Group of Cardmakers - Direct to Paper Inking

Hi everybody.  This month's technique over at the Group of Cardmakers uses ink added to card straight from the pad and gives a much stronger effect than using a blending tool or brush to apply the colour.  You can of course add one or more colours over the whole of a background or make different patterns according to the way you pounce or drag the ink.  I opted for making a landscape type background to accompany a die cut heron die which is being used for the first time.  It is a silhouette but I decided to add some colour using a set of Lyra Pencils, and for the background I used some white gesso over the background and then added several colours of Distress Ink i.e. Stormy Sky, Tumbled Glass, Bundled Sage and Peeled Paint, and also a set of foliage stamps from Art Journey called Grasses...unfortunately they are no longer in business.

I am entering the following challenges with the above card:

Allsorts Challenge - No 850 Anything Goes.  (Congratulations to them on their 17th Birthday).

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.

Die Cut Divas Challenge - May '26 Celebrations (mine is Birthday).

Using a pencil I marked where I wanted the horizon and the river bank on the left, and I started with the lighter colour of blue rubbing the pad fairly lightly to start off with over the sky and then leaving a gap for the background green rubbed a bit more in the foreground leaving the green area on the left, and then continued the blue right to the bottom.  I then added in the green on the horizon and the bank on the left, and to finish I used the stamps with the Peeled Paint to added some texture to the bank and also to added the foreground foliage and I finished by adding the heron right at the front and used a Black Micron pen to add the birds in the sky and Archival Black ink for the sentiment and heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  I left the sky quite light and patchy to look like clouds and I used the ink pads on their edges a lot to keep the ink more or less where I wanted it.  

The coating of white gesso on the card was something I read recently, not sure where, but it did say that it makes the ink easier to move about and I did use my fingers to rub the ink to additionally smooth it out.  The only thing was that it took a long time to dry even with a heat tool and did tend to rub off a bit but seems OK now.  I tried to use Versafine Clair Nocturne to stamp the sentiment which started to bleed and smudge a bit so I switched to the Archival which worked much better...obviously something to do with it reacting to the gesso I presume, and luckily I did use my stamp positioner so I could go over it otherwise I would have had to make a sentiment plate to cover it.  Overall I was pleased that I managed to achieve a reasonable finished result although it does look quite fuzzy and has a loose look but I like the contrast it gives to the pencil coloured heron. 

I made this second card which is more the way you would expect to see it done, using a Spellbinders 3D embossing folder called Amaryllis Garden and inked with Adirondack inks in Pink Sherbert and Cranberry which I hardly ever use so thought it would be good to get them out. 

I am entering the following challenges with the above card:

Can You Handle the Pressure Challenge - May '26 Anything Goes/Embellishments.

Beautiful Blossoms Challenge - May '26 Anything Goes/Mood Board.

AAA Birthday Challenge - No. 85 Anything Goes (Congratulations on your 7th Birthday).

I cut the card to fit a 6" square card and inked it with the Pink Sherbert ink and embossed it and then ran the Cranberry ink pad across the raised areas to bring out the pretty flowers.  I think maybe a lighter red would have looked better as having to go over the embossing quite a few times has made it a bit dark and dense.  I finished it with a birthday sentiment which I cut from white card twice and then inked the letters in the Pink Sherbert to add over the shadow layer.  Maybe a lighter red would have been better, as having to go over it quite a few times has made it a bit dark and dense.

There are lots of other ways to use this direct to paper technique and over at the blog you will find a video and the other ladies have made some brilliant cards showing different ways to use it, and if you do create something there is a Linky which you can use so we can all enjoy seeing what you make.  Thank you for visiting me here today and I'll see you again soon.

Our Trip to Australia March/April '26

Hi everybody.  I thought it would be best to do a separate post to show some photos of our recent holiday to see our son in Sydney Austalia.  We had a wonderful time, certainly a holiday to remember!  If you want to see my latest card post you will find it here.

This is a day or so after we arrived in a park down by the water where our son lives which is in a suburb quite close to the city (a fifteen or twenty minute bus ride).

This typifies Sydney Harbour..the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House and of course a visiting cruise ship.  This one is a Cunard ship called the Queen Anne...abour two years old, and no, we didn't just arrive on it.

