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Friday 28 December 2018

Snowy Scene on Kraft and Deer Heart

Hi there.  Before it is absolutely too late to show any more Christmas cards, here are a couple of cards which I made for my nearest and dearest.  The first is one I did earlier in the month for our son in Australia.  I am always afraid that it isn't going to arrive in time as Australia Post is rather random, especially as I was a little bit later sending it than usual, but luckily it made it with a few days to spare.  I used some of the stamps from Chocolate Baroque set Robin the Spruce and the deer is from a Claritystamp set called Winter Wonderland.


I decided to use a piece of kraft card for a change, and started by masking the moon and putting a mask in place for the snow slopes, and with a blending tool added the sky using Faded Jeans and Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink.  I then added Brilliance Moonlight White ink for the snow and then added the foreground bird on a branch adding some red using a pencil, and some of the other branches with Smokey Gray Versafine ink, and then a few of the branches with Ground Espresso Distress Ink all covered in Versamark ink and then heat embossed using WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder, and I also added some more tree branches using Versamark Ink and heat embossed with WOW Opaque Bright White EP.  I then added the deer using the Ground Espresso DI and again heat embossed with the Clear Gloss EP.   I took away the moon mask and decided to put some mist across the moon and around it too using the Brilliance Moonlight White ink.  I then decided to add some bits of snow and highlights using a white gel pen. 

I mounted this on to a piece of silver card and added the silver sentiment.

The second card is I made for my Hubby.  It was a fairly simple card but he was pleased with it.


I used a Docrafts stamp from their Create Christmas range, and embossed it on to dark blue card using WOW Silver EP and then cut it with a square stitched die from The Works.   I then backed it with some silver card and made a white snowy embossed background using a Simon Says Falling Snow stencil, but unfortunately this doesn't show at all in the photo.   I then added a silver sentiment to finish it.

Neither of the photos came out that well.  This time of year with rather grey dark days it is difficult to take a decent photo of anything.

Thank you for visiting my blog today and I hope to see you again soon.








Tuesday 25 December 2018

Christmas Greetings



Hi everybody.  I would just like to say a big thank you to all who visit and take the time to comment, and especially to those that do so on a regular basis for taking precious time out of their day to do so.  It means so much to know that what you do is enjoyed by others, it really makes it all so worthwhile.  Since I started blogging over five years ago it never ceases to amaze me how many generous and kind hearted people there are out there.

I hope you all have a very enjoyable Christmas and a happy, healthy and with other Bloggers in mind, an exceedingly creative New Year, and I also look forward to visiting lots more of you in 2019.







Monday 24 December 2018

Mosaic Flower Birthday

Hi there everybody.  This is my third and last post for this month as Guest Designer over at the Chocolate Baroque Design Team Blog and I decided to use their Mosaic Flower stamp.  I love chinese lanterns and these remind me of them, but I did choose a yellow for them and with just a touch of orange, and colouring the mosaic adds a bit more detail and interest to the background too.


I made the background first using Mermaid Lagoon and Peacock Feathers Distress Inks laid onto my glass mat, spritzed with water and then the card dragged through to pick up the ink.  When dry I then stamped the flowers using Versamark ink and WOW Silver Metallic Embossing Powder and coloured with my DI's using Fossilised Amber and Carved Pumpkin for the flowers, and Ground Espresso for the stems applied with a waterbrush.  I also used some of the same colours to fill in a few of the mosaic shapes in the background.

I finished by layering it on to dark blue card and I made a sentiment strip with the same blue card using a sentiment from Paisley Elephant stamped with Versamark and heat embossed again using the Silver Metallic EP.  I placed a piece of foam on the back to raise it up a bit.

Most days there are posts from other members of the Design Team and Guest Design Team so do pop over and take a look here.  There are always a great variety of styles and types of project shown to suit all tastes.

Thank you for dropping by today as I know how busy it is with just a day to go before the festivities begin.  I do intend to put a post up tomorrow, that is if I get it done in time, as with everything else going on it's 50/50...lol.








Monday 17 December 2018

Black Ice Steampunk Clock

Hi everyone.  Here is my second card this month as a Guest Designer over at Chocolate Baroque, and with a masculine card using a technique called Black Ice and stamps from the set Steampunkery.


Basically you start with gold or silver card and brush your Black Archival ink pad over it very lightly angling it so that the edges catch the black ink and there is a little brushed across the face of the card, working in one direction, and then turning and sweeping it back across in the opposite direction.  I again used the Black Archival ink to stamp the image and some of the words.   I used a stamp positioner for this as it helps to get a good crisp outline on this shiny surface, otherwise with a steady hand and a straight down and up technique holding the card still as you lift is the way to go, plus perhaps talc or something similar brushed on to the surface helps to stop the stamp from slipping on contact.  When dry I swept the Versamark ink across very lightly just letting the weight of the pad do the work.  I then heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder, which has given it this shiny icy look with a slightly uneven surface as the Clear EP does not entirely cover it.

I then cut the background piece from white card and dry embossed it using an Xcut Embossing Folder called Galvanised Steel.  I ran it through twice to extend it.  I then used some Gold Mica Powder with a wet paint brush around the edges and then added some Hickory Smoke Distress Ink applied with a blending tool to darken and dull it down just a little.

To finish I added a gold on black narrow banner with the sentiment heat embossed using WOW Gold Metallic EP.  When putting the card together I decided to add a piece of foam to the back of the topper to give it some dimension.

I will be back over on the Design Team Blog again next week with my last card for this month.  Thank you for visiting my blog today and I hope to see you again soon.






Monday 10 December 2018

Chocolate Baroque Fluttering Hearts Anniversary

Hi everyone.  I am back again with another Guest Designer spot on Chocolate Baroque.  I decided to use the Fluttering Hearts set of stamps, and I took four heart images from that set, one of which has a bird on the top which I decided not to include, and I stamped them on to a piece of white card using Versamark Ink and then heat set with WOW Gold Metallic Embossing Powder.   I coloured the cut out hearts with Dusty Concord and Broken China, plus a small amount of Peeled Paint Distress Ink, using a waterbrush.  I then went over the top with a Wink of Stella pen to give the hearts some added sparkle.


I then made a background by laying colour down on a Tim Holtz stencil Flourish using Dusty Concord and Broken China Distress Ink, spritzed with water and pressed the stencil down on to a piece of white card.

Finally I cut the background and also another slightly larger piece of white card using a Crealies Pierced Rectangle die and mounted it all up as you can see using dimensional glue gel behind the hearts, and finished with an embossed sentiment using the Gold Metallic EP.

I will be back on the Design Team Blog next week with my second card of the month and hope you will join me again then.

Thank you for visiting today and I will see you again soon.





Friday 7 December 2018

Under the Bridge

Hi everybody.  I needed a masculine card so decided to use one of a set of Urban & Country stamps by Sheena Douglass, and this one is called Under the Bridge.  This is a silhouette stamp actually, but I decided to change it and watercolour it as a scene rather than stamp in just one colour.


I stamped it using Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink as the base colour and then gradually added shading and some background and foreground foliage, and the train passing under the bridge was coloured with Aged Mahogany DI which is a reddy brown colour.  The green is Pine Needles, and the shadows are Ground Espresso.  The sky has some Chipped Sapphire and a little of the green added for a bit of contrast, and also some Dusty Concord.  The colours are all well watered down as I didn't want anything too strong so you can see some of the lovely brickwork on the viaduct.  I framed it with dark blue and kraft card and added the sentiment using Versafine Vintage Sepia ink heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.

Thanks for your visit today and I'll see you again soon.






I am entering the following challenges:

Simon Says Monday Challenge - 'B' is For? - Bridge, Birthday, Blue and Brown.
Uniko Challenge - No. 50 Celebrate (no twist).
Happy Little Stampers December Watercolour Challenge - Anything Goes (no twist).

Thursday 29 November 2018

November Rudolph Days Challenge

Hi there.  Here we are round to the last Rudolph Days Challenge of the year...where did that year go?  It is run by the lovely Mo over at Scraps of Life by Scrappymo, and is open from the 25th to the end of each month, and will start again in the new year.


