Hello there! Welcome to my first post showcasing a card for my new blog! Thank you so much for visiting today.
I created this card for the Stay Crafty Challenge on the Hero Arts blog. The theme for June is ink blending—one of my favorite ways to make a card colorful! The stencil that I used to create the houses on this card is the Hero Arts June Laying Stencil of the Month. I had been wanting to use it, and I think it worked perfectly for a 4th of July theme.
I started creating my layered houses by blending the four stencils in order, skipping the third layer to keep some of the houses white. I used the colors Cherry Red from Gina K Designs and Tim Holtz Distress Inks in Blueprint Sketch and Black Soot. Next, I wanted my houses to appear like they were sitting on a hill, so I created a slanted effect by cutting along the roofs of the houses. I love this look, and it resulted in a leftover piece that I used to make another card!
Time to make the background: To keep the same vibrant color palette, I decided to go with the resist technique. Using an older Hero Arts stencil, I ink blended with Cherry Red, then shifted the stencil to fill in the area with white stars using white pigment ink. Using a sponger dauber, I added clear embossing ink to all of the stars over the previous ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. Now for the fun part! I ink blended over the entire background with Blueprint Distress Ink and added a bit of Black Soot around the edges. Isn’t it cool how the stars resist the ink and pop out from the background? To make it even more festive, I splashed some flecks of water to create the look of smoky fireworks.
To finish it off, I popped up the stacked houses and background panel with foam tape on a A2-sized notecard. I added a die cut sentiment from the Hero Arts April My Monthly Hero Kit.
Thank you so much for stopping by! Please feel free to leave a comment below. I’d love to hear about your crafting adventures. God bless!