Sweet Visit
Posted: March 6, 2015 Filed under: Sweet Visit, Watercolour | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks 20 Comments
It is always a thrill to see a hummingbird suspended in mid-air to take some nectar. I have never been successful in getting a good photo so I’m settling for a stamped and painted one. I have played with this stamp three times now. The first time I was happy with result but in a momentary lapse of reason stamped a sentiment in such a way as to render it pretty unappealing (I’ve saved it in case I get a brainwave for fixing it). The second one worked fairly well and will be in the Dirty Dozen gallery later this month. But this one is my fave. The other two panels had one bird and one flower; I think it makes way more impact with one bird on a panel full of flowers. But, enough of the comparisons with cards you haven’t even seen.
I started with the flowers at the bottom keeping in mind that I wanted the bird in the top right hand corner so I had to leave space. The three main flowers were inked with Memento markers, as seems to be my current habit, spritzed with water then stamped on watercolour paper. I blended the stamping with a waterbrush adding extra colour here and there. When the flowers were dry I used a marker to define the veins in the petals and the stigma. To create the paler background flowers I spritzed the stamp again without re-inking, stamped on scrap then stamped the remaining watery ink on the paper. I blended with a waterbrush to make the images even less distinct than they already were. The bird was also inked with markers, spritzed, then stamped and blended on the paper. To finish I splattered some pink, orange and green around the flowers. Sometimes when I want a bit of splatter I grab a watercolour pencil the same colour as the ink I’ve used and splatter that for more intense colour.
To finish the card I popped it up on a textured watercolour paper card base. I tried a narrow blue mat but it wasn’t needed; the little sentiment in blue ties in with the bird. I am linking up with the Spring Blooms challenge at the Inspiration Journal and the Spring is coming challenge at the Artistic Stamper.
(Please don’t be mad but this one was almost a video…I just got all inspired and started creating without turning on the camera! Soon, I promise.)
Supplies:
Stamps: Sweet visit, snippets(PB)
Inks: Nautical Blue, Bahama Blue, Danube Blue, Paris Dusk, Olive Grove, Bamboo Leaves, Desert Sand, Rose Bud, Tangelo, Potter’s Clay Memento markers (Imagine Craft/Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Fabriano hot pressed watercolour paper, Demco cold pressed watercolour paper
Also: Faber Castell Albrecht Durer watercolour pencils
Warmth on a cold day
Posted: February 20, 2015 Filed under: Efflorescence, Watercolour | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 17 Comments
When it’s -25°C outside the best thing to do is stay inside and make pretty things. The weather here continues to be bitterly cold and I keep reading of places in the states where the kids have had a week of snow days. A week! No snow days here. My daughter caught the bus to work this morning and said if she kept her eyes open they froze but if she closed them the skin on her eyelids stung too much!
I used the rose from the new transparent set ‘Efflorescence’ to make this card and it will be a bit tricky to give you all the how-to details. I stamped and painted, left it, came back, spritzed it, left it, came back, stamped again…you get the idea. Basically I stamped with distress stains to give me a wet outline image from which I pulled in colour to fill the petals or leaves. I spritzed the painted images to let some of the colour bleed into the background. I let it dry before masking the first rose so I could stamp a second behind it plus some extra leaves. I wanted a little rosebud in there too so I painted my own. I created the border with a watercolour pencil then added a splatters of blue and orange before adding a little sentiment and a matching mat.
I don’t know about you but I have had to look up a few of the new PB stamp names in the dictionary. Efflorescence means the action or process of developing and unfolding as if coming into flower. Effulgence means radiant splendor. Ebullient means having or showing liveliness and enthusiasm. So there you go; stamping is expanding my vocabulary.
Supplies:
Stamps: Efflorescence, Snippets (PB)
Inks: Ripe Persimmon, Iced Spruce, Chipped Sapphire distress stains (Ranger), Memento Paris Dusk marker (Imagine Craft/Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, Navy paper, Neenah Natural White 110lb cardstock
Summer birthday
Posted: February 17, 2015 Filed under: Sprigs, Stamped Landscapes, Watercolour | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress inks 23 Comments
My husband and I both have February birthdays which meant hot summer days for the first 35 years of our lives. Now we celebrate in the bleak mid-winter!
