Quick Cards for February

Hi there everybody.  Time for the Chocolate Baroque 15 Minute Card post on the Design Team Blog, and here are my two cards which you will find together with many more examples from the DT and the GDT to give you lots of quick cardmaking inspiration.

This first card is made using a pretty rosebud from the Rose Perfumery stamp set.

I found a piece of one of the papers from My Floral Soul which was just the right size, so I stamped the image on to it using Versafine Smokey Gray Ink.  I coloured it using some coloured pencils, two pinks, two greens and a brown.  I then inked up the edges, keeping it light around the image, using Blueprint Sketch Distress Ink, and then spritzed it with water to remove some of the ink.  I then stamped the sentiment using the Versafine Ink and layered it on to a piece of blue card and a piece of white which I cut using my go to Crealies Pierced Rectangle set of dies, and added it to a white card.

For this second card I heat embossed the largest image from the Floral Perfumery stamp set on to glossy card using WOW Silver Metallic Embossing Powder and then used alcohol inks applied using an applicator and felt pads.  I used Indigo, Watermelon, Clover and Pool and some blending solution to help move them around.  I then die cut it again using a Crealies Pierced Rectangle, and added it to a slightly larger piece of white card.  I then cut a strip of vellum and heat embossed a sentiment from the set on to it using the same Silver Embossing Powder and wrapped it round and attached it to the underside of the matted image before adhering this to the white card.

Thank you for stopping by today and visit Chocolate Baroque Design Team Blog for lots of great ways to use their stamps, as there are new cards to look at most days.

Thank You Blog Hop for Di

Hi there.  As the title says this is a Blog Hop which has been arranged by our great friend Darnell over on her blog to say a big thank you to Di for her seven years of running Pixie's Crafty Workshop, or to us regular players The Snippets Playground.

She is the loveliest lady and so generous too with the great prizes she provides for each of the challenges which run for two weeks and which she oversees with the help of Parsnip and Dudley.  When I first started blogging over five years ago she was one of the first people to come and say hello and she helped guide me through the gates of the playground, where I have been having fun ever since.  For the uninitiated the idea of the challenge is to use up those scraps or snippets of card, paper, ribbon or suchlike, or any of those things that have been lurking at the back of a cupboard and which need to be used.  So thank you Di for all your hard work in making The Playground a great place to be and for being so patient with such an unruly mob to keep in order...lol.   I have never met Di in person but I hope to one day as we do at least both live in the south of the country.

For this card I decided to use a set of Inkylicious stamps Mini Flower Blooms and a Gina K Wreath Builder Stencil which were part of a prize I won there back in January, and in addition an XCut Deco Scallop Embossing Folder, and a sentiment which comes from a set of Stamping Up stamps called Painted Petals which I also won in The Playground several years ago.

 I started with a snippet of white card cut in to a 4" square.  In effect the stencil, when used in conjunction with a stamp positioner, has 8 indents into which you place the card, and as you turn the card the stamp which you have placed in the position on the square where you wish it to be is stamped eight times in a circle, and if you use just 4 of the indents you can get an image in each of the corners too which is useful.  For my wreath I have used three of the little stamps, and then to finish it I also stamped another flower with two leaves in each of the corners.   I used Distress Inks - Cracked Pistachio, Candied Apple, Twisted Citron, Abandoned Coral and Peeled Paint.  I added a sentiment using WOW Silver Metallic Embossing Powder and then matted this on to a snippet of Silver Mirri card.

 I then embossed the background on to a snippet of turquoise card using the Deco Scallop EF.  I don't use coloured card all that often so I have always got some bits in my drawer and this picked up the colour in the topper.  I then mounted this on to a 6" square white card and added the topper.  Job done!

I'm sorry I am a bit late to the party but the Blog Hop is open for another day, so there is still time if anyone else wants to join in.  A big thank you is also in order to Darnell for organising this.  Thank you for your visit and I'll see you again soon. 

