Wednesday, 15 December 2010
Pinwheel ornament
The border is stamped with the music and small pennant stamps from the Artsy Banners set and I used the triangles to guide my score lines rather than measuring out on my scoring tool as Lisa does in her tutorial. Robins about to burst into song keep with the musical theme and make this a quick and easy project as it's a printed image so no tricky colouring involved!
Stamps:
Artsy Banners (Clear Art Stamps by Crafty Secrets)
Paper:
Ivory
Christmas Creative Scraps (Heartwarming Vintage by Crafty Secrets)
Ink:
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Vintage Photo)
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)
Other:
Silk ribbon
Copper jingle bells
Squeeze punch by Fiskars (large circle)
Circle cutter by Fiskars
Scor-It
Gold thread
Thanks for stopping by!
Wednesday, 1 December 2010
Rejoice!
The challenge for this fortnight is to use stuff beginning with R. I'm boosting the Christmas card stock again with this one - I like to stretch my stamps by using ones that are not designed to be festive and giving them a little Christmas makeover! The word Rejoice is from a stamp set called Rose (can I count it twice on the "R-ometer" do you think?).
I managed quite a few Rs here:
Red
Ribbon
Rejoice
Rub n Buff
Rhinestone
and if it's not too cheeky - rounded corners!
I used Rub n Buff over the raised parts of the embossed panel and rubbed some along the edges of the matting strip to make a rich gold border.
Stamps:
Rose (Clear Art Stamps by Crafty Secrets)
Paper:
Red
smooth white
Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Crimson Red)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Antique Linen)
Other:
Rub n Buff by Amaco (Gold Leaf)
Flowers by Prima
Brad by Making Memories
Grosgrain ribbon recyced from packaging
Cuttlebug Embossing Folder (Textile Texture)
Corner Chomper by We R Memory Keepers
Nestabilities by Spellbinder (Labels Four)
Thanks for stopping by!
Wednesday, 17 November 2010
Something old, something new...
As I need to boost my stack of Christmas cards I stuck with a festive theme.
Old: the DCWV white core card has been in my stash for five years or so and the square crystal brad is probably not much newer!
New: the stamp set is a recent release and one of my latest acquisitions
Borrowed: the layout is from a sketch on Kathy's Sketch File and I borrowed a tool from the world of sewing (a tracing wheel to do the piercing round the image panel)
Blue: cardstock for the snowflake panel and crystal brad
I used several of the smaller stamps from the set to create the background directly onto the card base. The glittery strip was done with a piece of double sided sticky sheet with glitter pressed on top and then I think the rest is self explanatory!
Stamps:
Christmas Mail (Clear Art Stamps by Crafty Secrets)
Paper:
Kraft
Smooth white
DCWV white core
Ink:
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Espresso)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Antique Linen)
Versafine by Tsukineko (Crimson Red)
Other:
Cuttlebug embossing folder (Ice Crystals)
Deko Ice glitter by Efco (Crystal)
Double sided tape sheet
Tracing wheel
Copic markers
Silk ribbon
Crystal brad
Thanks for stoppping by!
Friday, 12 November 2010
Vintage and modern
The traditional colour scheme ones have a vintage feel with copper tape, vintage buttons, a bit of wire work and a jingle bell and bow to finish. The backs are textured with a Cuttlebug folder rather than being a second glass slide.
The modern colour scheme ones are a bit more "disco"! I combine pink and aqua for the stamping and then added glitter, bugle beads and a star shaped gem as finishing touches. Silver thread tied through a second short row of beads at the top provides a hanger. Again, the back is textured with a Cuttlebug folder but it's silver this time - I used aluminium tape stuck to a piece of card and used a strip of the same tape to seal the edges of the ornament.
Stamps:
Christmas Mail (Clear Art Stamps by Crafty Secrets)
Paper:
White
Ink:
Adirondack Pool and Clearsnap Chalk ink Pink Pastel (modern design)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger in vintage Photo and Versafine by Tsukineko in Crimson (traditional design)
Other:
copper wire, glitter, buttons, Superglue, bugle beads, gems, Textile Texture embossing folder, Krylon leafing pen in copper and silver, silk ribbon, jingle bell
Thanks for stopping by!
Friday, 29 October 2010
Watercolour Poppies
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!
Tuesday, 26 October 2010
Dear Santa
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!
