Birthday prints
Posted: August 17, 2018 Filed under: happy birthday to you, painted prints | Tags: My Favorite Things, Ranger Distress inks, WOW embossing powders 5 Comments
I’ve been playing around with the layering stamps from MFT ‘painted prints’ again. I had a bit of an idea in my head when I started but I changed it a couple of times along the way. It’s on hot pressed watercolour paper because at first I intended to add water. I began by stamping the roses in worn lipstick and added the second layer with stamped off aged mahogany.
Next I did the leaves in shabby shutters with second layer in forest moss. I did the little yellow flowers with wild honey; some are dark some a light because I stamped them twice each time I inked, a first and a second generation print. I gave them little stems and with shabby shutters and forest moss.
I filled it in with tiny dusty concord flowers stamped twice just slightly offset to get two-toned flowers in all the gaps. To make the half hidden sentiment I stamped with versamark and embossed twice with WOW clear ultra high powder. To make the clear embossed sentiment show up I sponged antique linen ink over it; that was a bit too subtle so I switched to wild honey. Still too subtle I grabbed the wild honey marker and drew some shadows around two edges of each letter.
‘Cos I was feeling fancy I made a matching envelope and stamped a great big ‘Happy Birthday to you’ inside the card. I discovered something cool to do with these stamps while I was making this card so there will be more to share another day. Thanks for dropping by.
Supplies
Stamps: paint prints, happy birthday to you
Inks: worn lipstick, aged mahogany, wild honey, scattered straw, dusty concord, shabby shutters, forest moss, antique linen distress inks, versamark
Paper: hot pressed watercolour paper
Also: WOW clear ultra high embossing powder
Painted Prints
Posted: August 14, 2018 Filed under: painted prints | Tags: My Favorite Things, Ranger Distress inks 7 Comments
To create this card I worked with a bold red, orange and purple palette on rough watercolour paper with distress ink pads, a little different to the blues, pinks and hot pressed choices I often make. The stamps are from the Painted Prints layering set from My Favorite Things. I started by stamping the roses in scattered straw with the second layer in spiced marmalade. After stamping I blended with a wet paint brush. Next I popped in the purple flowers stamping off with dusty concord for the first layer then using the same ink at full strength for the second layer. The red flowers I used only the second layer stamp with festive berries ink.
The stems or leaves are either forest moss or frayed burlap, stamped then blended with some water. I used a tiny stamp, which I think is for sepals or maybe flower centres, to stamp little flowers in stormy sky ink. I also splattered a little frayed burlap ink over the panel; you know I like a little splatter here and there.
The floral panel is popped up on a piece of orange adhesive backed foam and attached to a cream base. To finish off the card I embossed a sentiment from Anything but basic Friendship set on a strip of purple cardstock in opaque white powder.
Supplies
Stamps: painted prints,
Inks: scattered straw, spiced marmalade, dusty concord, festive berries, frayed burlap, forest moss, stormy sky distress inks, versamark
Cardstock: rough watercolour paper, neenah natural white, purple
Also: opaque white embossing powder, orange fun foam
Soft pink poppies & a give away
Posted: June 25, 2018 Filed under: spontaneous joy | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress inks, Ranger Distress stains 31 Comments
You can find me over on the Foiled Fox blog today sharing all the details about this soft summery card. It reminds me of one I made a couple of years ago with an all over poppy pattern. I used distress stains and markers to get a loose watery look then gold embossing powder for the sentiment and some gold splatter. You can read about my process on the Foiled Fox blog.
I have teamed up with the Foiled Fox today to not only share this card but also a GIVEAWAY! If you comment here or on the Foiled Fox blog you will be entered to win a $25 gift certificate to spend at the Foiled Fox online store. You have until the end of Sunday, July 8th to enter.
For extra entries you can follow Foiled Fox or me on youtube, instagram or pinterest. All the links are listed below.
Enjoy your summer days!
Supplies
Stamps: spontaneous joy 40-597, happy wishes 30-419
Paper: cold pressed watercolour, neenah natural white
Inks & Stains: versamark (tsukineko) spun sugar, tattered rose, forest moss distress stains, abandoned coral mini ink pad, black soot distress markers (ranger)
Also: metallic rich gold embossing powder (WOW), stamping platform
Summer Dream
Posted: May 30, 2018 Filed under: summer dream | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress inks, Tsukineko Memento inks 3 Comments
Penny Black has a selection of magnolia stamps including ‘Summer Dream’, featured on today’s card. I used a memento inkpad and distress markers to colour it, making use of a stamp positioning tool to let me add colour little by little.
I inked the whole stamp with memento angel pink ink and stamped on hot pressed watercolour paper. Angel pink is a very pale ink so it is good for layering over. I used worn lipstick, picked raspberry and aged mahogany distress markers to build up detail and shading on the flowers then peeled paint and forest moss markers to create two toned leaves. I finished off the flowers by drawing the stamen with a black marker. I added gathered twigs and black soot marker to the twigs and stems to complete the image. When I ink with dye based markers I spritz the stamp lightly before stamping so the colour begins to blend on the stamp. I sometimes use a damp brush to blend on the paper also.
