Stampin' it up with Belinda: The Open Sea

It was my Dad's birthday this month, & since he likes old maps with ships and whales or some crazy old fashioned monstrous sea creatures on them ... this was the card I made for him (minus the sea creature).

I am so disappointed to here that the Blendabilities have been discontinued, even though I had made this card before discovering this, I thought I would still share it anyway.

Stamp Sets: World Map & The Open Sea
Card stock: Naturals White, Whisper White & Soft Suede
Ink: Memento Black, Soft Suede & Basic Gray
Blendabilites: Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Crumb Cake, Ivory, Natural, Bronze, Bermuda Bay, Soft Sky, Smoky Slate & Night of Navy.
Punches: 2 1/2" Circle
Extras: Linen Thread & Clear Embossing Powder

Colours used in the card.

Colouring the water.

Making a start on the land. Mapping out green & dry land.

Filling in the land & trying to add some mountains & ridges.

Sometimes you don't have the right colour for the job, but you can mix up your colours a bit. Try adding say a darker colour to your acrylic block, then picking up some of that colour on the tip of a lighter (or just different) colour marker, as you colour with the marker the darker colour will blend with it then fade out as it returns to the original colour. Note: If you do this, it is a good idea to scribble off all the excess colour on to scrap paper before you put the lid back on. You don't want to risk it staining the marker.

Staz-on Cleaner & wet wipes or paper towel will clean off any left over Blendabilities from the acrylic blocks.

This is what the map looked like after I added colour after colour & layer after layer.

I'm not even sure if I took a picture after every colour I used or if I've even put them on here in the right order, but you get the idea. There's no right or wrong way to colour with blendabilities, it's just a matter of practise, & as crafters we learn to hide our mistakes with embellishments... : )

Colour the ship.

The embossing process before the crackle effect.

After I had embossed the circle of card stock with the coloured ship at least 6 times, I put it in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes, then bent it and twisted it to get the "cracked glass effect".

Of course no old map would be complete without some sort of distressing.
I sponged all around the edges with Baked Brown Sugar.

Cutting out the anchor can be fiddly, but it's worth the effort to be able to wrap some twine or thread through it like old rope.

To see the first card I made with the World Map & Blendabilities click here.

Wow! It's been and gone now, I can't believe how nervous I was...This was the first time I've presented on stage, and I tell what... sometimes I can get nervous with only 6-12 people, but there was 100 people at the Warragul Stampin' Up! Party Time Event, so yeah... just a few butterflies for most of the day. : p

Everyone had to make their own name tag, you can see mine below. However this was not the first one I had made. The first one I made was very basic; a small oval with a sponged sunset, some silhouette flowers stamped in black & my name. I looked at it and thought... I can do better than that... and would you believe it... I won! There was another lady who also won, but silly me didn't get a photo of her name tag.

The other cute little tag was made by one of the demonstrator helpers. All helpers wore one on the day (including Aaron & Amanda).

Stamp sets: Back to Basics Alphabet & From the Herd - Cheerful Critters

Card stock: Pool Party & Whisper White - Tangelo Twist, Hello Honey, Island Indigo & Whisper White

Ink: So Saffron, Pool Party & Memento Black - Black

Blendabilities: Crumb Cake, Ivory, Blush, Nude, Smoky Slate, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie & Coastal Cabana - Daffodil Delight & Blush

Tools: Oval Framelits - Word Window Punch

This was the prize I received for being one of the winners in the name tag challenge.
Plus the goodies inside the bag, (which I forgot to take a photo of) that consisted of ribbons & pegs & things.

My display board
Yeah, I know the card at the bottom is crooked -but it wouldn't fit in the bag.

My presentation was about sponging. So I was going to show everything I could think of that you can do with a sponge and card stock, but I only had 5 minutes. How much sponging do you think I could fit into 5 minutes? Not nearly as much as I thought... after my first practice run I couldn't even get the scene finished : (

So then we just started eliminating as much as possible, and stuck with three main things; Sponging the scene, Two Tone Stamping (I don't even know if that's what it's really called ) and the Block Background.

Below is a finished sample of the scene I demonstrated (not the one I sponged on stage, but showed).

