Angela's Ink Spot

SDC 48

2012-02-15T12:18:00.006Z

The latest Stampotique Designers Challenge is to CASE a Stampotique designer - standing for Copy And Steal Everything. This was not as easy as it sounds!!! It took me ages (not to mention a few dud trials) to decide which of the designers to CASE and eventually went for Kate Crane. Here is my poor effort which is not a copy of one particular piece of Kate's work, but using some of her ideas. I have used various sprays on the background, acrylic paint and gesso to create the circles and rings. See more of Kate's MUCH more superior work at The Kathryn Wheel.

Adding a bit of glitz!

2012-02-10T12:25:00.003Z

This background on this card was inspired by another idea in Craft Stamper. I used the 'wrinkle free distress' technique on the central panel and dried it using a heat tool. Then I dipped the card onto the craft mat again and sprinkled some glittery embossing powder over it and heated. This creates some nice random texture and glitz on your background. The stamped images I've added are some new stamps that I've just bought by Crafty Individuals.

Painting with Distress Stains

2012-02-10T12:18:00.004Z

In the January edition of Craft Stamper there was a project by Liesbeth Fidder on using Distress Stains to paint stamped images, and I decided to have a go! I have used this image by PaperArtsy which was stamped in black onto glossy card. In CS Liesbeth used Teykol, a resist medium, to create white highlights before adding the colour but, as I didn't have any of this, I tried white wax crayon instead. Then I added the DS colours straight from the bottles onto the image. I was quite pleased with how it turned out and I really like how the colours mix and blend on the paper. I finished this card off by adding a Tim Holtz adage ticket and an acetate shape by Kaisercraft.

His & Hers Drinks Coasters

2012-02-02T14:16:00.003Z

I was in my local library a few days ago and I spotted some coasters advertising the local comedy festival. Naturally I helped myself to a few thinking that they may come in useful for a craft project some time. Then I saw that the latest Stampotique Designers Challenge theme is altered items ... so perfect timing! I thought it would be fun to make a pair of 'his & hers' coasters.

I inked up some thin white card with Distress Inks, using masks to provide some texture and interest to the backgrounds. Then added some water spatters, flicks of Chalk Mists and rings which were made using a couple of lids dipped into puddles of Distress Stains. I stamped Stampotique's Smile and Sheer in black ink, then glued the card to the coasters, trimming and sanding the edges slightly. The words were stamped using small alphabet stamps, cut out and glued on. Finally I gave them both several coats of acrylic spray varnish.

Oil pastel backgrounds

2012-01-30T12:39:00.008Z

I bought some water soluble oil pastels at the NEC last November for creating coloured backgrounds... this was being demonstrated by the PaperArtsy team. I had a very quick try out when I got home, but it wasn't very successful. So they have been lying about unused since then, but last week I decided I really must get to grips with them!! I soon discovered what I had been doing wrong the first time and managed to get a good result at last. You blend the pastels on the card with your finger and I really like the bright colours they create. You can also blend two or more colours together. I had to make some ATCs for a couple of swaps I am involved in, so decided to use the oil pastels for the backgrounds. I used various inks for my stamping including Versafine, Memento, Archival and dye inks - they all worked well on the oil pastel surface.

In the middle ATC I used Stampotique's Smile and the other two both use stamps by PaperArtsy.

SDC 43

2011-11-28T13:09:00.004Z

The latest Stampotique Designers Challenge is to make a non-traditional Christmas card and NO red or green allowed! On this card I stamped Sheer and Smile onto white card, masked the images and then sprayed 3 colours of Glimmermist across the card. When it was dry I added colour to the images with Copics and some Flower Soft for the snow. The Christmas tree was made by gluing lots of punched 'branches' using a fern punch onto a triangle of card.

The Moving Finger!

2011-11-21T13:10:00.003Z

This was one of those projects that seemed to take on a life of its own! I began with a vague idea of making a vintage style collage and I also wanted to include an interactive element of some sort, but once I started it all came together really quickly. I used mainly stamps from Tim Holtz's Steampunk set which includes the hand, so I thought it would be fun to use that as my moving piece - I have attached it with a brad so that it can be rotated and the finger can point in any direction. Lots of fun! I've also used a TH philosophy tag and a small strip of tissue tape which was folded almost in half, leaving a small piece on the right hand side to attach it to the card, creating a little flap.