The sentiment from ‘Smile today!’ is stamped in versafine clair nocturne and the panel popped up on foam over a natural coloured card base.
Supplies:
Stamps: summer dream, smile today
Distress markers: worn lipstick, picked raspberry, aged mahogany, gathered twigs, peeled paint, forest moss, black soot
Ink: angel pink memento, nocturne versafine clair
Paper: hot pressed watercolour paper
Also: white foam
Knock knock
Posted: May 28, 2018 Filed under: Art Impressions WC stamps, border edgers | Tags: Art Impressions watercolor stamps, Kuretake Zig clean color real brush markers, My Favorite Things, Penny Black creative dies, Ranger Distress inks 11 Comments
I’m collaborating with the Foiled Fox team today so you can read more about these cards on their blog. These are my first cards created with Art Impressions ‘Watercolor’ stamps. The stamps are designed for creating scenes; there are a lot of little stamps depicting stems, branches, foliage and flowers. The stamper can combine them however they wish, use a water soluble ink then blend with a little water to turn all the stamping into ‘watercolor paintings’.
I used a combination of foliage and flower sets to decorate two cards featuring doors from the Art Impressions ‘Door’ set. It was fun to create little scenes around the doors. One ended up being a rustic cabin type door and the other a simple white door at the end of a garden path.
I chose frayed burlap distress ink to stamp one of the doors and grey zig clean color real brush marker to ink the other door. I also used the zig markers for the floral and foliage stamps. I learnt on the Art Impressions youtube channel that the best way to stamp the flowers and leaves is to ink them, then stamp several times just slightly offset each time. That way you create more volume and variety in colour. After you have done your stamping (with watersoluble inks like distress and zig clean color) you can blend all the images with a damp brush to create the watercolour look.
I added some elements with the zig markers and watercolour pencils to fill out the scenes. front path, bricks and planks around the doors and a hand drawn window. Pop over to the Foiled Fox blog to read about my method in more detail.
I really enjoyed playing with these stamps to create my own scenes. The stamps are tiny but you can fill a garden quickly by stamping a mass of flowers and foliage then blending it every so lightly with water. I would love to hear from you in the comments below if you have already done some creating with the Art Impressions watercolour stamps or if you are feeling inspired to give it a try. I will definitely be back with more scenes.
Supplies
Art Impressions Stamps: WC Foliage set 3, WC Flower set 3, WC door set, WC Foliage set 1, Flower
MFT Stamps: Anything but Basic Friend set
Inks: frayed burlap distress ink, versafine sepia, versafine olympia green
Dies: Penny Black border edgers
Papers: cold pressed watercolour paper, neenah natural white, green cardstocks
Also: zig clean color real brush pens, watercolor pencils
Flower perch
Posted: May 9, 2018 Filed under: flower perch | Tags: Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolour pencils, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress inks 15 Comments
I have a tried and true colouring method for you today. I know I have shared this technique before but it’s a favourite of mine so here it is again! I even have a video where I demonstrate this technique with a different stamp.
I stamped the ‘flower perch’ image in vintage photo and did all the painting with watercolour pencils. I used a damp brush to pick up colour from the pencil leads. When I paint onto the stamped image the colour from the pencils mixes with the vintage photo ink giving everything a brown tinge.
After I had completed the bird and branch I decided to add the script stamp to the back ground. I avoided the bird by placing post it notes here and there and by only pressing part of the stamp onto the panel each time. I can’t remember if I had taped the panel down at the beginning or whether I did it just before adding the script. Either way I had tape around the edges which enabled me to mask a plain frame around the panel when I sponged the border and splattered vintage photo ink here and there. I even remembered to stamp an envelope to match!
Supplies
Stamps: flower perch 40-593, script 40-470
Paper: hot pressed watercolour paper
Ink: vintage photo distress ink, vintage sepia versafine ink
Pencils: Faber-Castell Albrecht Dürer watercolour pencils (178, 190, 191, 195, 131, 187, 174, 141, 233)
You’re fantastic
Posted: May 2, 2018 Filed under: ravishing | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress inks 3 Comments
Today I am featuring the new brushstroke stamp, ‘ravishing’. I have chosen to colour it with distress inks and markers in a couple of my favourite colours. Once again I worked in a stamp positioner so I could add one colour at a time. First I inked the petals of ‘ravishing’ stamp with tumbled glass distress ink and stamped. Next I added dusty concord ink to parts of the petals, spritzed them then stamped. The centre I inked with a mustard seed distress marker, spritzed and stamped then finally added some black details on the stamp with a black soot marker. Once all the ink dried I drew some more details on the panel with the black soot marker.
