Birthday Lanterns

Posted: July 14, 2014 | Author: Heather | Filed under: After Glow | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains | 8 Comments

We celebrated my younger daughter’s birthday and the World Cup final yesterday. German friends of ours hosted a party which was a lot of fun. My daughter was very happy to watch the final on her birthday with friends, family and great food.

To create her card I used a technique I have seen on Karen’s blog many times; she is a master at it and I have been inspired to try it. I inked one side of an embossing folder with distress stains, spritzed with water then pressed a piece of watercolour paper onto the embossing folder and closed it. I didn’t run it through the die cut machine this time; I’ll try that another day. I used blue, yellow and green stains which blended with each other and varied in intensity. I trimmed the panel and matted it with Sea Breeze paper from Penny Black and added the die cut lanterns and branch. I trimmed the flowers off the branch for this card and added little bows with a fine tip marker.

Supplies:

Stamps: To You (PB)
Dies: After Glow, Dancing Blooms (PB)
Inks: Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko) Mustard Seeds, Evergreen Bough and Broken China Distress stains (Ranger)
Markers: Pitt Artist Pen (Faber Castell)
Cardstock: Neenah Classic Crest Avon Brilliant White 110lb smooth , Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper

Fronds over at Simon Says Stamp

Posted: June 22, 2014 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Dies, Fronds, Penny Black | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps | 4 Comments

I am guest designing over at Simon Says Stamp Blog today. To see the whole card and a description of the process pop over there.

Summer Sun Collaboration with Faber Castell

Posted: June 12, 2014 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Fresh Breeze, Fuchsia, Gelatos, Mixed Media, Tutorial | Tags: Faber Castell gelatos, Faber Castell Paper Crafter Crayons, Faber Castell Textural Accents, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Tutorial | 4 Comments

All this week there is a special collaboration occuring between Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft and Penny Black. There are projects on the PB blog using Paper Crafter Crayons and Double Scoop Gelatos AND you’ll find projects from the Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft designers on their blog featuring PB stamps. Visit both Penny Black and Faber Castell Memory Craft for details of giveaways.

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I decided to create a mixed media panel, a rare occurrence for me. I really enjoyed playing with the Textural Accents and the gorgeous colours in the Paper Crafter crayons and gelatos. (if you click on the tutorial pictures you will see more detail)

I started by painting a stiff cardboard base with gesso. When dry I painted with Gel Medium and attached tissue paper. I scrunched creases into the tissue and coated it with more Gel Medium.

I applied colour using lemon, butter cream, green tea and pistachio gelatos.

Next I spritzed with water and blended the colours with my fingers.

Using stencil plastic I created a stencil using the Fresh Breeze die. (I can’t find the packaging for the stencil plastic so I am not sure what brand but it was sold specifically for creating your own stencils. In order to cut it with a Big Kick I used a metal shim in the sandwich) I applied colour through the stencil with gelatos.

Next I spritzed with water and blended the greens with my fingers through stencil.

I created another stencil using the Fuchsia die and applied colour to tissue paper with lime, lavender, grape and guava gelatos, then blended with my fingers.

I stenciled some Fresh Breeze leaves with green gelatos on tissue paper and attached both tissue panels to the main panel with Gel Medium. The gelatos on tissue gave the flowers a background misty look that was exactly what I was after.

I die cut some fuchsias from 140lb cardstock and lay down some base colour with Faber Castell’s new Paper Crafter crayons. On top of that I melted crayon wax directly onto the die cut fuchsias with a heat gun.

I then covered the fuchsias with parchment paper and ironed over them to spread crayon wax over petals.

To finish the fuchsias I painted them with Glaze. Once dry I heated the tip of a yellow Paper Crafter Crayon then dabbed it onto of fuchsia stigmas. I flicked Gesso over the panel before arranging the fuchsias and attaching them with Gel Medium. Finally I stamped a sentiment in co-ordinating ink, smudged gelato colours around the edges, painted glaze over it, matted it and attached it to the fuchsia board. I am not sure that I will keep the sentiment on the board as I yet to decide how I will use my mixed media panel.

In other related and creative news, there is likely to be another lull here on the blog in the next few weeks. My daughter’s prom is in two weeks and the dress making countdown starts today! If I have a chance I will update you otherwise please understand that I am creating with tulle and silky fabric instead of paper and cardstock for the next little while.

Supplies:

Stamps: Truly Great (PB)
Creative Dies: Fuchsia, Fresh Breeze (PB)
Gelatos: Faber Castell
Paper Crafter Crayons: Faber Castell
Textural Accents: Gesso, Gel Medium, Glaze (Faber Castell)
Paper: Thick natural coloured cardboard, White 140lb smooth, Tissue paper, PB Mix & Match Periwinkle Paper

Nature’s Song

Posted: June 3, 2014 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Heathers, Nature's Song | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks | 5 Comments

I know there has been very little activity here lately. The season of track meets, soccer tournaments and end of year events is upon us! I created this one a while ago thinking it could squeak by as a masculine card. I know it has flowers in the background but the colour scheme is more about foliage than petals!

