Delicate Blossoms
Posted: January 30, 2015 Filed under: CAS, Delicate Blossoms, Stitched Edges | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks 13 Comments
Today I have a simple design featuring a sweet new stamp called ‘delicate blossoms’. The new release, “Bring on the Happy” is available in the online store today and it is full of gorgeous new stamps, dies and stencils. To create the little panel above I used Memento inks and markers on watercolour paper. I inked the stamp one colour at a time and used a stamp positioning tool to make sure the stamp landed in the same place each time. I stamped the blossoms with love letter and angel pink and added some water to blend the colours. I let the inks bleed a little but kept flowers fairly well defined. The branch was inked with two greens and then I added water and summer sky ink around the image to spread some background colour but avoided the flowers. Finally I drew the flower centres with a marker. I cropped the panel using one of the new ‘stitched edge’ dies and added a green mat and sentiment.
Enjoy your weekend.
Supplies:
Stamps: Delicate Blossoms, Heartfelt(PB)
Creative Dies: Stitched Edges (PB)
Inks: Olive Grove, Cottage Ivy, Potter’s Clay, Summer Sky, Love Letter, Angel Pink memento (Imagine Craft/Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Fabriano hotpressed 100% cotton watercolour paper, Neenah Avon Brilliant White 110lb, Green cardstock
Demure but sparkly
Posted: January 26, 2015 Filed under: Demure, Stitched Edges | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 21 Comments
Are you ready for some brand new Penny Black prettiness? The new release is being revealed today on the Penny Black blog, facebook and website and there will be projects on the design team members blogs featuring new products for the new few weeks.
I first played with the new stamps around Christmas, finishing up several cards before the new year so they could travel off to CHA and join in the fun there. I am happy to be sharing some of those cards over the next week, especially as I have been too sick and too behind to do any new stamping lately. I can’t believe January is drawing to a close and I have only posted two new cards on my blog this year!
Before I got sick I did manage to create a few new cards but you will need to pop over to Splitcoaststampers.com to view them. The reason they are there and not here is quite exciting; I was invited to join the Dirty Dozen and began my six month term on January 15. I feel very honoured to involved with such a talented and committed group of artists and look forward to doing all sorts of fun things with Splitcoast in the months to come. Many projects will be featured here on my blog but each month the Dirty Dozen fills a themed gallery with projects available to fan club members only so there will be six new cards from me there each month. January’s theme is “All Cooped Up” and believe it or not I came up with six cards for the theme despite not owning a single chicken stamp!
But back to the card at hand. This one was my favourite from the eight I created for CHA. It is hard to see in the photo but it is covered in shimmery sparkliness. I began by wetting the watercolour panel and dropping Victorian Velvet, Ripe Persimmon and Tumbled glass distress stains into the water. I also sprinkled Camargue salt onto the wet areas to create patterns as it dried. All the little dots in the background were created by the salt absorbing moisture and colour. You can try it with any salt you have on hand but different salts will give you different results. When the background was dry I stamped the flowers in Spiced Marmalade distress ink, the stems in Peeled Paint and the little seeds in Dusty Concord. I used both Spiced Marmalade and Ripe Persimmon stains to paint the flower heads, spritzing with pearl-ex spray here and there to make the colour bleed and shimmer. The sentiment and mat strips do look black in the photo but they are both purple to co-ordinate with the seed heads. See that cute little shaped edge? There are two new edge dies in the “Bring on the Happy” release and I hope they will be the first of many. That edge does add that certain something don’t you think?
Oh, Happy Australia Day!
Supplies:
Stamps: Demure, Sprinkles and Smiles (PB)
Inks: Dusty Concord, Victorian Velvet, Ripe Persimmon, Spiced Marmalade, Tumbled Glass distress stains (Ranger)
Creative Dies: Stitched Edges (PB)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, purple cardstock
Love you tree
Posted: January 14, 2015 Filed under: CAS, Tree of love | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks 7 Comments
One of my favourite things to do with PB creative dies is to cut masks. For today’s card I diecut the ‘tree of love’ from masking paper then stuck it to white card stock and added a hill mask over the base of the trunk. I used three memento inks to sponge a graduated background then flicked colour from matching coloured pencils. I stamped a few hearts from the cute little ‘posted with love’ set then added the sentiment from ‘so very much’. The panel is popped up on a cardbase of the same cardstock.
