Grow Love With Kindess hop

Polka Dot Orchard is having a Grow Love With Kindness hop over on Instagram today!  I wanted to share on my blog as well for those of you who don't do Instagram plus I can share all the details.  I am using the Blessed Lives set which you can pick up HERE in the Polka Dot Orchard store.

Alright, let's talk cards.  I recently watched a video from Jennifer McGuire.  She is such a constant source of inspiration!  I was intrigued by the Split Card technique.  Basically you work with one image, cut it down the center and it gives you two cards!  I always love getting two-for-one!

I started by printing out the main image and the two sentiments onto a piece of Copic friendly cardstock.  I colored it with Copic markers.  I went for a vintage color palette.  The pinks are RV11, RV32 and RV34.  The greens are BG93, BG96 and BG99.  That's it.  Six colors.

Once I was done with the coloring, I found the center of my image and cut it.  I know, I just colored it and then I cut right through it.  I promise it will be okay!

I went around the outer edge of the cut panel with a black sharpie to give it a heavy black line.  I then grabbed a ruler and a fine tip black marker to create a thin frame.  I felt like this step added a lot of visual dimension to the panel without adding actual dimension.

I adhered them both to some gorgeous paper from Basic Grey (out of print) and then onto a top folding card base.  To add just a little something extra I used Love Potion Nuvo Dream Drops.  Here are both of the completed cards.

Here they are next to each other.

And here they are apart.

This technique was a lot of fun and I can't wait to try it again.  As a reminder, this is actually a part of an Instagram hop.  You can find me there @ruok or you can start the hop from the Polka Dot Orchard Instagram account @polkadotorchard.  The next person on the IG hop is @vonmariedesigns

Toodles!

~Kristina

Let's get inky!

Hello my friends!  Today I'm bringing you along on my recent crafty adventure.  Let me start off by telling you I'm using the Beauty of His Grace set from Polka Dot Orchard.  This set (along with all others!) are on sale for the 35% off in the PDO store.  You can go directly to the store by clicking HERE.

Purchase HERE

Here's my creation for today.

I was looking for a way to use digital stamps with alcohol inks.  Enter heavy vellum!  I printed the main image onto heavy vellum.  I flipped it over to the backside and started adding alcohol inks.  I  worked carefully to apply the colors roughly in an area where I wanted them.  Mojito for the leaves and stem.  Ember for the flowers. Teakwood for the butterfly body.  Boysenberry for the butterfly and Glacier for the sky.

With the help of isopropyl alcohol and a puffer tool, I was able to spread the colors out in a controlled manner.  I just kept working at it until I was pleased with the way it looked.  I then added splatters of just isopropyl alcohol.

I wanted to make sure that my adhesive wouldn't show so I added double sided tape that covered the enter piece.  I adhered it to a piece of plain white cardstock and then cut it out with a stitched rectangle die.  I placed it to leave a strip of white on the right and bottom of the panel.

The sentiment also comes from the Beauty of His Grace set.  I printed it out onto white cardstock and ran it through my Minc machine with a blue foil that matched well with the Glacier alcohol ink.  I took this photo at an angle so you can actually see the foiling.

And a close up so you can so some more of the detail.

This really was an easy card to create.  Plus, I always feel like a little kid in art class when I get to play around with alcohol inks!

Thanks so much for visiting today!

~Kristina

Supplies used: 

Compensated affliate links may be used - I may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you should you make a purchase using my link.

Neenah Solar White Shop at: SBC | EH	Tombow Mono Multi Liquid glue Shop at: SBC | EH	Heidi Swapp MINC 6 inch Mini Foil Applicator Shop at: SBC	8.5 inch Tonic Guillotine Cutter Shop at: EH
A2 Stitched Rectangle Stax Set 1 dies -My favorite things Shop at: EH	40lb Vellum Shop at: SBC | EH	iCraft Deco Foil - Turquoise Shop at: SBC | EH	Glacier Alcohol Ink Shop at: SBC | EH
Ember Alcohol Ink Shop at: SBC | EH	Mojito Alcohol ink Shop at: SBC | EH	Teakwood Alcohol ink Shop at: EH	Boysenberry Alcohol ink Shop at: SBC | EH

Love & Friendship Inspiration Blog Hop

Valentine’s Day may be over and done for this year, but Polka Dot Orchard is still celebrating with our Love & Friendship Inspiration Blog Hop. The creative team has amazing creations to share with you featuring some of our newest releases! We have two $10 gift cards for two lucky winners chosen randomly from the comments. You have until February 24th, 11:59pm EST to leave a comment on each of the blogs, including the Polka Dot Orchard blog letting us know that you completed the hop. We will announce the lucky winners on February 26th on the Polka Dot Orchard blog.