SDC 42

2011-11-16T11:45:00.006Z

The latest Stampotique Designers Challenge is a sketch and having missed the last couple of challenges I've actually made two cards this time, although one was a happy accident! I'm glad to say that I now have a new stamp - Smile - so at last I can use a different image.
I had already decided to use an acetate clock (by Kaisercraft) for the circle and coloured it using alcohol inks. The background paper was a free art paper that came with one of last year's Somerset Studio magazines. I have a friend who occasionally passes old copies to me, but usually she has removed the free papers. However, this time she had left one of them in the mag - I think it may be a little too arty and abstract for her use, but I loved it. I had pretty much finished when I suddenly thought it would make a good belated card, so I added the wording.
Sometime later I noticed that the waste paper I had used to protect my work surface for this and earlier projects had an interesting pattern, including a circular area (where I'd inked the clock), so I thought I'd see what I could come up with using this. I went for a Christmas theme and stamped Smile onto the paper, made him a party hat out of another bit of waste paper with stamping on, and also used the star stamp which was a recent Craft Stamper freebie designed by Jo Capper-Sandon. I highlighted the circle shape with a thin line of Stickles. The band across the centre of the card was made by masking off the areas above and below, blending inks in the gap and then overstamping with the pine branch.

Message in a bottle

2011-11-09T13:19:00.008Z

Having visited the Hobbycrafts Fair at the NEC last Friday I have been enjoying myself playing with some of the new stamps and stuff I bought. Here are three cards I've made, all using at least one new purchase, although completely different techniques.

I couldn't resist buying one of the new sets of Lynne Perrella stamps by PaperArtsy and on the first card I've used a couple from the set. I have coloured the main image using wax crayons as well as dripping melted crayon onto the card and then pressing a stamp into it while it is still warm (techniques featured in Craft Stamper a couple of months ago) . When the wax had cooled I rubbed Inka Gold over the raised surface to highlight the pattern. The bottle is another stamp from the set which I have added onto a memo pin, and the 'message' is just a small piece of torn paper that I crumpled up and then applied Antique Linen distress ink to the surface.

Towards the end of my visit to the NEC I spotted some wonderful stamps by Dina Wakley for Stampington. I would have been tempted to buy more but by that time I had already spent a lot and had nearly run out of money!! However, I chose this silhouette stamp which I have used on the next card, along with a few other stamps I already had. I also discovered that there are some new special edition distress inks just out! They come in sets of three - an autumn series and a winter series. I bought the winter set which includes the colours Evergreen Bough, Festive Berries and Iced Spruce. I have used these on the background, using the wrinkle free distress technique on glossy card - this gives a slightly different result to matte card and the colours tend to be more vibrant.

On the third card I have used this gorgeous heart stamp by IndigoBlu and the background was created using a flower stencil and spraying over with various Glimmer Mists. I have used some Tim Holtz's lavish trims at the bottom which I also sprayed with purple Glimmer Mist to match.

Crinkled ink background

2011-10-03T14:57:00.003+01:00

I'm always excited when the new edition of Craft Stamper arrives - there's usually an idea or technique featured that I just have to try out immediately! The latest copy of the mag is no exception, there is a wonderful background technique by Jo Capper-Sandon using a plastic bag. I have tried a similar idea ages ago using scrunched up cling film, but this is definitely cleaner on the fingers as your hand is inside the bag! Anyway, here is an effort of mine using this idea and a stamp by PaperBag Studios.

Kiss-stamping

2011-09-19T14:30:00.004+01:00

Kiss-stamping... or is it stamp-kissing? ... seems to be one of those old techniques that is making a come back at the moment. After seeing an article about it in the Australian Card Making Stamping & Papercraft magazine, I have been inspired to have a play. This is a card I made using one of my trials. The flower stamp is a simple bold one and so ideal for this technique - I inked it up with Scattered Straw and Bundled Sage DIs, then stamped the flourish onto it using Vintage Photo, before stamping the flower onto cream card. I have also used Scattered Straw on the right hand side of the patterned background paper and then stamped the French text in Vintage Photo.

SDC38: black, white and a hint of colour

2011-09-19T14:14:00.004+01:00

Here is my entry for the new Stampotique Designers Challenge to use black & white with a hint of colour. Any stamps are allowed for this one so I have used a few of my favourites, and my Black Soot Distress Ink got an airing too (I must admit I don't use this very often). I stamped three flowers using Versafine black ink onto white card and masked them, then stamped the girl's face over them (stamps by ISC). Leaving the masks in place, I then used cut n' dry foam to blend Black Soot ink around the edges of the card, creating a darker area on the right hand side. I stamped the quote (by Paperbag Studios) and a couple of flowers again in black, and finally the flourish (PaperArtsy) in Victorian Velvet DI. I used a pink Pro-Marker on the girl's lips and the centres of the flowers. The background panel was created using the familiar scrunch it up, swipe with ink and then spray with water technique - also using Black Soot.

