Blue Skies
Posted: February 18, 2016 Filed under: Branch of Grace, Geometric borders, Passionate | Tags: Dr Ph Martin Hydrus watercolor paints, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 7 Comments
Ottawa had a record snowfall this week so it is quite the winter wonderland outside. Today, however there is a clear blue sky, a bit like the one on the card above. This card shows a different colour scheme for the new ‘Passionate’ stamp I shared in purple tones a few days ago. I used the same technique as here and here to paint a blue sky first with Dr Ph. Martin Hydrus liquid watercolour paint. I splattered some masking fluid before painting anything so there are a few white dots here and there.
I inked with distress stains and used the misti to stamp a few times to build up the colour on the flowers. Anywhere I wanted a distinct line between colours I used paintbrush to ‘touch it up’.
Supplies:
Stamps: Passionate (PB)
Dies: keep smiling
Inks: mustard seed, spiced marmalade, rusty hinge, peeled paint, forest moss distress stains (Ranger)
Paint: Phthalo blue Dr Ph. Martin Hydrus
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, green cardstock
Another blue sky frames the blossom branches below stamped with the new ‘branch of grace stamp’. Once again I painted the blue first and let it dry before stamping. Because of the fine twiggy detail on this stamp I used a mix of stains and markers to ink the stamp, choosing to ink only part of it in places so the branch would be narrower the second time I stamped it. I blended the grey and black inks with a paintbrush to give some dimension to the wood. The new geometric border added to the Asian feel of the card.
The ‘So Special’ reveal continues on the PB blog this week as the transparent stamps are featured and you still have a chance to win a shopping spree until Feb 28th.
Supplies:
Stamps: Branch of Grace (PB)
Dies: geometric border, feel better
Inks: Black soot, Hickory smoke, Frayed burlap, barn door, festive berries distress stains and markers (Ranger)
Paint: Phthalo blue Dr Ph. Martin Hydrus
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, black cardstock
A fringed iris
Posted: February 15, 2016 Filed under: CAS, Passionate | Tags: CAS, Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolour pencils, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 17 Comments
This pretty new stamp from Penny Black is called ‘Passionate’ and I think it might be a fringed iris but as I have said before my floral knowledge is limited. Penny Black gives whimsical romantic names to many of their floral stamps so I am not always sure if I have identified them correctly. The new collection ‘So Special’ is now available in the online store and the whole catalogue can be viewed here.
If your weekend was anywhere near as cold as ours you might enjoy some spring flowers today. We spent a large chunk of the freezing weather watching the shenanigans from the NBA All-Star weekend in Toronto because we have a 6 foot basketball player in the house now!
I have tried two colour schemes with this large floral cling stamp. Today’s colours are similar to the irises I have in my own garden. (I’ll share the other colour scheme another day) The cards above and below are not that different but I wanted to show you yet another reason I love to stamp with distress stains. Inking the stamp directly with distress stains makes it quite wet so a second or third impression usually creates a couple of similar but softer images. The ‘knowing you makes me happy’ card above is the first impression inked with two purple and two green distress stains. I sprinkled a little water on the paper before I stamped so the colour would bleed more in some places than others. I added a bit more definition with a watercolour pencil and painted some green stain on the stems in the centre of the image where they were not distinct enough.
The ‘happy birthday’ version of the card is the second impression; I didn’t add any new stain but did spritz before stamping to spread and blend the colour.
I used a watercolour pencil to darken the centre of the flowers and add some splatter over and around the petals.
Supplies:
Stamps: Passionate, Sentiment Collection, Snippets (PB)
Inks: milled lavender, dusty concordbundled sage, forest moss distress stains (Ranger)
Pencils: Faber Castell Albrecht Dürer watercolour pencils
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper,green cardstock, purple cardstock
Bejeweled
Posted: February 13, 2016 Filed under: Bejeweled | Tags: CAS, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps 11 Comments
I am featuring another new stamp on today’s card created in the same way as yesterday’s. I painted the sky first and let it dry completely before stamping the flowers into the whiter (cloudier) side of my panel. Once again I inked the stamp with distress stains then used elderberry marker on a second stamping to add some depth to the centre of the flower. This time I chose a dark green cardstock rather than black for the co-ordinating sentiment and mat.
Don’t forget to keep visiting the PB blog for more teasers and a chance to win a shopping spree.
