Berries in Snow

Posted: December 12, 2013 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Christmas reds and greens, Dancing Leaves, Stamped Landscapes | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks | 7 Comments

The snowscapes continue today and tomorrow on the Penny Black blog. Today’s card is the only one this week that does not feature “masking fluid snow”. This is the kind of scene you might see when the snow has stopped falling and the sun shines on the crisp white world.

To create this snowscape I first stamped the Christmas Reds & Greens stamp with versamark taking care to put a stamp positioner in place before I lifted it. I then inked the same stamp with dark green pigment ink, moved the stamp positioner slightly down and to the right and stamped again. I repeated the double stamping in the opposite corner and then embossed all in clear powder. The double stamping is a technique I use to make a thin layer of snow appear on a branch or tree. (I have a tutorial showing the steps of the technique here)

Next I positioned a circle mask and a hill mask, both cut from post-it notes, and then sponged the sky in blue dye ink. I cut another hill mask, positioned it lower and then repeated the sponging. I moved the mask and sponged two more times to create all the snow banks. When I removed the circle mask I positioned the negative circle mask so I could sponge some yellow to create a sun. To make a shadow I cut a mask using the co-ordinating Creative Die, Dancing Leaves then sponged through it below the stamping. The berries were painted on at the end.

Supplies:

Stamps: Christmas Reds and Greens , Yuletide Greetings (PB)
Creative Dies: Dancing Leaves
Inks: Memento Summer Sky, Dandelion & Versafine Northern Pine, Satin Red & Versamark (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Mix & Match papers Fall Festival and Spring meadow

Moonlit snowfall

Posted: December 11, 2013 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Berry Tree, Tutorial | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks, Tutorial | 12 Comments

The Winter Wonderland fun continues here and on the Penny Black Blog today with a step by step tutorial.

1. With a toothbrush or paint brush flick masking fluid over panel. Leave to dry for at least 20 minutes. I you use a paintbrush dip it in detergent and squeeze the detergent out before dipping the brush in the masking fluid. Wash the brush straight away after you have finished flicking.

2. Punch a circle from a post-it note or masking paper and position in the sky. Cut a hill shaped mask and position it half way down the panel. Using a rubber brayer apply pink ink to sky area.

3. Brayer blue ink over the sky area.

4. Add a little more blue ink around edges with a sponge. Add a little more pink ink to suit your preference.

5. Stamp trees randomly with grey ink before moving either mask. These trees are in the background and do not need to be well defined.

6. At this point remove the circle mask to expose the moon (I forgot to do that in the tutorial photo and had to stamp a couple of twigs in later!) Lower the hill mask and sponge blue ink along the edge and on the exposed snow bank but stop short of the horizon in order to keep it crisp and white.

7. Stamp two more trees in grey. (remember the moon mask should have been removed before this point)

8. Move the mask again and sponge above it once again sponging up towards the top of the snow bank but stopping short of the white edge. Add a tree in black ink.

Finished card: When the black ink is completely dry remove the masking fluid by gently rubbing across the panel with your fingers. Pop the panel up on dimensional tape and add the sentiment.

Supplies:

Stamps: Berry Tree, A Better World(PB)
Inks: Memento London Fog, Angel Pink, Summer Sky & Versamark (Tsukineko)
Also: Winsor & Newton Masking Fluid

Winter Cityscape

Posted: December 10, 2013 | Author: Heather | Filed under: All is Bright, Skyline, Stamped Landscapes | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks | 9 Comments

Today is day 2 of Winter Wonderland on the Penny Black Blog. Make sure you check back each day for wintry inspiration.

Usually my snowscapes feature snowbanks, snow laden branches and gently falling snow flakes so this one is a bit of a departure from the norm. Living in Ottawa means that I get to see the city in snow which can be very pretty especially with Christmas lights and trees peeping out from under a fresh blanket of white.

The first step in making this scene was stamping the skyline stamp in versamark, then using a stamp positioner to move the stamp slightly lower and stamping it again in grey before embossing it in clear powder. By doing this I created a snowy edge on the top and sides of the buildings. Next I flicked some masking fluid over the panel and but not as I liberally as I would to make falling snow for a forest or woodland scene. The small drops that fell could just as easily represent stars as snowflakes. I also painted masking fluid over the buildings so that any sections that were not embossed would resist the sponging to follow. The sponged sky was done in yellow, pink and blue Memento inks mimicking the glow of the city at night. A few swirls suggest a snow storm is just beginning. The sentiment was stamped on a scrap that I trimmed from the top of the panel.

I’ll be back tomorrow with more snow!