I decided to make a couple of cards to show this time as they are simple quick makes and I need to get more cards made .  These are both upcycled from last year's cards.  The penquins I thought were cute and I have just added a silver mat and an embossed and inked background.  The embossing folder is called Entwined Holly by Crafter's Companion which I bought recently and inked with Salty Ocean Oxide Ink on to a piece of white card.  I used a blending tool and lightly rubbed it over the embossed service.  It isn't too bad but some little bits did inevitably get on the background


The second card is a simple nativity scene which I die cut using a stitched square die, and which I have backed with gold card, and I have added a sentiment banner, again something I had saved.

I would just like to say a big thank you to Mo for all her hard work during the year in keeping the challenge going, and also to her lovely Design Team for all their great inspiration.

Thank you for joining me here today and I'll see you again soon.






I am also entering the following challenges:

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge - No. 413 Anything Christmas Goes (optional twist - make your own background) - my penguin card has an embossed and inked background.
Sparkles Christmas Challenge - Embossing heat or dry (my penguin card has dry embossing).
Watercooler Wednesday - No. 198 Gail's "All About Holidays" Challenge.
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.


Monday 26 November 2018

Using those Dies

Hi all.  You know sometimes it is difficult to break out of those creative ruts we get into, and I guess we all have our own style and it can become too easy just to do very similar styles of card all the time because that is what we feel safest doing.  Lately stamping and inking is what I do most and I have so many dies which are just not getting any use, so when I saw this card over at Ros's blog here, the second card on this particular post, though both are beautiful, it just gave me  a push to get my dies out and do something using similar dies.


I have a Tim Holtz Mixed Media set of dies which included this crackle corner and I cut it into a snippet of white card and used a Spellbinders scalloped edge Curved Borders 2 die to cut it.  I cut this down and added it to another snippet of white card cut with a Crealies Pierced Rectangle and the edge cut again into a curve using another of the edges from the Spellbinder set of dies.  I then mounted this on to a piece of craft foam before adding it to my white base card.  I then die cut some Sue Wilson Delicate Fronds and highlighted them randomly with some copper gilding wax and added them to the mat.  I finished with a large die cut sentiment cut with a piece of white card and I added the copper gilding wax over it.

Thank you for visiting my blog today and I hope to see you again soon.






I am entering the following challenges:

Pixie's Crafty Workshop - No. 340 - where we use our snippets of paper and card etc.
Happy Little Stampers November Anything Goes with Dies Challenge.

Monday 19 November 2018

Twelve Tags of Christmas

Hi everyone.  Lovely Loll Thompson has been running her 5th annual tag challenge over on her blog Stamping with Loll and this is to be her last year.  Although she has actually finished showing all her tags, and those of her guests, the challenge is still open for another few days so do go and take a look, and enter if you can.


The tag has to be Mixed Media based and the required elements are Stamping + two additional elements of your choice.  My tag includes, stamping, colouring with alcohol inks, dry embossing, gilding polish and distress ink blending.


I decided to use a new embossing folder which I bought about a week ago which is from Sarah's Signature Collection and is called Entwined Holly, and embossed using a piece of white card which I then shaped into a tag.  I coloured it using first some Pebeo Silver Gilding Wax and then I applied some Broken China and Faded Jeans Distress Ink over the top to take the whiteness off using a blending tool.  As the material is a little shiny it didn't end up taking the ink all that well, even when I used Faded Jeans which is quite dark, but it has given it a sort of bluey grey colour, which nevertheless is quite pretty.

I stamped the Chocolate Baroque image Robin the Spruce on to a piece of acrylic using Black Archival Ink and left it until it was perfectly dry before adding some alcohol inks to the reverse side.  I used a piece of white card to back it and I creased it and wrapped the acrylic round the card and stuck it down and then adhered another piece of card over that for extra security.  I then cut a pierced rectangle from Silver Mirri card slightly larger than the image and layered it on to this before fixing it to the tag.

I finished the tag with a piece of sheer white ribbon which has a nice glittery look and then because it is difficult to stamp on to an embossed surface, and I didn't want to add another strip with the sentiment on I decided to use one of my very old silver peeloff sentiments.

