Beatrice and the Gelli plate

Hi crafter's

Two posts in one day, I've been busy playing and not blogging! I have had my Gelli plate for a while but haven't really used my papers to any purpose. So this for once is a finished card. I have used craft acrylics and not artist acrylics for the background. I used Royal Langnickel Crafter's choice and Americana. To start I stamped Beatrice in black Archival ink in the centre of some 7" x 7" white card, now cover this with a post-it note. Now brayer some neutral coloured paint over the Gelli plate and lay the flourish stencil down making sure it makes good contact, then lift off. Place the card on to the Gelli plate, I normally use the brayer rather than my hand to take a print. Next brayer some light blue paint and repeat with the flourish stencil turning it 90 degrees before taking the next print. Brayer some purple just in one corner then dab over with some large bubble wrap moving the colour further towards the middle, this will blend the edge a little. Lay the card down again and take another print. To colour the centre image I used Adirondack ink and a make-up sponge, I was looking for a soft blended feel and was not too worried about the lines. To add shading I used Prismacolor pencils. To finish stamp the verse No matter... in black ink then cut it in to strips, run a black ink pad around the edges. Arrange the words down the left hand side and when happy with the arrangement stick down. Cut the piece to size and mount on to the base card mine is a 6" x 6". That's all this time hope you like it.

Thanks for stopping by

Sally

New beginnings

Hi crafter's

This card is going to be my entry for the Clarity stamp challenge which is New beginnings. I wasn't quite sure what to do until I had one of those discount leaflets from a supermarket. The offers were for the Chinese new year and it is going to be the year of the horse. This was good as I had just purchased the galloping horse. Also my son is studying Chinese Mandarin at school so he could help me with the words. The background was made directly on to the white base card. Using a stencil and inks ( juniper Adirondack and bamboo leaves Memento) start with the lightest colour then add the darker colour in some of the corners. I wanted this to give the impression of a screen. Next I put black peel offs around the edge where the stenciling finished, crossing over at the corners. Stamp the flourish from the oriental stamp set in black ink twice in opposite corners. To start the topper stamp the horse in black ink then the blossom branch and finally the lanterns. Make the background scene with the hills and mountains masks. Take some Promarkers and add some dots following the undulations of the land. Make the sky with the clouds mask and blue ink. Colour in the blossom with Promarkers, pastel pink and dusky pink with a little gold for the centre then light green for the leaves. Stamp the lanterns on a scrape piece of white card and colour in (I used Prismacolor pencils for this) using red and yellow. Ink up the flourish in black again and stamp over the long lantern picking what part you want as the pattern. Cut out the lantern leaving off the hook and tassels. Shape them a little and stick down with dimensional glue. Use the black peel offs to frame the topper. Attach it to the base card at a slight angle. Stamp the double tile from the Letterbox set in black. I then carefully copied the characters my son had written down for me, it says The Year of the Horse. Ink up the solid tile with Versamark and glaze with clear embossing powder. Cut out then edge with red. Cut a piece of black card and mount the tiles. Attach at the top in the centre. That's it card finished!

 I hope you like it, any comments are welcome.

Thanks for looking

Sally

Small icon

Hi crafter's

This is going to be my entry for the Indigoblu challenge which is about your favourite stamp. Mine is the Wild Meadow, especially the flourish, which I find myself turning to all the time. I recently bought a small wooden icon from Crafty Individuals and was looking for a way to use it, this project seemed the perfect thing. The first thing I did was cover the wood with a layer of white gesso when dry paint over the top with some neutral acrylic paint, I used Crafters Choice in almond and Americana in antique white. Paint over the back front, and sides. To add more interest to the background I used a stencil and Archival ink (french ultramarine). Ink up the flourish from the stamp set in black Archival and stamp on the front of the icon down the bottom. Ink up the words in black and stamp on the left side. Next use the flitter glue on the flourish and stamp at the bottom on both sides not going up as high as the black, add some mega flakes as usual, I used Morris dance. Repeat this with the butterfly stamp, the one I used came from the Craft Stamper mag. Now turning to the back,

to create depth I used a  blue flourish I had left on my gelli plate (I'm usually working on a few things at a time so this was a bit of a cross over), I wanted to see what it would print like on a different surface and it worked well. Now using a stencil and some dark blue ink add colour just around the outside and on all the edges, blend the ink without the stencil around the front and back of the icon. Dab some flitter glue on to the small anemone corner and stamp twice on each side as above, add morris dance flake and burnish. Dab some glue around the edges, it wants to be hit and miss, then use the flakes again. To make the whole thing look a bit worn put white acrylic paint on your mat, using a fan brush load up with the paint and swipe over the icon touching here and there. That's all for this time, hope you like it.

