Summer Glow

Yes, I’ve got more flowers to share today from the new Penny Black release, ‘Nature’s Art‘. This one is a large rubber cling outline stamp. I decided to try a combination I’ve heard about numerous times but never attempted: zig clean color real brush pens on bristol paper. I work on watercolour paper a lot of the time as you know but I’ve heard that blending the zig pens is easier on bristol. Well, it is. I embossed the image with clear powder on bristol paper then used five different colours to fill in the flowers and leaves. I started with purple pen at one end of each petal and tea rose at the other end (in this case the end closest to the centre of the flower). I blended the two colours together with a damp brush then added orange dots down the centre of the petals. I added a small amount of brown to the centre of the flower also.

I coloured the leaves in green then added brown here and there before blending with a damp brush.

As a finishing touch I die cut the ‘scrolls half edger’ decorative piece out of purple cardstock which had double sided adhesive on the back. I matted the panel in the same purple then snipped pieces of the die-cut to lay over the base of the panel.

I’m looking forward to seeing irises pop up in my snow-free garden before too long; there is no snow on it now!

Supplies

Stamps: summer glow 40-610 (PB)

Die: scrolls half edger 51-446

Ink: versamark

Markers: zig clean colour real brush pens (tea rose, brown, green, violet, orange)

Paper: bristol, neenah solar white, purple

Also: clear embossing powder, double sided adhesive sheet

You’re fantastic

Posted: May 2, 2018 | Author: Heather | Filed under: ravishing | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress inks | 3 Comments

Today I am featuring the new brushstroke stamp, ‘ravishing’. I have chosen to colour it with distress inks and markers in a couple of my favourite colours. Once again I worked in a stamp positioner so I could add one colour at a time. First I inked the petals of ‘ravishing’ stamp with tumbled glass distress ink and stamped. Next I added dusty concord ink to parts of the petals, spritzed them then stamped. The centre I inked with a mustard seed distress marker, spritzed and stamped then finally added some black details on the stamp with a black soot marker. Once all the ink dried I drew some more details on the panel with the black soot marker.

For a sentiment I die-cut ‘fantastic’ twice from purple cardstock backed with double sided adhesive. I stacked the die cuts together and attached them over the stem. I pulled out an older but very handy set called ‘word express’ and stamped a few words in black ink on watercolor paper. I popped them up with adhesive to create an encouraging message for a mother I know.

I cut the floral panel to exactly the size of my card base so it appears to be almost a one layer card.

Supplies

Stamps: ravishing 40-589 (PB), word express 30-106

Die: fantastic thank you 51-427 (PB)

Paper: hot pressed watercolour, purple cardstock

Ink: nocturne versafine clair
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Distress inks & markers: mowed lawn & forest moss inks, tumbled glass, dusty concord, black soot and mustard seed markers

Also: double sided adhesive sheets, foam adhesive, stamping platform

Flower Field

Posted: May 1, 2018 | Author: Heather | Filed under: flower field, Foiling, Zigs & zags | Tags: Foiling, Kuretake Zig clean color real brush markers, Penny Black stamps, Penny Black stencils, WOW embossing powders | 6 Comments

There are an unusual amount of processes involved in today’s card and I will say there are definitely ways to cut corners and get the same effect. It’s a bit like my approach to cooking; if I look at a recipe and the list of ingredients is more than 10, I’m reluctant, if there are multiple processes then I’m not interested! I’m very much a fan of the ‘one pot dinner’. My husband, on the other hand, will create all manner of elements from scratch before even starting the main recipe.

In the case of this card you might happen to have some black and white chevron cardstock to add to the card front. I did not, so I made my own with the Penny Black zigs & zags stencil. My chevron does have the bonus features of texture and shine. I taped my stencil on watercolour paper ( the same type I used for the floral panel) and spread transfer gel over it. I let that dry then lay black foil over it and ran it through the minc. I also ran some adhesive tape over a strip of cardstock and added black foil to that too so I would have a bold strip to position between the chevron and flower panels.

