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 Comments
For 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
Leaves and watercolour
Posted: August 22, 2014 Filed under: Hot Rod, Watercolour | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 6 Comments
Same stamp as yesterday but a totally different look. I built this panel in layers starting with the background canvas stamp in antique linen. After stamping that four times across the panel I inked the letter background stamp with spiced marmalade, spritzed with water and stamped on the left hand side. I stamped the leaf stamp, Wondrous, several times in vintage photo distress stain which bled nicely into the canvas stamping. For painting inside the leaves I used distress stains, barn door and spiced marmalade, varying the intensity by diluting the with water. As this point I was fairly happy with the panel but realised that a bit of contrasting colour would lift the design so I added some blue shadow to the side of some of the leaves. I trimmed the panel and picked out some paper to create a border then had to decide how to add a sentiment. The cute little note page stamp from Life’s Journals in the same broken china stain that I had used for shadowing fitted on the corner and provided a background for the ‘Thanks’ stamp in vintage photo ink.
So there you are, two very different looks with the same “Wondrous” stamp. Thanks for dropping by.
Supplies:
Stamps: Wondrous, Letter Background, Life’s Journals, Textures, Hot Rod (PB)
Inks: Antique Linen, Spiced Marmalade, Vintage Photo distress inks & Barn Door, Broken China, Spiced Marmalade, Vintage Photo Distess stains (Ranger)
Cardstock: Neenah Natural White 110lb, PB Fall Festival mix & match paper, Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper
Gold leaves and sharpies
Posted: August 21, 2014 Filed under: CAS, Foliage Fancy, Wondrous | Tags: CAS, Penny Black stamps, Sharpies 7 Comments
I tried something new on today’s card, colouring with Sharpies. If you visit here often you know I do most of my colouring with inks, watercolours and pencils but there was a 24 pack of Sharpies at Costco recently on sale for $9.99 and it called out to me. I have done very little colouring with markers so this was quite experimental and I thought I was less likely to make a mess with a simple design of leaves. To help me “keep inside the lines” I embossed the leafy stamp, “Wondrous” in gold powder first. I used the three greens below plus a touch of yellow. I began with the lightest green on one side of each leaf then added the middle green, then went back over both with the lighter green. I was pleased to see the darker colours did not stain the tips of the lighter colours. When I was finished I added a thin strip of the darkest green to a few leaves. The gold marker was used to make a border around the whole panel which I popped up on a white card base with dimensional tape. The sharpies don’t seem to have colour names or numbers so I added a photo of the ones I used below.
While the “Wondrous” stamp was out on my table I made another card in a very different style which I will share tomorrow. Thanks for your kind words about our “lights” cards yesterday; I shared your comments with my son.
Supplies:
Creative Dies: Wondrous, Foliage Fancy (PB)
Inks: Versamark (Imagine Craft/Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Neenah Solar White 110lb, Black cardstock
Also: Gold Sharpie, Green & Yellow Sharpies, Gold cord, Gold embossing powder
Watercolour with a stencil
Posted: August 17, 2014 Filed under: Charming, Flower Dance, Tutorial, Watercolour | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Penny Black stencils, Ranger Distress stains, Tutorial 17 Comments
In creating today’s card I used a co-ordinating stamp and stencil from Penny Black. By applying ink to the Flower Dance stencil and pressing it onto my watercolour paper I was able to create background pattern and colour all around the flower image I later stamped and watercoloured. I have a video tutorial showing how I did it below.
This is the kind of technique that will never produce the same results twice. I’ve tried it already using another stencil with quite different results which I will share once I’ve completed the card.
Supplies:
Stamps: Charming, Friendship, Letter Background (PB)
Stencil: Flower Dance (PB)
Inks: Tumbled Glass, Milled Lavender, Evergreen Bough distress stains and Peacock Feather, Dusty Concord distress inks (Ranger)
Markers: Wink of Stella Gold pen
Cardstock: Neenah Classic Crest Avon Brilliant White 110lb smooth , Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, Penny Black Mix & Match Blue Lagoon paper
Also: Teal grosgrain ribbon, gold cord
Most Wonderful
Posted: August 15, 2014 Filed under: Most Wonderful, Prancers, Stamped Landscapes, Watercolour | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains, Tsukineko Memento inks 14 Comments
I was very excited to see some new tree stamps in the new “Season’s Greetings” release from Penny Black. I am always happy to have more tree stamps to create stamped scenes with. I will be using the new trees from “Prancers” to create winter scenes but I will probably keep stamping with them all year long. I used them as the main feature of the scene above and a shadowy suggestion of forest in the scene below.
