Have a Groovy Birthday

Hi everyone. At last things to seem to have cooled down a little. A lovely day, wonderful sunshine and much more comfortable as well. How about a great birthday card for today's post made with some of the Retro Collection. This would be great for a teenager, a bloke, well actually anyone really, a really fun card, looks totally different with other colours or embellishments. This one also uses the small set of rose petals to add the balloons.

You Will Need:

Craftascope Retro Vibes

Craftascope Small Rose Petal Dies

White Card Blank 5 1/2 x 7 3/4

Archival Forget Me Not

Archival Sunset

Versafine Black Ink

Black Fine Liner

Copic Alcohol Markers (Blue, Red & Yellow)

Glossy Accents

3D Glue Gel

Step 1: Use the single frames and solids to position and stamp onto your card blank. Start with the solid colour, then add the frames and words.

Step 2: Cut 3 of the rose petal dies, each in a different size, Colour with your alcohol markers.

Step 3: Stamp another of the large solids with the Archival, Then stamp 'Birthday'. Cut out and mount onto some Black Card.

Stamp 4:  Use 3D Glue Gel to position and add the last sentiment and the balloons. Use a black fine liner to add a wobbly line around the card, approximately 1/4'' in from the edge. The use the fine liner to add some strings to the balloons. To finish the card, add some glossy accents to the balloons to add a lovely gloss.

Thank you for joining me today. I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial and the finished card. It's been great for you to join me. I hope you will stop by again very soon.xx

Happy Birthday

Morning Friends & Crafters, I hope you got to see my good news yesterday, I have to say I am really looking forward to it and I really hope to see at least some of you there. I have chosen a very simple card to share with you today. We all need a simple card sometimes, I have said it before and I am sure I will say it again sometime.

You will Need:

Craftascope 'Positive Journey' Stamp Set

Craftascope  'Bloom & Grow' Stamp Set

Archival Black Ink Pad

Selection of Amsterdam Acrylics

White Stamping Card Blank 5 x 8''

Copier Paper for Masks and Masking

Fine Tipped Paint Brush

Temporary Spray Adhesive

Step 1: Take you card blank, use copier paper to mask off your card leaving a 2 1/2'' strip, about 1'' from the right of your card. (See Photo)

Step 2: Stamp your daisy (or other chosen flower) onto copier paper and cut out to make the masks. The stamp to fill the space, use the mask you have made to avoid overstamping.

Step 3: Remove all the masks along with the copier paper to reveal the design. Leave to dry thoroughly. When totally dry take a soft, dry cloth to remove any residue.

Step 4: Choose shade that compliment each other. Mix the Amsterdam Acrylics with a little water and paint your design. These are so wonderful to paint with and give a super finish.Add more water to lighten the tone or more paint to deepen it to add shades and highlights to the flowers.

Step 5: Stamp your sentiment onto stamping card, Take the black ink pad and edge the card, do it unevenly for a deckled look then use Tacky Glue to mount onto a black background. To finish your card add the sentiment with 3D Glue Gel.

Try a similar idea on black card, using a white ink pad and metallic pencils from Derwent, they give a superb finish and colour or use Spectrum Noir Metallics. 

It's been great to be back sharing with you again. I do hope you have enjoyed the tutorial and that you will join me again very soon. Take care and Happy Crafting.xx

Autumn Leaves Treescape from Clarity

Morning Friends and Crafters, today I am sharing a card I made with the 'Treescape' stamps from Clarity. I do hope you got to see the shows with Maria. This is such a strong stamp, it can be given a totally different look just by changing the background, great for all sizes of card depending on your preference.

You will Need:

Clarity 'Treescape' Stamp

Clarity 'Autumn' Stamp

Clarity 'Leaf' Stamp

Archival Black Ink

Infusions Rusty Car

Infusions Emerald Isle

Infusions Blackcurrant

Spray n Shine

Watercolour Card

Black Card

White Card Base

Water Spray

White Gel Pen

3D Glue Gel

Tacky Glue

Step 1: Spritz the glass mat and sprinkle with the infusions.

Step 2: Spritz the watercolour card and place on the inks.

Step 3: Select the area you want to stamp, Make sure you leave enough space around the edges so you can use it as a layer. Cut it out with a basic die.

Step 4: On another piece of card, use the same infusions but a lot lighter with the amount. When dry stamp the leaves and cut out. Spray with Spray n Shine.

