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

chocolate orange

Hi crafter's

Just finished my entry for the Indigoblu challenge, and just in time! The theme is chocolate orange so I have used wild honey and spiced marmalade distress inks, also coffee adirondack ink. The first thing I did was to die cut a circle in Clarity coated card stock and put a small circle mask in place. Put the distress inks on to a splodge mat and using a brayer colour the background starting with the wild honey, then adding the spiced marmalade. Ink up the stamp (I have used the boxing hares that came free with Crafter Stamper magazine) with coffee adirondack ink. Stamp on to a scrap piece of paper first to take some ink off before stamping onto the coated card stock. Stamp right down at the bottom of the circle, there will be a gap so turn the stamp upside down and fill the space. Now ink up the flourish from Wild Meadow set with coffee ink and stamp around the top edge. Ink up the same stamp with Versamark and heat emboss using copper powder, do this top and bottom. On to the base card, stamp flourish in coffee ink in each corner. To create the circle design I used a Mister Huey stencil inked through with wild honey and spiced marmalade. Blend the colours out to nearly nothing at the sides. To frame the card I used Versamark ink which I swiped around the edge so it is uneven then add the copper powder and heat emboss. Quite an easy card but I do like the circle stencil. That's all for now.

Happy crafting

Sally

Vintage Santa

Hi crafter's

It's been awhile but here is my first Christmas card this year. I bought a few things from Crafty Individuals recently and I have used most of them in this design. To make the background I used the Calligraphy Christmas words which I inked up with Versamark and heat embossed with Seafoam white powder. Stamp down the right hand side of a piece of white card. Next hold the Christmas tree stencil down on the left hand side. Blend Cranberry Adirondack over the stencil then go all around the edge and over the embossing. When the colour is built up enough take a soft tissue and rub off any ink that is left on the embossing. Now ink up a snowflake and emboss with gold powder, keep in mind where the topper is going to be. To soften the edge I rubbed some gold Inka Gold. The topper is quite simple to do. Take a slightly bigger piece of card than the stamp, ink up the Vintage Santa stamp with Versafine black ink then colour in with some colouring pencils. Use a darker red pencil around the edge to draw your eye in. Lay the stencil down on the right hand side of the topper, only use part of the tree not going over Santa too much. Then blend softly around the stamping with  Cranberry ink. Mat topper and background on to gold mirri card then attach to a white square base card. The ribbon and beads are actually off some crackers we had a few years ago so really good for the Christmas card. Stick down with dimensional glue. That's about it for now hope you like it.

Thanks for stopping by

Sally

October colours

Hi crafter's

This is my entry for the Crafty Individuals challenge which is called October. My card, I hope, reflects all the colours we see at this time of year. I started with the background, take a piece of white card which is larger than I need so I can choose the area I want to use. I have used a small floral tile to create a big tile. Stamp the tile on the diagonal using adirondack inks. I used caramel, red pepper and bottle as well as brown archival. Some of the stamping, especially near the edge, was second generation. Cut to size. Cover the tile with Versamark ink and clear embossing powder, heat emboss. Attach to a 6" x 6" white base card. Ink up the tree stamp in brown ink on to a small square piece of card, blend some red ink over to take away the whiteness. Glue on top of the tile a little to one side. On a separate piece of card stamp the leaves, I have used some Sheena stamps for this, and the bird. Colour in with pencils. I also stamped over the top with the Crafty Individuals crackle stamp. Cut out the leaves, acorns and bird. Using dimensional glue stick the leaves and acorns to the side and the bird sits on the trees frame. Stamp the 'Be like the bird' quote down the bottom of the base card. Draw a line from the quote all around the edge with a brown fine liner pen in brown. This will help to draw your eye in. That's about it this time.

Thanks for looking

Sally

Autumn colours

Hi crafter's

Another card this time for the Lavinia challenge which is about autumn colours. I love this time of year but I don't use these colours together very often. I have used the small tree house stamp and the small leaves that came with it, the large vine, small fairy and toad stalls. First I die cut a Grand Nestabilities shape of white card and a larger one in tan card. Stamp the tree near the bottom of the white card and colour in with distress markers. Using the small leaf stamp and a selection of adirondack inks (I used caramel, bottle and red pepper) and a brown archival ink, stamp randomly in first and second generation. Lay a piece of copier paper under the tree and stamp the toad stalls in black this way they are not too tall, then stamp the fairy off to one side also in black ink. Use distress markers to ground the tree and fairy. Blend stonewashed ink over the background to take away the whiteness. The background is very easy to make, stamp the vine leaves over a piece of paper slightly smaller than an A4 card in red, green and brown. Take some ink off on a scrap piece of paper before stamping on your background. Blend red and brown ink around the edge then draw a wiggly line in brown to frame. On a separate piece of white card stamp the vine leaves in the autumn colours. Use the bottle green in second generation to fill in between the other colours to give dimension. Cut around the edge of the leaves then lay this over the tree topper and decide where you want the leaves to be, mine are across the corners. Keeping it in place turn it over and draw around the die shape and cut out. Repeat for the bottom. To assemble, stick the background paper on to an A4 white base card. Glue the tan card in place and draw a running stitch in brown around the edge. Attach the tree topper onto the tan card. To add some dimension round the vine leaf cut outs slightly with a bone folder and glue in place with dimensional glue. To finish put dots of glitter glue in the tree and the fairies wings. That's all for this one, hope you like it.

