Group of Seven - Dry Embossed Highlights over Ink Blending

Hi all.  I am back today with the Group of Seven Cardmakers technique for this month, and I have made a couple of cards using a 3D Sizzix Embossing Folder Making Hearts with Picked Raspberry, Wilted Violet and Dusty Concord Distress Inks, and also some Brilliance Moonlight White Ink.  The heart is from a set by Sweet Dixie and the little flowers and leaves are from a set of Spellbinders dies which came free with Die Cutting Essentials Magazine No. 114.

I am entering the above card in the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - No. 815 Close to Nature/Anything Goes.

Snippets Playground Challenge - No. 498 where we use our snippets of card and paper etc. ( I used snippets of white card for the background and heart, and also for the added flowers and leaves).

I am also joining in with Darnell's I.D.E.A.S.  This is Week 4: Anything Goes.  

I decided to use a 5" x 7" card which this EF fits onto nicely, and ink blended using the three colours.  I originally used Victorian Velvet and was going to blend using that at the bottom followed by the Picked Raspberry and then the top with the Dusty Concord, but ended up going over the Victorian Velvet with the Picked Raspberry as it was too pale, and then I brightened up the Dusty Concord with some added Wilted Violet and then I was happy with it.  I then die cut the heart out of this piece and dry embossed it all leaving the die cut heart in place, and finished by brushing over the hearts EF with the Moonlight White Ink.  I decided to keep the inked and embossed heart for a second card and cut another heart and coloured it using the pink, violet and purple inks and decided to use this as the place for the sentiment.  I added an anniversary sentiment using Versamark and heat embossed with WOW Silver Metallic Embossing Powder.  I then die cut some flowers and leaves from some white card and decided to add some silver gilding wax on the flower petals just to highlight them and to tie in with the sentiment, and I glued the heart in place and added the flowers and leaves to the side of the heart.

I am entering this second card in the following challenges:

Can You Handle The Pressure Challenge - Anything Goes/Snow.

Triple B Challenge - Jan. '25 Birds, Butterflies and Blooms (one, two or all three).

The second one has the same embossed background and the embossed and inked heart which was left over from the first, and I added a few of the flowers I cut from the Spellbinders freebie magazine set and just used a bit of pink ink which remained on the brush to highlight the edges and also used on the centres, and just a couple of white leaves to finish.  I then added the pink vellum strip with the sentiment also heat embossed with the WOW Silver Metallic EP, and wrapped round to the back of the card before I then glued it in place on the 5" x 7" card base.  I did notice that the vellum was a bit loose, so I put a couple of dots of ink underneath it in a couple of places which made it sit flatter.

I think the ink blending and then the added highlights with the white ink really lifts the look of the embossing, and provided you brush the ink pad over the raised edges very gently it looks very crisp and clean...you have to be patient though and build it up gradually, and sweeping in different directions helps too.. white pigment ink or Distress Oxide in a very light colour would work the best I think.  I did unfortunately catch the background with it in a couple of places but I thought it still looked OK.  The only thing is that the ink pad did pick up the inks and turned a bit pinky purple, but I used a clean tissue and wiped it across it a few times and it did get most of it off.  In fact when I went back the next day I had another look at it and it was hardly noticeable.  I did think that this Brilliance Moonlight ink might not be a bright enough white as it is more of a pearlised ink but I was happy with it.  I think provided you use good strong colours for the ink blending to give a good contrast it can work well with most good quality inks.  I only have this one white ink pad so cannot compare, but the other ladies at GO7 will have used different ink to me so do go and take a look over on the blog and if you give it a go it would be great to see your cards..there is a link at the bottom of their post.

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

 

Wild Flowers and Ferns Silhouette Take 2

Hi all.  I'm afraid that I have not been very productive lately and my mojo has definitely not be much in evidence..lol, but we needed a card to send to hubby's former SIL who we have just found out is unwell and has been in hospital for a while and I decided to use this Crafty Individuals stamp which I also used here, in much the same fashion, but last time I used shades of blue ink blended onto the stamp, and this time I decided to use my Staedler Water Brush Pens straight to stamp, and coloured with two greens, and a pink with a touch of red for the flowers.  

