Mask-erade--3 More Cards

I have 3 more cards that I've made, inspired by lessons in Online Card Classes' "Mask-erade" class, which winds down this week. Even though it will no longer be a "live," interactive class, (I believe) it will be available as a self-paced class. I would highly recommend this class--or indeed, any of their classes! If you want to be notified of their upcoming classes, you can sign up for their newsletter here.

Another card by Shari Carroll, on Day 2 of class, inspired my first card. I had to veer from her instructions, since I didn't have an appropriate background stamp to use, as she had done. I first die cut a balloon, using one of Simon Says Stamp's "Balloons" dies, from one side of a piece of masking paper I'd cut to 4x5.5". I adhered the mask to a piece of white cardstock, cut to the same dimensions, and taped down a number stencil by The Crafter's Workshop (name unknown) on top. I sprayed that with Heidi Swapp's "Seafoam" Color Shine mist, and then set that aside to dry. I heat embossed a chevron pattern, using a Prima stencil, Versamark ink, and Zing! Blue metallic embossing powder, onto another piece of white cardstock. I die cut that with another of the "Balloons" dies.

When my main panel had dried, I peeled up the mask. I stamped the "Happy Birthday" from Lawn Fawn's "Grand Greetings" set in Versafine Onyx Black ink. I tied a piece of white embroidery floss around the bottom of the smaller balloon, coated the floss with Ranger Multi Medium Matte, arranged it to curl, and left it to dry. I poked a hole on each side of the bottom of the stenciled balloon, and tied more floss around that. After I matted the main panel with a piece of pale green cardstock, I adhered my smaller balloon with foam tape. I finished up by adding some sequins by Doodlebug Design with more Multi Medium.

I based my second card on Debby Hughes' lesson on Day 1--"Postive & Negative Masking." I die cut my mask from a sticky note, using one of Spellbinders' "Labels One" dies, turned on point. I adhered it to my cardstock panel, and added more sticky notes around the edges to make sure I didn't get any ink outside the mask. Then I inked through the opening with Shaded Lilac Distress ink. With my negative mask still in place to help me with alignment, I placed my positive cut-out mask inside the opening. I peeled up the negative mask. I used some of the stamps from WPlus9's "Spring Blooms" set & Paper Smooches' "Botanicals 2" set for my images "behind" the greeting area. I stamped those with Memento dye inks in Danube Blue, Desert Sand, Rose Bud, Cantaloupe, New Sprout, and Bamboo Leaves. Because of my masking, the flowers & leaves look like they're in the back. Once I'd filled in with the floral images, with my mask still in place, I spattered drops of Heidi Swapp's "Seafoam" Color Shine mist over the panel. Finally, I peeled up my mask, and stamped my greeting (from Hero Arts' "You Make Me Smile" set), in Versafine Onyx Black ink.

I finished my card by rounding the corners of my panel with my 1/4" Corner Chomper, adding a layer of fun foam to the back, and adhering that to my A2 card base.

For my final card, I again took inspiration from Debby Hughes. Day 5 of class was devoted to masking with embossing powder. Her lesson was on "Masking White Areas," with a homemade stencil.

To create my stencil, I die cut the 3 butterflies from My Favorite Things' "Butterflies" set from a piece of white cardstock, cut to 4x5.25". I taped my stencil over another piece of 140 lb. watercolor paper, cut to the same dimensions, and pressed my Versamark ink pad over it, adding that ink through the butterfly cut-outs to my watercolor paper. I heat embossed that with Zing! Clear embossing powder, and taped my panel to my cutting board. I painted over the embossing with watercolor. When that was how I wanted, I set that aside to dry.

I die cut the first part of my greeting using Simon Says Stamp's "Sending" die, from navy cardstock. I stamped the "happy thoughts" (from this set) in Versamark on more of the navy, and heat embossed it with Ranger Super Fine Detail embossing powder. I then cut that into a small strip. I felt the "happy thoughts" was a bit "unbalanced," so I drew in a tiny heart with my white gel pen.

When my watercolor had dried, I used my iron and scratch paper to remove the embossing powder. I did have to heat it some more with my heat gun, and dab with a paper towel, to get the final bits of embossing off. I spattered the panel with watered-down Chipped Sapphire Distress ink, and adhered my greeting. I inked the sides of another piece of white cardstock with Chipped Sapphire, and glued my watercolor panel to that, matching the left and top sides. Finally, I adhered that to a white A2 card base.