Thursday, 21 October 2010
Heart's Treasures
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!
Friday, 15 October 2010
Snowflakes!
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!
Wednesday, 13 October 2010
The monsters are coming!
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!
Monday, 11 October 2010
Eek - it's pink!
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!
Friday, 1 October 2010
UK Stampers header competition
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!
Thursday, 30 September 2010
Christmas Shaker ornament - step by step
I've been asked to explain how I made the ornament I posted yesterday so here you go, some instructions for you!
I made this in a slightly different way than the "classic" method of using foam pads to achieve the depth needed for your shaker inclusions. I figured that with a circle that's a bit of a pain and you're likely to end up with tiny gaps that stuff could leak out through and the job of neatening up the outer edge. So, here's how to do it the way I did:
1. Cut four rings from black card by placing two Nesties one inside the other on your cutting platform - two consecutive ones from a set gives a nice width frame. Use a magnetic mat or a couple of pieces of low tack tape to hold your Nesties in place so that all the rings are exactly the same (you might need to use a pokey tool to ease the ring out of the dies if you use a magnetic mat since you can't push it out through the hole while the dies are in place). Emboss the final ring with the tan mat before you remove it from the dies.
2. Now remove the smaller die and use the larger one to cut three circles: one each of black, white and acetate.
3. Stamp and colour your image on the white circle. Make a wire loop and stick it to the back of the circle to make a hanger at the top.
4. Emboss the black circle in your choice of Cuttlebug folder (I used Textile Texture as the small scale is perfect here). Use Rub n Buff to gild this textured circle and the one ring you embossed while still in the Nesties. Go lightly and you'll leave some black showing which gives that lovely aged appearance.
5. Now you're ready to stack! I used Glossy Accents as it's strong and quick drying. Glue together the three plain rings then glue the stack of rings onto the stamped image. Glue the embossed and gilded ring onto the acetate circle. Spoon some glitter and/or microbeads into the ornament (glass glitter is perfect for this as it's heavier and creates less static so it won't stick to your "window" so much) and then glue the acetate layer and frame on top.
6. Glue the textured circle on to finish the back. You may find the circe is very slightly smaller than your ornament because of the embossing - just add a little Rub n Buff around the margin if needed.
7. Once everything's dry, add a little Rub n Buff around the edge of the ornament and a silk bow to top it off.
You're done - a pretty ornament that's safe around children and pets!
See this post for a complete list of supplies if you're interested in the exact stamp set and so on.
Wednesday, 29 September 2010
Christmas ornament
ETA: I put up a step by step for making this ornament in this post
In the Crafty Secrets member forum on Splitcoast Stampers this week, Marcy's challenge is "Just hanging around" - make something to hang or that has a hanging element. I had an immediate image in my head of a shaker ornament using this stamp and for once I not only manged to find time to do it but it came out looking something like I imagined!
I cut three extra rings and stacked them up to give the ornament some depth and added glass glitter and microbeads behind an acetate layer to give her some sparkly snow to sledge through! Doing it this way gives a neater edge than messing about with foam pads, I think and you don't have any issues with possible gaps for stuff to leak through. I use a piece of magnetic paper to keep my Nesties in place so the rings are all the same.
The back circle was embossed and rubbed with the same Rub n Buff I used on the frame so that it still looks pretty if the ornament twizzles round as it hangs.
Stamps:
Sweet Kids (Clear Art Stamps by Crafty Secrets)
Paper:
Smooth white
Black
Ink:
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Espresso)
Other:
Copic markers
Nestabilities by Spellbinder (Large circles)
Deko ice glitter by Efco (Crystal)
White microbeads (these are steel one sold for nail art)
Rub n Buff by Amaco (Gold Leaf)
Cuttlebug embossing folder (Textile Texture)
Silk ribbon
Thanks for stopping by!
Note for Amaco - I didn't ignore your last comment on my blog but you left no contact details and an e-mail to your customer services address got no response so presumably didn't get passed on. If you read this, please leave a contact e-mail address!
Monday, 27 September 2010
More one layer work
I just treated myself to some new stamps including Under the Sea from Darkroom Door. It's my first Darkroom Door purchase but I'm sure it won't be my last! The stamps are wonderfully detailed and the quality is great. There are quite a few places that stock them in the UK too so no hanging around for post to arrive from down under, even though they're an Australian company.
