Faerie Cards and Techniques Video
by Dave Brethauer

 

 

Welcome everybody! I am happy to share a special video with you today featuring all of the faerie dies from Poppystamps. I will apologize in advance – when I sat down to play with the dies my intention was to create two projects using a single technique. But, before I knew it I realized I had two very different techniques in mind and I ended up creating 5 different projects.

OK, maybe 6 different projects. So please forgive me, this video is long.

As in, I may be able to submit it as a documentary at a film festival. (smile)
But I think you will understand! If you are like me, once you start on a card project, the wheels start turning and you begin to think of other things – and then one thing leads to another and you realize you have over 2 hours of video footage.

I did manage to condense it down – to a more manageable 47 minutes…

(Watch this in HD on Youtube by clicking here)

So what is the video about? Well, it incorporates our faeries into some very special projects. 

I wanted to create backgrounds that would really compliment the faeries – lots of color, layers of splattery techniques, bright white spots against an inked background and some watercolor that captured the look of light reflecting in a pool. 

The Dancing Faerie and the Posing Faerie were designed with the Dandelion Stem in mind. When I drew the artwork for the Dandelion Stem I wanted to make sure that it was a good size to use on its own but I also liked the idea of faeries holding it. So I scaled the faeries and drew the hands "just so" – in order so that one of the faeries could hold onto the stem! I wanted to make them as versatile as possible for all sorts of scenes. The backgrounds are created using a simple watercolor technique that I share in the video using Peerless watercolors – they are so intense and blend beautifully.

I had to try things out in different color schemes too – if you keep the faeries as black silhouettes, then this card works with any color combination!

And do you see that leftover stem that is cut out of the watercolor background? You can use it to create a second card with a dramatically different look…

The contemporary style cards make good use of the leftover stem! The sentiment in the Corner is from the CL405 Hope and Thanks Clear Stamp Set – it is full of all sorts of messages that you can mix and match to create a variety of cards! I created the frames using two different Memory Box Open Studio Die Sets – the Circle Basics set and the Square Basics set. There are so many different sizes in here – and you just mix and match to make the size frame that you want – and then nest the different colors together.

I used the same faeries again for the next project – this time incorporating a different background technique with our super popular Birch Collage die. I wanted to achieve the look of fireflies – some brilliant white dots against a blended background, as well as some darker areas for visual interest. I show this technique in the video too – you will love it. I kept trying different combinations of color – and applying ink before the splatter drops were dry, to achieve all sorts of looks.

After this project – I had so many creative juices flowing that I just kept going. I have only designed 4 faerie dies but there were so many interesting things to do with them!

I wanted to create a "Butterfly Faerie" card – so I composed a scene with the Hampstead Butterfly Stem and surrounded her with "Faerie Drops" and lots of intense inked color. There was something so mesmerizing about the splash of white against the colorful background – which led me to a little more experimentation with this technique. Adding layers of color, and layers of drops…

I hope you can see how I got carried away. My short craft video somehow changed into an artistic journey!

Oh – but then I thought of all the scenes I could make! I really love the idea of craft dies that can work together to create a special scene – and I had this in mind when I designed these forest dies. The Memory Box 99713 Timberland Collage, the 99720 Grove Collage, the 99726 Thicket Collage and the 99732 Wildwood Collage can all be used together (or mixed and matched) to create a tunnel effect on cards or in paper craft projects.

I immediately imagined the Thoughtful Faerie sitting in the woods, surrounded by the Tiny Frogs and Mushroom and Toadstools!

So next – another scene. I had actually been thinking of this one months ago. When I designed the faeries – I knew I wanted to create a shaker card at some point, and making a Garden Lantern die seemed like a good shape to hold the faerie.

My idea was that the Dainty Faerie would be glowing – and light would be spilling out of the lantern and onto the card. I added the droplets against the background color and decided that a few Memory Box 99751 Little Dragonflies would be perfect flying around the scene.

And that lantern? In the video I show you an easy way to achieve a weathered metal look using alcohol inks – it almost looks like bronze when you are finished!

Once you've finished your background techniques, it's a breeze to put together the shaker card – I just added a pinch of tiny sequins and sealed up the window and it was ready to go.

Please enjoy the video – you may find yourself getting carried away too! 

 

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57 Comments

  1. WOW! What wonderful projects – and time for a video too?? You go girl! TFS your lovely art work – have a blessed week!

  2. After viewing, I’m amazed you could cut any footage! Absolutely wonderful! You have definitely hit a cord with me! Love it all! Continue onward! Thank you for the inspiration!

