Trio of Trees

Hello everyone, I hope you are all keeping well and not feeling too frantic as we approach Christmas Day itself. I would like to wish you all a happy, peaceful festive season, and hope that you enjoy the days ahead, whatever you are doing.

I have a few final projects to share with you this month, showcasing stamps from last month's TV shows. My first project was created by inking a large square acrylic block with Distress Oxide ink, spritzing it with water, and pressing it onto a piece of textured card. I had placed a circle mask onto the card first, to block out an area for a sun or moon, which I painted yellow. I left the card to dry naturally, and once it was dry, I stamped the tree from the Harmony Tree set. I added the words around the tree in first and second generation stamping. I added some colour to the tree with Distress Ink and water, also grounding the tree by adding some shading underneath.

 My second project was also created on textured card using Distress Ink this time. I added a circle mask once again, choosing two colours for the background, and stamped the tree from the Remembrance Tree stamp set. I added the sentiment, and then drew in two birds with a fineliner pen using a stencil.

I added colour under the tree with Distress Ink and a water brush to ground the tree, then added pops of colour to represent a field of poppies or other flowers.

My final card was created with the Harmony Tree stamp set once again. I created a background using Drawing Cartridge, and Distress Ink. I then stamped the wording randomly over the background. I made a strap from Drawing Cartridge which I attached to the card. I stamped a whiteboard heart with the Harmony Tree and coloured this with Distress Ink and a waterbrush, then accentuated the details with pencils. The heart can be slotted into the heart but removed and kept as a memento.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope that you have enjoyed my projects this month, and will try out some of my ideas. Take care, xx

Festive Trees

Hello everyone, I hope that you are keeping well. I have a couple of Christmas projects to share with you today. These projects feature stamps that aired on our November TV shows on The Craft Store.

My first project was created on kraft card.  I stamped the large heart from Artist Trading Heart, and masked the outside. I added trees from Trees a Crowd, and some scenery lines with a fineliner pen, using torn paper. Keeping the paper in place, I added some shading with white ink and a stencil brush. I used a white gel pen to add some highlights to the trees and dots in the sky for snowflakes.

I added a sentiment from Let's Get Festive to finish.

My second project consists of two little CAS cards stamped straight on 4" x 4" cards. I used two colours of ink and stamped straight onto the card blanks. These were really quick cards to make. I chose images from Frosty Trees for both the sentiments and main images. The teal and purple colour scheme is not traditional, but would suit someone with a modern home decor. You could choose any colour palette; black and gold, red and green, blue and silver, whatever combination you like, and use black card if you opt for metallic colours for even more drama. I added a little bit of glitter glue on the tree, you can click on the photo for a close up look.

I will be back later in the month with some more projects to share with you, thanks for stopping by,xx

Happy December

Hello everyone, I hope you are keeping well. Many of you have been experiencing the cold weather lately, and it really feels like Winter has set in, doesn't it? I have just come back from a trip to Mexico, where it was lovely and warm, and the sunshine was very uplifting. I wanted to share a feeling of that sunshine with you with the colours that I have used in some of my projects today. I cannot promise to make you feel any warmer, but perhaps the cheery colours will brighten your day.

My first project was created by blending some Distress Ink onto a piece of Drawing Cartridge. I chose shades of blue and yellow throughout the whole project for continuity. I added some stencilling and stamped segments of the Small Graph Paper stamp using the stamp in my hand, not on an acrylic block, so that I could curve the stamp, to get smaller sections on the background. I also stamped the butterfly definition from the Happy Flower's Day stamp set on the background.

I stamped the large butterfly from the same stamp set first onto the background twice, and then again onto a piece of spare smooth white card. I coloured the images on the spare card using pencils, cut them out, and attached them to the background.

For my second project, I chose a piece of patterned paper and stamped the magnolia from Happy Flower's Day twice, masking the image as I went along. I added the flower definition in a toning colour and the main sentiment in black in the background. I coloured the image with pencils. I attached the panel to a chipboard panel using matte medium. When the adhesive was dry, I sanded the edges to give a white edge. 

My third project was created by placing Distress Oxides onto a craft mat and spritzing them with water. I placed the Drawing Cartridge onto the mat and picked up the colour. I used a whiteboard heart to do the same with the remaining colour on the craft mat, giving a paler version.

I stamped the flower definition over the background, and the fritillary flower and sentiment onto the heart using Versafine Clair Twilight. I picked up a bit of the Distress Oxide colour from the craft mat and painted the flower with a water brush.

