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Saturday, 28 June 2025

Group of Seven - Generation Stamping

Hi everyone.  Another month has whizzed by and it's time for this month's technique over at the Group of Seven Cardmakers, and it's using generation stamping.  This is not a new technique but one perhaps that over time we do forget to include in our cardmaking and it can certainly be very effective.  For this card I have used a hill mask by Lavinia...one of a set, and also a stamp by Crafty Individuals called Wild Flowers and Fern Silhouette.  


I masked a panel on a piece of card 51/2" square and ink blended the hills and sky using a Lavinia mask and Peeled Paint Distress Ink at the bottom followed by Lettuce Adirondack Ink and then Crushed Olive DI, and for the sky Shaded Lilac and Tumbled Glass DI's.  I then removed the mask strips and added the flowers inking with Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink, and then stamped again onto a spare piece of paper before stamping on the card for the second generation ones, and a little lower and two the right...I used a stamp positioner which is why I used a piece of paper placed in my Misti to remove some ink.   I finished by adding the little birds using a Black Micron Pen, and stamped and heat embossed the sentiment again using the Nocturne Ink, and I then added this to the 6" square white base card.  This is quite a simple card but I think the second generation inking of the flowers does add a bit more interest.  I did debate whether to try stamping the flowers again for some third generation ones but decided not too.  I have to keep telling myself that less is more...lol.

I hope you'll give this a go, and if you do there is a Linky at the bottom of the GO7 post where you can add your cards for us all to enjoy and get inspiration from.  You will also find great inspiration from the other members of the team and there are several videos you can look at too.

Thank you for coming to visit my blog today and I'll see you again soon.  






I am entering the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - No. 826 Seaside/Anything Goes.
We Love Stamping Challenge - June'25 Nature/Anything Goes.
Stamping Sensations Challenge - June'25 Our Furry Friends/Anything Goes.
Simply Clean and Simple Challenge - Pretty Pinks/Anything Goes.
AAA Cards Challenge - No 293 Anything CAS Goes.













I am also joining in with Darnell's I.D.E.A.S. Calendar - Week 4: A = Anything Goes.

Sunday, 22 June 2025

Floral Flourish

Hi everybody.  I found a technique on line which I just had to do, sorry that I can't remember precisely where, but it involves masking to leave a white edge and then ink blending and after using an embossing folder over the whole thing dragging a contrasting ink pad across the raised areas just where the masked colour is.  I used a Lisa Horton 3D folder called Floral Flourish which I was lucky enough to win fairly recently and am using for the first time, and also Distress Inks in Peeled Paint, Mowed Lawn, Peacock Feathers and Faded Jeans, and I used Hero Arts Unicorn as the contrasting ink.


I started with a piece of white card cut to fit the 6" square embossing folder and I then masked equally around the edges and applied the ink with a brush and blended well.  I then heat set the inks and ran the piece through the EF and then I cut back the edges a bit on each side to fit nicely on a 6" square white card.  I re-masked it and added the white ink over the coloured area.  Unfortunately the white seems to have picked up the underneath colour, especially over the green and the white ink pad which is new has acquired a green tinge.  I have rubbed the pad across a piece of kitchen towel a few times and it is better, but just hope that when I next use it the ink still comes through white.  I finished it with a white die cut bird found in my bits box and a die cut sentiment cut twice from white card to give it more substance and coloured using a Sharpie silver marker.  I should perhaps have put the sentiment onto a mat to make it stand out more but c'est la vie...lol.

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






I am entering the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - No. 826 Seaside/Anything Goes.
Triple B Challenge - June '25 Birds, Butterflies and Blooms (using one, two or all three).
Beautiful Blossoms Challenge - Anything Floral Goes/Optional Mood Board No. 30.
AAA Birthday Challenge - No. 74 No Stamping.
The Flower Challenge - No. 103 Add Embossing (Heat or Dry).
NBUS Challenge - No. 75 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.












I am also playing along with:

Darnell's June I.D.E.A.S. Calendar - This is Week 3: 'E' = Embossing /Wet or Dry.

