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Hollyhock Hello and a Shaped Card
by Andrea Shell on Mar 04 2025
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Hi there! It's Andrea here to share my last project as a design team member for Picket Fence Studios. It has been a pleasure and an honor to be on the team, and I hope I have inspired you even just a little.
My card features the new Hollyhocks in Bloom stamp set along with the Beyond the Basics: A2 Scallops, Arches and Window Cover Plate Dies. I colored the hollyhocks with Copics and added a little shading with colored pencils before diecutting the image with the coordinating dies.
I created a shaped cardbase with one of the scalloped arch dies from the Beyond Basics: A2 Scallops, Arches and Window Cover Plate Dies. With the same die, I created a scalloped arch from white cardstock. To add interest to the arch, I blended light blue ink through the Classic Hatch 6x8 Stencil with a Life Changing Blender Brush. I flicked Opaque Gold Paper Splatter over the panel using the Fan Brush. Once the background was dry, I adhered it to my cardbase and added a gold frame created with the A2 Scallops Dies.
My focal sentiment was created with the Hello 3.0 Word Topper Die. First, I applied Peony Pink Paper Glaze to white cardstock. Once the glaze was dry, I diecut "hello" from the pink cardstock. I also diecut "hello" from white cardstock to layer behind the pink diecut to help it stand out on my card. I stamped a supporting sentiment from the Hollyhocks set and diecut it with the coordinating dies.
To assemble my card, I attached the hollyhocks with thin 3D foam squares. After trimming the layered Hello diecuts slightly, I adhered it with foam and popped up my supporting sentiment on top. I finished with a scattering of gems from the In Wonderland Gem Mix.
Thanks for stopping by!
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by Colleen Balija on Jan 10 2025
Hi friends! Boy, have I got a fun card for you today, and there's LOTS of steps to this mixed media piece, so let's not waste time and get started, shall we? We'll be using Madame Kitty stamp, Velvet Blackboard Paper Glaze, Let's Paint stencil, Swanky Sentiments: Salutations, Pearls in Neon Blue & Charcoal Grey, and A2: Stamps Cover Plate with Postmark dies!
As I said, there are many steps to this card, but it is really quite easy! The first step was to find a colorful background to use because I planned to stamp the Kitty image over it in black. I grabbed one from my stash of pre-made backgrounds and then stamped the Madame Kitty right in the center, embossing it with black powder so she would stand out!
Next, I die cut around her using the half circle die from the A2: Stamps Cover Plate with Postmark dies! I inked up the edges in black ink to grunge it up a bit and frame the kitty.
Next, I stenciled two of the corners on the card panel with Let's Paint stencil and Charcoal Black Paper Glaze. When that dried, I applied gold paste over it and around a few spots on the edge of the card panel.
Then, I decided to add dimension and depth by using 2 of the smaller postmark dies and die cutting right through the finished panel! Yikes, right? Well stay with mem because it turns out wonderfully! I inked up the edges of the dies in black ink, similar to the edge of the card panel, added foam tape to the back of each die, and then placed it back on the card panel. In looking at the photo above, you can see how the dies pop off the page, but they don't interrupt the kitty focal point! This is a great mixed media technique to use on your projects! I got the idea from my dear friend Natasha Vacca!
Lastly, I added the sentiment "Hi" in the lower left corner and placed the entire panel over an A2 sized black card base.
This card has so much fun going on, and what started the creative process was Madame Kitty! She deserved to have a place of honor on a mixed media piece! Thanks for stopping by today! To shop the items used in this post, click on the description to be taken to the PFS shop!
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by Andrea Shell on Jan 08 2025
Hello there! It's Andrea back with you to share a fun, cat-themed card featuring products from Picket Fence Studios' December release.
As a pet owner, the December release really spoke to me. I love the sentiments in the Dogs/Cats Always Know Good People, and the fact that they're customizable for either a dog or a cat is awesome!
While the sentiment inspired my card, that fun, stenciled background is also a favorite. To create it, I used the Meow 6x8 Layering Stencil Set. I started with a panel of pale pink cardstock and blended a darker pink ink through the first stencil. Next, I applied Snowdrop White Paper Glaze through the second stencil. Once the glaze was dry, I diecut the panel with the Beyond Basics: A2 Stamp Cover Plate Dies, wrapped some twine around the panel, and adhered it to a card with foam tape.
I stamped a sentiment from the Dogs/Cats Always Know Good People set in two shades of pink ink. I diecut it and the pink, glittery mat with the 2.5" Connected Circles and 3.0" Connected Circles Shaker Dies. I layered the circles together and attached them to my card with foam. I embellished the sentiment with sequins and hearts from the Pick Me sequin mix.