Both scenes were done on watercolour paper but with different approaches and inks. For the scene above I started with a masking fluid flecked panel and positioned a circle mask for the sky. I then painted the sky in Memento Nautical Blue and Paris Dusk ink taking care to dilute the colour around the moon. I used the same two blues to paint the snow banks after I had stamped the trees in Memento Northern Pine.
On the card below I created a three coloured panel with Chipped Sapphire, Evergreen Bough and Tumbled Glass distress stains. I applied the stains to the watercolour paper then spritzed the panel with my homemade Pearl-ex sprays. When it was all dry I embossed the snowflake and sentiment stamps with Memento Luxe Wedding Dress ink and embossed with white powder. I added trees at the bottom with Chipped Sapphire distress ink and then splattered white gesso over the whole panel with a splatter brush. Both panels are framed by very narrow frames and attached to white card bases.
We had quite unseasonably cold weather yesterday, not quite the snowy scenes you see here but definitely chilly enough to sit by the fire in the cottage where I was visiting friends for the day.
Supplies:
Stamps: Most Wonderful, Prancers, Beauty of the Season (PB)
Inks: Chipped Sapphire, Evergreen Bough, Tumbled Glass distress stains (Ranger) Memento Nautical Blue, Paris Dusk, Northern Pink inks & Memento Luxe Wedding Dress ink (Imagine Craft/Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, Neenah Solar White 110lb cardstock
Also: Winsor & Newton masking fluid, White embossing powder, White Gesso, Three separated Pearl-ex sprays comprised of water mixed with Interference Gold, Interference Blue and Interference Green.
Snow Covered Berries
Posted: August 14, 2014 Filed under: Happy Berries | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 4 Comments
I have another berry stamp from the new “Season’s Greetings” release to feature today. Once again I used some watercolouring but the main technique on this card is embossing. I began with a panel splattered with masking fluid as I like to do with winter scenes. Once the masking fluid was dry I stamped the large berry stamp in versamark taking care to place a stamp positioner beside the stamp before I lifted it. I then re-inked the stamp in versafine onyx black, moved the stamp positioner down and to the right ever so slightly and stamped in black. I embossed the image in clear powder some of which also stuck to the masking fluid which just ended up giving the impression of even more tiny snowflakes in the sky.
With the embossing done I positioned a circle mask and painted the sky. I started with chipped sapphire distress stain and water. I painted water in the area I wanted blue then added the stain. When I was happy with the coverage I used a dry brush to take some of the colour out around the moon. I added some dusty concord distress stain to the sky also to vary the colour a little. To create the snow bank I painted a diluted mix of dusty concord and chipped sapphire in the hill shape and immediately blended it upwards with water to fade the colour out. I did the same a second time to create another snowbank near the base of the panel. When it was all dry I added a tag and a red ribbon. It was crying out for a bit of red.
Don’t forget to check the PB blog and Facebook page if you are interested in seeing more Christmas stamping.
Supplies:
Stamps: Happy Berries, Joy Filled (PB)
Inks: Chipped Sapphire, Dusty Concord distress stains (Ranger) Versamark & Versafine Onyx Black (Imagine Craft/Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, Neenah Solar White 110lb cardstock
Also: Winsor & Newton masking fluid, Clear embossing powder
Berry Merry Christmas
Posted: August 13, 2014 Filed under: Berry Merry Christmas, Watercolour | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress inks, Ranger Distress stains 10 Comments
I think these berries might be one of my favourite stamps from the new “Season’s Greetings” release from Penny Black. I opted once again for a watercolour design when creating this card starting with a piece of hotpressed watercolour paper splattered with masking fluid. I inked the stamp with barn door distress stain on the berries and vintage photo distress stain on the stems. I spritzed the inked stamp and stamped it twice on the panel. Using brush and some water I added fired brick ink to some of the berries to give them a bit more dimension. I added water here and there to blend and spread the colours. I added some peeled paint in the background but decided to primarily use broken china stain to paint the sky. I painted around the images with water and broken china stain letting some of the berries and stems bleed into the blue. When it was almost dry I added some yellow highlights with a watercolour pencil and splattered some undiluted broken china distress stain over the sky areas.
To finish off the card I removed the masking fluid then added the sentiment in walnut stain distress ink and matted with blue before attaching to a deep red card base.
Supplies:
Stamps: Berry Merry Christmas, Festive Wishes (PB)
Inks: Barn Door, Peeled Paint, Vintage Photo, Fired Brick, Broken China, Walnut Stain distress stains and inks (Ranger)
Pencils: Albrecht Durer watercolour pencils Lemon 107 (Faber Castell)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper
Also: Winsor & Newton masking fluid
Poinsettias
Posted: August 11, 2014 Filed under: Exultation, Festive Florals, Red Star, Watercolour | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 8 Comments
Are you ready for a week of Christmas designs? Penny Black’s new “Season’s Greetings” release is available today so I will be featuring some of the new stamps here on Bits & Pieces during the week and the PB blog and Facebook will be full of projects made with the new stamps, dies and stencils too.