To create my bright and breezy flower panel I put the Penny Black ‘flower field’ stamp in my stamping platform and worked one colour at a time with zig clean color real brush pens. (I remember last time I posted about these pens I hinted that I might just need a few more colours. When I was in Toronto a couple of weeks back I picked up a few more.) I coloured directly onto the flowers with the pens and was able to add colour over colour as the brush tips are easy to clean off by drawing on a piece of scrap paper. I did spritz the stamp a little before stamping on the hot pressed watercolour paper so the images would be soft and blended. I added some black to the centres while the panel was still damp but dried it before adding fine details with a pigma micron pen.

My little sentiment strip is embossed white on black to tie in with the zigs & zags.

Thank you for dropping in.

Supplies

Stamps: flower field 40-594, radiant 30-481

Stencil: zigs & zags (PB)

Ink: versamark

Markers: kuretake zig clean color real brush pens (violet, pink, olive green, carmine red, green, yellow, black), black pigma micron .01

Paper: hot pressed watercolour, natural white, black

Also: transfer gel, black foil, white opaque embossing powder

Tools: minc, stamping platform

Radiant blooms

Posted: April 30, 2018 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Peerless watercolours, radiant | Tags: Faber-Castell Polychromos Colour Pencil, Peerless Transparent Watercolors, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Versafine inks | 12 Comments

I am sharing floral cards this week here and on the Penny Black blog. This particular one makes me happy. It took me an age to complete but I think it’s bright and sunny. I’ve been wanting to create a card where the design continues across the back and front; my next challenge is one where the design covers back, front and inside!

I used the large floral stamp from the transparent set ‘radiant’; it’s part of the new Nature’s Art release from Penny Black. I used my stamping platform and antique linen ink to stamp three prints across the panel. I wanted them to fit nicely together but not look like a repeat pattern so I changed the direction each time. If I had been really diligent I would have masked the first before I stamped the next but I just let them overlap a little. When it came to adding colour I decided which petals or leaves would be in front and painted accordingly. You can’t tell now can you?

I used quite a few colours but I mixed and matched a bit. Basically I chose a yellow and orange for the large flowers, a peach and a pink for the medium flowers then did some smaller flowers with the orange and the pink (not new colours) I added a purple to the mix but shaded with the pink used earlier. On each flower I painted the lighter colour first then dropped in some of the darker one where I wanted shadow. I painted half the leaves with green and the other half with blue green then added shading to all with a darker green. When the same colour pops up in a few different mixes on your design it keeps things cohesive and visually appealing. Once all the painting was completed I used coloured pencils here and there to darken shadows and add more definition

The set includes solid centres in two sizes for the flowers so I stamped them in black and created my die cut stacked sentiment in black also. And I almost forgot to mention I stamped and painted a couple of flowers inside too.

I’ll be back with more bright and breezy florals tomorrow.

Supplies

Stamps: radiant 30-481 (PB)

Die: congratulation 51-439 (PB)

Inks: antique linen distress ink, nocturne versafine clair

Paint: Peerless watercolours

Paper: hot pressed watercolour, neenah black

Pencils: Faber-Castell polychromos pencils

fantastic

Posted: April 20, 2018 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Alcohol Ink, curved stitch | Tags: Foiling, Minc, Penny Black creative dies, Ranger Alcohol Ink | 7 Comments

Not long ago I learnt from a couple of friends that foil will stick to some alcohol inks. I posted a card at that time and continued to experiment with foil and alcohol ink panels. If the alcohol ink sitting on the yupo paper is a little sticky the foil will stick more readily than if the inks are long dried. I ran today’s panel through my minc not long after I’d created it and a lot of gold foil stuck. Foil doesn’t stick to all colours of alcohol ink and I’m sorry to say I have not done exhaustive testing to know which ones work. I just layer on some foil, run it through the minc and see what I get!

I was pretty happy with what I got this time there were some really pretty gold highlights, but a few more than I wanted. I decided to see whether I could add alcohol ink over the top of the foiling just to tone some of the gold down a little. I was pleasantly surprised to see the gold foil change to a dull silver when it came in contact with the ink. It is definitely hard to photograph the results but my blue and green panel has gold highlights as well as subtler silver patterns.