Hiya!  I'm SUPER excited to be participating in the Polka Dot Orchard Love & Friendship blog hop!  Polka Dot Orchard is celebrating a huge release of 20 new digital stamp sets.  Yes, 20!!  You can find all of them right now in the Polka Dot Orchard shop!

For my project today I am using the One Stellar Friend set.  Here's a quick look at the set.

So let's look at my card and then talk about all the details.

This set just needed to have a galaxy background.  Who am I to argue!  I cut a piece of watercolor paper down to A2 size.  Then I got inky with my Distress Oxide inks and lots of shimmery water.  The colors I used were Wild Honey, Seedless Preserves, Peacock Feathers, Salty Ocean and Black Soot.  I'm sure you have seen other tutorials and videos on how to create these backgrounds so I won't go into all the details.  My secret to this one was using a shimmer spray to help the colors blend together.  I tried to capture all the shimmer in this picture.

Once I had dried it for the last time, I went back and splattered it with clean water and dabbed it up.  Then I followed it up with splatters of white paint.  I set it aside to work on the next part...the moon!

Of course a galaxy card needs a moon.  I cut a 3 1/2 circle out of watercolor paper.  I used Hickory Smoke distress ink for the gray bits and then went over the open areas with Antique Linen distress ink.  I found it easiest to smoosh my ink onto a block, spritzed with water and then use a paint brush to apply the color.

I laid the moon aside so I could get to the coloring of the girl.  I printed her out onto a Copic friendly cardstock and got busy with the coloring.

Helmet: N01, N00 and 0

Skin: E31, E30 and R20

Yellow: Y17, 15, 11

Teal: BG49, 45

Hair: E29, 27, 25, 23

Once I was done with the coloring, I added glossy accents over the entire helmet piece.  Make sure you let this dry completely before putting your card together!

Let's build a card!

I added the galaxy panel to a top fold A2 card base.  Next I added the moon in the bottom right corner.  I made sure the moon hung over the edge of the card and I just flipped it over and cut the excess off.  I put foam tape on the back of the girl and added her right on top of the moon.  I printed the sentiment out on the same paper I used for the girl image.  I cut it down into a strip and glued it on top of a purple strip just slightly larger then the sentiment.  I glued the entire strip down on the card.  One out of this world card complete!

Make sure you stop by all of the design team member pages!

Just click on the names below to take you to the other blogs.

PDO Blog

Crystal

Rosemary

Pam

Kim

Kristina <--- you are here

Lisa

Kirsty

Larissa

See you again soon!

~Kristina

PDO Collaboration Wednesday

Happy Wednesday my friends!  Today I am back with a fellow crafter who was up for a collaboration challenge!  Her name is Kirsty Lowden and you can find her blog HERE.  I found Kirsty on Instagram and asked her if she'd be willing to play along.  She graciously accepted.

I let her pick the Polka Dot Orchard stamp set, a color palette and a sketch.  For the stamp set she picked Wander Often.

For the color palette she chose The Color Throwdown 563.

And for the sketch she chose Freshly Made Sketches 404.

I'll show you my finished card and then I'll get to all of the details.

I started by printing the fish out onto vellum paper and cutting it down to a smaller size.

I flipped it over to work on the back side.  I find this to be the best method when I want to color on vellum with Copic markers.  Here is what it looked like on the BACK when I was finished coloring.

And here's what it looks like from the FRONT.

The Copic colors I used are V17, RV19, 17,14 and RV09.

I looked through my paper stash and couldn't find anything with just the right colors so I made my own plaid background.  I love to make plaid backgrounds with Copic markers and it doesn't take that much time to do.  Grab a piece of cardstock, a ruler and your Copics.  I used the same Copic colors as above but added in YG17.  

Isn't it pretty??  I have all of the basic pieces so let's get to building a card!

I cut the plaid piece down to 5 1/2" x 5 1/2".  I glued it onto a 5 1/2" sqaure card base made out of 110lb Neenah Solar White.  I cut the vellum piece down to a 4" square.  I used a liquid glue behind some of the darker coloring to add it to a 4 1/4" square piece of white cardstock.  I then glued the white layer down to a piece of purple metallic cardstock.  I applied foam tape to the back of the whole panel and adhered it to the plaid paper.

I printed the "Celebrate you" sentiment from the same stamp set onto white cardstock.  I cut it out with an oval die.  I cut another piece of white cardstock using a scalloped oval die slightly larger than the sentiment oval.  I colored the scalloped oval with the YG17 Copic to help tie in the green from the plaid piece.  I put foam tape on the back and added it to the card.

For the finishing touch I added purple, pink and green sequins.

This is the first time I have worked with the Wander Often stamp set and I love it!  I have had a blast working with Kirsty and want to remind you to go check out her take on this.  You can find her blog HERE.

Have a fabulous day!

~Kristina