The Mists of Ireland

Welcome! I am so excited for today, since I get to share my very first project for Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. Today, it is all about stamps and mists. This week we want to see a project that features at least one stamp and one mist or color wash/spray. There are so many creative possibilities, I can't wait to see what you make!

Years ago, I took a wonderful trip to Ireland with my mom and two sisters. I loved Ireland, and from time to time, I contemplate moving there. If you ask my family, they will likely tell you I go a "little" overboard on the Irish! So, I immediately thought of this trip with a challenge about mists. I dug into some of my old stamps to design my card.

One of the sites we visited left a lasting impression on me. We visited Glendalough, a medieval monastery. It was a misty day, and the Celtic crosses were rather ethereal in the cemetery, and I felt the magic.

I created a base of blues and copper on my card using paints. I chose the blues (turquoise and stream) thinking of all of the water in Ireland - oceans, lakes, rivers, rain...and mist! I watered down the paints a bit, brushed some on the paper, then across my silicon sheet, and laid the paper into it.

Now I am starting to get the background look I want.

I stamped the lettering on the background (stamp by Judikins) with grey ink. I purposely inked only some of the areas of the stamp, to keep some of the background design open.

Finally, time to play with the mists! I chose three greens to use. Ireland is the land of a thousand shades of green, after all. I just happened to have a big old mailing envelope handy, so opened it up and laid it across my desk. It did a great job of containing the mists. It's also easy to spray into a box. Believe me, I have made a mess in the past not using anything...I'm learning!

Set that aside to dry, and time to work on the Celtic cross (stamp unknown). Made this background using the penny paint in the same way, then stamped with my black archival ink. I actually had another background piece that did not work out as well, so I stamped that too. I just wasn't sure which I wanted to use, so ended up using both and layering them.

Popped the cross up for some depth, and added a gear to the center. (I am a steampunk aficionado.) I am really loving these colors now!

Layered it onto the card with gray and black, a bit of twisted citron inking, and tied a mix of hand dyed ribbons around it. It's been a wonderful memory adventure making this card, and it's been so much fun to share it with you!

Time to get crafty and and join us in the fun!  A random winner is chosen every week to win a $50 spending spree from SimonSaysStamp!

Supplies: