Sparkle With Us challenge

Posted: March 1, 2018 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Challenges, Gilding Flakes, Swirling Wings, The Foiled Fox, Triple Banner | Tags: Gilding, Penny Black creative dies, WOW embossing powders | 4 Comments

It’s time to put on your sparkly shoes, my friends, or at least your sparkly embellishments! I have teamed up with The Foiled Fox for a sparkly challenge that starts now.

I might have got a little bit carried away in choosing sparkly elements for my card. There is not much that doesn’t sparkle on this one. You can follow my lead and pull out all the sparkle or you can choose to feature just a little sparkle. Either approach will qualify you to enter the ‘Sparkle With Us’ challenge.

I used some lovely shimmer cardstock from The Foiled Fox and a whole bunch of gilding flakes. I know they can end up all over the place but I love the textured look of gilding flakes. Because there is some creasing and overlapping there is a lot of variation in the gold of the flakes. I also used gold embossing powder for my gold on gold on gold sparkly card. There are some step by step photos on the Foiled Fox blog so make sure you click on over.

I am excited to share some more sparkly inspiration over the next few weeks and hope to see your creations in the challenge gallery: you can get there by clicking the frog below.

Sparkly Supplies

Stamps: Penny Black banner sentiments set

Dies: swirling wings, triple banner die set

Cardstock: shimmer antique gold, neenah natural white,

Also: stick it adhesive, gold gilding flakes, gold embossing powder

Lilacs

Posted: February 28, 2018 | Author: Heather | Filed under: lilacs | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains, Tsukineko Versafine inks | 5 Comments

Spring is in the air at Penny Black and is beginning to feel like it here in Ottawa too. The method for this card is exactly the same as shown in my lilac video tutorial This card was stamped with distress stains, one of my favourite mediums for creating a loose watercoloury look. I have used the distress stain daubers for years now to ink my stamps but you may have heard, sadly the daubers are being discontinued. Even though I have a healthy supply of daubers I decided to use the spray stains for this card instead just to see if I could get the same effects with a paint brush. It takes an extra step but it worked and the results made me just as happy. If you have the daubers you apply stain directly to the stamp. (I will just add that the daubers are still available at the Foiled Fox right now; I intend to keep using my daubers and refill them from the spray stain bottles. To do this I just carefully lever off the dauber top and pour in some stain then press the dauber top firmly back on.)

Rather than dob stain on the stamp with the dauber I sprayed some stain into a palette and painted it on to the ‘lilacs’ stamp with a watercolour brush. I used bundled sage and forest moss on the leaves and seedless preserves and dusty concord on the petals. There are some pale lilacs in the background; I stamped them first by painting stain (bundled sage and seedless preserves) onto the stamp and stamping it on a wet piece of hot pressed watercolour paper. I just stamped randomly to spread some colour around then pressed a paper towel over the panel to remove excess water and colour. I dried the panel completely then transferred it to my stamping platform so I could stamp one colour at a time. I painted seedless preserves stain on the stamp first and stamped onto my panel. Without cleaning the stamp I added some dusty concord to a few areas on the stamp and stamped again. The stain blended both on the stamp and on the paper. I cleaned the stamp and used the same technique for the leaves, bundled sage first then forest moss in a few areas to create shadow and depth to the image.

To add another couple of flowers I repeated the process described above after repositioning the panel. I added a sentiment from the new ‘grateful heart’ set with imperial purple versafine ink.

Thanks for dropping by and thanks for all your encouragement.

Supplies

Stamps: lilacs, grateful heart
.
Distress stains: bundled sage, forest moss, seedless preserves, dusty concord
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Ink: versafine imperial purple ink
Paper: hot pressed watercolour

Also: MISTI or stamping platform

Pencil tulips

Posted: February 23, 2018 | Author: Heather | Filed under: tulip bouquet | Tags: Faber-Castell Polychromos Colour Pencil, Minc, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Prismacolor pencils | 7 Comments

I had fun with a few new techniques and products when creating this card. Those white spots on the kraft cardstock are not paint splats even though they look a bit like I spilt something on my panel. I sprayed some minc reactive mist onto a kraft panel then ran it through the minc with white foil. I realise I could have used white gesso or paint but the thing I like about the foiling in this instance is that it has no texture or bulk so stamping over it was easy.

