Scaling Up Those Little Projects

Hello everyone, I hope that you are keeping well. I have a few projects to share with you from last month's TV show on Create and Craft, showcasing some of the beautiful floral butterfly stamps that we had on the show. 

I like to make a few quick cards when I can, they are so handy to have in my stash when I need a card in a hurry. I also like to make a batch of them, several at a time, so that I can give them as a gift, or just to build up a store of cards to use later. I love to make little 4" x 4" cards, they are a lovely size to create and to give as gifts. I created two different types as demos on the show last month, and here is how I created them:

The first card was created using a piece of Drawing Cartridge just slightly smaller than 4" x 4". I swiped some Distress Oxide Ink onto an acrylic block, (green and blue), and spritzed it with water. I placed the Drawing Cartridge onto the block, and then peeled it away, to get a watercoloured background. I left the background to dry naturally. I stamped the daisy image from Honeysuckle Butterfly twice onto the background, using black ink, and added a butterfly. I also added some foliage from the same stamp set using green ink in first and second generation stamping, to give the impression of a field of flowers. I varied the height of the foliage. I coloured the flowers and butterfly with Koh-I-Noor pencils, using a simple palette of pink, yellow and green. I edged the background with turquoise ink.

To create my second quick card, I selected a piece of black and white paper created by Lesley, which I cut down to size. I added sponging with green and purple inks to create hills, and pink or orange ink around a circle mask to create the impression of a sun, (a technique that was inspired by the lovely Jean Hardy). I used Versafine Clair ink in various colours to stamp foliage from the stamp sets, and added a butterfly which I coloured in co-ordinating colours.

These little cards are lovely in their own right, but I wanted to show you that they could also be used as larger cards too. I created backgrounds for both of these cards very quickly using the butterfly on the card to pull everything together. For the first card, I used the blue and green ink as before to create a Distress Oxide Ink background, as you have seen me create so many times before, and then I simply stamped the butterfly randomly over the top in turquoise and green ink. I edged the background in the turquoise ink as I had done with the smaller card. It makes a really pretty large card suitable for any occasion, just add a suitable sentiment, or leave it blank and add a sentiment inside.

 For the second card, I used a piece of grey card, and added the butterfly stamped with pink and orange Versafine Clair, it's an unusual colour combination, but really pretty, just the same.

 I hope that I have given you lots of ideas for these lovely stamps, thanks so much for stopping by,

Take care, xx

All About the Butterflies

Hello everyone, I have some projects to share with you today created with some beautiful butterfly images that we brought to Hochanda last month. My first card was created fairly quickly using a piece of drawing cartridge, onto which I drew a circle with a pencil. I chose several colours of Versafine Clair in shades of blue and green and stamped an image from the Thistle Butterfly stamp set around the circle. I stamped each colour five times, to ensure an even coverage, varying the direction that I stamped to make the foliage appear more natural. Although these colours are not necessarily true to nature, I love how they turned out.

Once I had finished the wreath shape, I added some splotches with an image from Just Useful, using some of the same colours that I had used in the wreath. I added a touch of shading around the edge of the background with Distress Ink. I added a sentiment in the centre of the wreath from Birthday Words.

I stamped and embossed three butterflies from across the four sets, I just chose whichever butterflies appealed to me most, to be honest. I used some of Lesley's A5 Doubled Sided Designer Papers, they are so useful for this sort of thing, and will last for ages. I used white embossing powder for a delicate touch.

I am sharing two older projects with you today using the Honeysuckle Butterfly stamp set. These two projects were really fun to create, so I hope that you don't mind seeing them again. The first was a canvas that I made using a sheet of old music paper. I painted over the top using a zingy green colour, and decoupaged the image which I had coloured using pencils. I stamped around the edge using Archival Ink. I added lettering to create a collage effect, you could use book paper, die cuts, whatever you have in your stash to create this effect.

 

This next project is more subtle, but again, I loved creating this one too. I used a Brusho background, and added stamping using an image from the Elegant Edges stamp set around the edge of the background. The butterflies are decoupaged, leaving one wing free for real dimension. This card is just waiting for a sentiment for the right occasion. It would make a lovely Mother's Day card, don't you think?

 

Thanks for stopping by, take care and stay safe, xx

Stamping on Fabric

Hello everyone, I am sharing two projects today using the stamps that we showcased on last month's TV shows on Hochanda. This time, I have created my projects using fabric, showing how you can create a quick card, and a decorative panel.

For my first project, I painted a piece of spotty fabric with yellow and green Hybrid paint, blending the two where they met. I used coloured Archival inks in green and brown tones to stamp all of the images, creating a meadow scene in first and second generation stamping, just as I would when creating a card. I added a couple of Butterflies, and then painted the images with Koh-I-Noor paints and a waterbrush. The Koh-I-Noor paints worked really well on the fabric, and because I am not planning to wash the piece, it does not matter that they are not waterproof.

