Welcome back my stash bashing friends! I’m happy to be hopping with the Squirrel Squad again, using those supplies we’ve “squirreled away”! Per the usual, we have a monthly theme and for November its Leaves! To level it up, we also give ourselves an additional guideline which is either a specific supply or a technique. This month we are all Masking (which can really be so many techniques within that guideline) and using Leaves. Sounds like fun, right? Before we get into the details, here is a hop list in case you get lost. There’s only a few of us so it doesn’t take long to skip through 6 posts! (And I’d like to take a minute to welcome Bory back after a few months off 😊. We missed you, sweetie!) And if you are here from Bory’s blog, welcome!!!

• Karen Page – YOU ARE HERE
• Lounon Riviere
• Marie Bingaman
• V Fairchild
• Anna Mahtani
• Bory Yankova

Now I have to admit that I struggled a bit initially to come up with an idea because (once again) I was thinking too literally and couldn’t come up with anything interesting. Once I finally got my head wrapped around it though, the ideas kept coming! Have a look at the cards I made:

I started off with an easy CAS card using Altenew’s Leaf Burst stencil. I masked off an inch on the left side of the card and ink blended my stencil with three Distress Oxides. Once I removed the stencil and masking paper, I decided I wanted a line to define to two sections. I used a Signo gold gel pen and a ruler to add a line alongside the inking. Then I stamped a sentiment from The Stamps of Life called Stand Up 4 Sentiments because I wanted my sentiment to be vertical in the masked area. I heat embossed it in Ranger glitter gold embossing powder, and added a trio of moldy-oldie embellishments I picked up at a Scrapbook Expo more than 10 years ago (my how time flies!). Quick and easy! Take a look:

Next up, I had the idea to mask off a sentiment area with a label shape from Spellbinders (this one was an exclusive through Scrapmart, from way back in the day) and stamp a background over it. I used a Cover A Card background from Impression Obsession called Sketched Leaves. With the mask still on, I used Distress Oxides to ink blend around the card front, making sure to have good coverage around the edges of the mask to give it definition. Once complete, I removed the mask and stamped a sentiment from another oldie-moldy stamp set, this one from Kelly Creates called Traceable Celebration (intended to teach brush lettering). Here’s how it came out:

The concept of double masking is what inspired this next card. I used MFT’s Window Panes stencil and lined it up on my panel to mask off everything outside the 4 windows. I then placed the leaf and sentiment stamps from Jane’s Doodles Thankful set within three of the panels and a sentiment from Jane’s Doodles Hello Fall set in the fourth window. Using masks of the images, I then stamped MFT’s Linen background in Distress Oxide ink over the masked images and through the stencil. Because the stencil is so thick, the background wouldn’t stamp right up to the window opening, so I basically got a bonus masking because its like I masked the inside of the windows too. Before removing the stencil, I outlined each window with a black Micron pen. After peeling back the masks, I colored the leaves with Brutfuner colored pencils and I added some black epoxy dots as embellishment. I love the crisp feel this card has! Have a look:

I just realized a few things… 1. All three cards would have been considered one layer had it not been for the embellishments, and 2. I’m a dork (actually, I already knew *that* part) and stamped the sentiment on the label card upside down. 🤦‍♀️ Now I’ll have to cut the panel off and stick it on another card base before mailing. Oy! All things considered, it could be worse! And, 3. That stencil on that last card was wonky. *sigh* Despite being crooked, its still my favorite!

That’s it for me. A quick trio of cards that came together in just a couple hours. Like usual, once I pushed through that initial struggle for ideas, I could make cards for days with the ideas that flowed making these! Alas, I am out of time… but with a tote of supplies on my desk, I *might* just carve out time to follow through with a couple more “masking with leaves” ideas!

Before you run off with ideas of your own for a card with masking, take just a couple minutes to hop on to the sweet and funny Lounon Riviere of Craft Me, Craft Moi. I have no doubt she has outdone herself, which is saying something because everything she makes is worthy of framing and saving forever! She never fails to wow me with her talent!

I thank you so much for stopping by! I’d love it if you left me a comment while you are here!