I stamped the Penny Black ‘tulip bouquet’ stamp in the corner and part of a sentiment from the PB ‘choose happy’ set both in versafine onyx black ink then started colouring. Since I began teaching my pencil colouring technique class I have had pencils within reach most of the time. I grabbed a couple of prismacolor pinks, a green and a polychromos white to colour the tulips and leaves. The antique hemp twine seems to be popping up on quite a few cards too; it’s not too thick to knot or tie in a bow and it blends in with most colour schemes and especially kraft cardstock. To add a little interest to my white card base I gave it an all-over texture treatment by running it through the die-cutting machine several times with the new ‘rows of stitches’ die from Penny Black.

I really enjoyed reading the responses to my last card – the one with the clever black brusho design. Some of you have already experienced the joy of black brusho and others are now wanting to try it. I’d love to see your creations if you do try it; please leave me a comment or use the contact me option.

Supplies

PB Stamps: tulip bouquet, choose happy

PB Die: rows of stitches

Ink: versafine onyx black ink

Paper: kraft

Pencils: prismacolor 925, 930, 911, polychromos 101

Also: minc reactive mist, white foil, minc

Lilacs video tutorial

Posted: February 19, 2018 | Author: Heather | Filed under: lilacs, Tutorial | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains, video | 12 Comments

I am excited to share not only these pretty new stamps today but a video tutorial as well! I know, it is hard to believe.

I created this card using a technique I love to use with brushstroke stamps: watercolour with distress stains. I generally use the dauber topped distress stains but as they are being discontinued I thought I would try applying stain with a paint brush. It adds another step in application but the end result is just as pretty.

I filmed this video and a couple more with my son’s new camera which I am still getting used to so there are some focusing issues where the camera chooses to focus on my hand instead of the panel. I didn’t think it was enough of a problem to start again so I hope it isn’t too annoying. You get to see me drop my paintbrush with stain on it in the middle of the panel and come up with a quick fix too. I hope you enjoy the video and get to do some creating of your own.

Thanks for dropping by.

Supplies

Stamps: lilacs, grateful heart

Distress stains: shaded lilacs, wilted violet, bundled sage, peeled paint

Inks: Spanish moss versafine ink
Paper: hot pressed watercolour, neenah natural white

Tools: MISTI

Floral medley

Posted: February 16, 2018 | Author: Heather | Filed under: floral medley | Tags: Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolour pencils, Penny Black stamps, WOW embossing powders | 7 Comments

Sweet Spring has arrived, on the Penny Black blog that is! Sweet Spring is Penny Black’s brand new release and as you can imagine it’s full of flowers. I’ve been having fun using some of my favourite techniques to colour those flowers so let’s take a look at today’s blooms. This big stamp is called ‘flower medley’ and I’ve paired it with a new sentiment from the ‘grateful heart’ set. (list and links below)

I embossed the flower medley stamp on hot pressed watercolour paper with white powder then used my watercolour pencils to paint in and around all the leaves and flowers. The embossing keeps everything contained so I was able to pick up colour from my pencils with a waterbrush, paint a petal or leaf then drop in more of the same colour for some depth or a different colour to create some blended areas. Once all the flowers and leaves were coloured I painted around them all with a grey watercolour pencil.

