Group of Cardmakers - Faux Cyanotypes

Hi all.  This is the start of another month over at the Group of Cardmakers, and this month we are doing a faux cyanotype technique.  The original technique uses chemicals to coat paper or fabric kept in dim light to dry, and then part of it being masked with something and then moved into sunlight, and it develops the typical deep blue leaving the masked part white.  I have made this one larger so you can perhaps see it better.

This first card uses a stamp from Stampscapes, Blueprint Sketch Distress Ink and Hero Arts Unicorn White Ink, and also a Clarity Crafts set of Embedders, the first time I have used these.  This look here is the closest to the actual Cyanotype technique being a blue background with the white image featuring a 5" x 7" card as a landscape and I used one of the embedders with rounded corners to add the line around to give the image a frame.  For anyone interested in seeing how you do this Barbara Gray is seen doing the technique here.  Go to 26.13 mts and it finishes about 29.13mts.  I ink blended the background with the blue and then when dry I added the image using the white ink.  Perhaps this image was not the best to use as I felt it wasn't very easy to see the cabin amongst the trees even after stamping it quite a few times, and making sure I cleaned the stamp in between each application.  I decided to try heat setting it with Clear Gloss Embossing Powder which I think made it look brighter and perhaps a touch clearer.  

I am entering the above card in the following challenges:

Cardz 4 Guyz Challenge - No. 383 Monochrome.

The Male Room Challenge - No. 207 CAS (Clean and Simple.

The next two cards come away from the blue and white, and the first uses Peacock Feathers DI and the magnolia flowers which is a fairly old Penny Black stamp called Summer Dream, and a Creative Craft Products set of Torn Edge Hearts.  I cut a piece of white card to fit behind the aperture and blended the ink over it and then stamped the flowers onto it to best fit inside the aperture.  I placed the aperture a little above the centre to leave room for the sentiment which was stamped with the same ink and then heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder. 

I am entering the above card into the following challenges:

Beautiful Blossoms Challenge - Anything Floral Goes/Mood Board No. 38.

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Feb. 26 Anything Goes/Romance.

Seize the Birthday Challenge - No. 321 Anything with Wings/Anything Goes.

I am entering the above card in the following challenges:

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge - No. 511 Make Your Mark.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.

Try it on Tuesday Challenge - Countdown 3-2-1 (three, two or just one of something).

The last card was made using a circle die to cut a mask and again a piece of white card to fit a 6" square card.  I used a fox image from a Texture set of stamps by Lou Collins called Wildlife, and this time I used Ripe Persimmon DI to ink blend the masked circle and then added the fox to it, and I added a few leafy foliage branches using a set by Inkylicious called Mini Branches and Twigs to give it a bit more interest.  I finished with a sentiment also using the same orange ink and the Clear Gloss EP.

This is a lovely technique and looks quite effective I think and I hope that you will join in with it and if you do there is a Linky at the bottom of the GOC's post and we would love to see your cards.  There are also some beautiful cards to see from the other ladies.

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

Painted Snowdrops

Hi everybody.  Unfortunately I have been quite busy with other things recently and have been remiss in not getting to comment or put anything up, but I am back showing this card with snowdrops using a Chocolate Baroque Stamp from way back and which I haven't used at all before I think as when I was a guest designer I was sent quite a few stamps each month and didn't always get around to using them all.  I also used a NBUS Spellbinders Embossing Folder called Autumn Chevron, and I cut the frame around the flowers using a stitched die I got a few years ago from The Works.

I started with the snowdrops and stamped them with Versafine Smokey Gray Ink onto grey card, and I decided to use the acrylic paint technique I used for this card here, and also this card here.  I coloured the snowdrops with a couple of greens and then white on the flowers.  I did use a very small amount of water as the lines were rather thin on the foliage and it was easier to spread the paint.  I then shaded the little centres of two of the flowers.  With this technique you paint over the lines and when the paint is dry you restamp..obviously you do need a stamp positioner as you leave the stamp in it so that you can place the card back into a corner and get it to match exactly.  I decided with the restamping to use Versafine Clair Nocturne ink to get a nice strong outline.  I then used the shaped die to cut it out to make it more interesting.  I finished the card by cutting the Chevron EF from white card and cut it to fit this 5" x 7" card and I took the whiteness off it with a little added Tumbled Glass Distress Ink applied with a brush, and I also added the birthday sentiment again using the Nocturne Ink and heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder and cut it into a fishtail banner shape.  

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

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

We Love Stamping Challenge - Feb. '26 Hearts/Anything Goes.

Stamping Sensations Challenge - Feb. '26 Favourite Stamps/Anything Goes.

Allsorts Challenge - No. 843 Embossing/Anything Goes.

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge - No. 511 Make Your Mark.

Can You Handle The Pressure Challenge - Anything Using Embossing Goes/With Die Cuts.

Beautiful Blossoms Challenge - Anything Floral Goes/Mood Board No. 38.

Triple B Challenge - Feb. 26 Using Birds, Butterflies and Blooms (one, two or all three).

A Fruity Card

Hi all.  Tut tut! To those that thought this might be something other than a card with some fruit on..lol, in this case strawberries, using a very old but never used set from Stamping Sensations which The Range used to sell many years ago so not available now.  I thought I should have a dig through some old stamps and I suddenly remembered this set and perfect for the Addicted to CAS Challenge which this time has the theme of food.  I also used some papers which I got a while ago from The Works.  I don't very often buy papers but these caught my eye and I have used a few of the different coloured alcohol ink inspired ones but not the striped ones which are in different colours to go with the the all over mixed colour ones, and there are a few other patterns which coordinate too.

I was inspired by a few cards online that I have seen using torn papers for backgrounds and I chose these two and I tore them with the stripes and a piece of the all over coloured one and then more of the stripes so that they filled a corner of a snippet of white card a bit smaller than the 5" x 7" card base.  I then found a snippet of white card and stamped the bunch of strawberries using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink and then coloured them using a set of Lyra Graduate Pencils which I haven't used lately.  I then cut them out..a bit fiddly but I got their with a minor snip in the wrong place but luckily it was easily rectified when stuck down.  I used some Pinflair Glue Gel to give them a bit of dimension and stuck them over the paper, and all it needed was a sentiment also stamped in Nocturne Ink and heat embossed with WOW Clear Embossing Powder.  

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

I am also entering the following challenges:

Snippets Playground Challenge - No.  525 where we use our snippets of card and paper etc.

We Love Stamping Challenge - Feb. '26 Hearts/Anything Goes.

Stamping Sensations Challenge - Feb. '26 Favourite Stamps/Anything Goes.
Allsorts Challenge - No. 842 Create Your Own Background/Anything Goes.

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge - No. 722 A Sketch by Kim.

NBUS Challenge - No. 83 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

I am also joining in with Darnell's I.D.E.A.S. and this is Week 1: Ink/Colour Mediums.