For my final project, I chose to use grey card for a completely different look. I stamped the floral sprig from A Heart Full of Love around the edge of the background, and then added the floral heart in the middle. I coloured the images with Faber Castell Black Edition pencils. I used white pencil first on the flowers, and added the other colours afterwards, this really helps on darker coloured card.

It's actually my Birthday today, and I would like to wish you all the best of days today. I will be spending the day with my little Granddaughter Ruby, who has just learned how to sing Happy Birthday, a precious moment.

I will be back later in the month with more projects to share with you, take care, and thanks for stopping by, xx

Grungy Numbers

Hello everyone, I have two projects to share with you today, showcasing the stamps that we brought to you in last month's TV shows.

To create my first project, I made a quick background by inking up the gelli plate with Distress Ink, and pulled a print using smooth white card. I stamped Floral Grunge in the middle of the card using black ink, and added some leaves from the From Nature 1 stamp set around the flower head and up the 'stalk'. I added the numbers from Numerolgy to the background, and also the splatter, using colours that would match the colours I chose for the flower.

I stamped the flower head again onto a piece of separate card and coloured it with pencils, before cutting it out. I also coloured the leaves that I had stamped onto the background with pencils, to give them extra definition. I attached the coloured flower head to the background.

My second card is a much brighter affair than my first card, and shows how the Numerology stamp set can be used to create a card. I created a Distress Ink background, using shades of green, blue and yellow. I then added the various stamps from the set, and a couple of leaves from the From Nature 1 stamp set, stamped in second generation stamping in the background. I like the subtle effect that the leaves give underneath the numerals. I stamped them with the same black ink for a monochchrome effect.

Thanks so much for stopping by, xx

Autumn Colours

Hello everyone, I have some leafy projects to share with you today. I thoroughly enjoyed using the new From Nature 1 stamp set that Lesley created and showcased last month on the TV shows. This set is so versatile, and will be a 'go to' set for me when I need to create cards for so many different occasions.

For my first project, I chose a piece of patterned paper, and stamped the large tag from Tagtastic using black ink. I added a bit of shading using Distress Ink around the edges. I stamped two of the flower heads from Floral Grunge onto book paper, and coloured them using pencil, in colours that matched the tag. I worked out where I wanted the flowers to go and stamped some little leaves from the From Nature 1 stamp set so that they would be peeking out from behind the flower heads. I used Versafine Clair ink. I also added the fabulous splatter stamp from Numerology, before adhering the flower heads, and trimming them to fit the tag shape. I then edged the tag again with black ink.

I created a background on a piece of Drawing Cartridge using Distress Ink, using colours to match the tag. I used a larger leaf and Versafine Clair ink as before to stamp all over the background, to echo the design on the tag. These are my favourite colours, I try not to work with them all of the time, but I love how they look together.

For my second design, I inked up my gelli plate with a shade of green Distress Ink, and stamped one of the leaves from the stamp plate randomly over the plate. I pulled a print with smooth white card, and cut the card to the size that I wanted. I then chose a shade of green Versafine Clair, and stamped a smaller leaf stamp over the background, and added one of the sentiments. This was a really quick card, but great fun to create.

You could vary the colours, and each card would turn out differently.

My final card is a variation of a card from my previous post. I inked up a background using Distress Ink, and then just stamped lots of leaves in first and second generation stamping using Versafine Clair and Archival Inks. I love this riot of Autumn colour.

I created a little embellishent from paper clay to go on this final card, and was really in two minds about whther to add it or not. It looked fine, but in the end I decided not to use it. The colours really went well together, but I will use it for something else, at another point in time. 

I will be back later in the month with more projects to share. Thanks so much for stopping by, xx

Beautiful Autumn

Hello everyone, I hope that you are keeping well. We are really into the Autumnal weather now, the leaves are falling and the windy days are here. I love this time of year, we still get the odd sunny day, and it is not too cold for a good walk.

I have three projects to share with you today. My first card was created on a left over background from another project. I had painted over a piece of scrapbook paper with a wash of white acrylic paint and added some stencilling with blue and orange Distress Oxide Ink. Some subtle stamping had been added with the same colour ink; butterflies, clocks, and splatters, etc. These colours dictacted the colours that I then chose for the rest of my project. 

I stamped Beauty is in the Eyes using Versafine Onyx Black and extended the bottom frame using a fineliner pen. I used the same pen and a circle stencil to draw extra bubbles on the right hand side. I coloured the image with pencils, and added white highlights with a gel pen. I had another scrap background for the larger background, created using acrylic sprays. Always keep your left over backgrounds, you never know when you might need them! I matted both backgrounds with black card for extra drama. The little word 'Focus' comes from the same stamp set.