Just a week or so afer we arrived we went about 3 to 4 hrs up the New South Wales coast to a place called Port Macquarie and whilst there we went on a boat trip on the Hastings River and were lucky enough to see these beautiful dolphins which came right up next to the boat.  The first time I have been so close to wild dolphins.

About an hour up the coast from Port Macquarie we stopped at a place called Nambucca Heads and had a walk by the river before driving to the beach.

Here is one of the local inhabitants.  There were quite a few swimming around, but this one came in close to the shore.  I'm sure it was hoping we might have a fish or two...no such luck.

The next day we carried on moving inland and stopped the night at a place alled Bellingen, and this was the pretty view from our room with the Dorrigo Mountain in the distance.

During the day we visited the Dorrigo National Park and whilst there walked on their sky walk platform high amongst the tree tops.

....and this was the beautiful view.  We didn't have that long there but it is renowned for its wonderful walks and waterfalls.  On the twisty road up what they call the 'Waterfall Way' there were several small waterfalls coming down right next to the road.  Unfortunately it was impossible to stop to take a photo.

After our week away we briefly returned to Sydney and then we flew to the Whitsunday Islands off the Queensland coast for a memorable few days arranged courtesy of our son as a special birthday treat which was supposed to happen when I was 70 but not possible in 2021..as you can see a proper tropical group of islands.  

Whilst there we went on a boat trip to a neighbouring island to visit this beautiful beach called Whitehaven with the whitest and finest sand.  All those that wished to go swimming were advised to wear a 'stinger suit' to protect from Box Jellyfish stings.  They get stingrays which come in quite close to the shore too.  I only paddled!

During our last week we went on a boat trip from Sydney harbour to a place called Paramatta and whilst there we visited a large local park where we were amazed to see an area where the trees were absolutely covered in fruit bats.  I have read up about them and they are Grey-Headed Flying Foxes which are one of the largest species of bat and are said to be quite endangered.   Apparently the park has about 15,000 of them.  It was quite late in the afternoon and they were beginning to stir.  It must be quite a sight when they all take off at dusk. 

During our last week we also went to see Phantom of the Opera taking place in a more distant part of the Botanical Gardens beyond the Opera House.  It was all in the open air and the seating was on land and the stage itself was set over the water.  It was a brilliant performance and it was really surreal to see the harbour as the backdrop with the boats coming and going in the distance.

I hope you've managed to stay awake during this whirlwind tour of our holiday..certainly one we won't forget.

Lovebirds Anniversary

Hi all.  I recently bought the latest Crafter's Inspiration premium magazine featuring some lovebirds and a pretty leafy/floral stencil as well as some dies and an embossing folder, and I have used one of the stamps and the stencil for this anniversary card. 

I started with a snippet of white card to fit a 6" square card and smooshed some different green brushos over it and then when dry I used some texture paste through the stencil over the top, colouring it green using some alcohol inks to get a slightly darker green than the background.  I then found another snippet of white card and stamped the birds using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  I coloured the birds with Distress Inks and a waterbrush using Abandoned Coral for the heads, and Mowed Lawn, Twisted Citron and a little bit of Pine Needles to shade their bodies and wings, and also the first two greens on the leaves, and then the branch itself was Brushed Corduroy.  I cut them out and finished it by adding them over the stencilled heart and also added the sentiment using the Nocturne Ink.

I used the coral and green meaning to add it over at the Color Hues Challenge but I was too slow in finishing it and I missed the deadline...drat!  Anyway thanks for joining me here today and I'll see you again soon. 

Shortly I will be adding a post which will just be photos of our trip to Australia...you might need a large coffee to sustain you as I have chosen about a dozen photos.  Please feel free to skip it..lol.

I am entering the following challenges:

Snippets Playground Challenge - No. 531 Where we use our snippets of card and paper etc.

Allsorts Challenge - No. 848 Anything but Square/Anything Goes.

Stencil Fun Challenge - May '26 Anything goes/See Thru It.

We Love Stamping Challenge - May '26 All Creatures Great and Small/Anything Goes.

Stamping Sensations Challenge - May '26 Cute Creatures/Anything Goes.  (sad to say this is their last challenge).

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Make It Colourful.

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge - No. 516 Make Your Mark.

Triple B Challenge - May '26 Birds, Butterflies and Blooms (using 1, 2 or all 3).

NBUS Challenge - No 86 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.