Happy crafting

Sally

Winter

Hi crafter's

This card will be my entry for the Clarity challenge which is called winter. I have used an A4 white base card for this design. On a piece of white card stamp the quirky house and trees in black Archival ink then colour in with colouring pencils in light and dark blue, turquoise and purple, I use Derwent Artist pencils. Cut this out with a die cut circle, I used one with eyelets around the edge. Now cut a plain circle out which is slightly larger, colour with denim ink. Then to give a frosty feel cover with crackle accents and sprinkle glitter over whilst still wet. Leave to dry, this means being very patient. For the background I stamped the Curly Curve twice on to a strip of white card then coloured it in with the same colours as before. I then blended denim ink at the bottom and stream at the top. Glue this strip on to the bottom half of the base card. Next I took the verse stamp and covered the bottom two lines with a post-it note inked up with black ink then stamped the words at the top. Repeat this covering the top two lines this time then stamp at the bottom. Ink up the miniature robin and stamp so that it is standing on the strip, colour in softly with the same blues and greens. Glue the circles together and attach to the card. That's about it for this time, hope you like it.

Happy crafting

Sally

Butterfly dance

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Hi crafter's

Finally managed to finish my entry into the Indigoblu challenge and just in time! The theme is Things with Wings so I immediately thought of butterflies.To start I have used an A4 white base card then cut another piece of card a little bit smaller. I stamped around the edge with the tickets from the Grand Tour 1 stamp set in French Ultramarine Archival, which is my favourite colour at the moment. I used denim and black Adirondack ink and blended around the edge then distressed it with a scalpel. The main topper was made using the Wild Meadow stamp set. I stamped the dandelions at the bottom and again I used the French Ultramarine. As well as the butterfly from the set I used the free butterfly from Craft Stamper. Stamp these going up the card. I coloured them with Inktense pencils. Stamp the butterflies again, this time on to vellum. Heat dry. Turn them over and using an embossing tool highlight the lines in the wings then colour with the pencils. Cut out the wings. To make more depth in the background I used a stencil (Prima perforated dot flower) and blended ink through in Latte Adirondack. Use a black pencil ( I used Prismacolor) and draw around one side of the butterflies to create shadow then blend with Sansador. Curl the vellum wings slightly then put a little glue down the centre and stick over the butterflies. Blend ink around the edges as before then attach to the tickets background. Wrap a piece of dotty organza ribbon round the card and tie a small piece of lace into a knot. Glue a Cardworks Candi in place. Attach to the base card. That's all for this time thanks for stopping by.

Happy crafting

Sally

Baby girl

Hi crafter's

A new card to share. I was asked to make 20 thank you cards on the arrival of a new baby. I really like the patch stamps for babies so I chose this stamp from Woodware. The colours I used for the background are Juniper, Peach Bellini and Shell Pink Adirondack inks and Baby Pink, Buttercup and Meadow Green Promarkers for colouring. To create the background I put the Moroccan mask on to the white base card and inked through with the Adirondack inks using my ink dusters. I let the colours fade out towards the edge. I then cut some white card for the toppers and stamped the elephant in black Archival ink. As well as the elephant you also get the word baby in the boxes and two sizes of hearts so I stamped these out at the same time. I coloured the elephant in as shown and also the hearts adding the word Girl (this was from Stamping all day great place for all your words and sentiments) to the largest one. To finish the topper I ran the Baby Pink Promarker around the edge to frame. After colouring the boxes I embossed the card using a buttons mask by That Special Touch, then inked with Peach Bellini to enhance the embossing. I cut around the word to make a tag and punched a hole to thread some organza ribbon through, then stuck a pink button over the hole. Now I started to assemble. First I glued the topper in place then I stamped Thank you (which was a Clarity stamp) at the bottom of the card. The tag was stuck down with Pinflair glue to give a little dimension. Now stick down the hearts, rounding the largest one to give a bit of shape. To finish I used glitter glue on the flowers. For the insert I used a stamp of a babies hands I got from Crafty Individuals, this was stamped in opposite corners in Peach Bellini.

That's all this time, thanks for stopping by.

Sally

Beatrice

Hi crafter's

I finally got round to making my card for the Clarity challenge. The subject is vintage. I thought Beatrice would be the perfect stamp to use, and because there are flowers in the image there has to be some in the background! So I started with a piece of white card placed on my base plate and some flowers from my garden ( I only took a few so my husband will not notice) I used some pink cosmos. The first thing I did was to pull the petals off and arrange them on the card. You can use whole flowers but I find the centre can sometimes end up a brown mess. A bit of experimentation is needed for this technique. When I was satisfied with my arrangement I put another piece of card on top, then the cutting plate on top of that and run it through my Grand Calibur. Carefully pull the two pieces of card apart, they do stick together slightly. Using tweezers gently pull the petals off the card and see what colour  the flowers have left behind. Any little bits can be gently rubbed away. You end up with two pieces of card to use one will be darker than the other. Leave to dry. The colour I had was very similar to Milled Lavender so I used that along with Seedless Preserves. First I stamped Beatrice in place then coloured her in with Prismacolor pencils and blended with Sansador. Next I used a flower template (from Crafters Workshop) and Milled Lavender distress ink. I placed the template just around the edge and blended the ink. Turn the template around so each side is different. Then with the same ink stamp the key next to the hollyhocks. To frame the card I inked up the delicate corner in Seedless Preserves and stamped in each corner. Now ink up the rod from the Birdcage set and stamp in between the corners. Using black ink stamp the Count your Garden word stamp at the top of the card. Rub a little Inka Gold in Antique Gold around the edges with your finger. Mat the card on to some antique gold card then glue on to a white base card. For the embellishments I stamped the key and the miniature robin in Seedless Preserves. Using a water brush blend the ink to colour the robin, adding a little Vintage Photo. Blend a little Milled Lavender over the key to take away the whiteness, then rub some of the Inka Gold over the top. Cut out the key and robin and attach as shown. To make my bow I used two strips of lace then tied a piece of cream organza ribbon around the middle, the knot is underneath, glue this to the key and add a pearl in the centre to finish. That's all this time, let me know if you like it.