For the larger panel, I used the large corner stamp from the Butterfly Daisy Collage stamp set, and stamped around the edge of a piece of patterned fabric, overlapping the image as I went along. Again, I used coloured Archival Ink. I used iron on interfacing on the back of both pieces of fabric, fraying the edges of the top panel, and adding rust coloured Archival Ink to the bottom panel. I used a thick piece of greyboard as a base.

I had a piece of the spotty material left over from my first project, and stamped two of the large butterflies from the Butterfly Daisy Collage stamp set onto the fabric, adding shading with the Koh-I-Noor paints. I also stamped some words from the Amazing Mackintosh Words stamp set, and frayed the edges of the little panels.

I created a wrinkle free distress panel using tones of green and yellow Distress Ink on a piece of watercolour card for a background. I stamped a leafy sprig in second generation stamping randomly over the background. To complete the card, I used a small piece of eco printed fabric, with a lovely leaf printed in the centre. 

Thanks for stopping by, xx

Masking Butterflies

Hello everyone, I am sharing two cards with you today created for last month TV shows on Hochanda. If you caught the shows, you will have seen me demoing the first card, and showing the second card as an alternative option for the technique that I used.

To create my card, I drew a circle with a pencil onto a piece of smooth white card using a circle die, but anything the right size will do. I then stamped three butterflies into the card using Versafine Onyx Black Ink, and masked the images using masking tissue. I stamped six daisies from the Butterfly Daisy Collage stamp set around the circle, three close to the butterflies, and masked those as well. I used a foliage stamp from the Thistle Butterfly stamp set to create the background leaves for the wreath, using Shady Lane Versafine Clair ink. Once I had finished, I removed the masks, and coloured the images with pencils. I added a sentiment from the Words to Dazzle and Sparkle stamp set.

My second card was created in much the same way, but I based the colours on my background, which I had found in my stash box. This was simply a wrinkle free Distress Ink background, using Seedless Preserves and Salty Ocean Distress Ink. I stamped the butterflies first, masking them as before, then adding the daisies behind. Finally, I added the same foliage stamp to fill in the background, using Purple Delight Versafine Clair ink. I coloured the images with pencils as before. I added a bit of shading around the edges of both pieces of card with Seedless Preserves Distress Ink, and used a purple card to mat both layers. The sentiment comes from Amazing Mackintosh Words.

To help me plan both cards, I placed my masking tissue images onto my pieces of card first, moving them around to see how they would fit, this helps to visualise what the card will look like. I also stamped my wreath onto a piece of copy paper first, trying out the design, and various colour options for the flowers. I would always advise you to do this if you are unsure about a design, copy paper is very cheap, and you can have several attempts at something, without worrying about your mistakes, before moving onto card.

Another top tip regards colouring in your images. I have used quite a limited colour palette, and have used orange and red in both the flowers and the butterflies in my first example as you can see in the photograph below, to keep some continuity to the images. In the photograph above, although it is not obvious, I have added blue to both the flowers and the butterflies, (along the outer edges of the wings), to again pull everything together. I always choose a toning card to mat the layers in my project, or use ink to edge the panels of card that will coordinate the colours I have used. I hope that this helps you in your own creative process.

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

Fritillary Flowers

Hello everyone, I have a card to share with you today using a selection of some stamps that I have had in my stash for a little while. Sometimes it is great to look at your stamps with a fresh viewpoint, and try using them in different ways. I have always used the Snake's Head Fritillary stamped individually as a focal point on a card, but wanted to create a meadow effect with the flowers for this particular card.

I started to create the card by stamping a few of the flower heads in Onyx Black Versafine Ink, and masking them as I went along. If they were higher up the card, I ensured that I did not stamp the end of the stalk, so that I could draw a longer stem  freehand afterwards, using a fine tipped marker pen. Once I had stamped five images, I switched to Smokey Gray Versafine Ink, and stamped the remainder of the images.  I wanted to give the feeling of depth to the flowers, and the grey ink helped some of them appear to fade into the background, as if I were creating multiple layers of flowers.

I coloured the flowers with Polychromos pencils, adding grey pencil to the flowers at the 'back' of the picture, to tone down the colours a bit. I also used much paler colouring for these flowers, making the flowers in the foreground much more vibrant.

I used Distress Ink to colour the background, and added some stencilling, using the same colours of Distress Ink to keep a layered look to the background. I stamped a couple of butterflies from the Harebell and Thistle butterfly stamp sets directly onto the background, and then stamped the images again onto some spare card. I coloured these images with pencil before cutting them out, and decouoaging them onto the background. I added a greeting from the Birthday Words stamp set, and mounted the background onto a large black card blank.