To turn my panel into a card I backed the yupo with white cardstock then cut it in two using the curved stitch die from Penny Black. I stacked some gold die-cuts to make the word ‘fantastic’ look a little more fantastic and added it all to a natural card base. I think this one might turn up as a graduation card this June.

Supplies

Dies: curved stitch, fantastic

Inks: ranger alcohol inks aqua, willow, denim

Paper: yupo, neenah solar white, neenah natural white, gold foil

Also: gold foil, minc, rubbing alcohol

Becoming

Posted: April 12, 2018 | Author: Heather | Filed under: becoming | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains, Tsukineko Versafine inks | 5 Comments

I am sharing this card on the Foiled Fox blog today, a great place to visit if you are looking for some inspiring content or some lovely products (in their online store). I am grateful to The Foiled Fox for supporting my creative work in a variety of ways and I want to let you know my blog includes affiliate links to their online store which give me a small commission.

Yet again I used my distress stains to work with a Penny Black floral stamp. You may have heard the distress stain daubers are being discontinued but the spray stains are not so I intend to refill my daubers from my spray stains; the stain is the same in both bottles. If you don’t want to get messy and do refills you can just paint stain onto your stamp with a brush or use an ink pad and spritz your stamp for a looser, more watery look.

I started in my stamping platform by inking the flower and bud with worn lipstick stain. I stamped then cleaned the stamp so I would not contaminate the dauber of the dusty concord distress stain when I added that next. I kept the dusty concord mainly around the edges of the flower and tip of the bud but it blended into the flower a little which is what I was after.

I inked the leaves and stem with pumice stone and stamped. While that was still wet I added forest moss stain to parts of the leaves and stems to get the two toned look. I dried the panel well then splattered some forest moss stain around the leaves and some dusty concord over the flower.

I added a sentiment in versafine clair monarch ink then popped up the whole panel on white foam before adding it to card base.

Supplies

Stamps: PB Becoming, Just Believe

Distress stains: pumice stone, forest moss, worn lipstick, dusty concord

Ink: versafine clair monarch

Paper:

Also: white foam

Spontaneous joy

Posted: April 11, 2018 | Author: Heather | Filed under: spontaneous joy | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks | 6 Comments

I am happy to share another video with you today. I know…that’s three this year and it’s only April. The future is looking promising. So far the three I have posted were all filmed on the same day but rest assured there are three more in process now. The stamp on today’s card is another pretty brushstroke stamp from Penny Black. I have a few techniques I use with brushstroke stamps ranging from very detailed to very loose and watery. This card has quite a loose look but it’s still clear we are looking at poppies!

I used a combination of mememto ink pads and markers and worked in a stamp positioner so I could build the colour up step by step. Check out the video to see my whole process.

Thank you for the encouraging comments left here and on youtube about my videos. I am so happy to provide them and thrilled to hear the techniques are making sense and inspiring you to try them yourself.

Supplies

Stamps: spontaneous joy, just believe

Inks: versafine onyx black, memento dandelion ink, memento tangelo, potter’s clay, espresso truffle, northern pine, olive grove markers

Paper: hot pressed watercolour paper

Also: MISTI

Flower Pageant

Posted: April 9, 2018 | Author: Heather | Filed under: flower pageant | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains | 4 Comments

Yes, I used my distress stains for watercolouring again! I could definitely have used ink pads or markers but I really like the uneven amount of pigment and liquid the stains lay down when stamped. Odd isn’t it that I like the coverage to be uneven? With uneven coverage I think the stamping looks more handpainted. I used a stamp positioning tool because you can’t be sure with stain exactly what kind of impression you will get first go. I started with the large flower that is flanked by four little flowers. First I just inked the rose with spiced marmalade distress stain then used a paint brush and water to blend the stain out into pale petals. Next I added the dusty concord, festive berries and forest moss stain to the flowers and leaves surrounding the orange rose. I also blended them with a little water, just enough for them to soften into each other but not lose all definition.

