Shabby Chic tag cards
Posted: March 16, 2013 Filed under: Background Stamps, CAS, Cuttlebug, Love Chapter, Penny Black 10 Comments
Today I have a couple of cards which developed as I stamped; I had a rough idea how I would do the tag above but nothing more than that. Once the first tag was finished I wanted to try the same technique with another text stamp. When both were finished I played around with layouts for quite a while before I settled on the ones you see here.
To create the tags I stamped the Dots in space background stamp then sponged three colours over most of the tag. Each tag has a branch motif which I stamped in brown tones first then black. The text stamps have an out of focus look intentionally; I stamped them first in Potter’s Clay then again in black but slightly offset from the first impression.
Both the tags were designed to feature but needed to be grounded on the card bases so I picked out a background stamp and an embossing folder. To ground the tag above I stamped part of the background stamp Indian Wheel in Wheat versamagic then embossed in clear powder before sponging the perimeter of the ivory panel in Memento Potter’s Clay. The tag below is grounded on the card base by an embossed panel created using a cuttlebug embossing folder which I sponged over lightly.
I do make tags from time to time but I rarely put a tag on a gift; I usually add a card in an envelope to a gift so these tags are more likely to get given this way than if they had remained as tags. What about you,do you make tags? Do you use them?
Supplies:
Stamps: Love Chapter, Friendship, Dots in Space, Indian Wheel, Tweet Tweet (PB)
Inks: Memento Potter’s Clay, Rhubarb Stalk, Dandelion, Angel Pink & Versafine Onyx Black & Versamagic Wheat (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Mix & Match Grand Canyon
Also: Cuttlebug Folder Textile Texture, black ribbon, black twine
Spots and stripes
Posted: March 15, 2013 Filed under: Background Stamps, CAS 10 Comments
I am just going to make the deadline for this week’s Less is More challenge. I haven’t taken on many stamping challenges lately so I wanted to do this one. When I saw this dramatic card by Pamela, I knew I had my layout; I just needed to work out how to add the spots and stripes. I reached for my trusty background stamps including one I rarely pull out, the woodgrain stamp from the Penny Black slapstick cling set, Inspiring. I also used the new background Dots in Space. Both stamps were inked with Memento ink pads but markers would have worked well too. I used the same inks to sponge after stamping.
It took me two attempts to make this card! On my first try I had all the colour panel complete, then managed to stamp the sentiment straight also only to mess up the line of dashes! What line of dashes, you ask? It did not get invited back for my second attempt but if I had found the right little birthday silhoutte stamp to stamp over the colour panel on the left I might have done that.
Anyway, there you have it a colourful card for any age, male or female.
Supplies:
Stamps: Dots in Space, Friendship, Inspiring (PB)
Inks: Memento Love Letter, Tangelo, Dandelion, Cottage Ivy, Danube Blue & Versafine Onyx Black(Tsukineko)
Golden blessings
Posted: March 14, 2013 Filed under: Blooming Garden, CAS, Penny Black, Watercolour 12 Comments
I have a bright spring card today made using a colouring technique which is quick and easy but really pops on coloured cardstock. I stamped the flowers in versamark and embossed in white powder on Summer Sun mix & match cardstock. I used watercolour pencils to add colour to the flowers and leaves. Blending them with water is very simple as it stays contained within the embossed outlines.
Thanks for visiting today.
Supplies:
Stamps: Blooming Garden, Treemendous PB)
Inks: Memento Cantaloupe & Versamark (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Summer Sun mix & match cardstock
Also: Faber-Castell watercolour pencils, white e.p., orange grosgrain ribbon
Home sweet home
Posted: March 10, 2013 Filed under: CAS, Sweet Home, Uptown, Watercolour 14 Comments
I have another one layer watercolour card made on the Fabriano watercolour paper. This one combines watercolouring and sponging. I think the house ended up looking more like a “fixer-upper” than a sparkling new home but that’s ok. It’s still a home, sweet home.
I stamped the house in versafine smokey gray then used a mask to sponge a green hill. All the colouring is done with watercolour pencils blended with water and a little highlighting done at the end with the pencil dipped in water. To finish I cut a complete house mask so I could sponge the sky in blue.
