Monochrome cards for the Simply Sweet Poppy Stencil Challenge .......

Happy Monday!

How you all doing? 

Not exactly the start to 2021 that we were all hoping for but ........ here we go again!

Our luck here on the island had to run out at some point I suppose.  Since my last blog post we've had a number of new cases of coronavirus on island so, we're back in lockdown.  

We're currently on Day 5 of a 21 day circuit breaker as they're calling it ........ we're back to social distancing, working from home and the schools are closed.  All non-essential shops and businesses are closed, restrictions on gatherings, and masks need to be worn if we do have to go out, all in the hope that we can stop the spread of this thing.  We've done it before so, fingers crossed we can do it again.

Things are slowly getting back to normal in the craft room ...... very slowwwwwly!  I think my mojo has been packed away with the Christmas decorations!

Blog challenges are back up and running, and I've booked on a few online workshops which should keep me busy over the next few weeks.

One of January's challenges is the Simply Sweet Poppy Stencil Challenge on the Simply Sweet Poppy Stencils FB page.  

The rules are simple ...... create a card following the theme using Sweet Poppy Stencils (of course)

Your stencil must be the focal point of your card, although you can use some stamping on there if you want to, however it must be as an accent only ....... a sentiment maybe or a small image.

Upload your card onto the Simply Sweet Poppy FB page making sure to mention the challenge in your post, and who knows you could be the winner of the £40 voucher to spend on the Sweet Poppy website!

The theme for January is .......... Monochrome Melody

We would like you to use just one colour for your designs, although you can include different shades of the colour.

Here's a couple of quick and easy ideas for you using various shades of Distress Inks .........

How about shades of purple ........

I blended two shades of purple Distress Ink onto a piece of white cardstock ...... Milled Lavender and one of my favourites, Dusty Concord

I started around the edges blending inwards towards the centre, keeping the colour pale in the middle.

To add a bit more interest to the background, I splattered some drops of clean water over the top, let them sit for a few seconds so that they reacted with the ink, and then mopped up the excess leaving behind a nice speckled look to the background.

I then used the pretty Leafy Flowers stencil over the top and the Dusty Concord ink, applied with a sponge through the stencil, building up the depth of colour gradually.

To finish the card I added a simple sentiment, stamped in a purple ink .....

and used the Dusty Concord Distress ink again, this time mixed with a little water, to add some more splatters onto the background.

For my second card, I went for a more vintage look using shades of brown on cream cardstock

Same as before, I blended various shades of brown Distress inks around the edges of my cardstock.  I started with the lightest shade first virtually all over, then gradually going darker around the edges in towards the centre ...... 

I splattered with water again  ....... I never get tired of using this technique.

Next I used the Postcard stencil and another, darker shade of Distress ink, building up the depth of colour gradually using a sponge .....

I added the pretty magnolia into the centre using my medium shade of brown ink, adding more in places to give the look of shading.

And I finished off  with a simple sentiment .....

You have until January 29th to get your entries in so plenty of time to play along.

Hope to see you in the gallery!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day.

Stay at home and stay safe.

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:

Purple card

Stencils: Leafy Flowers (Sweet Poppy)

Stamps: Special Sentiments (Penny Black)

Inks: Distress inks - Dusty Concord, Milled Lavender; Versafine Clair - Monarch (for the sentiment)

Vintage card

Stencils: Magnolia stencil, Postcard (Sweet Poppy)

Stamps: A6 Postmark stamp set (Sweet Poppy)

Inks: Distress Inks - Tye Dye, Vintage Photo, Gathered Twigs, Walnut stain; Versafine - Vintage Sepia (for the sentiment)