How to Sponge a Sunset

Good Morning Friends!!!

Our fabulous operator Kerin has an amazing tutorial for you today! Make sure you leave Kerin some love if you like it! First, the supplies used for this card are at the top:

Stamps: Inspired by Nature

Ink: Daffodil Delight, Peach Parfait, Pumpkin Pie, Cajun Craze & Cherry Cobbler classic stampin' pads

Card Stock: Shimmery White, Basic Black, Daffodil Delight

Ink: Black StazOn

Accessories: Basic Black Satin Ribbon, Brights Buttons, Linen Thread, plain white copy paper (non-SU!)


Kerin wrote:


"Today I'm going to show you how to sponge a sunset. For my card I've made a large sun, but you can make your sun any size you like, simply by cutting a different sized circle using your Circle Scissor Plus. For this card, I've set my Circle Scissor Plus to make a 3 1/4" circle out of plain white paper.

You will use both pieces of paper after the circle has been cut out, so don't throw away either piece.












*Tip - I prefer Shimmery White card stock for sponging sunsets, the colors seem to blend better with this type of card stock.

First, select the colors you'd like to create your sunset with. I'm using Daffodil Delight for the sun, along with Peach Parfait, Pumpkin Pie, Cajun Craze and Cherry Cobbler for the sunset.

After you've got your circle cut out, lay your piece of plain white paper over your 4 x 5 1/4" piece of Shimmery White card stock. If you use thin white paper, you'll be able to see through it to line up your "sun" where you want it.

We will begin with the sun. Hold the piece of white paper in place, and start sponging outside of the circle, then bring the sponging in, swirling your sponge around in a circular motion as you go.




















Continue sponging on Daffodil Delight ink until the sun has been completely filled in with ink.



















When you remove the piece of white paper, your sun will look similar to this:



















Next, take the circle that you cut out from the plain white paper, and place it over the sun you just sponged as shown.

*Tip - for a smaller sun, punch a circle out of a post it note, and it will already have a sticky back to it to help hold itself in place.



















Now start sponging with your lightest color first, in this case it is the Peach Parfait. Again, just like sponging the sun, begin off of the card stock and work the color in from the sides in a circular motion.















This is what it will look like after adding the Peach Parfait:



















Next add the Pumpkin Pie ink, and overlap the section of Peach Parfait.



















Next sponge on the Cajun Craze.

*Tip -Notice how especially on the darker colors I started rubbing my sponge way off of the card stock, this is because you don't want a dark blotch in your sponged area and you can blend more easily if you just add layers of color.




















Finally you will sponge on your Cherry Cobbler.

*Tip - Feel free to expand your colors up and down as you like, blending each color in the the color above and below it.




















Here is your completed sunset, just stamp and assemble your card!




















This will work with lots of color combos, here's a card I made in all Basic Gray, I just added the Basic Gray more and more to get the level of darkness at the bottom."

Thank you so much Kerin for your AMAZING tutorial! I'm sure all the Stamping 411 readers will be off to try your technique!

Rubbah hugs,
Selene Kempton