Like a box of chocolates

Posted: January 17, 2024 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Echidna Studios, valentines chocolates | Tags: Echidna Studios, Faber-Castell Polychromos Colour Pencil, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, sennelier watercolours | 6 Comments

We have been enjoying a rather nice selection of chocolates at our place; the Christmas stash is lasting well! Not long after Christmas my husband and I celebrated our anniversary and it is only a month before our February birthdays so we’ve never really been big on celebrating valentines day. That being said, I loved painting this box of chocolates. It wasn’t better than eating chocolate but it was very satisfying all the same. The digital image is from the Valentines Chocolate stamp set which includes two images; the other one has chocolate coated strawberries. And yes they are from Echidna Studios, more of my daughter’s art work.

I printed the image on hot pressed watercolour paper and painted with a limited palette of browns, paynes grey, pink and yellow. I used a white gel pen to add some details and did extra shading with coloured pencils after all the painting was completed.

It’s not very obvious but you might just be able to see the texture of an embossing folder on the card base. I used a large cuttlebug folder with curly patterns, subtle but cute. Thanks for dropping by. May your chocolate stash be ever enough! Today’s post features affiliate links to The Foiled Fox. If you buy through these links I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Digital Stamps for Starters – videos

Posted: January 11, 2024 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Christmas stockings digital stamp set, digital stamps for starters, Echidna Studios, Tutorial | Tags: digital stamps, Echidna Studios, video | 4 Comments

I know the 12 days of Christmas are over, but I have one more Christmassy card to share before other themes and occasions start to appear. The style of this card will be familiar to you as I have become a fan of embossed backgrounds; this one is Gina K’s ‘holiday flora’ folder. On top is a stocking from Echidna Studios. Last year the digital Christmas Stocking stamps were released including three intricately patterned stockings for printing. This year the set is expanded to include cutting files so you can cut these lovely curly toe stockings from any cardstock you like. I chose an embossed and watercoloured scrap I had been hoarding for years!

Over the past year as I have featured digital stamps from Echidna Studios many of you have expressed interest but not known where to start with digital designs. As promised we have some how-to videos created by my daughter and posted on the Echidna Studios youtube channel. The first video explains how to buy a digital stamp on Etsy. If you find my daughter is speaking rather quickly just change the setting to 75% or hit pause to catch your breath; she is quite speedy in this first video!

In the second video she explains how to open the SVG file on your computer for printing. She and I both use inkscape to open our digital files, it is free to install on your computer. But I’ll let her explain all that:

The third video explains how to use the files to create a card. Resizing, centering and adding words are all covered in detail and I followed her instructions myself the other day to print a couple of the gingerbread digital stamps on cardstock for future cards. I definitely paused the video at times to re-watch and take note of all the steps. When I had a question I did have the video creator in the house to ask but if you have questions please put them in the comments under the video and one of us will get back to you as soon as possible.

We hope you will follow the Echidna Studios youtube channel and consider trying digital stamps and cutting files if you haven’t already. There are more videos and products coming this year. As this is my first post of 2024 I wish you happy new year! I look forward to creating and sharing all sorts of projects on the blog this year. There will be cards, art journaling, watercolouring, gel printing, collage, handmade books and more. What are you hoping to create this year?

Mini Festive Fragrance

Posted: December 28, 2023 | Author: Heather | Filed under: festive fragrance, Penny Black, Sizzix | Tags: Penny Black stamps, sizzix embossing folder | 5 Comments

Today’s card features ‘festive fragrance‘ a Penny Black brushstroke stamp, which I think could be used all year round especially if you choose colours accordingly. I used the following distress inks (either ink pads or markers) to ink the stamp: brushed corduroy, forest moss, rustic wilderness, mowed lawn, festive berries, aged mahogany, candied apple. I spritzed the stamp lightly before stamping on hot pressed watercolour paper. After stamping once I reapplied ink to the stamp if necessary to get more coverage but in some cases all that was needed was some blending with a paintbrush to fill the leaves or berries.

I definitely did more blending on the vases then ruled a thin line behind the vases to ground the image. You may have noticed on some of my recent cards I have embossed the panels after stamping and watercolouring. I did so on this one with the twiggy embossing folder from Sizzix/Tim Holtz (sorry I don’t know the name). I knew I was taking a risk embossing a perfectly good panel with a large non-symmetrical embossing folder but I think it worked.

