Sunday, July 14, 2013

Meadow Greens

Yesterday was all about "bright", "fun", and "celebration". Time to mellow it out today a bit with  peaceful meadow botanical elements from the upcoming release of "Meadow Greens" by Papertrey Ink. Just makes you want to take a deep cleansing breath and relax a bit at the very thought, doesn't it?

Nichole asked us to come up with some inspirational pieces from Pinterest for our two cards. Here's the first. I was drawn to the brown shading against the blue background and wanted to recreate that on my project.
Pinterest link here. Cannot find original source. 

I like to think I was pretty successful in achieving the look. My card is pretty much a direct copy of the inspiration piece. Why fight it? Freed up some brain power to think about adding the shading. 

A rarity for me, this card only uses one stamp set for both image and sentiment. "Meadow Greens" just inspires that treatment.



And here's a close up of my Queen Anne's Lace image. Both it and the fern are stamped with Fresh Snow ink on Aqua Mist cardstock. I took a very light blue Copic marker and started defining the individual clusters. Next, took a light brown Copic and added that "tea staining" look.  I  just kept going over it with both colors and eventually it all dried and mellowed out to this. Sort of undefined and watery. Like it.  Interesting that Copics can be so instrumental to a design even if they aren't being used to color something in. It was all about accenting.

For my next trick (ha!), I had some difficulty narrowing down my inspiration piece. Why not try to combine three different ones?


Took the two different colored ferns idea from this image... (Original source here.)

...added it to the idea of ferns over two columns of text and golden elements....(Original source here)


...and liked the idea of adding an orange butterfly...(Original source here)



...presto chang-o, abracadabra, POOF!!!....and I get this. I used "Sentiment Signs" to make my two columns, which I softened with vellum. One Classic Kraft rectangle got stamped with just one of the words from the stamp I used to make the background. Gold accents ("Mat Stack 6 Collection) highlight the sides. 

The ferns and dies (!!!!!) from "Meadow Greens" create a sort of nature study. And two butterflies from "Butterfly Dreams" add a bold spot of color. I like how it looks like it is a page torn out of a vintage nature book. Exactly the look I was going for. SUCCESS! 

And that is it from this little stamper. You can pick up "Meadow Greens" for yourself on July 15 at www.papertreyink.com.  There's more to see if you need to zen out some more,  just a click or two away...

Jessica Witty
Dawn McVey
Melissa Phillips
Heather Nichols
Betsy Veldman
Cristina Kowalcyzk
Danielle Flanders
Ashley Cannon Newell

Supplies

Meadow Greens Blue Card
Stamps: Meadow Greens
Cardstock: Classic Kraft, Aqua Mist
Ink: Dark Chocolate and Fresh Snow
Button Twine
Burlap
Pinking Sheers Border die
Fresh Linen Button

Meadow Greens Book Page Style Card
Stamps: Meadow Greens, Sentiment Signs, Mat Stack 6 Collection, Butterfly Dreams
Cardstock: Rustic Cream, Classic Kraft, Limeade Ice, Spring Moss
Ink: Dark Chocolate, Ripe Avocado, Simply Chartreuse
Dies: Meadow Greens and Butterfly
Vellum
Copics
Gold Filigree Embossing Powder


27 comments:

  1. Great use of the inspiration pieces! Pretty cards!

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  2. I particularly love your "Meadow Greens Blue card." The shading is awesome, and symmetry is perfection. Your card is an inspiration to us all. Very clever use of copics for shading.

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  3. LOOOOOOOOOOOVE them both so gorgeous!

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  4. Your 'elegance mojo' is on fire with this post! These are two of the most beautiful samples made with this set. The softening of the perfect background color on your first card, is breathtaking. All those fabulous rustic embellishments are the icing on the cake.

    Your second card is graphically modern and totally natural, all at the same time. I love that the cardstock you used for the ferns is not the color of ink that you used. (I was racking my brain trying to get away from just a white or craft background for the ferns.) The two tiny gold ginkgo leaves, flanking the sentiment with the brads, are pure GENIUS! I love your 'cute', but your elegant is just as fabulously creative. Thank you.

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  5. These cards are so fabulous! Love the beautiful coloring and shading with your Copics on the Queen Anne's lace.

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  6. Awesome cards...your creativity inspires me.
    -- Connie C.

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  7. Just spent sometime studying the techniques here today, in love with the copic shade thing! But the emphasis on 'thanks' on the 2nd card is a keeper too! Thanks!

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  8. AMAZING work! Especially love the Queen Anne's Lace. It's so soft.

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  9. Love what you did with both of these pieces. The added shading on the first card give it so much depth and dimension. Love the way you took elements from three different inspiration photos to create your gorgeous second card. Thanks for the inspiration Erin!

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  10. Beautiful cards. Love the Queen Ann's Lace!

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  11. Your Queen Anne's Lace card is so beautiful! Love your creativity and flair.

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  12. Gorgeous cards, Erin! In the first one, your creation is even more beautiful than the inspiration image :)

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  13. WOW!!!!!! BOTH CARDS ARE FABULUOS!!!!!!!!!!!!:)They have SUCH AN EARTHY FEEL!!!!!!!! :) PERFECT!!!!!!!!:)

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  14. I love how you used the Copic markers to highlight. You captured the essence of the first card beautifully!

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  15. wow, these are so beautiful. I can't wait to get/use this set. Love it.

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  16. I can't stop staring at your first card...it is so beautiful! Would love to know which copics you used for your shading...want to "attempt" to recreate this!

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  17. So beautiful it inspires me to create! What color copics did you use?

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  18. These are just beautiful - and just inspirational - thank you.

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  19. The first card has blown me away. Beatiful, Erin! I like the 2nd card as well, but the first one really keeps drawing me back up to look at it. You totally nailed it!

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  20. Very cool, love the colors and your shading/shadowing on your first work of art, wonderful addition of textures with the twine, burlap & button, even the touch of vellum. It would make a great notebook cover too. Great 'magic' on your second card :) I love the 2 bold butterflies.

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  21. Tah dah!!!! Just like that...perfection :) Clever use of the sentiment signs to mimic the book page :)

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  22. So I love both cards, but I'm still just completely in awe over the first. It is absolutely beautiful!

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  23. The first card is stunning, everything single little part of it. I appreciate you sharing the details of how you made it.

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  24. Great cards and inspiration picks! These stamps are on my wishlist. ;-)

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  25. The Meadows Green card is just beautiful; I love the shades of color used and the stamp. I will definitely be trying this technique out. Thank you for sharing!

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