Thank you to Loll for running this challenge for the past five years and for giving us some absolutely marvellous inspiration and great prizes too, with all the different mixed media techniques she always manages to include. Thank you for visiting today and I'll see you again soon.






p.s.  I was so thrilled to have been chosen as one of the Top Tags for this challenge, thank you Loll.

Tuesday 13 November 2018

Handsome Buck

Hi everybody.  This Serendity Buck, or deer as we say here, is an image I have had for quite a while but haven't used it recently, and I needed a quick birthday card and although you can colour this image to within an inch of its life, just a bit of simple heat embossing will do equally as well.


I found a piece of packaging which came with an embossing folder and which I kept as I thought it might come in useful with its woodgrain look, and I used some Aged Mahogany Distress Ink around the edges and over the lines which as it is shiny didn't colour it as much as I had hoped but stained it slightly.  I then cut a snippet of kraft card with a square stitched die from The Works and then inked the stamp with Versamark and heat set it using WOW Metallic Copper Embossing Powder.  I finished by finding another snippet of black card and stamped and heat embossed the sentiment on to it again using the Metallic Copper EP, and cut it into a fishtail banner shape and rounded the other end.  I layered the topper on to the piece of background card and then wrapped some jute type string around it twice and knotted it before adding it to my 6" square white base card.  I then finished by adding the sentiment.

Thank you for stopping by today and I'll see you again soon.







I am entering this into the following challenge:

Pixie's Crafty Workshop - No. 339 where we use our snippets of card and paper etc.

Sunday 11 November 2018

We Will Remember Them

Hi everybody.  I'm sure there are not many people who haven't realised it is 100 years since the end of World War One today.

We went to a lovely concert last night which included a lot of wonderful music and singing, they even had a piper and a bugler, and it was really moving.  Though this year we especially remember WW1, on Remembrance Sunday here in the UK we remember those that have fought and given their lives in all conflicts.










Sunday 4 November 2018

Chocolate Baroque November TV

Hi there.  Here is a sneaky peek of some of what Chocolate Baroque have in store for you next week over on Hochanda ....


They will be on air on Tuesday 6th November at 11am and then again at 3pm, so if you want to get some crafty tips and see lots of inky tricks then please join Lesley and Judith then.








Friday 2 November 2018

Butterfly Lady, Auricula Script and Floral Edges Landscape

Hi everyone.  These are three cards I made for the Chocolate Baroque September TV shows on Hochanda featuring the pretty Butterfly DressAuricula Script and Floral Edges stamps.


I started by making a spritzed ink background on a piece of white card.  I used Adirondack Stonewashed ink, and Twisted Citron and Cracked Pistachio Distress inks, laying the colours down approximately where I wanted them.   I then stamped one of the Floral Edges at the bottom using second generation Cracked Pistachio and another with leaves at the top using Lucky Clover.

I then stamped the image on to a piece of Drawing Cartridge paper using Versafine Smokey Gray ink and coloured with her using some watercolour pencils just as they are without any water.  I then cut her out leaving a border round the edge, and using a craft knife I cut round the largest butterfly on her skirt so that I could lift the wings for dimension.

I decided to frame the background then add the lady over the top.  I made the frame using another piece of white card and cut it using a Tonic scalloped edge die, but cut the internal square with a craft knife because none of my plain rectangle dies were the right shape and size.

I finished the card by stamping the lady's skirt again using my Smokey Gray ink and cut out and coloured some more of the flowers and added them to the corners of the frame. 



 My second card features the Auricula Script image which I stamped on to Velvet Card using Versamark ink and heat embossed with WOW Gold Metallic Embossing Powder.  I matted the image on to a piece of dark green card.  I then stamped the image again heat embossing with the WOW Gold EP and coloured just the flower using my Distress inks in Candied Apple and Carved Pumpkin on the flowers, and some Twisted Citron and Cracked Pistachio and also some Adirondack Bottle on the leaves and sepals round the flowers.  I then used Ground Espresso for the stem and to darken bits of the leaves.  I applied the inks with my waterbrush.  When dry I cut the flower out and using Pinflair Glue Gel I added it over the flower on the background.

