'Cracking Up' Class Update

I loved this Papercraft Session as everyone was able to make the projects right from start to finish due to it being a smaller group than usual.  I'd deliberately brought a selection of stamps and colours for everyone to choose from and it was great seeing everyone's take on the design.

For the main image there was a choice between Young Vermillion (as used on my card shown) and the Pear image from Faith in Nature.

The background was stamped using the small flower from the Baroque Motifs set in Chocolate Chip ink. All the flowers are the same ink but I've given them a different look by stamping the images several times before re-inking, resulting in a lighter shade each time. I used Baja Breeze cardstock for the base and Chocolate Chip card punched with the Lace Ribbon Border Punch. See that ribbon? I love the pretty scalloped edge and those funky dots. The best thing is it's available in 10 different colours!

The mosaic itself was made by firstly stamping the image and watercolouring it using an AquaPainter brush. Once dried, the image is then overstamped with Versamark using an acrylic block covered with offcuts of foam mounted rubber. Clear embossing powder is added and heated with a heat gun. Finally, a dark ink is applied all over using a sponge dauber and then wiped off with a paper towel. The ink is left in the spaces between each embossed section, giving the mosaic effect.

Here you can see what my lovely ladies made with the materials. I love how the Whisper White looks on both the Cherry Cobbler and Island Indigo cardstock.

Sneaky peek at... Cracking Up

From the moment I saw this Faux Mosaic tutorial by Beate Johns I wanted to try it out. It's not the easiest of techniques to perfect, and there's a lot of preperation involved, but it's so worthwhile.

For this week's Papercraft Session, we'll be using the Faux Mosaic technique to create a card and gift bag. Here's a sneak peek at the bag...

That elegant bird stamp is from the new Stampin' Up! catalogue and it's called Young Vermillion. I've watercoloured it using the Aqua Painter brush and various inkpads. I'll give more detail on the technique in my class update post.