Next I used a trick I occasionally employ to flatten my watercoloured panels. I turned on my minc, popped the panel inside a folded piece of computer paper and ran it through the minc on a low heat setting. It ironed my panel nicely but also melted and removed some of the embossing. If I had used an embossing powder with some colour or shine then I wouldn’t have wanted it to disappear but clear or white embossing just masks the white paper underneath so melting it off didn’t change my design at all. The panel ended up very smooth so I was able to overlap the floral design with a sentiment stamped in versafine smokey gray ink. I matted the panel with co-ordinating pink cardstock and then added it to a square cream card base.

Now click on over to the Penny Black blog for the full reveal and a giveaway!

Supplies

Stamps

Inks: versamark, versafine smokey gray

Pencils: Faber-Castell Albrecht Dürer watercolour pencils

Paper: hot pressed watercolour paper, pink cardstock

Also: opaque white embossing powder, minc foil applicator

Good neighbours

Posted: February 13, 2018 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Coloured pencil, Good neighbours | Tags: Faber-Castell Polychromos Colour Pencil, Penny Black stamps | 7 Comments

After teaching some colour pencil classes I am feeling inspired to use my pencils more often. I especially like the look on black cardstock but it is trickier to get a good photo. I used my Faber-Castell polychromos pencils for this card paired with the ‘good neighbors’ stamp from Penny Black.

I embossed the stamp with platinum powder then used a selection of coloured pencils to fill all the images. I wanted the sentiment to add some more interest to the black panel so I die-cut the top of my image panel with one of the PB stitched edges dies, used the same die to frame the sentiment then cut a little strip again with the same die to complete the rectangle again at the top.

The sentiment is embossed in platinum and then all the panels are attached to a cream card base. A little larger than my usual, hence the side fold. I’m teaching a coloured pencil technique class in Toronto in April; you can find the details on my upcoming classes page.

Supplies

Stamps: good neighors, spice of life

Die: stitched edges

Ink: versamark

Also: WOW metallic platinum superfine embossing powder, Faber Castell Polychromos pencils

Snow blooms

Posted: February 8, 2018 | Author: Heather | Filed under: a little secret, Effulgent | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress inks | 12 Comments

I sense a bit of a theme in this week’s cards; do you think maybe I’m thinking about spring? I am surrounded by gorgeous floral stamps in my workroom but by six foot snow banks outside. So today’s card started out as just a pretty pink magnolia but ended up caught in some flurries.

My plan was to build up colour step by step, keep it controlled and neat (not loose and watery). I stamped the whole stamp in worn lipstick ink then coloured the darker areas of the petals with a festive berries marker, the sepals in forest moss marker and the twigs in gathered twigs marker. I then blended the colour with water on a small brush so it was still fairly neat.

I wanted some extra foliage in the background and that’s when things started to go a little freestyle. I masked the flowers with a post it and stamped the ‘a little secret’ stamp a couple of times in stormy sky ink. The two stamps did not really look like they belonged together so I left behind my ‘neat’ plan and started spritzing the water around. The background softened but not quite enough so I painted some stormy sky into the background also. As I painted stormy sky right up to the edge of the branch the brown bled into the blue, things got loose and watery and, in my opinion, more appealing. I added some aged mahogany ink to the the centres of the flowers and some gold gel pen highlights. Then I wanted some snow as well so I splattered white gesso over the petals. I found a co-ordinating blue to frame the panel and kept it without a sentiment for now.

Supplies

Stamps: effulgent, a little secret

Distress inks and markers: worn lipstick, festive berries, forest moss, gathered twigs, stormy sky, aged mahogany

Paper: hot pressed watercolour paper,

Paint: white gesso

Also: gold gel pen

Graceful whisper

Posted: February 7, 2018 | Author: Heather | Filed under: graceful whisper | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains, Tsukineko Memento inks | 14 Comments

This branch has been waiting patiently for some ink so I went rather non-traditional and pulled out some purples to create this card. I splattered a few panels of hot pressed watercolour paper with masking fluid yesterday so I would have them on hand for future projects. The effect is subtle on this one but you can see little white dots in the sky and foliage if you look closely.