My second project is a small chipboard panel. I used a piece of decorative paper and stamped one of the leaves from From Nature 1 across the background using green ink. I stamped and embossed the large leaf spray from the same stamp set onto kraft card using white embossing powder. I also stamped and embossed just the face from Beauty is in the Eyes, and the flower from Floral Grunge, also onto kraft card using white embossing powder.

I added a sentiment to the background paper, before attaching it to the chipboard panel with matte medium. Once the adhesive was dry, I sanded the edges to get a white edge. I coloured the face and flower with pencils, and inked the leaves with Distress Ink. I attached all of the images to the panel for a collaged effect.

My final project mixes and matches stamp sets, something that I really enjoy doing. I have used Distress Inks to create a blended background, and then taken a branch from the Sticks and Stones stamp set which I have stamped in first and second generation stamping, using a brown Versafine Clair ink. I have coloured in the first generation branches using brown pencil, and the second generation using a mixture of grey and brown pencils, to make them appear to be in the background. I have then used a mixture of Autumn colours to stamp the lovely leaf from From Nature 1 in first, second and third generation stamping across the branches. Finally I have added my absolute favourite Chocolate Baroque sentiment to the card. This comes from the Nature's Peace stamp set. As Design Team Leader for Chocolate Baroque, I should probably not have favourites, but I am still human, and I adore this stamp! I knew as soon as saw the stamp set From Nature 1 that I wanted to create this card, sometimes a card design just pops into your head.

Thanks so much for stopping by, take care, xx

Stamping on Coloured Surfaces

Hello everyone, I hope that you are keeping well. I have a couple of projects to share with you today showcasing the stamps from last month's shows on The Craft Store.

For my first card, I decided to stamp the main image from the Chrysanthemum Blueprint stamp set onto a piece of die cut grey card. I coloured the image with Faber Castell Black Edition pencils, choosing a palette of mostly orange and yellow to pop against the grey background. Even the green was a zingy yellowy green hue to stand out against the grey. I added lots of white highlights to lift the image.

I created a wrinkle free distress background using grey Distress Ink on Drawing Cartridge, which was not too fussy, and left lots of white areas. I felt that this worked well for the darker coloured topper in this instance. As with a lot of my cards, I did not add a sentiment, as I quite often add one when I send a card. This card would be useful for lots of different occasions.

My second card also features a coloured background for the focal image; this time I decided to stamp on kraft card. I stamped the main image from the Allium Blueprint stamp set using Versafine Onyx Black Ink, and coloured it with pencils, as before. I used a tea dyed background, and stamped one of the smaller allium heads using Memento Plum ink. Both layers of card were edged with the plum coloured ink before attaching them to the base card.

Thanks for stopping by, take care,

Judith xx

Blueprint Notelets

Hello everyone, I hope that you are keeping well. I have a quick and easy project to share with you today in the form of a set of notelet cards that I created for last month's TV show on The Craft Store, using the Blueprint stamp sets. 

I made four different cards, but the principle was the same for each card. I used a piece of textured card cut to size, slightly larger than a square acrylic block. I coloured the acrylic block with Distress Ink, and lightly spritzed it with water, before stamping the block onto the piece of textured card. I lifted the block away from the card, and left the background to dry. If it was very wet, I tipped the card to let some of the water droplets run, creating more texture on the background.

Once the background was dry, I used the same colour of Distress Ink as the background, to stamp words from one of the the Blueprint stamp plates over the background, and chose one of the little worker floral stamps to stamp in the bottom left hand corner, using Versafine Onyx Black Ink. I added the number on the stamp plate as well. Here we have the image from Allium Blueprint against a pretty Teal coloured background.

I chose Chrysanthemum Blueprint for my second card and a zingy green Distress Ink. I coloured the floral images with pencils, choosing colours on the opposite side of the colour wheel to the backgrounds for a pop of colour.

Lupin Blueprint was the choice for card number three with a soft orange background. The flowers are so pretty on this stamp set.

My last card was created using Echinacea Blueprint and a pale green background. To complete the cards, I drew around the edges using a fineliner pen, creating a border. Each one was slightly different, but you could draw them all the same, it is not important.

These cards were really fun to make, and would be useful for so many purposes. I hope you will try something similar. They would make a lovely gift, or be handy when you need a card in a hurry.

