Rose/Butterfly/Floral Perfumery

Hi all.  Here are my cards which were part of last month's shows on Hochanda.  The first is a Brusho background and the pretty stamp from the Rose Perfumery set was white embossed first before the Brushos were added.  I moved the inks around and added a bit more where needed using a waterbrush.  Scarlet over the flower head, Lemon and Orange for the scent bottle, and Emerald for the foliage.  I then cut the rectangle using a Crealies Pierced Rectangle die and finished the edges with a bit more Distress Ink in Broken China to give it a good contrast to the white background card.  Finally I added a sentiment from the set using Versafine Vintage Sepia Ink.

The second card uses Butterfly Perfumery.  The background was made using Distress Oxides in Salty Ocean and Squeezed Lemonade.  I then added the corners using WOW Gold Metallic Embossing Powder, double embossing to build up the finish.  I then stamped the butterfly border on to spare white card again using the Gold EP and cut out the butterflies.  Where some overlap I chose which ones to cut and obviously had to waste one or two, so had to do two lots to get this amount of butterflies.  I then coloured them using Distress Inks in Fossilised Amber, Blueprint Sketch and Cracked Pistachio overlapping the colours, finishing with some Wink of Stella to give them a lovely bit of sparkle.  I then stamped one of the sentiments from the set heat embossing with the Gold EP, and placed the butterflies around it glueing them just by the bodies so the wings could be bent upwards.

The last card was made using some of the smaller stamps from Floral Perfumery stamped on to a piece of watercolour card using Hickory Smoke Distress Ink as I thought it would probably be a bit paler and I didn't want the lines to show too much after colouring.  I coloured with a waterbrush using more Distress Inks in Shaded Lilac and Dusty Concord with a small amount of Wilted Violet on the central flowers, and Adirondack Sunshine Yellow and Fossilized Amber for the other flowers.  All the leaves were coloured in Twisted Citron and Peeled Paint Distress Inks.  I then applied a background using Broken China Distress Ink first making sure that the flowers and leaves were thoroughly dry I wetted the card a little with the waterbrush and then added the ink on the brush first well watered down on my glass mat and working fairly fast to get round the whole thing before the ink and card dried.  I then finished by adding another of the sentiments from the set using Versafine Smokey Grey Ink and heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder and the matted it on to dark green card. 

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

CAS Watercolour Card Challenge

Hi everybody.  Here I am again running out of time to enter Loll and Bonnie's CAS Challenges, but I do at least have this one ready and time to put it up as there are only four days left to go.   The theme for the CAS Watercolour Card Challenge is to use pink and red which I think are two quite difficult colours to use together.  Anyway I chose to make a background using Docrafts Cable Knit Embossing Folder which I have had for quite a while and have never got around to using, and unfortunately it doesn't seem to be available now.  I thought this would go really well with another NBUS item the Woodware Ball of Wool stamp which I have also had for quite sometime and which I have only just inked...tut tut!

I decided to ink up the positive side of the folder with some Picked Raspberry Distress Ink, spritzed with water and laid the piece of white card over it pressing to  transfer the ink.  The pattern is quite small and to be honest it didn't look very interesting so I smooshed some of the same pink ink on to it to give it a bolder background, and then did the same with some Abandoned Coral DI with a bit of added Gold Mica Powder mix into it, and again smooshed to add a bit more interest, and actually the gold just shine out in place but isn't really visible in the photo.  I then added red ink to the folder and trying to line up the pattern which actually proved reasonably easy, I added some Festive Berries DI to bring out the pattern.

I then stamped the Ball of Wool stamp on to a piece of white card using Dusty Concord DI and coloured with a waterbrush using the Festive Berries with just a little of the Picked Raspberry, and then mixed some of the Gold Mica with some water and painted the needles again using the waterbrush, and this flies in the face of all the rules but luckily the background stamping didn't move, and when dry I fussy cut this out.

I made a circular aperture in another piece of white card to place over the background, and cut it with a circular die from The Works, and to give it a bit more interest I embossed it with the same Cable Knit EF.  I finished it by layering it on to a  6" square white card and added a sentiment using Dusty Concord DI, and using my Misti I was able to ink it twice to get a good dark image.  I then heat embossed it using WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder on to a strip of white card tucking the strip under the ball of wool before attaching it to the card.  I was quite pleased that I managed to match up the cable pattern on the background piece and the embossed piece over the top, but it probably doesn't notice that well in the photo.

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

The Lovebirds

Hi there everyone.  I made a Valentine's Card for my hubby using a set of stamps by Sheena Douglass called The Lovebirds.   I bought this and two other sets of bird stamps recently.  We were going to some gardens in the area to see the snowdrops but the weather changed on the way and as it was pouring down we ended up at a craft centre instead and I found this and two other sets of Sheena's bird stamps at a knock down price.  There are so many craft shops closing now, and it is nice to go to a shop and buy as well as getting things on line, but there is so much competition now, the lady there said that they can't afford to stock dies especially but that they would try to keep essential cardmaking supplies and perhaps some stamps, so I will have to see what happens next time I go there.

Anyway, here is the card.  As well as the Lovebirds, I also used a freebie embossing folder which I got quite a while ago, and I made a Brusho background background on glossy card.

I started with the Brusho background using a snippet of white glossy card.  I used Bright Red, Scarlet and Orange.  I have never tried using glossy card with them before but it worked well, and actually the colours moved easier I think.  I did spritz the card before sprinkling the colours and then spritzed again.  I kept adding colour until I was happy with the result.  I cut this layer to fit my square white card.

I then stamped the birds on to a snippet of white card using Versfine Smokey Gray ink and then heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  I then coloured with my Distress Inks using Mowed Lawn, Fossilized Amber, Spiced Marmalade, Brushed Corduroy, Hickory Smoke and Candied Apple.  I then fussy cut them.

I embossed the hearts freebie folder on to a snippet of white card about 5" square and die cut the heart from the centre using a Sweet Dixie die.  I then laid this over the background to see where to place the sentiment, and stamped it with the Smokey Gray ink using my Misti so that I could stamp it more than once.  I did put some talc over the background before stamping and it still slipped a little, but I decided that it looked OK after stamping it twice.  I finished by layering it up and added the birds over the heart aperture.   

I thought my hubby might think this a bit bright, but he was quite complimentary and when asked gave it 7 out of 10, and said it reminded him of parrots we've seen in Australia, so I think he liked it..lol.  Thanks for looking at my blog today and I hope to see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenge:

Pixie's Crafty Workshop - No. 346 where we use up our snippets of card and paper etc.
Stamping Sensations February Challenge - All Things Bright and Beautiful.
Penny Black and More February Challenge - Anything Goes.
The Artistic Stamper February Challenge - Heart It.
613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes/Use a Critter.

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.