Craft Stamper Best of 2012

Hello and welcome if you're hopping along with Craft Stamper magazine today! If you didn't know about the hop, you might want to go to the Craft Stamper blog and start there as there are prizes to be won!

I'm Joanne and I've been with the Craft Stamper design team since summer 2011. I love to use my stamps in all kinds of ways, not just for cards so you're quite likely to find me playing with UTEE or polymer clay as well as colouring with Copics or pencils and finding interesting embellishments in unlikely places!

My "best of" for 2012 is a simple combination of chipboard, UTEE and Perfect Pearls. I made several pieces of jewellery this way during the year and enjoyed it every time. You may have seen my Iridescent Enamels pendant and earrings in the December issue of Craft Stamper using chipboard domino and inchie shapes and colours reminiscent of peacock feathers.

This project uses the same technique - add three layers of UTEE to a chipboard circle, brush with Perfect Pearls and then remelt the UTEE so it takes a textured impression when you press a stamp into it.

If you want to concentrate colour in particular areas of the design once it's embossed, you can use a Versamark pen and brush on a little extra Perfect Pearls. A finishing coat of gloss really brings out the colours and provides a professional enamelled finish. I like Decoart Triple Thick for this as I've found it more successful than Glossy Accents over the UTEE base (my attempts with Glossy Accents have ended with it splitting and leaving cloudy spots).

Spot Prize! 
Heavy weight chipboard is a great base for projects like this as it's inexpensive and offers a whole range of options in terms of shape. Tando Creative is offering a "spot prize" for today's hop with the winner choosing £20 worth of Tando Creative goodies! There's a fabulous range to choose from: shapes to do this sort of project, shapes to stamp on or to embellish with, masks or stencils - entirely up to you! To be in with a chance of winning simply leave a comment on this blog post by midnight on Friday 8th February 2013. The winner will be drawn at random week commencing Mon 11th February.

The letter you are collecting from me to help you spell the phrase for the main prize draw is: R 

Next stop along the way is one of my favourite stampers, Paula Whittaker at her blog Just For One Day. Don't forget to leave a comment here if you'd like to be in with a chance of the Tando prize!

If you get lost on the hop at any time, pop back to the Craft Stamper blog and follow the links from there.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Tando Creative Circles grab bag
Black UTEE by Ranger
Grape Fizz and Blue Raspberry Perfect Pearls by Ranger
Bubbles Border stamp by Lost Coast Designs
Triple Thick Gloss Glaze by Decoart

Tissue flower tutorial

A while ago, I shared a card that was finished with a flower made with a tissue. Beate asked if I'd do a tutorial for Splitcoast Stampers on how to make the flower and today's the day it's available for anybody who would like it.

Here's a little peek at the flower and here's the link to Splitcoast if you would like either the step-by-step tutorial or the accompanying video: Facial Tissue Flower tutorial.

It's a wee bit fiddly but really inexpensive and you almost certainly have everything you need already so it won't send you running to the shop (and the inevitable temptation to buy things you didn't actually set out to buy!).

Leave a comment here or on Splitcoast if you have any questions and I'll do my best to answer them!

Materials for the flower
Facial tissue
Memento marker (Angel Pink)
Glue dot covered with nmcrobeads or something else to finish the centre
Thread
Strong, sharp scissors

To finish the card
Say It Loud stamp set (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
Tim Holtz Distrress Ink (Bundled Sage)
Versafine ink (Vitntage Sepia)
 M-Bossabilities folder (Flora)
Sewing machine

Thanks for stopping by!

New beginnings

It's a new year as well as a new month so that means the theme for January's postcard swap over at UK Stampers is "new beginnings". It's been so long since I managed to blog anything that it feels like a new beginning here too!

In deciding what to do for this theme, I kept thinking about things that start small and become something fantastic. Having no caterpillar stamps to go with the obvious butterfly, I turned to seeds and plants and thence to trees. So although this is an autumn image, it does represent new beginnings with those little acorns!

My transfer of ink from transparency to postcard for the sentiment didn't work as well as I would have liked so I decided to give it a hand lettered feel by going over in fine line pen and a touch of brown pencil (apart from anything else, I'd already coloured the leaves and didn't want to waste them!).

As ever, our cards for this swap will be posted as genuine postcards (no envelope) so this is completely flat, not embellishments or bits to get stuck in sorting machines! If you fancy getting some happy mail why not come and join us - just make one card and get one in return.

