Limberlost Journal page & video
Posted: July 6, 2016 Filed under: Art Journal, Butterfly trio, Muse, Script, Tutorial, Verdure | Tags: Art Journal, color burst, Dr Ph Martin Hydrus watercolor paints, Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolour pencils, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Versafine inks, Tutorial, video 21 Comments
It is over a year ago since I completed a page in my art journal so it was a good thing when I was asked to create an art journal video for the Penny Black blog. The latest release from PB, Artistic Endeavors includes some beautiful stamps designed with journaling in mind. The page I created last year was a Narnia page so I decided to stick with the literary theme and make another book inspired page. My inspiration this time is ‘A Girl of the Limberlost’ by Gene Stratton-Porter. I read the book quite a few years ago but really enjoyed it and could see the butterfly and figure stamp working well on such a page.
The main character, Elnora, catches moths to sell to collectors in order to support herself through high school. She lives on the edge of the Limberlost, a forested and swampy region where she finds the moths she later sells. I know these stamps depict butterflies but I chose to exercise some artistic license.
Because I wanted to watercolour both the butterflies and the girl I stamped them on watercolour paper, painted them, then cut them out so I could attach them to the page.
To add texture to the background I glued torn strips of tissue paper all over it then did partial stamping with a script stamp and a leafy stamp.
Journal pages take me a long time so despite the fact that I sped up just about all the footage, it is still on the lengthy side. I hope you enjoy it and, maybe like me, get inspired to pull out a neglected art journal. Or perhaps you’ll go and check the book out of the library…
Edited to add: In the video I mentioned learning a lot from Vicky Papaioannou; her videos are here:https://www.youtube.com/user/vickypgr
Supplies:
Stamps: Muse, Script, Verdure, Butterfly trio (PB)
Art Journal: Fabriano 24cm x 15.5cm
Art supplies: Faber-Castell gel medium , Tsukineko Versafine Onyx Black ink , clear embossing powder, Ken Oliver Colorburst powders (merlot, violet, ultramarine blue), Ken Oliver liquid metals (platinum, verdi gris, ultramarine blue), Faber-Castell Stampers big brush pen, lead pencil, Pigma 0.3 micron pen, Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer watercolour pencils (medium flesh, brown ochre, juniper green, ochre, burnt ochre, venetian red, delft blue, warm grey 3), tissue paper, Dr Ph Martin Hydrus liquid watercolours (Hansa yellow light, phthalo blue, phthalo green, carbon black) Art glitter designer dries clear adhesive, Ranger distress micro glaze.
Filigree Tree
Posted: October 24, 2015 Filed under: Christmas story, Filigrees | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 8 Comments
It’s time to break the blog silence with some emboss resist and a pretty filigree tree. I created this card quite some time ago and it has been sitting around waiting its turn. The filigree tree was embossed with clear embossing powder on watercolour paper. The surrounding colour is distress stain painted on and tilted to blend. Once it was dry I added some clear wink of stella to the central sections of the tree for a little sparkle. I then ironed the panel which both flattened it and melted the embossing powder into a piece of printer paper. It doesn’t look that different to an embossed image but surface is smooth so it looks deceivingly clever 😉 To complete the card I added a white mat and a purple border. I also used a large Christmas word background to stamp a tone on tone pattern on the purple cardstock.
If you have been thinking about Christmas cards already you might be interested in participating in the Caring Hearts Card drive. You can find the relevant details here. There are contact details for getting involved in USA, Canada and Australia on Vera Yate’s blog.
Thanks for dropping in; have a great weekend.
Supplies:
Stamps: Filigrees, Christmas Story (PB)
Inks: Salty Ocean, Pine Needles, Dusty Concord distress stains inks (Ranger) Versafine ink (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Canson 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, Neenah solar white, purple cardstock
Also: clear embossing powder, clear wink of stella
Friendship
Posted: September 1, 2015 Filed under: Demure, Swaying | Tags: Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolour pencils, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 9 Comments
Today’s card, completed back in February for a ‘Friendship’ themed challenge was stamped onto wet watercolour paper with stain making a ‘wet on wet’ image. I added colour with a paint brush and when the flowers dried a bit, painted the background colour as well. I also stamped a background stamp over the whole panel in pale brown for a vintage patterned paper look. Only when the panel was dry did I add splatter and shading with watercolour pencils. As I have mentioned before I don’t always think about the sentiment until the end. Stamping my sentiment on vellum meant that it could cover some of the panel without losing the bigger picture.