That cute kitty is from the Happy Paws set. After coloring the kitty with Copics, I glued it to a postage shape I had created with a smaller die from the A2 Stamp Cover Plate Dies. The cancelled postmark was also cut with the A2 Stamp Cover Plate Dies. I diecut the postmark twice - once from the pink cardstock I used for the background and a second time from a coral paper. Onto the negative piece of the pink diecut, I stamped a cat face from the Rectangular Seamless: A Cat's Dream stamp and inlaid it in the coral diecut.
Thanks for stopping by!
*Affiliate links used at no cost to you.
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by Andrea Shell on Nov 26 2024
Hi there! It's Andrea back to share a fun card combining new and previously-released products from Picket Fence Studios.
These adorable critters are from the new Peach and Piper: Bad Weather Friends set. That little racoon in the top was the inspiration for this card because to me he looks like he's celebrating (I can just hear him squealing "Hooray!").
After stamping those sweet characters, I colored them with Copics and cut them out with the coordinating dies. I added highlights with a white gel pen.
How fun is the new On a Cloudy Day 6x8 Stencil? After placing it over a panel of blue cardstock, I applied Arctic Fox Paper Glaze Luxe with a palette knife. I love the soft sheen and fun texture of this glaze!
To fill out my scene, I diecut white cardstock with the Scene Building: Grass Tufts Dies and Slim Line Short Tall Grass Die (retired). I applied two shades of green ink to the grass pieces with the Life Changing Blender Brushes. Once my background was dry, I adhered it to a cardbase and glued the grass border on top.
I diecut the Hooray Word Die from metallic and white cardstocks and stacked them together on my card. I popped up my critters with foam adhesive, tucking the tufts of grass underneath the racoons. I added a sentiment from the Hot Air Balloon Sightings stamp and finished with some blue sequins from the Taking Off sequin mix.
Thanks for stopping by!
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by Colleen Balija on Oct 29 2024
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Hey friends! I have a fun mixed media card to share with you today that is PERFECT for any occasion! I'll be using Wreath Building: Christmas Friends stamp, Friend stack word die, Let's Paint stencil, Liquid Splatters, and Pearl mixes! I'll be doing an ink schmooshing technique, so let's get messy!
First step was to create a colorful background to compliment the focal point, which will be the Friend stacked word die! I wanted that die to stand out, so a colorful background was the perfect complement to it!
Grabbing Liquid Splatters in Opaque Black, Kiwi Lime, Purple Tulip, and Blue Turquoise along with some teal, purple, and lime green reactive inks, I started to build color by placing first the ink onto a glass media matt, spraying it with water, and then "schmooshing" a piece of watercolor paper, sized 5.5x4.25, over the ink. I continued to build color using the various inks and drying between layers to keep each color vibrant. Once that was finished, I went back in with the liquid splatters and continued to build more color!
I also splattered the color around with a paint brush to create interest and depth. Then I stenciled Let's Paint with the Liquid Pearls Opaque Black. I removed a bit of the black color with a paper towel so black wasn't so intense. I also used the stencil to remove color from the background I had created by placing the stencil over the background and going over it with a baby white. If you look in the upper left corner in the photo below, you will see how the color was removed!
Once the ink schmooshing process was done and the card panel was fully dry, I grabbed 2 rectangle dies and die cut through the middle of the colored card panel and through a piece of black cardstock. Before I adhered all the layers back together, I had to add my sentiment! I die cut the outer layer of the sentiment into the colored card panel (the center piece). Then I die cut the word "friend" onto a piece of black cardstock and adhered it over the out layer.
Now I was ready to adhere everything onto a 5.5x4.25 card base! The sentiment was adhered using foam tape so that it popped off the page a bit! Finally, I added a sentiment that said "I care about you" along with 2 cocktails that are included in the Wreath Building: Christmas Friends and placed those over the sentiment die! I thought that was perfect for a friendship card! Then I added a few pearls from the Bright Blue & Soft Violet set, and this card was finished!
I'm so happy you stopped by today! To shop the items used in this post, click on the description to be taken to the PFS shop!
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by Andrea Shell on Oct 24 2024
Hi, there! It's Andrea here to share a woodland, fall-inspired card featuring products from Picket Fence Studios.
The inspiration for this card came from the fun Vintage Heart stamp from the October release. I paired it with the new Friend Stacked Word Dies and one of the cute foxes from the Layered Fauna: Larger Playful Fox Dies. My idea was to have the fox in place of the "i" in friend; I think it's fun when animals or objects are used to represent a letter.
I began by stamping the Vintage Heart stamp with beige ink onto white cardstock. To add the brown ink to the bark, I applied darker ink to the stamp with a Neutral Pint-sized Paper Pouncer before stamping. I diecut the heart with the coordinating dies.
For my background, I blended white cardstock with green ink and added splatters of Opaque Gold Paper Splatter. Once the drops were dry, I trimmed down the panel and adhered it to a white cardbase. I popped up the heart with foam squares.
