OLW 77 Birds
Posted: February 7, 2012 Filed under: Penny Black, Winter Sky 32 Comments
This week Jennifer Styles is hosting the OLW challenge and has asked us to use birds. It is quite a while since I participated in One Layer Wednesday but thanks to this lovely winter sky stamp complete with birds I can just squeeze a card in before a new challenge starts tomorrow. I took some photos while making this card so I’ll try to get the tutorial up soon. Thanks for all the encouragement you gave me after I posted the Berry branch tutorial on the weekend. I am happy to be able to share the technique and would love to hear how you went.
Today’s card doesn’t include any embossing just the masking and sponging to create the effect of dusk or dawn.
Supplies:
Stamps: Winter Sky (Penny Black), Tag lines(Flourishes)
Inks: Marina Mist, Pretty in Pink, Versafine Onyx Black
Cardstock: MFP 100lb white
Winter Berry Branch tutorial
Posted: February 4, 2012 Filed under: Berry Branch, Penny Black, Tutorial 45 Comments
Thank you so much everyone who has arrived here via the Penny Black blog and also my faithful readers who drop in here regularly to see what I have been doing. The comments I have received in the last day have been such a treat to read. Thank you also to all my subscribers; I am so pleased you have been inspired to sign up.
What better way to thank you all than a tutorial? Many of you asked questions about the Winter Berry Branch card I posted last week so here is the tutorial which will hopefully provide the answers.
Mask the around the area where you are creating your scene. This is one of the trickiest steps, sometimes I trust my eye, sometimes the ruler; both have been known to fail me.
Flick masking fluid randomly over the cardbase. I put my card in a box, almost close the box and blindly flick the paintbrush with masking fluid on it around over the card. This way the masking fluid is contained in the box. An old toothbrush does a good job too but I didn’t have a spare and didn’t think anyone in my family would appreciate masking fluid toothpaste! While you wait for the masking fluid to dry, wash the brush because the masking fluid can ruin it if you don’t.
Stamp the branch first in versamark using a stamp positioning tool. Re-ink with versamark and then add whatever colours you want on your branch using markers; I used real red and early espresso. While you are inking your stamp with markers you must not move your stamp positioning tool.
When your branched is inked in versamark and colour move your stamp positioning tool ever-so-slightly down (as in no more than a millimeter!) and stamp the branch again. What you have created is two branch images extremely close together which you will heat emboss in clear.
In the close up below you can see the two impressions from the stamp. Ideally you want the coloured print to overlap with the versamark print. The versamark is the snow sitting on the branch. The yellow dots are the masking fluid. Because they are raised they will resist the stamp a bit but it doesn’t matter as it will look like a clump of snow.
After embossing in clear embossing powder it is time to start sponging. I tend to build up the colour slowly when sponging so the variations in intensity will be gradual. If you are not happy with your sponging it could be that you stopped too soon.
When you are happy with your sponging you can gently rub off the masking fluid. It should come off easily but make sure you keep your fingers clean otherwise you can smudge colour into the freshly revealed white spots. Remove the masks when all the masking fluid is gone to see your snow laden branch.
Supplies:
Stamps: Berry Branch (Penny Black), Teeny Tiny Wishes(SU)
Inks: Versamark, Marina Mist, Bashful Blue, Real Red, Early Espresso
Cardstock: MFP 100lb white
Also: Clear e.p., Winsor & Newton masking fluid
Having a Penny Black day
Posted: February 3, 2012 Filed under: Penny Black 14 CommentsI just wanted to let you know I am the Penny Black guest designer today. So check out their blog to see what I have been doing lately.
Scene from my window
Posted: January 29, 2012 Filed under: Branch Out, CAS, Lovely as a Tree, Stamped Landscapes 44 Comments
The Less is More challenge this week is a sketch challenge. It just happens to be a sketch of a layout I use fairly often so I was once again keen to play along. We have had ice, snow, rain, snow, freezing rain, snow…etc this week which, while treacherous for walking around, is very pretty to look at. When I got up yesterday the sun was not quite up but there was a line of yellow on the horizon and the rest of the world was snow laden and bluey grey.
This card is my attempt to recreate the scene. I must say the scene was way more beautiful but it was fun to have a go. I masked the sides first and then stamped a row of trees in the background, the trees from Lovely as a Tree in the middle ground and the tree from Branch Out in the foreground. I embossed the black trees and then drew the snow on the branches with a versamarker before embossing a second time. I added the colour by sponging and masking.
Thank you for all your lovely comments about the Berry Branch set of cards I made. I know there were several questions about how I made the winter card. I will try and do a tutorial soon or failing that at least give you some instructions – stay tuned!
