Debossed Monoprinting

I had soooo much fun with this month's Gel Press technique video, I can't even tell you.

Do you get technique ideas when you're falling asleep or doing something NOT creative? That's where I always get my best ideas. Sadly, the ones that come at night, I usually forget, but this time I remembered. 

I wanted to use embossing folders basically to mask out shapes on my Gel Press, and so I wrote that down a few months ago and finally got to try it this week and holy cow is this fun. 

For the first card, I used this fun embossing folder that shows the earth/ continents. This is one of those things I bought when I saw a card on Pinterest #eightmonthsago and completely forgot what I wanted to do with it. So I thought I'd get it out of the packaging and try it with today's technique. 

For the background I used these acrylic inks and a stunning stencil from Gina K. 

The printing process is odd, like my brain. I basically do a trash print after I ink the plate and apply the stencil. Then I remove the stencil to do the actual print with the embossing folder. 

BUT THEN - you get a pickup print of the negative. You'll see what I mean in the video. It's SOOOOO cool. I used my biggest Gel Press for this - I needed the extra room. Sentiment is from this set.

Altenew Halftone Circles Stamp Set [ ALTN | SSS ] map - Concord & 9th [ C&9 ] 8x10 Gel Press [ BLIC | SSS ] Niji Splash Ink - BLICK art materials [ BLIC ] 4" Rubber Brayer [ BLIC ] GKD Art Stencils- Square Mandala [ GNK ] Echo Park Paper Company GSE127031... [ AMZUS ] Alexandra Renke MONUMENTS Embossing... [ SSS ] Summer Glitter Pack - Concord & 9th [ C&9 ] Heavy Base Weight Card Stock- White [ GNK ] MISTI Stamping Tool [ MSW | SSS | ELH | MFT ] Absorber - Synthetic Cleaning Cloth [ AMZUS ] Purell Advanced Hand Sanitizer... [ AMZUS ] Rotatrim Professional Series Cutter -... [ BLIC ] Mudder 10 Pack White Buffer Sanding... [ AMZUS ] Xyron ADHESIVE ERASER 23675 [ SSS | ART | AMZUS ] Essentials by Ellen Storage... [ ELH ] Teflon Bone Folder - Ellen Hutson LLC [ ELH | SSS ] Tombow MONO MULTI Liquid Glue Two... [ SSS | ART | BLIC | ELH ] Ink Off Cloth [ INK ]

Isn't that fun? And hard to figure out how I did it, right?

Well check out the pickup print!!

The sentiment on this card is Concord & 9th - where I am teaching today with Kathy Racoosin! You might be reading this next week after you've already spent the day with me! :)

The glitter paper is also theirs - it's their no shed Summer glitter paper that I cut with infinity dies, as well as the sentiment.

SO cool and addicting. Just be sure and take my advice in the video on how to transfer your prints when using larger embossing folders.

I found the smaller detailed folders like this cityscape one I used in the video worked best.

So without further ado - here's the video!

Loveyameanitbye.

Grumpy or Happy?

I see people make interesting choices every day in my online work, and the one I see the most often is a choice between grumpy and happy. Do you leave a mean comment or a nice one? Do you thumbs down or thumbs up? Do you post a rant or something funny? Or my favorite - a funny rant?

I remember one time a dermatologist told me that most skin issues that itch - like poison ivy, rashes etc. - are actually made worse by the thing you do to relieve them - scratching.

I feel like internet grumpiness is the same way. Someone is feeling grumpy, and so they say something grumpy to someone else in an attempt to make themselves feel better. But I think the end result is quite the opposite, as it just results in more grumpiness.

On the other hand, even if you're feeling super grumpy, if you smile, or laugh or say something nice to someone, you feel better.  It's a choice, and an important one.

Ask these two little fish! One chose to be grumpy today and one chose to smile.

I don't even KNOW these fish very well, and I know the one on the right is happier.

Fish Butch - So Suzy Stamps [ SSZ ] Fish Snooper - So Suzy Stamps [ SSZ ] Be What You Want To Be [ SSZ ] Circle Infinity Dies (H) [ HA | ELH ] Ranger Distress Reinker, Peacock... [ ELH | SSS ] Ranger Distress Reinker, Tumbled... [ ELH | SSS ] Ranger Distress Reinker, Blueprint... [ ELH | SSS ] Gilette Shaving Cream [ AMZUS ] Copic | Ellen Hutson [ ELH ] GKD Amalgam Ink Pad- Jet Black [ GNK | SSS ] Tsukineko VersaFine Clair NOCTURNE... [ SSS | ELH ] Brother Scan n Cut Cutting Machine CM... [ AMZUS ] Heavy Base Weight Card Stock- White [ GNK ] MISTI Stamping Tool [ MSW | HA | SSS | ELH | MFT ] Absorber - Synthetic Cleaning Cloth [ AMZUS ] Rotatrim Professional Series Cutter -... [ BLIC ] Mudder 10 Pack White Buffer Sanding... [ AMZUS ] Xyron ADHESIVE ERASER 23675 [ SSS | ART | AMZUS ] Essentials by Ellen Storage... [ ELH ] Teflon Bone Folder - Ellen Hutson LLC [ ELH | SSS ] Tombow MONO MULTI Liquid Glue Two... [ SSS | ART | BLIC | ELH ] Ink Off Cloth [ INK ]

They're both cute though. Even the grumpy one.

