Friday, December 30, 2011

Inspiration Hop Day 1: "Stately Flowers 2" and "Mountain Wilderness"


Good morning! Hope you all had time to come by the release party last night! Welcome to our first day of Inspiration Hops with the Gina K team! Today we are showcasing two sets. The first, "Stately Flowers 2", is the second in my new "Stately Flowers" series, featuring state flowers from all 50 states. This month, I'm bringing you flowers from four more states: Goldenrod (Nebraska, Kentucky), Camellia (Alabama) and Hawthorn (Missouri).

Today I decided to go more bright and whimsical with the flowers, to demonstrate that just because they are so are detailed, these images don't always have to go elegant/vintage! TIP: I also changed it up a bit by stamping them in gray, it's a little more subtle and looks more like a pencil drawing.

Instead of creating a tole effect by stamping out the flowers several times and cutting layers, instead I stamped it once and snipped the bunch of flowers in three sections after I colored them. (Refer to image sheet above to see how it looks before cutting)

Then I created different levels of pop dots, one for the leaves, stacked pop dots "two high" for the middle section, and then used none for the third, and you really get an interesting dimensional effect! While I was coloring these, (Missouri's flower is the White Hawthorn, although they come in a variety of shades), with the rosy and green round centers and pink tipped stamens I noticed how it cute it would be with this fun polka dot DP that's included in the new StampTV kit! So from there, I needed to die cut some circles for my backdrop and sentiment (lots of pretty ones in this set in for a variety of occasions), then adhere round Pure Luxury buttons to match the DP and image.

Cardstock is Gina K Pure Luxury Bubblegum Pink, Passionate Pink, and Turquoise Sea. I didn't include the state or flower name on this design so this can be sent to any friend, anywhere. :) (It's okay if this card is too crazy for you, it almost is for me, but I can't help perking up looking at it LOL!)

Next up, we have Theresa Momber's "Mountain Wilderness" set. I LOVE all the new animals she included, which will work so well with all the gorgeous backdrop images from all her previous realistic outdoor sets! I had to start with this lone wolf and do a very simple but effective technique I enjoy with silhouettes. I'll show you how easy it is to put him on a mountain top without coloring or drawing.

First I stamped the wolf in black on white CS, and then stamped again on scratch paper. Cut out the area from the scratch piece underneath where he's standing at angle, uneven, to make the top of the mountain. TIP: You can pencil a line, but I just free-cut, you don't want it to be perfectly symmetrical or it won't look realistic.

Now place it over the cardstock and sponge black ink into this area. Remove and you have a large silhouette! I have pulled away so you can see. :)

Die cut a circle from scratch paper to place over the vertical greeting (don't you love these new long greetings?!) so it just fits around the "Thinking", and sponged Fired Brick and Tattered Rose Distressing Inks all around the circle to create a sunset.

Remove circle. Mount on black cardstock. Ta da! Great manly card, and easy peasy!! I don't tend to embellish cards like these because think they resemble gorgeous nature photographs, allowing the images speak for themselves... :)

Now please go have fun hopping with the rest of our team! Be sure to leave comments along the way to give you more chances to win a grab bag of stamps from Gina K Designs!

Thank you for visiting today! I appreciate your comments! Have a terrific weekend!

93 comments:

  1. Love your new set, and the card sample is stunning, the lone wolf card is just so beautiful, thanks for sharing :-)

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  2. Melanie, you are so gifted! Love your new set and the card you created. Both cards actually!

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  3. Both cards are fabulous, Melanie! Of course, I love your floral creations, and your scene is just beautiful! Thanks for sharing...

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  4. I love both your cards. The colors made me smile and love the technique for the mountain. Thank You!

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  5. love your work and the how to pics. Great job. both cards are beautiful. TFS>

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  6. Both of these are beautiful Melanie.. I do love how you did those flowers, they are gorgeous.

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  7. Love how did the dimension on the flowers -- very pretty! Thanks for the great tutorial on the wolf. The card is stunning and looks fairly easy using your instructions.

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  8. Gorgeous, Mel! I love your tutorials! Having so much fun with these gorgeous florals! And more to look forward to! :)

    BIG Congrats on your Cardmaker Mag fame! <3

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  9. Love both cards. The flowers are awesome. Thanks for sharing.

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  10. Wow I was only thinking how beautiful your flowers & card were, then I saw what you did for the Wilderness set, FANTASTIC! You are so so clever!

