The Tone-on-Tone Technique for Balanced Card Designs | Kathleen Schmelz

[Kathleen Schmelz]

Hi everyone! It’s Kathleen with you again, and today I’m sharing a card I actually created more than a year ago. Since we recently had the Grateful Greenery suite included in one of our promos and I know many of you took the opportunity to grab it, I thought this would be the perfect time to bring it back and share a little inspiration with you!

On this card I actually used one of my favorite techniques for creating cohesive, balanced scrapbooking layouts. But it works beautifully for cardmaking, too!

*Disclaimer: All products used are linked below as clickable images. If a product isn’t listed, it’s been discontinued.

Let's take a look at how you can recreate this card:​

1. Card Base & Panel:
   1. (1) A2 top or side-folding from white cardstock
      
   2. (1) panel slightly smaller than A2 from white cardstock; ink blend three sections as shown in the photo with Mint, Turquoise, and Raspberry Bliss
2. Grateful Greenery:
   1. Using the Grateful Greenery press plate & hot foil the image three times in silver on white cardstock.
   2. Ink blend them as follows:
      1. Turquoise & Paradise for the leaves; Raspberry Bliss for the berries
      2. Mint & Turquoise for the leaves; Paradise for the berries
      3. Raspberry Bliss for the leaves (let fade out to white); Mint for the berries
   3. Die cut & stack each one with a blank die cut for sturdiness.
   4. Arrange on the ink-blended panel (step 1.2) matching the colors of the twigs to the colors on the background. Adhere with foam adhesive & trim off excess.
      
   5. Adhere assembled panel centered onto the card base.
3. Sentiment: Hot foil a sentiment of your choice with silver foil. Die cut & stack it with a blank piece, ink blend to match the background, and adhere to the card front.
   
4. Embellish to your liking, e.g. using Jewels, Glitter Drops, or Clear Drops in matching colors. Adhere them in a tone-on-tone fashion to finish off the look.

I hope this card inspires you to give the tone-on-tone technique a try on one of your next projects! It’s such a fun way to create a cohesive, balanced design, and it can be especially helpful when you’re feeling a little stuck with your card.

And as always, we’d love to see what you create—don’t forget to tag us on social media (@pinkfreshstudio and @cardsandconfetti) so we can admire your amazing work.