I stamped the seahorse and coloured with Copics then masked it and used Post-It notes to mask off a rectangle and sponged blue inks in there. A teeny weeny birthday sentiment finishes it off and I have a masculine and easy-to-mail card ready to go!
Stamps:
Under the Sea (Darkroom Door)
Sentiment from Kinkade Birthday Expressions (CHF, retired)
Paper:
Smooth white
Ink:
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Espresso, Cloudy Blue, Stonewashed, Denim)
Other:
Copic markers
Thanks for stopping by!
Wednesday, 22 September 2010
Simple Hello
Susan's challenge this week is for a one layer card inspired by nature. I've combined with this week's challenge in the Crafty Secrets member company forum at Splitcoast and made a "thinking of you" kind of card.
Stamping doesn't get much simpler than this! I pressed my Distress ink pad straight on to the card for the colour block (don't press too hard if you want the colour fairly light). I love the rustic, distressed look this gives. Then the flower stem and sentiment are stamped in black and a few tiny dots of gesso added to pick out the flower heads.
Stamps:
Wild Flowers (Clear Art Stamps by Crafty Secrets)
Paper:
Smooth white
Ink:
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Bundled Sage)
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)
Other:
Gesso
Thanks for stopping by!
Sunday, 19 September 2010
Merry and Bright
This week is "Three plus one" - three images, one sentiment. I went back to one of the very first stamp sets I ever bought and made a Christmas card. I tied in with Kaz's challenge on Bubbly Funk to use bright, funky colours this month.
I stamped the trees in a bright green ink and then added spots of pink pearl dimensionsal paint over the baubles and sprinkled fuschia pink glitter over while the paint was wet. The pink of the sentiment matches better in real life - dull Northumberland day here means tricky getting a decent photo!
Stamps:
Christmas tree by Skipping Stones
Paper:
Smooth white
Ink:
Versacraft by Tsukineko (Spring Green and Cherry Pink)
Adirondack by Ranger (Espresso)
Other:
Pearl dimensional paint by Dylon
Microfine glitter
Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers)
Thanks for stopping by and thanks for the challenge, Susan!
Wednesday, 15 September 2010
Life is a journey
My recipient this time is Sam who lives in Evesham so I chose an appropriate chunk from an old road atlas for my central panel. The sentiment is embossed in copper and then swiped over with that staple of the modern craft room, gesso (ah! whatever did we do without this stuff?!) to help it stand out from the busy background. As the paper had a coated finish, the car didn't stamp quite as cleanly as I would have liked so I gave it a bit of help with a black marker in a few places.
Stamps:
Vintage Transport (Tanda Stamps)
Sentiment from Encouragement Expressions (Cornish Heritage Farms, retired)
Paper:
Black
Old road atlas
Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)
Other:
Memento marker (Tuxedo Black)
Detail embossing powder (copper)
Gesso
Nestabilites by spellbinder (Labels Eight)
Hope life's journey is treating you kindly - thanks for stopping by!
Thursday, 2 September 2010
Monster birthday
I used a handy trick to get the whole of my 5" square card front embossed. It does need a folder that you can use sideways on (so wording ones are no good to you, for example, unless you want your wording to run vertically on the card, of course). Put your cardstock into the folder and run it through your die cutter - you'll have a strip hanging out of the folder that doesn't get embossed. Now put that plain bit into the folder and run it through the die cutter again - this time it will be the bit you embossed in the first step that's haning out of the folder. I tend to reverse the rollers once I've embossed the bit I need to rather than running right through. For a design like this where you stick a strip of something over the top, any "join" in the embossing is hidden.
Stamps:
Little Guy (Kim Hughes Collection from Cornish Heritage Farms)
Alpha stamps (unknown maker)
Paper:
Textured green and orange, both Papermill
Smooth white
Ink:
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Espresso)
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)
Other:
Small circle punch
Circle Nestabilities by Spellbinder
Circle cutter by Fiskars
Copic markers
Dymo label maker and tape
Copic multiliner
Corner Chomper
Cuttlebug embossing folder (Traffic Jam)
Thanks for stopping by!
Sunday, 29 August 2010
Snowflake tree topper
At approx 95mm x 95mm it's a good size for a tree topper. It would also make a great hanging decration and there are two other styles available so you could ring the changes, too!
