GCA#16 - Playing with Chipboard!!

Hello everyone! Lately I have been pulling out my sorely unused and neglected chipboard and playing with it! There are so many ways to use chipboard and give your cards and projects a definitely different look.

For example, you can:

* Emboss on chipboard, either with dye ink and Versamark or craft ink

* Cover it with patterned paper

* Use it as your focal point on your card or as an enhancement

* Trim it to fit with your card. Don't be afraid to snip off a few pieces.

* Layer your chipboard pieces, especially those that come together

* Mix and match different types/styles/fonts for an eclectic look

* Leave it plain and distress with your ink pad!

Don't have any chipboard? (I can't believe that, but here's your chance to go out and get some!!) If you don't have any chipboard at all, you use any lightweight cardboard and trace an image onto it and cut it out. Lightweight cardboard can be from an empty cereal box, or box of that type, the cardboard layer that comes in the SU! designer series packs, or even the backing of any notepad holder!

Want to spell out a word, but you've used up all of that letter? Trace the negative space onto a piece of chipboard, or substitute, and go from there!

All of my samples have chipboard that is embossed or covered in dsp. My first sample uses the barn from Happy Fall Y'all, and the other stamps are from the Jolly Snowman set all by Treehouse Stamps. I used the large snowflake from SU!'s Christmas chipboard from 2007, but I needed to trim the edges because the snowflake was too big. I stamped it in Sage Shadow craft ink and clear embossed and then covered it with a crackle finish. The crackle doesn't show up too well in the photo. I also outlined the barn and fence with my glitter pen. This card also uses SC199.

My second sample shows the original size of the snowflake from the first sample, plus I paired it with the negative image from punching out the snowflake. I stamped Not Quite Navy craft ink on the negative image piece and clear embossed over. The snowflake was stamped in white craft ink and embossed with white ep.

The third sample is a flower from SU! of last year. (See, I told you I've been neglecting this stuff!!) My idea for this came from the cuttlebugged BG panel and from FS91 - Beccastamps. She has a lot of beautiful cards in her gallery showing off the CB images. The folder I used here is the leaves and I wanted the look of the leaves coming up and out from the flower. I then tied the chocolate satin ribbon around the flower for a tag effect.

The flower was first stamped in Baja Breeze dye ink, swiped lightly with white craft ink and then covered with Versamark and clear ep. The center of the flower was covered with a piece of Ski Slope dsp, but you can't see much of that now! Lots of dimensionals were used on this card!!

I hope my samples give you a good starting point to pull out your chipboard, or create your own, and give a new look to your cards!

To be entered in the challenge drawing, make a card using the different dimensions for your cards , upload it either to your blog, or to an online gallery and post a link to your card to this blog entry as a comment by November 14, 2008 at 12 midnight. I will choose the winner through a random number generator and post the next day.

Even if you can't make the drawing deadline, PLEASE feel free to participate in the challenge and upload your creations at any time. I would love to see it!If you upload your card on SCS, please put GCA16 (NO SPACE IN BETWEEN GCA AND 16) in the keyword section. That way everyone can look at all of the creations at once! If you've been waiting to join in the fun, jump on in and have some fun!!


Happy Stamping!!!


~~~Ann~~~