Country Chapel 215G is stamped on light brown parchment card stock with a Ranger Archival ink pad/Coffee.

This intent of this piece is to create a very soft, dream-like memory response with the viewer. Lightly blended colors and soft edges will be used.

Using a light brown colored pencil and light pressure, color over the entire piece of card stock with the exception of the chapel. Do not color over the chapel. It will help to use the side of your pencil lead, rather than the point. Do the same thing using first a medium brown pencil and then a dark brown pencil. You should now have three layers of color on the card stock that are not blended.

To blend the pencil work, dip a stump* in the solvent and then rub the stump over the pencil work on your card stock. This will blend all three colors of brown together for you, creating a soft look around the chapel. Since the chapel is not colored at this point, do not rub the solvent over the chapel. The solvent will not smear your stamped lines.

Note1: When using solvents it is very important to work in a well ventilated area. Solvents are also highly flammable and toxic if taken internally or if you get them into your eyes, etc. Use caution and common sense when working with solvents. Read all the warning/caution labels prior to working with the solvent. There are several types of artist grade solvents on the market. Sansodor Low Odor Solvent made by Windsor-Newton was used for this piece.

Note 2 (*): Paper sticks called stumps (also referred to as stomps or tortillions) are used with the solvent to blend the colored pencil work.

Using colored pencils, streak yellow, light blue and medium blue across the sky area. Streak light green over the ground area. It is not necessary to get a full coverage of color from your pencils. Just "streak in" the color using light to moderate pressure on the side of the lead. Blend the colors with a stump dipped in solvent.

Using a medium green pencil and light pressure, color over trees. Blend with a stump dipped in solvent. Using a light brown pencil and light pressure, color chapel. Lightly streak in light red over the brown in areas to give an aged look to the wood. Blend with a stump dipped in solvent. Using a gray pencil and light pressure, color roof portions of chapel. Blend with a stump dipped in solvent. The steeple is colored with a silver metallic pencil.

Lay a hexagon template (or shape of choice) over the chapel scene and trace outside of template with a pencil. Cut along the pencil marks with deck pattern paper edger scissors, edge with a gold paint pen. Solo Duck 162A is stamped in black. Set aside. This will be your second layer of the finished card.

Cut a 5 x 7 inch piece of base card stock. Trace along the outer edges with a gold paint pen. Set aside.

Create a background piece for your first layer. For this sample, a public domain hymnal score was scanned and printed on platinum vellum. It was then trimmed with Victorian patterned paper edger scissors and edged with a gold paint pen to bring out the delicate pattern along the edges. Strolling 160A is stamped and heat embossed with black in the lower right corner. This is your first layer. Affix first layer to base card stock with clear photo mounting corners.

Glue 2nd (chapel) layer to the top of the first layer.

"Little Brown Church" by Tyra Smith, September 2000

Finished Size: 5" x 7" inches

Images: Stampscapes®: 215G Country Chapel, 162A Solo Duck, 160A Strolling

Materials: Matte carstocks, stumps, Sansodor Low Odor Solvent, Pilot Gold Paint Pen, Black Ultra Fine Embossing Powder, Paper Edgers, clear photo corners, double sided tape.

Colour: Berol Prismacolor Colored Pencils, Ranger Archival ink pads, Ranger Clear Embossing ink pad