Along the Edge of the Sea Bed

Hello everyone, I have another watery sample to show you today, using the Steampunk Funk Fish and Steampunk Sea World stamp sets, currently on offer as Stamp of the Month sets at Chocolate Baroque.

I started my sample by stamping the seashell edge from the Seaside Dreams stamp set near the bottom of my background, but splitting it in half, and stamping a piece on either side of the page. I also created a mask of the image, and covered the original stamped image with the mask. I then stamped the octopus from the Steampunk Funk Fish stamp plate in between the two images, and masked that image as well. I stamped the seaweed edge slightly higher up the page in the middle, and then a piece on each side, to create a continuous run behind the first set of images, and masked these as well.

I used some Splash Inks, which I diluted and blended to get the colours that I wanted, and then coloured the background, using a turquoise for the sea area, and an ochre colour for the sand. I added extra interest to the sea area by sponging Peacock Feathers Distress Ink through a Crafter's Workshop stencil to create a bubble effect. I stamped several fish onto adhesive labels and coloured these with water colour pencils, and also stamped a few more directly onto the background. I chose to stamp these background fish with blue ink, so that they appeared to fade into the background slightly, toning the colours down on these fish as well. I removed the masks from the images on the sea bed, and coloured these with watercolour pencils, blending the colours with a waterbrush. I added a stamp from the Nature Fragments stamp set along the edges for a bit of extra funky seaweed.

 I am having great fun combining these new stamps with some of the older sets already available on the website as you can see. I hope that I have given you a bit of inspiration,

A Pear of Christmas Trees!

Hi Folks, I have some Christmas cards for you today, using the lovely selection of seasonal stamps currently on offer at Chocolate Baroque.

My first card uses stamps from the Snowy Scenes/Turtle Doves multibuy stamped onto green paper using white embossing powder. I added tiny red gems to the tree and snowflakes for a little bit of Christmas bling. To complete the background, I added a stamp from the Nature Fragments stamp set, stamped in Cottage Ivy Memento ink. I also stamped a sentiment from the Christmas Magic clear stamp set in the same colour onto a piece of scrap paper. I edged all of the pieces of paper with green ink and then matted them onto dark green card before assembling my project.

My second card was created by stamping a large ornate pear from the Pears and Baubles stamp set onto my background using Rich Cocoa Memento ink. I coloured the pears using a mixture of green and yellow Distress markers and a waterbrush. I filled in the background between using my Stormy Sky Distress marker pen and a waterbrush, I made the background very watery using a wide waterbrush where possible. The main image was stamped onto a die cut piece of card using gold embossing powder, and coloured in with the marker pens in the same way. I edged the background with Stormy Sky Distress Ink. I added a large flourish from the Butterfly Dreams stamp set, using gold embossing powder.

I matted the layers onto dark brown card and added a piece of dark brown organza ribbon to finish. I hope that these two cards have given you a little bit of inspiration. I always enjoy mixing the new stamps with some of the other stamp sets already available. Thanks for stopping by, Judith xx

Patchwork Sunrise

Hi Folks, I had a lot of fun creating this 'patchwork' sample with the new Patchwork Landscape stamp set from Chocolate Baroque The stamps are such great designs, and just encourage lots of colour.

I stamped the main image, and then masked this off, by stamping the image again onto masking paper, and covering the main areas. I then covered sections of the background with sheets of paper, just leaving a segment uncovered, which I coloured with Pan Pastels. I stamped across the section with a stamp from various texture stamp plates, Abstract Fragments Nature Fragments and Texture Fragments using Versamark, and then I covered the Versamark with Pan Pastel again. I moved around the page, completing a segment at a time, covering over any finished area to keep it protected. Once I was finished, I added hand drawn pen lines to resemble stitching. I coloured the central image with Inktense pencils, blending the colours with a waterbrush. I added a sentiment from the stamp sheet. Finally, I made some small flowers from handmade paper to resemble the Hollyhocks on the stamp plate, and added some black buttons to the centre. A die cut flourish completes the card.

 

Thanks for stopping by, xx

Baby Duck

Hi Folks, I have a Steampunk sample using softer colours to show you today. I wanted to make a congratulations card for a new baby using the paddle duck image from the Steampunk Birds stamp set, and so I chose soft pastel tones to create my card. I created a background using a texture stamp from the Nature Fragments stamp set, which I embossed with white embossing powder. I then covered the card using Squeezed Lemonade and Spun Sugar Distress Inks, before stamping the texture stamp again with Spun Sugar Distress Ink. I decoupaged the duck image, using three layers (the base layer is on the card), and I coloured the image with Distress Markers. I added a sentiment from the Loving Sentiments stamp set.

Some green lace and pink safety pins finish the card.Thanks for stopping by, Judith xx

Hi Folks, here is another sample using the versatile Nature Fragments and Abstract Fragments stamp sets from Chocolate Baroque. I have created a background by covering some watercolour paper with a wash of  Ecoline ink, and adding some salt while it was still wet. Once the background was dry, I brushed away the salt, and randomly stamped the squiggly texture stamp in Salty Ocean Distress Ink across the paper. I added highlights with a white pencil.

I coloured a piece of glossy card with green and brown alcohol inks and then stamped the large and small tree trunk circles several times in archival black ink. I cut these out, and arranged them across the page. I used another texture stamp and some blue green embossing powder to create a pattern across the wings of a die cut dragonfly.The sentiment was taken from the Words of Inspiration stamp set.

 

Something along these lines might make a great masculine themed card, which is always hard to design.Thanks for stopping by, xx

Fragmented background

Hi Folks, I have another sample to show you using the new Nature Fragment stamps from Chocolate Baroque. I have chosen to alter a small papier mache plaque which I have painted, and then covered the front with some scrapbook paper. Before attaching the paper, I stamped the large hessian (burlap) stamp using gold embossing powder across the middle of the panel, and added a piece of cerise ribbon. I used another stamp from the stamp set and Lilac Posies Memento ink to add some random stamping across the background. I then used a fragment stamp from the Lace Fragment stamp set to fill in any areas left, using Iced Spruce Distress Ink. I softened these areas with a pearl spray.

I stamped and embossed several images from the Haberdashery stamp set, using white embossing powder, and coloured them using the Memento Ink, or the Distress Ink as before. I also embossed a pair of scissors using gold embossing powder onto a piece of gold pearlised card. Finally, I cut a small tag shape, which I coloured with Iced Spruce Distress Ink, keeping the die cut in place, so that the edges remained white, in keeping with the other embossed pieces, and stamped a sentiment from the haberdashery stamp set onto the tag.

Thanks for stopping by, Judith xx

Alcohol flourishes

Hi Folks, there are some new stamps at Chocolate Baroque released this week,that will be a great bunch of stamps to have at your fingertips. They are a range of texture stamps, including things like woodgrain, brick walls, stones, and lots of other fabulous designs. The stamps are broken into two sets, but are also available as a multibuy.

I have used a couple of stamps from the Nature Fragments stamp set for this card. I created a wrinkle free distress background first of all, and then stamped the ornate flourish stamp across the background using three different colours of Adirondack Ink, Eggplant, Stream and Wild Plum. I coloured some Glossy card using Eggplant and Wild Plum alcohol ink, and then stamped the panel with the negative flourish image, using silver embossing powder.

I die cut a butterfly from plum coloured foil, which I embossed through a die cutting machine. I used some alcohol ink to change the colour of the raised areas. I matted the design onto teal coloured card and added some plum ribbon. My sentiment came from the Pretty Poppies stamp set.

Thanks for stopping by, Judith xx