Stamps:
Oak Branch by Beeswax stamps
Tiny "dream"sentiment from Mini Memories set by Crafty Secrets

Ink:
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Espresso)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Antique Linen)

Other:
Copic markers
Prismacolor pencil
Computer and inkjet printer
Copic Fineliner
Sequin waste mask by Tando Creative

Thanks for stopping by!

Sketchy Christmas

I've been intending to play along with a Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge for months now and never quite managed it! The stars finally aligned and I've played this week.

Sadly the bright sunshine we're being treated to in Northumberland today made it very hard to get a decent photo! This is yellower than it looks in real life but even tweaking with Photoshop didn't improve it much - please imagine a richer colour!

I used the elegant border design from the Paris Nouveau set to gold emboss the die cut ornament and then added dots of pearl paint for some more decoration. The detail shot gives a better impression of the look of the embossing.

Fir sprigs from the Festive Foliage set give a bit of background interest and the sentiment and little flourish stamps (repeated to form a border here) complete the nostalgic look. I love the fact the flourish has a mirror image in the set so you can do this sort of border with them.

Stamps:
Paris Nouveau, Festive Foliage and Compliments of the Season (all Waltzingmouse Stamps)

Paper: Kraft and Cryogen White

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Ivy)
Versafine by Tsukineko (Crimson Red)
Tim Holtz Distress by Ranger (Antique Linen and Vintage Photo)

Other:
Vintage ornament die by Impression Obsession
Detail gold embossing powder
Dimensional pearl paint
Tracing wheel
Silk ribbon

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy birthday, human

My newphew's sixth birthday has just been and gone. He's interested in space at the moment so he had a glow in the dark solar system and a book about the planets and stars for his pressies this year. I thought an alien and stars on a clean and simple card might be just the thing to go with those.

This stamp set has seen good service for all the little boys I seem to make cards for (I have only one little girl to make for to break the monotony!). Although it's no longer available,  the designer (Kim Hughes) has started her own stamp company and the images in the Little Fella set are almost the same.

A little Kaz-style doodling around the stars and orange panel helps lift the design a little without being too fussy.

Stamps: Little Guy and Birthday Centers (Cornish Heritage Farms, retired)

Paper: smooth white and orange

Ink: Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Other:
Fiskars squeeze punch (small star)
Corner Chomper
Copic markers and Fineliner

Thanks for stopping by!

Ghostly and gothic

Time for a new monthly theme for the regular postcard swap at UKStampers. I didn't manage to play in September so I was determined to get to it this month even though the theme is a tough one for me! As ever, cards are to be posted "naked" and must include stamping.

The theme is "spooky" and for me it's a tough one because I don't have any Halloween stamps or anything vaguely scary! I managed last year with some digi elements combined with some "filler" stamps and this year decided to see if I could take it a step further and just use colour and composition to set a spooky mood with otherwise non-spooky stamps.

I got some new stamps at the weekend so I set about giving "Molly" a ghostly makeover.

She's stamped and masked so she kept a ghostly pallor while the rest of the card got sponged with purple and black inks. I concentrated black at bottom left so Molly's head is looming out of the dark. I added some scripty writing and bare branches (which actually made me think of capilliaries or nerves once I'd stamped them!) and then stamped selected bits of a drippy frame stamp along the top.

A tiny bit of Copic colouring finished it off (green for her eyes and some grey shadow down the side of her face).

Stamps:
Molly by Beeswax Stamps
Sarah's Choice and Nature by Indigo Blu

Paper: smooth white

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)
Tim Holtz Distress by Ranger (Dusty Concord, Black Soot)

Other:
Copic markers

Thanks for stopping by!

Cherish Today - Tando hop

Welcome to the Tando Creative hop - we're finishing up our week's celebration of Tando's third birthday with a blog hop that explores Tando's history! If you didn't start at Tando Creative you might want to do that so that you can follow along and be in with the chance of a prize if you leave comments as you go.

The wavy arch I've used as the base of my project was one of Tando's earlier releases - February 2010. It's a nice arch shape and the wavy base makes it just that bit different. Since I had the VerDay paints out for yesterday's jewellery project I decided to do the arch while I was at it. I painted the arch with Iron paint and then once it had been left to dry, I embossed in a folder that had more of the Iron paint brayered onto it so that I got paint in the recessed bits of the design. I gave it a spritz with the patina solution and then set it aside to rust!

