Stripes and strips
Posted: November 14, 2023 Filed under: Christmas background, Dies, Hand drawn, Hand lettered, My Favorite Things, Penny Black, starry night | Tags: collage, My Favorite Things, Penny Black creative dies 8 Comments
If you have scraps of patterned or solid coloured paper today’s post is for you. I made a panel of striped cardstock by cutting thin strips of patterned paper and gluing them to a piece of light cardstock. From my homemade ‘striped cardstock’ I cut a hand drawn tree, a hand drawn bird and some simple triangle trees. You could use dies for all the elements I was just playing with ideas and decided to sketch and cut myself.
I used an embossed snowflake background for the card at the top of the page, a stamped kraft background for the tree above and then plain kraft for the bird. The little stars that decorate each card I did not hand cut of course! They are cut with the PB ‘starry night die’ and applied with the help of one of those sticky ended tools. Little embellishments have a high fiddliness factor which I don’t appreciate but these tiny stars were necessary!
I added outlines to both the bird and the tree with white or black gel pen along with some dots and a handwritten sentiment.
Cutting my own shapes was fun and put some of the many paper scraps to good use!
Old favourites
Posted: November 10, 2023 Filed under: Berry kissed, Penny Black, Uncategorized | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks 6 Comments
When I say old favourites I am talking in crafting years not harking back to my grandmother’s time. The PB stamp featured on today’s card is definitely a favourite, it’s called ‘berry kissed‘ and it’s been around a few years.
Another old favourite on this card is my often used technique of splattering masking fluid on my hot pressed watercolour paper before stamping or painting. After all the ink is added and dried I remove the masking fluid to reveal little white dots here and there which look like snow.
The final old favourite worth mentioning on this card is the ‘magic’ ink, memento northern pine. It is a dark green dye ink and when it is wet it bleeds into greens, blues and browns. I stamped the leaves with this ink then blended over them with a paintbrush and you can see all the different tones, especially in the close up photo. And yes, the placement of the sentiment does cover a few blotchy berries!
Today’s post features affiliate links to the following companies. If you buy through these links I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. The Foiled Fox & Scrap’n’Stamp
Double Tweetings
Posted: November 3, 2023 Filed under: Penny Black, season's tweetings | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress inks 7 Comments
Today’s cards are a 2 for 1 technique. Using the PB stamp season’s tweetings I created both a bold and a soft version with only a little extra inking on the second generation impression. I worked on hot press watercolour paper with distress inks and markers. After stamping the first time I blended the leaves and bird with a paintbrush and water.
If you haven’t heard the term ‘second generation’ in regard to stamping it is simply the pale ghost image you get when you stamp a stamp a second time without re-inking. In this case I spritzed the stamp lightly with water before stamping a second time so the inks would not be too dry to leave an impression.
The second impression gave me the pale, slightly blotchy leaves which I quite liked so I dried the panel and added more ink to the bird with markers before stamping again. Of course working in a stamp positioner makes this very straight forward. The result is a bokeh type background with the bird prominent in the middle.
Many of my Christmas cards this year feature a one stamp design with loads of white space around the image. It is a bonus to get some two-for-one panels.
I finished both cards with a small sentiment from the PB set ‘holiday snippets’
Today’s post features affiliate links to The Foiled Fox. If you buy through these links I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Just Trilling
Posted: October 30, 2023 Filed under: CAS, Penny Black, trilling trio | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress inks 7 Comments
These two sweet birds are from the Penny Black ‘trilling trio’ set. There is also a cardinal in the set. I made these cards as samples for my current ‘Painting with Stamps’ class. They are examples of when slow and steady wins the race. The stamps were in my stamp positioner and, starting with the palest colours I slowly added ink to the stamp a colour at a time, stamping after each application so as to not overwhelm the small image. I did some blending on the panel with a paintbrush but again my process was ‘little by little’.(Trilling Trio is available in both the US Foiled Fox store and Scrap n Stamp in Canada)
I do enjoy the clean look of a simple image on a plain card base but added just a little texture to these images with an embossing folder to create a distinction between the panel and the base.
On the little chickadee above and below I stamped the large coloured sections in the stamp positioner then at the very end added some ‘feather texture’ with the fine tips of markers.
If you are working with bird stamps and your images are not quite coming alive I have found it helpful to use a fine tip pen to define the eye, adding the white dot back in if necessary with a white gel pen. I had not positioned this little chickadee well on my watercolour paper and it looked like it was falling backwards until I drew a simple twig with a marker to give it a reason to be at the odd angle I’d placed it! The tiny sentiment from PB ‘holiday snippets’ was just what I needed stamped in grey to keep it subtle.
Today’s post features affiliate links to the following companies. If you buy through these links I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. The Foiled Fox & Scrap’n’Stamp
Scarlet Majesty
Posted: October 26, 2023 Filed under: Finetec paints, Penny Black, Scarlet Majesty | Tags: distress markers, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Finetec artist mica watercolour paint, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress inks 7 Comments
Penny Black has released a lovely selection of poinsettia stamps over the years but this one might just be my favourite (don’t tell the others). The endearing feature on this image is those curly ends on the petals. I just love how whimsical they look. This pretty poinsettia is called ‘scarlet majesty‘ and I have featured it in years gone by.
You might have noticed that I don’t have pictures of the products used in my projects at the end of my blog posts anymore. I decided to return to just linking to products in the written text of the post. Many of the links will still be affiliate links and when clicked will take you straight to one of the three stores where I earn affiliate income. Some of the links won’t be affiliate links, they will just be for your convenience.
To create this panel I worked in a stamp positioner so I could work on one or two parts of the stamp at a time rather than try and get it right in one go. I used a couple of red distress inks to stamp the petals but wiped ink off the tips so I could ink them with green ink. I gave the stamp a spritz to get the inks moving and after stamping, blended from red to green with a paint brush. I also used some yellow ink in the centre of the poinsettia and later drew the seeds over the top with a gold gel pen.
To ink those sweet little berries I switched to water-based markers. Once dry I splattered gold paint over the panel and added a little sentiment from the PB ‘holiday snippets’. As is my preference I worked on Fabriano hot pressed watercolour paper.
Thanks for dropping by today. I appreciate your support and love to read the kind messages you leave in the comments.
Today’s post features affiliate links to The Foiled Fox. If you buy through these links I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Warm Reception
Posted: October 20, 2023 Filed under: Penny Black, warm reception | Tags: Artline Stix brush markers, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress inks 7 Comments
I continue to enjoy the gorgeous autumn colours outdoors these days but there will be a few wintry scenes appearing as I create cards for the coming months. This sweet house, a Penny Black stamp called ‘warm reception‘, is similar to several we see on our drive to church. They are lovely houses and look impressive during all the seasons including when they are surrounded by snow.
I did all the inking of the stamp with watersoluble markers with the stamp in a misti so I could stamp, re-ink and stamp again as needed. I was experimenting with a brand of markers I haven’t used direct to stamp before. I originally bought them for brush lettering. If you are in Australia you’ll be able to find them but elsewhere in the world they are not so common. The brand is Artline and the shell of each marker looks a bit like lego! I inked the house and trees with red, brown, green and black using the side of the brush nib to apply ink to the stamp. I spritzed the stamp lightly then stamped on hot pressed watercolour paper. After I had stamped everything I blended some of the ink with a brush and water to fill the walls of the house, tree branches and foliage.
To add background I stamped and cut a simple mask of the house from post-it note and lay it over the house so I could use a blending brush and speckled egg distress ink to fill the background sky. Once I had applied the ink I painted over it with water, just loosely, to give it the same watercolour look the rest of the image had.
I have mentioned before that distress markers have been discontinued, that’s why I wanted to try the Artline for inking stamps. I also have a pack of Staedtler water based brush pens that work well.
Today’s post features affiliate links to The Foiled Fox . If you buy through these links I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Last minute ink smudge!
Posted: October 12, 2023 Filed under: bell & berries, Classes, Penny Black | Tags: Classes, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress inks 11 Comments
You can probably guess from the title that this card was involved in a last minute ink smudge incident. The Penny Black bell & berries stamp was stamped, blended and dry, the panel was trimmed and attached to the card base and I had just stamped the sentiment in vintage photo archival ink when the unthinkable happened. Not just one but two archival ink smudges appeared on the card, one on the top right edge and the other on the bottom edge. I think we can all assume that the culprit was my right hand! If that ink was water based I might have been able to dilute and remove it but there is none of that magic happening with archival ink.
Not only was this card destined to be sent out as one of my Christmas cards but it was also a sample in my upcoming Painting with Stamps class. I reassured myself with the thought that although the two smudges would prevent it from going in the mail, it wouldn’t stop it from being a sample and perhaps a cautionary tale as well.
But dear reader, do you see any smudges? Indeed you don’t. The fortunate positioning of those smudges meant that I could trim the whole smudge off both the right hand side and bottom edge I cut through both card base and panel combined then attached the smaller two layer panel to a new card base. My card’s mailing status has been restored.
So, if you are interested in learning how to position your smudges for the easiest rescue and recovery come along to my next in person class; there are a few spaces left.
