A new challenge on the CB challenge blog starts today

Hello everyone, I'm just popping by to let you know that Challenge 8 starts on the Chocolate Baroque challenge blog today. The colours are inspired by a photograph taken by Glenda, and they are fabulous. I have made a Spring themed card using the colours.

I created a wrinkle free Distress background using Wild Honey and Shaded Lilac Distress Ink, and then stamped a tulip image across the bottom of the page, using both colours. I used the same tulip image to stamp onto a piece of smooth watercolour paper three times, masking the image as I went along. I drew around an oval die cut once I was finished, and cut around the outline, just cutting around the edge of the flowers where they stuck out of the oval. I added some colour to the oval, placing the die over the background, so that I could keep a white edge. I used Mustard Seed and Wild Honey Distress Inks to colour the background. I stamped my all time favourite sentiment onto the oval using black ink.

I coloured the tulips using Distress Markers and a waterbrush.To assemble the card, I created mats using orange and purple card, and added a matching purple ribbon.

The challenge runs for four weeks and ends on March 17th. Hop over to the Challenge Blog for all of the information and some more DT inspiration.

Thanks for stopping by, xx

So much to show you!

Hello everyone, apologies for such a long post today, but I am multi-tasking, posting both on behalf of the Chocolate Baroque Design Team and the Chocolate Baroque Challenge Blog. I have several projects to share with you, and I hope that you will enjoy what I have to show you.

I have really been enjoying working with the current stamps of the month, Sketchy Doodle Landscape/Flowers Multibuy, and my samples today are no exception. I wanted to show you the versatility of these stamps, how they can be used in a variety of different ways. I chose to make a set of pastel cards for my first project, and began by masking the top and bottom of the cards, leaving a large strip of the card exposed across the centre. I poured a bit of Acrylic Wax onto a craft mat, and using a piece of cut 'n' dry, I applied the wax onto my stamp. I stamped the image randomly across the card, reapplying the wax to the stamp each time. I cleaned the stamp immediately I had finished stamping the images. Once the wax was dry, I covered the area with Memento ink, choosing soft pastel shades on each card, (New Sprout, Summer Sky and Lulu Lavender). The wax acted as resist, so that the images were visible through the ink. I removed the masks, and stamped a sentiment onto each card from the Amazing Birthday stamp set using Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I stamped some of the butterfly and dragonfly images using Versamark and white embossing powder onto vellum and cut these out, before attaching them to the cards.

My next project was created using a piece of MDF as a base, which I painted with gesso. I added a honeycomb diecut and some lace, which I also painted with gesso.

I embossed several of the sketchy flowers using Versamark and white embossing powder onto a textured card, and cut them out. I added some dark brown die cut pieces, the flowers, and some gessoed metal flowers and butterflies to the board. I layered several of the sketchy flowers up, and added jewellery findings to them, which had been gessoed as well. I sprayed the whole piece with a mixture of blue and lime Dylusion sprays, which I had decanted into mini misters. I wanted a finer spray, without the big droplets that you sometimes get from the normal spray bottles. Finally, I added a bit of gilding wax here and there for a bit of metallic sheen.

I had lots of spray left on my craft mat after this project, so I decided to create a 'mop up' project using some of the left over flowers that I had. So, I dipped a tag through the inks, and also some of the white flowers. I stamped a sentiment from the Rose stem script stamp set over the background using Memento ink. I die cut some leaves from the scrap white card, and added some sari material to the top of the tag. The white embossing powder really pops against the vibrant ink:

 I hope that I have given you lots of ideas with these stamps, and that you will have as much fun as I have had.

This week on the Challenge Blog there is a free digital download from Lesley. It is so useful and I'm sure that you will find a use for it time and time again. I have so many ideas for cards using this download! If you pop over to the blog, you can collect the download following the instructions on the blog post, it's really easy.
I have made two cards this week using the download, as I had two special men celebrating Birthdays that needed a card. The first card incorporates a lovely tree stamp from the Essence of Nature stamp set, which I embossed using Memento Espresso Truffle ink and clear embossing powder onto a Brusho background. I used a spare piece of the background to stamp a sentiment taken from the Birthday Words stamp set.

 

My second card uses a mixture of stamps including a lovely swirly leaf from the Essence of Nature set to create a branch, which I embossed with Memento Espresso Truffle and clear embossing powder as before. I stamped and embossed an owl image from the Wise Owl stamp set, using copper embossing powder onto a Brusho background. I used another piece of this background to stamp a leafy image from  the SketchyDoodle Flowers stamp set, and a sentiment from the Amazing Birthday stamp set. I cut the leaves out and arranged them around and behind the owl. Both cards were finished using dark brown card as a matting layer.

Some of the other girls on the Design Team have made some beautiful designs with the download, so be sure to take a look on the challenge blog. If you make anything yourself using the download, please upload it to the Facebook page, as we would love to see it.

Thanks for stopping by, Judith xx

Sketchy Doodle Flowers

Hello everyone, there are new stamps over at Chocolate Baroque. Two sets of great flowers suitable for all kinds of projects. I have lots of ideas that I am hoping to show you this month. I have two very different cards to show you today.


For my first card, I wanted to create the feeling of a stained glass window by Gaudi. I coloured my background with Tumbled Glass Distress Ink. I stamped the flower and leaf images onto the background, and then masked these before placing a stencil on the left hand side. I sponged Salty Ocean, Shaded Lilac and Peacock Feathers Distress Inks through the stencil, covering these with a coat of Transparent Soft Form Relief Paste.

Once the Soft Form Relief Paste was dry, I added a bit more colour to the background, with Faded Jeans Distress Ink. I stamped an image from the Texture Fragments stamp set and one of the flower images from the Sketchy Doodle Flowers set over the background. I removed the masks from the flowers.

I created the large flower by spreading some Gold Soft Form Relief Paste over the stamp, and allowing it to dry overnight. I peeled the thin film off my stamp very carefully. I coloured the film with metal paints and added some gilding wax. I stuck a large flat-backed gem in the centre.

I chose to stamp the flower and leaf images onto a seperate piece of card, and coloured these with Inktense pencils. I cut them out and decoupaged them over the original images. Finally I added the focal flower.

The transparent relief paste has given a lovely sheen to the stencilled area, and the colours are so vibrant underneath.

My second card uses the lovely floral frame image on the Sketchy Doodle Flower stamp set. I stamped the image onto a die cut piece of smooth watercolour paper. I masked the outer area of the image, leaving the oval uncovered. I added some colour using Distress Inks, blending them together where they met. I removed the mask, and coloured the leaves with a watercolour pencil.

I created the background by stamping a leaf taken from the Thistle Butterfly stamp set, using the same colours that I had used on the main image, randomly over some smooth watercolour paper. I die cut some leaves from the same paper and coloured them with Distress Ink. Finally, I assembled the card adding dark brown card and ribbon. I have left the card without a sentiment for now, as it is such a versatile image that it will be useful for many occasions.

Thanks for stopping by, xx