Calligraphy Christmas Card

2011-09-05T14:36:00.004+01:00

This is another project we worked on during the week the Knuston. It actually looks a lot more difficult to produce than it was! You only have to make one wedge shaped section which is then photocopied six times, cut out and glued together to make the star shape. This can then be photocopied and reduced as many times as you like for your cards... all you have to do is add a little colour to each one as I have here.

Calligraphy

2011-09-05T14:22:00.004+01:00

I'm just back from a wonderful week of calligraphy at Knuston Hall residential centre in Northamptonshire. We had a real international group this time with students from Belgium, Netherlands, USA and Japan... as well as one or two from England. I think I was the 'local' as I only live about 40 miles away! Here are a couple of pieces of work I did during the week:

The first one was written in gouache, the large letters in the background (As You Like It) were written using very watery black paint using a piece of wood, and then the quote written on top using a steel nib.

The second piece was written in watercolour, with colour painted inside some of the counters of the letters (I used Derwent Inktense Blocks for this). The fish was traced with pencil and I used a narrow nib and gold size to draw in the outline, then covered with transfer gold. I've added a few spots of gold to the text as well. The 'sea' at the bottom was made using tracing paper which I painted with acrylic paints, tore and then glued to the watercolour paper.

And another rosette...

2011-08-23T14:20:00.002+01:00

... but this time on a Christmas card. I can't stop making these since I bought the die! I've used another stamp by Crafty Individuals here.

Birthday card for Mum

2011-08-23T14:11:00.004+01:00

At a visit to one of my local craft shops last week I treated myself to some stick pins and the Tim Holtz rosette die. As usual, I couldn't wait to try out these new purchases so I decided to use them on a card for my Mum's birthday in November. I used a big 8ins x 8ins card blank (bought these ages ago and have only used a few!) and used a stamp by Crafty Individuals in the centre. The background papers are from DoCrafts V & A Hanovarian collection. Sorry the picture is a bit wonky - because of the 3-D elements it was difficult to scan.

SDC - Altered book page

2011-08-18T14:10:00.005+01:00

Yes, we've got to alter a book page for the latest Stampotique Designers Challenge - so here is mine: Moon Girl sitting in a tree! I used a page from an old book which I first glued to some card. Then I embossed the tree using a Tim Holtz embossing folder in which I had dabbed inks - this colours the background but not the embossed part.

PaperBag Studios stamps

2011-08-15T13:17:00.006+01:00

I've been busy over the weekend trying out a couple of stamps I've just bought, both by PaperBag Studios which is one of my favourite stamp companies. It's great now to be able to buy some of their stamps singly, cling mounted. My two latest acquisitions are 'Laugh' (I've wanted this stamp for ages!) & 'Lily and Zoe'.

On the 'Laugh' card I used three colours of Memento inks to stamp the image, and a background panel made using green and blue Chalk Mists and some sequin waste. The flower stamps are by Artemio and the leaf stamp is the latest freebie with Craft Stamper magazine.

The 'Lily and Zoe' card has a background using the 'wrinkle-free distress technique' in Weathered Wood, Mustard Seed and Pumice Stone Distress Inks, and I have used some stamps from PaperBag Studios 'Little Feet' plate.

I thought Lily and Zoe would be a good image to use on a Christmas card so went ahead and made one of those too!

SDC 35: Red, yellow and orange

2011-08-05T12:08:00.004+01:00

Here is my entry for the latest Stampotique Designers Challenge on the theme of red, yellow and orange. We can only use Stampotique stamps for this one, so I have used two designed by Jo Capper-Sandon. Jasmin was stamped using Memento black ink and coloured with Copics. The background was made using torn paper masks and a variety of Distress Inks in the three colours.

Embossing Resist

2011-07-20T12:27:00.004+01:00

I've been playing around with stamping and clear embossing on patterned papers over the weekend and here are some examples I made.

On the first two cards I stamped the images on the paper with Versamark ink and embossed with clear ep. Dye inks were then sponged over. The third card was done in the same way but using an old bookpage.

