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The End of Summer is Near - Picket Fence Studios

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The End of Summer is Near

by Judy Rozema on Sep 10 2020
We had a (very) cold front move in yesterday. One day it was 96, and two days later, rain and a high of 45. That tells me that the end of summer is near. And while this coming week will be sunny and warm, I know fall is on the way. But before it officially gets here, I wanted to share a beachy summer card with you! The NAUTILUS SHELL SCENE is one of my favorite summer images. It has the perfect combination of shell and beachy foliage. In today's card, I used a smooshed watercolor background, and stamped my image with Black Hybrid Ink. I used my Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor pencils to shade and add a bit of color. To make the sentiment (I MISS YOU WORD DIE) stand out, I cut it from black fun foam. You could get the same effect from cutting several from black cardstock and gluing and stacking them together. For the background, I used the CURRENT OF FISH stencil, and embossed it as an "embossing folder" through my die cutting machine, then inked the fish with a light neutral color. And, finally, I added a few sequins for a little ocean sparkle. A wonderful reminder of trips to the beach, and searching for shells. I live in the middle of the country (Nebraska), so am really looking forward to a beach trip again someday! Thanks for stopping by! You can find links to the products I used below, and more of my projects on my blog, Joy in a JAR.  
Creating 4x4 Repeating Backgrounds with Judy Rozema - Picket Fence Studios

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Creating 4x4 Repeating Backgrounds with Judy Rozema

by Judy Rozema on Aug 17 2020
Hello Everyone! Happy Monday!Today I am sharing creations made with 4x4 repeating background stamps. These stamps are fabulous, not only for their images, but because you can make them as large or as small as you would like. They repeat on all four sides, making them easy to line up to create larger backgrounds. First up is Moths from the August release. With this card, I stamped twice (one on top of each other) using Versamark ink. The MISTI makes lining things up so easy! I embossed with Clear Embossing Powder to make those little moths shine. I found some patterned paper that coordinated with my cardstock, and added twine down the side. Can you find the hidden sequins on some of the dots? They are from the Screwdriver Sequin Mix. The sentiment is from the previously released A Dose of Vitamin Sea. Next up is the previously released Reindeer Games. These tiny little guys will steal your Christmas cardmaking heart! They are so cute. With this card, I stamped and lined up four times: once on top, and twice on the sides for a wider image panel. It has a similar layout with twine, patterned paper and a single sentiment, which is from Inside Quotes: Christmas. My background was made using a smooshed ink technique with Distress Oxide inks. Next is On A Seahorse's Dreams, where I used just the 4x4 image, without adding any additional image stamping. I embossed with Gold EP, and added some metallic thread. The sentiment is the I Miss You Word Die. While it is currently sold out (you can see why - it's awesome!), there are many others that you could use in its place.The background on this card is a watercolor wash. The base panel is printed vellum on black cardstock. Next up is Loads of Mail. With this card, I stamped and lined up twice - on top of each other, but used less of the width, to have room for the sentiment. So it's less than 4 inches wide. But what a graphic statement it made for this card! I used a sentiment from Spotlight on You down the side, and the awesome Paul James Guy (and die!) for a masculine birthday card. Finally, while it's fun to line up and repeat, it's also fun to use partial images, as I did above, but even more so with the newly released Hope Ribbons. I used a circle die to cut out different sizes and make an uplifting card, using orange, which is the ribbon support color for Leukemia. The sentiment is from A Dose of Vitamin Sea. Those little rhinestones added a touch of sparkling hope! I hope you have enjoyed this look at some of the 4x4 repeating background stamps, and will give them a try! I definitely recommend the MISTI to help you succeed in lining up the images! You can see more of my projects (including other 4x4) on my blog:Joy in a JAR.