I diecut the Friend Stacked Word Dies three times from white cardstock and once from brown. After trimming the "i" from the diecuts, I stacked the brown layer on top of two white layers and offset the third white diecut to create a highlight. I adhered the layered diecut to my card and attached the fox (leftover from a previous project and colored with Copics) from the Layered Fauna: Larger Playful Fox Dies with foam. I diecut some leaves from metallic cardstock with the Layered Flora: Fall Foliage Dies and glued them to the heart, along with a few gold pearls. The sub-sentiment is from the Vintage Heart stamp and was attached with two layers of foam.
Thanks for stopping by!
*Affiliate links used at no cost to you.
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by Andrea Shell on Aug 08 2024
Hello there! It's Andrea back with you, and today I'm sharing a fall card featuring products from Picket Fence Studios' July release. Who else is ready for fall?!!
Those gorgeous leaves are from the Layered Flora: Fall Foliage Dies. Aren't they awesome?! To create them, I first scribbled watercolor markers onto watercolor paper, spread the ink with water, and then dried it with my heat tool. I repeated the steps to build up the color before adding Opaque Black Paper Splatter. Once the paper was dry, I diecut it with the Fall Foliage Dies. I also diecut leaves from gold gllitter cardstock.
For my background I used the Tree Bark 6"x8" Stencil. I placed the stencil over a panel of gray cardstock and pounced on gray ink with the Neutrals Paper Pouncers. I removed the stencil and blended the edges of the panel with the same ink using a Life Changing Blender Brush. To tie the background to the leaves, I added Opaque Black Paper Splatter before adhering the panel to a cardbase.
I cut a diagonal strip of gray cardstock and attached it to my card with foam squares, trimming off the excess. I diecut "hello" from black cardstock using the Hello to You Word Dies and glued it to the strip. Next, I tucked the leaves under the strip, securing them with liquid adhesive. I finished the card with some gold glitter gems.
Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to check out Picket Fence Studios' July release for lots of awesome products for your fall projects.
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Mixed Media Stencil Inspiration
by Andrea Shell on Jun 06 2024
Hello, again! It's Andrea back with a pair of ocean-themed cards featuring two stencils from Picket Fence Studios' latest release.
The inspiration for these cards came directly from the stencils I used, which were Make the World Shimmer A2 Stencil and Rainbow Dreams 6"x8" Stencil. The swirls in the Rainbow Dreams Stencil (card on the right) reminded me of waves, and the theme for these cards was born.
Let's start with the easier card, shall we? I don't think I have ever stenciled over patterned paper before, but I love how this card turned out! That beautiful background is from the Magical Seas Fabulously Glossy A2 Card Fronts pack.
To my chosen patterned paper, I applied Paper Glaze Luxe: Twinkle Lights Gold through the Make the World Shimmer A2 Stencil. Once that was dry, I trimmed down the panel slightly and adhered it to a white card.
That large "you" is from the Hello to You Word Dies. First, I created the teal paper by applying Paper Glaze Velvet: Ocean Odyssey Tropical Cocktail to white cardstock. Once the glaze was dry, I diecut "you" from the teal paper once and from white cardstock three times. I stacked the diecuts, offsetting the teal layer to create a highlight, and glued the diecuts to my card. I finished with a sub-sentiment from the Animal Crackers: You Deserve to be Spoiled stamp set.
My second card features the Rainbow Dreams 6"x8" Stencil combined with the Seahorses of the Sea stamp set. Does the stencil remind you of waves, too?
First, I diecut a panel of white cardstock with the Pinking Shear A2 Cover Plate Die and masked the edges with low-tack tape. After placing the Rainbow Dreams Stencil over the panel, I applied a couple shades of distess oxides with the Life Changing Blender Brushes. I removed the stencil and went over the panel with the same inks for a softer look. Next, I added Paper Splatter in the colors of Liquid Forest Green and White Snowflake to the panel and removed the masks.
For my focal point, I chose the large seahorse from the Seahorses of the Sea stamp set. I colored him with Copics, added some white highlights, and cut him out with the coordinating dies. I painted white cardstock with the Liquid Forest Green Paper Splatter and diecut some foliage with the Layering Flora: Leaves and Twigs Dies. I attached the seahorse to my card with foam tape and tucked in the foliage. I heat-embossed a sentiment from the Swanky Sentiments: Sympathy stamp set, diecut it with the coordinating dies, and popped it up with a strip of foam tape. Finally, I added some teal sequins from the Tropical Breeze sequin mix.
Thanks for stopping by!