For his birthday card this year I have gone with the warm tones of summer for inspiration. I managed better with this card than the anniversary card; I wrote in it and gave it to him before posting it here on the blog. To create this scene I started by flicking masking fluid onto my small watercolour block. Even though this isn’t a wintery scene some little flecks of white add interest and dimension to the scene. After the masking fluid dried I wet the whole panel and painted the trees and reflections in the distance, the sky and the water with brushes. In the foreground I stamped several stamps from the ‘sprigs’ set onto the wet paper and let them bleed into the surrounding area. When the paper dried a bit I stamped a couple more sprigs which stayed more distinct. I die cut a tag and splashed some of the same colour over it before adding a sentiment and ribbon.
Supplies:
Stamps: Sprigs , Sprinkles & Smiles (PB)
Creative Dies: Tagged (PB)
Inks: Dried marigold, forest moss, frayed burlap, crushed olive distress inks (Ranger) Versafine Spanish Moss (Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Fabriano hot pressed watercolour paper, Olive green cardstock & ribbon
Watercoloured Sprigs
Posted: February 11, 2015 Filed under: Deco Frame, No Card Left Behind, Sprigs, Watercolour | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks 8 Comments
I had a card idea in my head yesterday and I did several trials and variations with the stamps from the transparent set ‘Sprigs’ but my original idea did not end up working. I set the experiments aside and designed a totally different card. Today when I looked at yesterday’s experiment I came up with the card you see above. The problem with the panel before I die cut dragonflies and a sentiment out was that is did not really have a focal point. The colours were pretty and some of the watercolour effects were pretty (others were messy) but it all looked too similar. By cutting the dragonflies to reveal the blue cardstock behind, the focus is taken away from the watercolour panel and transferred to the bold images and letters. I could have just as easily popped dragonflies on top but I like the cut-away look. The features I liked in the original panel are no longer trying to be the stars, they work better as back up. Next time you cast aside a stamped panel because it’s not working the way you thought consider whether it just needs to be in the background and let another element take centre stage.
To create the panel I inked up three of the ‘sprigs’ stamps with a mix of blues and greens. I inked each stamp with one colour using a large stamp pad then added another colour with a marker. I spritzed each stamp, stamped them on watercolour paper then, when I had stamped all the images, spritzed the paper.
I can’t always turn my experiments into finished cards, often the watercolour panels just get turned over so I can use the other side. Sometimes I wonder if the recipients of my cards ever see the backs of some of my panels, hopefully the adhesive holds and the rejected side stays hidden!
Supplies:
Stamps: Sprigs (PB)
Creative Dies: Deco Frame, Flutters (PB)
Inks: Nautical Blue, Teal Zeal, Cottage Ivy, Bamboo Leaves Memento ink (Imagine Craft/Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Fabriano hot pressed watercolour paper, Blue cardstock
The Sweetest Sound
Posted: February 2, 2015 Filed under: The Sweetest Sound, Tutorial, Watercolour 13 Comments
Now that the new Penny Black release, Bring on the Happy, has been revealed, the design team is sharing projects and tutorials featuring all the wonderful new products. I am kicking things off with a photo tutorial using ‘the sweetest sound’ brushstroke stamp. Brushstroke stamps will be featured all this week on the PB blog.
To create the card above I started with a panel of my favourite watercolour paper from Fabriano. I splattered a fine mist of masking fluid over it and let that dry before taping it down on all sides. Next I painted water onto the right hand side of panel. I pressed Memento Nautical Blue and Cantaloupe inks onto an acrylic block as a palette then picked up some ink with a paintbrush and dropped it onto the wet paper. I kept adding ink with a large brush until I was happy with the background colour.
While the paper was still wet I inked only part of a branch on ‘the sweetest sound’ stamp with espresso truffle and olive grove memento markers. I stamped it in the top right and bottom right corners of panel and let the inks bleed into the wet background.