I painted mine with Precious Metal paint in Mother of Pearl and because the intricate shape is pretty enough, I kept the embellishment fairly simple with just a few pearls, gems and micro beads.
The board is thick enough to push pins into to finish off the tips of the flake and accomodate a coiled wire to slot over the top of the tree. I snipped my pins down with pliers so that I didn't have to worry about keeping the full length of the pin perfectly straight so that it didn't poke through the surface of the board.
Supplies:
3D Snowflake Style 1 (Tando Creative - find Tando stockists here)
Precious Metal paint by Viva Decor (Mother of Pearl)
Flat back pearls (The Works bookshops have mixed sheets for £1 at the moment)
Gem stickers (in my stash for years!)
Micro beads (these are steel ones sold for nail art)
Dressmakers pins
Copper jewellery wire
Thanks for stopping by!
Wednesday, 18 August 2010
More bauble inspiration!
I went long and thin for the card base on this one to echo the shape of the steps and then used punched circles to represent the baubles - some are heat embossed with a backgrounder stamp and gold powder, some coated in crackle paint and others embossed in a Cuttlebug folder and then treated with Rub n Buff to give them a richer finish.
Ruched silk ribbon and a sprinkling of pearls keep the opulent mood going and provide more textural interest.
It was a bit of a nightmare to photograph this one with the reflective surfaces and textures but I think you get the idea!
Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Scalloped Tiles backgrounder
Vintage Christmas Expressions (Mona Lisa Moments line)
Ink:
Versamark by Tsukineko
Versacraft by Tsukinko (Autumn Leaf)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Vintage Photo)
Paper:
Kraft
Cryogen white
Metallic gold
Other:
Distress Crackle Paint by Ranger (Rock Candy)
Detail embossing powder (gold)
Squeeze punch by Fiskars (large and medium circles)
Silk ribbon
Pin
Flat back pearls
Cuttlebug embossing folder (Textile Texture)
Rub n Buff by Amaco (gold leaf)
Thanks for stopping by!
Monday, 16 August 2010
Bauble inspiration
I set an inspiration challenge using this photo which I found online in this blog post (other pretty photos there too!).
If you haven't played with inspiration challenges before, the idea is to take any aspect of the photo and create something inspired by it - you don't need to recreate what you see, just use something like the shapes, colours, composition or whatever takes your fancy.
Here's the first of mine, I have another one to share later in the week.
For this one I took my inspiration from the gold and copper tones, the snowflake on the wall, the textural effect of the grouped baubles and the contrast of the tiny bit of black from the handrail.
I inked up my embossing folder with Brilliance ink, embossed some gold cardstock and then sprinkled copper embossing powder over the whole thing. Dry embossing in a plastic folder can tend to make the raised parts of the design a bit staticy so you need to give the whole thing a really good firm tap to get rid of the EP on those areas and use a paintbrush if necessary to get rid of any stray bits.
Stamps:
Christmas Expressions (Mona Lisa Moments line from Cornish Heritage Farms)
Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Coffee Bean)
Paper:
Cryogen White
Gold metallic
Black
Other:
Cuttlebug embossing folder (Victoria)
Detail embossing powder (copper)
Snowflake Wonder dies by Spellbinder
Bead chain (cheapo Christmas decoration stuff)
Amber gem (still using my Secret Santa supply from Caroline!)
Thanks for stopping by!
Friday, 13 August 2010
Ice queen!
I used a freebie CD to cut a freehand ice shard for the base. The Tonic Studio scissors go through easily and I find if you warm the CD up a bit with your heat gun first to soften it you're less likely to have it crack or shatter as you cut.
I covered the snowflake flourish with a couple of coats of silver UTEE and rubbed pearl and turquoise Perfect Pearls onto it while it was still warm, concentrating more colour towards the bottom of the shape.
A couple of smudges of Glossy Accents to hold a little sprinkling of silver micro beads finishes it off.
Supplies:
Snowflake plaque by Tando Creative (find Tando stockists here)
CD
Versamark by Tsukineko
UTEE (silver)
Microbeads (these are actually steel ones sold for nail art)
Glossy Accents (as adhesive)
Perfect Pearls by Ranger (Perfect Pearl and Turquoise)
Brooch pin
Thanks for stopping by!
