Indian Textiles, Paisley Elephant and Nature's Paisleys

Hi there everybody.  Here are three cards I made for the Chocolate Baroque shows on the TV in August featuring these three sets of Indian themed stamps.  I usually show them at the end of the month but I ran out of time, so here they are now.

For this first card I started with the background using my gelli plate and three colours of Distress Inks, Cracked Pistachio, Fossilised Amber and Carved Pumpkin.  I did want the yellow more to the bottom and the green and orange over the rest so laid the inks down with this in mind, although the results are always random, and I find the gelli plate seems to mix the inks much better for me.  I also spritzed before laying the card over and rubbing it well before lifting.  I finished the background by adding this little square stamp from Paisley Elephant across the top and bottom to make a border using the Cracked Pistachio.

I then found a piece of yellow parchment and heat embossed the script from the same set on to it using Versamark Ink and WOW Gold Metallic Embossing Powder.  I cut it out and the rolled the bottom and the top to make a sort of scroll, although there was much more parchment to roll at the bottom than the top, but it gives it the look.

I added the peacock from Indian Textiles and inked it using my Misti with the Cracked Pistachio first, and spritzed before stamping, then again with the Carved Pumpking around the middle section, spritzing lightly again before stamping, then I coloured the outer feathers with some of the Fossilised Amber and the peacock body with Peacock Feathers.  I then cut it out leaving a slight white border.

I finished by layering it up on to a dark green mat, then added the parchment and peacock and finished by stamping one of the sentiments from Elephant Paisley and heat embossed using Versamark and the WOW Opaque Bright White EP, and I made a fishtail banner and added it to the card.

Here I started with a white rectangle and stamped the minarets from Indian Textiles and the lacy border from the same set using Versamark and WOW Silver Metallic Embossing Powder.  I did try using some gilding flakes with WOW Bonding Powder over the Minaret image using my Misti, and they did stick rather randomly, so you can see little patches of gold flakes, and then I went over it again with the Versamark and stamped again using the WOW Silver Metallic EP.  I then placed a mask for the moon and applied some Black Brusho Powder which has quite a lot of other colours within it, and also some Turquoise, and some bits of Lemon and Orange near the horizon.  I did use quite a lot of water as I didn't want the background too dark.  I removed the mask and dusted some Hickory Smoke Distress Ink over the face of the moon using a blending tool, and also a very little Fossilised Amber.  I layered this on to a piee of dark blue card.

For the background I heat embossed on to white card using an image from Elephant Paisley, with the same WOW Silver EP.  I then applied some Carved Pumpkin again using the blending tool.  I then put it together and added a white strip with a sentiment from the set using Versafine Vintage Sepia Ink and blended a little more of the same ink around the edges before adhering it to the card.

On this last card I started with the background.  Using the splash technique I used Salty Ocean and Worn Lipstick Distress Oxide Inks, and also some Shaded Lilace Distress Ink.  I  added one of the images from Nature's Paisleys using the Worn Lipstick and also added some stamping using two smaller stamps from the Indian Textiles set with Salty Ocean Oxide both second generation stamping, and Brilliance Moonlight White for the other.  I then die cut a stitched circle using a set of dies from The Works, and cut it in half and one half into three.  I applied inks going from dark to light and blending several colours of pink and purple to get the colours I wanted.  I then stamped one of the sentiments from the set on to two of the strips and using the damask type pattern on the bottom half and then coloured with again several colours of pink to match the top half.  I glued the circle over the edge of the background and the added a bright pink mat behind it.

I stamped the large elephant on to a piece of white card and coloured with my Distress Inks using a paintbrush and some water and fussy cut it out.  After adhering the background to the card I added the elephant using Pinflair Glue Gel to give it dimension.

Thank you for looking at my blog today, and I hope to see you again soon.

Faux Metal Birdcage Anniversary

Hi there everyone.  I was delighted to be asked by Bonnie and Loll to be a Guest Designer for this month's CAS Mix Up Challenge as I was lucky enough to be chosen as Top Pick for the August challenge.

The theme is metal, and there are a few video tutorials for you to look at if you need some inspiration to set you on your way.  Here is what I did.

To add to the required elements of Metal and Stamping, I have added Ink Blending, Heat Embossing and Dry Embossing.  The technique for the birdcage is called Faux Metal, and I actually followed the video by Jennifer McGuire which is one of those suggested on the challenge blog.

I decided to use a die from The Works and with a piece of white card and Versamark Ink I heat embossed it three times with WOW Silver Metallic Embossing Powder to build up a nice shiny finish.  I then die cut just the top bit again to get a second bird.  I cut it away from the rest and managed to get a small piece from the cage to give it a second leg.  I then also heat embossed it with the Silver EP.  I decided to tuck its tail inside the cage, so I glued it in place ready to add to the card.