SDC: Flower Power

2011-07-20T12:16:00.003+01:00

Flower power is the latest theme on the Stampotique Designers Challenge blog. I decided to go for something bright and cheerful in the hope our weather might change! It's been so cool, grey and rainy for the past few weeks and I'm still waiting for summer to arrive. We could use any stamps this time but I have used two by Stampotique, as well as some old book pages at the base of the card and for the punched flowers which have flowersoft in the middle.

Christmas in July!

2011-07-11T13:11:00.004+01:00

As I mentioned recently, I am already in the throes of making Christmas cards as examples for my Autumn term card making courses. One of the techniques I'm planning for the more advanced group is creating backgrounds using gesso, and here are a couple of cards I've just made. On the first card I've made a layered background - sponging and blending various blue dye inks onto the card and then stamping over in dark blue. This was then painted with a thin layer of gesso and when dry I have stamped again around the edges. The large snowflake was stamped and clear embossed onto white card and inks sponged over. All stamps are from Stampin' Up's Serene Snowflakes set. I used a Tim Holtz die to cut the letters for 'snoel'. I can't claim that this was my own idea... I saw a card by Pete Hughes (of Sizzix fame) in a magazine a year or two ago using die cut snowflakes and the word snoel which really made me smile. I thought it was such a good idea that I've used it several times since.

The second card has a background of 'blended paper' - torn strips of printed and stamped papers that have been glued onto card and then covered with a layer of gesso. I didn't add any colour this time as I wanted a simple white, black and silver scheme. The 'Peace' stamp is by Inkadinkado.

Stampotique Designers Challenge: scraps

2011-06-30T13:38:00.003+01:00

The latest Stampotique Designers Challenge is to use as many scraps as possible - so here is my entry. The background has been made using the 'Blended Paper' technique in which I glued torn strips of left over printed and stamped papers to a piece of card and then covered with a layer of gesso. I have added colour using distress inks, as well as bit of spattering. I stamped 'Sheer' three times on a piece of paper that had been used as protection under a variety of stamping and inking activities and made the 'skirts' using a short piece of ribbon. The flower was made using old book pages. I had a lot of fun making this card and I certainly used up lots of scraps that were just lying in a heap on my table!

Tattered Floral

2011-06-23T13:10:00.003+01:00

I recently made this flower using layers of muslin that I cut using the TH Tattered Florals die and then sprayed with Glimmer Mists. The background for the card came about by one of those happy accidents that happen now and again - I was doing some stamping using StayzOn white ink, some of which got stamped onto the paper underneath my card. A little later I was using the same piece of scrap paper under some card I was applying ink to and I noticed that the StayzOn was acting as a 'resist'. I really liked the soft and muted result it made, so thought I'd try it out to create a background. I have left the card deliberately simple, just adding a strip of TH tissue tape, and a short quote.

Crocheted flower

2011-06-16T13:08:00.003+01:00

Crocheted flowers seem to be very popular at the moment so I thought I'd have a go at making one myself. I used to do a lot of crocheting a long time ago... it must be at least 30 years ago, but I haven't done any since. I knew I'd seen the instructions for making the flower in one of my card making magazines some months past, so I had to search through my huge pile of mags to find it! I made two flowers which I layered together and then used gathered ribbon behind and have used it on this card. I was quite pleased with the result although the darker pink flower is a little bit wonky - this is due to uneven tension I think. Oh well, I'll just have to make lots more to get the practice.

Stampotique challenge - Clean & Simple

2011-06-13T13:10:00.007+01:00

Clean and simple is the theme for the latest Stampotique Designers Challenge and here is my effort. We could use any stamps this time, but I have used two by Stampotique on this card together with one of Artemio's modern grasses. I have to admit that 'clean and simple' is out of my comfort zone and so I found this a REAL challenge!!

Something old, something new...

2011-06-06T14:10:00.003+01:00

... techniques that is! Here are a couple of cards I have recently made, one using shrink plastic which I haven't used for ages, and the other using a technique I've never tried before - stamping on glass. On the first card I used a brayer & torn paper to create the background and then stamped the trees. The boy in the foreground was stamped onto shrink plastic.

I was inspired to try stamping onto glass after reading an article in Craft Stamper a few months ago. I had some Ranger Memory Glass slides that I bought simply ages and ages ago but had never used!! Anyway, I dug them out and had a go - I've tried two different techniques here, both using alcohol inks on the glass.