Thanks for stopping by, xx

Cheery Sunflowers

Hello everyone, I have another floral project to share with you today, using one of the Flowerhead Collection cling mounted stamps. I have chosen to use the Daisy Ring Centre image to create my card, as I liked the versatility of this design, with the open centre. I wanted to create a cluster of sunflowers, and the open centre of the design works perfectly for adding beads, which I love to do in lots of my flower projects.

I started my card by stamping the first image onto my smooth watercolour background, and masking the image, before adding some leaves from the Sunny Sunflowers stamp set. I masked the leaves, and stamped two more of the large flower images, plus a spare image onto an extra piece of watercolour paper, so that I could decoupage the central image.

I coloured the images with Distress Markers and a water brush, and then added shading with pencils. On this occasion, I used Faber Castell Aquarelle pencils, but I did not wet them once I had coloured the images. I coloured the background by tapping some Salty Ocean Distress Ink onto a craft mat, and picking it up with a crumpled baby wipe. I then patted the ink onto the background, turning the baby wipe this way and that way, to get a varied pattern.

I stamped the butterflies from  the Thistle Butterfly and Briar Rose Butterfly stamp sets, onto the background, and again onto spare watercolour card so that I could decoupage them. I simply coloured them with the Aquarell pencils, and blended the colours with a water brush. The sentiment is from the Mackintosh Sentiments clear stamp set. I matted the background onto a black card blank, and then added Glossy Accents to the centre of the main flower before adding dark brown seed beads.

Sunflowers are my Mother in Law's favourite flower. They are so cheery, and would brighten up anyone's day. This card would make a lovely Get Well card, or a Thinking of You card, as well as a pretty Birthday card. I hope it has given you some inspiration anyway. Thanks for stopping by, xx

Sketchy Doodle Flowers

Hello everyone, there are new stamps over at Chocolate Baroque. Two sets of great flowers suitable for all kinds of projects. I have lots of ideas that I am hoping to show you this month. I have two very different cards to show you today.


For my first card, I wanted to create the feeling of a stained glass window by Gaudi. I coloured my background with Tumbled Glass Distress Ink. I stamped the flower and leaf images onto the background, and then masked these before placing a stencil on the left hand side. I sponged Salty Ocean, Shaded Lilac and Peacock Feathers Distress Inks through the stencil, covering these with a coat of Transparent Soft Form Relief Paste.

Once the Soft Form Relief Paste was dry, I added a bit more colour to the background, with Faded Jeans Distress Ink. I stamped an image from the Texture Fragments stamp set and one of the flower images from the Sketchy Doodle Flowers set over the background. I removed the masks from the flowers.

I created the large flower by spreading some Gold Soft Form Relief Paste over the stamp, and allowing it to dry overnight. I peeled the thin film off my stamp very carefully. I coloured the film with metal paints and added some gilding wax. I stuck a large flat-backed gem in the centre.

I chose to stamp the flower and leaf images onto a seperate piece of card, and coloured these with Inktense pencils. I cut them out and decoupaged them over the original images. Finally I added the focal flower.

The transparent relief paste has given a lovely sheen to the stencilled area, and the colours are so vibrant underneath.

My second card uses the lovely floral frame image on the Sketchy Doodle Flower stamp set. I stamped the image onto a die cut piece of smooth watercolour paper. I masked the outer area of the image, leaving the oval uncovered. I added some colour using Distress Inks, blending them together where they met. I removed the mask, and coloured the leaves with a watercolour pencil.

I created the background by stamping a leaf taken from the Thistle Butterfly stamp set, using the same colours that I had used on the main image, randomly over some smooth watercolour paper. I die cut some leaves from the same paper and coloured them with Distress Ink. Finally, I assembled the card adding dark brown card and ribbon. I have left the card without a sentiment for now, as it is such a versatile image that it will be useful for many occasions.

Thanks for stopping by, xx

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

Honeysuckle Canvas

Hi Folks, I have a project to show you today using the Thistle Butterfly/Honeysuckle Butterfly Multibuy stamp sets from Chocolate Baroque. These new sets are a lovely addition to the range of floral butterfly stamps, and great for mixing and matching with older stamps in the range, or using by themselves.

For my project, I covered a canvas with vintage music paper, and then painted it with various shades of Golden acrylic paint in greens and blues. I stamped the flourish from the set around the edges in forget-me-not and orange blossom archival ink to create a border. This is such a lovely stamp, and has become a favourite of mine. I stamped the honeysuckle image onto the background, and again onto some white card. I coloured the image on the card with pencils before cutting it out and adding it to the canvas.

I coloured some scrap card using Distress Inks in shades of blue and orange. I stamped some letters from the Newsprint Alphabet onto the card to spell the word 'Fleur', before cutting them out. I distressed and inked the edges of the little panels, and added these to my canvas.

Keep checking the Design Team Blog for lots of lovely samples from my Team mates over the coming month. xx