Happy Crafting

Sally

Dandelion Fairy

Hi crafter's

I have made this card for the Craft Stamper magazine challenge which I've never entered before, even though I've subscribed for some years. It made a change to not be restricted to a certain make of stamps, all that's needed is some acetate, somewhere. I decided to use a resist technique. First I coloured a piece of acetate with some alcohol inks, I used stream and raspberry. I randomly dabbed the ink around until I had the look I wanted. You will get a better result if the colours are quite strong. Next I inked up my fairy, which came from a set by Joanna Sheen, with Archival ink and stamped her in place. Take a piece of kitchen towel and dab off the ink. Don't rub or the ink might leave a mark. I normally put gold mirri card behind the acetate to show up the stamp but this time I used some cream coloured glitter card, this makes the whole panel glittery. Lovely! Mat the panel on to black card. The background paper was made using Adirondack ink pads in the same colour as the alcohol inks. I put ink on to my mat, spritzed them with water then placed my card on top moving it around to mix up the colours. Stamp the flowers in Archival ink, mine are from Stamp Addicts, and watercolour them in with the Adirondacks then cut out. Stamp and emboss the butterfly, this one came from Kaisercraft, with black embossing powder. I coloured it in with colouring pencils then cut out. Mat the background paper on to some black card then place on to a white base card. Stamp some flourishes in opposite corners then attach the acetate panel. Glue the flowers and butterfly in place with pinflair glue. That's it for now, hope you like it.

Sally

Shabby chic canvas

Hi crafter's

I have just finished my entry for the Indigoblu challenge which is titled shabby chic. I decided to make a mini canvas. I started with an 18"x 13" canvas board which I covered with a layer of white gesso. When this was dry I dabbed on some acrylic paint in cream, sage green and a pearl acrylic in lilac. This was done randomly with a piece of car sponge. Leave to dry. To make the topper I first cut out two different sized Spellbinders dies. The largest one I coloured with the cream and sage paints using the car sponge to dab it on. I used the die as a template by holding it down on to the canvas when applying the paint. A pattern was left behind. I made the edge cream so it would stand out from the background. I stamped the Elizabeth Bennett stamp (free from Craft Stamper magazine) on to the smaller die cut over to one side, then coloured with pencils and blended Milled Lavender distress ink around the edge. Now glue this to the larger die cut. To add more interest to the canvas board I used a variety of different stamps, the flourish from Wild Meadow, dinky Anenome Corner and the lady on the bike from Grand Tour 1. These were all stamped with London Grey Memento ink. I coloured the anenome corner in with a deep pink pencil. Die cut a buckle (I used Memory Box) and thread some cream lace through. Glue down a piece of white lace across the board, then glue the cream lace over the top leaving some white showing. Now adhere the Elizabeth Bennett topper to the canvas. Stamp the anenome corner twice with grey ink on to some scrap card and colour in. Cut out. Stamp Elizabeth Bennett on to some scrap card  focusing on the butterfly on her shoulder. Colour in with pencils. In my stash I had a very small metal frame charm  so I cut the butterfly to fit then used glossy accents to glaze. Leave to dry, try not to touch ( I'm not very good at that!). Next I die cut a flourish and a key and coloured  them with inks then swiped Brilliance ink in gold over the key. Glue these down with Pinflair. Shape the anenomes and attach as shown. Thread a piece of cream ribbon on to the charm then attach with dimensional glue. To finish rub some gold ink around the edge of the canvas.
That's about all for this time, thanks for stopping by.

Happy crafting

Sally

Honeysuckle

Hi crafter's

It's been a while since my last project, so busy making cakes and getting my daughter ready to go back to uni. I thought I had better get on with my design for the Lavinia challenge which is called add a flower. When I saw this honeysuckle stamp I had to have it, so delicate and pretty. To start take a piece of smooth white card and stamp the honeysuckle three times joining it together to make one large plant. I then placed the Moroccan mask by That Special Touch over the top and inked through with peach bellini and shell pink Adirondacks. I left the card white around the flowers. Next I coloured in the flowers with pink and orange Prismacolor pencils and blended with Sansador to give a soft finish, then coloured the leaves in green the same way. Ink up the miniature flowers stamp in peach bellini and stamp randomly around the honeysuckle.To make the flowers stand out more I covered them with glossy accents to give a lovely shine. I made the flower using Spellbinders Carnation Creations. I cut two layers from white card and coloured them with the Adirondack inks then glued them together slightly offset. The leaves are in the same die set, I used two leaves and cut them in half. I made a little tag and wrote the word flowers free hand and also out lined the tag. I found a pink button in my stash and threaded some twine through the holes then glued it in the centre of the flower. To finish attach the tag, leaves and flower in the top right hand corner. Quite a straight forward card this time hope you like it.

Bye for now.

Happy crafting

Sally   

There are always flowers

Hi crafter's

Another card made using the JOFY set of stamps I bought. So many combinations! I haven't used all the stamps yet. For this card I started with the topper, first stamp the flowers then the words. I coloured the flowers with some Prismacolor pencils in violet and mulberry and the little circles in pink, you could use Coloursoft pencils instead. To blend the colours together I used Sansador, which is a mineral oil, and a paper stump. Work in little circular movements, I start from the darkest colour and work my way over to the lighter colour. If I want it really light I use the Sansador to move the colour. Using this method really gives a lovely finish. Take a green pencil, I used true green, and draw over the stems. Draw some lines around the words in the same style as the flower stems adding the zigzag lines. Colour over the lines with the green pencil. To finish the topper I took a piece of car sponge, the open texture will give a less blended look. Pick up some wild plum adirondack ink on the sponge and with a sweeping motion colour from the outside in. Add some white to the flowers to highlight. The background was made using the long stamp with diagonal lines on it. I started with a white piece of card and began by stamping repeatedly diagonally across the card in wild plum and raspberry. Taking a green fine line pen I added some dots. then as with the box around the words draw two lines and the zigzags. To assemble the card mat the topper on to some green card. Stick the background on to a white base card then put the topper in place. That's all for now hope you like it.