  3. your techniques are great, thanks for making the video. This Fairy set looks like it’s a lot of fun to work with

  4. Magical moments
    Creations galore,
    Colourful scenes
    Little fairies explore.
    So many cards
    All different too,
    Inspiring works
    Today I view.
    Thank you for sharing
    Such fantasy flights…
    All that I see
    My eye delights.
    Wonderful cards…thank you!

  5. OMG I SO UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE COGS TURNING ONCE YOU GET ONE IDEA. Love all the different ideas you came up with. Thank you. I am off to the craft room to play.

  6. Wow!!! Great techniques! Great cards! Definitely a video worth watching no matter how long. I can hardly wait to give these techniques a try. Thanks for a phenomenal video and all the great inspiration!

  7. How much bleach do you put in the water? I have watch lots of techniques your are one of the best I have seen. I can’t wait to try them. Thank you

  8. Wow what a beautiful and very different array of cards and love all the different looks you achieved with the backgrounds all wonderful.

  9. I am totally in awe after watching this video. I love what you did with DI and bleach water. Simply beautiful. Every card tells a story. I NEED all these dies now! Great video, Dave.

  10. If my daughter were still small, it would be fairies all the way. But since she’s grown, I have to say the nested forest collage dies are the ones for me. Maybe because my middle name is Branch.

  11. I go Gaga over all things faeries and your lovely creAtions don’t disappoint! Magical and fun! I am definitely getting these faerie dies, lantern die, mushrooms and toadstools dies, frogs and all the collage dies so I can try my hand at your magnificent tunnel card!
    Total perfection if you ask me! TFS!

  12. Oh my goodness Dave, your cards and ideas are amazing! I love the water colour/plastic wrap technique. The dandelion die is especially beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing so many ideas!

  13. Amazing! I
    love all the
    different
    techniques
    and all are
    so beautiful!
    Carla from Utah

  14. Oh my gosh, so many fabulous cards, love the color combos, and the forest card is amazing, and the lantern card!

  15. WoW!!! Thank you for sharing this amazing tutorials video. This is exactly the video I have been wishing for! I love all the faerie dies. I have the thoughtful faerie, I think she is my favourite. I want them all. Thank you also for using the woodland collage dies, I want all of those too. When I viewed them on the web site, I thought they would be perfect with the faeries. I love making scene cards, and I am very happy when there are dies that go together to achieve the look I want. Excellent backgrounds that use ink dyes and watercolours and supplies I already own. This video helps to boost my creativity and use my dies and supplies in creative art ways.
    Jacquelene L
    Canada

  16. Beautiful cards. Love when designing a cards blends into ideas for other cards. Thanks for the video.

  17. Absolutely stunning and gorgeous creations! Each one so exquisitely unique! I love the color combos as well! The colors really allow for the details to pop! Thank you so much for sharing and for the video too!

  18. Wow, these are all gorgeous, thanks for the great video with tips and techniques. Those inked backgrounds are beautiful : )

  19. wow, wow, and wow!
    I don’t love much fairies dies (because I have no idea on how to use them), but your cards are wonderful. thank you for sharing your projects.

  20. I’ve been stamping, die cutting and paper crafting for many years and I learned so much from your video…wonderful and THANK YOU.

  21. These are amazing – thank you for the super video ! I am most intrigued by the use of all the dies to create the awesome ‘tunnel’ effect on one card – it is spectacular. Thanks for sharing your creative journey !

  22. Hi Dave, These are all ‘Wow’ projects, the backgrounds are stunning, the faerie die-cuts are placed beautifully, and I absolutely love the ‘scenes’ . I’m off to watch the video now. Thank you.
    Lots of love from Patricia xx
    PS I’ve had no internet for 2 days, so annoying haha.

  23. Wow! Each one of your cards is beautiful and stunning! Your creativity is a true gift! Thank you for sharing such amazing creations with us!

  24. Such stunning cards, I love the faeries and the colours you have used are amazing xxJanis xx

  25. Wow, thank you for all of the tips and ideas. Your work is so beautiful and inspiring! 🙂 Thank you for sharing.
    Katie B.

  26. Dave, you really should get out here more often. I love how your creativity ran from one gorgeous creation to the next. So many great ideas and techniques here. Thanks for sharing. Hugz

  27. Dave, this is Amazing!!
    I love all of those techniques you shared. I have always been a stamper and a technique Junkie! I have saved the video for reference. So proud to be apart of your DT! You totally Rock!

  28. Oh my goodness! What awesome makes – a riot of colour and gorgeousness! I will watch the video another time as I have visitors coming in a while – I can’t wait to see how you achieved these beauties! xxx

  29. Love everything about your creations. How beautiful and that faerie dies ROCKS.

  30. Love these cards! I really want to try all of these but you didn’t give the sizes of the paper you used! It is important on the collage and lantern cards!

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