I am entering the following challenges:

Pixie's Crafty Workshop - No. 345 where we use up our snippets of paper and card etc.
The Flower Challenge - No. 29 Use your latest Stamps or Dies.
Penny Black and More February Challenge -  Anything Goes.
Addicted to Stamps - No. 327 Make Your Mark.
Simon Says Monday Challenge - Add Some Red.

Wise Owl and Sing Your Song

Hi everyone.  Here are the last two cards I made for the Chocolate Baroque December TV shows.  This one features the Wise Owl stamp set. I began with the owl which I stamped on to a piece of white card using Brushed Corduroy, Ground Espresso and Ages Mahogany Distress Inks.  I used my Misti and started with the lightest ink, and then added the darker ink around the outside and on the beak, and then added a little of the redder toned Aged Mahogany, stamping in between each colour application.  I then fussy cut it out.  I did add a little Broken China and Fossilized Amber ink to the white bits on the owl to take the stark white off. 

I made the background by laying Faded Jeans, Spiced Marmalade and Broken China Distress Ink down on my glass mat and spritzed with water before pulling a piece of white card through the inks to cover.  I then stamped randomly over the background with the large and small feather in the set using Faded Jeans for the large, and Brushed Corduroy for the small one.  I then coloured them with a waterbrush using the same colours as for the background but adding in some Dusty Concord.  I coloured the small feathers with some gold Perfect Pearls applied with the waterbrush too, and I also added highlights of gold to the large feathers.  I cut the background to fit a 7" x 5" card and added Broken China ink around the edge using a blending tool.

I finished by die cutting an oval stitched mat to put the owl on to and coloured it with a blending tool using Spiced Marmalade ink, and then added a piece of craft foam on the back to give it more dimension before adding the owl before sticking on to the background.

For the second card I used the Sing Your Song stamp set.

I started by die cutting a rectangular mat using my set of Crealies Pierced Dies just a little bigger than the main image using white card.  I then stamped using my stamp positioner as I wanted to use two colours inking first with the Broken China Distress Ink, and then following by some Dusty Concord DI.  After inking the stamp with each colour I spritzed lightly with water before stamping for a slightly more watercoloured effect. 

I then made a background scene on a piece of white card just slightly smaller than the white base card, and inked with the two colours already used plus some Peeled Paint DI using a stencil brush to apply the ink as I didn't want too dark a background.  I made a mask for the hills from a piece of copy paper ripping and tearing to get a rough shape and then tidying it a bit with a pair of scissors.  To make the reflection in the water I just turned the mask the other way up to mirror the shape.

I then stamped the sentiment using Broken China DI and for a little extra interest I decided to take the little bird stamp from the same set and inked with the same two inks as I used on the other image but this time I didn't add any water when stamping.  I cut it out leaving a narrow white edge.

When I put the card together I raised up the image mat and the bird using a piece of craft foam behind them.

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

Let Your Heart Sing and Live Out Loud

Hi there.  Here are two of the cards I made for the Chocolate Baroque Hochanda shows last month.  The first features the Let Your Heart Sing stamp set.

                                             

I started by stamping this image from the set on to a piece of smooth white card using Versafine Smokey Gray ink and using my Misti so that I could stamp it several times to get good coverage.  I then heat embossed using WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.

I then placed the moon mask and sprinkled Brusho powders in Aquamarine, Turqoise and Purple on to the paper approximately where I wanted them and blended using a waterbrush.  I wasn't quite happy with the colours and darkened round the edges blending some Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink and also in towards the moon, and some Wilted Violet DI above the tree line, and then removed the mask and added some Hickory Smoke DI across the face of the moon, and Brilliance Moonlight White around it to give a misty look.

I finished by layering it on to  piece of white card and added it to  a 7" x 5" white base card.

My second card features the Live Out Loud stamp set.  I actually think the collage image with the two birds would be great on an anniversary card, and I may well use it like that in the future.

I started with the collage image which I stamped on to white card and heat embossed using WOW Metallic Gold Embossing Powder and then watercoloured using a variety of Distress Inks including Mermaid Lagoon, Twisted Citron, Rich Mahogany, Ground Espresso, Candied Apple, Lucky Clover, Fossilized Amber and Brushed Corduroy.  I then cut it with a Crealies Pierced Rectangle die.