Tuesday, 10 August 2010
A bit of bling
I confess I'm not very good at bling - either in my personal style or in papercrafting. So although I really did try with this week's challenge the bling is still on the subtle side! I used a row of tiny nail art gems to define the waist curve along the right hand side. The other idea of having a necklace looked dreadful and ended up with me cutting the deep neckline and sitcking onto another blank torso to get rid of the gluey bit where the necklace attempt had been!
The swirls were embossed in clear for an emboss resist with Black Soot Distress ink swiped over.
Stamps:
Beautiful (Rummage Bin line at Cornish Heritage Farms)
Paper:
Smooth white
Ink:
Versamark by Tsukineko
Tim Holtz distress ink by Ranger (Black Soot)
Other:
Detail embossing powder (clear)
Nail art gems
Copic marker (to colour the neck)
Thanks for the challenge girls and thanks for stopping by!
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
Continuous effort
I had a play with the bouncing brayer technique to make the background (tutorial {here} if you've never heard of this), inking up with three different Distress inks - perfect for the current Gingersnap colour challenge of yellow, orange and red. Then I overstamped the keys and script in Spiced Marmalade, used bubble wrap and gesso at top right and bleach stamped a couple of small clocks before adding the sentiment and clock face in black ink.
I gave the whole lot a spritz with Krylon sealant to give it a bit more protection as it goes through the post. The lace wasn't quite the right colour so I swiped over with a Copic marker before sticking it down firmly and then sitching it along the edge and stitching the sequins in place to be sure there was nothing loose going on. I stuck the whole lot to another piece of cardstock so the back was neat.
Stamps (all Cornish Heritage Farms):
Time to Stamp (Rummage Bin line)
Key Elements (All Things Considered line -in stock here at Bubbly Funk if you're in the UK)
Key Expressions (Mona Lisa Moments line)
Ink:
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Fired Brick)
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)
Paper:
Smooth white
Other:
Lace by Prima Marketing
Sequins
Gesso
Bubble wrap
Bleach
Krylon Matt spray sealant
Gold thread
Hope Linda likes it! Thanks for stopping by!
Friday, 30 July 2010
Half time oranges...
This is one of the very first stamps I bought - it came in a mixed lot of used stamps on eBay. It has a checkerboard border round it but I just trimmed out the central portion with the picture as it was then the perfect width for my tag.
The houndstooth pattern is stamped with a light coloured pigment ink onto a tag which was cut from chocolate coloured cardstock - I like the soft effect this gives. I added some Sakura Glaze pen on the cut piece of orange to give the segments a wet sheen and other than that I think it's self-explanatory!
Stamps:
Oranges by Hampson Arts
Fine Houndstooth Scrapblock (Cornish Heritage Farms if you're in the UK, Bubbly funk has this in stock {here})
Paper:
Simply heavy chocolate
Smooth white
Ink:
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Espresso)
Versacraft by Tsukineko (Sand)
Other:
Copic markers
Sakura glaze pen (orange)
Sewing machine and thread
Extra large eyelet by We R Memory Keepers (antique copper)
Jute twine
Thanks for stopping by!
Friday, 23 July 2010
Going round in circles
Today's theme is... circles! I went a bit mad with a couple of punches for a layered, textured kind tag by sticking my punched shapes onto a base of white card coloured with Peeled Paint Distress ink and sanding to shabby it up a bit. I love this cute little alien and thought it would be fun to have him peeping through a porthole.
A few buttons keep things round and add some extra texture. I wrapped a bit of craft wire round a paintbrush handle to finish it all off with some springy alien antennae (broadcasting friendly messages, of course).
Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Little Guy (Kim Hughes line)
Paper:
DCWV
Ink:
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Peeled Paint)
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Other:
Fiskars squeeze punches (medium and large circles)
Nestabilities by Spellbinder (Circles Large - to cut the top of the tag)
Copic markers
Inkssentials white gel pen by Ranger
Craft wire
Linen thread
Buttons
Thanks for stopping by!
Thursday, 22 July 2010
Vintage Christmas snowflakes
This beautiful snowflake plaque is one of Tando Creative's new releases for Christmas 2010. It's so lovely that I thought it would be fun to make something that would stick around rather than being here and gone on a card. I've turned this one into a vintage style ornament to hang on the tree.
I used gesso on the whole piece and then added Rub n Buff metallic wax over everything except the snowflakes. Those were treated to a bit of Rock Candy crackle paint and topped off with pearls.
