Playing with backgrounds

Hi Folks, I have some more projects for you today showcasing the Thistle Butterfly/Honeysuckle Butterfly multi-buy stamp sets from Chocolate Baroque

I have really enjoyed working with these pretty stamps, as flowers and butterflies are among my favourite images to use. I have made some slightly different backgrounds for these projects, and one of them was a first time experiment for me!


My first sample was created by using Pan Pastels for my background over a mask, I wanted to create a tartan background to go with the thistle image, it seemed appropriate. (If you do not have a mask, you could just use thin strips of masking tape, it was what I was going to use until I found a mask). I used a pale yellow over my card first, then applied the mask before using a lilac PP and then a magenta toned PP over the top.

I then stamped the image with Coffee Archival Ink and coloured it with Polychromos pencils. I used the floral spray stamp from the Honeysuckle stamp set to stamp around the edges using Lulu Lavender Memento ink. The sentiment is taken from the Amazing Birthday clear stamp set.

My second project was created using water colour paper, onto which I stamped the large honeysuckle image.  I then brushed water over the paper around the image, and sprinkled Leaf Green Brusho over the water. I wanted a very pale background, so I spritzed the Brusho with water, and dabbed it with kitchen roll, to take the darkest patches away. I then dabbed between the areas of the image that were still white with the coloured kitchen roll to add some colour. This technique worked really well, and as a first time experiment, I was really pleased! I used the tiniest amount of Brusho, so these powders are going to last me a long time.

I stamped the image again onto a scrap piece of card and coloured the images with Distress markers and a water brush. I decoupaged the butterflies from the second image onto the main image. I stamped the small honeysuckle stamp from the Elegant Edges stamp set around the edge of the background.

 Thanks for stopping by, Judith xx

There are new stamps recently released over at Chocolate Baroque on a Christmas theme, and I've used one of the new sets to make a sample that I've also posted on the Design Team Blog today.

My project uses a large gate stamp from the Christmas Creatures stamp plate, which I have stamped onto a 5" x 7" card. I masked the image, using Eclipse masking tape, and created a background using Pan Pastels. I used a second card the same size, and stamped a house from the New England Winter stamp plate onto the opposite side of this card, so that it would face the first image. I also masked this image, as before, and created a background with Pan Pastels. I then watercoloured both images with Distress markers and a waterbrush, adding more colour to the images directly with the pens for shading, and drawing it out with the waterbrush, until I was happy with the finish.

I cut the aperture out of the centre of the gate, added some gems to the large tree and some glitter to represent some snow.

I added some smaller gems to the tree on the second picture and more glitter.

I had quite a limited colour selection of blue Pan Pastels, so I put white Pan Pastel over my card first, so that the blue did not appear too dark. It gives quite a Wintery feel to the sky as well, I think.

I then trimmed a little piece from the inner edges of each card, and stuck the two cards together.

So now you can see the house through the arch of the gateway. I haven't added a sentiment to the card yet, but I will add one later once I have decided who I will send the card to at Christmas time. These new stamps are very versatile, because they mix in with a lot of the older sets that I already have, as you can see from this sample. I have several more projects planned using some of the new stamps and blending them with my older sets, I really like to do this. I'll be back in a few days with another sample for you, thanks for stopping by, xx

Forgotten Friday 58- A few Alphatags

Hi folks, it's Friday again, phew! Where did the week go? It's time to rummage through your crafty stash and see what you have lurking there that is neglected or unused. I am cheating slightly this week, as I had a 'craft related incident', and cut my finger on a Nestability on Wednesday, which is making crafting very difficult at the moment. So I am showing you something that I have made already that used neglected items.

Regular followers will know that I make tags for the Chocolate Baroque Alphatag Swap each month, although I don't always blog them. This month, a couple of my tags used very unused items, so I feel that I can show you those tags for my Forgotten Friday post. The first tag is 'M' for Music:

I embossed the tag using a Music embossing folder and an embossing diffuser, to give me a blank area in the centre for stamping. I stamped the musical instrument using Black Archival ink. I then coloured a piece of mountboard with red Distress Ink and stamped the musical heart, before cutting it out. I triple embossed this with thick WOW clear embossing powder. I love the shine that this embossing powder gives, it's the best one that I've found. I added some Sizzix leaves and black ribbon to finish.

