Winter wardrobe
Posted: December 22, 2017 Filed under: Skis 'n' sled, winter wardrobe | Tags: Kuretake Gansai Tambi watercolour paints, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Versafine inks 1 Comment
I had some fun and a certain amount of frustration putting today’s cards together. The fiddliness factor was high, well for me anyway. All three cards feature the winter wardrobe and sled ‘n’ skies die sets from Penny Black. I’ve backed them with the mosaic pattern stamp on the first two cards and created an outside window backdrop for the final card.
On the cards above and below I stamped the mosaic background stamp then embossed in clear powder. Above I used versafine crimson red ink; below I used versamark. To create all the clothing, skis and sleds I painted scraps of watercolour paper with gansai tambi paints. I had a bunch of coloured scraps that I lay the various dies on to cut as many elements as I could. I also cut a few from black card stock. When I had all my little bits and pieces cut out I arranged them on a white sheet of paper and started making combinations and vignettes. For a few crazy moments I thought about videoing the process of putting these cute little collections together then realized that it would make me want to poke tweezers in my eyes and possibly have the same effect on you, my faithful readers.
Despite the fiddliness factor it was fun to combine my different coloured hats, mitts, scarves, muffs and trims to co-ordinate and contrast with the sleds and skis.
To create my outdoor scene I used a piece of brown wood textured cardstock then tore some white card to create two layers of snow where I tucked in the sled, skis and hats (or beanies and toques depending where you come from!) I painted pale blue on a white piece of watercolour paper for the window panel and die cut a light brown square with four more squares cut from it for the window frame.
All three panels are on white card bases and two feature sentiments from the PB holiday snippets stamp set.
I hope you are having a warm and wonderful day.
Supplies
Stamps: holiday snippets
Dies: winter wardrobe, sled n skis, square dies
Ink: versafine crimson red, versamark
Paper: neenah solar white, neenah epic black, hot pressed watercolour
Paint
Adhesives: multi matte medium, kool tak foam
Polar bears
Posted: December 18, 2017 Filed under: mosaic pattern, polar bears | Tags: Kuretake Gansai Tambi watercolour paints, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps 12 Comments
I stamped and embossed four panels of this Penny Black mosaic background recently for a project you’ll see in a few days but then I got another idea and painted over one. When I started painting it I totally forgot that I had not stamped it on watercolour paper but neenah solar white cardstock. I dabbed it dry fairly quickly and although it curled the surface of the paper, it did not end up looking pilled or damaged.
Even though the ‘sky’ is very patterned I still think it gives the impression of northern lights for this little family of bears to wander under. The polar bears die from Penny Black cuts only at the top so the bears appear to be walking across the snow.
Even though I initially did not plan to do watercolour with this panel I did and it meets the challenge at CAS watercolor this month. As always there is tons of beauty to be found if you check out the team samples and challenge entries.
Supplies
Stamp: mosaic pattern
Die: polar bears
Versamark ink & clear embossing powder
Paint
Snowy Village
Posted: December 6, 2017 Filed under: snow covered, snowy village | Tags: Peerless Transparent Watercolors, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps 2 Comments
The second of my winter landscapes this week combines two outline stamps, the little village in the background is from the ‘snowy village set’ and the trees and fence stamp is from the ‘snow covered’ set. I stamped both stamps in versafine onyx black ink onto hot pressed watercolour paper. To make sure the two stamps created a cohesive scene I extended some of the snow bank lines with a black embossing pen both to the right of the village and to the left behind the trees then added some mountains in the background. I embossed all the stamping and pen work with clear embossing powder.
To add colour to scene I used the ‘wet into wet’ technique, painting water first into sky area filling all the space above the mountain tops. I worked with peerless watercolours to next add blue paint, then purple and grey to the wet area gradually filling the sky with colour. One by one I painted water into each hill shape then added blue and purple paint from the bottom blending to pale at the top of each hill. I did the same on all the snow banks.
To colour the trees I also painted water over them and added small amounts of green paint while preserving some areas as white. I used grey and red paint to fill the buildings taking care to keeping the snowy roofs white or with minimal grey shading. I splattered white gesso over the sky using a small brush and a toothpick then attached the panel to a white card base.
As the sky filled almost half the panel I decided to create a large sparkly sentiment. I cut the ‘peace’ die from white cardstock three times and embossed one with clear sparkle embossing powder. I added glue to the back of each die cut and stacked them on top of each other. I have found the easiest way to get them to line up is to squeeze the layers together from above with a pair of tweezers. It is a quite large card so I did a side fold rather than my usual top fold.
Supplies
Stamps: snowy village, snow covered
Die: peace
Inks: versafine onyx black, black embossing marker
Paint: Peerless transparent watercolors, white gesso
Paper: neenah solar white cardstock, arches hot pressed watercolour paper
Also: WOW clear sparkle embossing powder, clear gloss embossing powder
More layered poinsettias
Posted: November 29, 2017 Filed under: Brusho, layered poinsettia | Tags: Brusho, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, WOW embossing powders 10 Comments
I liked that first layered poinsettia card so much I made another, this time with some pale green brusho to get the ‘white poinsettia’ look. I think I could go even lighter with my paint so there may be another poinsettia card to come. I started with watercolour paper splattered with masking fluid so I would have little white dots over the petals at the end.
I painted lime green brusho on the watercolour panel but it ended up separated into distinct areas of blue and yellow so I add a tiny bit of olive green brusho to get everything looking greener. When I die-cut the petals I tried to keep the smaller ones a little lighter and the larger ones darker.
Even though I was aiming for clean and simple when I lay the petals on a white card base, it was a little too stark. A layer of vellum softened the base and I splattered gold paint over it then added an embossed sentiment. Solving the vellum adhesive problem was easy under the die cuts and sentiment but the corners needed something too so I added just the tiniest amount from my tombow tape runner to hold them down to the card base.