Thank you for your kind wishes for Andrew’s and my anniversary; I enjoyed reading them while in New York. We had a wonderful time and I will write about it a bit and post some photos soon. I do have a confession to make however. My patient and kind husband has not received his card yet. I did not write in it before we left thinking that I would write in it during the day and give it to him at dinner on the night of our anniversary. What I didn’t count on was the fact that we were always together (not a complaint by the way, just an observation) so I did not get a chance. Later in the day I told him not to read my blog post that day but I was too late; while I was trying on clothes in Anthropologie, he had been catching up on blog posts. So even though we have been home for several days they have been full days and now I am sick in bed. It seems that my “postal disorder” extends even to the cards I don’t have to post!
Supplies:
Stamps: Posted with love, So Very Much (PB)
Creative Dies: Tree of Love (PB)
Inks: Rhubarb Stalk, Love Letter, Angel Pink memento (Imagine Craft/Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Neenah Solar White 110lb
Warm wishes for a cold winter’s day
Posted: January 3, 2015 Filed under: CAS, Stamped Landscapes, Watercolour, Winter Song | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 35 Comments
These birch trees are my favourite element of the intricate Winter Song stamp so I decided to isolate them for a scene of their own. I inked them with a weathered wood distress marker and left the rest of the stamp uninked. Weathered wood is a pale grey which is perfect for painting and drawing over the top. As usual I stamped on Fabriano hot pressed watercolour paper. The background colour is distress stains painted on with a waterbrush. I defined the edges and markings on the trees with a black marker, painted some grey shading on the trunks then added the sentiment in black. I am fussy about the cardstocks matching so I mounted this panel on a thin burgandy card then made the card base from cold pressed watercolour paper which is the same colour as the panel but adds some texture.
Thank you for the kind Christmas wishes left on my blog and in my inbox. I appreciated them all. I hope your new year is off to a good start; mine has been pretty busy with a bunch of stamping and creating I can’t share with you just yet!
Supplies:
Stamps: Winter Song, Joy Filled (PB)
Inks: Barn Door, Dusty Concord, Victorian China, Aged Mahogany, Weathered Wood distress stains (Ranger) Tuxedo Black memento marker (Imagine Craft/Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, Strathmore cold pressed watercolour paper, burgandy cardstock
Glad Tidings
Posted: December 24, 2014 Filed under: Nature's Gifts, Prancers | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 17 Comments
From God our Heavenly Father
A blessed Angel came;
And unto certain Shepherds
Brought tidings of the same:
How that in Bethlehem was born
The Son of God by Name.
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and thank you for joining me here at “Bits & Pieces” during 2014. I am so grateful to have such encouraging and inspiring readers. Thank you for visiting, commenting, requesting, inquiring and praising. I love to hear from you and I am thrilled you find inspiration and ideas here on my blog.
I am excited about 2015; I have dreams and schemes for arting and crafting which I will certainly be sharing with you. December has been a busy month at our house so I have not had so much to share on this blog. I am over two-thirds of the way through my Dressember challenge wearing dresses and raising money for the International Justice Mission. I have been blogging about that on my other blog, Sentient.