The sentiment panel is also coated in crackle paint. I've found in the past that putting it over Copic colouring makes the colours bleed so I tried something different here - adding the Copics over the top of the paint. It worked well and gave a nice variation in the colouring because of the cracks.
I rescued some crystal chain from my "might come in useful" box of broken jewellery etc. I reckon it's been in there for 20 years! A metallic cord hanger made from twisted thread finishes it off.
Supplies:
Snowflake plaque (Tando Creative - find Tando stockists {here})
Winter Vintage Signage stamps set (Cornish Heritage Farms)
Versafine ink by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Vintage Photo)
Rub n Buff by Amaco (Gold Leaf)
Copic markers
Gesso
Distress Crackle paint by Ranger (Rock Candy)
Flat back pearls
Nestabilities by Spellbinder (Classic Ovals Large)
Crystal chain
Metallic thread
Thanks for stopping by!
Wednesday, 21 July 2010
Elegant anniversary
Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
So Happy (Rummage bin line)
Ornamental Beauty (Rummage bin line)
The word "happy" from Birthday Centers (Mona Lisa Moments line)
Paper:
Simply linen natural
Dark red (unknown maker)
Ink:
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Antique Linen, Vintage Photo)
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)
Other:
Flower by Prima Marketing
Flat back pearl
Sewing machine and thread
Thanks for stopping by!
Friday, 16 July 2010
Fantasy!
I really struggled with this one! Things didn't quite pan out the way I imagined them but I got somewhere in the end. I started playing with the idea of a genie escaping from a bottle and somewhere along the line I got the dense, tangled foliage of stories like the Sleeping Beauty mixed in there as well and my genie turned into a lute playing lovely - lol!
My Dymo labels looked a wee bit stark white with the other elements so I swiped over with a green Copic marker to blend them in a bit. The swirls were die cut from acetate and then coated in Glossy Accents and glitter so they have a translucence about them in real life. I also used Copics to colour over clear glitter.
The vivid green bottle is from one of the Dezinaworld collage sheets I won in a SCD challenge a while back - thanks June!
Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
East West Historic Poster (B&O Railroad line)
Big Inspiration (Mona Lisa Moments line)
Leaves #3 backgrounder
Paper:
Black
Glossy Photo
Acetate
Smooth white
Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx black)
Versacraft by Tsukineko (Spring Green)
Other:
Elegant Flourishes die (Tim Holtz Alterations/Sizzix)
Enchanting Emerald collage sheet by Dezina World
Detail embossing powder (black)
Dymo label maker
Copic markers
Deko Ice glitter by Efco (Crystal)
Prismacolour pencils
Extra large eyelet by We R Memory Keepers (antique copper)
Leather thong
Thanks for stopping by!
Saturday, 10 July 2010
Bird watching birthday
I kept the layout very simple and resisted adding any embellishments to leave the focus on the image and the rich colours.
Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Bird Watching (Saturday Evening Post line - if you are in the UK, Bubbly Funk has this stamp in stock {here})
Cursive Expressions (Mona Lisa Moments line)
Paper:
Simply smooth
Black
Kraft
Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)
Sky brayered with Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade, Fired Brick)
Other:
Detail black embossing powder
Memento marker by Tsukineko (Tuxedo black)
Inkssentials white gel pen by Ranger
Tools:
Brayer
Squeeze punch by Fiskars (large circle)
Sponge
Thanks for stopping by!
Friday, 9 July 2010
Are you sitting comfortably?
I found Oscar Wilde's story The Selfish Giant online and printed out a section of it to use as the base of the tag. I had the idea that the little reader should be "lost" in the words so he's stamped straight onto the text and not coloured in any way. I stamped again on plain card, coloured the book and cut it out to add over the top of the image. The sparkly circle of tiny gems is the magical, enclosed world created by losing yourself in a good story!
A bit of sanding and inking give it a shabbier feel and because it's flat I think this will make a good bookmark!
Stamps:
Story of Me (Crafty Secrets Clear Art Stamps)
Story Book (retired - Cornish Heritage Farms)
Time to Stamp (Cornish Heritage Farms)
Paper:
Smooth white
Ink:
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Vintage Photo)
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Other:
Gold detail embossing powder
Copic markers
Acrylic nail art gems
Sanding block
Silk ribbon
Thanks for stopping by, do come and join us at SCD if you fancy playing with a tag this week!