Stamp Set: Wetlands

Card stock: Whisper White & Lost Lagoon

Ink: So Saffron, Daffodil Delight, Marina Mist, Pacific Point, Lost Lagoon, Island Indigo, Mossy Meadow & Memento Black

Blendabilities: Bermuda Bay, Pumpkin Pie, Crumb Cake, Ivory & Colour Lifter

Extras: White Chalk Pen

Techniques: Sponging & Masking (post-it notes & circle Punch)

There were a few people who missed my presentation, & others who wanted to know if I had a tutorial for it. Well I do now.

Ink colours used for sponging: So Saffron Daffodil Delight, Marina Mist, Pacific Point, Mossy Meadow, Lost Lagoon & Island Indigo.

This video is "sponging the scene".

This is the sample from the video, as you can see it's a bit different to the card above, but no two sponged scenes will look the same, they'll all be a little bit different.

This video shows the duck being coloured with blendabilites

This is a video of stamping the reflection

Stamp Set: Wetlands

Card stock: Very Vanilla, Pacific Point & Mossy Meadow

Ink: So Saffron, Daffodil Delight, Soft Sky, Marina Mist, Pacific Point, Island Indigo, Mossy Meadow, Craft White & Memento BlackExtras: White Chalk Pen
Techniques: Sponging & Masking (post-it notes & circle Punch)

Framelits: Four Feathers

Stamp Sets: Lovely as a tree & Back to Basics Alphabet

Card stock: Whisper White, Night of Navy & Naturals White

Ink: Daffodil Delight, Night of Navy & Craft White

Tools: Circle Punch Woodgrain Embossing Folder & Labels Collection Framelits

Techniques: Embossing, Sponging & masking

Stamp Set: Lovely as a Tree & Moon Lake

Card stock: Whisper White, Marina Mist & Crumb Cake

Ink: So Saffron, Crushed Curry, Marina Mist, Soft Sky, Mossy Meadow & Memento Black

Blendabilities: Old Olive & Wild Wasabi

Extras: White Chalk Pen & Natural Chevron Ribbon

Techniques: Reflection, Sponging & Masking

This next card was one of my favourites, though I did try it a couple of different ways before hand (stormy, gray & cloudy), but this one turned out the best. How could I resist sponging a moon over the lake when the stamp set is called "Moon Lake".

Stamp Set: Moon Lake

Card stock: Whisper White, Backed Brown sugar, Adventure Bound dsp & Night of Navy

Ink: So Saffron, Marina Mist, Pacific Point, Night of Navy, Old Olive & Memento Black

Blendabilities: Old Olive, Wild Wasabi, Crumb Cake, Smoky Slate, Night of Navy & Colour Lifter

Extras: White Chalk Pen & Linen Thread

Techniques: Piercing Sponging & Masking

Stamp set: From the Herd

Card stock: Whisper White & Sahara Sand

Ink: Old Olive, So Saffron, Daffodil Delight, Pool Party, Bermuda Bay, Sahara Sand & Memento Black

Beldabilities: Crumb Cake, Ivory, Nude, Natural, Blush, Pink Pirouette, Basic Gray, Soft Sky, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie & Colour Lifter

Stamp set: From the Herd & Just Sayin'

Card stock: Whisper White, Basic Black & Adventure Bound -dsp

Ink: Old Olive, Soft Sky Tempting Turquoise, Pool Party, & Memento Black

Beldabilities: Crumb Cake, Mocha, Bronze, Ivory, Nude, Natural, Blush, Pink Pirouette, Basic Gray, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie Coastal Cabana & Colour Lifter

Stamp Sets: Moon Lake & Apothecary Accents

Card stock: Very Vanilla, Naturals Ivory & Soft Suede

Ink: Old Olive, Crisp Cantaloupe, So Saffron, Pool Party, Soft Suede, Early Espresso & Memento Black

Blendabilities: Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Wild Wasabi, Bermuda Bay Calypso Coral, Wisteria wonder

Extras: Oval Framelits, Embossing Powder & Venetian Crochet Trim

Techniques: Sponging & Cracked Glass

Stamp Sets: Serene Silhouettes & Moon Lake

Card Stock: Basic Black, Whisper White & Adventure Bound dsp

Ink: Memento Black, So Saffron, Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie, Calypso Coral & Rose Red