Thanks for stopping by

Happy crafting

Sally

Reach for the stars

Hi crafter's

I made this card  two weeks ago for my sons birthday. He likes space so I used the same technique as the rowing boat in a previous post. I thought it would look like a nebula. As before I took a piece of white card, then coloured it with promarkers. I used light and dark blue, yellow and pink. Fill a pipette with isopropyl and put droplets over the card. This leaves the effect you can see above. The stamps I used for this card are a Retro space set from Banana Frog and a set that looks like fireworks. Stamp the fireworks randomly over the background using different sizes. The topper is very simple, stamp one of the retro spaceships near the bottom of a die cut shape then stamp the planet in second generation ink. I did this with an Impress dye ink in ultramarine. Now stamp the stars also in second generation ink. Right at the top stamp 'reach for the stars' in first generation ink. Blend blue ink around the edge then go over with Inka Gold in platinum, to finish draw dots around the edge. Stamp the words 'you are out of this world' on a piece of card I used a small swirly stamp I had in another stamp set to add interest to the background. Round the corners and rub Inka Gold and add dots to finish. Round the corners of the background then stamp the words from the retro set. Glue the background on to a white base card, then put the topper in place. Attach the word topper with foam pads. I then added my sons name. I was really pleased with the look of the card, I think the background worked out well. That's all for now, any comments welcome.

Happy crafting

Sally

Flower plaque

Hi crafter's

I have had the JOFY stamps on my wish list for a while and I have finally treated my self to a set, it was hard to choose one as I do like a few of them. In the end I bought JOFY 14, I love the echinacea type flowers. Last month I used the Tando Creative Rowing boat for my Clarity challenge and I still have a lot of pieces left over so I have used one of the frames to make my plaque. In my stash I have some canvas on a roll so I traced around the frame and cut this out. I then painted the canvas with pink and purple acrylic paint blending the colours where they meet. To add a little texture I used a piece of car sponge and dabbed randomly with the paint. Dry with a heat gun. Whilst I had the paint out I coloured the frame in purple making sure the edges were covered. Stamp the flowers with black Archival ink and leave to dry for a few moments. To colour the flowers I used some mica powders in pink, purple and a little orange mixed with water to make paint. The circles in the background are also in the set, I painted these with the mica paint as well. To get the white highlight I used white acrylic paint. I picked a Crafty Indivduals word and stamped a few times. To finish the canvas spritz with Sprinkys ink in Amethyst. The frame was stamped with a crackle stamp from Stamp Addicts. I wanted to use gilding flakes on the frame so I used flitter glue and burnished in the normal way. Now its a case of gluing everything together. After the canvas and frame are attached I covered the back with a piece of white card to neaten. All that is left to do is the stand which I made from some greyboard I had in my stash, I keep the card at the back of notepads for this. Paint the greyboard with white paint, when dry score down one side 1cm and glue to the back of the frame.

That's all this time hope you like it.

Happy crafting

Sally

Gaggle of geese

Hi crafter's

I thought I had better get my entry done for the Claritystamp challenge, August is going very quickly. The theme is animals so I decided to use the geese stamp which I bought in the last Clarity sale. To start I cut some Watercolour paper by Khadi into a tag shape. This paper is made partly from rag and stays soft and pliable after painting. I haven't used my Inktense blocks for a while so I decided to use these to create the background. There are different ways to use them but this time I simply rubbed the flat edge of a dry block over the paper where I wanted the colour to be, The blocks can be used wet as well as dry. What I do is break the blocks in half one for dry work and one for wet, this way you can go from wet to dry easily. I have used a light green for the grass and a combination of yellow, orange and a little bit of red for the sky. Before colouring the top of the tag I punched out a mask for the sun from a post-it note and stuck this down. When satisfied use a flat paint brush and water, brush from side to side. The colours will be bright. Take off the mask and blend the paint over the sun. I then dried the tag with a heat gun. I stamped the geese first with Archival black ink then the grasses 6 on each end, in the middle I turned the grasses stamp upside down and just used the bottom. Ink up the blossom and stamp along the top. When Inktense paint is dry it is permanent so the blossom can be painted over the top with out lifting off the background colour. I used a damp paint brush to take paint directly from the block, do check how strong the colour is before painting though. I mixed together a darker green and used this to ground the geese and grasses. Ink up the bottom two lines of the Count your Garden stamp and place over to the left hand side. Mat on to black card, make a hole and thread with some ribbon.

For the background I used acrylic paints in green and yellow to cover a piece of white card. To add texture I painted white gesso through the Delicate and Dots masks by That Special Touch in opposite corners. I really like creating my own collage backgrounds so with this in mind I got out all my Clarity stamps (quite a lot now) to see what I could use. The inks I have used for the background are Bamboo and Black Memento. First I stamped the NDC cow parsley stamp along the bottom using first and second generation images, then stamped the music score randomly filling in some of the spaces. The flourish from the birdcage set was repeat stamped in the corner, then fill in with the I Heard a Bird stamp.I used other little detail stamps I had in my Clarity collection to fill in and add something where I felt it was needed. Now take the block tile from the letterbox set and ink up in bamboo ink, stamp in the top corner over the gesso. Stamp the G in the box in black ink then stamp the lower case letters to spell geese. Blend bamboo ink around the edges, I also ran a black ink pad along the edge. Attach the background on to a white base card. The tag was then glued on to the base card with Pinflair glue gel. To finish I put two small strips of washi tape on the bottom left hand side.

That's all this time, thanks for looking.

