Christmas Old and New

Hello everyone, I am sharing some Christmas projects with you today that were featured on last month's TV shows on Hochanda.

For my first project,  I created a background, using soft blues and pinks to represent a Winter sky. I added some deeper blue hills using torn paper masks, and stamped the tree from the Frosty Trees stamp set and the sentiment from the Let's Get Festive stamp set, using Cobalt Archival Ink. Ensuring that the background was completely dry, I added some snowflakes using white embossing powder, and then used some flat-backed gems for added sparkle.

Using another tree from the same stamp set, I created an icy background using metallic paints, and on a smaller scrap of the same card, I stamped and embossed the tree panel using Versafine Onyx Black Ink and clear embossing powder, for a crisp image. I matted the layers onto black card, and added some small black gems. The sentiment comes from the Let's Get Festive stamp set once again.

 I wanted to create a piece of home decor especially for Christmas using my favourite sentiment from the new stamp set. I painted a chipboard heart in soft blue chalk paint, adding some crackle medium here and there, and then added a vintage white paint over the top. I then stamped the sentiment in Red Geranium Archival Ink before adding the fabulous pine cones from the New England Winter stamp set around the edges. I used Distress Markers to colour the stamps, allowing me to add colour exactly where I wanted. A red ribbon completes the project.

This next card is an adaptation of an old card that I first made several years ago, using the Winter Birds stamp set, but I have made it in a different size. These days, I like to make 8" x 8" cards, and so the card does look slightly different from the original. I have added one of the new sentiments this time around as well.

Finally two golden oldies for you, which I hope you will forgive seeing again. I remade the first one, which was originally given as a Birthday card to someone. It just goes to show that these beautiful stamps can be used at other times of the year, not just at Christmas, with a change of colour. I have used the large image from the Reindeer Landscape stamp set, embossed with copper embossing powder, and coloured with Distress Inks and a water brush. The background was also created with Wild Honey and Seedless Preserves Distress Inks, and I have then stamped leaves from the Sunny Sunflowers stamp set, and coloured them with Polychromos pencils. The sentiment, which is my all time favourite Chocolate Baroque sentiment,  comes from the Nature's Peace stamp set.

Finally a luminary, also using the large image from the Reindeer Landscape stamp set. I die cut an aperture from four large printed tags. The images were stamped and embossed onto parchment using white embossing powder, and coloured from behind. I used metal tape to join the tags, which I embossed, and aged with a little bit of black paint.

I hope that my projects have given you some ideas using these fabulous stamps. Thanks for stopping by, xx

Christmas Birds

Hi Folks, I have more Christmas cards for you today, using stamps from Chocolate Baroque. Generally, I like to work with bigger cards, but I found myself making some cute 6" x 6" cards with the lovely images. These will be much cheaper to send in the post, which is a huge consideration at Christmas when we have more cards to send anyway.

My first card was created by stamping the owl image down the side of the card, and extending the tree trunk to the bottom of the card with a permanent black pen. I masked over the image, by stamping onto masking paper, and then stamped a tree image from Reindeer Landscape onto the background twice. I also extended the horizon line using a pen as well. The sentiment comes from the same set.

I embossed some snowflakes onto the background using white embossing powder, and then coloured the background, using Distress Inks. I removed the mask from the owl image, and coloured it with pencils. I added a little bit of Stickles to the hills, and once this was dry, I attached some organza ribbon before I matted the background to some black card.

My second card was created by sponging a piece of white card with Pear Tart Memento Ink, and then stamping around the edges with the end of the swirly bird and pear image, using the same colour green ink. (This is my favourite colour green, and was very apt for this card!) This gives a subtle tone on tone effect. I die cut a pear image from a piece of old book paper, and coloured this with Pear Tart and Cantaloupe Memento Inks, before sticking it to my background with matte medium.

I stamped the bird and pear image in black ink over the die cut pear. I stamped the image again onto a piece of white card, and coloured it with polychromos pencils, cutting out the bird, leaves and pears. I decoupaged these onto the die cut pear. I added a sentiment from the Pears and Baubles stamp set.