Supplies:
Stamps: Bejeweled (PB)
Dies: heartfelt thanks (PB)
Inks: Seedless preserves, frayed burlap, milled lavender distress stains (Ranger) Elderberry memento marker (Tsukineko)
Paint: Phthalo blue Dr Ph. Martin Hydrus
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, green cardstock
The Unfolding
Posted: February 12, 2016 Filed under: The Unfolding | Tags: CAS, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps 18 Comments
I have some new stamps and dies to share over the next little while, all with the promise of spring. The new release from Penny Black is called ‘So Special’ and it will soon be available in the online store. If you haven’t already seen the teasers on the Penny Black blog then pop over there and browse through the last two weeks of posts. There are prizes to be won by four lucky people so make sure you stop by and check it out.
I painted a pale blue sky on watercolour paper before using distress stains to colour this striking new magnolia stamp. To finish I die cut one of the new sentiments in black and framed the flower in black also.
Supplies:
Stamps: The Unfolding (PB)
Dies: party for you (PB)
Inks: spiced marmalade, spun sugar, worn lipstick, hickory smoke, forest moss distress stains (Ranger)
Paint: Phthalo blue Dr Ph. Martin Hydrus
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper,Neenah epic -black cardstock
Pink Poppy Time
Posted: January 23, 2016 Filed under: Fresh, Poppy Time | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 13 Comments
I don’t often add more than one mat or layer to a stamped panel but it was fun co-ordinating a patterned panel with the focal image. By working on two panels at once I was able to create one very controlled image panel along with a loose background one.
The single poppy I stamped in black soot ink then drew over a few of the outlines with the ‘elegant writer’ pen. When I started filling the poppy with pink stain the black ink bled into the pink giving it the watermarked grungy look. To create the patterned paper behind the panel I stamped the ‘Fresh’ poppy stamp in pink stain, added some detail with the elegant writer pen again and then flooded the panel with a spritzer. The pink spread and the black bled into black, pink and green.
I doubt you will start seeing oodles of layers on my cards; there are talented card makers who do that so well. From time to time however it is fun to get fancy with a few extra layers. Speaking of layers (or lack of)there is one day left to enter the One Layer Simplicity challenge for January. Even if you can’t squeak in with a card, check out the cool’sky inspired’ cards linked up there.
Supplies
Stamps: Poppy Time, Fresh (Penny Black)
Inks: Elegant Writer pen (Speedball) Black soot distress ink, Worn Lipstick distress stain (Ranger)
Cardstock: Fabriano cold pressed watercolour paper, Black cardstock
Very Merry
Posted: December 21, 2015 Filed under: Peace & Harmony, Stamped Landscapes | Tags: Brusho, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps 9 Comments
As we approach Christmas Day I will share the last of the cards I created to give away this year. I don’t plan to go into detail about techniques this week but will link to cards created in a similar way so you can read those instructions if you are interested. I will list below the supplies used I used to create each card. The technique for today’s feathered and blended tree scene is explained here.
We hosted a cello recital at our home yesterday for a friend so that gave me a deadline to have our tree decorated and the window hung with lights and greenery. My daughter and I did some baking but there is more to come. I always make gingerbread so that is one of the next tasks on my list. I like making it but you can probably guess that it’s the decorating I enjoy most. For years we made gingerbread houses or structures but I think it will just be cookies this year. (you can see what my children and their friends have built in past years on my other blog)
Santa is dropping off a guest from Australia on his way through Ottawa very early Christmas morning so there is still some cleaning and organizing to get her room ready.
Supplies:
Stamps: Peace & Harmony (PB)
Dies: A Very Merry (PB)
Paint: Brusho
Inks: memento Olive Grove, Cottage Ivy (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, green cardstock
Also: masking fluid
Snowy Birches
Posted: December 17, 2015 Filed under: Stamped Landscapes, Winter Song | Tags: Brusho, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Hand lettering, Kuretake Gansai Tambi watercolour paints, Penny Black stamps 13 Comments
Do you recognise these trees? They are part of a larger stamp, ‘Winter Song’ and even though the whole stamp is beautiful I often just want to use that stand of trees on one side. I began by painting a sky over a moon mask using brusho blues. Once it was dry I decided to add these trees and the snow banks. Because the sky was already painted I had to paint the trees in white paint to block out the blue on the trunks. I used the Gansai Tambi white paint and kept it quite thick and opaque. Once I had white trunks to work with I painted some grey shadows on the trunks and added some black spots and twigs with a marker. I used the ‘to the world’ from Holiday Snippets and then hand lettered some joy.