Thanks for dropping by.
Supplies
Stamps: Uptown, Sweet Home (Penny Black)
Inks: Memento Summer Sky, Cottage Ivy & Versafine Smokey Gray (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Fabriano 25% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper
Also: Fabercastell watercolour pencils
Watercolour one layer
Posted: March 9, 2013 Filed under: Blooming Garden, CAS, Watercolour 17 Comments
The watercolour cards I’ve been making lately have been several layers as I usually create them on a 5″x7″ pad then cut and mat them with co-ordinating cardstock. I recently bought a larger pad of watercolour paper so, for this card, I cut and scored a 4.25″ x 5.5″ card and taped it to my work desk before watercolouring. I taped it to the desk carefully to create the border you see on the card. The card warped slightly due to the watercolouring but, because it was taped down until it was completely dry, the warping is minimal.
I stamped the branch from Blooming garden on the right and the left then masked both branches so I could stamp the branch again between the two branches adding only two more flowers. The flowers are stamped in versafine onyx black which is waterproof so it did not bleed when I started adding the colour. I used watercolour pencils to add pink and purple to all the blossoms and blended it with water. The stems are coloured with two browns, the background with blue. While the paper was still wet I sharpened three pencils over the image dropping slivers and specks of pink, blue and purple pigment onto the damp paper. I spritzed with water too and sat back to watch the bits of pigment bleed colour.
And, I almost forgot to add, this layout was inspired by CAS(E) this sketch #18
Supplies:
Stamps: Blooming Garden, Gratitude(PB)
Inks: Memento Elderberry & Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Fabriano Hotpress 25%cotton watercolour paper
Also: Fabercastell watercolour pencils
Watercolour Dandelions
Posted: March 7, 2013 Filed under: CAS, Tweet Tweet, Watercolour 26 Comments
I am having a great time playing with watercolour and Penny Black’s flower and nature stamps. I definitely experience some frustration along the way but I feel like I am making progress all the same. At times I have gone too far in my watercolouring and the colours end up muddy but happily I also find sometimes I have not continued long enough and the addition of one more colour or a bit more colour intensity is all I need to complete my project. It is important to remember that watercolour paint(or pencils) always dry paler so if it already looks pale to you when it’s wet it is only going to get paler!
To create the row of dandelions I embossed four in a row with clear powder. I coloured the centres of the dandelions with dark grey pencils(all the pencils I used were watercolour), then around and below the dandelions with light green. I found the green needed to be much stronger so created a little green “paint” by mixing water and the lead of the green pencil. I painted this on blending with water as I went. I sponged the sky and dropped water onto it to create a cloudy effect. To make the dandelions pop a little more I coloured over them with orange and yellow pencils blending with water. At this point I noticed that the centres of the dandelions didn’t stand out enough so used a black marker to darken them. Last of all I added the music background but I am not sure that it was needed??
Both my recent watercolour cards have had no sentiment; there is a space for one on this card so I might add one when I decide who will receive it.
Speaking of sentiments there is a new One Layer Wednesday Challenge over on Susan’s blog.
Supplies:
Stamps: Tweet Tweet, Music Background (Penny Black)
Inks: Memento Summer Sky ink & black marker, Versamark (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, Mix & Match cardstock
Also: Fabercastell watercolour pencils
Sweet Melody
Posted: March 6, 2013 Filed under: CAS, Sweet Melody, Watercolour 15 Comments
This is one of those cards which almost ended up in the discard pile but with some slicing and rearranging survived.
I began by embossing the music background stamp in clear powder but when I sprinkled the powder on I purposely missed some areas so the final image would be patchy. I then sponged Memento desert sand and rhubarb stalk over the panel. I stamped the bird cage in rhubarb stalk and immediately blended with water adding some ink droplets here and there. The bird, sentiment and flourishes around the perimeter are stamped in Versafine Deep Lagoon to create a contrasting colour scheme.