Supplies:
Stamps: Demure, Swaying, Special Wishes (PB)
Inks: Versamark (Tsukineko) Tumbled Glass, Wild Honey, Worn Lipstick, Victorian Velvet, Spiced Marmalade, Peeled Paint Distress stains(Ranger)
Cardstock: Fabriano hot press watercolour,Vellum, Neenah Natural White, burgandy cardstock
Also: Faber Castell Albrecht Durer watercolour pencils, Copper embossing powder
Flowers on flowers
Posted: July 11, 2015 Filed under: Bister, Enamor, Floral Tapestry | Tags: Bister, Kuretake Zig clean color real brush markers, Penny Black stamps 13 Comments
The other day when I was happily stamping background stamps over papers sprinkled with bister powder I made this print with ‘floral tapestry’. I can’t remember exactly what I used to stamp. I think it was mainly water on the stamp and mahogany and yellow bister on the dry watercolour paper. I may have used a pale distress stain; I’m not sure. I was using the Misti so I did stamp multiple times in order to spread the water over the whole panel. Sadly you can’t see it in the photo but the water had some pearl-ex powder mixed in so the pattern has a pretty sheen to it. While trying not to make the panel too busy I did want to have something more defined in the foreground so I stamped several flowers with brown inks and coloured them with watercolour markers using pearl-ex water to blend so they too have a shimmery sheen.
Dina Kowal posted an informative video this week with so much inspiration for using different watercolour powders. She also has two posts on her blog, one about the powders and the other about papers to use with the powders. Dina is a fabulous artist and has compared, tested and created with the powders. Now we can all benefit from all her research. Thanks, Dina.
Supplies:
Stamps: Floral Tapestry, Snippets, Enamor (PB)
Inks: Versafine Crimson Red (Tsukineko) Vintage Photo, Gathered Twigs Distress stains (Ranger)
Cardstock: Neenah Classic Crest Natural White 110lb smooth , Canson 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper
Also: Zig clean color real brush markers
Autumn Collage
Posted: October 14, 2014 Filed under: Background Stamps, Lush & Lavish 5 Comments
This is one of those cards I began without a clear plan of where I was going. I had a piece of natural white cardstock with masking fluid already splattered on it. I inked several of the leaf stamps from the ‘Lush & Lavish’ set with distress stains, spritzed them and stamped them on the panel randomly. I then sponged Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade and Vintage Photo distress inks over almost all the panel leaving a patch of light near the middle. I splattered a little ink around too. At this point it didn’t look finished so I stamped the branch from ‘Lush and Lavish’ twice then removed the masking fluid.
I decided to add only part of a sentiment stamp; I can stamp the rest of the sentiment inside the card. I was fairly happy with it after making the dark leaves the feature but it still wasn’t quite there. When a panel “isn’t quite there” there is one stamp I always reach for: Letter background! That was all it needed. I matted with a rust coloured card stock then attached it to a natural white base. I am surrounded by autumn inspiration at present; I’ve been out a couple of times with my camera taking photos of the gorgeous colours.
Supplies
Stamps: Lush & Lavish, Letter Background, Special Wishes (PB)
Inks: Ripe Persimmon, Spiced Marmalade distress stains & Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade, Vintage Photo distress inks(Ranger)
Cardstock: Neenah Natural White 110lb, Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, brown cardstock
Emboss resist wreath
Posted: September 30, 2014 Filed under: Autumn Jewels, Dancing Leaves, Decadence | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 6 Comments
After making numerous emboss resist panels for my September classes I had leftover pieces big enough to punch leaves from. I used a rounded leaf from the new Autumn Jewels set of dies to cut as many leaves as possible then arranged them into a wreath. The arranging took me quite a while as I tried various methods and orientations for the leaves. Having them all turn in the same way and overlap the same way seemed to be the best option in the end. I bent some of the leaves to curl down towards the card and others to curl up, then attached some with 3D adhesive squares and others with flat adhesive. I poked a few twigs of “dancing leaves” in amongst the leaves, added a small bow before matting then stamped a sentiment.
The colours around here are not at their most vibrant yet but on the way to Lake Placid a week ago I enjoyed a gorgeous display of reds, yellows and oranges across the hill sides.
Supplies
Stamps: Decadence, Special Wishes (PB)
Creative Dies: Autumn Jewels, Dancing Leaves (PB)
Inks: Mustard Seed, Barn Door, Spiced Marmalade, Vintage Photo distress stains & , Fired Brick distress inks(Ranger)
Cardstock: Neenah Natural White 110lb, Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper
Also: 3D adhesive squares(Scrapbook Adhesives). clear embossing powder, red grosgrain ribbon
Blog Hop with Scrapbook Adhesives
Posted: September 23, 2014 Filed under: A Pocket Full, Background Stamps | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 11 Comments
Yes, that is glitter you see on my blog! The PB design team is blog hopping with the Scrapbook Adhesives design team this week so I stepped a little outside my comfort zone and opened up the glitter. I had to go and find the glitter first; it used to live in my craft stash but it had migrated to my daughter’s nail polish stash where it definitely gets more attention.