I spritzed the inked stamp with water then stamped onto the watercolour panel.
Using a water brush I blended the colour on the birds and added detail to the eyes with the espresso truffle marker. I then covered the birds with my hand and spritzed water over the branches to make the image bleed.
To finish I splattered olive grove and nautical blue ink around the panel. I added a little more definition to the branches with the fine tip of the memento markers. When the panel was dry I removed the masking tape and rubbed off the masking fluid before adding the sentiment from ‘snippets’ set.
I completed the card by matting the panel in a green then popping up the panel on a cold pressed (textured) watercolour paper card base.
Thanks for dropping by. I hope you are enjoying the new release; I will be sharing more projects with brushstroke stamps later this week.
The new One Layer Simplicity Challenge is up on the blog and is hosted by Susan this month. Pop over and check it out.
Supplies:
Stamps: the sweetest sound, snippets(PB)
Inks: Nautical Blue, Cantaloupe, Olive Grove, Espresso Truffle, Bamboo Leaves Memento ink (Imagine Craft/Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Fabriano hot pressed watercolour paper, Strathmore cold pressed watercolour paper, green cardstock
Also: Winsor & Newton masking fluid
A reason to celebrate
Posted: January 6, 2015 Filed under: Skyline, Watercolour 19 Comments
This is a repost of a card I made this time last year. After I had posted it I put it away for the right occasion. Today is the right occasion and my husband is the recipient. We are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary by spending four days in New York; the trip is a gift from our children. I am very excited!
All the details about the card can be found here. I hope to post a few picture of our trip on instagram and my other blog. Have a good week!
Warm wishes for a cold winter’s day
Posted: January 3, 2015 Filed under: CAS, Stamped Landscapes, Watercolour, Winter Song | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 35 Comments
These birch trees are my favourite element of the intricate Winter Song stamp so I decided to isolate them for a scene of their own. I inked them with a weathered wood distress marker and left the rest of the stamp uninked. Weathered wood is a pale grey which is perfect for painting and drawing over the top. As usual I stamped on Fabriano hot pressed watercolour paper. The background colour is distress stains painted on with a waterbrush. I defined the edges and markings on the trees with a black marker, painted some grey shading on the trunks then added the sentiment in black. I am fussy about the cardstocks matching so I mounted this panel on a thin burgandy card then made the card base from cold pressed watercolour paper which is the same colour as the panel but adds some texture.
Thank you for the kind Christmas wishes left on my blog and in my inbox. I appreciated them all. I hope your new year is off to a good start; mine has been pretty busy with a bunch of stamping and creating I can’t share with you just yet!
Supplies:
Stamps: Winter Song, Joy Filled (PB)
Inks: Barn Door, Dusty Concord, Victorian China, Aged Mahogany, Weathered Wood distress stains (Ranger) Tuxedo Black memento marker (Imagine Craft/Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, Strathmore cold pressed watercolour paper, burgandy cardstock
Dressember
Posted: December 2, 2014 Filed under: CAS, Watercolour | Tags: Dressember 2014, Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolour pencils, Penny Black stamps 5 Comments
Today’s post is quite different from my normal posts for two reasons. Firstly, there is a person stamped and coloured on my card; that rarely happens! Secondly, and more importantly, this post is to let you know about a non-stamping challenge I have taken on during the month of December hoping to raise funds for a very important cause. The fact that the girl on the stamp is in a dress is significant. I have joined in “Dressember 2014” which challenges me to wear a dress every day in December. I am aiming to raise awareness and funds for the International Justice Mission which works all over the world to rescue thousands, protect millions and prove that justice for the poor is possible. The heart of Dressember is dignity for all women so I thought I would share it with my readers, all of whom I appreciate for their support and kind comments, their interest in paper crafts and the enjoyment I get from being part of such a great online community.
I have created a fundraising page. on the Dressember site, just click HERE to visit, look around and, if you are able, donate to the cause. Money raised around the world during Dressember will help stop human trafficking. I will be providing occasional updates on my other blog, Sentient, as well as posting my daily dress on Pinterest and Instagram.