I then made the background again using white card and stamping the bird on the branch, just the bit with the bird on, and then twice more across the top, just a small section of leaves, again using the WOW Metallic Gold EP.  To hang the birdhouse from the branch I used a Versamark pen to draw a line using the edge of a ruler to get it straight, and then heat embossed it to match.  I then blended ink on the background using Mermaid Lagoon, Twisted Citron and a little Fossilized Amber DI's making the edge darker than the centre.  I also added the large sentiment to the background using the Mermaid Lagoon but not wishing it to stand out too much I then blended some more ink over the top, and also did some water spritzing which softened it to the point that it is difficult to see in the photo, but it shows up more in real life.

I finished by adding some of the inks round the edge of the topper before adding it to the card.

Thank you for stopping by my blog today.  Members of the Design Team post on the blog most days so if you love the stamps do go and take a look here.

January CAS Stencil Challenge

Hi everyone.  I am trying very hard to get an entry in for at least one of Loll and Bonnie's Challenges, and this, the CAS Stencil Challenge is their latest one which started this month and I'm sure it will be a big success.   The theme this time is Sponging, and the challenges close on the 24th of the month so I am just in time.

I have some rather fun stamps which I bought recently by Joy Crafts featuring these cute pugs but unfortunately I'm not sure whether they are still available.   I also went out a day or two ago to buy some necessary crafty bits which I was running low on, and what should I see but a That Special Touch Mask with heart shaped paw prints called Paws for Love which goes perfectly with my sweet little pugs so I just had to get it,  and here is what I did.

I started with a snippet of white card about 4" square and using some distress inks sponged the ink through the stencil using a blending tool and Distress Inks in Fossilized Amber, Mermaid Lagoon and Candied Apple.  I started with the yellow then added the blue which mixed and made a pretty turqoise colour, and then I added some red to the little hearts, and this did mingle with some of the other inks, but I was pleased with the effect.  To finish I blended some more blue round the edges.

I then got another snippet of white card and stamped the pugs using Versafine Smokey Gray Ink, and then coloured with some Fossilized Amber, Brushed Corduroy and Hickory Smoke using a watercolour brush, and finished with a bit of Candied Apple on the bow and the little heart.  I then cut out the dogs and the little heart leaving a little bit of a white edge.

I finished by stamping and heat embossing a sentiment from the set on to a snippet of black card using WOW Opaque Bright White Ink and cut it into a fishtail banner and layered up the pugs on to the edge of it and added the little red heart.

Thank you for visiting today and I hope to see you again soon.  Thank you for all the lovely comments you leave which I really appreciate.

I am entering the following challenges:

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Have a Heart.
Uniko Challenge - No. 51 Anything Goes (Optional Twist: Love).
613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes (Optional Twist: Watercolouring).
Pixie's Crafty Workshop - No. 344 where we use our snippets of card and paper etc.

January Twofer Challenge

Hi there everybody.  The Twofer Card Challenge is run by our lovely blogging friend Darnell and the theme this time is birds, and as the title suggests to enter you make two cards using the same stamps, stencils or dies but for two different occasions, and the bird central to both my cards is an image from a set by Chocolate Baroque called  Let Your Heart Sing, and here they both are.

As I was running out of time and I wanted to get an entry in this time, the first card is one I made for the Chocolate Baroque TV shows last month but which hasn't been seen anywhere yet.  A bit of a cheat but OK I hope.

I started with a Brusho background in shades of green, Emerald and Leaf Green, and also some Yellow.  I darkened the edges with some Fossilized Amber and Spiced Marmalade Distress Inks.  I then stamped a border using a small flourish stamp from the set and added a small bird on a branch in the centre using Onyx Black Versafine Ink.  I decided to make it like a tile so I covered it with Versamark Ink and heat embossed using WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  I did this twice to build up the shine.  I finished the topper by matting it on to a Crealies Pierced Rectangle using white card.

I then embellished the card base using another of the bird images from the set along the bottom and up the sides using Versamark Ink and heat embossed with WOW Gold Metallic EP.  I then blended some Fossilized Amber DI over the top using a blending tool, and faded the colour out where the stamping ends.

I decided not to use a sentiment on the front as I didn't want to cover up the pretty gold embossing.

For my second card I decided to make a circle shape with some leaves from a set by Inkylicious called Mini Branches which I was lucky enough to win over at The Playground recently.  I started by cutting a mat using the largest square stitched die from a set by The Works.  I was going to use a Gina K Wreath Builder stencil which was also part of the prize, and using my stamp positioner, to place the leaves in a circle.

I wanted to use a slightly larger square than the 4" one the stencil allows, and although I managed to make it work on a piece of copy paper by overlapping the card on the stencil the same amount on either side of the cut out positioning places, when I came to do the same on the actual piece for some reason, probably user error..lol, it wasn't going well, so I decided to just place the stamps around by hand, still using my Misti, and it didn't finish up with the neatest circle ever but having spent quite a long time doing it I decided to go with it.   I used Brushed Corduroy Distress ink on the stems and Peeled Paint DI for the leaves.  I then placed the bird within the circle again using Brushed Corduroy for the bird's perch, and then Broken China and Fossilized Amber DI's on the bird itself, with some Aged Mahogany on the three little flowers.   I took the ink pads to the stamp inside the Misti for both the leaves and the bird, using one colour at a time to colour the image, stamping in between until I achieved the right result.  Rubbing the ink off the stamp from any areas I didn't want it was a bit fiddly but I do like the end result.

I then added the background brushing the ink on making sure to keep within the confines of the leafy circle which is easier with a stencil brush, again using Broken China and Peeled Paint DI's and using a mask cut from a piece of paper for the hills, and also a straight edge to use below.

I finished by adding the sentiment to the topper using Versamark Ink and heat embossing with WOW Copper Metallic Embossing Powder.  I then mounted it on to a piece of craft foam before adding it to a white 6" square card.

I really wanted to enter the challenge this time as I have missed the last couple of  months, and as I was running out of time using the one card which I had already made helped me along a bit, but this is a slight cheat and hope that Darnell thinks my shortcut is an acceptable one.

Thank you for visiting today and I'll be back soon.

Quick Cards for January

Hi there.  It's the middle of the month and time for some more 15 Minute cards over at the Chocolate Baroque Design Team Blog, and here are  my two cards.  This first one is using the stamp set Let Your Heart Sing, and also one of the papers from the set My Floral Soul.

I started by finding a piece of one of the papers with a fairly plain bottom area and some blue at the top which had the look of a sky and I stamped the image using Distress Ink in this purple colour Dusty Concord.  I then added a bit of Adirondack Sunshine Yellow through a Visible Image stencil called Strobes using a round blending tool.  I didn't do it as is, but I moved it around to get the bits of white where I wanted them omitting the central piece, and I also used my round blending tool to made a round inked shape for the sun.  I then used some more Distress Ink in Abandoned Coral just above the tree line and darkened the sun shape to give more contrast.

 

I finished the card by adding a dark blue mat and added this to the white base card. 

I made the second card using the set Live Out Loud and another of the papers from My Floral Soul.  I started with the background and chose a piece of the paper and cut it to fit the white card.  I then stamped the image on to a piece of white card using Versamark Ink and heat embossed with WOW Opaque Bright White Embossing Powder.  I then used Mermaid Lagoon and Wilted Violet Distress Inks and a waterbrush to fill in the background areas of the stamp and cut it out and mounted it on to a piece of co-ordinating blue cardstock.  I finished by stamping the sentiment using Versafine Majestic blue Ink.  The edges of the stamp are uneven in case you think my cutting out is completely useless...lol, although I did cut some of the edges a bit straighter, and looking again now perhaps I could have straightened the curve on the left a bit more.

For lots of great inspiration every day visit the Design Team Blog.

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