I started the background by embossing a piece of 4" square white card using a Sheena Douglass Embossing Folder called Clockwork Daisies.  I also tried a new to me technique.  I blended two colours of Distress Ink - Abandoned Coral and Fossilized Amber on to the card, very heavily, making sure to get in  all the cracks, blending one colour well into the other.  I then brushed over it with Gold Perfect Pearls which gives it a lovely sheen and also helps to give it a more evenly blended look.  It is good to finish by rubbing it over with a piece of tissue or paper towel to remove the residue.   I added this to a slightly larger piece of white card.  I then added this to the white 6" square base card and mounted the birdcage on to it.

Lastly I added a sentiment using the Silver EP on to black card cut into a thin strip, and as you can see I tucked this just under the feet of the birdcage.

Thank you for stopping by today and please do go over and take a look at all the beautiful cards and wonderful inspiration from Bonnie and Loll and the rest of the Design Team.  The challenge doesn't close until the 24th of the month so you have lots of time to get a card in too.

I am entering the following challenge:

Pixie's Crafty Workshop - No. 336 where we use our snippets of paper and card etc.  (I used snippets of white card for the background and layer behind it, and another snippet of white for the birdcage and extra bird, and a black snippet for the sentiment)
Happy Little Stampers October Challenge - Anything Goes with Dies.

Rudolph Days September Challenge

Hi there everyone.  Another month has whooshed by and so once again it is time for the Rudolph Days Challenge over at Scraps of Life by Scrappymo, run by lovely Mo, and believe it or not there are now only two more challenges before Christmas, so time to motor on with those seasonal cards.  The challenge runs from the 25th to the end of each month, and as it is the last day of the month today I have made this very quick card using an upcycled topper.  Our son has been visiting from Australia and we had a great time in Cornwall this last week with beautiful weather, warm sun every day, definitely good for the time of year.  Sadly we have now said goodbye as he has gone to visit friends prior to returning to Sydney tomorrow, and thank goodness for Skype, how did we manage before.

I used a couple of foliage stamps and a sentiment from a Chocolate Baroque set called Robin the Spruce and made this wreath of foliage around the topper using two of the stamps, and also added a sentiment from the set.  I put the 6" square white card into my Misti and laid the pinecone foliage stamp across the corner  and stamped using Versamark ink, and by twisting the card a quarter turn each time placed the corners.  Then I used the smaller berries stamp and put that in between and did the same thing to get that circular shape.  I finished by heat embossing with the WOW Metallic Gold Embossing Powder.

To finish I then placed the sentiment and again embossed with the Gold EP.  I do think my sentiment could have been a little straighter though.  I decided to give the topper more dimension by adding a piece of white foam behind to raise it up a bit.

Thank you for visiting here today and I will be back again tomorrow.  

I am also entering the following challenges:

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge - No. 405 Anything Goes.
Addicted to Stamps Challenge - No. 166 Christmas Comes Early.
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.

Steampunk Airship/Balloon

Hi everybody.  I needed a masculine birthday card and I thought I would use this fabulous airship cum balloon which comes in a set of steampunk stamps by Chocolate Baroque called Steampunkery.  These stamps are steampunk with a twist, a little quirky but very useful for male cards, though I think they can be appreciated by all and they are very detailed and fun too.

I started with a piece of white card about 5.75" square on which I stamped the image using Versafine Vintage Sepia ink and then I heat embossed using WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  I then stamped the image on to a piece of copy paper and fussy cut it out to use as a mask.

I then ink blended using a Visible Image stencil called Strobes, using a stencil brush and a couple of colours of Distress Ink - Fossilised Amber and Spiced Marmalade.  Keeping the stencil in place I added some clouds with a mask I drew and cut out myself, again using the stencil brush, and Broken China and Mermaid Lagoon DI.  Using the brush means you can add the colour very carefully and build it up to whatever strength you want, and I didn't want the colours to be too strong.  I think the colours do look more green than blue due to the yellow already added.    I removed the stencil and took the white off the Strobes and the clouds by adding more yellow and orange to them.  I then removed the mask and coloured the airship using a waterbrush and some Walnut Stain and a little Broken China mixed in to keep the colours in harmony with one another.

I finished by stamping a sentiment, again using the Versafine Vintage Sepia, and then added WOW Clear Gloss EP over the top before adhering it to a 6" square white base card.

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

I am entering the following challenges:

Stamping Sensations September Challenge -  I Spy something beginning with 'B' (Balloon, Blue sky, Birthday card).
Allsorts Challenge - Week 486 Water or the Colour Blue.  (My sky is a blue colour so hope this link to the theme is sufficient).
Watercooler Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.  (I was thrilled to be chosen as the weekly winner of this challenge).

