Weathered copper poppies!

I spotted the latest Gingersnap Creations challenge - use a faux technique - through Jean's blog and it gave me the kick I needed to do something a bit special for a background on a birthday card. I actually used the same faux technique as Jean had chosen for her card - faux verdigris copper - as textural stuff always looks good and in this case the colour contrast was perfect with the bright poppies. I didn't have any copper paint in my stash but I did have a copper Krylon leafing pen so I used that to colour my embossed cardstock before giving it the treatment with acrylic paint (I used little tubes, not dabbers and used two greens plus a blue) and gesso. A tiny bit of metallic rub-on wax on the high spots brought out the pattern a bit more. I coloured my poppies with Copics and trimmed for an "out of the box" panel and to keep with the background I used copper embossing powder to add the sentiment on top of the image. I used a bit of wide cotton crochet lace and some simple matting with dark chocolate cardstock to finish. This is for a neighbour/friend's 70th birthday - I just handed it over and she was very pleased with it. Always nice to see a reaction to your cards and it doesn't happen very often since most are posted! Stamps:
Poppies (Clear Art Stamps by Crafty Secrets)
Say it Loud (Waltzingmouse Stamps)

Paper: Smooth white and bitter chocolate

Ink:
Adirondack by Ranger (Espresso) Tim Holz Distress ink by Ranger (Vintage Photo)
Versamark by Tsukineko

Other:
Copic markers
Detail embossing powder (copper)
Couture Creations embossing folder (Tied Together)
Cotton lace
Acrylic paints
Gesso
Metallic rub-ons
Krylon Leafing Pen (copper) Thanks for stopping by!

Continuous effort

I signed up for a postcard swap over on UK Stampers. I thought I'd go the whole hog and make something that really could be mailed as a postcard rather than feeling it had to go into an envelope for protection. Here's what I did (Linda, look away now if you'd rather not see before it reaches you in the flesh!).

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!

Gingersnap Thank You!

Gosh, October has flown past, hasn't it? This is the last of the challenges for CHF's month of sponsoring the Gingersnap Creations blog. The challenge this week is a Random Redhead one of "Thankfulness". I decided to go for a straight "thank you" card to say thanks to the Gingersnap blog for making us so welcome as guest designers this month!

I felt like doing something completely different in terms of my style when I sat down at my stamping table and this is what happened! Inspired by Jo Capper-Sandon's sprayed background in Craft Stamper mag a couple of months back, I made a sort of ethereal background piece by putting a few hedge clippings on white cardstock and spraying with Red Maple Glimmer Mist. I overstamped with dragonflies, script text and clocks then added one cut out clock where the dragonfly wings are coloured with Spica glitter pens and the whole lot is coated with Rock Candy Crackle paint.

We've been using natural materials in our Gingersnap projects this month and I think I could have claimed that the hedge trimmings were it but I decided to push it a bit further and found some birch twigs for a more dimensional effect (we have lots of birch trees and the wind we had at the weekend meant finding twigs on the ground was not difficult!). I've hung the tags directly on the twigs using linen thread.

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Botanical Bliss (All Things Considered line)
Fancy Thank You

Paper:
Smooth white
Black

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Antique Linen)

Other:
Glimmer Mist by Tattered Angels (Red Maple)
Birch twigs
Linen thread
Distress Crackle Paint by Ranger (Rock Candy)
Tags Trio dies by Spellbinder
Spica Glitter pens (turquoise and green)

Thanks for stopping by today, I really appreciate your visits!

Gingersnap Colour Challenge

It's the third challenge of the month during CHF's sponsorship of Gingersnap - that means it's time for a colour challenge! The colours this month were orange, green and brown.

Sticking with the month's overarching theme of harvest and using natural materials, here's my card. It had to be pumpkins really, didn't it? I stamped and masked a whole row to reduce the amount of cutting out (you only have to do the top and bottom edge this way rather than cutting round each and every pumpkin!).

I used a sentiment stamp from the set to create a little interest on the green panel and the Fine Lines backgrounder on the brown because it makes me think of corduroy fabric which I think is very cosy and autumnal!

In a bid to break free from raffia and jute, my natural material this week is skeleton leaves. They do stick out from the edges of the card but they're delicate and filmy enough that it was hard to capture that on camera.

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Happy Harvest (General Motors line)
Fine Lines backgrounder

Paper:
DCWV (green)
Brown from the scraps box
Simply Smooth

Ink:
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Espresso)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Peeled Paint)

Other:
Copic markers
Skeleton leaves
Corner Chomper
Sandpaper

Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed the card!

Gingersnap branches!

It's Gingersnap challenge time again! The second challenge of the month is the "Spicy Supply" challenge and the supply this month is brads. I actually doubled up here and did the Clean and Simple challenge from Splitcoaststampers too (it's a technique challenge this week - thumping!).

What's thumping? Well, basically you ink up your stamp and then "thump" a marker over the surface of it to introduce some random colour variation. (ETA: Use the side of the nib to thump so that you don't run the risk of damaging the tip.) I used Caramel ink and a red marker for some autumnal tones in my branches. The brads provide corner accents for a stitched frame.

The theme running the whole month of challenges at Gingersnap is harvest and the use of natural materials. I guess my harvest connection is a bit slim this week but my colours are right! I've used jute garden twine as my natural material - just a wee bit to tie the base of the branches and hold the sentiment tag.

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Silhouette Blooms I (Kim Hughes Collection)

Paper: Watercolour

Ink: Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Caramel and Espresso)

Other:
Tombow marker (red)
Sewing machine and thread
Antique copper brads (Making Memories)
Tags Trio dies by Spellbinder
Slot punch
Jute garden twine

Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed the card!

Autumn Harvest

CHF have teamed up with Gingersnap Creations this month for an October full of challenges! For the full month we'll be throwing the spotlight on natural materials in our creations alongside the weekly themes.

The first challenge of the month is always the Chestnut Theme challenge and this month's theme is, appropriately, harvest.

I stamped the Saturday Evening Post Fall Harvest image and then coloured and cropped out just the lower portion of it (I dithered about this as I absolutely love the sweetcorn that's hanging at top right of the image but I had a landscape orientation fixed in my head for some reason so they had to go!).

I used burlap ribbon and raffia as my natural materials - the burlap came from a Christmas wreath a couple of years back. I entrusted the job of buying one to DH and he came back with a very upscale affair with dried seed heads and walnuts and stuff in amongst the evergreens - a big burlap bow finished it off so I "salvaged" that as soon as the Christmas decorations came down!

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Fall Harvest (Saturday Evening Post line)
Sentiment from Fall Harvest set (All Things Considered line)

Paper: Simply Smooth
Textured watercolour for card base

Ink:
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Espresso)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Vintage Photo)

Other:
Copic markers
Burlap ribbon
Vintage button
Raffia
Sewing machine and thread

Gingersnap is a fun challenge blog with an emphasis on "no stress" and any kind of papercrafting goes so whether you're into cards, scrapbooking, altered art, inchies, ATCs, moos or whatever, why not play along and get into the harvest spirit?

Thanks for dropping by today, hope you enjoyed the card!