Perhaps there will be more dress cards during December; I could do with the practice! The one above is my second attempt and I had difficulty knowing how to finish it as a card. You can’t tell in the photo but it is matted in a dark blue/gold paper which does co-ordinate with her dress. I even tried a few sequins but they didn’t make the final cut. The image is stamped in Memento Angel Pink and coloured with water colour pencils.
Thanks for visiting today, I appreciate you taking the time to read about a different interest of mine.
Supplies:
Stamps: Reflection (PB)
Inks: Memento Angel Pink (Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko)
Pencils: Albrecht Durer watercolour pencils (Faber Castell)
Cardstock: Fabriano hotpressed watercolour paper, dark gold paper, Neenah solar white
Also: gold wink of stella pen
Autumn Branches
Posted: November 5, 2014 Filed under: Etched Branches, Watercolour, Words of Gratitude | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains, Tsukineko Memento inks, Tsukineko Radiant Neon inks 12 Comments
The etched branches stamp is once again the star of an autumn card; I have yet to use it on a winter scene. Using loose watercolouring I tried to recreate the colours I have been seeing against bright blue skies lately. We have had some beautiful clear autumn days and it has been a great year for gorgeous colours.
I began by dabbing Ranger Archival jet black ink onto “Etched Branches” stamp leaving some places un-inked. I then stamped onto watercolour paper and placed a stamp positioner next to the stamp before removing it to mark the position for subsequent impressions. As I was making several impressions it helped to tape the stamp positioner to the panel with painter’s tape. I inked small sections of the “Etched Branches” stamp with Mustard Seed distress stain and stamped onto panel using the stamp positioner to guide the stamp into the same place then repeated the same steps with other distress stains inking different sections of the stamp each time. With all the colour stamped I spritzed the panel with water to make the colours bleed into each other and the surrounding area. Next I splattered the same distress stains over the panel and let all the ink dry.
Before removing the stamp positioner I re-inked a few sections of the stamp with black marker to give some branches more definition. To colour the sky I sponged Radiant Neon Electric blue ink, for the foreground Memento Luxe Pear Tart ink and to finish Vintage Photo distress ink around border. I matted the panel with brown cardstock and stacked three diecuts of the word “Thankful” for my sentiment.
For more Thanksgiving inspired projects visit the Penny Black blog this week
Stamps: Etched Branches (PB)
Creative Dies: Words of Gratitude (PB)
Inks: Archival Black ink, Barn door, Vintage Photo, Mustard Seed, Crushed Olive, Spiced Marmalade distress stains, Vintage Photo distress ink (Ranger) Radiant Neon Electric Blue ink, Memento Luxe Pear Tart ink, Memento Tuxedo Black marker(Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, Neenah Natural white cardstock, brown cardstock
By the lake
Posted: October 27, 2014 Filed under: CAS, Stamped Landscapes, Watercolour 17 Comments
I did a little watercolour painting today with a stamped image as my starting point. The image was stamped on a piece of acetate so I could work out the positioning for another card panel I was creating. I decided to stamp the acetate onto a scrap of watercolour paper I had lying around. Can you guess which stamp I used from the new Penny Black “Winter Wonderland” release? My image is of course a mirror image as it was stamped from the acetate. It is also a patchy imprint because the ink beaded on the plastic and did not transfer a complete image onto the watercolour paper. I ended up using half the stamped image, masking off the side which is now blue.
Looking at the incomplete imprint I could see a tree with spreading roots so I started by painting the trunk, branches and roots. I used distress stains, keeping them intense in some areas and blending in other places with extra water. I decided to keep the card base tall and thin like the panel and was in two minds whether to add a sentiment or not. I ended up choosing a little sentiment which helped complete a visual triangle with the rest of the black stamping.
Supplies:
Stamps:Woodland Wonder, Joy Filled (PB)
Inks: Broken China, Vintage photo, Mustard seed, Spiced Marmalade, Bundled Sage, Peeled Paint distress stains (Ranger) & Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Fabriano 25% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper
Heather Telford 