I used the same Torn Edge Die set for the mat placed in my stamp positioner so that I could repeat stamp to get the right depth of colour, and I simply attached it to the 6" square card.  We decided not to put anything on the outside but simply write an appropriate message inside.  I think unfortunately she will need to be in hospital for ongoing treatment which is frustrating I'm sure, and hope that things will improve for her soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

We Love Stamping Challenge - Jan. '25 Anything but Square/Anything Goes.

Stamping Sensations Challenge - Jan. '25 Anything Goes/Hand Coloured Image.

Allsorts Challenge - No. 814 Matching Pairs/Anything Goes.

Simply Clean and Simple Challenge - Jan. '25 Anything Goes/Something New.

Triple B Challenge - Jan. '25 Birds, Butterflies and Blooms (using any one, two or all three).

My Favourite Cards of 2024

Hi everyone. This is something that I do every year, looking back over all the cards from last year and choosing a card from each month which got a lot of comments or one that I especially loved, and here they are:

That is the twelve, one for each month, but I have picked out three others which are ones I was really pleased with as they turned out so much better than I expected at the time:

 

It's great to look back on the year just to remind yourself what you did, and I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has visited and commented throughout 2024 as it means a great deal to me, and I wish you all:

                                  A VERY HAPPY AND CREATIVE NEW YEAR

Ombre Technique - Group of Seven

Hi everybody.  I was so pleased and flattered to have been asked  if I would like to join the lovely talented ladies of the Group of Seven Cardmakers, and this is my first post.  The technique this month is all about Ombre, meaning shading which generally speaking is a graduated tone of one or more colours going from light to dark with inks using stamps, die cuts and stencils, or even using coloured card, which is the subject of the first video which you will find on the GO7 post.  There is also a second video illustrating the use of a flower stamp and a couple of different complementary ink colours which is similar to the technique I have used on my second card.  You can also see some brilliant samples from the other ladies and also find out how they achieved them by visiting their blogs.  Anyway here is my first card.

I have opted to use Distress inks and some masking and have added some stamping over the top.  I used Dried Marigold, Carved Pumpkin, Abandoned Coral and Candied Apple, and the strip I masked off is about 2 1/4" wide.  I used the Acacia tree and the group of elephants from a set of stamps by Sheena Douglass from a few years ago called African Landscape, and the Zebra is a Crafty Individuals stamp which came with Creative Stamping Magazine No 121, and finished with a birthday sentiment, and all stamped with Versafine Clair Nocturne ink.  The lefthand side is the darkest colour, a tone of red but it looks rather pink in the photo unfortunately. 

This is very achievable using a brush, the more recent type with the fine soft bristles really helps to give a smooth finish, and I find just rubbing the inked brush lightly onto a piece of spare card first helps to stop any funny lines or heavy patches, and also using a circular motion to apply it, building up the colour slowly, and if using a single colour to get a good contrast applying lightly and gradually adding more ink and using a bit more pressure on the head of the brush will give that variation of tone.

For this second card I have used a Crafty Individuals stamp called Wild Flowers and Ferns Silhouette and I also used a new set of Torn Edge Dies by Creative Craft Products.  I used my stamp positioner and three Distress Inks - Faded Jeans, Broken China and Tumbled Glass, starting with the darkest at the bottom to make the Ombre effect.  I inked it up quite a few times with the three inks and used an ink blending tool to gently blend the colours in so there were no harsh lines.  I finished by adding a sentiment using the Faded Jeans DI and it was all heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  It's a simple CAS card but quite effective and easily achieved providing you have a stamping platform.  

I think this is a fun technique and we would love to see what you make, and if you do make anything there is a linky at the bottom of the post where you can put up your cards for us all to see and enjoy.  

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

Winter Wonders

Hi everybody.  This is the card I made for our son using the Its Just Paper Winter Wonders, one set called Winter Woods and the other Animal Silhouettes which unfortunately are not available any more.  I have used both sets before but not the particular stamps used this time which were being inked for the first time.