Happy crafting

Sally

Fairy Windows

Hi crafter's

This card is going to be entered in to the Lavinia challenge, the theme is Anything Goes. I have used the Secret Garden stamp as windows. The first thing I did was to colour a piece of white card, I did this by putting ink straight on to my craft mat, then spritzed with water. Lay the card down in the ink, move around until you get the desired effect. The colours I used were caramel, butterscotch and peach bellini. I stamped the Secret Garden three times in a row in Coffee Archival ink then stamp the vines using first and second generation stamping along the top edge. Along the bottom I used a foliage stamp, this time I used Versamark ink and embossed with gold powder. I also stamped in between with second generation ink. I really like using pencils to add shade, in this case I used a brown one to shade the wall and window frame. To get a misty look at the bottom of the card I blended some Viva Inka Gold in antique gold with my finger, working from the edge in.Stamp and emboss in gold powder a butterfly by one of the windows. Blend some black ink around the edge of the whole piece to frame. Lastly glue on to a white base card. That's all for now, thanks for looking.

Happy crafting

Sally 

Peace and tranquility

Hi crafter's

Time for another challenge, this time Crafty Individuals. The challenge is an open challenge so anything goes, which took a surprising amount of thought about what to do. I have chosen to use the Abbeys and Arches stamp set because as a family we like to look around historical buildings. Apply ink, in this case peach bellini, straight on to your acrylic block I didn't cover it all just the size I wanted. Don't worry if the edges are not perfectly straight. Before stamping huff on the ink then stamp on to a piece of white card, the result will not be perfect. Ink up one of the images from the Abbeys and Arches in Coffee Archival and stamp on the bottom half of your inked square. Next ink up a flourish stamp, mask off the edge of the inked square then using second generation ink stamp the flourish as shown. Repeat this on the other side. Ink up the sentiment and stamp at the bottom. At the top I stamped the word Peace this is a Rubbadubbadoo stamp which I thought fitted the theme. To soften the design I blended some Paper Soft-Color by Viva in Rose. I put this over the peach bellini then off the edges and around the flourishes. In the windows of the Abbey I used a Sakura Souffle pen in white to look like light coming through, also put some white dots around the flourishes. To add a bit more shadow to the walls I used a brown pencil, I shaded in along the top edge of the stamp as well to darken the sky. I stamped a little design element and glued this next to the word peace. Mat the design on to brown and pink card then on to the white base card. 

That's all this time, hope you like it.

Happy crafting

Sally

Oh christmas tree

Hi crafter's

I am going to enter this card into the Indigoblu challenge, the subject is christmas in July. The background panel was made using a plain piece of white card, which was first painted with silver metallic acrylic paint. When it is dry I used some alcohol inks, stonewashed, stream and raspberry. Dot all the colours on to a blending felt with a little blending solution then dab the ink all over the silver paint. When I had achieved the colour I wanted I embossed it with an embossing folder, then glued this on to my base card. The topper is quite easy, firstly I stamped the Ickle christmas tree with denim distress ink, then coloured the baubles in pink sakura Gelly Roll pen. Underneath the tree I used a music score mask by That Special Touch and denim ink then wrote oh christmas tree by hand. Using a pair of scissors I roughed up the edges then blended ink all over leaving it lighter near the tree. Attach the topper to the card, then to finish use some glitter glue to highlight the snow. That's all for now.

Happy crafting

Sally

Happy birthday sister

Hi crafter's

I haven't been on the blog for a while because of helping my brother move house, then my daughters 19th birthday, talking of which I made the above card for my son to give her. I wanted this card to look quite modern and clean. The stamps I used are by Paper Smooches and I think they are just great for colouring in. I started with a piece of white card and stamped the moped near the bottom in black momento ink, then stamped the cloud and the words inside.The happy birthday and balloons I had in my stash, the bunting is by Crafty Individuals. I used pink, green and brown promarkers to colour in the moped, balloons, bunting and the word birthday. I run the pink promarker around the edge and used a fine liner pen to ground the moped. On to the white base card, I used two of the small stamps in the set and stamped down the sides, then coloured the little squares with my promarkers. As before I run the promarker around the edge this time in green. Lastly I stamped sister on a scrap of white card then used the stamp with three lines to frame, filling in any gaps with the heart. I also edged this with pink. Everything is glued down as shown. Quite a straight forward card but it was nice to concentrate on the colouring. That's all this time.

Happy crafting

Sally 

Fairy Queen

Hi crafters

This card was made for the Lavinia Stamps challenge. In this months challenge you must use a die cut or punch, I have used a flourish die cut and some nestabilities. Firstly I die cut the nestabilities in two sizes and stamped the fairy, foliage, toadstools and bee onto the smallest one. I used promarkers to colour her in using various skin tones and ginger, soft green and dusky pink.  Add colour around the edge using dried marigold distress ink and a blending brush. Colour the second layer with victorian velvet the same way but leave the die in place so you get the white edge. On the white base card ink through the moraccan mask from That Special Touch with dried marigold, fading out around edge. Now cut out two flourishes and colour them with tea green promarker. I used a wet glue to stick everything down this allows me to tuck the flourishes is place. Lastly add glitter glue on her wings and head and dotted around the foliage. That's all this time, quite a quick card for a change. Hope you like it.

Thanks for looking, happy crafting.