I've also used some of the leaves from the Tando Minis that were added to the range this summer - the grey board gives Copic colouring a nice rustic finish! A stamped sentiment. shrink plastic pocket watch and some flowers finish it off.

Supplies:
Wavy Arch (Tando Creative chipboard)
Leaves (Tando Creative Minis)
Foliage M-Bossabilities folder by Spellbinder
VerDay paint (Iron) and Patina Solution by Ten Seconds Studio 
Sentiment from Wings stamp set (Darkroom Door)
Pocket watch from Clocks Plate 6 (PaperArtsy)
Vintage Sepia Versafine and Vintage Photo Distress inks
Copic markers
Shrink plastic
Roses (Wild Orchid Crafts)
Pearls

Next stop along the hop is the talented Carol - don't forget to leave a comment here if you'd like to be in with a chance of this fantastic birthday blog hop prize!

Thanks for stopping by!

Take three - "weathered metal" inchies

Tando Creative is celebrating this week - third birthday already!

To celebrate, the design team has offered up a variety of projects based around the number three and there are tutorials for each of them if you want to have a go - check out the Tando Online Classes blog.

I used three inchies for my project. The Tando chippie is a lovely weight to work with and makes a great base for jewellery as it's sturdy enough that the finished piece feels quite substantial.

I've used an embossing folder and some VerDay paint to create a weathered copper finish for a pendant base. The paint is fun but you could use any technique you like to add interest to your inchies before gluing them together.

Supplies:
Chipboard inchies by Tando Creative
Tim Holtz Texture Fade embossing folder (Stripes)
VerDay paint by Ten Seconds Studio (Copper)
Patina Solution by Ten Seconds Studio
Copper wire
E6000 and Superglue adhesives

I've done a short video tutorial for this project. The YouTube description area includes a step-by-step that you could print out if you would like to have a go and find printed reminders easier to work from - just click on the YouTube icon at the bottom right of the video preview to watch it over there rather than embedded here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Masks on Monday!

The Tando Creative DT girls are hopping today - we've been playing with masks and we'd love you to join us! If you didn't start at the Tando Blog you might want to check in there for details of how to be in with a chance of winning a lovely Tando prize during the hop (there are some details about what's happening for the Birthday Bash next week, too!).

Masks are great for one layer cards. I've used the new Distorted Hive mask for this one - I love the "movement" created by the distortion which makes it perfect for added interest when you're working with a single layer and don't want to end up with something that looks too regimented.

After sponging ink through the mask, the bees were stamped, bleached to get rid of the Distress ink in those areas and then coloured with Copics.Some colours bleach out better than others and I have to say that Mustard Seed was a dream! I added a little clear Spica over the wings for subtle sparkle. I managed to keep the colouring light enough that there's no bleed through so this can stay as a genuinely one layer card with no insert - hooray!

Supplies:
Distorted Hive mask (Tando Creative)
Queen Bee stamp set (Crafty Secrets)
Sentiment from Petite Posies (Technique Tuesday)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Mustard Seed)
Brilliance ink by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Copic markers
Copic Spica glitter pen (clear)
Corner Chomper

This is Tando Creattive Distorted Hive Mask used here:

The next stop along the Tando hop is Kaz who loves her masks so I'm sure there'll be a treat in store! Don't forget to leave a comment here before you go if you're playing for the chance to win a prize - thanks for stopping by!

One layer birthday

A quick and easy one layer card today by way of contrast with the steampunky stuff in the last couple of posts!

The boy with the book was stamped and masked then the central square masked off with Post-It notes and sponged with ink. I inked the background stamp randomly and didn't press hard so there's a "hit and miss" kind of randomness to contrast with the very straight lines of the inked square.

I added a tiny bit of shading to the boy's skin and clothing with Copics, stamped a sentiment and called it done.

The stamp is from the Relish Reading set that I picked out as a prize when I won a Gingersnap challenge some time ago - thanks Rogue Redhead! I've seen quite a few cards made with the girl reading in a chair that's in the same set but this chap doesn't seem to get much of a look-in - a shame I think as he's good for more masculine projects!

Supplies:
Relish Reading stamp set (Rogue Redhead Designs)
White cardstock
Adirondack ink by Ranger (Espresso, Mushroom, Pebble)
Versafine ink by Tsukineko (Vintage Sepia)
Copic markers

Thanks for stopping by!