Trouble in Blogland!

2011-06-03T14:31:00.002+01:00

Hi everyone... I'm sorry I haven't posted anything on my blog for such a long time. This has been partly due to holidays and being busy, but also I've been having trouble actually getting into the blog! I would log in and then a minute later I kept getting a message to say the page couldn't be opened and then I got thrown out!! Anyway, fingers crossed it seems to be OK today.
I have been busy making cards.... Christmas cards! I know May & June seem just a tad early to start, but having recently been asked to set the course programmes for my card making classes in the autumn term, I thought I'd start making a few examples using the various techniques. I made a Halloween card and a couple of Diwali cards, then started on Christmas. You know what it's like - as soon as I began I got completely hooked and just carried on. I think I've made about a dozen or so Christmas cards by now, so at least I'll have some to send out in good time.

Hopefully I'll have something to show you next week as long as I have no more probs.

Swatch Book

2011-04-06T13:37:00.002+01:00

I loved Linda Elbourne's project in the latest edition of Craft Stamper - to make a colour swatch book of your distress inks, and couldn't wait to have a go and make my own. I am only just over half way through my collection of DIs, but it is something that can be added to at any time.

Vintage Text Moo

2011-04-06T13:12:00.003+01:00

Here is my moo for the latest challenge on the Make a Moo or Two blog, on theme of vintage text. I used some of the new Distress Stains by Ranger on the background and used stamps by Viva las Vegastamps, Stamper Anonymous and PaperArtsy.

Craft Stamper e-zine

2011-04-04T16:11:00.002+01:00

Did you know that Craft Stamper magazine now has a FREE e-zine that you can download at: www.craftstamper.com/ezine

The e-zine contains twelve of the best projects from 2010, as chosen by readers.

2011-04-04T15:10:00.003+01:00

This was one of those projects in which I had no plan whatsoever, it just evolved as it went along. Another product I purchased at the NEC was Fresco Finish chalk acrylic paint by PaperArtsty, I bought two bottles - Vintage Lace and Moon Light. So this card started off when I thought I'd try them out. I painted a piece of card with the Vintage Lace and when it had dried I randomly sponged on Moon Light. I then tried a variety of stamping onto the surface, some of which disappeared completely when it dried! Anyway, I carried on with darker inks and this is the finished result. I decided to use the text stamp (by Tim Holtz) as I thought it was quite appropriate, especially the bit about "not quite knowing what you're doing"! I made the big flower by die cutting pages from an old book and then painting each flower with the acrylic paints. The smaller flowers are die cut card coloured with dusty concord DI and then overstamped with the small spatters stamp in the acrylic paint. I felt it needed something to lift the whole thing, so I have added some gold accents... yes, using the Inka Gold again.

Remember... to buy tea bags!

2011-03-30T16:25:00.003+01:00

It is the last session of my beginner's card making course on Friday afternoon. I had deliberately left this one 'empty' so that the learners could choose something they wanted to do. They have selected to learn how to make a paper rose, and to use tea to give card a vintage look. To save myself a bit of time I decided to make a card incorporating both of these techniques, but first I had to stock up on tea bags (if you saw one of my earlier posts then you'll know I had completely run out). I used the tea to stain the stamped panel, then distressed and inked the edges. The stamp I've used is by IndigoBlu, the chinese lanterns are by Lavinia Stamps... yes, I bought these at the NEC too! I made the rose out of book pages which I also stained with tea - I used two pieces glued together to make it a bit more sturdy.

Flying high ATC

2011-03-30T16:20:00.004+01:00

This ATC used up some of the card I had left over from the previous project, this part was sprayed with chalk mists in green and yellow. I embossed it with a Cuttlebug folder and then rubbed Inka Gold paste (another new purchase) over the raised parts. The bird was die cut from card, covered with Inka Gold, then stamped over. The 'flying high' words are courtesy of the latest free stamp with Craft Stamper magazine.

Having a play...

2011-03-30T16:16:00.003+01:00

... with new stash I bought at the Hobbycrafts show at the NEC last weekend! This is me having fun with some of the stuff I got - I used the new Cosmic Shimmer Chalk Mist on the background, and stamps by IndigoBlu and Stampers Anonymous (Tim Holtz collection).

ATC-duction!

2011-03-21T13:11:00.003Z

I can't stop making ATCs now that I've started again... yes, they really are seductive! Here are a couple more I made over the weekend.

