Layered Poinsettia

Posted: November 24, 2017 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Brusho, layered poinsettia | Tags: Brusho, Finetec artist mica watercolour paint, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Versafine inks | 5 Comments

After creating a pretty blue background through the magic of brusho yesterday, I decided to do the same with green and red for poinsettias. This set of four dies is called ‘layered poinsettia‘ and it was so easy to create pretty red and green flowers with some scattered brusho on watercolour paper. I had three scraps of hot pressed watercolour paper on my craft mat. I sprinkled mostly brilliant red brusho on two with a bit of leaf green either end, then I sprinkled more of the green and less of the red on my third strip. After I had spritzed water over them all I could see where more colour was needed so I sprinkled some more of the first two colours plus some rose red and spritzed again.

I left the scraps to dry then laid three flower dies on the strips and cut our 3×3 of the small, medium and large flowers making sure I got some green on the large and the medium ones. Once they were all cut I lay them back on my craft mat and splattered gold paint from my finetec mica pearl set over all the flowers.

I let them dry and assembled them by dotting glue on the backs. There is a teeny tiny die for the centres (which I have not lost so far!) which were cut from gold foil cardstock to tie in with my gold splatter. To assemble the card I glued the flowers on a strip of white cardstock, attached that to a strip of shimmery red cardstock then mounted it on a white card base. I added the little ‘sending joy’ sentiment from the PB holiday snippets set.

Don’t forget the Foiled Fox has a cool sale on all weekend; just click the link in my side bar or right here and use the discount code HOLIDAY2017 when you check out.

Supplies

Dies: layered poinsettia

Stamps: holiday snippets

Ink: versafine crimson red

Paints: finetec mica pearl 12, brusho 12

Neenah solar white cardstock, hot pressed watercolour paper, shimmer red cardstock, gold foil cardstock

Frosty wreath

Posted: November 23, 2017 | Author: Heather | Filed under: A blizzard, wreath & bow | Tags: Brusho, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps | 3 Comments

I have a frosty little wreath to share today which seems appropriate now it’s all frosty outside. I created my background on hot pressed watercolour paper by sprinkling ultramarine brusho over the paper then spritzing it with my homemade pearl-ex spray. The result is a shimmery pattern of blue, turquoise and purple made with paint powder from just one container.

I applied stick it adhesive to the back of neenah solar white cardstock then die-cut three wreaths using Penny Black’s ‘wreath & bow’ die. I stacked them on top of each other which was surprisingly easy even though they were quite delicate. I use a pair of tweezers to squeeze each section of the die-cuts into alignment with the ones above and below.

I stamped a sentiment from festive snippets on purple cardstock, embossed it in white and attached it overlapping the wreath then matted the painted panel in purple also. To finish it off I attached some silver cord and a little die-cut snowflake on top of the sentiment strip. You can find all the supplies listed below; I am experimenting with the appearance of my supply list; word has it that people like to see the product not just the name. Let me know if the pictures and links are helpful.

I know there are sales everywhere you turn this week but I just want to mention one. The Foiled Fox is offering 15% off everything in their store this weekend and if you click through from my blog you don’t have to wait until Friday to start shopping. The coupon code for check out is HOLIDAY2017

Supplies

Stamps: festive snippets

Dies: wreath & bow, a blizzard

Paper: Neenah solar white cardstock, 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper

Brusho paint: ultra marine

Also: white embossing powder, stick it adhesive, pearl ex interference blue powder, silver cord

Peaceful moments

Posted: September 25, 2017 | Author: Heather | Filed under: peaceful moment | Tags: Brusho, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains, Tsukineko Versafine inks | 5 Comments

Sometimes when I am planning classes or just trying new stamps or techniques I end up with a pile of ‘experiments’ which were not what I had hoped for but were still worth saving. They often go into the ‘pile of possibility’ to be used later. From time to time the ‘pile’ gets so big I have to throw some experiments away because I know I will never actually choose to do anything with them. Today’s cards were made from panels stamped with the ‘peaceful moments’ stamp.

This thank you card was created by stamping the peaceful moments stamp over a brusho background. I sprinkled brusho on a craft mat, spritzed and swiped my watercolour paper through it. I matted and stamped the sentiment three times in a co-ordinating colour.

The order for the just because card was a little different because I needed the image stamped first before I could paint the background. I stamped in versafine onyx black ink then painted a ‘V’ of yellow, a strip of pale blue then topped that with a darker blue. Once that was dry I painted grey hills below the sky. I matted in yellow then embossed a sentiment on a thin strip of cardstock to wrap around the panel. For added texture I attached some branch die cuts to the card base.

I used the embossed offset technique (described here)to create the thinking of you card then painted hills in blueprint sketch distress stain across the background, some were diluted and blended others I kept an hard edge and strong colour.

