Six Tulips
Posted: May 12, 2014 Filed under: CAS, Efflorescence, Watercolour | Tags: CAS, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 9 Comments
I am continuing with my Tulip Festival theme, an idea inspired by a regular visitor to Bits & Pieces. (Thanks, Karen) On this card I have a watery array of tulips stamped with distress stains on watercolour paper. Distress inks are designed to react with water and each other which makes them great for blending on flowers, patterns, backgrounds etc. I inked the tulips on the stamp with Victorian Velvet first then added a touch of Barn Door at the base of each bloom. I inked the buds and stems with Crushed Olive and stamped on watercolour paper. I then used a waterbrush to blend the two colours together. To frame the panel I diluted some Tumbled Glass distress stain and painted around the edges pulling the colour into the centre and diluting it further to fade it out. Finally I flicked red and green inks over the panel, attached it to the card base and added a sentiment.
I haven’t visited any of the tulip beds yet but I did drive by the canal yesterday and saw there were plenty in bloom. Are they blooming where you are?
Supplies:
Stamps: Efflorescence, Amazing (PB)
Inks: Versafine Spanish Moss (Tsukineko) Barn Door, Crushed Olive, Victorian Velvet, Tumbled Glass Distress stains (Ranger)
Cardstock: Neenah Classic Crest Avon Brilliant White 110lb smooth, Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper
Two Tulips
Posted: May 11, 2014 Filed under: CAS, Dainty | Tags: CAS, Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolour pencils, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks 8 Comments
When I set out to make this card I had two things in mind. I wanted tulips to mark the beginning of the Tulip Festival here in Ottawa and I wanted to use the current sketch at CAS(E) this sketch. I did not plan to make it one layer at all; the sketch really looks like at least a two layer to me. I made a stencil in masking paper (removable grocery sticker paper) with the new tulip die from Penny Black. It’s called ‘Dainty’ and I can see myself reaching for it often. I stuck the mask down and painted with a waterbrush picking up colour from watercolour pencils. I did not lay down too much ‘paint’ or water; the card base is not watercolour paper so I didn’t want it to warp or soak through to the back.
My daughter came along at this point and commented on my ‘floating tulip’. It did need grounding; I just hadn’t worked out a method at that point. Anyway, I left it as I had promised to take my daughter shopping for a dress to wear to her Academic Dinner on Thursday. We arrived at the mall at 4:30 clueless that it was going to close at 5:00! First store, second dress, happy girl, thankful mother.
I came back to my card, masked and sponged a frame around it then looked for a suitable sentiment. My plan was to stamp the sentiment in green so it would double as some grass but none of my green inks matched the leaves. I was about to settle for less than the best green when the it occurred to me that a dark blue might work. It did.
And the card just happens to also work for the One Layer Simplicity challenge, Fabulous Flowers.
Supplies:
Stamps: Sweet Wishes PB)
Dies: Dainty (PB)
Inks: Memento Summer Sky, Danube Blue (Tsukineko)
Pencils: Albrecht Durer Watercolour Pencils Vermillion 117, Sap Green 167 (Faber-Castell)
Cardstock: Neenah Classic Crest Natural White 110lb smooth
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 .
Golden Blooms
Posted: May 6, 2014 Filed under: CAS, One-Layer Simplicity challenge, Petal Power | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains, Tsukineko Memento inks 19 Comments
After years of avoiding yellow and orange tones in clothes and fabrics I am really enjoying using their bright warmth in stamping these days. I especially like the combination of yellow, orange and navy. I know leaves are rarely navy but orange and navy are opposite on the colour wheel so they create a contrasting stable colour scheme. I chose three colours to participate in this week’s Less is More challenge and the layout is inspired by the CAS(E) this sketch for the week. I just realized I can link up with our current One Layer Simplicity Challenge also to use flowers on a one layer card.
I cut a curved mask to cover the lower two thirds of the card base then chose three stamps from the transparent set Petal Power. I inked the solid petal stamp with mustard seed distress stain and added spiced marmalade along the petal edges. I then inked the co-ordinating outline stamp with just spiced marmalade on the top edge and stamped over the blooms. I stamped a few leaves in chipped sapphire distress stain and added the sentiment in Memento Paris Dusk.