My second tag is 'N' for Nature:

I coloured the background of the tag with Pan Pastels before stamping the tree from the Essence of Nature stamp set from Chocolate Baroque. I decoupaged the butterflies, which I coloured with Polychromos pencils. The leaves were stamped onto card that had been coloured with Pan Pastels. I also added a bit of crackle around the edges using a stamp from the Echoes of Italy stamp set.

It's been lovely to get some of these older stamp sets out, give them an airing again, and to give the embossing diffuser a try out. Why don't you have a rummage through your crafty stash, find something that you haven't used for a while, and make something? If you leave a comment, I'll pop along to your blog to take a look.

I'd like to say hello to all of my new followers, thank you so much for joining me, you are very welcome.

I'm off to visit my parents today, so I'd better get a wriggle on packing the car now, thanks for stopping by, xx

Pretty Steampunk Beetle

Hi folks, I'd like to show you another sample using the new Steampunk stamps recently released over at Chocolate Baroque I have chosen to use a feminine colour palette for my sample and picked some lovely pinks and oranges, which I have offset with a bright green.

I started by making a background with Pan Pastels, and then sponged through the Reverse Chicken Wire template from Crafter's Workshop with Versamark ink. I went over this with more of the same Pan Pastel colours that I had used for the background. I stamped the large cog and flower stamp from the Punky Romance stamp plate, using Versamark ink again, and covered this with Pan Pastels as well.

I cut out some flowers and leaves from handmade paper, and coloured these with Pan Pastels. The flowers were coloured with pink and orange, and the leaves were coloured with two shades of green. I stamped the darker areas of the leaves with the little coggy tree from the Steampunk Christmas stamp plate.

I stamped the beetle onto white card twice, and coloured it with Polychromos pencils. I decoupaged the layers, and brushed some gold mica pwder over the top, before adding Glossy Accents to the beetle's body and the clock face.

I scrunched the flowers, fixing them together with brads, and attached them to the card. I stuck cogs into the centres and filled these with Glossy Accents. I then filled the centres with seed beads. I added a sentiment and a couple of cogs to finish.

These stamps are such fun to work with. Why not pop over to the Design Team blog over the coming days to see what my Design Team mates have been making with them? Thanks for stopping by, xx

Bold little Bird

Hi folks, I have something a little bit different to show you today. I needed to make a card for my Dad for Father's Day, and had been sitting on these gorgeous stamps for a little while. They are from Designs By Ryn and are really unusual. I love hummingbirds, and this design really caught my eye. One of my followers is on the Design Team, and she has made some fabulous cards with some of Ryn's stamps. I have a few more of the stamps to play with, and already know what I want to make. Hopefully, I'll get to create the cards over the next couple of weeks, time permitting.

For this card, I stamped the Hummingbird onto white card, and masked the image with Eclipse masking tape. I made a background using Pan Pastels in various soft shades of blue, turquoise and lilac. I then stamped the leafy branch with Versafine, and used two shades of green to cover the stamped areas. I coloured the bird using Polychromos pencils, basing the colour scheme on various images that I found on Google. I stamped a simple Stampin' up sentiment in the corner using Memento Pear Tart ink.

My Dad lives 230 miles away from me, so I can't spend Father's Day with him. However, I'm going to see him next week, so that's not so bad. He is 80 next month, so I need to get my thinking cap on for a very special Birthday card!

I'd like to enter this card into the Pan Pastels Challenge which is for Father's Day/ Boys so my card fits the bill.

Thanks for stopping by, xx

My first Show of the year!

Hi Folks, well I'm off to the Sincerely Yours Show at Thetford in Norfolk today, hoping to see a few crafty friends who are going as well. It's the first craft show that I've been to this year, so it will be great to see what has started to creep through from CHA. I'm going to Ally Pally next month, and that's where things will kick off properly, I'm sure. However, there's nothing like having a wander around stands of craft goodies and chatting to like-minded shoppers, is there?

