Brick Wall Technique Tutorial

Hi Ladies,

Thank you for your comments. Love to hear from fellow crafters!
Glad you like the brick wall technique.  It is a great look and easy to do but very fiddly.
I'll do my best to explain:

1)  Your sizes need to be in increments full half sizes width wise (1.5", 2.5", 3.5", 4.5"etc.)This is important because you will be drawing and offsetting lines at half inch points
2)  and your height can be in half sizes (1.5", 2", 2.5", 3", 3.5" etc)

The flower cards were 3.5 x 4 (w x h)
The buffalo card was 3.5 x 2.5 (w x h)

3)  Start by drawing lines horizontally on your base moving downward every 1/2". I used Whisper White and also Natural White.
4)  Starting at one corner, lets say, the top right corner...measure to the left 1" and draw a vertical line.  Move leftward again and draw another line at the 2" mark.  Now move left again and draw another vertical line at the 3" mark.  What is left is the small square which is 1/2"
5)  Move down to the next row and start at the 1/2" mark and then mark at 1" intervals 

6)  Stamp your image with classic ink
7)  Restamp with versa mark, adhere clear embossing powder and heat set.
8)  Cut your strips and then brick peices.
9)  Lay them down and in order as you.  Make sure the picture is in order as you do each row
 You will need space to place them down as you go because you don't want to mix the order up
10) Sponge all the edges, one at a time.

Lay your bricks...
for the bison card, the next size to lay(glue) bricks on was 3.75" x 2.75" (Soft Suede)and then the Expresso was 4 x 3
It is a smart idea to place the bricks down first before gluing to make sure you have the right amount of space between each brick and enough outside border.  When you're satisfied, start gluing.
Glue one piece at a time starting in the top right hand corner

On the larger tall flowers card - you can see there are pieces missing from the edges and sides - I decided already which ones I wanted to keep and which ones I didn't but in order to keep things straight and even, I started in the top right hand corner and laid my first brick down with removable adhesive and then all the ones I knew I was going to remove, I laid with removable adhesive. The background card size is 4 x 5.25" and then of course your card size is 4.25 X 5.5"

Splitcoast has a good tutorial should you need more direction.  Or email me  mrssmith58@hotmail.com

Let's see your cards now!

Brick 'O Green

Well ladies, another fun evening and another fidley technique learned.  I am absolutely amazed at the results of this technique and so much can be done using it.  Here are just a few samples.  Love to hear from you and what you think about the cards we make.

Just love this Pear Pizazz and Natural White

How about some Cajun Craze and whisper White!

Here's a great card for that special guy in your life.  The bison/buffalo was stamped using versa mark and then adding clear embossing powder.  It turned out fabulous and took on that 'wet' look in real vision.  Pictures don't really do much justice to the cards!  I used Expresso, Soft Suede and Crumb Cake. Enjoy!

Beefy!

Flower Power has arrived! Hi Everyone - I'm back!!!

I know... You're all wondering where I've been...NOT...well some of you maybe?  Some of you know that I started an additional day time job just before Christmas.  So at the moment, I really don't have a lot of time to play.  Classes were stopped in January for a while and we have had to cancel a couple of other classes as well already.  No worries...we should be great to go full steam ahead this week again for classes and I'm hoping to get you all caught up to speed with the various cards we've been making since my last blog entry in Nov?, Oct?  any way, I hope you enjoy the cards posted.

We have a new class designation at least once a month called 'flower power'.  These classes are focused on making some kind of flower as an embelishment on a card or a technique to make a flower on or for the card.  The following are some made with the scallop circle punch. CASED of course!

You can add any kind of sentiment to the oval at the bottom right hand corner of the card.  How to create these flowers you ask?
Left: 6 layers of distressed cardstock makes a fabulous full bodied flower.  Scrunch & scrunch and scrunch some more and then separate the paper layers. Join all together with a brad in the middle.  Fluff up to finish!
Right: Single layers folded off centre and petals snipped inward. (snip first straight inward but not reaching the middle) Fold so the petals are offset of each other.

I haven't quite figured out the best way to photograph the cards we make but I am doing the best with what I've got.  If any one has any suggestions or ideas about how to produce better looking photos, drop me a line at mrssmith58@hotmail.com.