Tag Archives: neon

Neon in the mix

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In my craft space, there is no such thing as too much neon. I can’t seem to get enough of this trend: papers, inks, pens and – most recently – glitter. Five containers of glorious neon glitter, and I’m certain I won’t use all of it but I’ll make a valiant effort.

This card is all retro: I combined my bright neons with a stamped image of a (not-so-old) relic: the cassette. I get nostalgic looking at this stamp, but I’ll take digital music files over analog versions any day, thank you very much.

There’s a lot of neon in this design and a lot of patterns. I incorporated stripes, hounds tooth and two sizes of polka dots. Add the chevron pattern from the stamp, and there’s lot going on visually. The black and white tempers the look and provides a neutral backdrop for the neon colors.

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Zig, zag, zing

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It used to bother me when a clear stamp would not deliver an evenly inked image. Clear stamps, also known as acrylic or photopolymer stamps, tend to leave a softer image on the paper than rubber stamps. Ink tends to bead on the stamp’s surface, however, which leads to an uneven stamped image.

Rubber stamps leave a crisp image, but I often find that I wish I could see through them to tell where I’m stamping, as I can with clear stamps. And though I have a sizable collection of block-mounted stamps, I’ve always preferred the compact storage of cling stamp sets. Cling sets also are cheaper and can offer several stamps per set. I guess you could say I cling to clear stamps. I couldn’t pass up a chance for a bad pun.

To combat ink beading on a clear stamp, gently rub an eraser over the stamp. Or, you can skip this step and embrace the stamp’s imperfections.

The unevenly inked chevron line breaks up the balanced appearance of the card and softens the boldness of the neon-orange ink. I wanted the zigzag to be the focal point, so I kept the rest of the elements all close to the same light-blue tone.

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Heart hue

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I’ve used neon colors for a summer-themed card, Christmas cards and a birthday card, so Valentine’s Day neon seems like a natural progression. This trend is not going anywhere. Neon is fun, retro (so many craft products are retro-themed lately) and screams, “Hey! Look at this awesome, happy project!”

I relied on brads instead of adhesive to attach the transparency to the card. Not having to wait for glue to dry is a bonus. To prevent the recipient from being blinded by love, I tempered my neon pink with layers of patterned transparency, vellum and cardstock in gray, black and white.

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Paper girl

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I love it when products from different companies match as though they were made for each other. With this card, the vintage-inspired newsprint and trendy “NEWS FLASH” talk-bubble stamp make a fantastic pair. The vintage-inspired stamp of the stylish woman corresponds well with these elements … she’s a “correspondent.” Ha! I’ll be here all week!

I stamped my talk bubble in neon-purple ink, which is not the brightest neon ink I’ve used but the color still is great. This “news flash” card could be used for many occasions … in my case, a friend of mine is turning 30. I made my own talk bubble for the inside that says, “YOU’RE 30!” I hope she likes it!

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Merry and very, very bright

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There are so many phrases associated with the holiday season: “deck the halls,” “season’s greetings,” “ho, ho, ho,” “merry and bright.” I like “merry and bright.” It makes me think of time spent with family and friends; pretty, twinkling lights; bright, neon colors … huh?

I have neon inks and “merry and bright” stamps. Why not put them together for fun, festive and eye-catching cards?

These cards were created using masking. This isn’t a technique I use often, but it’s easy to do. To create the ornament on the first card, I made a die-cut of an ornament and used the negative space on the paper the shape was cut from as a mask. For the second card, I stamped the tree image, cut it out and used the cutout as a mask.

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The sentiment inside says, “May your holidays be bright!”

 

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Totally neon

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Neon colors are making a comeback, and it’s nostalgic for me. I loved the bright colors as a kid in the ’80s (neon blue was my favorite). When I see neon hues, I’m reminded of big pieces of jewelry, even bigger hair, shoulder pads and odd fashion all around. A-ha’s “Take on Me” plays in my mind, and I think of, like, Valleyspeak, you know?

Hero Arts held a challenge in July. The company offered three concepts for entry: a summer theme; a project featuring a technique that creates paper flowers; and a color theme of neon pink, neon orange and neon yellow. At least one Hero Arts stamp had to be used on each project.

The day I stumbled across the challenge, I had purchased a new Hero Arts stamp and really wanted to use it and neon colors for the contest. With a few days left to enter and ’80s hits running through my mind, I created this card, which also has a summer theme.

I had a lot of fun making this card, especially the “talk bubbles.” The best part? My card is one of the winning projects! I’m so excited!

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