Supplies:

Stamps: Skyline, All is Bright, Winter Magic (PB)
Inks: Memento Dandelion, Angel Pink, Summer Sky & Versafine Smokey Grey, Versamark (Tsukineko)
Also: Clear Embossing Powder, Winsor & Newton masking fluid

Watercoloured Holly

Posted: December 9, 2013 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Flourish Holly, Holly Berries, Watercolour | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks | 7 Comments

A week of Winter Wonderland on the Penny Black blog starts today featuring the snow scapes I love to create.

The first snow scape is a watercolour featuring holly in the foreground and shadowy trees in the background. All but one of the cards this week feature falling snow made by flicking masking fluid onto the cardstock or watercolour paper before beginning any stamping or watercolouring. The masking fluid stays on the panel until all ink is dry at which point it is easy to rub off.

To make today’s cards I created one watercoloured panel which I then cut into two for a wintry scene and a holly background. I flicked masking fluid over the watercolour paper with a toothbrush and let it dry completely. I then wet the whole panel before stamping the holly stamp several times to fill two thirds of the area. The ink bled into the wet paper losing most of its definition. I added berries with a red marker then reinked parts of the holly stamp in green to stamp over the blended green of the first impression. To complete the snowscape I painted a blue watercoloured background stamping a little branch stamp to create a blurred distant wooded area behind the holly and snow. When I want to paint with Memento ink I press the ink pad onto an acrylic block so I can add water and pick up the ink with a paintbrush. Finally I removed the masking fluid, matted both panels and added die cut holly to the card below.

Supplies:

Stamps: Flourish Holly, A better world, Glad Tiding, Season’s Wishes (PB)
Creative Dies: Holly Berries die 51-019
Inks: Memento Cottage Ivy, Danube Blue, Love Letter & Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, Penny Black mix & match Spring Meadow
Also: Winsor & Newton Masking Fluid

Watercolour pointsettia

Posted: December 4, 2013 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Warm Wishes, Watercolour | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains | 23 Comments

I do not have another snow scene for you today but my pointsettia does feature masking fluid “snowflecks”. I used a watercolour block for this panel and flicked masking fluid over it with a tooth brush. I used distress stains for the first time along with some memento greens. The pointsettia is stamped with Barn Door distress stain. The impression was pale and incomplete at the tips of a few petals which was perfect for what I planned to do. The stamped image was my guide for watercolouring but I didn’t want it the outline to dominate. As I wanted to paint with the distress stains I pressed the bottle’s sponge top down several times onto an acrylic block which I was using as a palette then picked up the ink with a paintbrush. I painted the lower petals with barely diluted stain and the top petals with a blend of water and stain. After I had painted them all red I realised I wanted some green outer ones so I stamped one lightly with memento pear tart ink and drew the others with a pear tart marker. I added brown ink to the areas I wanted to be shadowed and used a marker to redefine the centre of the flower. To create a background I painted water around the poinsettia then painted Broken China stain into the wet areas. The card is 5.5″ x 5.25″.

Thanks for all the lovely comments about my snow storm card. For those who are new to Bits & Pieces you can find all the tutorials I have done here: https://cardz.wordpress.com/category/tutorial/

Supplies:

Stamps: Warm Wishes, Hello Winter (PB)
Inks: Distress stains Barn Door, Peeled Paint, Broken China, Vintage Photo & Memento inks Bamboo Leaves, Pear Tart & Versafine Vintage Sepia
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, Mix and match Grand Canyon paper
Also: Winsor & Newton masking fluid

Snow Storm

Posted: December 3, 2013 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Berry red snow white, Nature's Song, Stamped Landscapes | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks | 20 Comments

This little scene ended up being considerably snowier than I first thought it would be, hence the title. I double embossed the branches using the method shown here. Extra embossing powder stuck on and around the masking fluid droplets creating the appearance of very fine snow over most of the panel. The moon and snow banks were masked after the embossing using post it note masks. I did all the sponging with one colour, Memento Paris Dusk, and knew when I had finished that I needed some red somewhere to add a little contrast. I played around with adding a little red bird but seriously, what bird would be out in the snow at night during a storm? The answer was to add the sentiment in red. After messing it up on the panel I restamped and punched the sentiment out with a tag punch and totally covered my mistake.

To finish the card I tried several positions for the panel. To position it up the top or at the bottom meant leaving a large empty white space. I don’t usually mind doing that but neither up nor down looked balanced. In the middle looked better especially with a little texture above and below the panel.