I started by adding the background trees and the three in the foreground using Versafine Clair Nocturne, and as the lines on the background trees were a little light and I wasn't sure whether I would colour them or not, I decided to clear emboss them using WOW EP.   I then added in the background hills using a set of Lavinia masks and using three colours I ink blended the background sky for which I used Adirondack Sunshine Yellow, and Distress Inks in Spiced Marmalade and Salty Ocean.  I did hold a piece of card over the couple of place where the trees were above the hill line so that they stayed relatively ink free.  I decided to use the two silhouette deer in the foreground and also three little birds in the sky, and again inked using the Nocturne ink, and also added the sentiment with that too.  I did decide to colour the trees and did so with my Lyra coloured pencils trying to make them look as though they did have some snow on them, not sure that it totally worked and would probably have looked better with a darker green, but hey ho, and then I added some grey with a little touch of a light purple to shade below the trees and deer and just a bit of grey to contour the snow covered hillside a little.   I then used my white Posca Pen tapped over the scene for some falling snow, but I did cover the sentiment up.  I don't usually add snow this way, but it does give a more random look..the ink does seem to go everywhere you don't want it too as well though..lol, and then when dry I added it to my 5" x 7" card.

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

I am entering the following challenges:

Rudolph Days Challenge - Dec, '24 Anything Christmas Goes.

Peace on Earth Christmas Challenge - No. 78 Anything Goes.

Allsorts Challenge - Week 812/3 Use Your Dies/Anything Goes.

Simon Says Monday Challenge - Cold and Frosty.

NBUS Challenge - No 69 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

Nature's Garden

Hi all.  Well it's Christmas Day and I hope that most of you have a very enjoyable time, but I know though there will be those for whom Christmas is less happy and I hope that the new year brings better times.

This is the card I made for hubby using a set of stamps from Highlight Crafts called Nature's Garden which came with a Creative Stamping Magazine, and I'm afraid that this is the first time I have used it...tut tut.  I thought I would use this background and make it a snowy landscape with the addition of some pots and a cute robin, and the hare is part of the stamped scene.  I added the snowy hills and the soft blue sky in the background using Tumbled Glass Distress Ink which I blended using a brush.  I coloured with my set of alcohol pens and added some Flower Soft for the snow which came free with some winter decoupage eons ago and I had only used a very little of it.  I just used some glue and then sprinkled some of it onto the wet glue and pressed it down a bit to get it to stick and left it to dry.  I stamped the two different flowerpot images and coloured and cut them out and added them using Pinflair silicone glue gel.   I also used a white Posca Pen for snow on the pots and also used a bit on the branches behind the large pot on the right.  I finished with the sentiment stamped and embossed using Versamark and heat embossed with WOW Silver Metallic Embossing Powder before adding it onto a 5" x 7" card.

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

I am entering the following challenges:

We Love Stamping Challenge - Dec. 24 Winter/Anything Goes.
Stamping Sensations Challenge - Dec. 24 Anything Goes/Winter.

NBUS Challenge - No. 69 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

Pine Cones and Holly Frame

Hi all.  This stamp set from Spellbinders called Pine Cones and Holly Frame is a recent addition as I thought it would make quite quick cards used in different ways, and for its first outing I have stamped it with Versafine Smokey Gray ink and coloured using a set of Staedler Watercolour Brush Pens.  I added it to a 5" x 7" card but as I didn't have to add a sentiment beneath it looked out of proportion so cut a piece off so now it is 5" x 6".    

I am entering the following challenges with the above card:

We Love Stamping Challenge - Dec. '24 Winter/Anything Goes.
Stamping Sensations Challenge - Dec. '24 Anything Goes/Winter.
Allsorts Challenge - Week 8912/3 Use Your Dies/Anything Goes.
NBUS Challenge - Dec. '24 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

I also made two other versions using green card and heat embossing with WOW Metallic Rich Gold Embossing Powder, and both are on white 6"x 4" cards and on the lefthand one I fussy cut around the edge and added to the white card with a white embossed background made using a very old Cuttlebug Embossing Folder called Holly Ribbons which surprisingly is still available, and on the righthand one I added it just as it is with two  sprigs of holly also on green card with the gold embossing.

I am entering the following challenge with the second card:

Can You Handle The Pressure Challenge - Anything Goes/Poinsettias.

 

 

I am entering the following challenge with the third card:

 

Peace on Earth Christmas Challenge - No. 78 Anything Goes.

 

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