Sunday 6 August 2017

The Paper Players 356 - DT card

There were so many stunning cards in last week's Tic Tac Toe challenge that choosing a Cut Above was difficult. I'm sure there will be many more fabulous entries in this week's theme challenge at The Paper Players.

I'm not a camping or hunting kind of person but I do like to watch the stars. When we were in Tahiti recently, my husband and I spent a bit of time lounging at night, just watching the stars. There was so little ambient light that they were magnificent.

In New Zealand, a major constellation is the Southern Cross. It, and the two 'pointers' Alpha and Beta Centauri, are on our flag. So in this card, I wanted to show the Southern Cross across the Milky Way because it's such an icon of home.

I also love to play with sponging, masking, spritzing, smooshing and all those kind of things so this is where all those ideas ended up...


I wanted to give a sense of the grandeur of the night sky which is why the trees are small and lead into the distance. That grand sweep of night sky, dwarfing the world below it, created a sense of isolation which is why the sentiment is what it is.


As you change the angle you view this card, the night sky changes. Sometimes the Cross and Pointers merge into the background of the Milky Way more than from other views, which I like.


In this photo, you can see a little better how this sky was created. I've masked out the constellation using peel-off stars before sponging on a mix of colours. Then there's some water spritzing and some stamping with silver ink using a texture stamp before removing the peel-off stars. I only wish I had a better variety of sizes to get the constellation looking more accurate but I think anyone from New Zealand or Australia would recognise it anyway.

We'd love to see what you do with this Great Outdoors theme challenge over the next week.
There's just a few simple rules to remember:
  1. Create a NEW paper-craft project specifically for this challenge.
  2. Upload your creation to your blog with a link back to us.
  3. Please provide a direct link to the post featuring your challenge entry.
  4. Please link your card to no more than four challenges, TOTAL.Entries linked to more than 4 challenges, including ours, will be deleted without notification.
  5. Have fun!
If you live in New Zealand and don't have a demonstrator, you can contact me to shop with me or ask questions, by clicking on the link to my Facebook page in the sidebar. I'd love to hear from you.

Ingredients
Card: Night of Navy, Perfect Plum, Whisper White, Basic Black
Stamps: Timeless Textures, Thoughtful Banners, Thoughtful Branches (retired)
Inks: Perfect Plum, Island Indigo, Elegant Eggplant, Night of Navy, Silver versafine (non SU), Tuxedo Black
Other: Peel-off stars (non SU), metallic shapes, dimensionals, sponges
All products Stampin' Up unless indicated







29 comments:

  1. This card is stunning. Love all the techniques you used to create such a beautiful work of art. Maybe some day I will be able to scratch that region off my bucket list. It sounds just lovely.

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  2. Wow! This card is stunning!!!

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  3. Amazing night sky, Jan! I love this great outdoor scene! Hideko

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  4. I absolutely love your card! I'm new to stamping - I'd love to see how you made it! You're light years beyond what I'm capable of making.

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    1. Thank you. Experimenting with your products. You'll surprise yourself in what you discover. :-)

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  5. You have captured the night sky perfectly! Your card really shows off how immense the cosmos really are. Beautiful!

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  6. This sky is magnificent! Beautiful work.

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  7. I saw your card on The Paper Players blog and wanted to stop by your blog and tell you how much I love it! That night sky is absolutely perfect - so gorgeous!

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    1. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.

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  8. You did such a superb job on this card--wow factor in full gear!
    Love the textures and colors, and your interpretation of isolation as done through your stamping of those trees.
    Love, love, love it all!

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  9. Wow... what an amazing background, Jan! I love reading about your inspiration and how you created this, and though I'd love to try it, I am sure it would never come out this beautiful!

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    1. Thank you but I'm sure yours would turn out at least as well!

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  10. What a beautiful starry sky you inked here Jan! So nice to personalize it with the Southern Cross - love the tree line horizon as well!

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  11. Oh Jan, this is AMAZING! You created the perfect night sky! It is beautiful! I love reading your blog. Great story about watching the stars in Tahiti! I hope you have a fantastic rest of the week! XX

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  12. Now I want to visit New Zealand even more just to witness a night sky as incredible as the one you've created! Such a gorgeous blend of layered colors and spritzes but the perspective of the tree line and your story make it come to life. A simply stunning card, Jan. Your take on the theme is out of this world! ;-)

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  13. Hi Jan,

    wow, what a wonderful night sky! Love the inking and the stars.

    Hugs
    Ela

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  14. Gorgeous background Jan! Love all the stars!

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  15. Your card is inky perfection ~ what a beautiful night sky! I appreciate the wonderful background story about New Zealand's skies...a place that is definitely on my bucket list! Hugs, Annie

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  16. Jan your night sky is AMAZING! It looks so realistic, I think you need to give me lessons! I love the addition of the twinkly stars too.

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  17. Wow, 25 comments...this was a popular card and I can see why! With the meteor shower this weekend and the upcoming eclipse, you are right on trend! This starry scene is just beautiful!

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  18. Jan, your sponging, stamping, smooshing and masking all came together so beautifully and your Southern Cross is perfect. There really is something about the Antipodean skies - especially outside of the major cities. Beautiful
    hugs
    jaydee

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