Supplies:

Stamps: Berry Red Snow White, A wish for Peace (Penny Black)
Inks: Memento Paris Dusk, Versamark , Versafine Onyx Black & Satin Red(Tsukineko)
Creative Dies: Nature’s Song
Also: Clear e.p., red ribbon

Watercoloured poppies

Posted: November 4, 2013 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Blooming Garden, Watercolour | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks | 18 Comments

There are various ways to watercolour with stamps; the card above was done using a method I often use when I have an outline stamp. I taped the watercolour paper to my work table and brushed water across the whole panel. While still wet I stamped the background stamp then the poppies. I inked the poppy stamp by applying the orange stamp pad to the flower head and a green stamp pad to the stems. Because the paper was still damp the ink bled a little to make a soft edge. With water and matching watercolour pencils I added colour to the petals and the stems, blending and darkening shadow areas. When the paper was almost dry I stamped over the poppies stems and seed pods to give them a bit more definition. Once the paper was completely dry I sponged blue ink in the top left hand corner and green ink in the bottom right hand corner.

Supplies:

Stamps: Damask Pattern, Blooming Garden PB)
Inks: Memento Summer Sky, Tangelo, Cantaloupe, Olive Grove (Tsukineko)
Also: Matching Faber Castell water colour pencils
Cardstock: Fabriano 25% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper

Blue Hillflowers

Posted: October 22, 2013 | Author: Heather | Filed under: CAS, Hillflowers | Tags: CAS, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks | 18 Comments

As I mentioned in my last post I am on the other side of the world. I am visiting my parents who live in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. My mother is currently in hospital so I have been spending part of each day visiting her with my father. When not at the hospital we have been preparing for possible evacuation due to the serious bush fires in the area. I have written a bit more and posted some photos on my other blog, Sentient. Thank you to all who have participated in my One Layer Wednesday challenge to use leaves. I have not been able to visit all of your blogs just yet. Things have been a little busy.

The card above is one of my favourites from the classes I taught in Washington last June. I started by embossing the hillflowers stamp in clear embossing powder onto white cardstock then flicked masking fluid over the whole panel. I applied the blue ink by sponging from one corner towards the other fading the colour out toward the “light source”. I only used one blue ink and finished the design by flicking some of it over the whole panel. Once all the ink was all dry I rubbed off the masking fluid to reveal the little white flecks.

Supplies:

Stamps: Hill flowers , Eloquence PB)
Inks: Memento Nautical Blue & Versamark (Tsukineko)
Also: clear embossing powder, Winsor & Newton masking fluid

White berry collage

Posted: September 28, 2013 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Background Stamps, Berry Branch, CAS, Lace Trims, Winter Berries | Tags: CAS, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks | 23 Comments

I made this one layer card weeks ago so I am no longer sure of my order of stamping. This is what I might have done:

position a post-it note mask
emboss winter berries in white
sponge grey ink from bottom left hand corner and teal ink from top right hand corner but keep a centre strip paler to create a highlight area
stamp letter background stamp in grey and lace border stamp in teal (lace stamp is probably patchy because I may have wiped some of the ink off on purpose.)
stamp the word ‘smile’ and the berry branch in teal

I vaguely remember dropping a stamp on the panel at some point which almost made me toss the card. Sorry I can’t be more precise; I guess it really makes sense to write about the cards as soon as I make them!

I just realized that I can add this to Karen’s One Layer Wednesday challenge this week. It is a free for all so go and check it out

Supplies:

Stamps: Berry Branch, Lace Trims, Winter Berries, Letter Background, Edge to Edge (PB)
Inks: Memento Teal Zeal, London fog & Versamark (Tsukineko)
Also: white embossing powder

Scene by the sea

Posted: September 10, 2013 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Queen Anne's Lace, Stamped Landscapes | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks | 12 Comments

I have used my usual sponging and masking techniques to create this scene but by masking a straight line through the sky and sponging below it I was able to give the appearance of an ocean view.

I sponged blue on the top third of the panel, green on the lower third and yellow in the middle. I then cut a hill shaped mask and sponged green below the mask, re-positoned it and sponged a second paler hill behind. I stamped the Queen Anne’s Lace in two green tones then finally positioned the straight mask to create the ocean in the distance.

The current One Layer Wednesday in on Ardyth’s blog for a few more hours (sorry for the late notice) and the new one will be on Cheryl’s blog tomorrow.

Supplies:

Stamps: Queen Anne’s Lace, Every Happiness (PB)
Inks: Memento Summer Sky, Pistachio, Olive Grove, Dandelion (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: PB mix & match olive grove paper, Neenah Solar White and Cream
Also: olive grosgrain ribbon