From The Deep

Hello everyone, I have a few projects to share using stamps that were featured on last month's TV shows on The Craft Store.

My first card was created on a piece of glossy card, and I used an inky plate to create the background. I brayered a selection of Distress Inks onto the plate, and then pressed the card onto the plate to get a print. I trimmed the card to size, and then placed a square of Masking Tissue in the centre. I stamped the images from Mermaid Queen and Seashell Collage around the edges using Archival Ink. I added some shading using grey Archival Ink before removing the Masking Tissue. I stamped the bird and sentiment from the Seashell Collage stamp set within the faux frame, amd added a touch of pencil colouring to the image.

To create my second card, I used a piece of Smooth White Stamping Paper and stamped the Ammonite image in the foreground using black ink. I masked the image using Masking Tissue, and proceeded to stamp the image again in grey ink, masking as I went along, until I had filled the page. I only needed three masks in total to achieve this effect, and as they are reusable, I will be able to put them to good use in future projects. I used colouring pencils to complete the project, choosing a rainbow palette, and using three different colours on each shell to give a good variation of shading. I started with the lightest colour each time. I added a sentiment from Birthday Words. I added grey pencil around the shells to give even more definition to the shells and make the card feel more 3D.

My third card was created using Drawing Cartridge and Distress Inks. I added salt to the background while it was still wet to create an underwater effect, like bubbles in the sea. Once the background was dry I added some foliage along the bottom from Something Fishy, and completed the sea bed by drawing in some lines and dots with a fineliner pen. I added lots of the fish, and stamped a few extra fish and shells onto to some sticker sheets which I coloured separately, all with pencils. I added a few fronds of colour to represent seaweed using my Koh-I-Noor plalette and a waterbrush. 

This last project is a golden oldie which I am sharing again for those readers who have not seen it before. I used Ink and mica powder on the bckground covered up with scrunched up cling film. Once the background was dry, I stamped all of my images from Mermaid Queen with Archival Ink and coloured them with pencils. I have joined the images up with dots to make them appear to be part of one big scene using a fineliner pen, and used toning colours throughout.

Thanks for stopping by, I will be back later in the month with more projects to share with you. Take care, and stay safe, xx

Underwater Inspiration

Hello everyone, I have a couple more watery creations for you, using the sea themed stamp sets that we have been showcasing all month at Chocolate Baroque.

My first card was created by making a background using Distress Oxide Inks in shades of blue, yellow, pink and green. I created lots of layers until I was happy with the result. I stamped the shells from the Seaside Dreams stamp set, and masked the image before adding the second image behind. I painted both images using the little Koh I Noor palette, and then added some Inktense pencil detail and white highlights. Finally, I stamped the sentiment onto three pieces of scrap card, and attached these to the background. I edged all of the card pieces with blue ink before constructing my project.

For my second card, I used a background from my stash that had been made by painting Turquoise and Sea Green Brushos over the background with lots of water to make a colour wash. Sea salt had been sprinkled over the top and left to dry, which had created small bubbles randomly over the background.

I added some stencilling using coordinating Distress Ink, and stamped the small seahorse using first and second generation stamping. I added some stamping along the bottom using stamps from the Mermaid Queen and Underwater stamp sets. The bubbles were created by dipping a pen lid into white acrylic paint, and pressing it onto the background. I added a white highlight to each bubble to represent the light reflecting on the bubbles. I painted the foliage using the Koh I Noor palette once again.

I stamped the large seahorse onto a scrap of card, another background left over from a previous project, and cut the image out, leaving a small border around the edge. I attached the image to the background, and added a sentiment from the Seaside Dreams stamp set. Finally, I edged the background with teal ink, before adhering it to a white card blank.

Don't forget that there is a callout for new members for our Guest Design Team. Do check out the post on the Shop Blog for details of how to apply. The deadline is 23rd February, so there is plenty of time to apply. We are a really friendly Team to work with, and you could get to see some of your designs on the TV!

Thanks for stopping by, I will be back with some floral inspiration for you next month. xx

Mermaid Queen

Hello everyone, I have a card to share today using the stamps featured on last month's TV shows on Hochanda. The images I have used were from the Mermaid Queen and Underwater stamp sets.

