Beauty In Seasons

Hi Everyone, Another lovely day her in Bulgaria, the humidity has dropped at last which is so much easier. The heat and humidity just makes every little thing such a chore. Preparations are now in full swing getting ready for Stamperama in Stevenage on the 11th August and then my Hochanda shows on the 13th August. Unfortunately I cant bring the Small Rose Petal stamps back to Hochanda this time, but I do have a very small amount left on my Etsy store, but once they are gone they are gone, for now at least.

You Will Need:

Craftascope Floral Companions Stamp Set

Craftascope Floral Harmony Stamp Set.

8 x 8'' Clarity Black Card Blank

Clarity White Card Blank (cut to 7 3/4'' square)

Distress Inks: Mowed Lawn, Squeezed Lemonade, Wild Honey and Mermaid Lagoon

Versafine Clair Black Ink Pad

Clarity Stencil Brushes

Basic Square Die approx 2 1/2''

Copier Paper

Temporary Adhesive Spray

Black Fine Liner pen

Step 1: Roughly stamp out 3 of the leaves onto copier paper and cut out.

Step 2: Cut out a piece of copier paper to 7 1/2'' square. Cut 4 squares out of this, evenly spaced and keep both the inner and outer cuts. Cutting the copier paper smaller than your card makes positioning much easier.

Step 3: Use temporary adhesive to secure your copier paper in place.

Step 4: Stamp a leaf and positive word in 3 of your squares and your sentiment in the 4th, Use the leaf masks you made earlier and secure them in place with your temporary adhesive.

Step 5: Mask off around your square to make sure you get no colour in any of the other squares or the edges of your card. Take one of your stencil brushes along with a distress ink and gently blend across your first square, blending form deeper at the top and lighter towards the bottom.

Step 6: Repeat step 5 with each of your remaining squares.

Step 7: Remove your large square mask and move very slightly left and down by approximately 4-5 mm  giving you a little backwards 'L' in the corner. Now use your smaller squares to mask off your coloured area. Take another stencil brush and using Hickory smoke, add colour to the space you have left. This gives a wonderful 3D look when you card is complete.

Step 8: Remove the masks and gently remove any excess adhesive with a soft cloth.

Step 9: Use a very fine liner to draw a line around each of your coloured boxes (not the Hickory Smoke part) Draw another line about 1/4'' in from the edge of your card. Mount your finished card onto the black card base, giving you your finished card.

Thank you so much for joining me this afternoon for this step by step. I hope you like the end result. If you missed my exciting news the other day, I will share it with you here. I am so happy to let you all know that I have been nominated in the Crafts Beautiful 'Best Of' Craft awards, so I am over the moon to have got this far. Thank you ever so much for your support, it really does mean a lot to me. My collection will be added to their website on the 15th August, when the voting begins. For now Take care and Happy Crafting.xx 

Floral Mirror

Morning Friends and Crafters. I have something different for you today. Will it be Mirror, Mirror on the wall? Or maybe They Do It With Mirrors, How about a Floral Mirror using the Mirror Mist brought too us by Lou Withers and Clarity Stamp. Such an easy but extremely effective product to use, giving some amazing results every time. Here I have used stamps from the Craftascope Floral stamp and die collection.

You Will Need:

Craftascope Floral Stamp & Die Collection

Thats Crafty Acrylic ATC

Pentart Mirror Mist from Clarity

Amsterdam Acrylics, Greens, Yellow and Pinks

Black Stayzon Ink Pad

Black Acrylic Paint

Copier Paper Masks for your chosen florals.

Step 1: Stamp and cut out the florals for your design from copier paper.

Step 2: Peel off the protective sheet from one surface, this will be the back of your finished piece. Using the masks, create your design. Be careful stamping on the acrylic or similar surfaces, it can easily slip. If you do have a stamping platform it's a lot easier, line up the shape in the corner and then use the magnets at the open sides, this will hold it in place.

Step 3: Start with the yellow Acrylic filling in the centers of the flowers.

Step 4: Next use a selection of greens to colour the leaves.

Step 5: Then move onto the flowers starting with the deepest pink, then the mid pink.

Step 6:  Finally end with the lightest of the pink or even a cream, try to blend the colours.

Step 7: Use the Mirror Mist over your design. Normally one coat is plenty. Leave it too dry totally before adding a fine spray of the protective varnish spray. The leave this to dry thoroughly.

Step 8: To finish the piece add one or two coats of black acrylic. I did the first with an off cut of kitchen or bathroom sponge.

To reveal your finished design, peel of the protective sheet from the other surface. There so many wonderful projects you can create with this product. A project made to look like an antique mirror for example would look beautiful.

Thank you for joining me today, I hope you got to see my wonderful news yesterday. Thats Crafty do some amazing surfaces to use, including some really nice ATC Stacks. I was so pleased to read the comments that were left. I still cant quite believe it, but thank you to each and everyone of you for the support, It does mean a lot to me. Take care and Happy Crafting.xx

Beauty In Everything

Morning Friends and Crafters, another great project for you this morning to make the most of your crafty stash. Here using the Craftascope Floral Stamp and Dies collection that I launched with Kathryn a few weeks ago on Hochanda. I have used this along with the wonderful Pearlywinks from Donna and Simon.

You Will Need:

Craftascope Floral Stamp and Die Collection

Pearlywinks Pumpkin Orange and Vintage Teal Winks

Clarity White card black cut to 6 3/4'' square

Clarity 7 x 7'' Black Card Blank

120 gsm paper

Black Fine Liner Pen

Versa Clair Black Ink Pad

Sentimentally Yours PVA

3D Glue Gel

Step 1: Arrange your chosen leaves on the paper and run through your die machine. I always like to use 3 sheets when using such thin paper, you will use them in other projects.

Step 2: Use masking tape to secure your white card in place. I like to overlap the card by 1/4'' to form a border. Use temporary adhesive to secure your leaf paper over your card. **I use the Clarity Card Blanks as they take the ink beautifully, having been let down in the stamping card I used to use.

Step 3: Spritz the teal first from one corner, so the ink is lighter in the middle. Repeat from the other corner with the orange. You will get a beautiful blend in the center.. Remove the paper.

Step 4: Remove all of the tape carefully, (always away from your piece) set aside to dry thoroughly. When dry rub over with a dry clean tissue. I've not done that here but it does remove the excess adhesive.

Step 5: Take a piece of white card and stamp your sentiment onto it, here i have used the Versa Clair Black ink.

Step 6: Spritz half and half with the same colours as before.

Step 7:  Cut out the sentiment and mount it onto black card, leaving a narrow border. Next cut one of the larger leaves from the spare card you spritzed. Stamp using the same black ink, look at how beautifully the stamps transfer, the leaf is fairly small but the text is so perfectly clear. Cut another leaf from the same black card.

Step 8: Slightly offset the  black and secure using the PVA.

Step 9: Mount your back ground card on to the black card base, this will leave a really nice thin border.

Step 10: Use a black fine liner to mark around your card to give a faux mat. Position and secure the sentiment and leaf onto your project using the 3D Glue gel.

Here is the finished card:

Thank you again for joining me today. It's always wonderful to have your company. I do hope you enjoy the posts that I share and find them useful. I am doing a lot more on my Youtube channel now and hope you will subscribe to that and keep an eye out for weekly shows, Here is a link to make things easy. NICKS YOUTUBE CHANNEL

(If you read the next bit, Please dont mention it on Facebook just yet) I have some amazing news to share with you today. I have been nominated in the Crafts Beautiful 'Best of Craft' awards. I have had to send my collections off to them and they have all arrived safe and sound. I have to thank each and everyone of you who took the time to nominate me. I have to say it was a real shock when they contacted me and must confess to crying  a little, well more than a little really. I couldn't have got this far without you and really words can't begin to explain how I feel, a few of you will know why this is so important to me, so thank you. I will give you more details as soon as I find out more. To get this far is amazing, obviously I would love to count on your support when the voting starts, it would be fantastic to go a little further. But THANK YOU so much.

Back to Basics 2 Landscapes

Morning Friends and Crafters, For those of you who saw my second episode of 'Back to Basics' with Craftascope last night. I really hope you enjoyed it and found it useful & worthwhile. After the show I added a few finishing touches as discussed and added a little sentiment. So here is the end result, do excuse to odd finger print. You can still take a look at the video on my youtube channel and I have added the link to this post to, so pop over and see how it was done.

As I said on the video, I will be adding to the series for as long as I get your requests. So if there is anything you would like to see included in the future shows, then please leave your comments on the comments under the video so I can find them easily.

This weeks 'Natter with Nick' offer ended last night but there are still some really great buys on my Etsy store, some are a little low on stock now, but hopefully you will find what you want to add to your Craftascope Library. I did a second demo on last nights show, I added it as a separate video and you can see it here.