Thanks for stopping by, take care, xx

Creating a Blueprint

Hello everyone, I hope that you are all keeping well. As we head into another month, and the darker nights and cooler weather are definitely with us, I wanted to share a bold and bright card with you to cheer up your day. I have chosen a project that was shown on last month's TV shows, using the Lupin Blueprint stamp set, which is a beautiful set of stamps.

To start my project, I used some of the plain paper found within the Chocolate Baroque Black & White Papers Series 2, which allow you to create your own backgrounds. I stamped and embossed some of the smaller images from the stamp set onto the paper using clear embossing powder and Versamark. I then covered the paper with Blueprint Sketch Distress Ink. I covered the paper with a blank piece of copy paper, and used a medium iron to take off the embossing powder, creating a faux batik effect. If you do this with your regular iron, remember to turn off the steam setting.

I stamped the main image onto a die cut oval and coloured it with pencils. The sentiment was stamped onto a smaller die cut oval. I coloured the edges with the same colour of Distress Ink as I had used for the background.

Thanks for stopping by, I will be back later in the month to share some more projects with you. Take care, xx

Christmas Rose Wreath

Hello everyone, I am sharing another project with you today, showcasing another of the stamp sets featured on last month's TV shows. I have chosen to pick one of the little worker stamps from the Christmas Rose Script stamp set to create a wreath. These are always popular projects, and I enjoy making them.

I drew an oval lightly onto a piece of kraft paper with pencil and a die, before stamping the image several times. I used Versafine Clair in Fallen Leaves. I added a sentiment in the middle from the Holly Script stamp set. I cut a couple of masks for the little flower image, and moving around the oval, I added some sprigs of foliage from the Robin the Spruce stamp set to fill in the gaps, moving the masks as I went along.

I coloured the flowers with Faber Castell Black Edition pencils, starting with the lightest colours first, these pencils are great for coloured backgrounds. Finally I added some white dots with liquid white coloured pencil to lift the whole piece. You could also use white acrylic paint to create this effect. The photo does not show, but I added Wink of Stella clear pen in the centres of the flowers for a bit of sparkle. Christmas cards need a bit of bling sometimes!

Thanks for stopping by. Take care,

Judith xx

Christmas Scripts

Hello everyone, I am sharing some projects showcasing stamps from last month's TV shows on The Craft Store. It has been a pleasure to use these beautiful script stamps, some favourites of mine, and to try looking at them in a different way. I have used them a lot over the years, and wanted to give them a different feel this time around. I chose mainly pencil colouring, which I love, but chose different coloured card, or bold colours to create an alternative colour choice, to make these stand out Christmas cards for the mantlepiece.

My first card was created using Drawing Cartridge, a go to surface for me. I added Crushed Olive Distress Ink to a larger background, and then stamped the script from the Holly Script stamp set all over the background, to resemble a book page, using a dark brown ink. I added the holly leaves randomly over the top in first and second generation stamping.

I die cut a smaller piece of Drawing Cartridge, and stamped the image, edging the card with the same colour Distress Ink as I used for the background. I coloured the image with Koh-I-Noor pencils, and edged both pieces of card with the brown ink before I adhered them to the card blank.

For my second project, I again used brown ink, but this time, I stamped onto kraft card. I used the small mistletoe stamp from the Mistletoe Script stamp set to stamp all over a larger piece to create a background, then die cut a smaller piece and stamped the main image. Starting with a white pencil, I coloured the images, adding yellow, bright green, then a darker green, to build up the colours. Adding white first onto a coloured background helps with colouring with pencils, and if you remember to leave an area untouched by the darker colours, you have highlights in your leaves and berries. I edged both pieces of card as before with the brown ink before adhering them to the card blank.

Note: I used Faber Castell Black Edition pencils for this kraft card project, they are really good for coloured card projects.

We seem to be hurtling through this year so fast. Hopefully I can get a few more of these cards made before December! Thanks for stopping by, take care xx

New stamps by Fiona Randall

Hello everyone, I have a couple of projects to share with you from last month's TV shows on The Craft Store. Today, I am going to focus on the fabulous stamps from Fiona Randall, comprising of two A4 stamp sets, Celestial and Sacred. If you like mystical, mysterious, mixed up with a bit of fantasy and a little bit of geometric, add some butterflies, dragonflies, moths, and great fonts, then you will love these stamp sets.