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Hello There! - Paper Glaze Luxe and Liquid Splatters
by Colleen Balija on May 07 2024
Hi there, it's Colleen here and I'm excited to share this mixed media card!! I got to play with the new Paper Glaze Luxe from the April release! For my card today, I'll be using Paper Glaze Luxe in Clementine Preserves and Tropical Cocktail, Oversized Tropical Leaf die, Liquid Watercolor Splatters in Yellow, Salutations sentiments stamp, and from a previous release Liquid Watercolors in Purple Lilac, Pierced Blanket cover die plate, A2 Rectangles for Card Layering dies, and Polka Dot Palooza Foiling card panel.
First, I added a thin layer of the new Paper Glaze Luxe in both colors to 2 sheets of heavy weight cardstock. I used heavyweight cardstock because it holds the paper glaze well. When it was dried (maybe 1/2 hour later), I die cut the oversize tropical leaf using the Tropical Cocktail paste and the lattice design die cut using the Clementine Preserves paste. It came out SO beautiful! I set those aside and focused on the backdrop.
Starting with a foiled design from Polka Dot Palooza, I ink blended over it in shades of teal. The foiling resists the ink, so you still see that lovely shine! Then I adhered the lattice die that was created using Paper Glaze in Clementine Preserves over the background and finished with splatters using the liquid watercolor splatters.
Next, I splattered the oversized leaf that I had die cut earlier over the Paper Glaze in Tropical Cocktail and adhered it over the lattice background at an angle so that the background peeked out from behind the leaf! At the last minute, I decided to add gold paste to the edges of the leaf to help it pop a bit more. Then I finished with a sentiment from the Salutations stamp set.
In the photo above, you can see all the detail from the splatters and the lovely colors of the new Paper Glaze Luxe!
TIP: You can make a ton of backgrounds in advance by adding a thin layer of Paper Glaze in your favorite color over heavyweight cardstock. Then pull it out when you need it! The paper may curl up a bit, but if you run it through your die cut machine, it will flatten out!
To shop all of the products in this post, click on the description of each product in the first paragraph of this post. Thanks for stopping by!
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Mixed Media Flowers - Sweet Cherry Blossoms
by Colleen Balija on Mar 06 2024
Hi friends! I've got a treat for you today; I got inky making a fun mixed media card! I'll be using the new Sweet Cherry Blossoms die, Polka Dot Scarf stencil, and Paper Splatters watercolor in Kiwi Lime. Also, I'll be using the existing Paper Glaze Luxe in Golden Ring, Swanky Friendship stamp, Falling Brick Wall die, Coffee Understands Again, and Gradient Flatback Pearls in Navy Blue and Charcoal Grey.
First, for you mixed media lovers, Picket Fence Studios has a plethora of design elements that can be used on your surfaces! I'm using just a sampling of it! Now, onto my card!
First step was to build the background. I applied various shades of blue and teal ink, via ink schmooshing, onto a white piece of watercolor paper. Ink schmooshing is the process of applying ink onto a glass surface, spraying it with water, and then tapping the watercolor panel into the ink. Continue this process until you've achieved the look that you want. You can see what it looks like in the photo below. For this technique, you'll want to use colors that play nice together so that you don't create "mud".
Once I was finished with ink schmooshing, I added splatters of the ink over the panel, including the liquid watercolor splatters in Kiwi Lime. Then I stenciled over the surface using the Polka Dot Scarf stencil, and then stamped the scribbly heart from Coffee Understands Me Again. I kept a light touch so that you could see the images, but they also blended into the background color. Once I was finished, I trimmed the panel using my deckled paper trimmer and applied gold paste around the edges for interest. Then I adhered it to a slightly larger piece of black cardstock and adhered both to a 5.5x4.25 white card base.
Next, I worked on the Sweet Cherry Blossom dies. These are the perfect size flowers to stand alone or use with other elements! I die cut the layers for several flowers onto watercolor paper, and then applied color using the same technique as I did with the background card panel, only I went much darker in color so that the flowers popped! When the layers dried, I adhered them together and fluffed the top layers a bit to give the flowers depth.
I wanted to create a layer between the background and the flowers so that the flowers wouldn't get lost in that busy background, so I die cut Falling Brick Wall die in white cardstock and then applied Golden Ring Paper Glaze Luxe over the die. Once it was dried, I adhered it over the card base and then added the flowers and leaves over it. I added gold paste to the flowers and leaves as well. I finished with a sentiment from Swanky Friendship and several Flatback Pearls in Navy and Charcoal Grey.
Mixed media is most successful when you limit the color palette. You can play with all sorts of elements such as the paper glaze, liquid watercolor splatters, reactive inks, and various dies and stencils! It is just SO much fun to play like this, I hope you will grab your stash and give it a try!
You can find the products I've used for this card by hovering over the item name and then clicking on it. That iwll bring you to the Picket Fence Studios shop!
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by Colleen Balija on Feb 19 2024
Ready for some mixed media magic? Join Colleen on the blog for a vibrant card-making adventure featuring some of our latest release products!