Well I have lots of preparation underway for my first stand at Stamperama in August, not long to go now. I will be sharing lot's of new goodies before visiting Hochanda on the 13th August. Well thats all for no, so Take care and Happy Crafting.xx

Greene Man

Hi Friends and Crafters, A little bonus post and tutorial for you today, I have that many to share that I am going to run out of days before my next visit. As you know over the last week or so I have been sharing cards made with the beautifully detailed leaves from my Floral Companions Stamps and Dies. I have some on my youtube channel as video and some written with additional photos. You might have seen the Autumn and Winter, well I thought that this made a really wonderful Spring card with the Addition of a lovely Clarity Stamp.

You will need:

Craftascope Triskaidecagon Layering and Nesting Dies

Craftascope Floral Companions Stamps & Dies can be bought Separately or Together

White Stamping Card

Clarity 6 x 6 White Card Blank

Clarity Greene Man Stamp (Clarity Stamp Club Issue)

Selection of Copic Markers

Distress Inks Squeezed Lemonade, Mowed Lawn and Salty Ocean

Step 1: Take a piece of stamping card and blend across the distress inks to get a really nice blend from Yellow to a variety of greens.Cut your chosen leaves using the coordinating dies. Spray with temporary adhesive and secure to copier paper. Then use a stamping platform to stamp your leaf designs.

Step 2: Take a piece of 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 piece of black and gut with a basic die (here I have used Square). Position you Nesting die centrally on your card to create an aperture. Then use the layering dies to create the black frame. Secure these and mount onto your card and colour the Green Man.

Step 3: Arrange your selection of leaves around the aperture to draw your eye into the card. I have sprayed the leaves with a spray varnish, here I have used Spray n Shine.

Here is your finished card:

Thee leaves really are versatile, they can be used as the main focal point in your card, they look great on their own or mixed with any of your other stamps and dies. They also work perfectly  to frame other toppers and can also be used on any project to add that finishing touch.

The detail is wonderful, however by using the dies without the stamps, there is the option of adding your own choice of stamps or artwork, zentangle for example to really tailor the project to match exactly.

A great, Well I'd say an essential addition to your crafty stash or your Craftascope Library. I do hope you have enjoyed this little bonus post. For now Take care and Happy Crafting.xxx

Way Out!!!

Morning Friends and Crafters. Fancy a little bit of fun with some vibrant colours and some straws? Well that's just what I have been doing, with the background for this mutlicoloured banner. This is a real statement die, great for any occasions and all types of crafting, from card making, journalling and scrapbooking and lots more. It's a great addition to your crafty stash and also makes a great card for a bloke.

I have managed to get a little bit of stock back on my Etsy Store, I am still trying to get the Stamp version of the 'Retro Banner' back in stock and will let you know if it's possible.

You will need:

Craftascope 'Retro Banner' Die

Craftascope Retro Fever Stamp Set

Craftascope Retro Vibes Stamp Set

Clarity Stamp 8 x 8'' Black Card Blank.

Selection of Brusho

Mat Black Cardstock 7 1/4 x 7 1/4''

White Stamping Card 7 x 7''

Mat Black Cardstock to cut the Banner

Coloured Card (A real Scrapbuster)

Tacky Glue and 3D Glue Gel

Step 1: Take 4 colours of Brusho, totally your choice. Premix them with a little water. Drop the first colour onto the card and blow out towards the edge of the card. Repeat this with your other colours to give a wonderfully vibrant background.

Step 2: Cut out the Retro Banner 3 times in black card from gutting. You need to whole banners and a section of 2. ****TOP TIP**** Don't use your pokey tool, tap the die firmly cutting side up on a surface to release on it's own, It does release and doesn't distort your die cut.

Step 3: Mount your vibrant background onto your base card, You can easily gut this card before sticking it down and use it on another project. 

Step 4: On your white card secure the banner die cuts to form a circular shape. Use coloured card to paper piece the banners.***TOP TIP***** This is a great way to use all of your scrap card pieces, I know we all have them.

Step 5: Back this piece onto your black card and make sure you have gutted it. You could easily position your banner die and use it latter for another card or project.

Step 6: Select a sentiment for your card. When I finished the background, I used the rest of the premixed Brusho to colour some scraps using the straws as well, these come in really handy for sentiments or smaller projects and we dont like to waste the colours. Here are two variations, but you could use any sentiment to suite the project.

Well, thats a really fun card to make, the explosion of colour with the banner would look fantastic in a journal or scrapbook, it really does make a statement. So versatile, how about printing thumbnails of photos and putting them in the blocks. Whatever you make or decide to do with your Banner I do hope you will share your Creations. Look forward to my next Back to Basics with Craftascope Show, dont forget if you have any ideas or anything you would like to see, please add it to the comments section under the videos, it makes it easier for me if they are all in one place. For now Take care and Happy Crafting.xx