Creating Backgrounds

Hello everyone, I hope that you are all keeping well. Even in times like these, I hope that you have been able to find some enjoyment in your crafting, in whatever form that has taken. A lot of you have been saying that your mojo has taken a walk, but hopefully the inspiration on the Chocolate Baroque Design Team blog, on the Facebook Group, and Lesley's daily Facebook live posts are continuing to provide you with lots of ideas.

I have created a card for you using the lovely Katya, and stamps from the Timeless stamp set. I used a piece of Drawing Cartridge from my stash that had been washed with a tea bag dipped in warm water. This gives the card a lovely aged feel, perfect for the look I wanted. It's a very quick way of colouring a background.

I stamped Katya using dark brown Archival ink, and covered the image with masking tissue before adding the large image from the Timeless stamp set a couple of times. I then added lots of the smaller images using second generation stamping to fill the rest of the space, and overstamping the other image as well. I used sepia tones, keeping in with the general colour palette.

I removed the mask, and coloured Katya with Koh-I-Noor Polycolour pencils, these blend really well, and add a pop of colour to the main image. I felt that the main decorative piece on Katya's headdress reminded me of a cog, and so she fitted so well with the 'Timeless' theme, a lady from a bygone era.

To create my second card, I added pink and green Distress Inks to a piece of Drawing Cartridge with some water, and then stamped the little butterflies from Baroque Meadow across the background using toning colours of Versafine Clair inks. I used a whiteboard postcard, and stamped a sentiment from Words of Gratitude across the background using grey Archival Ink. I added some shading around the edge of the postcard using Distress Ink and stamped the Tangled Birch over the top using black ink, which I coloured with pencils as before.

My final card, which I shared at the time of the TV shows was a really quick card, a simple Brusho background with the same wording added. I then stamped the images from Baroque Meadow in black ink, and added a piece of black ribbon, before mounting the project onto black card.

These lovely stamps are so versatile, always a pleasure to create with. I will be back later in the month with more ideas to share with you.

Take care and stay safe,

Judith xx

Colourful Journal Pages

Hello everyone,  I needed to create an extra project for the Design Team Blog this month, and decided to have a bit of fun. Lesley, during the TV shows that introduced the new Russian themed stamps, had suggested giving the lovely Katya image some hair, and that was what kick-started this whole journal spread off in the first place. I chose to use the really versatile A5 Pink Pig journal containing 270 gsm watercolour paper, as this size of journal allows for a lot of choice in the layout that you can create, without feeling that you have too much space to fill. The watercolour paper is lovely and smooth and will take lots of water.

I started my project by masking the headdress on the Katya stamp, and inking up just the bottom part of the image, using Versafine Sepia Ink, before stamping it onto the journal page. I drew some hair freehand, using a pencil at first, until I was happy with the design, and then inking over it with a permanent brown pen.

I needed to mask the image, and as the masking tissue available on the website is not completely opaque, I was able to lay it over my image, and draw an outline to create my own custom mask.

I added several other images to the pages; the Swirl Centre Flowerhead, and some leaves and a butterfly from the Tangled Garden stamp set. I masked all of these images as I went along, so that I could create a layered look to the pages. I wanted a subtle floral image in the background and added a favourite texture stamp from the Texture Fragments stamp set, using Acrylic Wax to stamp the image. I simply put a small amount onto a craft mat, applied it to the stamp with a piece of sponge, and stamped the image onto the background. I heat set the image before moving on to the next stage. I added Distress Ink to colour the background, and the acrylic wax acted as a resist where I had stamped the floral texture image.

I drew a few swirls by hand, using a permanent brown pen as before, and added a sentiment from the Artistic Expressions stamp set. A little bit of stencilling completed the background.

I coloured the images using Zig Clean Colour markers, keeping the colours bright and cheery to match the vibrant background. I decided to give Katya a modern twist with ombre hair, rather than a conventional colour. I added extra shading to her hair with some Stabilo Fineliners in co-ordinating colours.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading about my project, thanks for stopping by, xx

More Russian Inspired Projects

Hello everyone, I would have to say that the lovely Katya is probably my favourite of the Russian inspired images that we have been working with these past few weeks; the image is such a versatile stamp, and can be used in so many different colour options and settings. I have so many ideas for this stamp floating around in my head.

I have a card to share with you that was shown during the recent TV shows on Hochanda. I stamped the image first onto a piece of smooth watercolour paper, then masked the image, before creating a background, using Distress Oxide Inks. I placed a stencil slightly offset to one side of the stamped image, and added some blue ink through the stencil and spritzed it lightly with water to get the chalky effect again. I heat set the background with a heat tool, and then stamped and embossed the Large Crackle Backround stamp around the edge of the background, using Versamark and gold embossing powder.

I removed the mask, and coloured the image using Distress Markers, using shades of blue and yellow to tone in with my background colours. Finally I chose a lime green card to mat the background onto, before I adhered everything to my card base.

I have also created a very chocolately Easter card, perfect for this time of year. I found a shimmery background in my stash of left over background pieces, which was just the right colour. I stamped and embossed the Russian Floral Egg stamp all over the background, using Versamark and copper embossing powder.

I spread some Soft Form Relief Paste-Copper over the stamp, and left it overnight to set. Once the paste had set to a film, I peeled it away from the stamp, and trimmed the edges neatly. I added a little bit of gilding wax in a chocolate brown colour, just for a bit of definition.

I added a thick band of dark brown ribbon to the background, before matting it onto some dark brown card. Finally, I adhered the egg with strong double sided tape. It looks just like a foil wrapped Easter egg, good enough to eat!

I hope that my projects will inspire you to have a go with these fabulous stamps. I will be back in a few days with another project. Wishing you all a very Happy Easter, xx

Katya Tryptich

Hello everyone, I  have a Russian style tryptich to share with you today, which was shown on the recent TV shows on Hochanda showcasing the fabulous new collection of stamps from Chocolate Baroque.

To create my project, I covered a wooden tryptich with Paper Artsy Vintage Lace acrylic paint, but any pale paint would be fine. I then stamped Katya and the Russian Floral Egg onto some pale scrapbook paper, using Potting Shed Archival Ink. I stamped the Large Crackle Background over the top using second generation stamping, as I did not want the crackle stamp to overpower the images. I used the same brown ink as before. I coloured the images with Polychromos pencils, choosing a fairly muted colour palette, in keeping with an old religious icon that you might find in a church or museum. I added some brown shading around the edges of each section, just with the edge of a pencil, before adhering each section to the tryptich.

I covered the back of the tryptich with a very pretty serviette, using a matte medium adhesive. I chose a design that looked very ornate with gold swirls and a dark base, as I wanted quite a mediaeval feel to the design.

I added gilding wax to the edges of the triptich in shades of green and gold to give an older feel to the piece.

I hope that my project will give you some ideas for using these beautiful stamps, not just for home decor pieces, but for your card making too. Thanks for stopping by, xx