Quick Cards for September

Hi everyone.   Here are a couple of quick cards I made for a post which Chocolate Baroque do once a month over on their Design Team Blog featuring cards which take about 15 minutes to make.

I started this using two different images from the Nature's Paisley set of stamps using Ground Espresso Distress Ink and heat embossing with Versamark Ink and WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  I then blended ink into the background using Twisted Citron, Lucky Clover, Carved Pumpkin and Blueprint Sketch Distress Inks.  I added a bit of script from the Paisley Elephant set using Blueprint Sketch DI ink, and then added a little stamp from the Indian Textiles set and heat embossed with WOW Silver Metallic EP.  I also defined the edge a bit more with the Blueprint Sketch.

I finished it with a piece of turquoise vellum stamped and heat embossed with the sentiment which wraps around the background before adhering to the white base card.

For this second card I used a flower image from the Indian Textiles set, and stamped the flowers using Ground Espresso Distress Ink and coloured using Abandoned Coral DI and Fossilised Amber for the flowers, and some more Fossilised Amber and Twisted Citron for the foliage, applied with a waterbrush  I then filled in the background using Salty Ocean and some more twisted citron together with a bit of Blueprint Sketch around the edges, again using a waterbrush.  The water had made the lines of the stamped flowers a bit indistinct so I defined them with a very fine Black Micron Pen.

I die cut it with a Crealies Pierced Rectangle and added a white layer behind it.  I then added one of the stamps from Nature's Paisleys set to each of the corners of the white base card using Versamark and WOW Gold Metallic Embossing Powder before mounting the  flowers on to it.

Thank you for looking at my blog today and if you want to see lots of great inspiration then head on over to the Chocolate Baroque DT Blog.

Ammonite Birthday

Hi everyone.  I needed a masculine birthday card and decided to use a Chocolate Baroque Ammonite stamp.  I live only about an hour from the Jurassic Coast and in Lyme Regis the shops are full of fossils and even their street lamps have an ammonite design incorporated into them, and I do love the shape of it.  Here is what I did.

I decided to try a new to me technique using Brushos directly on to the stamp and spritzed with water before stamping, and it worked fairly well.  I used Brown, Turquoise and Orange sprinkled randomly over the stamp, and I stamped it down on to a piece of lightweight card.  I used the same colours with the addition of a bit of black Brusho to paint over it and add a few more lines and additional colour.  I then fussy cut it out once it was dry.

In the meantime there was so much ink left on the stamp that I spritzed it again and stamped it again on to another piece of white card with the whole image in the middle and then partial images round the edges.  I managed all five times without adding any more Brushos but obviously it gradually faded but I thought the four around the edges didn't need to be bright.  I then added some Distress Inks with a blending tool, using Mermaid Lagoon and Ground Espresso, and then I decided to make the outlines more defined so stamped with  Hickory Smoke, just lining it up by eye as I didn't use my Misti, and as it is a fairly simple shape it was fine.   I decided to keep the colours quite light as I didn't want it to be too dark and heavy.

To be honest I wasn't sure whether to use the background with just a sentiment and use the cut out image on another card, but finally decided to add it over the whole image in the centre using Pinflair Glue Gel to give it a bit of dimension.

When dry I attached it to a 6" square white base card and added the sentiment beneath using Versafine Smokey Gray heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.

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

I am entering the following challenges:

Stamping Sensations September Challenge - Something Beginning with 'B' (I have used Brushos).
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Stamp on It for Stamptember.
Simon Says Monday Challenge - Stamp It On. (So pleased to be one of the four to be chosen for the Designer Spotlight)
Happy Little Stampers September Watercolour Challenge - Anything Goes (no optional twist).

Ruby Wedding Card

Hi everyone.  My cousin and her husband are celebrating their Ruby Anniversary, and 40 years is not to be sneezed at, so I thought I had better pull out as many stops as possible and try to make a really elegant card....well, I hope I have succeeded, and I hope they like it.

I started with the background on a snippet of white card and I decided to use a Tim Holtz Mixed Media die to pretty up the corner, and then I cut th red mirri card a little bit bigger and attached these two layers to the white square base card.  I cut three heart dies from a set by Sweet Dixie, and I generated a sentiment on the computer to add to the smallest heart.  I printed it on good quality copy paper and cut it with the same sized heart using a snippet of white card, and added it to the red mirri heart, cut from another snippet.  I then used an XCut Embossing folder on the largest white heart called Hearts and Kisses, again using a snippet of white card, which I added behind the others.  I finished by cutting a selection of the flowers using more snippets of red mirri and white card with a Sue Wilson die called Cape Daisy and also some foliage using more snippets of white card using her Orange Blossom Leaves die.  I arranged them as you can see on the finished card.

Thank you for your visit and I hope to see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenge:

Pixie's Crafty Workshop - No. 334 where we use up some of our snippets of card and paper etc.