Clean and.... third time lucky!

There's a new weekly challenge at Splitcoast for "clean and simple" cards. Well, this one has the clean and simple look and really should have been easy but I managed to mess up twice so you're looking at the third time lucky!

This week's challenge is a sketch - I've turned it through 90 degrees and where the sketch has a cluster of three stars, I've used the out-of-the-box technique to make my trees both the stamped image and the corner treatment.

Minimal colouring and only two stamps should have made this fast - the first one was all finished, I turned it over to put adhesive on the back and turned it back to find I'd plonked it into a blob of ink on my work top. Try again! Second time, I jittered as I put the final sentiment in place and got a slow-motion blurred effect as if "Hello" was rising out of the black lagoon. Hmmm. Third time, I stamped the trees, stamped the sentiment, cut it out, coloured it in and then put a clean sheet of paper underneath while I added adhesive to the back - phew!

I've used stamps from two Kim Hughes sets here. The Be Creative blog has a challenge at the moment - mix stamps from more than one Kim Hughes set (or singles from different releases) for a chance to win some Kim Hughes goodies. Check out the details in this post, challenge closes 1st March.

Stamps (all Cornish Heritage Farms):
Spring Trees (Kim Hughes Collection)
Sentiment from Silhouette Blooms I (Kim Hughes Collection)

Ink:
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Espresso)

Other:
Copic markers (Yellow Green and Brick Beige)
Foam tape

Thanks for dropping by, hope your day is clean and simple!

Kinkade Blitz

There's a new Thomas Kinkade stamp coming tomorrow at CHF and there's a Kinkade Blitz happening by way of celebration. If you've Blitzed before, you know they're a lot of fun! More of that in a moment...

Here's the new stamp. It's called Sunrise and immediately reminded me of the "Gipfel Kreutz" you find in Austria. If you do a serious hill climb there, you'll almost always find a cross at the top, overlooking the valley and mountain tops beyond. There's usually a little wooden box there too that contains a book for you to sign and record any thoughts about the journey you just made. Of course, this stamp could represent a spiritual journey for many people, too.

I had fun airbrushing the sky on this one. I found that you can use the colourless blender pen to remove colour and put those radiating white lines in, too.

Stamps (all Cornish Heritage Farms):
Sunrise (Thomas Kinkade line)
Everyday Petites (Mona Lisa Moment line)
Leaves #3 backgrounder

Paper:
Simply smooth and Stormy light (Prism papers)

Ink:
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Espresso)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Weathered Wood)

Other:
Copic markers
Copic airbrush system
Antique copper mini brads
Foam tape

So, about this Blitz - kick off is tonight at 7pm EST (so a little late for us Brits) but Julia has pre-announced the challenges for anyone who would like to join in. There will be prizes throughout the Blitz, drawn randomly from gallery submissions. So if you have Kinkade stamps and would like the chance to win more, why not check out the details on the CHF forum {here}.

Thanks for stopping by, your visits are much appreciated!

New banner

OK, I finally made time for the new banner - any feedback very welcome! I've fiddled with the fonts so many times that I can't see the wood for the trees! I like the & and Iron but I'm not quite convinced about the Ambrosia. I think it's growing on me, though! Lots of people said they'd be disappointed if the Angel (of the North) disappeared so he's been worked in collage-style over a stampy, inky background.

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Beautiful (Rummage Bin line)
Cracked Montana Earth backgrounder

Ink:
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Stonewashed and Denim)

Tools:
Brayer
Sponge

Other:
Photo from freefoto.com
Computer generated text

Thanks for stopping by!

Dreaming of summer!

There are new Shady Tree Studio stamps being released today and when I got this one, I was immediately reminded of the beautiful, delicate single layer yellow poppies that fill our garden every summer. I know them as California Poppies although I don't know if that's their real name.

I cut multiple masks so I could airbrush a little blue around them as well as overlapping the stamping and although that made the process a little time-consuming, the masks are stored in the CD case along with the stamp for next time so I only have to invest the time once!

