Thursday, April 27, 2017

schön, dass es dich gibt * clean & simple 4/4

Hi there, Nicole here.

I'm back with my last clean and simple card for my April series.




I got asked many a time how I make my clean and simple cards. To be honest, I do not have a recipe. It's just the way I love making cards, it's kind of "natural" for me. But I found some guidelines/instructions for you that might help :-)



If you want to make "clean and simple" cards, try to stick to (some of) these points.
  • one focal point
  • a lot of open space
  • only one (or two) layers
  • no or minimal embellishements
  • minimal color palette
  • simple, uncluttered and easy to recreate
If you want to improve your clean and simple cardmaking, try playing along CAS challenges. You'll find many inspiring ideas and get to practice at the same time.




  1. stamp the feathers with a grey dye ink
  2. stamp the inside of the feathers with a light blue dye ink
  3. stamp the greeting with a crisp black pigment ink
  4. add some interest with white enamel stickers or Nuvo Crystal Drops


Funky Feathers / schön, dass es dich gibt


Remember, Create A Smile is moving and the store is closed right now. They will reopen on May 7th.

Thanks for stopping by! See you soon :-)
Nicole


Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Tag ALong

Hey stampers, Anni here!
Today I have a tag and a Father's Day card to show.





I recently discovered a new to me technique called Joseph's coat and I had to try it out.




I created a few colourful backgrounds on tags by experimenting with my Distress Oxide Inks.
When the background was totally dry I stamped images and sentiments with Versamark and embossed them with clear embossing powder. Then I blended black ink onto the tag. The areas with the clear embossing resists the black ink and the colourful background still shows. Love the effect!





  • You need to choose solid images and sentiment to get a real good effect.
  • After adding the black ink you have to clean up the embossed areas with a dump paper towel a few times to get a clean look.
  • During the prozess your finger get really inky. If you don't like that you have to wear rubber gloves. 




Next week I have two more examples of the same technique - hope to see you again.



   

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Welcome Baby 1

Hi crafty friends and welcome back to our crafty space. Raluca here with a new card showcasing the adorable "Welcome Baby" stamp set.



I wanted to play with my Distress Inks and to make a ombre background and I also wanted to play with this cute stamp set. This is how I decided on this design.



This is really a simple design and easy to make and the process is really fun.
On a white panel die cut with the largest stitched rectangle I ink blended a few of my Distress Inks in a ombre look. Then, I stamped the bow in VersaMark almost all over the panel and white heat embossed it.
Next, I stamped the sentiment on a black piece of cardstock , white heat embossed it and added it to the background. 
I stamped the adorable elephant and colored it with Nuvo markers. I fussy cut it and adhered it to the panel as well. 
Glued a few clear sequins and mounted the panel on a white card base using some craft foam and my card was done. See?! Pretty easy, right?!


Double Stitched Rectangles



Welcome Baby



Pretty Pink Posh Sparkling Clear 4mm


Pretty Pink Posh Sparkling Clear 6mm



If you love Instagram like I do, you can follow Create A Smile using the name @createasmilestamps and if you have any questions about card making, techniques or products or if you want to share your creations with Create A Smile fans join us on our Facebook group Create A Smile - Friends & Family :).
Have a lovely Tuesday!
Thanks for stopping by,
Raluca

Monday, April 24, 2017

Welcome.......

Hi it's Anja again with another card for you today.

 
 





I made this card for Christine since she has moved and I would like to wish her all the best in her new home and office.




I started with a topfolded white cardbase and stamped the "grass" by masking of the hair from the monster from the Big time set.
Sponged some distress ink along the bottom and colored the grass with copics.
I stamped the brick wall and colored it.
Stamped the little critters as though they are watching over the wall.
Colored them and stamped the little clouds.
Masked the clouds and sponged the sky.
Finally stamped the sentiment and rounded the corners.






Stamps;

Poppin 'over, Big Time and Uplifting.








Make sure you watch the blog and social media for some news about create a smile and please share what you create we love to see it.

Have a great week,
Anja

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Wie geht's? * clean & simple 3/4

Hi there, Nicole here.

I'm back with my third clean and simple card for my April series.





I got asked many a time how I make my clean and simple cards. To be honest, I do not have a recipe. It's just the way I love making cards, it's kind of "natural" for me. But I found some guidelines/instructions for you that might help :-)



If you want to make "clean and simple" cards, try to stick to (some) of these points.
  • one focal point
  • a lot of open space
  • only one (or two) layers
  • no or minimal embellishements
  • minimal color palette
  • simple, uncluttered and easy to recreate
If you want to improve your clean and simple cardmaking, try playing along CAS challenges. You'll find many inspiring ideas and get to practice at the same time.




  1. stamp the flower with an ombre look (I used a MISTI stamping tool and added yellow first and orange last) using dye inks
  2. color the flower with Distress Inks and a blending tool (I did not mask it off)
  3. add splatters of white paint 
  4. stamp the greeting


nur mal Hallo sagen / botanical love


Create A Smile is moving and they are taking a break. The shop will be closeduntil May 7th.

Thanks for stopping by! See you soon :-)
Nicole



Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Hello and hugs

Hi crafty friends and welcome back to our crafty space. Raluca here with a new card using a few awesome stamp sets.



I looked through my small collection of embossing powders and saw that I have only 2 colored ones, one pink and one green. I loved he green one and I wanted to use it on kraft cardstock, so I searched for a solid stamp and I decided to go with the Clustered Leaves. 



On a kraft cardstock die cut with the largest stitched rectangle I stamped in VersaMark and heat embossed in green the stamp in the center of the panel. With the help of Misti I stamped once the leaves and then I rotated the panel and stamped again. Following the same steps I stamped the leaves from the "Time to say thanks" set in the corners. For more interest I added a few white splatters on the panel.
Then, on a cream piece of cardstock I stamped the sentiment in VersaMark and heat embossed it in green and adhered it in the center. I mounted the kraft panel on a cream card base and my card was done.



How do you feel about colored embossing powders and how many do you have in your stash? I think that I should add some more to mine, too :)



If you love Instagram like I do, you can follow Create A Smile using the name @createasmilestamps and if you have any questions about card making, techniques or products or if you want to share your creations with Create A Smile fans join us on our Facebook group Create A Smile - Friends & Family :).

Have a lovely Tuesday!
Thanks for stopping by,