Step 5: Layer your mats onto the base card.

Step 6: Use a ruler and the white gel pen and draw around the frame of the image.

Step 7: Stamp the Autumn and layer onto white card and then onto black.

Step 8: Add the shaped leaves as shown in the photo with 3D Glue gel. Use foam pads in the centre of the topper and glue gel on the sides, I have given this a curved shape.

Just a little extra here: If you have not shopped with Hochanda before, here is a voucher code giving you 30% off your first purchase (FEY5JBP7) it can be used for any purchase, feel free to share it.

I do hope you have enjoyed the tutorial today along with the finished card. I will be flying back to the UK tonight ready for my visit to Hochanda and my first show on Thursday, I do hope you will be watching. I have scheduled posts so I hope you will join me again very soon to see what else I have to share with you. For now Take care and Happy Crafting.xxx

Spring Harebells 'Treescapes' from Clarity

Morning Friends and Crafters, The lovely Maria is on our screens later today with some super stamps and stencils. The first show is 12 noon, with a second show at 4 pm. I hope you tune in for some excellent demos and lots of inspiration.

You will Need:

Clarity 'Treescape' Stamp

Clarity 'Spring' Stamp

Memento Black Ink

Clarity Club Stencil No 35

Black Fine Liner Water and Copic Proof

Brusho: Lemon, Yellow, Green,

Blue and Green alcohol markers

Drawing Gum

Watercolour Card

Black Soot Distress Oxide

Tacky Glue

Basic Oval Die

Step 1: Secure the stencil to your card and draw round it with a black fine liner.

Step 2: Place the oval over the card and draw around the inside (see photo). Roughly trim out the centre, trim around the flowers, abut 5 mm past the drawn line. The die will cut it out perfectly. Position the die so the flowers are not under the cut line, Run through the machine.

Step 3:Fill in the stencil lines with drawing gum and leave to dry.

Step 4: Spritz the card with water and sprinkle with the Brusho

Step 5: Once dry stamp the spring and remove the Drawing Gum.

Step 6: Take a second piece of card, spritz and colour with the Brusho.

Step 7: When dry stamp the Treescape with the Black Soot Distress Oxide.

Step 8: Trim and mount onto black card with Tacky Glue.

Step 9: Layer a piece of black card onto your base card, after measuring for the right size for your piece.

Step 10: Slide your topper into place underneath one of the flowers, as shown in the photo, you might need to trim along the flower a little more, secure in place with Tacky Glue.

Step 11: Layer the piece onto the base card with Tacky Glue.

Here is the finished card:

Just a little extra here: If you have not shopped with Hochanda before, here is a voucher code giving you 30% off your first purchase (FEY5JBP7) it can be used for any purchase, feel free to share it.

I do hope you have enjoyed the tutorial today along with the finished card. I hope you will join me again very soon to see what else I have to share with you. For now Take care and Happy Crafting.xxx

Dream

Morning. I hope you are all well. I am sure everyone is frantically getting ready for Christmas. Bev will be back on Hochanda tomorrow with some more wonderful stamps, so make sure you tune in at 11 am, 3 pm and 6 pm. Today I am sharing a card I made for the Bee Crafty show on Hochanda, using the Dream stamp. I wanted a very simple card and decided on Black and white, although any colour would look great or even multi coloured. It would be a nice idea to maybe stick with black and then pick out a specific word with a bright colour.

Stupidly, I forgot to take photos as I was making up the design. It's such a simple card so it will be easy to explain step by step.

I started off with my white 8'' square card blank and stamped separate letters all across the card, using black Archival ink. Be careful to clean after each letter to avoid any unwanted marks on your card.

On another piece of white card, I stamped the main word 'Dream' and then positioned my 'Any Road' sentiment beneath. Finally using one of the 'Style Wire' border stamps, I created a box for it.

I then backed it onto black card giving a strong edge to separate it from the background. Then I attached it to my base card using foam tape.

A very strong look, but very clean and simple at the same time.

Thank you for taking a look today, I hope you like the finished card. I will be sharing some launch designs tomorrow on my blog, so I hope you will take a look and please dont miss the shows. Take care and Happy Crafting.

I wont be doing regular Daily posts now until the 'New Year' However I will still be posting weekly. Hope you all have a great Christmas and Here's to a wonderful 2017.