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Perfect Poppies (Shady Tree Studio - releasing today)
Motivational Centers (Mona Lisa Moments line)

Paper:
Smooth white

Ink:
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Espresso)

Other:
Copic markers
Copic Airbrush system
Inkssentials white pen by Ranger

Thanks for stopping by to take a look, I hope you enjoyed the card!

Oh - just in case anyone is wondering about that temporary blog banner! I changed over to a three column blog style as I like the wider central column and the opportunity to make use of both sides of the screen. Sadly, I didn't anticipate the fact that my existing blog banner would look very small and sad with the new layout! I have a new one planned when time permits but something seemed necessary in the meantime!

Fourth folder, fourth pic

I've been tagged by Tracey with the "fourth folder, fourth picture" tag. Well, this proved tricky as if they were ordered by name, my fourth folder only had one picture in it (what's that all about then?!) so I reordered by date and got this...

Sorry it's not anything funny or embarrassing but it does tell you that most of the photos I take are of crafty projects rather than people/scenery/flowers etc etc! I made these during my Guest Designer slot for Crafty Secrets back in May and I don't think I blogged them at the time so maybe you're getting to see something new in any case!

The stamp set is Little Chef but I'm afraid I don't remember any of the detail of inks etc and I'm too lazy to go away and look it up in a gallery or anything - sorry! They're jumbo sized paperclips though so they'd make good markers if you're planning a dinner party menu any time!

I think most people I know in blogland have already been tagged with this one so I'll just say that if you fancy doing this for a laugh, then consider yourself tagged and let us know where to come for a look at your fourth folder/fourth pic reveal!

TFL!

Inching along

I haven't really got into the whole inchie thing. They're cute and challenging at the same time but I haven't quite figured out what to do with them! I've made a few and used them as an embellishment or focal point on a card but this is a first for me - I joined a swap over on Bubbly Funk!

We had to make 12 inchies and Karen's coordinating so we each get a full set back. We had a colour theme so our sets should coordinate.

As the theme was BLUE, I couldn't resist using this stamp as I think he does look a bit dejected. The "feeling blue" wording seemed like a natural pairing and highlights the theme. The wording strips are computer generated as I needed something really tiny. I used the DYMO font and then just snipped out the little strips and glued them on to my stamped image.

I wouldn't normally use Versafine ink and Copic markers together but my forward planning failed on this occasion. I was careful with the Copics and got away with it!

I forgot I'd signed up for this so these were a bit last minute and hence all made production-line stylee to the same design. There are tiny blue gems at the top right corner, not sure the photo really picked those up!

Stamps:
Inchie Style (the Rummage Bin line at CHF)

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Majestic Blue)

Paper:
Simply Smooth (Prism)

Other:
Copic markers
Computer generated wording (font: Dymo)
Nail art gems
Krylon leafing pen (silver)
Fineline marker (to sign them)
Chipboard inchies

Looking forward to getting the swaps now and then I'll figure out what to do with them!

Thanks for stopping by!

Freesia ghosts

I was really tempted to called this "The ghosts of freesias yet to come" :o)

Over on CBC, Jackie has posted a tutorial for ghost stamping (you'll need to be logged in as a member if you want to see the full tutorial as it's in the Instructions section). It's something I've been meaning to try for a while so Jackie's post was just the nudge I needed.

I thought this freesia stamp would be perfect for a dreamy and romantic feel so I stamped randomly all over my cardstock with white pigment ink to "ghost" the image then sponged over with Milled Lavender Distress ink. The white image repels the ink just slightly - it's very subtle and difficult to pick up with a camera but very pretty in real life!

This detail photograph probably shows the ghosted flowers more clearly.


Once I had my ghosted flower background, I stamped the freesia again with a darker ink (Dusty Concord). If you rub gently over an image stamped with Distress ink with a sponge or facial tissue it will soften without smudging all over the place. I stamped three layers of freesia here, softening each to different degrees.

The card is finished with the sentiment that comes as part of the Stamp of the Month set which I think is lovely! This could even be used as a non-traditional Valentine, I think.

Stamps:
Freesia Happiness (Stamp of the Month combo, January 2009)

Paper:
Simply Smooth (Prism)

Ink:
Colorbox Pigment ink by Clearsnap (Frost White)
Tim Holtz Distress by Ranger (Milled Lavender, Dusty Concord)
Versafine by Tsukineko (Imperial Purple)

Other:
Flower by Prima Marketing
Pearl by Kaisercraft
Sewing machine and thread
Vintage lace trim

Thanks for stopping by, hope you had fun!