I inked the ‘Heathers’ background stamp with Memento Pistachio & Olive Grove inks, spritzed them so they would blend a little then stamped on a white panel. I cut the branch from Olive Grove paper using the ‘Nature’s Song’ die and added a sentiment in Olive Grove ink.

Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies:

Stamps: Heathers, Wishing You (PB)
Inks: Memento Olive Grove, Pistachio (Tsukineko)
Creative Dies: Nature’s Song (PB)
Cardstock: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110lb smooth, Penny Black Olive Grove Mix & Match paper

Ten Tulips

Posted: May 18, 2014 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Promise Me, Triple Banner, Watercolour | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, May Arts ribbon, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks | 8 Comments

The Tulip Festival finishes tomorrow so I am glad I can slip one more tulip card in before the end. I worked on this one latish last night and all did not go according to plan. I stamped the tulips first on watercolour paper and they were fine. It was in the finishing off that I had problems. But I will go back to the beginning and explain my process.

I began by inking just the flower heads in Memento Dandelion and Cantaloupe using markers. I spritzed before stamping them at the top of the panel. I stamped just the tulip heads twice, one set under the other and the third time inked the stems and leaves as well. I was happy with the whole panel even the bit that is now covered by a large sentiment banner. I matted with Olive card stock and decided to attach the three strips of lace; I am still not sure if I like the lace there but I decided to stick with it. The panel is long and thin as you can see so it was difficult to work out where to put a sentiment on a 4.25×5.5 inch card base. I tried a sideways sentiment or a small sentiment beside the lace but neither looked right. Anyway, to make a long story a little shorter I stamped the sentiment on the tulips, messed it up and had to either cover the mess or crop the panel. I decided to cover it with a die cut banner and make a very narrow card so the points of the banner could go over the edge.

“Over the Edge” just happens to be the current challenge at Addicted to CAS and it’s a birthday card featuring May Flowers so I will join in at Seize the Birthday as well.

This morning we were down town having a coffee before church and I snapped these tulips in the sunshine.

Supplies:

Stamps: Promise Me, Tweet Wishes (PB)
Inks: Memento Dandelion, Cantaloupe, Bamboo Leaves & Olive Grove markers (Tsukineko)
Creative Dies: Triple Banner
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, Neenah Classic Crest Avon Brilliant White 110lb smooth, Penny Black Olive Grove Mix & Match Papers
Also: Crochet Trim ribbon (May Arts Ribbon)

Two Tulips

Posted: May 11, 2014 | Author: Heather | Filed under: CAS, Dainty | Tags: CAS, Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolour pencils, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks | 8 Comments

When I set out to make this card I had two things in mind. I wanted tulips to mark the beginning of the Tulip Festival here in Ottawa and I wanted to use the current sketch at CAS(E) this sketch. I did not plan to make it one layer at all; the sketch really looks like at least a two layer to me. I made a stencil in masking paper (removable grocery sticker paper) with the new tulip die from Penny Black. It’s called ‘Dainty’ and I can see myself reaching for it often. I stuck the mask down and painted with a waterbrush picking up colour from watercolour pencils. I did not lay down too much ‘paint’ or water; the card base is not watercolour paper so I didn’t want it to warp or soak through to the back.

My daughter came along at this point and commented on my ‘floating tulip’. It did need grounding; I just hadn’t worked out a method at that point. Anyway, I left it as I had promised to take my daughter shopping for a dress to wear to her Academic Dinner on Thursday. We arrived at the mall at 4:30 clueless that it was going to close at 5:00! First store, second dress, happy girl, thankful mother.

I came back to my card, masked and sponged a frame around it then looked for a suitable sentiment. My plan was to stamp the sentiment in green so it would double as some grass but none of my green inks matched the leaves. I was about to settle for less than the best green when the it occurred to me that a dark blue might work. It did.

And the card just happens to also work for the One Layer Simplicity challenge, Fabulous Flowers.

Supplies:

Stamps: Sweet Wishes PB)
Dies: Dainty (PB)
Inks: Memento Summer Sky, Danube Blue (Tsukineko)
Pencils: Albrecht Durer Watercolour Pencils Vermillion 117, Sap Green 167 (Faber-Castell)
Cardstock: Neenah Classic Crest Natural White 110lb smooth

Backgrounds in Bloom

Posted: May 2, 2014 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Floral Tapestry, Hooray | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains | 11 Comments

I have made several cards with this pretty background stamp lately and there are more to come. For this one I tried something new, a technique I saw on Jennifer McGuire’s blog and in a few other places too. To begin I stamped the background stamp on watercolour paper with versamark ink then embossed with clear embossing powder. Next I applied several different distress stains taking care to blend them in some places and keep them separate in others. I then spritzed the whole panel with water and let it dry naturally. Finally I placed the panel between two pieces of printer paper and ironed all the embossing off. The effect reminds me of batik, something I did a lot of in high school. I added the “Smile” die cut in the same “Fall festival” cardstock as the mat.

Background stamps have been the feature all week on the Penny Black blog so if you are looking for inspiration pop on over.

Cheryl has set us a new challenge on the One Layer Simplicity blog which will be a delight to try. Go and take a look.

Supplies:

Stamps: Floral Tapestry (PB)
Dies: Hooray (PB)
Inks: Versamark (Tsukineko) Vintage Photo, Spiced Marmalade, Barn Door, Mustard Seeds Distress stains (Ranger)
Cardstock: Neenah Classic Crest Natural White 110lb smooth , Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, PB Fall festival mix & match paper

Dusty Pink Poppies

Posted: April 1, 2014 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Blooming Garden, Field of Dreams | Tags: Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolour pencils, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains, Tsukineko Memento inks | 5 Comments

I have poppies for you again today, in pink. The only poppies in my garden are orange; they are quite cheery and bright but the lady down the road has dusty pink poppies which appeal more to me. I cut out the poppies with the Field of Dreams die then coloured them with distress stains. I added some watercolour pencil as they were drying and finished them by stamping parts of the co-ordinating stamp from Blooming Garden to add a little shape and shading. Before sticking them on the card front I ran a rich cocoa marker around all the edges. The left hand border is from the Lace Edgings set and is stamped in a mix of memento rich cocoa and vintage photo distress stain.

Thank you for all your lovely comments about my simple watercolour card. I enjoyed reading them all and was interested in the suggestions for making subtle additions. It was a simple card to make and I did the watercolouring while watching tv so I might remake it and try a little embellishing just for the fun of it.

Supplies:

Stamps: Blooming Garden, Truly Great, Lace Edgings (PB)
Pencils: Albrecht Durer Watercolour pencils Vandyke Brown 176, Medium Flesh 131 (Faber-Castell)
Inks: Memento Rich Cocoa (Tsukineko) Vintage Photo, Peeled Paint & Victorian Velvet distress stains (Ranger)
Creative Dies: Field of Dreams (PB)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper

May Arts Creative Collaboration

Posted: March 14, 2014 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Chat Bubbles, Hollyhocks, Love Expressions, Poppy Pattern, Promise Me, Tagged | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, May Arts ribbon, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains, Tsukineko Memento inks | 15 Comments

Penny Black and May Arts have been collaborating all week and today is my turn to show how easy it is to pair ribbons with stamping. I decided to make a few tags but if you are looking for more ideas check out both the Penny Black blog and the May Arts blog for all sorts of creative projects. (Instead of listing the supplies at the end of the post I have linked to them in the descriptions)

On both the tulip tag above and the poppy tag below I stamped Memento inks onto wet watercolour paper causing the colours to bleed and blend. When the paper dried a little I added foreground tulips or in the case of the poppies centre details and a blue distress stain background. As watercolour paper is rarely pure white I dyed the white cotton lace ribbon from May Arts in tea to give it a natural off white colour. The tulip tag features luxurious velvet ribbon from May Arts tied with a bow of crochet trim ribbon . The stamps are Promise Me and Special Wishes.

I used a different crochet trim ribbon to tie the versatile Faux Burlap Wired Ribbon on the poppy tag. I left the wire in the edges of the ribbon at the top of the tag so I could shape wavy edges then cut a little mat for my sentiment out of the burlap. The stamps used are Poppy Pattern and Special Wishes.

To create the Hollyhocks tag below I stamped, coloured the tiny tag and dyed the crochet trim with Victorian Velvet distress stain. I used the Hollyhocks stamp as my main image, a little bit of a sentiment from the Eloquence set on the tiny tag and the Hugs diecut from the Love Expressions set. I cut both the tiny tag and the lower rectangle using dies from the Chat Bubbles set. All large tags were cut using the large tag die from the Tagged set

Negative space rose

Posted: February 9, 2014 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Love Chapter, Rose | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks | 17 Comments

I found this rose panel under a pile of scraps a few days ago. I had created it back when I was making this card. When die cutting a negative rose mask out of masking paper to sponge through I naturally ended up with a rose out of masking paper too. I stuck that on the watercolour block and used some Memento pink and green inks that were open on my table. I painted diluted ink over the mask which did make the masking paper a little waterlogged but I let it dry completely before I peeled it off. I used the 1 Corinthians text stamp to add background interest and sponged a little Sweet Plum in the corner before adding a fading green sentiment.

Have a lovely week.

Supplies:

Stamps:   Letter background, Love Chapter
Creative Dies: Rose
Inks:  Memento Sweet Plum, Angel Pink, Bamboo Leaves (Tsukineko)
Cardstock:  Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper