Under the Northern Lights

This week's challenge at H2H is to add dry or heat embossing to a project. I went a little crazy with the embossing, (I love embossing!) I used 4 different embossing techniques:

1. Cuttlebug embossing using divine swirls folder on vellum:

Tip: Vellum tends to crack when embossing like this, I found misting it with water first really helped.



2. Dry embossing by scoring a border with a stylus, then sanding the raised edge to reveal the white core of CTMH cardstock:

3. Heat embossed text, using clear detail embossing powder on sentiment while ink is still wet, then melting it with a heat gun. The effect is subtle and hard to photograph, but IRL you can see the shine and feel the raised edge of the font:

4. Heat embossing the main image with white embossing powder, which was then cut out and popped up on 3D squares to give it some dimension:

                                     

And, I put them all together to make this scene: (you can click on the pic for a larger view)

                            

 I made several attempts on scrap paper to get the northern lights effect that I was looking for. If you've ever seen them from Northern Alberta, you know that it is a beautiful sight. I have seen them dance and change colors from pinks to greens, and the ethereal glow they cast on the landscape below is just amazing. However, it is difficult to photograph, much less draw. I used white daisy pigment ink and dabbed it on in a random "dancing" pattern, then while the ink was still wet, I dragged a dry paintbrush through it. Next I used a dry brush to "paint" the colors on with teal and purple chalks. The white pigment ink caught some of the colors of the chalks. The overall effect wasn't exactly what I was going for, but this is as close as I could get to the "image" in my mind!

I then added a Christmas star, embossed it with white daisy embossing powder, then filled it in with some stardust glitter gel, which I also used as glistening snow.  I finished it off with some tiny stars (Northern Lights can only be seen on a clear night) using  a CTMH White Daisy marker. I just love the sentiment, it couldn't be more true!

Isn't embossing fun?! Now, pop on over to H2H for some more fabulous embossing inspiration from the uber-talented design team, then play along and create something using an embossing technique. I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

Thanks for visiting my blog!
Lorrinda

Recipe:
CTMH products:
Stamp Sets: C1424 Nature's Gift (bear and sentiment)
                  D1305 Gloria (star)
Papers: Cardstock in White daisy(snow and card base), 
                             Twilight(bear),
                              and Outdoor Denim(sky)
            Vellum paper
Embossing powders: White Daisy and Clear Detail
White daisy pigment ink pad
White daisy marker
Versamark ink pad
Summer Soft Chalks
Glitz Glitter gel in Stardust
Tools:  Dry embossing/scoring stylus
           Sanding kit
                Craft heater
           Paper trimmer

Other products:
Cuttlebug and Divine Swirls embossing folder
Paintbrush

Happy Thanksgiving!

To all my readers, I'd like to wish a very Happy Thanksgiving. If you're not Canadian, you probably don't celebrate Thanksgiving in October, but we do, and it's been an absolutely perfect weekend for it. The sun is shining, the leaves are falling, and it's 22C degrees outside (nicer than it's been most of the summer here in Alberta) Last night we had stuffed turkey breast with all the fixings, and Mom's homemade buns. Not quite the traditional turkey supper, but there were only 6 of us so we decided not to do the big turkey this year. Still, turkey with stuffng is my absolute favorite meal, no matter how it's prepared!

The challenge at Heart to Heart today is to incorprate anything to do with leaves and or trees. How fitting, since we spent most of yesterday raking the leaves from under the now bare trees in our front yard. I couldn't decide, so I made one of each.

First, the trees:

I masked the center panel, then sponged inks in bamboo and gray flannel on it. Then I stamped the little trees in gray flannel, garden green and olive to make it look like they are in the distance. Next, I removed the mask, and stamped the big tree in new england ivy over the whole thing. I distressed and inked the edges, then used a piercer to make holes to thread the hemp through in a cross-stitch design on the corners. It was matted onto olive cardstock, then put on a blank A2 card base. I did the corner of a matching envelope to go along with it. I like this card, it's simple to make and flat so it's easy to mail.  I made some with different sentiments...thank you, sympathy, and christmas.

And, one using leaves:

This one was fun. I wanted to have the leaves multicolored, so I used a puddle pad technique. What is a puddle pad you ask? It's a technique I found on a CTMH TV Art and Soul episode, you can view the video HERE to learn how to do this ink technique. It's a bit messy, but very easy and I am thrilled with how the leaves turned out. I stamped the leaves onto colonial white cs, added the veins in desert sand ink, then sponged cocoa and honey around the edges. Stamped the sentiment, then mounted it onto cocoa cs with the corners punched. Add a few more mats and some ribbon, and the main image is popped up on 3D foam squares to give it some dimension.

I can't decide which one I like better, so I am entering both of these cards for this week's challenge at H2H.

Thanks for visiting my blog,

Lorrinda

All product from CTMH unless stated,

Recipe for tree card:

Stamps: D1298 Beautiful Things (trees)

            D1400 Everyday Celebration (sentiment)

Cardstock: White Daisy and Olive

Inks: Olive, New England Ivy, Bamboo, Gray Flannel

Hemp

Paper piercer

Recipe for leaves card:

Stamps: D1232 Nature's Vein (leaves)

             C1424 Nature's Gift (sentiment)

Cardstock: Cocoa, Honey, Barn Red, Colonial White

Inks: Barn Red, Honey, Orange, Cocoa, Desert Sand

Cocoa grosgrain ribbon

(Corner punch from SU)