Hi everyone! It’s Renata here, and I’m so happy to have the opportunity to be the first to create with the latest release from Kate Crane. As you’ll see, there are a couple of new stamp sets and stencils, and as usual, Kate did not disappoint—she made some amazing designs for us to play with. I personally had a really fun and relaxing time coloring these quirky designs in bright and cheerful colors.
When I received my blogger parcel, ideas started swirling immediately, making it tough to decide what to create first. We’ve had a long, warm summer here in Hungary (and it’s still holding on!), but the holiday season is definitely just around the corner. Recently, I found myself rewatching one of my favorite old TV series, and an episode about Christmas inspired me so much that I couldn’t resist creating a project with that festive mood. And since I’m an art journal girlie at heart, I made an art journal page—but I hope it might also spark ideas for a Christmas card or tag. Anyway, let’s dive in!
In this project, I didn’t get a chance to use all the new products Kate released, but I did work with two stamp sets—PaperArtsy Kate Crane KC016 and KC017—and one stencil, PS483. As for the rest of the new release, the ideas are already brewing; I just need a bit of free time to create, but I promise to share my creations with you once they’re done.
When you look at these stamp sets, I bet you, like me, can feel them calling for bright, bold colors—and maybe even some crazy color combinations. I didn’t go too wild this time, but coloring these cute designs was such a pleasure. Anyway, I’ll share more about this soon!
Usually, when we talk about first layers, we mean creating the background—think substrates, tissue papers, and those first pops of color. But honestly, I hardly ever start with the background. I prefer to have a focal image first and then build a whole little world around it.
So for me, the first layers are actually made up of stamped images. I picked out a couple of designs and stamped them onto a Spectrum Noir alcohol marker pad, since I planned to color with alcohol markers this time. Of course, you can’t just grab any ink pad for this, so I chose Tsukineko Memento dye ink in Tuxedo Black to make sure the colors wouldn’t smudge. And just to be on the safe side—since Memento ink isn’t the most vibrant—I used a Ranger Tim Holtz stamp press in case I needed to restamp, though honestly, that wasn’t really necessary.
Now we’re at a step people either love or hate—coloring. For me, I absolutely love it. I actually get so into it that I end up curling my back and neck, diving deep into my paper, and of course, I always have some kind of ache afterward. No matter how many times my hubby tells me to straighten up! :D
Anyway, I colored my images using a couple of different brands of alcohol markers, added some shading with black colored pencils, and finished off with tiny details and highlights using a white Posca pen. After that, I fussy cut my images, and honestly, they looked so pretty and ready for the background to come alive.
Ok, now we go to first layers of background. Honestly the stamped designs were so pretty that creating a background wasn’t a difficult task. I just had to pick one of the couple of ideas that I had brewing while still coloring my images.
First of all, I started by preparing a piece of mixed media paper and cutting it with a deckled edge trimmer by Ranger and Tim Holtz. There wasn’t any particular reason for choosing the deckled edge over a clean cut—I just followed the mood at the time. To decide on the size of my substrate, I just roughly laid out my prepared images to get a feel for what would work. Once the paper was ready, I began thinking about creating a more abstract background but still with a clearly snowy, wintry vibe. To achieve this, I decided to use water-based mediums. But first, I wanted to play with my new stencil and try out a resist technique. There are a few options for resist techniques with water-based mediums, but since I had it on hand, I chose to use an oil pastel.
This time, I went with white for that snowy feel and applied it through the PS483 Kate Crane stencil. If I had a silver one, I might have used that too… but anyway, just an idea! You can barely see it now since it’s a subtle effect, but it will become more visible once I add color.
Now it’s time to add some color! I sprayed my paper with plenty of water to make sure the color would flow freely. Then I added Ecoline liquid watercolor in the beautiful 580 blue shade. Let me tell you, it was absolutely gorgeous. But in my opinion, no Christmas project is complete without a little shimmer and glitter, so I mixed in some Lindy’s Stamp Gang Starburst Spray in the Azure Sea Asters color. I layered it up, drying the paper a bit between each layer to build more depth. I really love watching the color flow and how it moves around those areas where I applied the oil pastel through the stencil—it’s like magic!
Another thing I love to do is add some grounding for my focal images—so they don’t just end up floating on the paper. For this project, I decided to create some snow banks. To add more dimension and depth, I made two, so I could layer one over the other. I just freehand drew the snow banks on a scrap piece of paper and added some of that lovely Ecoline blue watercolor I mentioned earlier.
Now it’s time to start assembling my background. After all that water, my substrate was pretty warped and definitely needed some kind of frame. So, to solve two problems with one move, I adhered it onto black cardstock. On top of that, I glued down the two snow banks and… wait for it… drumroll, please… more glitter and shine! I added some sparkly snowflakes and gave the snow banks a subtle touch with Art by Marlene acrylic paint in Diamond—it’s more of a glittery accent than a traditional paint—and sprinkled it here and there across the whole piece. Another good option for this would be Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops, but sadly, mine got too old and dry.
Well, as you can see, the background is pretty much ready now. I really love all those blue shades—the abstract vibe, yet still totally capturing that winter spirit. Now, all that’s left is to add the main characters to my story.
As you might have noticed, I wanted to add some dimension, so I used liquid glue for some elements and foam tape for others. I also tucked some pieces way back behind the layers, while others I nestled right between the two snow banks. I think these little details really help bring the whole project together and give it that extra vibe. And of course, we can’t forget the sentiment! I had a bit of a dilemma here—originally, I thought about going big and bold. But in the end, I didn’t want to steal the spotlight from those amazing stamped designs, so I went with a small but effective sentiment from the KC016 set, placing it in the lower corner. Discreet, yet it does its job—and looks so pretty too!
I might be a bit silly, but in the end, I couldn’t resist adding a little extra glitter on the stars and fairy wings. After all, we’re mostly girls here—and who doesn’t like a bit of sparkle? Anyway, I had a lot of fun creating this! Kate Crane did a fantastic job with these designs—they’re playful and just put a smile on your face, which I hope my project does too.
Thank you all so much for joining me today. I hope you enjoyed following along, and that you will have fun trying out these new products and maybe even the techniques I shared.
Have a great day and stay crafty!
Renata 💜
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