H2H Goes Au Naturale

Welcome to this week's challenge at Heart 2 Heart Challenges.  We only have one day left in September so this is actually our first October Challenge!  Our challenge this week is called Au Naturale.  The Design Team had some fun with this challenge discussing what it entailed but suffice to say that what you wear when you stamp is up to you!  LOL

For our challenge this week, use either all neutral colors or something from nature. 

I just wasn't in the mood to use neutral colors.  So that left me something from nature.  I am loving all of the gorgeous landscape stamps that Close to My Heart is offering so I chose the Stamp Set from the Frosted Cardmaking Workshop on the Go (G1063).


I was also in the mood to play.  Sometimes I am in the mood to "Get the Job Done" and sometime I want to get lost in the creative process.  I had seen a simple card using a tree stamp and something called the masking tape technique and I was intrigued.  Here is the card I am talking about.

Well, as I said, I was intrigued and I was in the mood to play.  This could either turn out really good or really bad.  LOL  But either way it would be fun for me.  I went in search of masking tape.  I apparently do not own any, but I did find painter's tape and scotch tape so I grabbed them both.  I knew that I wanted to try and make a Fall/Winter scene so I grabbed Inks that I thought would work and set down to create. I did not have any glossy cardstock, as the original blogger had listed that I needed so I used White Daisy Cardstock.

I started with the painter's tape since it is closer to masking tape.  With the Masking Tape Technique, you pull off a piece of tape about 2 inches bigger than the width of the card so that you will have room to hold it. Prepare to get inky!  Now you rub, tap, or just push the sticky side of your tape onto the ink pad, allowing the ink to get onto the tape.  Then you take the tape and apply it gently to your cardstock.  Don't try to adhere it because all you want to do is use the tape to apply the ink.  You want the tape to easily come off the cardstock without ripping it.

When you change colors, you get a new piece of tape.  As I said, I just wanted to play with it at first and see if it would work.  Here is my first try.  I watermarked it so that no one would steal it.  LOL!

For some reason, I continued on, but I changed color selection.  Wow does Sorbet come out dark!  I also decided to change tape and went to Scotch tape.  Here is my second try, also watermarked.  You know, you have to be careful in cyberspace!

This was beginning to show promise,  but how do I get rid of all of the lines?  Not how I pictured it.

I did like the Scotch tape better because I could see where the ink was.  Long ago I took a brayering class from Michelle Zindorf.  She taught us to use multiple shades of the same colors to build our scenes.  Plus she taught us to not be afraid of adding additional layers of ink.  So off I went to my handy dandy ink tower.

I was having a ball!  My 10 year old grandson came in, looked at what I was doing, and walked off shaking his head.  I was deep in the creative process.  I started with the ground and applied layers and layers of Champagne (ink not the drink), Cashmere, and a little bit of Saddle.  Then I added Sweet Leaf and Olive right above that.  My ground was complete!

Forgive me, but I needed some lighter colors for my sky so I raided some of my retired inks.  I googled Winter sky and looked for images to inspire me. I just love the colors of a crisp fall/winter sky!  Colors used were Indian Corn Blue, Sky, Heavenly Blue (retired), a tiny bit of Crystal Blue, Baby Pink (retired), Blush, Creme Brulee, Buttercup, and Gypsy.

Here is my card.

You ask how I got rid of the tape lines?  By repeatedly applying more ink and filling it in.  Don't be afraid of adding more and more ink.  Also don't panic if it looks dark because as the ink dries, it lightens up.  Plus overlap, overlap, overlap.  The ink fills in an covers the lines. The texture comes from the way the ink beads up on the tape.  I did not throw the tape away after use.  I stuck it to my table and designated them as blue. green, brown, pink, purple and yellow and reused them until I was finished with the card.

I love, love, love this card and this is my new favorite technique.  After I finished the background, I stamped the trees using a rock and roll technique.  I used Sweet Leaf, Olive and New England Ivy Inks.  The sentiment is stamped a bit low to cover an ink mark from my rock and roll stamping of the trees, but I am okay with that.  This sentiment comes from Happy Autumn (D1550). The edges are inked with Black Pigment Ink and placed on Black cardstock to showcase it.  Finished off with a Creme Brulee mat and a sky blue card base.

And here is the inside of the card, decorated because you just cannot have a naked card!

So now it is your turn!  Please show us your artwork with your favorite things.  I cannot wait to see what you make!  After you finish your artwork please go to  www.heart2heartchallenges.blogspot.com and post a link to your project.  I cannot wait to see what you make!

Here are a few rules:  

*Our challenges are open to everyone!
*To enter, follow the challenge of the week and post your results to your personal blog or other online gallery.
*Be sure to go here and direct link to your challenge post so we can see your artwork!

*In order to enter a challenge, you must use Close To My Heart products but your project does not have to be 100% CTMH.
*If you use something from another company, please consider including details in your project's description.
* You MUST mention H2H challenges in your blog post (and a link back to us would be appreciated).
*Spread the word about our challenge blog by including our badge on your blog.

* I love to leave comments on our participants' blog posts, but word verification slows me down, so please turn yours off so that I can leave you some love on your blog!
*Most importantly, have fun creating - the Close To My Heart way!
Note: Any entries not following the above rules are subject to having their link removed.

I am entering this card into the Keep It Simple Challenge at 356 Cards and the Great Outdoor Challenge with Creative Corner Challenges.