Sally

By the sea

Hi crafter's

This is going to be my entry for the Clarity stamp challenge, the theme is Oh I do like to be beside the seaside. My inspiration for this was the glass bottom boats tourists use to see the marine life without getting wet, and the perfect thing for this was the rowing boat by Tando Creative. The first thing I did was paint all the pieces with acrylic paint, I used teal but added some white for a lighter colour. My boat is made up of four layers, the back piece, two edge pieces that have no centre( this will give depth ) and the front. I have loads left over from this kit for other projects. When the paint was dry I loaded a dry fan brush with white acrylic and lightly swiped over the front and back to give a weathered look. Whilst I had the acrylics out I painted one of the oars making it more white than the boat so it will stand out. Now for my under the water scene. First I used the the back of the boat as a template and cut out a piece of white card, then coloured with the chisel end of the promarkers. You don't have to be too perfect or blended just go from side to side. I used dark and light blue plus some green, you don't want it too dark where you're going to stamp. Now for the fun bit, you need some isopropyl alcohol, or blending solution and a pipette. Isopropyl is a lot cheaper than blending solution and is easy to buy on the internet. Fill the pipette and scatter drops of alcohol all over,the marker pens will  start to move and form the bubbles. Don't be too heavy handed you can always add more. Using a black Memento ink pad stamp the coral and fishes then colour in with promarkers. I then used some glossy accents to make the bubbles coming from the fishes mouths. When this is finished stick to the bottom of the boat then add the two edge pieces on top. Before sticking the top piece in place stamp the word water at the bottom. The stand was made from a left over piece from the boat kit. I wanted to colour the stand with my alcohol inks but chipboard is no good for this, so to make it into a surface I could use I painted it with white metallic acrylic paint, then coloured the usual way with stream, stonewashed and caramel. You can only do this with metallic paints any others will not work. To attach the boat to the stand I cut a small triangle of greyboard and bent this in half, I used a hot glue gun to stick this to the stand and then stuck the boat to the triangle. The oar was attached leaning at an angle on the boat . To finish I used peel offs for the shells and starfish coloured with promarkers and a piece of string to moor the boat.

That's all this time, hope you like it.

Thanks for looking

Sally

Sunny days

Hi crafter's

This is my entry to the Indigoblu challenge, the theme is summertime. For this card I used Wild Meadow and Grand Tour 1 stamps, the ink is Kaleidacolor in Bouquet, this pad has five rainbow colours in it. First I made the background by stamping the flourish with Versamark and embossing with clear powder, just in the right hand corner. To colour I loaded up my brayer with Bouquet ink and blended the ink on my splodge mat. The reason I did this is because the colours are quite bright and I wanted  more muted shades. Now run the brayer diagonally from the bottom up until nearly in the middle. Turn the piece of card round and repeat. Next heat up your iron, no steam, lay some copier paper over the embossing and heat. The powder will melt and stick to the paper, If it doesn't all come off repeat but use a clean area of the paper. This is called faux batik which gives a lovely effect. To add interest to the background I used sequin waste a piece of sponge and the ink left on the splodge mat, then added the colour randomly but not in the lightest area in the centre. For the topper I inked up the butterfly using all the colours in the Kaleidacolor ink pad and stamped on a square piece of card. Make a mask for the butterfly then stamp the sentiment from the Grand Tour 1 all over the card. Lift off the mask and blend the butterfly with a water brush. Use the sequin waste and inks as before on two opposite corners, blend around the edges. Mat on to a complementary piece of card. Glue everything in place. I then used some rub-on's I had in my stash for the sentiment. Quite a quick card really. a bit too hot to sit for ages.

That's all hope you like it, thanks for looking

Sally

Pink Lily

Hi crafter's

It's been a while since my last post so I thought I would share with you the card I have made for my mother-in-laws birthday. Just recently my seahorses card was picked as a winner in the Crafty Individuals challenge, I was really surprised and very pleased .My prize was to pick a stamp, a difficult thing to do but I chose the Lily background which I have used in this card. The first thing I did was to stamp a fan, and a selection of perfume bottles from stamp set CI-335 on to white card with Versamark ink and embossed with clear powder. Then coloured the whole thing with adirondack Cranberry and Butterscotch inks. Now heat an iron, not too hot and no steam. Protect your surface with a few pieces of copier paper and put a piece of paper over the card, then iron over the top. The embossing powder will melt, lift the paper and if any embossing is left repeat but use a clean piece of paper. This is called faux batik and gives a lovely effect. To finish I ran a black alcohol marker around the edge. Taking the lily background I stamped this with Cranberry ink then blended with a water brush. I also coloured in the centre of the lilies with a yellow pencil. As before I blended the inks to colour the background and went round the edge with the marker. Next I stamped the cameo from the stamp set and embossed with black powder, then coloured in with promarkers and blended around the edge. To finish I die cut a tag and stamped a perfume bottle. I had a few paper flowers in my stash so I coloured these to match and added pearls. Everything was layered up as seen in the picture. Hope you like the card and will try the faux batik technique yourselves.

That's all, thanks for looking any comments welcome.

Sally

Seahorses

Hi crafter's

I have made this card for the Crafty Individuals challenge sea, sun and beach. I love this little seahorse stamp so decided this is what the whole design would be about. This card is very easy to do. I have used a 6'x6' white base card which I splatted some mica inks randomly in the centre. Then whilst still wet blew through a straw to make trails. This is supposed to represent seaweed so I used blue, sea green and yellow inks. I then stamped the seahorse in black Versafine, then coloured in with Sakura stardust pens. The bubbles stamp was just one I had in my stash. To add interest to the background I blended some denim adirondack ink in the centre and used a small lid to stamp the circles. I stamped the word sea shells then inked up the shell stamp in peacock feathers and denim, cut them out and blended the ink around the edge with a water brush. I glued one under the words and the other over hanging the edge, cutting off the excess.

That's all for this card, hope you like it.

Happy crafting

Sally

Mr and Mrs

Hi crafter's

This is my entry to the Clarity Stamp challenge. I've used a colour combination of soft blues and greens with some pearly embossing powder. The stamps I used are from the birdcage set, the arty heart and the letterbox set. First I stamped the heart in memento London Grey, masked it then stamped the second heart slightly lower. Next I stamped the birds in place with black ink and lastly the words. I coloured the birds in with pencils and added a little colour to the hearts. I went round everything with tea green promarker and added some shadow between the hearts. Then I cut this out with a grande Labels four and blended ink around the edge. I also cut the next size up out of white card, this was then inked up around the edge with Versamark and embossed with silver pearl powder. To create the background I used the Delicate mask and inked through with Broken China and Bundled Sage keeping the colours quite pale. I run a pale blue promarker around the edge. Stamp two hearts on white card and emboss with the powder. Cut out the top part of the heart. To finish the card I glued the background onto a white base card. then stuck the pieces of embossed heart in the corners. The topper was glued to the embossed label then attached to the card.

