Flubs, Frustration, Fixes and Fun with Masking!

Hi there!

I was so happy to have the day off from work today so I could play along with day #2 of Clean and Simple Card Making 2!

Today's lesson was all about one layer cards and masking. I love masking techniques, don't get me wrong, but more times than not, I end up smearing or smudging or just having a difficult time. So today I told myself to slow down (one of the lessons talked about in yesterdays' class) and enjoy the process. Those of you who know me at all, know that slowing down isn't even a phrase ever used in my vocabulary, or my personality, or my cardmaking! :) That being said, I had a plan in my head and knew I had lots of time to play, so I was ready for some fun!

My first two cards use both negative and positive masks, which I easily created with die-cuts.

Don't let this first card deceive you! It was my third try and I STILL ended up with a few smudges. Even when the entire card was protected while shading in the masked flowers, I got smudges! I have no idea how it happened, I'm as stumped as you are. So, instead of a fourth try, I covered up some of the smudges with extra dots of white Enamel Accents. I do love the way the masking looks! The ink colors are all from Hero Arts - Soft Granite Shadow Ink, Poppy Chalk Ink and the yummy new, Cornflower, Mid-Tone Shadow Ink.

My second card uses the same sentiments, which are from Simon Says Stamp. They're in a set called Handwritten Sentiments from Kristina Werner. (Appropriate for this class, don't ya think?) I also used the Marshmallow Cloud dies from Memory Box, along with the String of Hearts die from SSS.

 

The negative die-cut (or mask) was used for the hearts - I just colored them with a pink marker over the masked clouds and then added the Glossy Accents. 

I was having too much fun to stop there and a cool idea popped into my head, which doesn't happen very often, so I ran with it! :) "Could I actually use glitter and masking at the same time?" I asked myself. "Why not? Let's give it a whirl!" (And yes, I talk to myself a lot!)  :)

 It's the same design as my first card, using the same three floral dies, but this time I used some double-sided sticky sheets for my masks! It's a bit too long to explain more than that, but if you have any questions, you can always send me an email. Here's a close-up of those glittery, masked flowers. They really are only one layer - that's the beauty of masking! :)

 
So there ya have it! My frustrating-at-first, but oh-so-fun day of masking for one layer cards! I am one happy gal today! 

Thanks for coming by! Have a great week! :)