Supplies:
Stamps: Nature’s Gifts, Prancers, Glad Tiding (PB)
Inks: Scattered Straw, Victorian Velvet, Seedless Preserves, Chipped Sapphire distress stains(Ranger), Versafine Onyx Black (Imagine Craft/Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Neenah Epic Black 100lb cardstock, Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, Silver textured cardstock (Penny Black)
Also: Winsor & Newton masking fluid, white organza ribbon
Berries in snow
Posted: December 17, 2014 Filed under: Berry Merry Christmas, Silent Night | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 4 Comments
This ‘Berry Merry Christmas‘ stamp has been one of my favourite stamps this season and I don’t seem to be the only one. I have seen many lovely cards and projects starring this image. The panel above is from the pile of bits & pieces I’ve had waiting quite a while for attention, consequently I can’t remember my process. It appears to be ‘wet on wet’ stamping onto watercolour paper with distress stains. I have stamped the image at least twice and allowed the colours to bleed a lot on the left hand side. I did the snow splatter a little differently for this one; I splattered white gesso over the panel after the inks had dried. I still used the splatter brush but the gesso sits on top of all the stamping. I finished it off by adding a sentiment, matting in brown and attaching it to a white card base.
I think writing in a few more of my Christmas cards is what I should be doing now. There are only eight days until Christmas after all!
Thanks for dropping by.
Supplies:
Stamps: Berry Merry Christmas, Silent Night (PB)
Inks: Barn Door, Dusty Concord, Broken China, Vintage Photo distress stains (Ranger)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, Neenah Avon Brilliant White 110lb, Dark brown card
A little bird
Posted: December 9, 2014 Filed under: CAS, No Card Left Behind, Winter Song | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains, Tsukineko Memento inks 11 Comments
Do you recognise this little scene? It is a portion of the large “Winter Song” scenic stamp. I was experimenting with ways to the colour the stamp back when I made this card. I wasn’t happy with the whole panel but cropping it gave me a smaller scene I could work with. Coming up with a layout that worked I’m sure took me as long as the original painting. I tried portrait but really wanted landscape orientation. A partial red mat didn’t overwhelm the panel and the words provide balance and carry the red highlights across the card. It wasn’t until I was searching for a sentiment that I realized that these three word stamps positioned in the right order have built in framing. It only took me about ten practices off the card base to get the positioning right!. I embossed them in clear powder so they have a pretty shine.
I guess I should mention how I coloured the panel. It was weeks ago so I am guessing a bit. I stamped the whole scene in memento summer sky first; you can see it at the base of the panel looking a bit like a shadow. The summer sky ink served as a guide so I could paint the scene with distress stains. I selectively inked the stamp to restamp after the painting, adding brown to the lower branches and black for the birch trees.
Thanks for dropping by.
Supplies:
Stamps: Winter Song , Joy Filled (PB)
Inks: Memento Summer Sky, London Fog, Rich Cocoa, Versafine & Satin Red (Tsukineko) Barn Door, Broken China, Peeled Paint
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, Neenah Avon Brilliant White 110lb, Neenah Chili Red 100lb
Woodland Dusk
Posted: December 3, 2014 Filed under: Woodland Wonder | Tags: Penny Black stamps 24 Comments
The ‘Woodland Wonder’ stamp works beautifully for a restful or dramatic scene depending on the colours you add to the sky. The soft colours of dusk in the sky above seemed to fit with a sympathy or prayerful sentiment. The sky was a scrap waiting for a purpose; it was created when I stamped the image of the woodland wonder stamp on acetate to use with the stamp positioner. Several days later the ink was still wet on the acetate so I pressed it onto some wet watercolour paper. The blurry blues you see are the result. I added the black image then stayed within the colour scheme for matting and card base. I’m not sure what the ink on the acetate was but my guess is Memento Paris Dusk.
Supplies:
Stamps: Woodland Wonder, Eloquence (PB)
Inks: Memento Paris Dusk & Versafine Onyx Black(Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Fabriano hotpressed watercolour paper, Neenah Epic Black 100lb cardstock, Mix & Match Periwinkle paper (PB)
Dressember
Posted: December 2, 2014 Filed under: CAS, Watercolour | Tags: Dressember 2014, Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolour pencils, Penny Black stamps 5 Comments
Today’s post is quite different from my normal posts for two reasons. Firstly, there is a person stamped and coloured on my card; that rarely happens! Secondly, and more importantly, this post is to let you know about a non-stamping challenge I have taken on during the month of December hoping to raise funds for a very important cause. The fact that the girl on the stamp is in a dress is significant. I have joined in “Dressember 2014” which challenges me to wear a dress every day in December. I am aiming to raise awareness and funds for the International Justice Mission which works all over the world to rescue thousands, protect millions and prove that justice for the poor is possible. The heart of Dressember is dignity for all women so I thought I would share it with my readers, all of whom I appreciate for their support and kind comments, their interest in paper crafts and the enjoyment I get from being part of such a great online community.