I used a couple of teardrop memento inks and a marker to ink the stamp. With the teardrops it is possible to apply ink somewhat strategically. I started with the lighter grape jelly ink and dabbed it here and there over the stamp. My panel was in my stamping platform so I was able to do grape jelly ink first, then add some dabs of the darker elderberry ink second. I went back and forth with the two inks and occasionally a spritz of water until I was happy with the image. I coloured the stems with a memento tuxedo black marker, stamped to complete the image then moved the panel to stamp a second branch the same way.

Once all the stamping dried I used mustard seed and salty ocean distress stain to paint the sky. I kept it fairly diluted and dabbed with a paper towel if I had too much water or stain. To finish it off I stamped the sentiment from the PB ‘sentiment collection’ set in versafine onyx black ink then matted the panel with black and attached it to a white card base.

Supplies

Stamps: graceful whisper, sentiment collection

Inks: grape jelly, elderberry, tuxedo black marker

Stains: salty ocean, mustard seed

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

Also: masking fluid

Roses all over

Posted: January 30, 2018 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Bister, My Favorite Things, Roses all over, Shades | Tags: Bister, My Favorite Things, Penny Black creative dies | 15 Comments

I pulled out my bister powders the other day; they were kind of pushed to the back of the watercolour shelf. They turned out to be a perfect match for this ‘roses all over’ stamp from My Favorite Things. Bister (and brusho and colorburst) does wonderful things when sprinkled over embossing because the powder gets trapped inside the ‘walls’ of embossing and keeps colours and shades separate. If you are not familiar with bister, you can read about it here. The colours are earthier than brusho and colorburst which is nice for a change.

Believe it or not this panel is painted with just red bister; all that lovely variety is from one colour. I embossed the watercolour panel with platinum embossing powder then sprinkled the red bister over it and spritzed with water. I watched to see if sections were filling with colour before spritzing or sprinkling a second time. Once there was enough powder I used a paint brush in just a few places to blend or spread the colour. I did not have to do much with the brush because MAGIC.

I found a cardstock that co-ordinated to mat the panel and create a banner for the sentiment. The banner die is from the PB ‘shades’ set and the sentiment embossed in platinum is from the PB ‘banner sentiments’ set.

Thanks for dropping by.

Supplies

Stamps: roses all over (MFT), banner sentiments(PB)

Die: shades (PB)

Ink: versamark

Paint: bister powder red
Cardstock: hot pressed watercolour, neenah natural white, red cardstock

Also: platinum embossing powder

Circle of hearts

Posted: January 25, 2018 | Author: Heather | Filed under: hearts in circle | Tags: Brusho, Finetec artist mica watercolour paint, Penny Black creative dies | 4 Comments

For today’s rather bold card I started, as I often do with a masking fluid splattered panel. I continued, as I often do by sprinkling brusho powder over the panel then spritzing with water to activate it. I do tend to be a ‘chap of one idea’ at times don’t I? (Can you place that quote from one of my favourite book series?) This time the brusho was rose red and terracotta. Once dry, I splattered gold finetec paint over the panel and let it dry. I removed the masking fluid, trimmed the panel to a square then painted the edges with gold paint.

That was the easy part; after that the fiddliness factor rose considerably. I attached adhesive sheet to the back of the panel and die cut ‘hearts in circle’ from the centre of the panel and from a red adhesive backed foam sheet. I carefully saved the little hearts in formation on a piece of ‘press n seal’. I peeled the backing off the watercolour panel and attached it to the card front. Next I pressed the die cut adhesive backed foam hearts into each space in the die cut panel. Finally I peeled the backing off the die cut watercolour hearts and attached them on top of foam hearts. This was a little like completing a jigsaw puzzle.

Finally I die cut two sentiments from the ‘filled with love’ set out of watercolor paper, glued them together and painted them gold. I attached them over the heart circle so the card is somewhat bulky but nothing a little extra postage or a hand delivery can’t handle.