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
Birthday Flowers
I thought the little inchie frame element would combine well with a vivid ink colour and lots of white space. Just a simple sentiment makes it occasion-specific but I reckon you could make a set of these, maybe switching up the colour of the flowers, as all-purpose notecards to make a little gift.
I used Cryogen White cardstock to give a subtle shimmer to the whole thing.
Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Inchie Style - frame and flower (Rummage Bin line)
Birthday Centers - sentiment (Mona Lisa Moments line)
Paper:
Cryogen White
Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx black)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Spiced Marmalade)
Thanks for stopping by!
Saturday, 3 July 2010
Cherish the moments
Lots of the images in the Baby Dear set lend themselves to an inchie treatment and it changes the look of them significantly. This sweet image of a mother enjoying smiles with her little one is actually circular if you just stamp and go. To switch up the look by making it into an inchie try cutting or punching a one inch square in a piece of scrap paper and laying the square hole over your stamped image to select the portion you want.
Some DCWV cardstock in a pretty duck egg shade with a strong contrast (chocolate brown) makes for a quick and easy vintage look, especially if you sand lightly round the edges and finish off with some silk ribbon!
Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Baby Dear (Rummage Bin line)
Paper:
Simply Heavy Chocolate
Simply Smooth White
DCWV white core
Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite black)
Adirondack by Ranger (Espresso)
Other:
copic markers
Silk ribbon
Edge punch by Fiskars (Threading Water)
You may have heard already but Liz and Richard, owners of Cornish Heritage Farms, have decided to move on. The business is up for sale and while the hunt for a buyer is on, they'll be running down their levels of stock and offering some discounts as the weeks wear on. You can find full details of what's happening here if you'd like them. I hope you'll join me in wishing Liz and Richard every success in whatever adventure they embark on next and in hoping that there'll be a buyer for CHF who will carry the catalogue forward and bounce to even higher rubber heights!
Thanks for stopping by today!
Friday, 2 July 2010
The sweetest moments
I discovered that I don't have much by way of heart stamps but when I remembered this little honeycomb heart, the rest just sort of fell into place. I couldn't resist using Wild Honey ink with it ;)
The bee was stamped on vellum and cut out and then stamped again on plain white card and just the body cut out and stuck on top of the vellum so his wings are semi transparent. I used the Wild Honey ink to colour him. I stamped the head part onto the cut out heart so that his legs and antennae show there rather than trying to cut round them!
I stamped the sentiment straight onto the tag and then stamped again on white cardstock and cut around the "dymo label" words and stuck them over the top. A little bit of doodling and a silk ribbon through the top finishes it off.
Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Sweet Bee set (Rummage Bin line)
Paper:
Manilla shipping tag
Scrap of smooth white
Scrap of vellum
Ink:
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade)
Stazon by Tsukineko (Jet Black)
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)
Other:
Silk ribbon
Copic multiliner
Foam pads
Thanks for stopping by!
Thursday, 1 July 2010
Cracking pendant
Viva Decor Croco paint is great fun to use - you're never quite sure exactly what it will look like once the crackling has fnished! I punched holes along the bottom edge of the pendant first, using a Crop-o-Dile, and then covered thepiece with Turquoise Croco and left it overnight to do its thing. I rubbed black acrylic paint on to accentuate the cracks and then sponged some Precious Metal paint over the top and nestled beads into the holes, using a gel superglue to stick them in. The larger beads were salvaged from my ancient bead box and were a particularly nasty brown plastic so they've been coated in Precious Metal paint to make them look like pearls.
I finished the top with an extra large eyelet. As the threading hole was quite a bit larger than the diameter of the eyelet's shank, I squished the eyelet flat first and glued it into place rather than trying to get it to grip round the hole.
I used a double strand of leather thong to hang the pendant, binding with some black linen thread to finish it off.
Supplies:
Large Pendant Drop by Tando Creative (you can find a list of Tando stockists here)
Croco paint by Viva Decor (Turquoise)
Precious Metal paint by Viva Decor (Blue Azure and Mother of Pearl)
Black acrylic paint
Extra large Eyelet by We R Memory Keepers (Pewter)
Beads
Leather thong
Linen thread
Thanks for stopping by!