I hope these few cards give you a few ideas for working with silhouette stamps.

Supplies

Stamps: peaceful moment, snippets
Dies: winter branch
Inks: versafine onyx black, versamark, danube blue memento ink (tsukineko) scattered straw, tumbled glass, weathered wood, black soot, blueprint sketch distress stains (ranger)
Paint: brusho
Paper: hot pressed watercolour paper
Also: white embossing powder, clear embossing powder

Peace & Love

Posted: September 5, 2017 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Brusho, dressed in snow | Tags: Brusho, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Stazon inks | 7 Comments

I have another brusho sky to share, this time a backdrop for this lovely new scenic stamp from Penny Black. I was playing with this stamp all morning as I worked on designs for my October class. We won’t be making this card but the stamp is in the line up. I used three colours of brusho powder on photo paper and the speckly, spotty effect of the brusho did all the work in creating a snowy sky. I used jet black stazon to stamp the image and sentiment. I have found it easier to ink the stamp and lay the photo paper down onto the stamp and press the back of the paper rather than the other way round. It is also possible with such a large stamp to peel one side of the panel up to check ink coverage, re-ink if necessary, then press down again without moving the other half of the panel. (thanks, Liliuska for that tip).

When I was making this card it was easy to make a few and of course each one is different; some have quite stormy skies, other more serene. I finished off the card with a thin black mat and a simple black sentiment.

Supplies

Stamps: dressed in snow, peace and love (Penny Black)
Paper: glossy photo paper (Kirkland) epic black cardstock, solar white cardstock (Neenah)
Ink: black stazon (Tsukineko)
Paint: turquoise, violet, cobalt blue brusho (Colourcraft)

Brusho sky with wildflowers

Posted: September 4, 2017 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Brusho, Wildflowers Vol 2 | Tags: Brusho, Darkroom Door stamps | 6 Comments

Brusho skies and stazon flowers. I have had fun playing with brusho on photo paper and it is one of the techniques we’ll be using in my upcoming autumn leaves class.

I used warm colours for the panel above then stamped the flowers several times in a burgandy and a yellow ink before framing with co-ordinating cardstock.

My colour scheme for the second card is a bit more dramatic as I played with two primary colours and ended up with the secondary purple for a dramatic sky and black silhouetted flowers.

There are so many ways to colour backgrounds then turn them into cards with some simple foreground florals. If you are looking for a gorgeous way to create a background, check out Kathy Rac’s beautiful underwater background here and get inspired to join in her Daily Marker 30 day coloring challenge.

Supplies

Stamps: Wildflowers vol 2 Thank you (Darkroom Door)
Inks: claret, orange zest, jet blackStazon ink (Tsukineko)
Paper: Neenah solar white, Kirkland glossy photo, burgandy & blue cardstock
Paint: brusho (Colourcraft)

A wilderness path

Posted: August 27, 2017 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Alcohol Ink, Brusho, Wilderness Vol.2 | Tags: Brusho, Darkroom Door stamps, distress oxide inks, Ranger Alcohol Ink | 7 Comments

This peaceful wilderness path is a scenic stamp from Darkroom Door. I’ve used it in three different ways to create some seasonal backgrounds. For the card above I created an alcohol ink background on yupo in the blues and greens of summer. I stamped the path stamp over the alcohol ink panel in stazon jet black ink. I hand wrote the little sentiment with a fine micron pen.

To create my golden fall scene I used distress oxide inks on glossy photo paper. I pressed the orange and yellow inks onto a craft mat, spritzed them and swiped my photo paper panel through the ink. Most of the colour soaked into the paper immediately but I set it aside to dry for a while and found there was a chalky residue that stayed on top. I wiped that off and was left with a background to which I stamped over with stazon jet black ink.

My chilly winter scene was created using brusho powders on a craft mat. I sprinkled some blue and purple on the mat, spritzed it then swiped some photo paper through the colour. The first print is usually quite intense so I think the one below must have been a second impression.

These cards are also on the Darkroom Door blog today so pop over there for all the complete supply list.

Peaceful moment

Posted: August 14, 2017 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Brusho, peaceful moment | Tags: Brusho, Penny Black stamps | 14 Comments

Brusho on photo paper can create really intricate patterns and soft blended backgrounds. I used the same few colours of brusho for the backgrounds on both cards but one was the first impression and the other a left over colour swipe. The first impression pattern was achieved by pressing the panel of photo paper down on top of the spritzed brusho. I didn’t move the panel from side to side just pressed it down into all the activated brusho. After lifting the panel and setting it aside I swiped another piece of photo paper through the remaining paint to pick up a soft blended look. There was not quite enough variation for my liking so I added a bit of blue brusho to the mat, spritzed and swiped again to get darker colour at the base of the panel.

