Rubber Band Brayer

I can't remember where I first saw this technique, but I was very excited to try it! It's brayering with rubber bands tied around your brayer! Simply pop the roller off and tie rubber bands of different sizes around it. The colors I used were Cameo Coral, Baja Breeze, and Old Olive. I know Baja Breeze is retired, I just have a lot of it left, so I thought I would use it in this experiement! I am going to be teaching this technique at my class tomorrow. The cool thing is that the ink comes off the bands pretty easily, so you don't have to change them before switching to a different ink...although, as always, I would recommend starting with the lightest color and working your way to the darkest. I feel like the card needs something more on the bottom, so I might run it through the Big Shot with a texture plate??? Not sure. But what a fun way to make your own unique DSP to coordinate to whatever project you're doing!

Stamps: Oval All
Paper: Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Cameo Coral, Whisper White
Ink: Cameo Coral, Old Olive, Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Scalloped Edge Punch, Scalloped Oval and Large Oval Punch, Paper Piercer and Mat Pack, Ribbon, Brayer, Rubber Bands, Cameo Coral and Certainly Celery SU Marker (for butterfly)

Another Brayered Landscape

Each month, Meg sends a DVD of her Stamp and Share meeting to those of us who live out of town. The one I got yesterday couldn't have come at a better time as one of the demos was BRAYERING! And after my debacle yesterday, I watched this demo 3 or 4 times. This is similar to the card demonstrated and it was MUCH easier than the one I made yesterday. The one thing I did learn from making this is to use a different mask for each color. I was using an edge of paper to create my sky line and mountains and then flipped the paper and used the same mask to create the water. What I found was that the ink from the sky and mountain was rubbing onto the card. Once I used a different mask for each color, I had no problems. In the example on the DVD, she uses Inspired by Nature, but since I have given that back to it's rightful owner, Jen, I decided to use one of the new sets, Asian Artistry. The highlights were created using a White Gel Pen. The only thing I wish I would have done would be to have made the sky a little bigger so that the sun wasn't basically at the horizon...but I wasn't about to do it over!!

 We will definitely be making this card at my July 17 workshop now that I think I have all the kinks work out and feel more confident in my skills :) Hope to see you there!

Stamps: Asian Artistry

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Glossy White

Ink: More Mustard, Cameo Coral, Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Basic Black

Accessories: Brayer, 1 3/8 Circle Punch, White Gel Pen

Brayer Attempt #2

I really don't think I'm cut out for brayering! You may remember this post. That was my first attempt at brayering on my own...a so-so attempt. Well after seeing a lot of different brayered cards I thought about having a brayer project at my July workshop (which is July 17 at 6:00pm)...however, this card took about 5 mess ups before I even got it close to what I wanted it to look like! To me, I still think it's a little plain, but wasn't sure exactly what else to add. I got the idea for this card here. I may give up brayering after this attempt...any tips or suggestions are more than welcome!

Stamps: Pocket Silhouettes

Paper: More Mustard, Baja Breeze, Glossy White

Ink: Old Olive, Baja Breeze, More Mustard, Basic Black

Accessories: Brayer, 1 3/8 Circle Punch

Another Brayer Card

Happy Memorial Day! I wanted to make a quick card this morning before we head outside and this is what I came up with! Again, I used my brayer and the "Inspired by Nature" stamp set. 

Stamps: Inspired by Nature

Paper: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Glossy White

Ink: Pretty in Pink, Baja Breeze, Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip, Versamark

Accessories: Clear EP, Embossing Gun, Paper Piercer and Mat Pack

1. Score 5 x 10 piece of Baja Breeze at 5 and fold on score line.

2. Stamp the flower using Versamark ink on a 4 x 4 piece of Glossy cardstock. Emboss with clear embossing powder.

3. Brayer over the image using Certainly Celery, Baja Breeze, and Pretty in Pink. Let dry for a few minutes and wipe off to reveal image.

4. Stamp sentiment in top left corner using Chocolate Chip.

5. Adhere to 4 1/4 x 4 1/4 piece of Chocolate Chip and adhere to card base.

6. Use paper piercer and mat pack to pierce a border around Chocolate Chip square (make sure to put the mat pack inside the card and not on the back...otherwise you'll have holes on the back of your card too.

Brayered Sympathy

Along with all of my new Designer Series Paper that I ordered and hated to use...I also purchased a brayer. I had used this technique once before at one of Roberta's classes I went to and we made this card:

I decided to try it for myself using another borrowed stamp from Jen (I promise I have my own too haha) Inspired By Nature. It took 5 minutes to make and I'm really excited about how it turned out. I can see myself turning into a brayer-maniac!

I decided to make this a sympathy card for one of my employees who's dog is really sick and about to die at any time. I am a huge animal lover and I know he's really close to him. Is it wrong to have this prepared in advance??

Anyway....here are the details:

Stamps: Inspired by Nature, Close as a Memory

Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Basic Gray, Glossy White Cardstock

Ink: More Mustard, Cameo Coral, Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Basic Black

Accessories: 1 3/8 Circle Punch, Brayer

1. Score 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 piece of Kiwi Kiss at 4 1/4 and fold on score line.

2. Cut a 5 x 3 3/4 piece of Glossy White Cardstock. Punch a circle on a piece of scrap paper and use temporary adhesive to adhere it where you would like.

3. Roll half of your brayer in Cameo Coral and the other half in More Mustard, making sure the colors overlap (you always want to do the lightest color first). Brayer over top half of cardstock, changing the angles so you aren't left with a straight line where your colors change.

4. Tear a piece of scratch paper to create Hills.  Use the top half of the torn sheet to mask off the top, keeping only a small portion of the bottom showing. Brayer with Certainly Celery.

5. Remove mask and place the other half of the torn sheet over the Certainly Celery hills and move the other mask up and over, overlapping with some of the sky. Brayer with Old Olive.

6. Remove all masks.

7. Stamp the grass and sentiment using Basic Black and adhere all three pieces together.

8. I stamped some grass along the bottom of the inside as well.