Bear Hugs

Kim Hughes has a very distinctive style - just look at the eye on this bear, could the artwork be done by anybody other than Kim?!

The bear in the set faces left but I thought it would be fun to bring together a bear pair to go with the hug sentiment! I used a mirror stamp to make the bear who faces right.

Sherrie had a cool tutorial on her blog the other day for making the illusion of textured fur by using blender solution and some wadding (batting for my north American friends). I don't have any blender solution so I adapted the technique by colouring the bears with a Chamois marker and then dotting over the top with the colourless blender and a lighter colour (Brick Beige). As Copics are alcohol-based, the lighter inks push the darker base coat out of the way and you get a "furry" bear. You can see Sherrie's tutorial here if you'd like to have a go with the original technique.

I'm going to pop this card into hubby's bag when he heads off for his next trip :o)

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Bear Hugs (Kim Hughes Collection)
Mirror It medium (to reverse the bear image)

Paper:
Epic Laid Black, Simply Smooth (Prism Papers)

Ink:
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Espresso)

Other:
Copic markers
Linen Thread
Nail art gems
Inkssentials white pen by Ranger

Thanks for visiting today, hope you enjoyed the card!

Imagined Blooms

As it's such a grey and dreary day, I thought imagining some bright spring colours might cheer us all up a bit! This stamp is part of the Shady Tree Studio line releasing at Cornish Heritage Farms on 15th January.

Not only is it a new line, it's a new artist (some of you may know her as Phantom on Splitcoaststampers) and I think she's done a fabulous job. There are several sketchy flowers in this first release and this is my first play with one of them.

I thought some loose water colouring would suit the sketchy style of these beautiful blooms!

I remembered to let colours dry before moving on to the next one this time (some of you may remember the elk dribble incident!). I used Distress ink (lid squished down on to the pad and a brush to pick up from the pool of colour) as they stay true so you know what colour you're going to get on the paper.

Stamps (from Cornish Heritage Farms):
Artsy Blooms (Shady Tree Studio line) - releasing 15th January
Motivational Centers (Mona Lisa Moments line)

Paper:
140lb hot press watercolour
Suede Brown dark (Prism)

Ink:
Stazon by Tsukineko (Timber Brown)
Tim Holtz Distress by Ranger (used as watercolours - Spiced Marmalade, Fired Brick, Peeled Paint, Broken China)

Other:
Sewing machine and thread

Want to win? There are sneak peeks of more stamps from this line and a chance to win some of them over on the Be Creative blog - why not hop over and leave a comment, you might get lucky!

Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed the card!

Sketch book ballerina

Happy New Year! Something a little different from me to start a new year of blogging! Like many Copic users, I take a look at Marianne's blog from time to time - lots of tips and tricks there! I was inspired by her post on cross hatching to have a go at making this little ballerina look like something from an artist's sketch book.

I don't have a Multiliner (yet!) so I decided to use a mechanical pencil for a slightly softer look whilst still having a consistent and fine point. I used the shading on the stamp to guide where the hatching went and added just a little extra to the open spaces like her arm to give a bit of dimension. I shaded a little under the image as well to give her a grounding.

Here's a close up of some of the detail so you can see how that cross hatching works over the shading provided by the stamp (as ever, you can click through for a closer view if you want it).

Stamps:
Ballerina Girl (Sandra Kuck line)
Aged Sheet Music Scrapblock
Birthday Centers (Mona Lisa Moments line)

Paper:
Ivory and Simply Smooth (Prism)

Ink:
Nick Bantock by Ranger (Charcoal Grey)
Tim Holtz Distress by Ranger (Antique Linen, Vintage Photo)

Other:
Silk ribbon
Corsage pin and beads
Krylon Leafing pen (copper- to colour one bead)
Classic oval Nestabilities by Spellbinder
Foam tape
Sponge
Thanks for the inspiration Marianne and thanks everyone for your visit today, hope you enjoyed it!