I stamped the new ‘peaceful moment’ stamp over the brusho backgrounds in jet black stazon then added mats and sentiments to complete the cards. Make sure you check out the rest of the new products from the Penny Black releases along with the opportunities to win a spending spree.

Supplies

Stamps: peaceful moment, snippets, all great things, spiritual snippets
Paper: glossy photo paper (Kirkland) epic black cardstock, natural white cardstock (Neenah), yellow cardstock
Ink: black stazon, versafine onyx black (Tsukineko)
Paint: yellow, gamboge, leaf green, cobalt blue brusho (Colourcraft)

Wildflowers blue

Posted: August 7, 2017 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Bright Blossoms vol 1&2, Brusho, French Script, Wildflowers Vol 2 | Tags: Brusho, Darkroom Door stamps, Ranger Distress inks, Ranger Distress stains, WOW embossing powders | 7 Comments

I have a couple more cards that came out of my session with the Darkroom Door Wildflowers vol 2 stamps recently. I began by making blue watercolour backgrounds with brusho paints on hot pressed watercolour paper. Rather than apply the paint directly to the paper, I sprinkled it on a craft sheet, spritzed, then pressed the paper into the paint. I was able to pick up paint that was almost in crystal form as well as soft blended sections.

In the Wildflowers vol 2 set there is a large and a small version of the same flower so I used the small stamp on the panel above to create a base of flowers in chipped sapphire and stormy sky distress inks. I shook water droplets onto the panel to create pale watermarks here and there. Once the panel was dry I wiped an anti-static powder pillow across it and embossed the flowers and a sentiment from Bright Blossoms vol 1 in silver over the top of the blue. The silver catches the light depending on the angle but is tricky to capture with the camera.

On my second card I created the painted background the same way then stamped the flower three times in different distress stains. Once again I embossed over the top with silver, this time using a partial stamping of the French Script background stamp. I framed both panels in silver cardstock and added silver thread around the second panel before attaching to white card bases.

Supplies

Stamps: Wildflowers vol 2 , French Script, Bright Blossoms vol 1 (Darkroom Door)
Inks: chipped sapphire, stormy sky distress inks & blueprint sketch, seedless preserves, aged mahogany distress stains (Ranger) versamark (Tsukineko)
Paper: Neenah solar white, hot pressed watercolour paper, brushed silver cardstock
Paint: prussian blue, cobalt brusho (Colourcraft)
Also: silver cord, silver embossing powder

Blue sky birthday

Posted: August 2, 2017 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Brusho, Wildflowers Vol 2 | Tags: Brusho, Darkroom Door stamps, Tsukineko Stazon inks | 9 Comments

Here is another ‘wildflower’ card from the bunch I made last week. Sometimes it is fun to get out one set of stamps and play around with colours and techniques to create a range of looks. The flower is from the Darkroom Door ‘Wildflowers vol. 2″ set and the sentiment from the DD “Happy Birthday” set. I created this background with brusho paints on glossy photo paper using an impermeable mat. I sprinkled some turquoise and violet brusho on the mat, spritzed it, then swiped the photo paper through the paint to pick up the colour.

I chose a grey ink rather than black to stamp but after the final result after a few impressions looks almost black.

Supplies

Stamps: Wildflowers vol 2 Happy Birthday (Darkroom Door)
Inks: Cloudy Sky Stazon ink (Tsukineko)
Paper: Neenah solar white, Kirkland glossy photo, texture blue cardstock
Paint: violet, turquoise brusho (Colourcraft)

Golden wildflowers

Posted: July 24, 2017 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Wildflowers Vol 2 | Tags: Brusho, Darkroom Door stamps, Ranger Distress inks, Tsukineko Versafine inks | 6 Comments

I made a bunch of cards with the Wildflowers Vol 2 set from Darkroom Door the other day. I had my distress oxide inks out and some brusho and alcohol ink backgrounds on hand to add flowers to. For this card I began with a soft brusho background of yellow and green then added distress ink flowers over the top. I spritzed after stamping to blur the images into each other.

Once the coloured stamping dried I added black silhouettes to the foreground and sides to frame the panel, some dark green splatter and a black mat to finish it off.

Because the colours reminded me of a country scene I wrapped some rustic hemp twine around the panel before attaching it to a natural coloured card base.

Supplies

Stamps: Wildflowers vol 2 (Darkroom Door)
Inks: wild honey distress ink (Ranger), versafine onyx black ink (Tsukineko)
Paper: hot pressed watercolour paper (Fabriano)
Paint: yellow, leaf green brusho (Colourcraft)
Also: hemp twine