but I didn't want to add more stamping. Embossing can help you fill space with a bit of texture, but still allows you to maintain the balance of your other elements.

The vintage camera is from a stamp set called Shutterbug Special. So very cool - and you can get a matching die...that also cuts that little pull out! Such a great way to add a special sentiment, note or tiny photograph!

To create my focal image, I stamped the camera image on heavy white card stock with VersaMark and then added Super Fine Black embossing powder. You could just stamp it...but I wanted to add some Brushed Pewter Distress Stain to the camera to keep that vintage look going. I used a brush to add the Brushed Pewter Stain into the openings...you can use a baby wipe or a damp cloth to remove the stain from the embossed areas.

Thanks for stopping by...I am always so blessed by you guys! You are a constant source of encouragement for me. Let me know if you would be interested in me doing a tutorial on creating stamped collages...I think it would be fun!

Have a great rest of the week!

Here are the supplies I used: (I can't find a link to the embossing folder - it is an older one that came in a collection of embossing folders for cards).

Collage Stamping: Papertrey Ink Make It Monday Challenge #110

 So...I shared these Easter cards with you...and the tutorial on how to create these dimensional speckled eggs by creating a template with a Papertrey Ink Egg Die. 

If you missed it, you can check out the tutorial here.  I had so much fun making these eggs, that I ended up with several card fronts that I didn't turn into Easter cards. I just love those speckled eggs. 

When I went to check out this week's Papertrey Ink Make It Monday challenge, I knew I wanted to use some of those extra card bases. The challenge was to do 'collage stamping' - layering different stamps with various inks to create a collage. Since my spotted eggs were created with ink...I felt like they would be a great foundation for my collage.

Here is how it turned out...Love it! I used the following Papertrey Ink stamps:  Background Basics-Farm and Barn; Fancy Flourishes; and Thanks All Ways. I also used a Stampers Anonymous Script stamp.

Here is a closer view...love how all the elements work together. To help the flourishes blend a bit better, I first stamped them on some scrap paper and then stamped them onto my collage piece. (Inks were  Antique Linen [Distress Ink], Aqua Mist, Berry Sorbet and Smokey Shadow).

This collage was created with some eggs that were done all in hues of brown. The previous one had some of my colorful eggs (blues, greens and pale lavender). I decided to use more earthy or neutral tones for the stamping on this card...(script in Ocean Tides, and Flourishes in Canyon Clay).

And here is a closer view of this one!

This is a very fun technique...really made me pull out lots of different stamp sets and challenged me to figure out how to build them into a cohesive image that supports the focal point which is my sentiment.

I have also done another stamping collage card...yeah...you know me....once my creative juices started flowing, I had more ideas than I could put on one card...so I just made MORE! *smile*

Hope you are having a wonderful week...thanks for stopping by.

Easter Cards - Watercolored Eggs Technique

Yes...I do realize that it is three days AFTER Easter...but I never got these posted for you guys...and I wanted you to have the tutorial for how I created these eggs...because I have another card or two to share with you that I used some of these eggs to make as well! (I know! Bonus!)

I have been seeing a lot of speckled eggs on Pinterest. I just LOVE them...and I wanted to figure out how to make them for myself. After I thought about it awhile, I realized that I could probably get a good dupe if I used my distress stains and created an egg shaped template with a die.

Here is a video tutorial...it is REALLY simple to make these dimensional eggs...and even if it is past Easter - I will be back to share a card I made with some of my "extra eggs!"

Are you as surprised as I was by how quickly they come together and have a real dimensional effect?!?! I couldn't help myself...I made all my cards and then made a few extra....which you will see in my next post.

This card was inspired by a Facebook post...it just cracked me up and I had to turn it into a card!

These cute little bunnies first showed up on a card by Betsy Veldman! I love her cards...and just had to make some of these for myself. I worked out a way to create them in an assembly line fashion...so I was able to make lots of them for some of my girlfriends and the kiddos in my life!

Here is a tutorial on how to make these "disappearing" chocolate bunnies!

And just one more little bunny that was in the mix after my Easter card making frenzy!

Hope you all are having a great week! I will be back with another card or two to share soon!


Here are the products I used to create these cards: