Ski Hill
Posted: October 24, 2014 Filed under: CAS, Prancers, World of Wishes | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps 6 CommentsThis tall and narrow scene reminds me of a ski run, albeit a fairly narrow one! I created this on a scrap of watercolour paper already splattered with masking fluid. Once again I am not entirely sure of the inks I used but I will list what I think they were in the supply list below. I used a half inch punch to create a circle mask for the moon and masked the hills one by one as I went down the panel. After painting the sky in chipped sapphire and broken china distress stain I stamped dark blue trees onto the damp sky area to end up with very watery trees. I then moved my mask and stamped more trees then painted some diluted broken china stain around them to blur the images and extend the edge of the snow bank. I did the same for the last two tree sections. When I had finished the panel was very blue and did not have enough contrast or variety of colour so I added some brown ink to the trunks of the trees.
To finish I rubbed off the masking fluid, matted in Periwinkle mix&match cardstock and added the die cut sentiment. I think the sentiment is a bit too big for the narrow panel so I would use something smaller if I did a similar layout again.
Supplies:
Stamps: Prancers (PB)
Creative Dies: World of Wishes (PB)
Inks: Broken China, Chipped Sapphire distress stains & Chipped Sapphire, Vintage Photo distress ink (Ranger)
Cardstock: Periwinkle Mix & Match (PB), Neenah Avon Brilliant white 110lb cardstock, Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper
Also: Grafix frisket film, Winsor & Newton masking fluid
Moon on the rise
Posted: October 10, 2014 Filed under: Etched Branches | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 18 Comments‘Etched Branches’ is a beautiful new stamp from Penny Black`s latest release ‘Winter Wonderland’. I used it to make a ‘moonrise’ scene but I can see myself placing it in a snowy scene very soon.
I used frisket film to mask the moon on watercolour paper. The film is new to me but I will be using it when I’m watercolouring and getting the paper quite wet. Post-it notes and masking paper can get too soggy if I apply a lot of water to the edges. After positioning the moon mask I painted the sky in stripes of pink and purple using the distress stains listed below. I let them dry a bit then painted more water and stain over the colours this created the watermarked edges which look a bit like clouds. I removed the mask and painted a few wisps of cloud over the moon area. I stamped ‘Etched Branches’ in Versafine Onyx black ink then sponged the land below the coloured sky in purple grey and black. To complete the card I matted in white and added branches in purple and black cut with the ‘Natures Song’ die.
I was up a bit earlier than usual this morning to start on a birthday breakfast for my 14 year old and the sky was very pretty in pink and orange. The view from my kitchen is obscured by branches like those in the scene above but also by power lines which are not quite so picturesque.
Stamps: Etched Branches (PB)
Creative Dies: Nature’s Song (PB)
Inks: Victorian Velvet, Spiced Marmalade, Dusty Concord distress stains & Dusty Concord distress ink (Ranger) Memento London Fog, Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Neenah Black 100lb, Neenah Avon Brilliant White, Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper
Time Out Challenge
Posted: October 9, 2014 Filed under: Wishes, Wondrous | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 28 CommentsI am honoured to be a guest at Time Out Challenges today. The card above is the inspiration for their current challenge. When I designed this card over a month ago I was not seeing such lovely colours in the local leaves, but now they are looking beautiful. To created the blended mass of leaves above I stamped with distress stains and distress inks on watercolour paper. I used yellow, orange and green and each time I stamped repeatedly without reinking the stamp. Once I had a tangle of leaves stamped I then spritzed the paper and watched the clean edges of the image blur and blend. I used a waterbrush to fill in some of the leaves with the stain they were stamped in. When all was dry I sponged orange and yellow around the edges leaving a white area to look like the light shining through. My sentiment is three die cuts glued together, a process I find fiddly but I like the 3D result.
I hope you do take time out to visit the Time Out Challenge Blog to see what their design team came up with and to get inspired to participate yourself. I am looking forward to visiting through out the next two weeks while the challenge lasts.
Stamps: Wondrous (PB)
Creative Dies: Wishes (PB)
Inks: Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Peeled Paint distress stains & Spiced Marmalade distress ink (Ranger) Memento Dandelion ink (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Neenah Avon Brilliant White 110lb, Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper
Emboss resist wreath
Posted: September 30, 2014 Filed under: Autumn Jewels, Dancing Leaves, Decadence | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 6 CommentsAfter making numerous emboss resist panels for my September classes I had leftover pieces big enough to punch leaves from. I used a rounded leaf from the new Autumn Jewels set of dies to cut as many leaves as possible then arranged them into a wreath. The arranging took me quite a while as I tried various methods and orientations for the leaves. Having them all turn in the same way and overlap the same way seemed to be the best option in the end. I bent some of the leaves to curl down towards the card and others to curl up, then attached some with 3D adhesive squares and others with flat adhesive. I poked a few twigs of “dancing leaves” in amongst the leaves, added a small bow before matting then stamped a sentiment.
The colours around here are not at their most vibrant yet but on the way to Lake Placid a week ago I enjoyed a gorgeous display of reds, yellows and oranges across the hill sides.
Supplies
Stamps: Decadence, Special Wishes (PB)
Creative Dies: Autumn Jewels, Dancing Leaves (PB)
Inks: Mustard Seed, Barn Door, Spiced Marmalade, Vintage Photo distress stains & , Fired Brick distress inks(Ranger)
Cardstock: Neenah Natural White 110lb, Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper
Also: 3D adhesive squares(Scrapbook Adhesives). clear embossing powder, red grosgrain ribbon
Blog Hop with Scrapbook Adhesives
Posted: September 23, 2014 Filed under: A Pocket Full, Background Stamps | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 11 CommentsYes, that is glitter you see on my blog! The PB design team is blog hopping with the Scrapbook Adhesives design team this week so I stepped a little outside my comfort zone and opened up the glitter. I had to go and find the glitter first; it used to live in my craft stash but it had migrated to my daughter’s nail polish stash where it definitely gets more attention.
I created my backgrounds first by taping some watercolour paper to a firm surface and blending distress stains onto the panels. The blue one was spritzed with pearl-ex powder spray to create a pretty sheen and the purple one was sprinkled with salt for some texture.
To create the glittery elements I used both 3D Foam Stars and 3D Foam Christmas Shapes. I peeled the shapes, which have adhesive on both sides, off the backing sheets and dipped one side in glitter then pressed the other side onto the watercolour panels. To create the sparkly “Noel” I cut the word from white paper using an adhesive sheet on top of the paper instead of underneath. I removed the top sheet and dipped the sticky side of the word in glitter.
Both banners were cut using a banner die from “A pocket full”. As the die has one “V” end I die cut only half way then flipped the die around and cut the other end with the “V” also. To finish the tags I matted with PB mix & match papers then twisted some embroidery floss to thread through the punched hole at the top.
Both Penny Black and Scrapboook Adhesives are hosting giveaways on their blogs this week so visit everyday for inspiration and a chance to win.
Supplies:
Stamps: Letter Background (PB)
Creative Dies: Exultations, A Pocket Full (PB)
Inks: Evergreen Bough, Pine Needles, Chipped Sapphire, Milled lavender, Dusty Concord, Worn Lipstick distress stains, Peacock Feather distress ink (Ranger)
Scrapbook Adhesives: Adhesive Sheet, Thin dimensional adhesive squares, 3D Foam Stars, 3D Foam Christmas Shapes, EZ runner adhesive
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, #14 Rose Garden, #13 Periwinkle, #06 Spring Meadows paper (PB)
Also: Embroidery Floss
Blessings
Posted: September 18, 2014 Filed under: Autumn Jewels, Lush & Lavish, Words of Gratitude | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress inks, Ranger Distress stains 10 CommentsThe new leaf stamps and co-ordinating dies from Penny Black are such a treat to use. To create this card of cascading leaves I started by spritzing a 5″x 7″ watercolour block with water. I then inked several of the leaf stamps from the “Lush & Lavish” set with the autumn toned distress stains listed below. I stamped each stamp repeatedly working from one end of the paper to the other so all the intense coloured leaves were at one end and the paler ones at the other. I let the paper dry completely before die cutting three whole leaves and two partial leaves from the intensely coloured end of the paper. I trimmed the other end to be a background for the card. Using the distress inks I sponged the edges of the die-cut leaves to darken them. I arranged and attached the leaves on the background panel, some popped up and others just glued.
To finish the card I cut the word “Blessed” and a border strip from Penny Black fall festival paper. The leaves are just beginning to turn here in Ottawa, there is nothing as intense as the colours in this card but I am looking forward to seeing the gorgeous colours. We have several very large trees in our backyard so once the leaves start turning and falling it goes on for weeks and weeks and weeks.
Supplies
Stamps: Lush & Lavish (PB)
Creative Dies: Autumn Jewels, Words of Gratitude (PB)
Inks: Mustard Seed, Barn Door, Spiced Marmalade, Vintage Photo distress stains & Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade, Fired Brick, Vintage Photo distress inks(Ranger)
Cardstock: Neenah Natural White 110lb, Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, PB Mix & Match Fall Festival paper
Also: Adhesive Sheet & Thin dimensional adhesive squares(Scrapbook Adhesives)
Golden Harvest
Posted: September 12, 2014 Filed under: CAS, Golden Harvest, Words of Gratitude | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 5 CommentsAll the new Penny Black Fall 2014 products have been revealed on the PB blog this week and are now available in the online store. I have another fall card today and the temperature outside has dropped dramatically enough to make me realize summer might just be almost over. (you can tell I am clinging to it can’t you?)
I used the set Golden Harvest to create the card above and arranged the three stamps a bit like a sampler of autumn produce. I stamped all three images in antique linen distress ink to give me an outline then with painted distress stains to add colour. I matted it with blue cardstock and cut three “gratefuls’ out of the same cardstock. I stuck two together then trimmed the top off the tall letters and added another full die cut of the word on top. This made it possible to glue the word down evenly over the edge of the matted panel. I know this one isn’t quite as CAS as I often do, but I think it might qualify for the “Three” challenge at CASology this week.
Supplies
Stamps: Golden Harvest (PB)
Creative Die: Words of Gratitude (PB)
Inks: Mustard Seed, Barn Door, Spiced Marmalade, Peeled paint, Bundled Sage, Broken China, Dusty Concord distress stains & Antique Linen distress ink (Ranger)
Cardstock: Neenah Natural White 110lb, Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, yellow & blue textured cardstock
Christmas Balls
Posted: August 28, 2014 Filed under: Joyous Wishes, Most Wonderful | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 8 CommentsOn the Penny Black blog this week the designers have been showcasing sentiments from the new “Season’s Greetings” release. I used this “Merry Christmas” die cut last week but it looked very different coloured with a silver sharpie. I coloured it for today’s card with gold embossing powder and used the same powder to emboss the Christmas balls and the edge of the mat framing the panel. You can see some of the shine on the border but in real life the words and balls glisten in the same way. I embossed the balls first then painted them with distress stains. I painted the background in blue and green diluted and blended with plenty of water then sprinkled salt over it to create some speckly texture.
Thanks for your comments and encouragement which I love to read. I have had a few questions lately which I hope to respond to in the next few days.
Supplies:
Stamps: Most Wonderful (PB)
Creative Dies: Joyous Wishes (PB)
Inks: Versamark (Imagine Craft/Tsukineko), Distress stains Barn Door, Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Evergreen Bough, Broken China (Ranger)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, Avon Brilliant white 110lb cardstock
Also: Gold Embossing Powder, Gold Wink of Stella Pen, Salt
Double Holly
Posted: August 25, 2014 Filed under: CAS, Happy Holly, Holly Berries | Tags: CAS, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks 9 CommentsFor the next little while at least I will be jumping between Christmas designs, autumn designs and last days of summer designs. I think some of you found the autumn theme of my last card a little much while it is still officially summer. I totally agree; I always hold onto summer as long as I can. I’m happy if I can wear shorts and summer dresses right through September!