To fill out the design I stamped one of the smaller stamps and blended slightly with water also. At this point I felt my design was looking a bit vintagy so I pulled out an older PB sentiment set incorporating a vintage style font and paired it with one of the new flourish border stamps.

A wide black mat tied it all together. I think these stamps might lend themselves to a repeat pattern on a larger piece of paper. Might have to try that.

Supplies

Stamps: flower pageant, flourish borders, sentimental

Distress stains: forest moss, spiced marmalade, festive berries, dusty concord

Ink: versafine clair nocturne

Paper: hot pressed watercolour, neenah black

You’re spectacular

Posted: April 6, 2018 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Brusho, fantastic, Zigs & zags | Tags: Brusho, Foiling, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Penny Black stencils | 6 Comments

Does that background look a little skewed to you? It’s that exact feature that made me use it for an ‘eye sight’ themed card, something you might have to look at with your head on the side.

I taped the zigs & zags stencil from Penny Black onto a piece of hot pressed watercolour paper then spread deco transfer gel over. I carefully removed the stencil and let the gel dry. Once dry I lay a piece of white foil over the panel and ran it through my minc foiling machine. The result was a white on off-white chevron panel. Because I had created it on watercolour paper I was able to use brusho and a spritzer to make a multicoloured pattern. Once the panel dried and I decided on the ‘spectacle & eyesight’ theme. I wanted the die cut glasses to look a little fancy so I added adhesive sheet to the back of black cardstock then cut three pairs of glasses. I was just going to emboss them with clear powder but thought sparkly clear powder might be even better. After adhering the three die cuts together in a stack I pressed the top layer onto my versamark ink then dipped it in WOW clear sparkle powder. Even though the powder is clear it ended with a slight green sparkle to it. It looks a little different depending what base colour you emboss over. I pressed the glasses onto my versamark again and embossed in clear powder over the top of the sparkle.

My sentiment is just one of the eyesight themed sentiments in the ‘perspective’ transparent set from Penny Black. To complete the card I matted the zig zag panel in a co-ordinating colour, attached the sentiment then the glasses and attached it all to a white card base. Not my usual style but I had a lot of fun putting it together.

Supplies

Stamps: perspective

Dies: glasses (PB), 2″ square die

Stencil: zigs & zags (PB)

Paint: colorburst turquoise, olive green, ultramarine

Ink: versamark

Paper: hot pressed watercolour, neenah epic black, neenah solar white, olive green

Also: clear sparkle embossing powder, clear embossing powder, double sided adhesive sheets, MINC, white foil, deco transfer gel

Painted Sunfire

Posted: April 4, 2018 | Author: Heather | Filed under: cherry blossom, Foiling, Peerless watercolours, stitched square & circles, Sun fire | Tags: Peerless Transparent Watercolors, Penny Black creative dies | 11 Comments

When creating die cut cards I sometimes paint the watercolour paper first, as I did for the brusho card posted a couple of days ago. Other times I do the die cutting and paint each element separately. For today’s card I cut three lilies ( a Penny Black die named ‘sunfire’) from hot pressed watercolour paper then painted them with peerless watercolours.

I chose a pink, a red and an orange paint and used at least two of them on each flower which gave me variety in the blooms but a cohesive look overall. I let the petals dry before using the red paint to add dots and the yellow paint for the stamen. I used a blue-ish green on the stems and leaves. Once all the paint was dry I used a glue pen to add a vein down the centre of the petals and also dabbed the ends of each stamen. I let the glue sit and dry partially then pressed gold foil over it .

To create a floral arrangement I cut a circle and some cherry blossom from unpainted watercolour paper and glued down all the elements. It took me a while to work out a layout that looked balanced. The die cut lilies are quite large so I trimmed bits off in order to fit them all on the card front. I finished it off with a gold foil die cut sentiment.

Supplies

Dies: sunfire, cherry blossom, many thanks, stitched square & circles

Paper: cold pressed watercolour paper, gold foil cardstock

Paint: Peerless watercolour paints

Also: quickie glue pen, gold foil