For the background I used the flower image from the Floral Edges set stamped on to a rectangle die cut using a Crealies Pierced Edge die.  I stamped it on all four sides butting it up to the previous edge by masking just where I thought it might cross over by placing a piece of paper just over the edge of the previous image.  I then heat embossed using Versamark ink and heat embossed with the WOW Opaque Bright White EP.  I then blended with the green Distress Inks to complement the flower.  I added this to an approximately 7" x 5" white base card.

I am entering this card in the following challenge:

Pixies Crafty Workshop No. 338 - where we use our snippets of card and paper etc.



My last card was made using the Floral Edges.  I created a background using my gelli plate and Distress Inks in similar colours to those used on the previous cards, these seem to be my favourites at the moment.  I laid the inks down on the gelli plate and spritzed with water before pulling the print on to some Velvet card.  I then added the floral edge stamps to frame the scene and also added the hills and the sun in the background using a brush to blend.  I used Fossilised Amber for the sun and also some Mermaid Lagoon and Blueprint Sketch in the sky area, and the various greens already mentioned together with the Fossilised Amber for the foliage and flowers in the foreground, and the foliage around the top of the card.

Thank you for looking at my blog today and I'll see you again soon.








Wednesday 31 October 2018

October Rudolph Days Challenge

Hi everybody.  It is time again for the Rudolph Days Challenge, and I am just rushing in through the gates and late again.  I will try to be more prepared next month as it will be the last one before Christmas.  This challenge is run by the lovely Mo, and although there is no point at all me suggesting that you do the challenge this month as it is about to close, but maybe next month, or certainly start the new year with the resolution to keep making your cards so that there isn't that sudden rush and panic come Christmas.


Anyway, here is my card, the quickest card ever I think.  This is another upcycling of a card using the whole card front as the design, cut with a scalloped die and added on to a piece of dark blue card.  The only extra embellishment is a little white snowflake which I found in the bits bag that I keep with old cards and embellishments I have made and not used.  Not much imagination used here but really wanted to enter the challenge albeit rather late,  as I have managed every month so far, and hopefully next month too to make the whole set...lol.

Thank you for visiting today and I hope to see you again soon. 

Thursday 25 October 2018

Kim Moody's Quirky Houses

Hi everybody.  Chocolate Baroque are producing stamps for a new designer called Kim Moody who does these wonderful drawings of buildings in quite a quirky style, and they are celebrating this by showing cards made with his super stamps over on their Design Team Blog.  I have made a couple of cards with two of the stamps,  La Maison, and Loft Conversion.  He actually bases the designs on buildings he has seen, but obviously draws them in his own unique way.  Here is the first using La Maison.


I thought I would use some thin cork material which I have had for ages and have never used.  I wasn't sure if it would work, but I stamped on to a piece of this cork using Versamark Ink and then heat embossed it with WOW Opaque Brilliant White Embossing Powder.  The surface is a little uneven but it took the embossing powder fairly well, and then I coloured the image with my pencils in shades of yellow for the house walls and red for the roof and doors and the wall, and then a little blue in the sky, and a little black for shading and to ground the house.  I then used a Black Micron Pen to add the birds, and a few bits to enhance the details.  Obviously the colours do not look very bright because of the strongish colour of the cork.

I then backed the cork with a piece of pattern gold card.  Meanwhile I cut a piece of hessian to fit the 6" square white card and pulled out some of the threads to make a fringe.  I then used some of these pieces of thread twisted to make a cord which I wrapped around one side of the topper before adding it to the card.  I then took some more of the pieces together and knotted them to the cord,  and finished by adding a computer generated sentiment cut into a banner shape, and adhered this behind the knot, as I thought this would make a lovely new home card.

Here is my other card with Loft Conversion.


I stamped it on to a piece of white card using Versafine Smokey Gray Ink and then heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss EP.  I then painted the house and a scene around it using various Distress Inks and added it to a white base card approximately 7" x 5".  I finished by adding a computer generated sentiment cut into three small strips again using some new home related words.