For my first project, I stamped the moth twice onto kraft card, and masked the images before stamping one of the larger geometric images. I removed the mask, and coloured the images with pencils, I used Faber-Castell Black Edition pencils, they worked brilliantly on the kraft card. I added the script, and attached the kraft card to a card blank.

My second project was a series of three little chipboard panels. I covered them in Chocolate Baroque Black & White Papers Series 1, using matte medium, and then when they were dry, I covered them with acrylic paint in shades of yellow, orange and red. I stamped the butterfly, moth and dragonfly onto smooth stamping paper, and coloured the images with Inktense pencils. I then cut out the images, and covered them with Versamark before embossing them with clear embossing powder. This gave them a glazed finish, and made them more durable. I stamped the background of each panel with one of the geometric images using orange Archival ink, before attaching the insects. I stamped the sentiments onto a separate piece of card, and edged them with a hand drawn border.

My final project was a quick card using a gelli printed background. I stamped and embossed a moon and words using white embossing powder, adding some colour inside the moon for a bit of contrast. I stamped the stars using white Brilliance ink randomly over the background, and added Autumn Medley stamped in second generation stamping at the edge of the background. I coloured this image faintly, adding lots of white pencil, as if she is illuminated by the moonlight.

Thanks for stopping by, take care, xx

Beautiful Poppies

Hello everyone, I am back with some projects featured on last month's TV shows. 

My first project was created by using Distress Ink on some Drawing Cartridge. I then stamped the main image from Polygon Poppies, adding a smaller corresponding stamp and a bee from the Honey Bee stamp set. I coloured the image with pencils, and decided to add pops of blue to coordinate with the bee wings. I added the silhouette hexagon stamp in blue and edged the background using the same colour. Finally, I chose a couple of the sentiments from the stamp set and added them to the background.

I created another Distress Ink background for my second card using a pale pink and bright green. I stamped the image from Flora and Fauna around the edges and coloured it with pencils. I added a sentiment from Loving Sentiments in the centre. 

For my final project, I created a plain coloured background using a gel plate and Fossilized Amber Distress Ink. I used a variety of hexagonal images from Polygon Poppies, creating a collage, and sticking to a palette of black, orange and red. I added some of the numbers into the blank hexagons, and coloured the images with pencils. I added a few bees from the Honey Bee stamp set, and overstamped a few of the words from Polygon Poppies.

Poppies are one of my favourite flowers to work with and these stamps are no exception. I hope that you have enjoyed some of my ideas. Thanks for stopping by, take care. xx

Focus on Florals

Hello everyone, I hope that you are all keeping well. I am back to share more projects from last month's TV shows.

My first project was created with a piece of scrap corrugated packaging, the sort that comes as a parcel containing books or anything flat, really. I opened it out, took off any extra pieces, and peeled away the top surface to reveal the ridges underneath. 

I created a large piece of A4 background paper by using one of the little worker stamps from the Flora and Fauna stamp set, stamping and embossing it randomly over the background using white embossing powder. I then coloured the whole background using Fossilized Amber Distress Ink and a blending brush. I chopped the background into three pieces to fit my corrugated panel, and added a bit of torm script paper to the lower portion. I die cut three tags from Drawing Cartridge which had been stained with tea. I stamped the main images from Walk Tall onto the tags, and edged them with Black Soot Distress Ink. On one tag, I added a sentiment directly, and on the other two, I added a piece of black ribbon and a little piece of card with a sentiment. I stuck the tags to the background and added lace and black buttons. I matted the yellow background to black card for definition before adhering it to the corrugated card. I chose to score the corrugated card to make a tryptich that would stand up, and for stability, I added washi tape to the back.

I created a similar background for my second project, using another little worker stamp from Flora and Fauna, embossing the stamp using white embossing powder over the background. This time, I chose Blueprint Sketch Distress Ink as the background colour. I stamped the image from the same stamp set onto a piece of Drawing Cartridge, and coloured it initially with Distress Inks and a waterbrush. I added shading with pencils. I stamped a sentiment from Punky Expressions onto a small die cut rectangle. I edged all of the card pieces with Distress Ink before adhering them to the card blank.

I chose to use the very pretty foxglove from the Honey Bee stamp set as the main focus for my final card. I stamped the image three times, along with two of the bees, and masked the images, before adding colour to the background with Distress Ink. I spritzed the background with water. I stamped the silhouette image using first and second generation stamping using green and purple ink. I removed the masks and coloured the images with pencils. Finally I added the sentiment from the same stamp set.

I will be back later in the month with more projects to share with you. Take care, and thanks so much for stopping by, xx