Challenge # 21 -" My Favorite Background"

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How excited I am to have hit 100 entries on this past challenge!  Thanks to everyone who entered.  The entries were amazing.  They were all so different.    Since I hit a 100 entries, I will send a small prize to a second winner and put her project also in my winner's spot on the sidebar.

The challenge the next two weeks is a little different in a couple of ways.  Firstly, I will be going on vacation before it is over.  I didn't want to cut the challenge period short as I am leaving on Friday before it  closes.  Therefore, I will announce the winner the 18th of July.   As usual, I will notify the winner by e-mail and post her project in the winner's spot. There will not be a challenge July 11; the next challenge will be July 25

Now the theme--"My Favorite Background".  You can either create an original background yourself or you can use one of the techniques from Technique Junkies, my sponsor.  You do not need to show how it was done, but either give the name of the technique or tell that you used-- ink, chalk, markers, etc.

Below are the inspirations from the Design Team at The Cheerful Stamp Pad:

Vicki

I love to play around and make new backgrounds.  My first card is the result of doing that very thing this afternoon.  I uses one of my favorite tools, my embossing folders.  I call this Glassy Baroque.  When working with backgrounds I personally like to have very little covering them up.  This card uses a digital from CS Designs and was also done for a "B" challenge on that blog.

Vicki

My second (above) is completely different.  This time I used Cuttlebug Highlights, a Technique Junkies technique..  I would guess  I have used this technique more than any other. It was done on the blue cardstock to make the white stars.  The digital is from DigiDarla for her" Lady in Red" challenge.  The background curtain was a digital from Digital Collage Sheets.  I thought this wouldd be perfect for my patriotic card for the July 4th holiday coming up.

Barbara

Oh, I'm in my glory. It's a challenge to use favorite background techniques. The only problem I have is deciding which background is my favorite. You see, I love creating different backgrounds using different techniques. I've been a member of Technique Junkies for years, so I try lots of backgrounds. My card today actually shares two very different techniques. The background panel is done using the technique Createx-Creations from the April-May 2008 TJ newsletter. Just smoosh some Createx paint between two pieces of glossy black cardstock and wonderful things happen. The image and sentiment are from Artistic Outpost stamps. The background behind the image is called Pulled Glimmers from the Jun/Jul 2010 TJ newsletter). This is a technique I use quite a bit in my work. I love the glimmery look and the lightly colored background behind a black image. I look forward to seeing the techniques you love.

Here is Valerie. One of my favourite backgrounds and painting techniques is the 5S method - splodge, smudge, smear, spray and scratch. Here I have used some metallic acrylic paints, and then sprayed with some spiced marmalade, diluted with water. Then comes the fun part - heating and bubbling. Use your heat gun, watch the paint bubble and twist and crack and make new effects. When it was dry it looked like this:

I then distressed the edges with some TH inks in stormy skies and forest moss, and stamped some floral motives (LaBlanche) at the bottom edge. Then I added a setting sun made out of a scrap of material, and a die cut tree and bird in black, and a few black flowers. Then I put part of a leopard strolling in from the left side, and finished!

Valerie

Petra

Versamark Resist Technique

Creating backgrounds myself instead of using pretty papers seems to become more and more part of making cards, atcs, ... . For this card stamping with Versamark ink and Non-Sequitur stamp, embossing with clear embossing powder, Faded Jeans Distress ink and ironing with my iron was all what was needed for the background. This is such an easy technique and I so love the result. I mounted the background onto a plain square white card. The stamped image is from Red Lead Paper Works which I only coloured around the edges with Faded Jeans Distress ink. The finishing touches are some ribbon and a little house charm.

Michele

I love Technique Junkies! I;'e been getting the newsletter for about three years now I think. It is not possible for me to name a favorite technique. I don't even think I can identify a favorite technique per newsletter! For today I have created something using the very first Technique Junkies technique that I ever tried-- Depth of Field. My stamped image is from Rogue Redhead Designs, the new "Floriculture" sheet. The embellishments are all from K & Company. I would encourage you to subscribe to Technique Junkies. You will learn a lot of fun new ways to make your creations beautiful!

Now for my great sponsor, Technique Junkie Newsletter.  Pat Huntoon, with the assistance of her Design Team, publishes a newsletter every other month which is packed with numerous techniques.  It is professionally printed on glossy paper with many pictures and  step by step instuctions on how do to the many techniques.  It is perfect for the beginner to the expert stamper.

From time to time Pat produces a CD and it is one of these CDs she is giving away.  If you are really serious about learning how to stamp and make your cards look great, you have to get the newsletter and belong to her Yahoo group.  The newsletter is also available online. 

If you feel at lost for this challenge, then you really need to join Technique Junkies. 

This challenge is open to everyone. You do not have to belong to Technique Junkies and any type of background is acceptable for this challenge......just get messy and have fun!