I created my backgrounds first by taping some watercolour paper to a firm surface and blending distress stains onto the panels. The blue one was spritzed with pearl-ex powder spray to create a pretty sheen and the purple one was sprinkled with salt for some texture.
To create the glittery elements I used both 3D Foam Stars and 3D Foam Christmas Shapes. I peeled the shapes, which have adhesive on both sides, off the backing sheets and dipped one side in glitter then pressed the other side onto the watercolour panels. To create the sparkly “Noel” I cut the word from white paper using an adhesive sheet on top of the paper instead of underneath. I removed the top sheet and dipped the sticky side of the word in glitter.
Both banners were cut using a banner die from “A pocket full”. As the die has one “V” end I die cut only half way then flipped the die around and cut the other end with the “V” also. To finish the tags I matted with PB mix & match papers then twisted some embroidery floss to thread through the punched hole at the top.
Both Penny Black and Scrapboook Adhesives are hosting giveaways on their blogs this week so visit everyday for inspiration and a chance to win.
Supplies:
Stamps: Letter Background (PB)
Creative Dies: Exultations, A Pocket Full (PB)
Inks: Evergreen Bough, Pine Needles, Chipped Sapphire, Milled lavender, Dusty Concord, Worn Lipstick distress stains, Peacock Feather distress ink (Ranger)
Scrapbook Adhesives: Adhesive Sheet, Thin dimensional adhesive squares, 3D Foam Stars, 3D Foam Christmas Shapes, EZ runner adhesive
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, #14 Rose Garden, #13 Periwinkle, #06 Spring Meadows paper (PB)
Also: Embroidery Floss
Patterned Poppies
Posted: August 4, 2014 Filed under: Bashful, CAS, Field of Dreams, Indian Wheel, Wishes | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 17 Comments
It seems to be nothing but poppies on the blog at present. I can assure you that changes tomorrow as something quite unseasonal will appear!
Today I have a card inspired by one of the techniques in the Stretch Your Stamps 2 online card class. I have created watercolour patterned paper for die cutting before but I don’t think I have die-cut any embossed designs. I embossed the background stamp, Indian Wheel, watercoloured with distress stains then cut out several poppies with the “Field of Dreams” die. I also cut the sentiment from the patterned panel but it was a bit much so I decided to a cut a plain orange sentiment.
When I was photographing the top card and getting ready to post it I saw the pretty patterned sentiment and another die cut flower and decided a second card was possible. I had cut the daisy first from the patterned panel using the “Bashful” die but decided there was not enough patterned showing so switched to the poppies. It’s great when one design turns into two. The layout below is an adaption of the current Case Study Challenge #202 layout, one big flower and a sentiment strip stretching right across the card.
Supplies:
Stamps: Indian Wheel (Penny Black)
Inks: Vintage Photo, Peeled Paint, Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Barn Door, Crushed Olive, Bundled Sage distress stains (Ranger)
Creative Dies: Field of Dreams, Wishes, Bashful (PB)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, Fall Festival mix & match paper (Penny Black), Neenah Solar White 110lb card stock.
Stamp & Doodle
Posted: May 28, 2014 Filed under: Floral Tapestry, Tutorial | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains, Tutorial 16 Comments
I created this card from a stamped panel that was sitting around on my work table waiting for inspiration. I stamped the “Floral Tapestry” background stamp in Distress stains on watercolour paper. After stamping once I spritzed the stamp and stamped again on another piece of paper, then did it again so I had several panels sitting around, each one a little paler than the previous one. I think this one was the palest panel but it still had plenty of colour and the negative images of the flowers and leaves were clear enough to doodle around. If you watch the video you will see my doodling process. I did not have a plan; I just defined the flower shapes and added leaves, twirls and squiggles in and around them. When I was almost finished I decided a few gold highlights would be nice so I added them with a Wink of Stella pen.
I trimmed the floral panel and criss-crossed some gold cord over it. I added two gold half pearls in each place where the cord crossed and stuck the cord down with glossy accents. The cord did not want to stay in place but with a little pressure on top it finally did! After die-cutting the banner I decided to trim the dark brown mat and cardbase to co-ordinate.
Supplies:
Stamps: Floral Tapestry, Amazing! (PB)
Dies: Triple Banner (PB)
Inks: Versafine Vintage Sepia (Tsukineko) Vintage Photo, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seeds Distress stains (Ranger)
Cardstock: Neenah Classic Crest Avon Brilliant White 110lb smooth , Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper
Spring is in the air at Stamp Nation
Posted: May 8, 2014 Filed under: Background Stamps, Dies 4 CommentsI am celebrating the arrival of spring over at Stamp Nation today with their inspiration challenge.
I had fun creating a bright sunny card as did several more designers .
Heather Telford 