Thanks for visiting today and I hope to see you again soon, and if you want to see more cards using these and the other fun designs by Kim then go to the Chocolate Baroque Design Team Blog.






Tuesday 16 October 2018

15 Minute Cards for October

Hi there.  Here are a couple of quick cards I made for a post which Chocolate Baroque do once a month over on their Design Team Blog featuring cards which take about 15 minutes to make.  This one was made using the pretty Butterfly Dress.


I started by stamping the lady and then using her skirt I stamped again to frame the image using Versamark ink and heat embossed it with WOW Opaque Bright White Embossing Powder on to glossy card.  I then covered it with alcohol inks using Butterscotch, Clover and Limeade around the edges, and Watermelon and Flamingo over her skirt and also over the flower frame.  It is difficult to target with alcohol inks and I did go over it afterwards with some more using a brush and blending solution, and as I wanted a softer look I did rub over the whole thing with a tissue and more blending solution to smooth it out,  but obviously it is a random look and you have to work fast.  I finished with a sentiment using Versafine Smokey Gray ink second generation for a softer look.
 


The second card is made with the Auricula Script stamp and a sentiment from the Rose Stem Script.  I stamped it using Versamark and heat embossing with WOW Silver Metallic EP.  I then used the ink on acrylic technique to apply three colours of Distress ink for the background, they were Candied Apple, Wilted Violet and Crushed Pistachio.  Laying the inks down on the acrylic I spritzed with water and pressed the ink on and around the image where I wanted the colours to be.  I did several layers and then added extra ink to the image with a waterbrush.  I did use quite a lot of water as I wanted soft colour for a change as I do quite often go overboard with bright colour I thought this time I would keep it fairly muted.  I finished by brushing some Candied Apple ink around the edges before adhering to a white base card.  I just wanted to take the whiteness off the very edge of the card to make it stand out from the white base card but not sure if it works or not.

Just something to note.  I have cut the sentiment stamp into individual words so that I can vary the look when stamping.  This card called for the words to be all in a line, and on another card obviously a different grouping may look better.  As long as there is enough space to safely cut in between them I think this just makes for more versatility.

Thank you for joining me today and if you want to see lots of great quick card and other inspiration then head on over to the Chocolate Baroque DT Blog.








Monday 15 October 2018

CAS Mix Up October Challenge Reminder

Hi there everyone.  I can't believe we have reached the middle of the month already, and halfway through this month's CAS Mix Up Challenge for which I am lucky enough to be Guest Designer.  The theme this time is Metal and there are some videos on the blog to help you with some ideas of different techniques to use.


Bonnie very kindly sent me some beautiful copper sheet and a very pretty die cut leafy frame as a thank you for being GD, and so I thought it would be good to use them for this card.

 

To add to the required elements of Metal and Stamping, I used die cutting, heat embossing, watercolouring, and alcohol inking.

I started by mounting the leafy frame on to some white card and then adhered it on to an approximately 6" x 5" card, which gave a 1/2" border all the way round.  The middle section of the frame is separate and I decided to colour it before setting it back into the frame, but at that time hadn't decided on a colour.

I coloured the piece of copper sheet with my alcohol inks, using several greens and browns and a bit of red, and light and dark blue.  I then die cut it using a pair of Sue Wilson dies called Trailing Ivy.  One of them cut much easier than the other using my Gemini machine with the metal shim and a rubber mat added for more pressure, but don't really know why as I rotated them both several times to get the best cut.  I persevered and got there in the end, and I love the leaves so feel it was worthwhile.

I then decided on a colour for the centre piece of the frame.  I used two of my Brushos in Turquoise and Emerald Green.  I tapped some powder from each on to my glass mat and spritzed with water and then dragged the piece of white card through it several times to build up the colour, and ended up with a quite intense sea green which I think complements the colours in the ivy leaves really well.  The colour has more blue in it then it appears to have in the photo.  I found it incredibly difficult to get a decent photo which showed off the pretty colours in the copper leaves too, but I think you can get the idea.

I finished it with a sentiment heat embossed using WOW Metallic Copper Embossing Powder on to a strip of black card cut into a banner shape.

