Thank you...

Good morning!  It's been awhile since I posted, but I've been busy, busy, busy.

I have discovered Mixed Media and have made one journal and am in the process of making another journal.  I have fallen in love with the Dylusions paints, and I have the newest colors on my website at My Paper Moon, under Ranger Products.

Also, I was commissioned to make some thank you note cards, and I finally finished 24 of those and delivered them to the person who ordered them.  They loved them, I'm happy to say.

And now to my latest "Thank You"...a card I made to send to the person who commissioned my work.

I sponged various colors of yellow/orange/brown ink onto white cardstock to make the background, masking off the horizon. The stamps are all from Gina K Designs, and were stamped in a dark brown (almost black) ink to make the silhouettes. I used a golden glitter glue on the water to simulate reflections.  The glitter glue doesn't scan well, but it looks stunning in real life.

I hope you and she like the card.

Happy crafting...

Over The Moon Monday - Sponging

Good morning!  Welcome to Over The Moon Monday.  This is my 250th post!

Did you have a great weekend?  The weather here in Florida is finally warming up a bit. I don't want it to get too warm yet.  I'm enjoying the coolness. Like I tell my hubby, I can always add more clothes, but when it gets hot in the summer I can't always take more clothes off.  I'll take the cool weather any day.

I always enjoy my weekend, but I look forward to Monday so I can share with you.  Today I want to share some cards using the sponging technique.

Since so many of you have had lots of snow this winter, I chose to make snow scenes.  The stamps are from The Angel Company. 

I like to pick 3 colors to use when I'm sponging a sky. And depending on which colors you use, it can look like a morning sky, or an evening sky.  Cardstock makes a difference, too.  Glossy cardstock can give you a lighter sky.

I think the first card looks like a morning sky.  I used post-it notes torn to make a ragged edge as the horizon.  Then I sponged my lightest color of ink onto the cardstock.  Moving up a bit, I sponged the 2nd lightest color, and finally at the top I sponged the darkest color, being sure to overlap them some to blend.  The top card is on glossy cardstock.  I punched a yellow circle to be the sun/moon.

On the 2nd card, I used regular cardstock.  The colors tend to be darker because it takes more ink to cover the cardstock.  This could be an early morning or twilight card. Again, I overlapped the colors to blend them.  And again, I used a punch to make the moon.

On the yellow card, this is definately going from midday to evening. If I had reversed the colors on the cardstock, it would have been daybreak.

Instead of using a punched out sun/moon, I used the negative space from where I punched the others, and sponged in the sun.  I like the look...it's softer.

The next card, is definately evening/night. I used several colors of dark blue and purple, and they are subtly blended. I used a white gel pen to add falling snow, and added some crystal clear glitter to the snow to give it a glisten.  You can't see it in the scan, though.

I hope you have enjoyed the cards for this week.  I have enjoyed making them, and if you need any further information on sponging, please don't hesitate to leave a comment and ask. 

I hope you have a great week.  If you get to try your hand at sponging skies, please leave a link in the comment section. We'd all like to enjoy your creation. And you never know, I might just decide to give out a little blog candy, and you might be the lucky winner.

See you next week!

Over The Moon Monday - Sponging Tips

Good morning and welcome to another Over the Moon Monday. Did you have a good week? The weekend was great...too short, but great. I am having computer issues, and it's driving me nuts. For the last year I have used both McAfee Virus Scan and Webroot Spysweeper together with no problems. I had to renew my McAfee and now I learn they are not compatible, so I have to decide which one to use. I like them both. If you have any experience with either one, please email me or leave me a comment on why you like it.

Today I want to give you some tips on sponging. It's a very simple technique, but can give you lots of interesting results. In the card sample below, I have used a couple of different sponging techniques.

I sponged a light blue onto the background cardstock (with the swirls). I sponged the sky and also the grass. I used a green marker to draw in the distinct blades of grass.

Types of sponges:

• cosmetic/facial sponges
• porous everyday sponges
• natural sponges
• bathtoy sponges

Methods of use:

• cut or tear sponges to get different textures.
• use sponges either dry or slightly dampened with water.
• use different amounts of pressure to get darker or lighter effects
• tapping, smudging, smearing and circular motions are all ways to get different effects and textures.

Stamping tips:

• sponge around paper masks which you have cut or torn to create cloud-filled vistas. Then sponge on a bit of light blue, pink or violet to accent clouds.
• sponge through paper doilies, lace, or netting for a delicate Victorial look. You can also make borders using sponging and masks.
• for beautiful grass, sponge on shadings to lay down base colors of greens, blues and yellows. Then use a grass stamp for distinct blades (or use a marker to make blades). Stamp it over and over without re-inking to add depth.
• sponge over nautical designs to give them the impression of being under water, in fog, etc.
• use the full width of the sponge for large areas or backgrounds or cut your sponge into your own design, such as a star or heart. For example, you can create a brick wall by using a small rectangular piece of dry sponge.
• use your sponges slightly damp instead of dry, for a softer, more blended look.

I hope you can use some of these tips. You can leave a link under the comment section on this blog.

Have a great week!