I have lights and greenery around the window now and one ornament on the tree! Little by little…
Supplies:
Stamps: Winter Song, Holiday Snippets (PB)
Paints: Brusho, Gansai Tambi
Inks: Tuxedo Black (Imagine Craft/Tsukineko) Micron fine tip black marker
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, Strathmore cold pressed watercolour paper, burgandy cardstock
Holly heartfelt
Posted: December 16, 2015 Filed under: Holly Tweet | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress inks, Ranger Distress stains 4 Comments
“Holly Heartfelt” sounds like a cartoon character to me! I have paired a Christmas image with a thank you sentiment for today’s card. The PB design team are creating thank you cards this week and next on the PB blog.
I began by splattering some masking fluid on watercolour paper then stamped the ‘holly tweet’ stamp with a combination of distress stain and markers (the leaves were inked with stain). While the ink was still wet I blended it with a brush to fill the outlines and blend the colours. I used tumbled glass distress stain to paint a soft background around the image. Once it was totally dry I removed the masking fluid dots and added some gold splatter and a sentiment. I thought the gold mat and red card base tied in with the berries, bird and gold dots.
Our tree is lit now awaiting some adornment…it’s beginning to look a little more like Christmas.
Supplies:
Stamps: Holly Tweet, Heartfelt (PB)
Inks: festive berries distress marker, distress gathered twigs marker, mowed lawn stain, tumbled glass distress stain, (Ranger) Versafine onyx black ink, memento tuxedo black marker,london fog marker(Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, gold and red cardstock
Also: masking fluid, gold wink of luna pen
Snowscape 2 ways
Posted: December 15, 2015 Filed under: Periscope, Spread Cheer, Stamped Landscapes | Tags: Brusho, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Periscope, Tsukineko Memento inks, Tsukineko Versafine inks 14 Comments
Even though we have absolutely no snow outside I felt inspired to create some snowscape cards today. I used two methods, the first sponging over a mask and the second painting the snow bank edge with watercolour paint and softening with it on one side with water.
The first card was sponged with Memento Bahama Blue and Nautical blue over masks cut from post-it notes. I added trees then stamped the boy and his dog in the foreground. I had not planned the card when I started so there was no masking fluid splattered on the sky for snow or stars. Instead I added it at the end by flicking it off the brush of a white wink of luna pen. The moon was not in my sky but I decided it must have been off to the left so stamped shadows behind the boy and the trees then sponged some little footprints too.
The painted scene was done on watercolour paper that had been splattered with masking fluid so snow appeared when I rubbed off the mask at the end. I painted the sky first with two different brusho blues then each of the snow banks. Once the painting was dry I stamped the trees and painted over them immediately to blend the ink into a more solid image. I stamped the boy in pigment ink then painted some shadows. I filmed the part where I created the sky and snow banks for each panel on periscope so it is available to watch here. I turned each panel into a scene later off camera.
Thanks for dropping in today.
Supplies:
Stamps: Spread Cheer (PB)
Inks: Memento Nautical Blue & Bahama Blue, Versafine Onyx Black (ImagineCraft/Tsukineko)
Paint: Brusho powders
Cardstock: Neenah solar white cardstock, Hotpressed Fabriano watercolour paper
Blossom in December
Posted: December 9, 2015 Filed under: Delicate Blossoms | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains, Tsukineko Memento inks 17 Comments
I made this card back in spring when there was blossom on the trees here; now they are bare and everything is looking a bit drab outside. I worked wet into wet with distress stains to ink the stamp. Once the stain was dry I added definition to the flower centres with a marker. I added a bit of loose background colour and some splatter then finished it off with a brown sentiment and narrow mat.
Despite posting a very unChristmassy card I have progressed in my seasonal decorating. Not only do I have a wreath up but the sideboard and mantle now feature red berry garlands and candles instead of thanksgiving cards and my son’s October birthday cards! I don’t usually have a tree up before Dec 15 because I love to keep it up for a while after Christmas. I should go outside and snip some greenery considering the temperatures are way above zero. Are you decorating?
I am still receiving lovely feedback about my ‘stamping the stories‘ series including a few requests for more. I really did enjoy making those cards and definitely have more favourites to inspire me so perhaps I will continue in 2016. I wouldn’t necessarily need to restrict the books to fantasy next time; that way ‘Anne’ could be featured. Way back in my childhood I would never have thought I would one day be living in Canada just like Anne with an ‘e’.
Supplies:
Stamps: Heartfelt, Delicate Blossoms (PB)
Inks: Worn Lipstick, Spun Sugar, Vintage Photo, Tumbled Glass Distress Stains (Ranger) Espresso Truffle, Rich Cocoa, Cantaloupe Memento markers (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, Neenah Natural White, Dark brown
Heather Telford 