Thank you for looking at my blog today and I'll see you again soon, and also a big thank you to Bonnie and Loll for asking me to be GD this time which I have thoroughly enjoyed.  You still have lots of time to get an entry in as the challenge doesn't close until 24th October. 






I am entering the following challenges:

Happy Little Stampers October Anything Goes with Dies Challenge.
Dies R Us Challenge - No. 107 Anything Fall.
Die Cut Divas Challenge - Autumn and Halloween.
Addicted to CAS - No 147 Foliage.


Friday 5 October 2018

Indian Textiles, Paisley Elephant and Nature's Paisleys

Hi there everybody.  Here are three cards I made for the Chocolate Baroque shows on the TV in August featuring these three sets of Indian themed stamps.  I usually show them at the end of the month but I ran out of time, so here they are now.


For this first card I started with the background using my gelli plate and three colours of Distress Inks, Cracked Pistachio, Fossilised Amber and Carved Pumpkin.  I did want the yellow more to the bottom and the green and orange over the rest so laid the inks down with this in mind, although the results are always random, and I find the gelli plate seems to mix the inks much better for me.  I also spritzed before laying the card over and rubbing it well before lifting.  I finished the background by adding this little square stamp from Paisley Elephant across the top and bottom to make a border using the Cracked Pistachio.

I then found a piece of yellow parchment and heat embossed the script from the same set on to it using Versamark Ink and WOW Gold Metallic Embossing Powder.  I cut it out and the rolled the bottom and the top to make a sort of scroll, although there was much more parchment to roll at the bottom than the top, but it gives it the look.

I added the peacock from Indian Textiles and inked it using my Misti with the Cracked Pistachio first, and spritzed before stamping, then again with the Carved Pumpking around the middle section, spritzing lightly again before stamping, then I coloured the outer feathers with some of the Fossilised Amber and the peacock body with Peacock Feathers.  I then cut it out leaving a slight white border.

I finished by layering it up on to a dark green mat, then added the parchment and peacock and finished by stamping one of the sentiments from Elephant Paisley and heat embossed using Versamark and the WOW Opaque Bright White EP, and I made a fishtail banner and added it to the card.



Here I started with a white rectangle and stamped the minarets from Indian Textiles and the lacy border from the same set using Versamark and WOW Silver Metallic Embossing Powder.  I did try using some gilding flakes with WOW Bonding Powder over the Minaret image using my Misti, and they did stick rather randomly, so you can see little patches of gold flakes, and then I went over it again with the Versamark and stamped again using the WOW Silver Metallic EP.  I then placed a mask for the moon and applied some Black Brusho Powder which has quite a lot of other colours within it, and also some Turquoise, and some bits of Lemon and Orange near the horizon.  I did use quite a lot of water as I didn't want the background too dark.  I removed the mask and dusted some Hickory Smoke Distress Ink over the face of the moon using a blending tool, and also a very little Fossilised Amber.  I layered this on to a piee of dark blue card.

For the background I heat embossed on to white card using an image from Elephant Paisley, with the same WOW Silver EP.  I then applied some Carved Pumpkin again using the blending tool.  I then put it together and added a white strip with a sentiment from the set using Versafine Vintage Sepia Ink and blended a little more of the same ink around the edges before adhering it to the card.




On this last card I started with the background.  Using the splash technique I used Salty Ocean and Worn Lipstick Distress Oxide Inks, and also some Shaded Lilace Distress Ink.  I  added one of the images from Nature's Paisleys using the Worn Lipstick and also added some stamping using two smaller stamps from the Indian Textiles set with Salty Ocean Oxide both second generation stamping, and Brilliance Moonlight White for the other.  I then die cut a stitched circle using a set of dies from The Works, and cut it in half and one half into three.  I applied inks going from dark to light and blending several colours of pink and purple to get the colours I wanted.  I then stamped one of the sentiments from the set on to two of the strips and using the damask type pattern on the bottom half and then coloured with again several colours of pink to match the top half.  I glued the circle over the edge of the background and the added a bright pink mat behind it.

I stamped the large elephant on to a piece of white card and coloured with my Distress Inks using a paintbrush and some water and fussy cut it out.  After adhering the background to the card I added the elephant using Pinflair Glue Gel to give it dimension.

