Watercolour Poppies

This glorious stamp is from the final set sent to me recently by Sandy of Crafty Secrets - aren't these poppies beautiful?

Because the stamp is so detailed (it's big too - this is a 5" square card) I've gone for a simple layout again and just added some textural interest by ruching silk ribbon onto a pin.

I used inks to do the watercolouring - I laid down a complete layer of Spiced Marmalade first and then used Fired Brick over it, aiming to get some of that "glow" you get when the sun shines through poppy petals. The blue is done with just one colour - Adirondack Stonewashed tends to break down to give purplish and turquoisey tones when you add water. I like the tonal variety it gives so I often end up using it for a background wash like this.

Stamps:
Poppy (Clear Art Stamps by Crafty Secrets)

Paper:
140lb hot press watercolour paper
Black

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx black)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Spiced Marmalade, Fired Brick, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain, Bundled Sage, Peeled Paint)
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Stonewashed)

Other:
Sewing machine and thread
Silk ribbon
Pin

Thanks for stopping by, hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

Dear Santa

I'm sure this little girl has been nice this year, even if she does look just a little nervous of sending her letter to Santa! She's just too sweet-looking to have been naughty, don't you think?

I have to say that the "Dear Santa" is the teeniest, weeniest stamp I have ever seen! It stamps beautifully though and fits the space on the envelope perfectly. You could personalise your card to the recipient though by handwriting their initials (or name if you have tiny writing and a fine nib pen!) on the envelope instead.

I happened to have both "Artsy Banners" and this Christmas Mail set out on my desk at the same time and noticed that the snowflake would be a great fit in the scallop border (this is the small version of each, the large snowflake fits equally well in the larger scallop). You could stamp the flake in a punched border, too.

I used a Copic in one of the reds used to colour the little girl's coat to colour the matting strip so that I got a perfect match.

Stamps:
Christmas Mail and Artsy Banners (both Clear Art Stamps by Crafty Secrets)

Paper:
Smooth white
Kraft

Ink:
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Espresso)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Antique Linen)
Colorbox pigment ink by Clearsnap (Frost White)

Other:
Copic markers
Flowersoft (Polar white)
Cuttlebug embossing folder (Ice Crystals)
Nestabilities by Spellbinder (Classic Ovals, large)
Tracing wheel
Corner Chomper by We R Memory Keepers

Thanks for stopping by!

Heart's Treasures

One of the stamp sets Sandy was sweet enough to send me from Crafty Secrets recently was "Artsy Banners". This is a great selection of mix 'n match stamps but of course me being me I started by reading the text that makes up the border stamps! I can't manage to read the script one (used as a background here by repeat stamping it) but the typewriter style one is made up of some lovely quotes. I decided to pull one out and use it as a feature of the design by snipping out the individual words and sticking them down.

The vintage photo of the child is one that came in my secret Santa package from Caroline last year so I'm not sure of the source - I think it was probably part of a Bubbly Funk kit.

Stamps:
Artsy Banners (Clear Art Stamps by Crafty Secrets)

Paper:
Smooth white
Kraft
Black

Ink:
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Vintage Photo, Victorian Velvet)
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)

Other:
Vintage photo print
Pin
Pink grosgrain ribbon

Thanks for stopping by!

Snowflakes!

Tando Creative has some wee chipboard shapes that are perfect for using to decorate the advent calendar they have but also cute for other things! I used the tiny snowflakes (approx 30mm cross each flake) to make these little hanging ornaments. The chipboard is sturdy enough to handle easily and give them a little weight but still looks really delicate with the detailed design.

I simply painted the flakes with gesso and then added a clear dewdrop in the centre and tiny gems around the points of each flake. I decorated both sides (clear gems on one side, pale blue on the other) so they can be used on a display that can be seen from all sides.

The hanging threads (simply glued on with a dab of Glossy Accents) come out of a point on some flakes and the centre of others so they'll hang at different
angles. I think they'll look really pretty hanging from a bare twig come Christmas time.

Here's a closer look at one:

Supplies
Christmas minis (Tando Creative - see here for Tando stockists)
Gesso
Clear Dew Drops
Acrylic nail gems
Glossy Accents (as adhesive)
Silver thread

Thanks for stopping by!

The monsters are coming!

It's my nephew's birthday today - Happy Birthday Josh! I always struggle a bit with cards for kids and this took waaaaaay longer than it should have done but I got there in the end.

The little monsters are mounted on foam pads for a bit extra "movement" and dimension.

Stamps:
Little Guy (Kim Hughes Collection from Cornish Heritage Farms, retired)
Sentiment from a Hot off the Press set

Paper:
Smooth white
Orange

Ink:
Adirondack dye in by Ranger (Espresso)
Versacraft by Tsukineko (Spring Green)

Other:
Copic markers
Cuttlebug embossing folder (Traffic Jam)
Foam pads

Thanks for stopping by!

Eek - it's pink!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month so it was inevitable that one of the challenges I try to get involved in regularly would involve the use of pink. I am probably the least pink person on the planet but I decided to give it a go for the Crafty Secrets member company forum challenge over on Splitcoast Stampers.

Sandy Redburn (owner of Crafty Secrets) was very sweet recently and sent me some new stamps to play with. Four new botanicals sets were released recently and I had the rose and poppy ones in my package. They're beautifully detailed and remind me of the PSX stamps that so many people mourn the loss of.

I stamped my rose on kraft cardstock and coloured with Prismacolor pencils. I love the look this gives and don't remember the technique often enough - I always have fun when I do this!

I decided to keep everything else simple as the image is so detailed so the panel is simply machine stitched onto the card base and then I added the sentiment on a tag with a little ribbon and a pin. The ribbon was coloured with a Copic marker to match the rose (it's a much better match in real life, dodgy light in Northumberland today!).

Stamps:
Rose (medium set from Clear Art Stamps by Crafty Secrets)

Paper:
Kraft
Black

Ink:
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Espresso, Latte)

Other:
Prismacolor pencils/OMS/Stump
Sewing machine and thread
Silk ribbon coloured with Rose Red Copic marker
Tags Trio dies by spellbinder
Pin

Thanks for stopping by!

UK Stampers header competition

UK Stampers is one of the forums I like to visit. There's a header competition running at the moment to choose a new banner for the forum. There are a dozen entries to choose from - if you're a forum member why not pop over and vote for your favourite on this thread? (You'll need to be logged in to see all the entries and cast your vote.) Voting closes on Sunday so you still have a couple of days to decide.

My entry uses

Stamps:
Retro women (Tanda Stamps)
Alphanumber backgroundr (Cornish Heritage Farms, retired)
Not My Type alphabet stamps (Ma Vinci's Reliquary)

Paper: Cryogen White

Ink:
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Dusty Concord)
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Pool)
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)

Other:
Spray can lid
Bubble wrap
Dymo label maker
Copic multiliner

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!