 

I'll be back soon with more samples, keep checking over at the Design Team Blog for more samples from my team mates. Don't forget to enter the challenge over at the Challenge Blog to be in with a chance of winning a £15 prize to spend online at Chocolate Baroque. Thanks for stopping by, xx

Blue Fairy

Hi Folks, here is a Wintery sample for you using the Winter Fairy stamp collection from Chocolate Baroque. I stamped the main fairy onto a piece of white card, and then created a mask which I placed over the image. I stamped some mushrooms from the Autumn Fairy collection and then created masks for those as well. I made some paper masks for the hills, by tearing some scrap paper, and sponged various shades of green Memento Ink across the background. Fnally, I used some blue Memento Ink to create a sky, adding a circle mask to create a sun.

I added some yellow Memento Ink in the circle area for the sun, and embossed some trees using white embossing powder. I then removed the masks and coloured the stamped images using Graph it markers. To finish, I added some glitter glue along the edges of the hills and to highlight the mushrooms.

To create the background, I embossed some snowflakes from the Reindeer Landscape stamp set using white embossing powder, and then covered the background with blue Memento Ink. I used a sentiment from the Winter Fairies stamp set, and added some blue organza ribbon and some gems to finish.

Thanks for stopping by, xx

Snowflake Edges

Hi Folks, I have a couple of cards to show you today using the Winter Edges stamp set available from Chocolate Baroque


My first card uses the lovely focal stamp from the Reindeer Landscape stamp set, which I have coloured with Splash inks. I have then embossed a few snowflakes over the top, and added some glitter glue to the shaded areas to suggest some fallen snow on the ground.

I have created a long background panel by using one of the snowflake edge stamps, and embossing the image using white embossing powder. I filled the space at the top of the card by turning it around, and just used the top of the stamp again, it fit into the gaps perfectly. I then added several colours of blue Distress Ink to the card, and the white embossing powder acted as a resist, showing through the ink. Once I had assembled my card, I stamped the word 'Believe' in the top corner.

My second card uses the house edge stamp and another of the snowflake edge stampes to create a scene. I stamped these directly onto the front of a square card and filled in the gap between with single snowflake stamps from the same set, using white embossing powder again. I coloured the card using various blue Distress Inks, creating a graduated look. Once I had finished, I spritzed the card with water, to create a mottled effect to add to the snowy feel. I cut a heart shape from the centre of the front of the card, and also from a piece of scrap paper. With the die still in place, and adding the paper mask to the front of the card to protect the card front, I sponged some colour onto the inside of the card through the heart shape. I added a favourite Christmas sentiment of mine.

I think that this is a design that I will make quite a few of this year, as it is simple for batch making, and contains a sentiment already built into the card. How are you all getting on with your Christmas cards?

Thanks for stopping by, xx

Reindeer Luminary

Hi Folks, I have another sample for you using the Reindeer Landscape stamp set. This time my project is a little bit different, as I have made a luminary. I printed out four large vintage tags, available from Chocolate Baroque in the printable section. I cut an aperture in each, and scored above and below the aperture. I trimmed the bottom of each tag so that I could fold it up, and then trimmed two of the top tags slightly. I punched a hole in the top of two of the tags to add some ribbon, and that was my basic luminary design.

I embossed some sticky backed aluminium tape, and aged it by adding some black paint to it, then rubbed away the excess. I stuck the tags together using the aluminium tape. Here is the luminary once it is folded flat. The piece of card is placed in the bottom for stability once it is assembled:

I stamped the Reindeer Landscape image onto vellum four times using white embossing powder, and coloured it on the reverse using Splash Inks. I wanted a very pale vintage feel to my luminary.

I was very excited when I found that the white embossing worked just as well as black when it was lit.

I hope that this has given you some inspiration for this lovely stamp set. Keep checking the Design Team Blog for lots more ideas from my Team mates. Thanks for stopping by, xx

Autumn Reindeer?

Hi Folks, I have a sample to show you today, using a new set of stamps recently released at Chocolate Baroque called Reindeer Landscape. This is traditionally a Christmas stamp set, but I wanted to show that the stamps could be used all year round. We live on the edge of the beautiful Thetford Forest, and see lots of deer on our travels through the woodland, so my card design hopefully reflects this.

I have embossed the image using copper embossing powder, and then coloured it with Distress Markers. I have created a background using the wrinkle free distress method. I chose to use Wild Honey and Seedless Preserves, as these two colours create a lovely warm blend when they are mixed together. I then stamped a diagonal band of leaves from the Sunny Sunflowers stamp set, which I coloured with pencils. Finally I added one of my favourite sentiments, from the Nature's Peace stamp set, again embossed with copper embossing powder.

I will be back in a few days time with another sample for you, but in the mean time, thanks for stopping by, xx