Kay and Alfie will be there with the IndigoBlu stand, so it will be good to catch up with them too. I'm after some more Pan Pastels following on from making some samples for them recently. They are such a lovely medium to work with. This is another sample that I made for them, which may well be on display today:

This owl stamp is such a treat to work with. I've painted it with Distress Stains for this sample, using a variety of browns and oranges. I've used Pan Pastels for the background, and gilding flakes for the lollipop tree.

Well, I hope you are having a great weekend whatever you are doing, thanks for popping by, xx

Forgotten Friday 52- More Birds!

Hi Folks, it's Friday again, and time to rummage through your forgotten or neglected stash, to see what is lurking there. This week, I have chosen to use a little sentiment that has been sitting on my craft desk for ages. I bought it at one of the Happy Stampers shows last year. My friend Jo pointed it out to me, I would have missed it, but I loved the words. I keep chickens, as regular followers of my Blog will know, but I love bird related stamps too, so this is a great stamp for me.

I have also chosen to used an unused Prima mask with a little bird on it, and a bird stamp from Tim Holtz, the bigger version of the one I used last week in fact. It has a music score across it, so it fits the sentiment very well.

I coloured the background with Pan Pastels, laid the mask over the top, and spritzed with Perfect Pearls. I dried the card with my heat gun, and went around the mask details with Polychromos pencils, adding some shading. I stamped the bird onto grungepaper, and embossed it, before adding some Pear Tart Memento ink. I then punched a Martha Stewart vine punch to place the bird onto, so that it was grounded on the card. The leaves echo the shape of those on the mask. Pretty much everything, with the exception of the Pan Pastels was neglected stash, so I have been very good this week.

Apologies for the wonky picture, I couldn't get a straight image for love nor money today! I love how one of the Perfect Pearl droplets formed just where the little masked bird's beak ended up.

Why don't you have a look through your crafty stash and make something with a neglected item. Leave a comment, and I'll pop along to your blog to take a look. Thanks for stopping by, xx

Pan Pastels use bright colours

I've had some Pan Pastels sitting in my craft stash for several months. I bought them at a craft show last year, used them once, and then didn't use them anymore. I've recently had them out again, as I've been making some samples for IndigoBlu combining the Pan Pastels with Flitterglu and gilding flakes.

The Pan Pastels blend beautifully, the colours are vibrant, and make gorgeous backgrounds. I like to stamp with Perfect Pearls, and swipe some more colour over the top to create some great layers too. This is a tip that I picked up from Linda Brown at Ally Pally last year.

On Sunday, Kay and Alfie from IndigoBlu will be at the Sincerely Yours Show at Thetford in Norfolk. Hopefully, they'll have some of my samples with them. Are any of you going? If so, look out for me, as I'm popping along too for a bit of retail therapy.

Here's a card I've made using Pan Pastels, incorporating some of my favourite stamps. There's a Stamp Camp butterfly, a script stamp from Indigoblu, and a flourish from Tim Holtz. The colours are quite bright, so I'm entering it for this week's Pan Pastels challenge which is to use bright colours.

Having looked at some of the entries so far, I might not have made my card bright enough, lol!

Thanks for stopping by, xx

Forgotten Friday 36- Some old and new

Hi folks, a quick post today, as I'm travelling Northwards to visit my Parents for the weekend. My card this week is not strictly all forgotten stash, as it was not made solely for this post. However, there is enough hoarded stash that I am bending the rules to use it!

I made this card for my Nephew's Birthday recently, using Pan Pastels. It was the first time that I had ever tried using these, and I love the vibrancy that they give on projects. I gessoed over some Viva Terra that I had brushed through some sequin waste. I then added some pastels to give some base colour, and then stamped with Versamark and used the pastels again to get a stronger colour laid onto the card. I then added feature stamps with Stazon . I used a piece of Stampbord as the main section, adding an ideology clock and spinner for an element of interest. It's hard making cards for lads, and I know that he was pleased with his card.

Have a rummage through your stash, and if you make a project with your forgotten items, please leave a comment, and I'll pop along to your blog to take a look. Thanks for stopping by today, xx