Monday, November 2, 2015

Frosty Winter Cards



Hi stampers! I hope you had a good weekend! We went to a fun Halloween parade and my son also enjoyed trick or treating. He decided to say 'happy Halloween' instead of 'trick or treat'. I die cut a whole lot of Tim Holtz Ghosts for him, which he handed out. It is Monday again and of course a new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. The theme this week is Glossy, and there are lots of possibilities with this theme (Glossy Accents, glossy embossing powder, gloss paste or paint and more).

Layers of ink - Snowy Groove by Anna-Karin

Ever since I started stamping, one of my favourite surfaces has been glossy cardstock. I just love the look of dye ink on glossy cardstock and the wonderful crisp stamped images that you get. I made three different winter cards using stamps by Penny Black. This first one, the Snowy Grove, was stamped with Potting Soil and Jet Black Archival inks. Isn't is a gorgeous stamp with the trees and the snow?

I coloured it with Distress Inks, starting with the lightest shade (Tumbled Glass). When inking a scene on glossy cardstock it is often easiest to start with the lightest colour ink and then gradually build up darker colours (Stormy Sky and Faded Jeans). To colour, I used a Colorbox Stylus Tool with an oval tip. This tool gives great precision when colouring scenic pieces.

I didn't worry about not colouring the snow flakes, instead I used a white pen on the snow flakes after colouring the background.

Layers of ink - Sentinel Winter Scene by Anna-Karin
The second card uses the Sentinel stamp, which was stamped with Jet Black ink. I coloured it the same way as the first card, but I also used Ranger's Craft Nib, especially for the deer.

Here you can see the detail on the deer a little better. On all three cards, highlights and additional snow were added with a white gel pen. By mistake, I coloured some of the snow here green, so I stamped the image on a second piece of paper, cut out the snow part and mounted with foam dots.

I used Ranger's Glacier White pigment ink to make the moon, stars and the snowflakes glow. Apply sparingly with a Q-tip, dabbing some off on scrap paper first. Pigment ink doesn't dry on gloss card so you have to spray it with a fixative afterwards (do that outdoors).

Layers of ink - Hidden Winter Lane by Anna-Karin
For the last card, I used the beautiful Hidden Lane stamp, also stamped with Jet Black ink. I coloured it the same way as the other two, using the Stylus tool for the sky, trees and ground, and a Craft Nib for the fence. 

Ranger's White Pigment ink was again added to give shine to the snow, and to add some mist under the trees. 

I hope you will join us in our Glossy challenge! As always you have a chance to win a $50 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp. You have until Monday 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in.


If you want to, follow Simon Says Stamp on Instagram, they post great stuff daily. 



If you use instagram add #sssmchallenge to your challenge entry uploads, so that we can see them on there too.





Thank you for visiting today!

Happy crafting!

Anna-Karin

Supplies:





35 comments:

  1. Gorgeous! You are the master of stamping! Thank you for all the tips.

    ReplyDelete
  2. These are all so beautiful! I love my CB tool kit!!! :) Great to show this, so many people don't use it. Don't know if I could stamp without mine! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know, the stylus tool is great. I also wonder why more people don't use it. I particularly love to use it for scenic stamping, the precision and control is great.

      Delete
  3. Just beautiful. I especially like the deer picture. The sky is just gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh wow, I could spend ages just going back and forth to see these wonderful images. I love the way you did the sky and moon, it is quite stunning! xx

    ReplyDelete
  5. Each one of your cards Anna Karin is a artistic masterpiece . They are beyond stunning and worthy of being showcased in any of the top art galleries.. I would happily have these framed and hung on my wall so I could admire them every day - they definitely aren't just for Winter or Christmas!! I only hope you truly know just how exceptionally talented you are . I am in complete and utter awe and I thank you for sharing your talent . hugs xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for your sweet comment Amanda!!

      Delete
  6. Absolutely stunning scenes, Anna-Karin! Talk about a Winter WONDERLAND!! :)

    *mwah*
    Steph
    Simon Says Stamp!

    ReplyDelete
  7. They're all beautiful, but it's that first one that made me breathe a sigh of pure pleasure - stunning tree silhouettes (an obsession of mine) and such subtle colours - I can almost feel the chill of the air as I breathe in. Magnificent.
    Alison xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Alison! I love tree silhouettes too, if I see such a stamp or stencil, I just have to get it.