Supplies:
Stamps: Petal Power, Sweet Wishes (PB)
Inks: Memento Paris Dusk (Tsukineko) Chipped Sapphire, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seeds Distress stains (Ranger)
Cardstock: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110lb smooth
One Layer Poppy
Posted: May 3, 2014 Filed under: One-Layer Simplicity challenge, Poppy Time, Sun Catcher | Tags: CAS, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Penny Black stencils, Ranger Distress stains, Tsukineko Memento inks 20 Comments
The new One Layer Simplicity Challenge is to make a card with flowers on it. There is already a gorgeous array of floral inspiration on the blog and you have until May 24th to add yours. The current Mod Squad challenge is to make a one-layer card so my poppy card meets the criteria there also.
To create this watery poppy I positioned the ‘Sun Catcher Stencil’ then painted the flower head in water. While it was very wet I added both Mustard Seed and Victorian Velvet Distress stains to the water and blended them with a paintbrush. I used the co-ordinating ‘Poppy Time’ stamp to stamp the stems, bud and seed head then used a paintbrush to immediately fill them with distress stains. By this stage the poppy head had dried a bit so I inked some of the stamp with ink to add a few veins to define the petals. I added the verses from 1 Corinthians in a mix of Memento ink and distress stain allowing some to blur and some to bleed. The piece of watercolour paper already had two ink drops on it so I carefully added a few more rather than going overboard with the flicking technique I have been using lately.
Thanks for dropping by. I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Edited to add: If you are interested in an “Introduction to Stamping” class there are a few spaces left in the class I am teaching at “Crop-A-While” in Orleans on Thursday May 8th. Please click on the store link for more details and contact the store to register.
Supplies:
Stamps: Poppy Time, Love Chapter (PB)
Stencil: Sun Catcher
Inks: Memento Rich Cocoa (Tsukineko) Vintage Photo, Mustard Seed, Victorian Velvet, Peeled Paint Distress Stains & Wild Honey, Peeled Paint Distress inks (Ranger)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper
Backgrounds in Bloom
Posted: May 2, 2014 Filed under: Floral Tapestry, Hooray | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 11 Comments
I have made several cards with this pretty background stamp lately and there are more to come. For this one I tried something new, a technique I saw on Jennifer McGuire’s blog and in a few other places too. To begin I stamped the background stamp on watercolour paper with versamark ink then embossed with clear embossing powder. Next I applied several different distress stains taking care to blend them in some places and keep them separate in others. I then spritzed the whole panel with water and let it dry naturally. Finally I placed the panel between two pieces of printer paper and ironed all the embossing off. The effect reminds me of batik, something I did a lot of in high school. I added the “Smile” die cut in the same “Fall festival” cardstock as the mat.
Background stamps have been the feature all week on the Penny Black blog so if you are looking for inspiration pop on over.
Cheryl has set us a new challenge on the One Layer Simplicity blog which will be a delight to try. Go and take a look.
Supplies:
Stamps: Floral Tapestry (PB)
Dies: Hooray (PB)
Inks: Versamark (Tsukineko) Vintage Photo, Spiced Marmalade, Barn Door, Mustard Seeds Distress stains (Ranger)
Cardstock: Neenah Classic Crest Natural White 110lb smooth , Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, PB Fall festival mix & match paper
Charming in blue
Posted: April 30, 2014 Filed under: Charming | Tags: Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolour pencils, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks 7 Comments
I made this card quite a while ago so I am not able to tell you which watercolour pencils I used but I can outline my process for you. I inked the “Charming” stamp using memento markers which make it easy to ink the flowers, leaves and stems in different colours. I used a blue, a green and a yellow watercolour pencil to colour in the leaves and flowers blending afterward with a waterbrush . I ran the blue pencil around the perimeter of the panel and blended the colour in to create a spft edge. I also picked up colour from a pale blue pencil to fill in the background. Some of the pale blue blended with the the stamped ink which created little water colour bleeds that I quite like. I sponged a bit of yellow ink in the top corner to suggest sunlight and added the sentiment and mat.
Thank you for all your encouraging comments; I enjoy reading them all and try to respond to the questions as soon as I can. I have also been taking note of requests for tutorials, so hopefully there will be a new one soon!
Take care.
Supplies:
Stamps: Charming, Truly Great (PB)
Inks: Memento Paris Dusk, Cottage Ivy, Dandelion (Tsukineko)
Pencils: Albrecht Durer Watercolour pencils (Faber Castell)
Paper: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110lb smooth, PB Mix & Match Periwinkle Paper
Umbrellas
Posted: April 27, 2014 Filed under: April Showers, Watercolour | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 24 Comments
The snow is practically gone here and the rain has come. The latest challenge at The Card Concept is to use an umbrella. I dreamed up a little idea last week but it has taken me until today to get it finished, only just in time to enter it in the challenge. The inspiration from the design team is incredibly varied and creative; definitely go and visit if you haven’t already. I decided to make a water colour sky with the distress stains and pearl-ex spray I have been playing around with lately. I flicked a little masking fluid over the panel before adding any colour then, when it was dry, swiped three blue distress stains back and forth across the piece of watercolour paper. To blend the blue distress inks I generously spritzed water with pearl-ex in it over the whole panel. It had plenty of time to dryas I took days to get back to it. I embossed four little umbrellas in black and added the sentiment in black before popping the panel up on dimensional tape. Because my background was swiped painted I am also linking to the City Crafter Paint it challenge.
I tried taking photos at several different angles to capture the shimmer of the pearl-ex but it wasn’t easy. The best example I have is the close up below. It really does have a pretty shimmer when it catches the light.
Supplies:
Stamps: April Showers, Summer Fun (PB)
Inks: Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko) Chipped Sapphire, Tumbled Glass, Faded Jeans Distress Stains (Ranger)
Cardstock: Neenah Brilliant White 110lb smooth , Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper
Also: black detail embossing powder, Pearl Ex, Masking fluid
Sapphire Tapestry
Posted: April 26, 2014 Filed under: CAS, Floral Tapestry | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 17 Comments
When I recently created these two cards I was so taken with Chipped Sapphire distress stain and the Floral Tapestry stamp I kept it out on my work table and kept playing with it for several days. The panel above was created by inking the stamp with distress stain then spritzing it with water that had pearl ex mixed into it. The water reacted with the stain and the pearl ex created a lovely sheen that is unfortunately not apparent in the photo. The sheen has a gold tint so I matted with dark blue and gold cardstock. (a little hint for those who are all about the ‘matchy-matchy’ like I am: if you do not have the exact colour cardstock to pair with your stamping you can apply the ink you are trying to match to a similar coloured cardstock or even white cardstock)
When I stamped this image in the spritzed distress stain the first impression was much darker and some of the flowers were getting lost in all the stain. This panel was made from the second impression. I find that I can often do two or three impressions when I have inked a stamp with distress stain because a little spray of water spreads and dilutes the stain left on the stamp.
Do you have a favourite ink colour at present? Blue happens to be my favourite colour anyway but at different times and in different seasons I reach for other colour favourites in my artistic endeavours.
Supplies:
Stamps: Floral Tapestry, Gratitude (PB)
Inks: Memento Paris Dusk (Tsukineko) Chipped Sapphire Distress Stains (Ranger)
Cardstock: Neenah Classic Crest Natural White 110lb smooth , Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, PB Periwinkle mix & match paper, gold card
Friendship Flowers
Posted: April 23, 2014 Filed under: Friendship Flowers, Twirls, Watercolour | Tags: Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolour pencils, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Penny Black stencils, Tsukineko Memento inks 11 Comments
This little scene was built in layers, some of which you will need to take my word for as they are no longer obvious. I taped the watercolour panel down with painters tape to begin and you can see that I kept a very narrow border around the picture panel when I cropped it later.
The first step was sponging memento new sprout ink through the promenade stencil ( you can just see it ). Next I wet the whole panel and stamped the verdant wood mounted stamp in memento olive grove several times. The ink bled and faded. At this point I had to decide on a feature image; I picked the little wheel barrow of flowers from the new Friendship Flowers transparent set. I inked only the wheel barrow in memento London fog, spritzed it and stamped on the panel. I then used watercolour pencils to add colour and shading to the barrow. I inked up the rest of the stamp (flowers) in memento rhubarb stalk and love letter, spritzed it and stamped onto the panel. I used red and green watercolour pencils to fill in the flowers, stems and leaves. I framed the scene using the flourish stamp from the Twirls set stamped in London Fog and coloured with the same red and green pencils. I drew a border around the edge with the green pencil and blended from the edge inwards with water. Finally I added the sentiment and matted the picture on green stamped with the Twirls flourish stamp.
Supplies:
Stamps: Verdant, Friendship Flowers, Twirls (PB)
Inks: Memento London Fog, New Sprout, Olive Grove, Rhubarb Stalk, Love Letter (Tsukineko)
Pencils: Albrecht Durer Watercolour pencils Pale Geranium Lake 121, Light Grey 195, Medium Grey 197, Black 199, Pine Green 267 (Faber Castell)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110lb smooth, PB Mix & Match Spring Meadow Paper
Heather Telford 