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  11. Lovely flowers as always Melanie! TFS your artwork

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  12. Your stamps are all wonderful. There are so many I would love to have. You did a great job on these cards too.

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  13. Gorgeous cards, Melanie! Your new stamp set is wonderful! Can't wait to make some Alabama flower cards!!

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  14. Wow! You go from adorably fun and cute to dramatic and amazing. Thanks for sharing how to do the silhouette and the moon area. Beautiful!

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  15. Melanie, your flowers are gorgeous. I also like the wolf!

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  16. LOVE the flower stamps! And like both the cards you made.

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  17. Great cards--I like how you popped up the flowers and the scene for the wolf.

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  18. I love both of the cards you made. What a great and different way to create cards. Thanks for the inspiration

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  19. wow you make it look so easy I am going to have to try it! I have 4 boys so I'm always looking for manly cards and images for scrapbooks and cards. Thanks for this easy man card!Sharon Roselli

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  20. Absolutely beautiful! Those flowers look amazing. Loving these stamps sets.

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  21. Wow! Love the tole look! That is a great technique

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  22. The first card is simply adorable and the second card is stunning. Great work!

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  23. Both of your cards are so pretty. Love all your flower sets and think I have them all. Great job on your beautiful designs. Love the bright buttons.

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  24. Gorgeous cards! Your flowers are spectacular as usual!

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  25. I'm still pinching myself that I won Stately Flowers 2!!! I can't wait to try the dimensional Hawthorn. I also love how you used the Wilderness set. Thanks for the great inspiration.

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  26. I love what you did with the sets and really like the wolf scene. I already ordered that set as I am a scene stamper in these last few years, too.

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  27. LOVE your artwork. My nephew would flip over the wolf. THanks Melanie for the terrific ideas.
    DonnaB

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  28. I love both cards. I've learned new techniques today especially for the wolf. Love the 3-D effect you've given to your flowers.

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  29. Beautiful state flower set. One of my favorites. I love your card with the wolf on the hill. Beautiful!

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  30. Love the state flower set! Beautiful 3D inspiration! Love the wolf card on the hill!! TYFS Happy New Year!

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  31. You are so talented and your designs are so inspiring!

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  32. I love the wolf card, it shows that I could make great cards for guys. Your state flowers are beautiful. Thank you for sharing!

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  33. Not sure if my last comment took! Love your flowers and 3D card and the wolf and moon is spectacular! Happy New Year!

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  34. Love the new stamps. The wolf card is really neat. Give me lots of ideas. Thanks for sharing your talent.

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  35. Wow I love the cards. You sure put alot of work into the wolf card... very nice!

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  36. Terrific job on the wolf card. It will make a great masculine card. Thanks for sharing.

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  37. These are fabulous! I love your bright and happy Hawthorn card and your wolf on a mountaintop is amazing!

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  38. These are just great!

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  39. Love the flowers and the 3D touch really is wonderful

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  40. Wonderful cards! A lot of thought and work went into them! What great inspiration. Thanks, I enjoyed looking at them.

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  41. love your new set! and the 2 cards here are great!
    i was surprised at how many states have the goldenrod as their state flower...including the original one for alabama also! did you know they changed to the camellia fairly recently because people thought that goldenrod was JUST a weed?
    tfs, sandyh

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  42. Dear Melanie,
    Thank you for your recent stamps - they are so breath-taking. Definitely these will be used over and over again. Luv your cheerful polka dotty card, as well as the serene, wolf setting-both delightful!
    Hugs, Rosy

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  43. These stamps are amazing, love how you used them on you cards...

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  44. Beautiful stamps! And love the cards you made.

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  45. I am continually amazed by your talent. Love the state sets!

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  46. Beautiful cards! Your new stamp set is lovely!

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  47. Oh Melanie your designs are unbelieveable they are so fantastic. They are at the top of my wish list now. Got zero money for Christmas, dang it. LOL Thanks for sharing those fab card and how to do some techniques. Happy New Year. ekc

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  48. WOW I am blown away. The stately flowers are to die for but what you did with the wolf is absolutely wow.

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  49. Wow, your projects are amazing. Love the way fussy cut and popped the flowers. patnbobcuddy at gmail dot com

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  50. great projects....love how the distress inks were used!