Supplies:
Stamps: Thank You Kindly, Branch out, Lovely as a Tree (SU)
Inks: Versafine Onyx Black, Not Quite Navy,Going Gray, Summer Sun
Cardstock: MFP Snow Storm Smooth Heavy
Also: white e.p.
Berry Branch – Autumn & Winter
Posted: January 24, 2012 Filed under: Berry Branch, CAS, Rollers 19 CommentsHere are the other two cards from my little four seasons Berry Branch set. Winter is definitely my favourite and is the only one where I embossed.
Thank you for the kind comments about the first two; I am happy to have inspired a few people to try the same thing with one stamp.
Supplies:
Stamps: Berry Branch (Penny Black), Teeny Tiny Wishes, Very Vintage roller(SU)
Inks: Chocolate Chip, Real Rust, Riding Hood Red
Cardstock: Flourishes classic ivory
Supplies:
Stamps: Berry Branch (Penny Black), Short and Sweet(SU)
Inks: Versamark, Marina Mist, Bashful Blue, Real Red, Basic Black
Cardstock: Flourishes classic white
Also: Clear e.p., Winsor & Newton masking fluid
Berry Branch – Spring & Summer
Posted: January 22, 2012 Filed under: Berry Branch, Penny Black 12 CommentsI have been busy on another project lately which I will share in the future but today I have a little set of cards I finished a while ago. I made them for a friend’s birthday; there are four – one for each season- all made with the same stamp. Here are the spring and summer cards. Winter and autumn to follow another day.
Supplies:
Stamps: Berry Branch (Penny Black),Teeny Tiny Wishes(SU)
Inks: Regal Rose, Bashful Blue, Always Artichoke
Cardstock: Flourishes classic white
To create both cards I inked the stamp with the lighter colour and added darker highlights with marker. I also masked and sponged but you know that; it is what I do!
Supplies:
Stamps: Berry Branch (Penny Black),Hugs & Wishes(SU)
Inks: Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Bashful Blue, Always Artichoke
Cardstock: Flourishes classic white
Snowy New Year
Posted: January 10, 2012 Filed under: Holiday Sampler, Lovely as a Tree 6 Comments
As my Christmas card count was very low this year I have made a few New Year cards for people I still want to send a greeting to. This one features Marina Mist, an SU colour I just purchased and really like. I masked the hill, embossed the trees and snowflakes in clear and then brayered the sky. I’ll definitely use this technique again; I like the crispness of one colour with white.
Have a great day.
Supplies:
Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, Teeny Tiny Messages, Holiday Sampler
Inks: Versamark, Marina Mist
Cardstock: MFP White
Also: Clear e.p.
Snow laden tree
Posted: January 4, 2012 Filed under: CAS, Lovely as a Tree, Stamped Landscapes 25 Comments
Crafty Creations Challenge is aiming to warm things up with a heat embossing challenge. I chose to emboss a very chilly scene. We have discovered since living in Canada that the sunny days which look so beautiful in winter are the coldest days despite the sun!
The large tree is the only part of the card heat embossed. I stamped the tree once in versamark then restamped ever-so-slightly lower in black before embossing in clear. The result is snow laden branches as seen in the close up below.
Thanks for dropping by today.
Supplies:
Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, All Year Cheer, small tree stamp from Embassy Arts
Inks: Versamark, Basic Black, Marina Mist, Bashful Blue
Cardstock: MFP White
Also: Clear e.p.
Masked and hand drawn
Posted: January 1, 2012 Filed under: Hand drawn 11 Comments
I was inspired by this lovely card by openseed and created two cards that don’t involve any stamping but doodling instead.
I used masking fluid to paint the words first then used fine felt tip pens to draw all manner of plant doodles around the masking so that when I removed it the words would be clear. In the one below I masked one word and drew the other but I prefer the one above. I added a little green to both with markers but they are cool with just black and white as well. These are my first attempts at this technique, but as you can probably imagine the possibilities are endless!
Supplies:
Markers: Black Prismacolor Fine line markers, Stampin Up selection of green markers
Cardstock: MFP Watercolour cardstock
Also: Winsor & Newton masking fluid
Watercolour leaves
Posted: December 29, 2011 Filed under: CAS, With Gratitude 18 Comments
There is plenty of snow outside now but I have slipped back into a fall colour scheme to try out this technique. I painted the word in masking fluid with a small paintbrush on watercolour paper. I then used two leaves from With Gratitude, a few colours and a water spritzer to dampen both the stamp and the paper. I sponged a bit of brown and green before peeling off the masking fluid.
This is a second card for the Just One Word challenge at Less is More.
Supplies:
Stamps: With Gratitude (SU)
Inks: Summer sun, Certainly Celery, Wild Wasabi, Close to Cocoa, Old Olive
Cardstock: MFP Watercolor card
Also: Windsor & Newton Masking fluid
Heather Telford 