Thanks for stopping by

Sally

Landscape

Hi crafter's

Another quick card, this is for the Clarity Stamp challenge which is all about landscape building. When the free stamp arrived in the New Design Club pack I knew I had to use it. I inked the stamp up in Adirondack purple twilight ink, stamp on to some copier paper before stamping on to my card on the left hand side. Repeat and stamp on to the right side a little lower. Ink up the forest ridge the same way and stamp down at the bottom. To create the land and ground the trees I used a stencil I got from Inylicious, this saves using copier paper. To colour I used a combination of the purple, peach bellini and a little pink. Make a sun mask and place over the hills in the background. Colour round the mask with peach bellini. Blend purple ink then black around the edges with a brush. When satisfied with the colour remove the sun mask and add a little peach bellini to tone it down and take away the whiteness. Mat on to a piece of white card then on to purple. To finish stick on to a DL white base card, this will accentuate the landscape design. That's all for this one. Hope you like it.

Happy crafting

Sally

Something festive

Hi crafter's

Now that Christmas is over and I have some spare time before the new year I thought I would quickly get my entry done for the Crafty Individuals challenge, which is something festive. I have just recently bought this Santa stamp and I have to say I love it, add a little colour and it looks perfect! Ink up the Santa stamp with pearlescent ivy Brilliance ink and stamp in the centre of a piece of square white card. Colour the face and hair with colouring pencils, then add colour to the background with a make-up sponge and some beige ink. Make the colour more intense around the figures. Mask the Santa stamp. The background was created using the Christmas calligraphy stamp and the snowflake from the let it snow calligraphy stamp. Ink up the Christmas calligraphy stamp in Adirondack in cranberry and stamp down one side. On the other side stamp the snowflake in VersaMagic in sage and then with Versamark embossed in gold. Blend cranberry ink around the edge with a blending brush. Run a gold pen around the edge. On the base card stamp a floral corner in cranberry as shown. Stick the topper in the centre. Add some bows and beads (these came from some crackers we had a previous year) with silicone glue. That's about it for this one.

Hope you all had a lovely Christmas.

Thanks for stopping by.

Sally

Inky splatters

Hi crafters

This is my entry to the craft stamper magazines challenge, it's all about splatters. I have used some of the JOFY stamps for this. Ink the stamps up with black Memento then colour in with Promarkers. Put some distress ink on to the craft mat and spritz with water then using a paint brush flick the colour over the flowers and butterfly, concentrating more colour near the top right hand side. Draw a frame round the edge with a fine liner pen, draw two lines then some squiggly lines to match the stamps. Mat on to some red card then on to white card. Hand draw a wavy line and some dots with the black pen. Mat on to another piece of red card then on to the white base card. Stamp the words and cut in to pieces, run some red ink around the edges. Arrange where you want them to be and stick with glue. That's it for this time, hope you like it.

Thanks for looking

Sally

Frosty Christmas

Hi crafter's

Getting a little behind with the challenges lately but the positive is my Christmas cards are coming along nicely. This card is my entry for the Claritystamp challenge called Christmas. To create this card I have used the church, spruce scape, I heard a bird verse, miniature snowflake corner and the merry christmas stamp. First I cut a 5" square piece of white card and stamped the verse all over with Archival ink in french altramarine. Use second generation stamping and stagger so you don't get lines. Ink up the church in french ultramarine and stamp just below half way. Now stamp the spruce scape, only ink up half the trees so they can be put either side of the church. Mask off the church and create some hills in the background, I used denim ink and a sponge for this. Drag denim ink from the bottom of the trees down to make shadows. Add a little colour to the trees with purple twilight ink. Wipe over with an anti-static bag then ink up the Merry Christmas with black Versafine ink and stamp over the trees and church. Sprinkle with clear embossing powder and heat. Take a piece of sequin waste and lay across the corner, blend some purple over with a blending brush. Do this all the way round not going too far in from the side. Then go back round without the sequin waste just going over the edge in denim. Stamp the snowflake corner in purple then join the corners up with wiggily lines using a purple fine line pen. Draw some birds flying around the church spire. Mat on to some silver mirri card then on to a white base card. To add some sparkle run some crystal glitter glue along the bottom of the trees and church. That's it for this card, hope you like it.

Thanks for stopping by

Sally