Life's Work

Morning, Well I have recovered from filming yesterday. If you have seen the demonstration for the silk ribbon roses, then I hope you enjoyed it. If you didn't please take a look they are a really handy thing to have up your sleeve for embellishing cards or crafty project.

Today's card is made from the beautiful feather collection of stamps from Bee Crafty, drawn by Sam. A fantastic job, I am sure you will all agree. I started of by dying/ageing some papers using cold strong tea. Hung to dry overnight.

Next I stamped the old invoice stamp onto the paper. I did the original stamp in brown ink, but felt that the Black Archival would suit this project better.

Next I masked off the end of the large straight feather as I wanted the nib to be at the end to make the pen. I stamped this with Versamark and embossed using black fine detail powder and heated using a heat gun. I had previously done the same with the nib only with gold fine detail powder. I cut this out and set aside.

Separately I stamped the ink bottle with black Archival and now had all the elements I wanted for the card, including 3 old invoices in black.

For the background, I took a sheet of tissue paper and built up a pattern using a mixture of stamps across the collection, along with the words Life & Memory, both from sentiments found in the Wordage section of Bee Crafty. Obviously you can change the words depending on the theme of your project. There are some really amazing sentiments on the website.I used a selection of inks to stamp the tissue: Black Archival,Walnut Stain, Brushed Corduroy and Blueprint Sketch Distress Ink. I wanted the colours to come from the background and therefore these colours are fairly muted.

To provide the background colour, I took a sheet of A4 watercolour card and saturated it under the tap. The took Violet, Emerald Green and Cobalt Blue Brushos and added them here and there with the end of a mini screwdriver. I let the colours spread naturally before taking a straw and blowing to get some trails.

I wanted an 8'' square for my finished project, which gave me ample left over to stamp my sentiment.

I cut the sentiment to size, cut a mat for it approximately 5 mm larger and blended Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink around the edges.

I covered the watercolour card with PVA let down 50/50 with water. Scrunched my tissue paper, unravelled it and stuck it down, keeping creases and folds to add texture to the card. Leave this aside until completely dry before trimming the excess or you wont get a nice sharp edge.

Having played around with the composition, I decided something else was needed so I stamped the same straight feather onto shrink plastic, coloured with a red pencil and heated until completely shrunk. I also coloured my Quill pen with a selection of alcohol markers.

I layered my sentiment with cosmic shimmer, I arranged the old invoices and also secured them with cosmic shimmer glue. I shaped the ink bottle and used 3D glue get to secure, I then stuck the shrunk feather so it was sitting in the ink bottle.Finally I added the sentiment and large quill feather pen with 3D glue gel.

I really hope you have enjoyed my post today and hope that you will stop by again. Don't forget tomorrow night is the Launch of Leonie's new One Day Special on Hochanda at 8pm.I will be sharing some of my samples at the same time, but watch the show first, you dont want to miss out. Take care xx

Girl In The Clouds

Morning. Here is the 'Girl In The Clouds', a card that I made using the new stamp collection from Leonie Pujol. I think today is the last day that it will still be available on Catch Up Via Hochanda. Just look on the TV schedule and select 19th May, I watched some yesterday.

I stamped the girl onto watercolour card with Hickory Smoke Distress Ink and dragged the colour through the image with a water brush. I added a little Gathered Twigs to the hair and some tattered Rose for the lips.

Then I added clouds in the sky, from the same stamp set. Through the sky I used Shaded Lilac Distress ink with my water brush making the surface uneven as the sky would be.

Underneath the image, I stamped the srip of emotive wordswith Black Archival ink. Then selected a square die to cut out my image.

I stamped one of the sentiments that I felt matched the scene, again with Black Archival. Added a few clouds using Shaded Lilac and coloured the sky as before. Then I cut a mat for the image and sentiment from black cardstock.

I worked out that my card base would be a 7 inch square, so I cut a piece this size for my background. I stamped a selection of clouds using Shaded Lilac and Blueprint Sketch (1st and 2nd Generation). Then added a couple of the birds using Archival ink. Then coloured the sky as for the topper.

I added foiled highlights to the hair in gold and the clouds in Silver using a Zig 2 way glue pen and a foil sheet. Unfortunately this doesn't show up on camera, but looks fab in real life, especially when the light hits it.

I secured the background to my black card base, matted and layered the sentiment and image and raised them both from the background using foam on a roll tape.

Thank you so much for visiting today and seeing the project I am sharing. Hope you like it and the step by step I have written. Hope you will pop by again very soon. Take care xx