Having said that here is another Christmas card. I created a little holly panel by stamping the “Happy Holly” stamp on damp watercolour paper. I inked the stamp with Memento markers then spritzed it and the paper before stamping. The ink bled into the paper straight away and I spread it even further with a water brush. When it was dry I restamped the holly image and painted the leaves and berries with ink from Memento ink pads. To finish I matted the panel in red, added a sentiment and popped it up over some holly die cuts. An adhesive sheet from Scrapbook Adhesives made it much easier to attach the die cut.
Supplies:
Stamps: Happy Holly, Joy Filled (PB)
Creative Dies: Holly Berries
Inks: Memento Rhubarb Stalk, Cottage Ivy inks & markers ( Imagine Craft/Tsukineko)
Also: 4×6 Adhesive Sheets (Scrapbook Adhesives)
Cardstock: Neenah Classic Crest Avon Brilliant White 110lb smooth , Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper
Sparkle String
Posted: August 20, 2014 Filed under: My Kid's cards, Sparkle String | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Tsukineko Radiant Neon inks 15 CommentsI had fun creating this little string of lights. I cut several strings of lights with the “Sparkle String” die and experimented with colouring techniques. I decided on the radiant neon inks because the colours are so soft and pretty. To colour the lights I left them in the negative die cut with a bit of tape on the back to keep things from moving around. Before I coloured each light I removed the little white highlight and set it aside. I sponged each light in a radiant neon ink then darkened the left side with a slightly darker ink. (To Electric Green I added Electric Blue, to Electric Yellow I added Electric Orange, to Electric Coral I added Memento Luxe Love Letter, to Electric Blue I added Electric Purple.) I added a bit of sparkle to each bulb with a clear Wink of Stella pen then slotted the white highlights back in. The cords between the bulbs and the die cut sentiment are coloured with a silver sharpie. My finishing touch for the string of lights was glossy accents on each bulb which made them all quite shiny and raised.
I decided to set the lights on a black background but wanted “glow” around each one. I tried the sponging the neon ink directly onto the black cardstock but the colour was not light or bright enough. By sponging with white pigment ink first I provided a white base for each bit of neon sponging. I glued the bulbs to the black panel but not the cords so some of them are raised a little. To attach the Merry Christmas I used a Scrapbook Adhesives Transfer Sheet before die cutting. When it came to sticking it down all I had to do was remove the backing and press it down onto the black panel.
The little splatters you see in the detail picture below are clear Wink of Stella and the larger ones are Silver Wink of Stella.
Since I am showing you my sparkly light card I thought I would share a card my son made the other day. In our latest bit of sorting and organizing he found a set of stickers I had bought him long ago. The set had several instruments but he just used the drum kit and amp. He added the lights, the rack for the lights, the sponging and the little cord and power outlet himself. The coolest feature of this card however is the way it lights up.
Inside he attached a small battery operated light which shines through the holes he punched for the floodlights!
Thanks for dropping by and thanks for the responses to my latest video. I know my videos are few and far between so I appreciate your positive feedback very much.
Supplies:
Creative Dies: Sparkle String, Joyous Wishes (PB)
Inks: Radiant Neon Electric Blue, Green, Coral, Yellow, Orange, Purple inks & Memento Luxe Love Letter, Wedding Dress ink (Imagine Craft/Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Neenah Solar White 110lb, Black cardstock
Also: Silver Sharpie, Glossy Accents, Clear & Silver Wink of Stella pens, Scrapbook Adhesives Transfer Sheet






