I had a pretty background lurking in my stash created using inks and mica powder with cling film onto a piece of plain card, which when dried created beautiful silvery patterns on the card. I felt that this would be a perfect backdrop for a watery scene. I wanted a feeling of looking through the water at the images, and so I stamped straight onto the background with Jet Black Archival Ink, and coloured the images using Derwent Procolour pencils. The mica on the background gives a floaty effect of water both in front of and behind the images.

Where there were gaps between the three individual images, I used a fine permanent marker pen to join the images up using small dots, as Sue has drawn on the images themselves. This way, it looks as if the three images all form part of one larger piece. I have also used common colours across the three sections to tie everything together. Creating a scene this way avoids the need to mask any images, and speeds up the process considerably.

Finally, I edged the background with Lucky Clover Distress Ink before attaching it to a large white card blank.

I hope that my card will inspire you to create something using these lovely stamps yourselves. I will be back later in the month with another nautical project. Thanks for stopping by, xx

Going Live!

Hello everyone, I have three projects to share with you today, which I took with me to last month's TV shows on Hochanda to use as demos on the shows. If you watched the shows, you will have seen two of these projects in action, but the third one did not make it to air, because the stamp featured sold out so fast. That's the nature of live TV!

For my first project, I created a watercolour background on a large piece of cartridge paper, and stamped a selection of stamps from the Underwater and Mermaid Queen over the top. I cut a postcard sized piece of cartridge paper, and stamped the seashells from Seaside Dreams, and masked the image. I added a watercolour wash over the background. I coloured the shells once I had removed the mask, using just three colours of Distress Ink, Salty Ocean, Fossilized Amber and Rusty Hinge, mixing the three colours to create a variety of different shades. I added a sentiment to the bakground.

I created a postcard back by drawing some lines using a fineliner pen, and adding images from the Mail Art stamp set. Once I had completed all of my elements, I assembled the card.

To create my second project, I used the same selection of stamps to decorate some brown paper using brown, orange and red tones of ink. I used the paper to make first some wrapping paper for a present, addng some red hessian and some string as a decorative feature. I stamped and embossed some shell images onto kraft card using gold embossing powder, and added some colour using Distress Ink, before cutting the images out, and attaching them to the parcel. The card was made in exactly the same way.

To create my final project, I made a watercolour wash for a piece of watercolour card using Turquoise and Sea Green Brushos, and sprinkled sea salt over the background while it was still wet. The salt draws some of the liquid away and creates beautiful patterns. Once the background was dry, I brushed the salt away, and stamped a seaweed image from the Underwater stamp set across the background, using first, second and third generation stamping. I also added a sentiment.

Finally, I stamped the Ammonite image onto cartridge paper using some of the left over diluted Brushos, which I picked up from my craft mat, directly onto the stamp. I used a water brush to draw some of the colour from the outline of the image. I cut the image out, and attached it to the card using 3D foam pads.

I will be back with more watery inspiration for you in a little while. Thanks for stopping by, xx

Tangled up Under the Sea!

Hello everyone, I have had great fun playing with the new stamps recently released from Chocolate Baroque and have a project with a difference to show you today.

I have incorporated a bit of Zentangle with the Steampunk Funk Fish and Steampunk Sea World stamp sets. I started my card by stamping the scenery section onto the bottom left hand corner of the background, and then adding the bubble machine. I joined the two images together with some hand drawn lines using a permanent black pen, and created a sandy floor. I drew some plants using various tangles, namely variations of Verdigogh, Falz, and Flux. I then stamped some jellyfish, seahorses and more bubbles, partially stamping the bubble machine image. I coloured everything with a mixture of Inktense pencils and watercolour pencils, blending with water brushes. I added detail on the metallic areas with a gold pen and a charcoal glitter pen. Finally, I added Glossy Accents to the bubbles.

 This was such a relaxing project to create, as tangling is very calming, and you can add as much or as little as you like to create a scene.

I have a bonus tag to show you here on my blog, not posted on the Design Team blog. I created a wrinkle free Distress background, adding some over stamping using a texture stamp which I then spritzed with water afterwards, to give it  slightly hazy feel. I then dried the background completely. I stamped the cog background stamp, and masked this off, adding some additional seaweed.

I stamped and embossed a couple of sea horses onto the tag using silver embossing powder and Versamark. I added a sentiment from the Seadragon stamp set. All of the images were coloured with Distress Markers, except for the cogs, which I coloured using a brush filled with gold ink.

 Thanks for stopping by,