I have created a fundraising page. on the Dressember site, just click HERE to visit, look around and, if you are able, donate to the cause. Money raised around the world during Dressember will help stop human trafficking. I will be providing occasional updates on my other blog, Sentient, as well as posting my daily dress on Pinterest and Instagram.
Perhaps there will be more dress cards during December; I could do with the practice! The one above is my second attempt and I had difficulty knowing how to finish it as a card. You can’t tell in the photo but it is matted in a dark blue/gold paper which does co-ordinate with her dress. I even tried a few sequins but they didn’t make the final cut. The image is stamped in Memento Angel Pink and coloured with water colour pencils.
Thanks for visiting today, I appreciate you taking the time to read about a different interest of mine.
Supplies:
Stamps: Reflection (PB)
Inks: Memento Angel Pink (Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko)
Pencils: Albrecht Durer watercolour pencils (Faber Castell)
Cardstock: Fabriano hotpressed watercolour paper, dark gold paper, Neenah solar white
Also: gold wink of stella pen
Oh Christmas Tree
Posted: December 1, 2014 Filed under: Oh Christmas Tree | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress inks, Ranger Distress stains, Sharpies 8 Comments
Oh Christmas Tree, a beautiful slapstick cling stamp from Penny Black, is the star of the Penny Black blog this week. You can see this stamp featured everyday on projects created by the PB Design Team. I dreamed up tags in three colour schemes featuring only a portion of the stamp but the same technique. All three tags started on the same panel as you can see below.
I used watercolour paper splattered with masking fluid and coloured with three distress stains (Victorian Velvet, Bundled Sage and Tumbled Glass). I swiped the stains directly onto the paper then blended them with water. While the panel was still wet I stamped ‘Oh Christmas Tree’ four times in distress inks (Seeded Preserves, Peeled Paint, Aged Mahogany, Salty Ocean). When the panel was dry I switched to pigment inks that would not bleed or blend to stamp a defined image in similar colours of Versafine ink (Crimson Red, Spanish Moss, Imperial Purple, Deep Lagoon).
I cut the panel into four tags but the blue one did not advance to the next level. Each of the three remaining trees became a tag with rounded top corners and gold or silver highlights and sentiment. Using the colours in the background as a guide I darkened the edges of each tag with sponged distress inks. I highlighed the dots with gold or silver sharpies and added a splatter of distress stain and wink of stella pen over each tag. I think it was at this point that I removed the masking fluid to reveal the fine white specs. To continue the gold and silver details I stamped ‘Love’, ‘Joy’ & ‘Peace’ from “Joy Filled” and embossed with silver or gold embossing powder. I sprinkled embossing powder randomly and sparingly on top of the tags then heat set from underneath so as to not blow the powder off. To emboss the star I coloured it with a gold wink of stella marker then sprinkled gold embossing powder and heat set.
I gilded the edge of the tag with the co-ordinating sharpie then finished by adding matching ribbon and metallic cord.
Supplies:
Stamps: Joy Filled, Oh Christmas Tree (PB)
Inks: Victorian Velvet, Bundled Sage, Tumbled Glass distress stains & Seeded Preserves, Peeled Paint, Aged Mahogany, Salty Ocean(Ranger) & Crimson Red, Spanish Moss, Imperial Purple, Deep Lagoon & Versamark(Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper
Also: Winsor & Newton masking fluid, gold & silver sharpies, gold and silver embossing powder, gold and silver wink of stella pens.
Heather Telford 