I have two poinsettia cards for you today. Poinsettias pop up at least five times in the new catalog on stamps and dies. I have watercoloured both these cards but my methods were different for each one. The top stamp, Red Star, is a slapstick cling stamp with textured petals so I inked the whole stamp with distress stains and spritzed both the stamp and the watercolour paper. The pigment in distress stains is quite intense so I spritzed with water after the first impression, then stamped again to achieve a slightly paler image. The panel is splattered with gold “Wink of Stella”, distress stains and masking fluid. The masking fluid was of course splattered on the panel before I started stamping and removed when all the ink was dry.
Supplies:
Stamps: Red Star (PB)
Inks: Victorian Velvet, Pine Needles, Crushed Olive, Mustard Seed, Barn Door Distress Stains (Ranger)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, Olive Grove mix & match papers, Neenah Avon Brilliant White 110lb card stock
Creative Dies: Exultations (PB)
Also: Gold Wink of Stella pen, Winsor & Newton masking fluid
The second poinsettia image is also a slapstick cling stamp but a line art image from the set Festive Florals. I inked the components of the design separately in distress inks and stamped on dry watercolour paper. I painted diluted distress stains onto the image and used a couple of watercolour pencils for the berries and stems. Again I added splatter and started with masking fluid splatter. The background is a pale wash of Memento summer sky and rich cocoa inks.
Supplies:
Stamps: Festive Florals, Peace on Earth (PB)
Inks: Memento Summer Sky, Rich Cocoa (Imagine Craft/Tsukineko) Barn Door, Peeled Paint, Vintage Photo distress stains and inks (Ranger)
Pencils: Albrecht Durer watercolour pencils Dark Red 225, VanDyke Brown 176 (Faber Castell)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, Sticks & Stones mix & match papers, Neenah Avon Brilliant White 110lb card stock
Also: Winsor & Newton masking fluid
Happy Birthday Balloons
Posted: August 9, 2014 Filed under: CAS, Uplifting | Tags: CAS, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Radiant Neon inks 6 Comments
I am enjoying the Stretching Your Stamps 2 class and found a little time to try another technique this morning. I was inspired by another class participant who used sentiments inside speech bubbles to make a very cool card. I put mine inside balloons instead.
I cut balloons out of masking paper and kept both the positive and the negative. I was then able to stamp the words and sponge the balloon shape through the negative and mask the balloons after completing them with the positive. I used Radiant Neon inks which are so easy to sponge onto to a card. They blend and cover the area quickly and smoothly. The littlest balloon is stamped in gold but it looks more like a sad brown I’m afraid. I performed more stamp surgery to make this card by cutting the happy birthday stamp from “Edge to Edge” into three sections. I can always stamp them together another time if I want to.
Enjoy your weekend.
Supplies:
Stamps: Edge to Edge (PB)
Creative Dies: Uplifting (PB)
Inks: Versafine Onyx Black, Radiant Neon Electric Coral, Electric Green, Electric Blue & Encore Gold (Imagine Craft/Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Neenah Solar White 110lb
Also: Black Pitt Artist Pen (Faber Castell)
The Cool One
Posted: August 8, 2014 Filed under: CAS, Uplifting | Tags: CAS, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 16 Comments
You wouldn’t believe how long this “simple” card took me! It all started because I had a piece of watercoloured paper all sparkly and blue which wasn’t working in the way I needed it to for a project I no longer remember. I couldn’t let that pretty sparkly blue panel go to waste so I stamped something on it in black, again can’t remember what. That didn’t work either but I wasn’t prepared to throw the sparkly blue away so I die cut as many balloons as I could without getting black stamping on them. Most that I cut ended up with a little stamping so I tried 3021 different arrangements where one balloon would overlap another to cover little bits of black ink. Finally I realized I was going round in circles so instead I cut balloons out of plain but co-ordinating colours and decided on the design above. It took me three attempts to get the above card made without inky fingerprints and failed inlaid diecuts. Even this one is a little unbalanced; the balloons should be higher.
I like the sentiment and of course the sparkly blue that started it all.
Supplies:
Stamps: Amazing (PB)
Creative Dies: Uplifting (PB)
Inks: Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko) Chipped Sapphire, Tumbled Glass, Broken China Distress Stains (Ranger)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, Periwinkle & Clear Skies Mix & Match Papers (PB)
Also: Pearl Ex
Heather Telford 