You can’t tell from the photo but this is a smaller card than my usual A2 cards. This one is 5″x 3¾”, which is half an inch smaller in height and width. I’ve chosen to make some cards this size because I have some envelopes this size to use up and sometimes smaller is cuter. To see the image on an A2 card take a look at an earlier card here. Today’s post features affiliate links to the following companies. If you buy through these links I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. The Foiled Fox & Scrap’n’Stamp.

The Brushstroke Binge – Christmas 2023

Posted: December 22, 2023 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Penny Black, winter gem | Tags: Penny Black stamps, video | 2 Comments

During my brushstroke stamping binge over the last few months I stamped this Penny Black stamp, winter gem, a few times, both the full stamp and just a portion as shown here. I made four cards very similar to this one changing only the colours in the pinecone and they were pretty but needed a little extra something. It just so happens I had uncharacteristically bought something sparkly after watching Tim Holtz say it reminded him of formica tables! It is a texture paste with sparkle in it but smooth, not at all gritty like glitter can be. I swiped it across all the little pinecone panels and they were pretty as can be. I did stamp the pinecone in distress inks so when I spread the texture paste across the panel the distress inks bled a bit but not so much as to spoil anything.

I made a short video of most of this year’s brushstroke Christmas cards and because it is short and not the usual Youtube orientation I can’t seem to embed it in this blog post but you can click over to watch it here. You’ll see the other versions of this card on the short video.

Most of the cards in the video have been featured on the blog but there are a few that didn’t appear here. I hope you enjoy my collection of brushstroke stamped. Thank you for dropping in to see what I have been creating. I hope your Christmas is full of joy and peace.

Today’s post features an affiliate links to Scrap’n’Stamp. If you buy through this link I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Christmas Storefront

Posted: December 21, 2023 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Christmas bush, Christmas storefront, Darkroom Door | Tags: Darkroom Door stamps, digital stamps, Echidna Studios, Fabriano Watercolour Paper | 3 Comments

This delightful Christmas storefront is a digital design from Echidna Studios. Once again my daughter took a photo and sketched it into a digital stamp. I was delighted with the result as I had taken photos of a similar store front in Wakefield Quebec last January and sadly my photos did not represent well the beauty of the decorated store.

I printed the image on hot pressed watercolour paper then painted the scene with Sennelier watercolours. I kept the palette simple, painting the building in pale brown and Payne’s grey so the decorations would stand out. I don’t think you can see in the photo but all the icy edges of the window are coloured with wink of stella markers both the white and the clear, for a little sparkle.

Once finished, the grey in the foreground seemed like a good place for the Darkroom Door sentiment from the ‘Christmas Bush‘ set stamped and embossed in red to match the bows and berries.

I mentioned in one of my posts that I sprained my ankle in November. An aircast has made it possible to walk on it but subsequent x-rays showed a fracture so it has now been in an aircast for over five weeks. I had a follow up and more x-rays today and have been approved to walk around without the aircast at home. So it is getting better…literally one step at a time. As you can imagine I haven’t really been strolling around pretty little stores this year, my family has been running errands for me and there have been a few deliveries to our door.

Bauble Beauty – video

Posted: December 20, 2023 | Author: Heather | Filed under: bauble beauty, Penny Black, Tutorial | Tags: Penny Black stamps, video | 7 Comments

I have mentioned more than once my ‘brushstroke binge’ on this year’s Christmas cards. The Penny Black ‘bauble beauty‘ stamp was one I used several times and decided to make a video of my simple dye-ink watercolour technique. Keep in mind I worked on hot pressed watercolour paper; the inks don’t react the same way on regular cardstock.

Brushstroke stamps are so called because they appear to be stamps made from painted images. I often use dye inks when stamping them so I can add some water to the stamping and get a watercolour look. On the cards featured here I used a range of different inks but also vary the amount of water added on the stamp and at the blending stage. The card below features only one ink for the foliage, the magical northern pine memento ink. All the rest of the cards were stamped with the blue and green distress inks.

You can see on the two cards below I was more generous with water on the left hand card blending the ink over the whole tree shape. On the right hand card I left patchy areas unblended which kept the green inks more separate and made the tree slightly see through.

I painted pearlescent baubles on all the trees after the ink had dried. As the video shows some of the baubles disappeared at the stamping stage when the diluted ink spread over most of the tree shape. In those cases I filled the baubles I could see and added pearlescent circles on top of the blended tree where I thought more baubles should go.