Sunday, 8 June 2025

Twirling Tulips

Hi all.  I have card today featuring a Spellbinder's 3D Embossing Folder called Twirling Tulips which I got in a recent sale and I decided to try an inking technique which I haven't done before which entails colouring on the debossed side and then dragging a dark ink pad over the top which colours the raised areas which in this case is the background and any raised details on the tulips and leaves...this is often called the blackout technique, although there maybe a proper name for it which I don't know..lol. 
 

I used my Lyra Aqua Brush Markers in yellow and orange on the flowers and a mid tone green for the leaves.  When I had finished this I used a Versafine Majestic Blue ink pad swiped very carefully over the top to colour the background.  I usually drag it vertically and then horizontally and I think this ink pad must be drying out a bit as it took a while to achieve a deep colour.  There are some raised areas of detail on both the flowers and the leaves which get covered with the blue ink which adds depth to them, but inevitably some of the blue got onto the leaves and so they look a bit green in places, but overall I was really pleased with the results.  I suppose the look of it is rather like the Joseph's Coat technique.  You can also ink the embossed side of the folder with the ink before running it through your machine which you would probably have to do a few times to build up the depth of colour, but I think I prefer this way of doing it.

The embossing folder is quite large about 8 1/2" x 5 3/4" so I decided to cut the piece in half and us it on a DL card.  I placed it on a white mat and then adhered it to the card.  I decided to cut a bit off the width of the card just to even it up a bit, and I then added a sentiment strip to finish using the Majestic Blue Ink and heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - No. 825 What Makes You Happy?/Anything Goes (getting inky and trying new techniques make me happy).
The Flower Challenge - No. 103 Add Embossing (Heat or Dry).
AAA Birthday Challenge - No. 74 No Stamping.


I made this second card using another part of the leftover blackout embossed piece cut into a circle and matted onto a slightly larger circle and then framed using a stitched inverted scalloped circle die from a set by Crafters Companion called Inverted Stitched Lace Circle...each of the three scallop dies in the set comes with a plain circle die so you can have it cut into or cut out of the card.  I have had this for a while but am only now using it.  I finished it by adding a stamped sentiment using Majestic Blue Ink and heat embossed with the WOW Clear Gloss EP.


I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Cut it Up Challenge - No. 331 Anything Goes.
CAS on Friday Challenge - No. 310 Embossing.
Addicted to CAS Challenge - No. 284 Floral.

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





Monday, 2 June 2025

Hello, Pinky Inky

Hi everyone.  This is a card for for our son Stewart in Australia and I have to allow about three weeks to be sure that it arrives in time, which it did...haven't always been lucky though.  This is a fun octopus by Pink Ink Designs and the way I have designed the card it looks as though it's emerging into the light curious to see what's going on.  A bit fanciful but they are very curious and apparently as cephalopods go quite intelligent...lol.  I have also used a set of circles from Creative Craft Products which I am using for the first time.  I got the idea of the circle apertures and bits of the creature emerging through them from this YouTube video by Deb Hallet which you will find here.  She does come up with some great ideas and I have used this octopus instead...I do love that toad though.


I started by stamping the octopus using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink and then heat embossed it with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder and cut it out.  I coloured it using my Distress Inks and a waterbrush using Fossilized Amber, Carved Pumpkin, Abandoned Coral, Brushed Corduroy and Pine Needles, and used a white Posca Pen to highlight the suckers and the white of the eye.  I then moved on to the background using a piece of white card just a little smaller than the 7" x 5" card, and my Brushos in Sea Green, Ost. Blue and Turquoise and then cut out the three apertures with a set of circle dies by Creative Craft Products which I am using for the first time, using a larger one for the centre aperture and one a size smaller for the other two.  I decided on the position of the octopus and then stuck it to the background adding the circles behind over which I decided to ink blend some Chipped Sapphire and Faded Jeans DI to make it look as it if it is appearing from a darker space, and then finished by adding the sentiment using Versafine Majestic Blue Ink.

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






I am entering the following challenges:

We Love Stamping Challenge - June '25 Nature/Anything Goes.
Stamping Sensations Challenge - June '25 Our Furry Friends/Anything Goes.
Allsorts Challenge - No. 824 Happy 16th Birthday/Anything Goes.
The Male Room Challenge - No. 198 Under the Sea.
Cut it Up Challenge - No. 331 Anything Goes.
NBUS Challenge - No. 75 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.
Darnells I.D.E.A.S. - Week 1 Ink/Colour Mediums.