Sunday 4 November 2018

Chinese Lanterns or Pumpkins?

Ever since Lou Withers used this stencil from Claritystamp in her last shows on Hochanda and said that she could see pumpkins rather than the actual Chinese Lantern design, I have been seeing them too.  I decided to use the stencil in 'pumpkin' mode together with one of the new Skeleton Leaf 3 way overlay stamps from Claritystamp to create an Autumn card.  As Thanksgiving isn't too far away,  I feel it would be suitable for this celebration too, perhaps using a different sentiment stamp.
I added the 6" x 6" gelli plate to the mega mount so that I would be able to use it as an extra large stamp.  Artistry inks in Rusticana, Apricot Nectar, Blushing Rose and Haystack (bottom to top) were added to the plate.  A Speedball brayer was used to smooth out and remove some of the ink for a smoother finish.
Using the infill stamp from the Skeleton leaf 3 way overlay set,  I inked it up using Sepia and Crimson Red Versafine ink in turn and lightly stamped onto the inked up gelli plate.  I realised later that I should have lightly blotted each image before stamping onto the gelli plate.  The ink was beading as a result of being a little too wet.
Having masked off the four sides of a piece of 7" x 7" Clarity stencil card,  I used the gelli plate as a stamp and pressed firmly into the centre of the card.  It was then that I realised my mistake, but decided to persevere.
Next, I added the Gandhi quote (also from Claritystamp) in Acorn Archival ink, using my stamp platform.
Having masked off an area of the Chinese Lantern stencil (which I was using upside down),  I blended Venetian Orange Archival ink through the remaining apertures at the bottom of the card.
I then went back round the edges of each 'pumpkin' using Monarch Orange Archival ink.
A touch of Orange Blossom around the outer edge of each one finished the blending.
As I didn't like the look of the leaves through the pumpkin on the left,  I decided to add some Copper Dreamweaver embossing paste through three areas of the stencil.  This helped cover up the overlaid area and add some bling!
Once the masking tape was removed, it changed the look of the topper.
Once everything was dry,  I used a brown fine liner to draw a squiggly edge between the inked area and the white border.
I had real fun going through my Clarity Designer paper pads to find the perfect background.  The Northern Lights pad provided my favourite.  Before matting and layering,  I trimmed 1cm off all four sides of the stencil card as well as the designer paper.
This was then matted onto a piece of plain dark brown card leaving a very narrow border and added to an 8" x 8" pre made card blank.
Although I will remember to blot the ink next time I try this technique,  I enjoyed improvising.  It may not have turned out exactly the way that I planned,  but I am the only one who knows, or should I say knew...

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