Hope you like it, thanks for looking.

Happy crafting

Sally

lilac fairy

Hi crafter's

Back again! This card was made using just Lavinia stamps and will be entered into the blog challenge. To start I stamped the fairy on the toadstool with Versamark in black then embossed with clear powder. I then die cut a circle using a post-it note, this will be the moon. The challenge is about the colour lilac so I used dusty concord distress ink and purple twilight adirondack ink, I also used a little bit of blue to create a bit of contrast and make the purple stand out. I put the mask where I wanted the moon to be then using ink dusters and the inks built up the colour around the edge. I used just the lilacs around the fairy. I loaded up the brush then starting from the fairy I swept the colour out, but not too far, leave a very light area around the fairy. Then take off the mask and do a few brush strokes to make lines of ink to look like clouds. I stamped around the edge with assorted foliage stamps using all the inks and repeat stamping to create light and shade. Also stamp around the base of the toadstool to anchor it. I used pencils to colour the toadstool and also to darken the purple around it. To colour the wings I used picket fence distress marker, this will cover any ink left from doing the background. Using black ink I added the butterflies, then the stars in purple.Lastly I run a purple promarker around the edges and added some glitter glue round the fairy.

That's all this time, happy crafting.

Sally

Father's day

Hi crafter's

The two cards above were made for my husband for father's day. I don't know about you, but when I make more than one card for the same person I like them to be totally different. For the first card I wanted to go quite clean and modern. I used a variety of stamps.The background was a harlequin stamp from Crafty Individuals. This was very simply stamped onto white card in spiced marmalade distress inks in first and second generation stamping. The colour is more intense in the middle and faded at the edges. The car is an Indigoblu stamp, this was inked up with Versafine in black then stamped over the darker orange. The line, crown and sentiment are Clarity stamps. The lines above the car are from Paper Smooches and this stamp was inked up once then stamped three times, therefore making them lighter. I then used a promarker in black around the edges. The next layer was coloured with the spiced marmalade ink and edged with the promarker. To finish everything was mat and layered on to a white base card.

My second card was made using some scene building stamps from Inkylicious called Seascape memories and Windswept. I started by laying down some colour for the sand, I used sandal and latte adirondacks. In the stamp set there are stamps to create the dunes, so I used these and the lightest colour. I tore a piece of copier paper in a slightly crooked line and covered the top half of the card. Then using my ink dusters I started to build up the colour of the sand creating light and shade. The next thing to do was stamp the lighthouse, I masked the sand  then stamped it in latte. It looks like it's behind a sand dune. To do the sky I first punched a mask for the moon and masked the sand. Then using ink dusters and distress inks in tumbled glass, denim and peacock feathers the colour is brushed on sweeping from side to side. I varied the colours so the sky doesn't look one shade. After taking the mask off I brushed a little colour over the moon to soften. Going back to the sand and creating the fence. The stamps to do this are in the stamp set so is really easy to achieve. I used a darker ink for the fence, Versafine in sepia. There are different grasses and these I stamped down the bottom in latte, also stamping the windswept stamp first in latte then over stamping in sepia. When doing shading I sometimes use colouring pencils, especially if  I want fine detail. This is how I shaded in the bottom of the fence and the lighthouse. Lastly stamp the sentiment and the birds. The people are very easy to do. I saw this trick on a painting programme by Frank Clarke, he is a watercolour painter, many years ago. All you do is draw a carrot shape and colour it in then put a little ball on top, that's it! easy! I added the word Dad at the bottom and rounded the corners. To finish this was mounted on to a white base  card and faux brads attached.

That's all for now, thanks for looking.

Happy crafting

Sally

Julianna

Hi crafter's

Something different this time. I started out  with no plan of what I was going to do. I like using watercolour paper ( this one is made from wood pulp and recycled t-shirts) and inktense pencils, so this was my starting point. I also like doing college, bringing together all sorts of stamps in different styles. So I began by stamping Julianna by Inkylicious in the bottom left hand corner. The leaves, flower and bird are a range of oriental stamps by Artemio. Lastly I stamped the bird cage which is free with the New Clarity Design Club. These are all my main images. I used my inktense pencils and a damp paint brush to colour the leaves, flower and bird. The bird cage was just shaded in slightly with a brown pencil. Julianna's face was coloured in with just a hint of colour on her lips, eye and cheek.

I now focused on the background. For this I used lots of little stamps, Crafty Individuals are great for this. The inks I used were adirondack shell pink and Versafine vintage sepia. It was just a case of filling in the spaces between the main images although  I did stamp over a few of them. The words were added last. Around the edge of Julianna  I highlighted this with inktense pencils and blended with water. I ink dusted around the edges with vintage photo distress ink to finish. This was then mounted on to black card. I chose a light pink card for my next layer which I stamped with a flourish stamp by Kaisercraft, then embossed with a pink glittery powder. The main image was then mounted onto the pink card then onto black card to frame. The very last layer started as a cream piece of card which was stamped with a script stamp in vintage photo and seedless preserves, I used second and third generation stamping so it wasn't too bright. In the corner I used a Crafty Individuals stamp in seedless preserves, also stamping a flourish which was embossed with copper embossing powder. I love the splatter stamps you can get, so that was used too!

Lastly on to the frame which came from a pound shop. It was just plain wood before I coloured it with acrylic paint in blackberry. When dry I brushed white paint here and there with a dry brush. I added  a ladybird charm which I had in my stash to the frame.

