Last cards from the Creative Art Journey Retreat part 1

Gosh I have had the backgrounds completed for over a month but never put on a card base until now. This is the conclusion of the Creative Art Retreat I did with Jenn Shurkus. I learnt so much from this art retreat making colourful backgrounds. Today's blog post I share the cards we made at the retreat using an EXCLUSIVE stamp set from Tim Holtz and Stampers Anonymous especially for our retreat. 

My understanding is all the images on this set are from other sets of Tim's which he has allowed to be resized to a size wanted by Jenn. So there were 300 of us doing the retreat plus Jenn so I guess I own one of 301 sets of this stamp set, does that makes me feel special, hell yeah. Thanks Jenn for being you and Tim for allowing this, Yes Jenn is on his design team and also offers a lot of distress classes. I've taken her Distress watercolor class already and loved it so it was great to revisit the pencils again for the last 3 cards from the retreat. Looking at the set above we've already used a few stamps on other cards including the fab stenciled dirt and veggie card, we used the French Script. I have to admit using this stamp set and the wee ones from Purple Onion Designs it was fab stamping with red rubber again. Photopolymer stamps have improved heaps but they still aren't red rubber!

Let's see how good my memory is one month on as I wrap up this retreat in blogland for me.

The first card was my favourite as I love the vibrancy of the colours, we've used only set 1 from the Distress pencils in rainbow order. As always starting with the yellow. Work down the rainbow, then return to middle and work up the rainbow.

Using our Misti we've placed the circles upper left hand corner and working with Ranger watercolour paper on the smooth side.

Before starting we have misted our stamp a couple of times with a fine mist from about 6" above. The pencils are dipped in a water pot and then scribbled directly on the stamp in approximately a half circle, making sure we got down the new colour before we let it blend/bleed into the colour above or below. If the pencils look dry when scribbling re-dip into the water pot.

Mustard Seed in middle > colouring down > Peeled Paint > Salvaged Patina > Villainous Potion > Picked Raspberry

Back to middle, going above the Mustard Seed > Rusty Hinge > Fired Brick > Picked Raspberry > Villainous Potion. Then mist ONCE from high up (approx. 12" above). Stamp and remove card stock, re-mist again once from 12" above and re-stamp.

I liked the vibrancy so I only stamped 2x. All the sets have a rainbow in them or you could choose your own rainbow if you own all the sets. Let dry naturally then splatter with Picked Raspberry, Mustard Seed and Salvaged Patina. I love the splatter you get from a Distress watercolor pencil it is so good!!

Jenn gets a much finer splatter than I but she is the Queen. When everything dry stamp the sentiment message in Versafine Black ink. Then we have added Distress Collage Medium in half circles in some of the clear gaps and then poured on Distress Rock Candy and let dry over night. Jenn loves cutting off her edges to give a clean look but I'm pretty sure I just cut off a 1/4" from the bottom and the RHS and then the card base has some Wendy Vecchi washi tape assortment 2 on the RHS and bottom, a few Trinity stamps fab flat clear sequins from our Confetti Mix and viola done!!

This was a much bigger post than I imagined, so I will finish the last of the art retreat tomorrow with the butterfly cards I made.

✿ Karen ✿