Thank you for looking at my blog today, and I hope to see you again soon.








Monday 1 October 2018

Faux Metal Birdcage Anniversary

Hi there everyone.  I was delighted to be asked by Bonnie and Loll to be a Guest Designer for this month's CAS Mix Up Challenge as I was lucky enough to be chosen as Top Pick for the August challenge.


The theme is metal, and there are a few video tutorials for you to look at if you need some inspiration to set you on your way.  Here is what I did.


To add to the required elements of Metal and Stamping, I have added Ink Blending, Heat Embossing and Dry Embossing.  The technique for the birdcage is called Faux Metal, and I actually followed the video by Jennifer McGuire which is one of those suggested on the challenge blog.

I decided to use a die from The Works and with a piece of white card and Versamark Ink I heat embossed it three times with WOW Silver Metallic Embossing Powder to build up a nice shiny finish.  I then die cut just the top bit again to get a second bird.  I cut it away from the rest and managed to get a small piece from the cage to give it a second leg.  I then also heat embossed it with the Silver EP.  I decided to tuck its tail inside the cage, so I glued it in place ready to add to the card.

I started the background by embossing a piece of 4" square white card using a Sheena Douglass Embossing Folder called Clockwork Daisies.  I also tried a new to me technique.  I blended two colours of Distress Ink - Abandoned Coral and Fossilized Amber on to the card, very heavily, making sure to get in  all the cracks, blending one colour well into the other.  I then brushed over it with Gold Perfect Pearls which gives it a lovely sheen and also helps to give it a more evenly blended look.  It is good to finish by rubbing it over with a piece of tissue or paper towel to remove the residue.   I added this to a slightly larger piece of white card.  I then added this to the white 6" square base card and mounted the birdcage on to it.

Lastly I added a sentiment using the Silver EP on to black card cut into a thin strip, and as you can see I tucked this just under the feet of the birdcage.

Thank you for stopping by today and please do go over and take a look at all the beautiful cards and wonderful inspiration from Bonnie and Loll and the rest of the Design Team.  The challenge doesn't close until the 24th of the month so you have lots of time to get a card in too.






I am entering the following challenge:

Pixie's Crafty Workshop - No. 336 where we use our snippets of paper and card etc.  (I used snippets of white card for the background and layer behind it, and another snippet of white for the birdcage and extra bird, and a black snippet for the sentiment)
Happy Little Stampers October Challenge - Anything Goes with Dies.

Sunday 30 September 2018

Rudolph Days September Challenge

Hi there everyone.  Another month has whooshed by and so once again it is time for the Rudolph Days Challenge over at Scraps of Life by Scrappymo, run by lovely Mo, and believe it or not there are now only two more challenges before Christmas, so time to motor on with those seasonal cards.  The challenge runs from the 25th to the end of each month, and as it is the last day of the month today I have made this very quick card using an upcycled topper.  Our son has been visiting from Australia and we had a great time in Cornwall this last week with beautiful weather, warm sun every day, definitely good for the time of year.  Sadly we have now said goodbye as he has gone to visit friends prior to returning to Sydney tomorrow, and thank goodness for Skype, how did we manage before.


I used a couple of foliage stamps and a sentiment from a Chocolate Baroque set called Robin the Spruce and made this wreath of foliage around the topper using two of the stamps, and also added a sentiment from the set.  I put the 6" square white card into my Misti and laid the pinecone foliage stamp across the corner  and stamped using Versamark ink, and by twisting the card a quarter turn each time placed the corners.  Then I used the smaller berries stamp and put that in between and did the same thing to get that circular shape.  I finished by heat embossing with the WOW Metallic Gold Embossing Powder.

To finish I then placed the sentiment and again embossed with the Gold EP.  I do think my sentiment could have been a little straighter though.  I decided to give the topper more dimension by adding a piece of white foam behind to raise it up a bit.

Thank you for visiting here today and I will be back again tomorrow.  






I am also entering the following challenges:

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge - No. 405 Anything Goes.
Addicted to Stamps Challenge - No. 166 Christmas Comes Early.
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.