That's it for now, thanks for looking

Happy crafting

Sally

All in the background

Hi crafter's

This is a card I designed for the Indigoblu challenge, it's all about the background. I really like creating masterboards. These are papers you design with stamps, inks, paints or anything really using any techniques you like. I normally do an A4 piece of paper. The point is to cut it up and use it on different projects right down to the last scraps. The background was done like this. I started by stamping the butterfly from Wild Meadow and the free  Crafter Stamper butterfly stamp randomly on the card, making sure I stamped off the edge. Then I stamped a sentiment from Grand Tour, all this was done using Archival black. I coloured the butterflies in with distress markers, at this point it all looks very bright but thats ok. To colour the background I used adirondack inks in red tones but didn't go too dark. I now wanted to tone down all the stamping so I used picket fence distress stain. I swept the stain from one side to the other, some of the colour on the butterflies moved a little so I didn't over work it. Now I wanted to add interest by splatting the white distress stain, do this quite firmly, and inked up a bottle lid with cranberry adirondack stamping randomly. I now chose which part of the background I wanted to use and cut to size.Texture was needed next so using a dots mask I painted  rock candy crackle paint through it, this  leaves you  with raised circles. Leave this to dry. Because rock candy is clear I rubbed some Viva Inka-gold on top this also brought out the crackles. To finish  I dabbed Flitter glue around the edges and stuck some mega flakes down for some bling. The topper is simply two oval die cuts about the same size but different shapes. I stamped the sentiment from Wild Meadow with Flitter glue and used mega flakes, also stamping the dandilion in a light yellow. The large butterfly was stamped on a scrap piece of card and colourd in with pencils then cut out. I made a rosette flower using a scrap of card I found in my stash. This is made with a strip of card which was scored every 1/2 centimetre (used my Hougie board for this) then folded up like a concertina. Stick the ends together, now you need to flatten it which can be a little bit fiddley. Stick the rosette down onto a small circle of card. The button in the middle was a gunmetal colour so I rubbed Inka-gold over it to make it match. The card was assembled as seen on the picture with an added die cut flourish and some Pearly Stuff by Woodware.
That's all this time, hope you like the card.

Happy crafting

Sally



Laugh

Hi crafter's

This card is going to be entered into the As you like it challenge and the subject is your favourite stamp. I have chosen Laugh by Paperbag Studios. I love the look of this stamp, it's as if  a moment of complete happiness has been captured and makes me smile whenever I use it. The other stamps I used ( and there are a few) are Vintage alphabet by Sam Poole, the star burst by Banana Frog, leaves by Stampendous, words by Stamping all day and the other stamps not sure any more. The inks used are adirondacks in peacock feathers and seedless preserves, I do like these colours together. 

The first thing I did was to stamp the girl in the left hand corner in seedless preserves and stamp the leaves in the top left hand corner. Down the right side I stamped the lace border with versamark and embossed with raspberry violet blaze cosmic shimmer embossing powder. All the other images are stamped randomly to create a collage background. Blend the inks all around the edge. The words I stamped onto white card and coloured with the ink, then cut out. Lastly I stamped the L from the alphabet set and glued the words in place. A few dots of glitter finished the card off.

Hope you like the finished card, any comments would be welcome. That's all for now.

Happy crafting

Sally

It's all about the colour

Hi crafter's

It's been a little while since my last post because I have been busy  making the families cards for the year. I like to do this early so there is no rush at the last minute. This card is going to be an anniversary card for my husbands parents, I just need to put on the sentiment. I'm also going to enter this card into the ' as you like it challenge' the subject being your two favourite colours together. I have used pinks and greens together and I think they work really well, it's a colour combo I turn to a lot!

For the background I have used the moroccan mask and adirondack inks in raspberry and juniper. The technique is very simple, just hold down the mask and blend the inks through it. The foliage stamp is by Kanban and this I stamped in the corner. The butterfly stamps are by Kaisercraft and I stamped these on the background with black archival ink. I stamped the butterflies on another piece of white card as well. The colouring in of the flowers and butterflies was done using derwent artist pencils. Cut out the coloured butterflies ( there is no need to cut round the antennae) shape the wings and stick over the matching stamped butterfly with dimensional glue, you should see the stamped antennae showing. To finish I drew a line around the edge with a fine marker pen in black. It doesn't have to be perfectly straight if any thing it looks better being a little wobbly. All that is left to do is some matting and layering in white and black card then mounted on to a black base card. As you can see from the picture the top butterfly over hangs the edge a bit which just adds more interest. A touch of glitter would look nice too!

That's all this time, thanks for looking.

Happy crafting

Sally

It's all in the sentiment

Hi crafter's

This is my entry to the clarity stamp challenge. The first thing I did was to create the stripes on my white base card. I used copier paper and low tack tape to mask the lines. I've used adirondack inks in citrus and butterscotch also dried marigold and weathered wood distress inks. Ink dusters make short work of colouring in. I took the lines down just over half way and made them different widths. I die cut and embossed a Spellbinders border and blended butterscotch and dried marigold, this was then stuck at the bottom of the stripes. The main topper was created with the honeysuckle corner. It was stamped around the edge in Bouquet Kaleidacolor ink. I also blended citrus ink around the edges to soften. A smaller piece of card was then stamped with the sentiment. I edged it with the Lemon Promarker and a  fine black liner pen and blended dried marigold to take the whiteness away, then glued it on top of the honeysuckle corner. For my embellishments I decided to make a cameo using the Rosie stamp. I die cut a circle and stamped Rosie in the middle with archival black ink then coloured her in with prismacolor pencils and blended with Sansador. A coating of glossy accents gives a nice finish. This was then layered (once dry) on to a slightly bigger and more fancy circle. My other finishing details were a die cut flourish and die cut flowers, these were coloured with the inks. The flowers were stuck down hanging off the card, the overhang was then cut off and stuck on the edge of the base card. Everything was attached to the card as seen above and a few pearls were added.

Two posts this weekend wow! I'II need a rest!

Thanks for looking, happy crafting

Sally