Torii Gates

I've added two versions of the Torii gate stamp available from Art Neko on the Taylored Stamps Torii Gate, Ox, Willow, Fish and Harmony Set. Both of them are stamped in black ink and embossed with detail black embossing powder on a polished stone background. The first one is layered onto adjoining panels of woven reed paper from Washi Accents and a purple floral washi design. The second stamped panel is layered onto another woven bark panel with the backing paper removed to show the colored cardstock underneath. This paper is also available from Washi Accents. Coordinating panels of cardstock are layered to finish both cards.

Heading Home

Another OSA layout challenge, this one was a little strange for me! When I saw all the triangles, I immediately thought of the Japanese Fishing Boat in the Art Neko marine series, and then tried to fit other images with it to make a coherent story following the layout design. The boat is stamped and embossed on a hand colored piece of cardstock created with glimmer mists (Tattered Angels) and polished pigment powders (Luminarte). The triangle behind that one was a shimmery lilac cardstock that I decorated with scattered stars. The small circle design of Sun on Waves was stamped and embossed with silver on a piece of purple cardstock and cut out with a one-inch punch. The smallest triangle was cut from a larger image created with a Fred Mullett woodcut-design stamp. I liked the story suggested by all the pieces combined, and I thought the panel shapes and the designs of the stamps worked very well together. All of the stamped panels were arranged on a piece of purchased, hand-painted and marbled art tissue that picked up the blues and purples in the triangular panels.

Sailing

This card features the Japanese Fishing Boat image from the Taylored Stamps Marine Sheet 2. The Haiku by Issa is also on that sheet. The sailing image is layered over a "dragged" background. The background was made by tearing a piece of copy paper and dragging ink over it onto the base cardstock. Once a line has been inked, the copy paper is moved 1/2 inch and another line of ink is dragged onto the cardstock. The copy paper is moved and lines are dragged until the background is complete.

Doesn't the dragged cardstock look like the marks left in the sand after the tide goes out?

Cherry Blossom Branch

These two cards were created using Taylored Stamps Cherry Blossoms on Pond from Art Neko issued last winter. The effect is very different, even though the image is the same. The image in both cards has been stamped and then embossed in gold. Both were colored with twinkling H2O's and touched up with gold pen highlights. The darker background is more sedate, or mysterious, with a darker stream; but the shimmer of the twinks gives it an almost magical feel. The pastel background and brighter colors in the other card make you believe that springtime is here! The card on the left is layered onto washi paper and a pattern-stamped background paper; and the darker card is layered onto purchased scrapbook papers embellished with a metallic ribbon.