GOD BLESS

Handmade Card by Linda Fields

Everyone has or still is experiencing loss. The pain is deep and real. Me, my brothers and sisters, all the grandkids and great grandkids, we all experienced that loss when my mother passed away just weeks ago. It seems only yesterday. Now, my sister is also in the hospital and the doctors have little hope she will last much longer. I would argue they don’t know our family but then again, my sister is so very tired. She’s ready to leave her lifetime of suffering behind. I entered my sacred space tonight and with God by my side, I created this prayer card. I hope she feels our love despite the miles between us. God bless her sweet heart.

The Materials

• Strathmore Watercolor Cards (5×7 card base)
• Altenew Alcohol Ink Pens
• Simon Says Stamps – Whimsy Stamps Mini Slim Stitched Dies
• Altenew Iris Paint a Flower Stamp Set
• Tim Holtz Distress Inks
• Ranger Clear Embossing Powder
• Nuvo Vintage Drops – Black
• Nuvo Crystal Drops – Yellow
• Sakura Pigma Micron Pen – Black (Not Shown)

Sacred Space

Do you have a special place where you can go to craft and create? That sacred place to heal? And when there, where do you pull your inspiration from? I often times start with a color palette, one that fits how I’m feeling or how I want others to feel. Sometimes that’s all I need to start. Let the therapy begin!

Altenew’s Inspiration Challenge

Did you know Altenew has a monthly Inspiration Challenge? It was my first contest so I was really honored to be one of their November winners. I’ve decided to enter again for the April 2023 Challenge. If you love to be creative then check out Altenew’s fun contests and wonderful blog hops!

Techniques, Tips ‘n Tricks

1. Mood: I used watercolor paper (hot press) to create the card. I was going for a relaxed, vintage look using Pinks and Tauny Browns as my inspiration. I wanted to create the feeling of warmth, love and hope that is everlasting.
2. Smooshing: I used 3 different distress inks and water on my glass mat, swirling the colors together, so I could press the watercolor paper into the inks. Dry with a heat gun between layers and use watercolor scrap paper to clean up the leftovers.
3. Die Cut Frames: I cut 3 frames from the scrap paper, stacked and glued them together to create height and strength. This is an awesome technique I first saw watching Jennifer McGuire. You can use it for sentiments or anything you want to give a dimensional look to.
4. Vintage Aging: I used Tim Holtz Distress Inks and foam applicator to age the edges of the card and the frame. I also used water and pounced with a paper towel to add distressed water marks.
5. Shadow Stamping: You might know this technique better by the term, generation stamping. That initial stamped image is the 1st generation so if you stamp again, without re-inking, you now have a 2nd gen image. I was going for a fading shadow effect for the sentiment “Follow Your Dreams”, a great background technique.
6. Stamping: I wanted to make sure no matter what medium I used, my stamped image would look perfect and unmarred so after using Archival Black Ink to stamp the Iris flowers by Altenew, I dusted the surface with powder and used clear embossing powder with a heat gun to set it.
7. Triad Coloring: I prefer to use 3 shades from each color family I’m using. It helps me create the smoothest transition possible. I used the brush nib of my Altenew Alcohol Ink Markers to create various width lines and shading. It’s important to color in the direction that makes sense. If you have a flower petal that’s drooping down then color using downward strokes. A leaf is growing sideways so color the leaf following the same direction. Start from your lightest color (1) then medium shade (2) to the darkest shade (3) and end by returning to your lightest color again to blend (4).

All In The Details

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again because it’s true – it’s the little things that really add that special finishing touch to the card. I used a Micron Drawing Pen (005) to draw missing lines that were covered by the frame. I added in fine details, drew some leaves, added petals and did some stipple shading (painting with dots). I used Nuvo drops to make black and yellow spots and I’m letting them dry overnight as I write this. And before I forget, I decided to offset the flowers and frame instead of putting them dead center. This turned what could have been an ordinary card into a very special, vintage card, created to send love across the miles.