      Delete
  8. Each card is more beautiful than the next. Love them. I used to use glossy card stock a lot but have gotten away from it, but think I'll go back and do it more. You've inspired me. Great work. Edna

    ReplyDelete
  9. what beautiful stamps and I love the way you colored them!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I am sitting here trying to get my jaw off the floor and eyes back in my head!! These look like fine art!!! GORGEOUSNESS!!! WOW!! TFS!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow! I'm very impressed with your technique and creativity!

    ReplyDelete
  12. So glad to visit you tonight Anna-Karin! :)
    All three cards are delightful, it has been a feast for my eyes, with also great tips to learn from you as usual.
    I have the colorbox stylus tool (thanks to you if I well remember! :D) and three oval tips, but i don't know why, it is really hard to find it available in Europe!... and even outside, it is very often out of stock!!! So now I keep the ones I have preciously, and it's really a pity because you're right, this is the best tool in my opinion for precision for medium to large areas.
    Thank you for this beautiful post!!!
    And I hope your workshops in your local area go well :)
    Hugs and love, Coco X

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much! The oval tips are sometimes hard to find, I get a whole bunch whenever I see them. :)

      Delete
  13. Sounds like your little guy enjoys the paper crafting as much as his Mom. Love that he was handing out paper ghosts. :)
    Love your cards. The scenes you have created look so frosty and wintry. You mentioned you used glossy card stock. Hard to get around here but I am wondering if photo paper might work as well. Off to give it a try.
    Thanks for the beautiful inspiration! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! Everybody liked to get a paper ghost and he made effort explaining that they were die cut, not cut with scissors. Pretty funny.

      Can you maybe get hold of Ranger's glossy cardstock, or something like Kromecote. Glossy photopaper doesn't work quite as well because it doesn't have the same coating as glossy cardstock, which has a clay coating. If you use alcohol inks, for example, they make photo paper sticky. It is also a little harder to get nice even inking on photo paper. I hope you can find something that works!

      Delete
  14. I so agree with you about the glossy card stock--it's hard to beat. Glad I stopped by from Simon to see all of the cards you made. The Hidden Lane stamp is really beautiful and you used it perfectly!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh my goodness! these are amazing Anna-Karin!! your colouring is fabulous and the scenes you created are all AWESOME! WOW!!

    luv
    Lols x x x

    ReplyDelete
  16. These are stunningly beautiful cards!

    ReplyDelete
  17. So cute that your son handed out the ghosts you made - love that! Your cards are drop dead gorgeous!! I can't decide which I like better, they are all so beautiful. To me, they are soft and serene and full of winter wonder.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Holy cow! What a great post! And what a treat to get something crafty handed out at Halloween! These cards you made are incredible. I am blown away by how you made the snow look so realistic and dimensional. Really transports me to a magical peaceful place...as opposed to my kitchen where dishes are waiting!

    ReplyDelete
  19. These cards are absolutely stunning! I love the effect you get on the glossy paper...beautiful snow.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Beautiful cards, and so happy you shared your process with us! Your winter skies are just amazing, and I love those little dots of snow on the first card. Wow! Someone is going to receive a wonderful gift when they open a card from you!

    ReplyDelete
  21. So cool, Anna-Karin! Love that your son said Happy Halloween instead of trick or treat. How fun that he was handing out paper ghosts. And wow to all those pretty cards! Love them all. They are all so stunning! Gorgeous stamps! Hugs, Sandra

    ReplyDelete
  22. I am feeling the crisp clean air and the quiet solitude in your beautiful winter scenes! Fabulous Anna Karin!

    ReplyDelete
  23. All these cards are gorgeous! Love the colors and great details. :)

    ReplyDelete
  24. This is ART! I'm in awe! Barbarayaya

    ReplyDelete
  25. A beautiful set of cards and there is just so much to look at in each individual project! Stunning art, as always! :)

    ReplyDelete
  26. I couldn't help but pop over to look at your blog when I saw your snowy scene card on Simon says stamp - it's absolutely stunning! It has been a long time since I last stamped on gloss - think I might have to give it a go again now. Thanks for the inspiration. Lou x

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for leaving a comment! Happy Crafting!