Spring is Coming!

Hello everyone, I hope that you are keeping well. I have a few projects to share with you today, showcasing stamps that featured in this month's TV shows on Create and Craft. These pretty stamps are so cheerful, with their images of birds and flowers. They remind us that Spring is on the way, even if it does still feel rather chilly outside!

My first project is a little card created using Distress reinker for the background. I coloured some seam binding ribbon with the reinker, and patted the ribbon onto a piece of Drawing Cartridge to help to blend the colour. I added some of the left over droplets to the background as another layer, drying each layer with a heat gun.The resulting pattern on the background is really quick and easy, and makes a super starting point for the rest of the elements that I added to the card.

I used some patterned paper to stamp and emboss one of the small worker stamps from Spring Bird Tulip repeatedly, using Versamark and white embossing powder. I fussy cut along the top of the images, to create a ribbon effect. I stamped the Artist Trading Heart onto another piece of the patterned paper, and stamped an image from Spring Bird Crocus with a sentiment from the stamp plate. I added a splatter from Numerology. I coloured the image with pencls, and some shading with Victorian Velvet Distress Ink. I then constructed the card, layering the stamped strip, the coloured ribbon and then adding the heart, onto the coloured background. I edged the background with black ink to match the outline of the heart.

My second card also features the Artist Trading Heart stamp, but this time, I have created a one layer card. I stamped the heart, and masked it with a heart stamped onto Masking Tissue. I then stamped the Big Bold Leafy Background onto the background. I coloured the leaves with pencils, and added some shading around the edges of the background with Wild Honey Distress Ink. I added some grey pencil around the edge of the heart to give the impression of a shadow.

Inside the heart, I stamped an image from the Spring Bird Crocus stamp set, colouring the leaves to match those on the background.

I used a super sized manilla tag to create another project using these lovely stamps. This would make a great bookmark, and I am thinking of using this tag for that very purpose. 

I coloured the tag with Distress Ink, and added the image from Spring Bird Tulip to the bottom of the tag. I used the branch sections of the image to add additional pieces to the image, and then added some branches to the top of the tag. I added some first and second generation stamping using and image from the Spring Foliage stamp set, just to balance out the stamping on the tag. I added a sentiment in the middle, and coloured the images with Inktense pencils. I had a bit of the coloured seam binding left over, and I added a bit of green organza ribbon to tie in with the overall theme.

Finally, an older project which I am sharing again. A double page spread from a little four inch Pink Pig journal. This journal is so cute, and I loved creating this page. I used the main stamp from Spring Bird Tulip as before, and stamped areas of the branches to create a frame around the edge of the pages. I had coloured the pages with blue Distress Ink, and splattered them with left over droplets. I coloured the images with Zig markers and a water brush.

I hope that you have enjoyed my projects. Thanks so much for stopping by, your visits are always appreciated. Take care, xx

Spring Time Pastels

Hello everyone, I have a couple of projects to share with you today. My projects are from last month's TV shows on Hochanda, featuring a selection of Chocolate Baroque's Spring themed stamps. Just the thing to banish those rainy day blues.

For my first project, I created a background using Pan Pastels on a piece of smooth white card. I used  shades of yellow and orange and added a hint of Plum Pan Pastel around the edges. Using Versamark Ink, I stamped the butterfly flourish image randomly over the background, and dusted Pan Pastels over the top to complete the background.

I die cut a rectangular panel and stamped the two butterflies from the butterfly flourish image onto the panel before masking them. (To stamp just the butterfly from the image, I used masking tape to cover the areas of the stamp that I did not need, inked up the stamp, and removed the masking tape before I stamped the image). I then stamped the lovely large flower image from the Breath of Spring stamp set, and also masked this image.

I kept the die in place on my die cut panel so that I would have a white border around the panel once I had added any background colour. I added Pan Pastels, using a selection of yellow and orange colours to create an ombre background, starting with the lightest colour at the top, graduating down to the darkest colour at the bottom. I removed the masks, and coloured the images with pencils, before adhering both panels to a large white card blank.

To create my second project, I covered a large Tando Tag with a piece of watercolour paper that I had coloured myself with Distress Ink, using Spun Sugar and Shabby Shutters Distress Ink. I stamped some foliage over the background to give a feeling of depth using the same pale green ink, using an image from the Spring Foliage stamp set. I edged the tag with Victorian Velvet Distress Ink, and stamped the pretty bird image from the Spring Bird Crocus stamp set onto the tag. I added a sentiment from the Glorious Spring stamp set. I coloured the images with pencils, as before. To get my ribbon to match perfectly, I took some pale cream seam binding ribbon, and ran it through some Victorian Velvet Distress Ink and water that I had placed onto my craft mat. I simply dried the ribbon with my heat gun, and ironed it on a low setting. I already had some green organza ribbon that was a good match, but otherwise, I would have created some green ribbon in the same way.

Thanks for stopping by, xx

Little Bird

Hello everyone, It's Wednesday, and that means another weekly post over on the Chocolate Baroque Challenge Blog. It is my turn to provide a little bit of inspiration using this month's challenge colours, and I have chosen to use one of the Spring Bird collection of stamp plates as a starting point. I chose the Spring Bird Crocus stamp plate, as I really like this particular bird image, and have used it several times in the past for projects.

I started my card by creating a Brusho background, using smooth watercolour paper, and sprinkling some powders onto the dry background. I chose a selection of ochres, oranges and lime green, which all fitted within the colour palette. I spritzed the background with a mini mister to create a watery background, and then blotted the background with a spare piece of watercolour card. This will be great for another project later on. I heat set the background using a heat gun.

I stamped the rosehip image from the Autumn Poppy stamp set randomly over the background using Potting Shed Archival Ink, and coloured the images using pencils.

I cut a circle from a spare piece of watercolour paper and stamped the bird image. I had laid my watercolour background onto a craft mat, and there had been some Brushos and water left behind, leaving droplets of colour. I used this to add some colour around the stamped bird image, just turning the circle of card, and gently dabbing it into the droplets, drying it between each application, until I was happy that I had enough colour. I then also used the leftover droplets to paint the bird image, using a small brush and some water. I used a little bit of extra brown Brusho for the actual bird. I used a bit of pencil shading on the leaves, to tie in with the background colouring. I added some shading around both layers using Wild Honey Distress Ink.

Finally, I cut some green card for matting and layering the bird image and my leafy background.

I have not added a sentiment to this card yet, but it would be suitable for lots of occasions, so I will wait until I am ready to use the card, before I decide what to add. Don't forget to hop over to the Challenge Blog, to see a super tutorial by one of my team mates this week. There is also a bumper post today on the Design Team Blog, featuring some of the readers' own projects, so a great reason to pop over there as well.

Thanks for stopping by, xx