Stay tuned because I think there are another couple of colour schemes yet to be tried with this pretty little die set!
Supplies
Dies: layered poinsettia
Stamps: joy & happiness
Versamark ink, WOW gold metallic rich embossing powder
Paints: finetec mica pearl 12, brusho 12, brusho 8, masking fluid
Neenah solar white cardstock, hot pressed watercolour paper, vellum
Layered Poinsettia
Posted: November 24, 2017 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 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
Also: white embossing powder, stick it adhesive, pearl ex interference blue powder, silver cord
Alcohol Ink Baubles – a tutorial
Posted: October 8, 2017 Filed under: Alcohol Ink, baubles, inspired, tall trees, trees and hills | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Alcohol Ink, Tsukineko Versafine inks 22 Comments
I am happy to finally have a video tutorial to share with you today. It’s been a while I know. This one I created for Splitcoaststampers “Falliday Fest”.
The card designs are very simple, the intricacy is in the patterns the alcohol ink makes.
I included several different methods of making alcohol ink patterns and also a few ideas for making the patterned panels into cards by die cutting circles to turn into baubles or snow globes. Method one involved blending alcohol inks on a non-stick craft sheet then swiping a piece of yupo paper through the ink to create a pattern. In method two I used a felt applicator with dots of alcohol ink on it to apply ink to the yupo paper. Method three was alcohol ink applied directly to the yupo paper. You can see all three methods in detail on my video tutorial below.
This post includes affiliate links to The Foiled Fox online store. At no extra cost to you I will receive a commission if you make a purchase after clicking a link to The Foiled Fox from this blog. The affiliate links are a new feature on my blog. I have been working with The Foiled Fox for quite a while now and I can recommend their store wholeheartedly. They have an extensive range of art and craft products and prompt and helpful service (also lovely packaging!)
Supplies:
Stamps: holiday snippets (Penny Black)
Dies: baubles, tall trees, nature’s creatures, inspired, trees and hills (all Penny Black), circle dies
Inks: stream, pool, stonewashed, shell pink, cloudy blue, denim, silver, snow cap, eggplant, lemonade alcohol inks (made by Ranger) majestic blue versafine ink & deep lagoon versafine ink
Paper: yupo paper, neenah solar white paper
Also: silver cord
Over the fence
Posted: September 10, 2017 Filed under: beneath the birches, picket fence | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 13 Comments
This card was inspired by one included in my August class; that one was more of a lakeside silhouette where this one is a little less rustic. I began with a piece of watercolour paper splattered with masking fluid. Once it was dry I taped it down to prevent warping and painted the whole panel with distress stains. I wanted the sky to look star-filled but it could just as easily be snow-filled. I die cut birches and a picket fence and then a sad thing happened. My die cutting machine sits on top of a cube storage cabinet which is quite good because I don’t have to bend to use it and it makes me get up from my work table and move around. The cube storage cabinet houses a lot of my supplies and sits flush against the wall. Apparently not so flush that a die can’t fall down behind it. So let me just say you won’t be seeing those birch trees on a card any time soon. To retrieve the die I will need to empty a lot out of my cabinet and that’s just not going to happen right now!
Glad I got this little card made though.
Supplies
Dies: picket fence, beneath the birches (PB)
Stamps: just a note (PB)
Inks: scattered straw, chipped sapphire, worn lipstick distress stains (Ranger) versafine onyx black (Tsukineko)
Paper: hot pressed watercolour paper (Fabriano), epic black & solar white cardstock (Neenah)
Santa’s Visit
Posted: August 21, 2017 Filed under: Santa's visit | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks 3 Comments
I think this quiet little scene is going to be a popular one this Christmas. It looks so peaceful and pretty, just like it does around here after a fresh snowfall (which will be welcome in four months time and not before!) I kept my colour scheme simple for this one and stamped first in Paris Dusk memento ink. I then did some blending with a wet brush over the scene to solidify the image a bit before adding black ink. I did some partial inking of the stamp to get shadows on parts of the trees and houses.
I wasn’t sure about the navy blue die cut sentiment because it does get a bit lost. In real life however it is popped up on a couple of white layers and sparkled with a clear wink of stella pen so I let it stay!
I am currently lakeside and away from my workroom and internet for a week. I decided to take only this book and these supplies for a little artsy down time.
Supplies
Stamps: Santa’s visit (PB)
Die: Blessed night (PB)
Inks: Paris dusk, Tuxedo black memento inks (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: hot pressed watercolour paper (Fabriano), navy cardstock
Also: clear wink of stella brush pen, stick it adhesive
Holly Sprig
Posted: August 18, 2017 Filed under: holly sprig | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 9 Comments
I have another new brushstroke stamp to feature today and I’ve used one of my favourite mediums to colour it: distress stains. I began as in my previous card with a panel already splattered with masking fluid. I painted a pale yellow wash over the panel then dried it. I inked the ‘holly sprig’ stamp with peeled paint and festive berries distress stains, spritzed the water colour panel and stamped. Because the panel was wet the images bled into the surrounding area giving me blurry background images. I dried the panel before stamping the foreground images in the same colours along with pine needles stain for some variation in the leaf colour.
After the panel dried I added some definition to the berries and leaves with distress markers and some green splatter. Finally I removed the masking fluid, die cut ‘Tis the Season’ from red cardstock and framed the panel with a matching red mat.
Supplies
Stamps: holly sprig (PB)
Die: tis the season
Inks: festive berries, peeled paint, pine needles, scattered straw distress stains & candied apple, peeled paint distress markers (Ranger)
Paper: hot pressed watercolour paper, red cardstock
Also: masking fluid
Heather Telford 