Tuesday 13 November 2018

Christmas Card: I Saw Three Ships

I was lucky enough to attend a workshop at the weekend with Maria Moorhouse from Claritystamp.  We were making Christmas card toppers and she had over 20 ideas which she shared.  I decided to go off piste and came up with one of my own, using some of Maria's ideas as a starting point.  I liked this finished topper so much that I made a second one so that I could share a step by step with pictures.
I started by cutting a piece of the large Clarity stencil card in half then trimmed the side to create a 14cm x 14cm topper.  I stamped the music scroll from the 'I Saw Three Ships' stamp set from Claritystamp close to the top, using Onyx Black Versafine ink.
I added a mask created from a post it note across the music scroll, added one of the Clarity moon masks and attached the topper to the back of the large bell stencil (also from Claritystamp).  The Mountain & Hills mask was used to mask off the sea.
Next, I brushed Ocean Reef Artistry ink across the sky, using one of my Clarity stencil brushes.  I have a few lots of these (they come in sets of four different sizes) as they are so useful for blending.
The other part of the Mountains & Hills mask covered the sky, then more Ocean Reef Artistry ink was blended across the sea, followed by Iced Spruce Distress ink.  I moved the mask down to add an extra layer of 'sea'.
Having replaced the mask over the sea,  I stamped the three ships from the same stamp set as before, using Onyx Black Versafine ink.  I also used a stamp platform to ensure a solid silhouette, although it didn't take many layers to achieve.  The mask was then removed.
To soften the edges of the topper, Ocean Teal was very lightly blended around the sides.
The topper was then matted onto a piece of black paper leaving a very narrow border, then added to a 6" x 6" pre made white card blank.
I love how a few stamps, masks, stencils and ink can create such brilliant effects!

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