Creative Blog Hop and the Moon Lake Reflection technique

Hi and welcome to my entry for the Creative Blog Hop.  This is my first ever blog hop. which really isn't a surprise since I just started my blog last week. :)

Thank you to Shallon Vickers for nominating me last week.  Please see Shallon's creative blog hop entry on her blog stampwithshallon.blogspot.ca.  Click the first link for the blog hop, click the 2nd one for her current postings.

This is a blog hop with a bit of difference.  First, I would like to share with you a project and then, later in the post, I will answer 4 questions about creating AND I will nominate 2 people to carry on the creative blog hop next Monday with their posts.

THE PROJECT:
I was a little nervous and shy about sharing one of my own creations for the blog hop and I wanted to challenge myself, so I decided to learn a new technique - the Reflection technique.  This card is CASEd from Jeannie Owens video.

I'm going to have to work on the photography but the card fronts all use a blend of the same background colours to give an early morning, rather foggy-look:

Soft Sky wiped very, very, lightly onto the card stock directly from the ink pad to give the look of clouds in the sky.
And then sponged on using the daubers:
Pistachio Pudding blended into the skyline
Baked Brown Sugar blended into the bottom portion of the green and slightly below
Lost Lagoon, Pool Party and even a bit of Coastal Cabana or Tempting Turquoise depending on the card for the water.

I really like the images from Moon Lake for this technique.

The goose and the bird on a branch were both stamped using Mossy Meadow,  The tree and boat were stamped using Early Espresso.

Now for the fun part - the reflections were created using the clear "imaging sheet" that comes with the Stamp-a-ma-jig.  I used the smooth side to stamp on. Then turned it over and placed it just under the stamped main image.  To be sure the ink transferred to the paper, I lightly rubbed the clear sheet before lifting straight up from the paper. I wasn't going for a blurred image on these although I do believe I got it anyway on a couple of the cards.

I did learn from these that you have to plan ahead on the placement of "land" - too high up and you might not get the top of the main image on your card  -- too low down and you might not get all of your reflection on the card.  Case in point - the little birdie isn't on the card.  It's all good -- Anything Goes!

Chances are the placement of embellishments might just be to hide a less-than-perfect spot on the card or maybe because it was just not what I was hoping to achieve. In fact, I wasn't even going to use this one on the left but I figured I'd best practice what I teach -- Anything Goes!  I rather like how it turned out in the end.

These are the other three I did using this technique:

 

some of the additional supplies used but not listed above include but are not limited to --

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

THE QUESTIONS:

What are you working on now?
This week I have to prepare for my monthly card classes and make a couple of birthday cards for some very special people in my life.  Unfortunately, I don't get a chance to stamp as often as I would like - my full time job keeps getting in the way (grin).  My card making is usually on a "need to get it done" basis at this point. Hopefully in the summer I can get a bit more organized.  And of course, I have my new blog that I will enjoy using.

How does your work differ from others in your genre?

Well, I'm not so sure that I have a specific "genre" unless you're just talking about card-making.  My work is definitely basic at this point. I'm learning new techniques and they are all new techniques to me as I just started stamping about a year and half ago and have learned almost everything by trial and error - thank goodness for YouTube videos, Pinterest and blogs.  I've only been to 2 card classes, plus a Stampin' Up! demo event while I was in Edmonton in the fall and the East Coast Stampin' Event last Nov.  So, either I have to do a LOT of research to come up with ideas for the card classes that I offer or I get creative with what I own!

Why do you create what you do?

I don't consider myself a creative person.  I'm a numbers gal.  But I'm slowly finding that inner creativity through card-making.  I'm loving it.  I create to make me happy.  I find card-making very therapeutic at times.  My occupation can be very stressful at times, card making lets me forget about that.  That all being said, I do prefer to come up with projects myself rather than CASE cards.  If I do choose a card to emulate, I normally would put my own touches to it whether it be colours, embellishments or sentiments.  I like to come up with my own ideas, it makes me feel good.   I actually might CASE something quite accidentally.  I seem to view a lot of cards (FB, pinterest, etc) and although I won't necessarily remember seeing a particular card or the details on it, it may stay in my head as an idea and will come out at some point.

How does your creative process work?

Like others I've read from this blog hop, sometimes what I start out creating isn't what I end up with. Quite often I will have a specific person or event in mind when I'm choosing colours or stamps.  As I said my card-making is rather based on the next event that is going on in my life.    I also ask my card class attendees what cards that they would like to see or what events that they have coming up in their lives and we take it from there.


THE NOMINATIONS:

I would like to nominate 2 of the lovely ladies that I met last November at the East Coast Stampin' Event.  Both are extremely talented and creative. I learned so much from them at the event and continue to do so.   I know that you will enjoy their posts next Monday, March 23, 2015 for the Creative Blog Hop.  Please check out their blogs in the meantime.

Carol Matthews     blog: Creating with Carol - http://rubberobsession.blogspot.ca/

Maree Streeter       blog: Inky Moose   -  http://inkymoose.blogspot.ca/


THANKYOU
again to Shallon for nominating me
and to you for stopping by on the Creative Blog Hop - it was a long post.  I hope that you enjoyed it!
See you again soon.

Happy Stamping!
Don't be shy, feel free to leave a comment.  

Cathy
Anything Goes Crafts