I stamped these little guys in Amalgam ink, and then cut them out with my Scan 'n Cut. Then I colored them with Copic markers, and glued them onto an oxidized shaving cream background that I cut with infinity dies. If you haven't seen my video on that background technique yet, click here to watch.

This card is part of a blog hop today with the MISTI team and Crackerbox/Suzy stamps. Both companies are giving away $50 gift cards, so be sure and leave comments for your chance to win! Your next stop on the hop is the Crackerbox/Suzy blog.

Have fun on the hop - and be what you want to be!

Loveyameanitbye.

That Time I Went Crazy Without a Car

I have had to have two repairs done on my car recently. It's a Toyota, so it's amazingly low maintenance, but it also has 200K miles on it, so things do wear out.

Anyway, even though I work from home and don't leave my office during the day much at all, just something about knowing I don't have a car makes me unhinged.

I've always been a car person - I enjoy driving, and when I travel I almost always rent a car so that I can have freedom and independence. Freedom is the word I associate the most with having a car.

So despite not having to be anywhere the day my car was in the shop, I still felt sort of trapped, so I channeled that into a mixed media card.

It started as a no-line watercolor. I stamped it in Fadeout Ink, and used Split E & F colors of Daniel Smith (from my split group) to paint it with. But then I though - I want to add a little colored pencil shading. So I put some dark brown accents with a Luminance Pencil on the petals. Then I added some lighter reddish brown with my Blick Studio Pencils (these are great pencils and very affordable) for finer detail - the lead in these is a little harder than the Luminance.

Then, because I had clearly lost my mind, I used a colorless blender pencil over all that detail to blend and soften it.

Then, deranged, I went back with Perylene Maroon watercolor for a few deep darks - that's the same color I used in the flower centers too. I just dotted it on and left white space for highlights.

Even after all that, my car still wasn't done - but hey - I had a beautiful sunflower card to show for it.

This gorgeous sunflower stamp starts shipping today, and is part of the Greenhouse Society program, which I love. Super affordable stamps for people who love plants!

Sunny Flowers | Clear Stamps to Color... [ TCH ] Greenhouse Society Flower Stamps &... [ TCH ] Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolors [ BLIC ] Caran d'Ache Luminance Colored... [ BLIC ] 22063-0369 - Blick Studio Artists'... [ BLIC ] Prismacolor Colored Pencil COLORLESS... [ SSS ] Escoda Versatil Brushes, Travel Round... [ UTR ] Da Vinci Cosmotop Sable Mix F Brushes... [ BLIC | ELH ] Fadeout No Line coloring Detail Ink [ INK | SSS ] Tsukineko VersaFine Clair NOCTURNE... [ SSS | ELH ] Fabriano Artistico 140 lb. Cold Press... [ AMZUS ] Heavy Base Weight Card Stock- Sea Glass [ GNK ] MISTI Stamping Tool [ MSW | HA | SSS | ELH | MFT | SBC ] Lawn Fawn STAMP SHAMMY Cleaner LF1045 [ SSS | ELH | CST | ART | SBC ] Rotatrim Professional Series Cutter -... [ BLIC ] Multipurpose Liquid Glue by Stampin' Up! [ SUP ] Nesting Porcelain Bowls - BLICK art... [ BLIC ] My Favorite Watercolor Sketchbook [ UTR ] Coloring Glove - Anti-Smudge [ AMZUS ] Ipoint Orbit Pencil Sharpener, Turquoise [ AMZUS | BLIC ] Derwent Battery-Operated Eraser [ BLIC | AMZUS ] Global Art Classic Leather Pencil Cases [ BLIC | AMZUS ] Absorber - Synthetic Cleaning Cloth [ AMZUS ] Mudder 10 Pack White Buffer Sanding... [ AMZUS ] Xyron ADHESIVE ERASER 23675 [ SSS | ART | AMZUS ] Essentials by Ellen Storage... [ ELH ] Teflon Bone Folder - Ellen Hutson LLC [ ELH | SSS ] Tombow MONO MULTI Liquid Glue Two... [ SSS | ART | BLIC | ELH ] Ink Off Cloth [ INK ] Sizzix BIG SHOT EXPRESS Gray and... [ SSS | ELH ]

Sunflowers have become the unofficial emblem of my retreat, so I had to have this beautiful image, and I adore the little ladybug in the set, which I intended to put on one of the leaves, but again, I was unhinged, so I forgot.

I mounted the watercolor paper on Sea Glass cardstock, and stamped the sentiment in Nocturne with the MISTI.

This is what I recommend for anyone who finds themselves without their car. It's a great way to spend a few hours and use different mediums together for a super unique look.

PS - my winner from the Altenew blog hop is Katya @ Archie & Ink! Katya please contact me via my sidebar for instructions on claiming your prize!

Hope you have a great Wednesday!

Loveyameanitbye.