The finishing touches on all the cards included die-cutting then embossing with the retired stampin up ‘subtle’ embossing folder. It creates a nice linen/canvas look; maybe there are other folders available that do a similar thing. I chose small sentiments from Penny Black sets, some stamped directly on the watercolour panel; others on little die-cut strips.

Today’s post features affiliate links to the following companies. If you buy through these links I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. The Foiled Fox & Scrap’n’Stamp.

Peaceful Conifers

Posted: December 18, 2023 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Coniferous Silhouettes, Echidna Studios | Tags: Echidna Studios, Foiling, Penny Black stamps | 10 Comments

This digital tree stamp from Echidna Studios is definitely a favourite of mine so here is another version of a masked moonlit winter scene. I printed the detailed ‘Coniferous Silhouettes‘ image on neenah solar white cardstock and foiled the print with black foil for extra blackness.

I punched a moon mask from a post-it note and tore snow masks from painters’ tape then used blending brushes and speckled egg, uncharted mariner and spun sugar distress inks to create the moonlit scene.

Looking at it as I write this blog post I realise there should be tree shadows in the foreground…a challenge for another day. Today’s post features affiliate links to The Foiled Fox. If you buy through these links I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Peace & Joy everyone.

Cosy Cocoa & Cookies

Posted: December 15, 2023 | Author: Heather | Filed under: cocoa and cookies, cricut, Echidna Studios, Spellbinders | Tags: cricut, digital stamps, Echidna Studios | 1 Comment

It’s hot chocolate season and my husband has already made a rich, yummy Mexican hot chocolate on two occasions. The cocoa and cookie cutting files from Echidna Studios are almost as appealing as the real thing! I have also made my first batch of gingerbread including plenty of tree and bell shapes.

These birds eye views of a mug and a saucer of cookies cut beautifully in different colours for layering a cup of cocoa complete with bubbles and marshmallows and a saucer of decorated gingerbread cookies.

My mug and saucer are dark green even though they might look black and I used three different shades of brown cardstock for the cup of cocoa. I thought the ‘ski lodge‘ embossing folder from Spellbinders made an appropriate background. My sentiments are also cut from green cardstock using the free ‘Agent Q’ font from Cricut design space.

For these cards I cut the image out on the cricut but the files can also be printed for colouring.

Today’s post features an affiliate links to Scrap’n’Stamp. If you buy through this link I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Collage Skates

Posted: December 13, 2023 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Dies, gel press, let's skate, Penny Black | Tags: gel press, gel printing, Penny Black creative dies, Taylored Expressions | 1 Comment

This was one of last year’s Christmas cards made during my collage Christmas card class. All the strips of colour are from gel prints. If you look closely you can see some grungy texture and pattern. None of the prints were amazing by themselves but when combined I quite liked the mix and pattern.

I used the Penny Black die set ‘let’s skate’ to cut two skates from the collage panel then popped them up on an embossed panel and added a Taylored Expressions sentiment from her ‘simple strips’ Christmas stamp.

I made many collage cards last year because I have so many gel prints to collage and many dies that worked for cutting. There were trees, bells, stars, poinsettia, stockings, baubles and more trees! I hope this is another idea you’ll try with your gel prints or any patterned papers or tapes. Washi tapes work well because the adhesive is already there!

Holly Leaves – framed

Posted: December 12, 2023 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Echidna Studios, holly leaves, Karin brushmarkers | Tags: Echidna Studios, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Karin brushmarkers, Penny Black stamps, sennelier watercolours | 1 Comment

This is my second pair of cards featuring the new ‘holly leaves‘ digital stamp set from Echidna Studios. In an earlier post I shared the foiled cards which were overfoiled by accident but came out looking very shimmery and still accepted watercolour. For today’s cards I printed the holly images larger and didn’t foil them. I once again used Fabriano hot pressed watercolour paper and Sennelier watercolours to paint the two images.

If you remember the foiled post you might notice I made the same colour choices, an unrealistic blue-green and a more realistic green-green! A little hint if you are painting berries, it is always nice to have a darker and a lighter side to suggest dimension but even without that a little black or white dot can make them immediately more realistic.

I chose to mat these panels and found a suitable blue green but ended up blending mowed lawn distress ink over a piece of light green cardstock to create a matching green for the card above. Blending ink to create matching mats is something Ardyth does all them time. She is full of clever strategies. I chose to add a shadowy background around the blue-green leaves using a grey Karin marker and water to dilute and spread the ink. The sentiments are from PB ‘jolly snippets‘ and ‘light of Christmas‘ sets.