Today’s post features affiliate links to the following companies. If you buy through these links I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. The Foiled Fox Scrap’n’Stamp
More Alcohol Inks on the Gel Plate
Posted: September 25, 2023 Filed under: Alcohol Ink, Dies, Flutters, gel press, Lavinia, Penny Black, pods stencil, Taylored Expressions | Tags: Alcohol Ink, gel press, gel printing, Lavinia, Penny Black creative dies, Taylored Expressions 1 Comment
Using alcohol inks and stencils on the gel plate is a bit of an addiction for me right now so I filmed another one to show you. A friend let me know that if you receive my blog posts by email the video doesn’t show up in the email. To see the video just click on the title of the blog post and it will take you to my blog. If you would like to subscribe to my youtube channel too that would be delightful.
I started this print with the Lavinia pods stencil already covered in ink and then added more ink and isopropyl alcohol when it was on the gel plate. Take a look at the video below to see the process.
I would love to hear if you try this technique. As I mentioned last week I like pulling the prints with paper or cardstock because they are surfaces that I wouldn’t normally use with alcohol inks.
The finished card does include most of the print; it is a larger size than my usual A2 cards. I decided to add the Penny Black dragonflies in the wine colour which matches the alcohol ink I added very sparingly. In retrospect you will probably agree I could have added more. The sentiment is from Taylored Expressions ‘In and Out Birthday’ stamped in Chianti versafine clair ink.
My blog features affiliate links to the following companies. If you buy through these links I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Ecstasy Crafts (Ecstasy Crafts offers a discount code heathertecs10 you can use for a 10% discount at checkout)
Autumn Entrance
Posted: September 21, 2023 Filed under: autumn entrance, Penny Black | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress inks 9 Comments
Days are getting shorter, nights are getting cooler and autumn is officially a few days away. I created this welcoming little scene with the Penny Black set ‘autumn entrance‘. The largest stamps are the door, the window and the bricks but then there are four different pumpkin stamps, the basket of wood, a wreath and a potted plant. Looks like I will be making a winter version too.
I stamped the door, window, pumpkins and basket on post-it notes, then cut them out so I could arrange them on a hot pressed watercolour paper panel. With the post-it masks in place I stamped the brick background over the top in ground espresso and barn door distress inks. I removed the door and window masks then stamped both images with faded jeans, weathered wood and black soot distress inks. Next the basket and tall pumpkin masks came off so I could stamp with mowed lawn, spiced marmalade, wild honey and carved pumpkin inks. Finally I removed the small pumpkin mask and completed the scene.
With the masks off and the stamping complete I used a brush and water, along with extra ink smooshed on my glass mat, to paint all the elements. I added a sentiment from the PB ‘ever thanks‘ set to complete the card. I do enjoy creating scenes or vignettes with stamps and this is a great set for doing just that. Do you have any sets that help you create little landscapes or scenes?
My blog features affiliate links to the following companies. If you buy through these links I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Ecstasy Crafts (Ecstasy Crafts offers a discount code heathertecs10 you can use for a 10% discount at checkout)
Alcohol Inks + Stencil on the Gel Plate
Posted: September 18, 2023 Filed under: Alcohol Ink, Dies, gel press, Lavinia, Penny Black, Tutorial | Tags: Alcohol Ink, gel press, Lavinia, Tutorial, video 5 Comments
Recently I posted a card featuring a gel print made with alcohol inks and a stencil. You can check out that card here. There was quite a lot of interest in seeing a video of my process so that is what I have for you today. One of the bonuses of this technique is the way I can make more than one print from the same initial application of alcohol ink. I worked with T-Rex alcohol inks on a 5″x7″ gel plate.
As you will see in the video the first card (shown above) is made from the first print pulled from the gel plate.
The second print pulled from the gel plate features the same inks but they are more muted because I diluted them to move them from the stencil to the plate. I quite like the softness of the second print.
If a print works for me and honestly, they don’t all work, I often don’t want to cover them up with extra decoration or die cuts. That’s why I kept these card designs very simple with just a die cut ‘hello’ added to the first card. The second print which I made into the card below features an even smaller birthday sentiment and one thin strip of the same cardstock.
One of the reasons I like to work with alcohol inks on the gel plate is the fact that I can pull the prints with a piece of paper, in the case of these prints I used printer paper. When I work with alcohol inks apart from the gel plate I generally use a thicker plastic surface such as yupo or craft plastic. The inks move beautifully on those surfaces but the plastics are bulkier and a bit more expensive so it is nice to have the gel plate + paper option. The featured prints from today’s video were done on a 5″ x 7″ gel plate which meant I could get a 5.5″ x 4.25″ card front as well as a left over strip to add to the envelope.
If you are new to gel printing in general and would like to know more about creating a range of patterned prints please consider my online class, Gel Print Journey, where I cover all the basics with acrylic paint and all sorts of patterned and textured items. If you purchase any of my online classes before the end of September use the code: ENDOFSUMMERSALE for a 20% discount.
Heather Telford 