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  51. You are doing such a beautiful job with these state flower sets Melanie! And I really love your sponging on the Mountain Wilderness card as well.

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  52. Once again,thank you for the short tutorial. I never know what to do with animals and nature scenes. This helps SO much. And thanks also for the state flowers. Flowers are always my favorites! I'm eager to see all the others.

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  53. Great idea to cut sections in the flower image to make the "stacking" more effective. The lone wolf cards is perect for a masculine card.Great technique. Thanks

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  54. Awesome card Melanie. Thank you so much for showing us how you did the wolf card.

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  55. Gorgeous cards, as usual, Melanie! And thanks for the tutorials! :D

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  56. The hawthorn card is lovely and not a bit too bright, just cheerful. And my first reaction was 'that's a lot of layering' so I learned something. The wolf card is lovely, too, and your tutorial much appreciated.

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  57. Gotta love those polka dots and the wolf is cool too! - Joyce T.

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  58. Love that Camellia flower and such a fun card too.

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  59. Love the lone wolf. I needed some ideas for "man cards" and this is sure is a nice one.

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  60. awesome cards (love the tip about the flowers!)

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  61. Beautiful cards. Thank you sooooooo much for the tutorials on both of them. I learned a couple of things sooooooooo thanks.
    Jean McGee

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  62. Gorgeous cards! The state flower card is so fun! Love the unexpected colors.

    Thank you for showing the silhouette technique. Very impactful and perfect for masculine cards.

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  63. I am howling with delight at your manly wolf card ;-)
    Happy New Year.

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  64. Just love the new stamp sets! Happy stamping!

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  65. Very pretty! I really like your color combinations.

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  66. You've inspired me to try that masking technique which I've been meaning to do for awhile. I love that howling wolf gotta get it! As for the whimsical flowers they did bring a smile on this particularly gloomy day lol!

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  67. absolutely love your state flowers - cant wait for Virginia's !!
    and Theresa's set is so perfect for the "men"
    ...need both of these sets ..NEED NEED NEED!
    hugs
    Linda

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  68. Beautiful cards. Thanks for showing how to do the wolf card.

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  69. You're flowers are gorgeous on that card! Not colors I'd pick either but they do work together! My fav set of this release is the mountain wilderness... maybe it's because I live in Alaska! TFS!

    Kris in Alaska
    funamom at yahoo dot com

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  70. Beautiful cards! Can't wait to try both techniques.

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  71. Wow! both card are just amazing,thank you for sharing them.

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  72. Both are great Mel but I really love the "Howling at the Moon"!

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  73. I love the whimical way you ued your flowers and I have tried the "moon" masking before, but you took it to a new level- great cards!

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  74. Love these cards! The wolf idea is super.

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  75. Amazing artist...amazing cards... and amazing how you make this look so easy. Love the wolf in the moon. Living in Arizona, I hear them howling at night, in the distance. Seeing it on your card is so cool. TFS ! Happy New Year

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  76. The popped flowers are so pretty and the wolf card--Wow!

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  77. Love them both, Melanie. And I don't think the polka dot card is too much--it's so happy!

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  78. I had to take a second look and comment. These are so beautiful.

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  79. Very nice cards. I love the new stamps, esp. the flowers & sentiments. Thanks for the tips on the wolf card, that set would make some great masculine cards.

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  80. Love your newest set and the cards and techniques are awesome.

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  81. Gorgeous cards! Love the colors and dimension of your first card, and the awesome sponging and serenity of your wolf card! And thank you for the tutorial!

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  82. Animal stamps are a big favorite of mine! Nice job!

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  83. LOVE the sweetness of your first card and the scene you created for the second is perfection!

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  84. Stunning!!! Your new set is da bomb!! Love that wolf scene and gorgeous layered flowers.

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  85. I l-o-v-e flowers. These are beautiful. I really like what you did with this one. The card is beautiful. And thanks for the tips on both cards.

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  86. Love your stately flower sets. Congratulations of the printing of your book. Can't wait to get my grubby hands on that one. Thank you so much. Hopefully, if I win a grab bag, it will have lots of the stately flower sets in it. Thanks for the opportunity.

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  87. Oh I LOVE the 3D flowers!!! So happy and colorful!! And what a gorgeous wolf scene!!

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  88. I'm looking forward to seeing the goldenrod stamps to go with the "Nebraska" and "Goldenrod" word stamps. When are they coming out?

    Shala

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