Extras: Oval Framelits & White Jute Ribbon

Techniques: Piercing, Sponging & Masking

Stamp Sets: The Open Sea & Itty Bitty Banners

Card Stock: Whisper White & Baked Brown Sugar

Ink: Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Basic Gray, Marina Mist, Pacific Point, Night of Navy, So Saffron, Crisp Cantaloupe, Tangelo Twist, Calypso Coral, Melon Mambo, Wisteria Wonder & Memento Black

Blendabilities: Smoky slate, Night of navy

Framelits: Circles & Itty Bitty Banners

Extras: Bakers Tine & Mini Brads
Techniques: Sponging & Masking

I Think I had mother's Day in mind when I made the card below. I was thinking of a feminine tattoo collage... not sure if that's what it looks like to anyone else though.

Stamp sets: Back to Basics Alphabet, Perfect Peacock, Blended Bloom, Everything Eleanor & Papillon Potpourri

Card Stock: Very Vanilla, Whisper White & Basic Black

Ink: Crumb Cake, Island Indigo, Memento Black, Real Red, Calypso coral & Blushing Bride

Blendabilities: Coastal Cabana, Night of Navy, Daffodil Delight, Cherry Cobbler, Pumpkin Pie, Calypso Coral, Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry & Wisteria Wonder

Framelits: Hearts

Technique: Sponging

Stamp Sets: Everything Eleanor & Apothecary Accents

Card stock: Basic Black & Whisper White

Ink: Craft White, Memento Black, Rose Red, Melon Mambo & Pink Pirouette

Extras: Heart Framelits, Rhinestone Jewels, Crystal Effects & Dazzling Diamonds
Technique: Sponging

Stamp Sets: Everything Eleanor, Itty Bitty Banners & Woodgrain
Card stock: Very Vanilla & Crumb Cake

Ink: Memento Black, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Real Red, Calypso Coral & Blushing Bride

Framelits: Heart & Itty Bitty Banners,

Ribbon: Burlap, Venetian Crochet Trim & Linen Thread

Technique: Sponging

Stamp set: Just Sayin'

Card stock: Whisper White, Pool Party & Island Indigo + Silver Glimmer paper

Ink: Pool Party & Island Indigo

Extras: Word Bubbles Framelits, Silver Glitter Washi Tape & Decorative Mask -Stars

Techniques: Masking & Sponging (Duabers)

Stamp Set: A Happy Thing

Card Stock: Whisper White, Early Espresso & Naturals White

Ink: Early Espresso

Blendabilities: Crumb Cake, Ivory, Colour lifter, Old Olive & Daffodil Delight

Extras: Circle Punches & Espresso Ribbon

Stamp Sets: A Happy Thing & From The Herd

Card stock: Crumb Cake & Whisper White

Ink: Pool Party, Soft Sky, Daffodil Delight, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake & Memento Black

Blendabilities: Crumb Cake, Ivory, Colour lifter, Old Olive & Daffodil Delight

Framelits: Circles

Robbon: Natural Chevron & Linen Thread

Stamp Set: Adventure Awaits

Card stock: Naturals White, Whisper White & Adventure Bound dsp

Ink: Craft White

Embossing Powder: White

Extras: Circle Framelits & Bakers Twine

Stamp Sets: Perfect Peacock, Blended Bloom & Itty Bitty Banners

Card Stock: Whisper White & Basic Black

Ink: Memento Balck & Melon Mambo

Blendabilities: Coastal Cabana, Night of Navy, Wisteria Wonder, Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie & Old Olive

Framelits: Itty Bitty Banners

The next two samples are using a technique I demonstrated in my presentation, I'm not sure what else to call it, I've just called it "block background", maybe "multi coloured block background" might be more accurate.
I had seen a U-tube video of a very similar thing by Lyn Faye ( I think), though she had used ink pads, markers & ink refills, everything but sponges & daubers... which was my topic, so that's how this happened.
I will attempt to do a tutorial for technique soon... so hang in there!

Stamp Sets: By the Tide & From the Herd
Card Stock: Naturals White, Lost Lagoon, Pool Party & Whisper white
Ink: Pool Party, Coastal Cabana, Island Indigo, Lost Lagoon & Mossy Meadow
Extras: White Jute Ribbon
Techniques: Tearing, Masking, sponging & Block Background

For more on the acrylic block background technique.