For a sentiment I die-cut ‘fantastic’ twice from purple cardstock backed with double sided adhesive. I stacked the die cuts together and attached them over the stem. I pulled out an older but very handy set called ‘word express’ and stamped a few words in black ink on watercolor paper. I popped them up with adhesive to create an encouraging message for a mother I know.
I cut the floral panel to exactly the size of my card base so it appears to be almost a one layer card.
Supplies
Stamps: ravishing 40-589 (PB), word express 30-106
Die: fantastic thank you 51-427 (PB)
Paper: hot pressed watercolour, purple cardstock
Ink: nocturne versafine clair
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Distress inks & markers: mowed lawn & forest moss inks, tumbled glass, dusty concord, black soot and mustard seed markers
Also: double sided adhesive sheets, foam adhesive, stamping platform
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Norah Head lighthouse
Posted: April 16, 2018 Filed under: lighthouse | Tags: Darkroom Door stamps, Ranger Distress inks, Ranger Distress stains 19 Comments
Today’s card has been sent to my dad for his birthday but considering the time it takes for mail to get from Canada to Australia these days and my own postal disorder it did not arrive in time. He is currently visiting my brother so this post provides a sneak peak before the real thing arrives in his mail box. Happy Birthday, Dad! I chose this stamp from Darkroom Door for several reasons. When I first visited Darkroom Door in 2016 I enjoyed visiting and talking with the owners Rachel and Stewart. When my dad returned to pick me up he walked in, looked at all the DD stamps displayed and was drawn to two stamps in particular; this was one of them. During the same 2016 trip Dad and I went to the Norah Head lighthouse, featured on this stamp and not too far from my parents’ home. We went for a quick look and discovered there was a guided tour about to start so we joined in. We heard the history of the light and enjoyed the views from several vantage points.
To paint this scene I stamped the scene in distress inks, the top border, sea and light in stormy sky, the land around the light in forest moss and the foreground rocks in black. I then used stains to paint the scene; I’ve listed them below. After painting I used a fine tip micron pen to re-draw the railing and details on the light then wrote a sentiment.
My father has been interested in lighthouses for years and has visited many around the world. I have a connection to one from very early in my life. I was born on King Island in Bass Strait, off the coast of Tasmania and home of the tall Cape Wickham lighthouse. Although I don’t remember the occasion I have a photograph Dad took of me in front of the light.
Supplies
Stamp: lighthouse (DD)
Inks: stormy sky, forest moss, black soot distress inks & markers
Stains: worn lipstick, mustard seed, salty ocean, forest moss, black soot, stormy sky, vintage photo distress
Paper: hot pressed watercolour paper
Tools: stamping platform
Also: micron pen .01
Classic garden
Posted: March 27, 2018 Filed under: Flower garden | Tags: Darkroom Door stamps, Ranger Distress inks 3 Comments
A few weeks back I created two fairly glamorous cards with this fancy stamp, glamorous because of the platinum and gold embossing I paired with the very detailed stamp. Today’s card is simply stamped in one colour and embellished with another colour creating this classic navy, red and white combo.
I stamped on neenah solar white cardstock in chipped sapphire distress ink; it is a very detailed stamp so using a stamping platform helped me get good coverage.
Quite a versatile stamp I think…
Supplies
Stamps: flower garden, botanical script
Ink: chipped sapphire distress ink
Paper: neenah solar white, textured red
Also: stamping platform, red & white gingham ribbon
Wings & things
Posted: March 23, 2018 Filed under: Wildflowers Vol 1, Wings | Tags: Darkroom Door stamps, liquid metals, Ranger Distress inks 11 Comments
This is one of those cards that just evolved. I’ve had the butterfly stamps at hand while teaching a class with them. I did not have a definite plan; in fact, you may be surprised to hear it started with three butterflies stamped in rusty hinge distress ink. The panel sat around for a while then I decided to paint turquoise brusho and metallic sky liquid metal inside each of the brown butterfly outlines. I didn’t love that so I spritzed interference blue pearl-ex spray over all three butterflies to make the colour bleed into the surrounding area. Still not right, so I employed a technique one of my friends calls ‘drowning’ and spritzed the panel thoroughly. The result was a sparkly blue panel with muted butterflies now looking like background images.
I used pine needles and mermaid lagoon distress inks to stamp foreground images, more butterflies and some flowers. I framed the panel by sponging pine needles ink around the edges then splattered a little white gesso over it. As often happens with my cards I started thinking about a sentiment once there was no room left for one. Vellum to the rescue with an phrase embossed in silver.
Supplies
Stamps: wildflowers vol 1, wings
Inks: rusty hinge, mermaid lagoon distress ink, pine needles, versamark
Paper: hot pressed watercolour paper, vellum, neenah solar white cardstock
Paint: turquoise brusho, white gesso, metallic sky liquid metal
Also: silver embossing powder, interference blue pearl-ex powder mixed with water in a mister
Heather Telford 