The panel I started creating was horizontal with the birdcage on the left and the sentiment on the right but when I’d finished stamping I didn’t like the layout. It was at this point I considered tossing it. Instead I sliced it in half and positioned one panel over the other, added a ribbon over the join and ended up with the layout you see here.
Thanks for visiting and thanks for leaving such encouraging comments. I am always happy to read that you have been inspired to try something you’ve seen here.
Supplies:
Stamps: Music Background, Eloquence, Sweet Melody
Inks: Memento Desert Sand & Rhubarb Stalk, Versafine Deep Lagoon, Versamark (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Fabriano hotpressed watercolour paper,
Also: Navy satin ribbon, clear embossing powder
Spring Spritz
Posted: March 5, 2013 Filed under: Blooming Garden, CAS 11 Comments
The air is feeling a bit spring like around here but with plenty of snow on the ground so I am not really in spring mode yet. This card, however is definitely a taste of spring with its fresh greens and white.
I have used this technique numerous times, usually in either a horizontal or vertical panel. I mask it first then emboss several of the floral images I’ve chosen in clear e.p. Then I stamp the image again in several shades of one colour, filling the space randomly. Next I sponge with the same inks usually leaving an area almost unsponged as this ends up looking like the source of light or some sunlight breaking through clouds. This time I decided to use a torn mask as I sponged to create the appearance of hills. Finally I spritzed some Tsukineko Fireworks spray in Bamboo Leaves which added some droplets and a shimmer. It was my first use of Fireworks spritzers and I think I sprayed a little more than just my card panel!
Supplies:
Stamps: Blooming Garden, A Bunch PB)
Inks: Memento New Sprout, Pear Tart, Bamboo Leaves & Versafine Olympia Green(Tsukineko)
Also: Tsukineko Bamboo leaves fireworks
Am I in the wrong place?
Posted: March 4, 2013 Filed under: Background Stamps, CAS, Designer Paper, Penny Black 11 Comments
No you are not in the wrong place; I did make this three layer card which includes patterned paper, buttons and thread!
I have pinned and admired several cards which line up strips of patterned paper to make lovely designs.
A Christmas one, a Floral one and a similar idea
Mine is a little more patchwork looking as I didn’t stick with an analogous colour scheme. The background for my card is made with the stamp Dots in Space which I inked in red, blue, green and yellow then stamped once on another panel before making the muted impression you see above. I used the same inks to sponge the edge of the pennants and the background panel. I know the sentiment really needs a cupcake to go along with it but I liked the size and shape so it got the job. I’ll be back with more of my usual soon…
Supplies:
Stamps: Friendship, Dots in Space(Penny Black)
Inks: Memento Lady Bug, Bamboo Leaves, Dandelion, Danube Blue & Versafine Spanish Moss (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Penny Black Mix & Match Papers Olive Grove, Madison Designer Paper
Watercolour Tulips
Posted: March 2, 2013 Filed under: Background Stamps, Blooming Garden, CAS, Penny Black, Watercolour 17 Comments
I have been having fun with watercolour techniques again. My inspiration for this panel came from at some beautiful paintings by Kristy Patterson where she has painted in watercolour over text. Often when I use the letter background stamp I use it only on sections of my panel or collage. This time I stamped it across the whole panel of watercolour paper first in Versafine Vintage Sepia which is waterproof. I switched to Memento inks for the tulips so I could blend the inks with as much water as necessary. My watercolouring method is a little different each time so it’s hard to describe. I started by painting water onto the panel then inking the tulip stamp in green and red before stamping it three times. I immediately blended some of the ink as it bled and pooled but also used red and orange watercolour pencils to add more colour and restamped the tulips a few times too. Once I was happy with the tulips I ran a nautical blue memento ink pad around the perimeter of the panel and immediately used water to pull the ink to surround the tulips.
Maybe you are already seeing tulips where you live; it will be a couple more months before we do!
Supplies:
Stamps: Blooming Garden, Letter Background, Edge to Edge (PB)
Inks: Memento Nautical Blue, Cottage Ivy, Love letter & Versafine Vintage Sepia, Majestic Blue (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, Spring Meadow Mix & Match Papers
Also: Faber-Castell watercolour pencils
Heather Telford 