ATCs revisited

2011-03-17T12:53:00.003Z

I had a very enjoyable day last Saturday at the first of my two day workshops, creating inky backgrounds with dye inks, water, salt, cling film, etc. The centre where I teach has asked the tutors to propose details of courses in the autumn term, so I asked for suggestions from the learners. One of the things they have requested is how to make ATCs! At least this is something I know a little about having made hundreds in the past (unlike the Never Ending Card). Although I have loads of ATCs made by other people, I haven't got any I've made myself as they have all been traded! Deciding to make a few over the past few days, I rediscovered the joys of making them. I made the two below for the Stampotique challenge, then went on to make these three. I want to try and make a variety using different techniques. The ATC at top right has a background using the paper blending technique, and the top left one is made entirely from grunge board and grunge paper (a first for me!).

Birds of Time ATCs

2011-03-17T12:45:00.003Z

Here are a pair of ATCs made for the current Stampotique Designers Challenge which is on the theme of animals, insects or birds. I've used alcohol inks on glossy card for the backgrounds and stamps mainly by PaperArtsy.

I, Robot

2011-03-10T14:43:00.006Z

I confess that I was a bit stumped when I saw the theme for the new Make a Moo or Two challenge - robots and rocket ships. I don't have any stamps of either of these! However, I'd just finished my never ending card (below) and the Paper Artsy stamp of cogs and wheels gave me an idea... I have the technology... I can build a robot myself. I used some bits of paper left over from the previous project and that cogs stamp, for his arms and the antennae on his head I used tiny parts of the Artemio modern grasses stamps. As for his legs and feet... you may recognise that they belong to a certain Stampotique girl!

A never ending headache!

2011-03-10T14:23:00.005Z

Last term I asked my card making group for ideas of projects they would like to do this term and one of the things they asked for was to learn how to make a 'never ending' card. I'd never made one of these, but I confidently said yes of course and put it in the programme. Last weekend I realised that there are less than 3 weeks to the workshop and so I'd better teach myself how to make one of these cards. I set to, using some instructions I'd found on the Internet. However, the finished card turned out to be HUGE. I should have realised, but I somehow thought it would fold down to about half the size! Well, I knew the group would not want to make a card that big so I had to reconfigure all the measurements to make a card 14 cm square, and start again. Mind you, it was good practice making that first card and it helped me to understand how the card works - for example, Face 2 shares parts of two panels on Face 3, so you have to bear this in mind when decorating. I made one card which I decorated mostly with printed papers and just a little stamping. Then I decided to make another but using a lot more stamping and background papers I'd made myself - here is the result.

I chose to go with a vintage, almost steampunk, theme and used a variety of stamps, quite a few by PaperArtsy. The backgrounds were all made with distress inks and water, with the odd spritz of glimmer mist. I was quite pleased with the finished card although it is far from perfect - there are a few wonky edges to some of the panels. You can't stick anything over the creases as this will interfere with the mechanism, so you end up having to measure, cut, decorate and adhere a total of 24 little panels!!! I have to admit that it is great fun folding back and flipping over the sections of the finished card to reveal the 4 different faces, and when you get back to front you just can't resist doing it all again... and again...

Wish upon a star

2011-03-07T14:27:00.002Z

Another project in the new edition of Craft Stamper that I love is Joanne Wardle's Floating Front card, and of course I had to have a go at this one. Unfortunately you can't get the full effect from the scan, but when standing the centre of the card comes forward and the central image really appears to float, due to the nifty way Joanne has devised to attach it to the card. I've used Moon Girl (yes, again!) sitting on a star for my version here. The background was made using distress inks, water and glimmer mist, and stamped with Artemio's Modern Grasses.

Joseph's Coat Technique

2011-03-07T14:16:00.003Z

I have been really pleased that Craft Stamper has been revisiting some old stamping techniques recently, and often adding a new modern twist to them. In the new April edition the masterclass is all about the 'Joseph's Coat' technique by Trish Latimer. I remember trying this out years ago when I was fairly new to stamping, and back in the days when I had never heard of a brayer! So when I saw Trish's article I thought I'd have a go... here are the results. On the first card I brayered Kaleidacolor creole spice ink onto glossy card, stamped and clear embossed the mosaic stamp, then brayered over with black dye ink. The second card is trying out Trish's idea of using a 'cuttled' piece - brayered glossy card with Kaleidacolor riviera, ran through the embossing folder, applied clear embossing ink carefully to the raised areas and embossed with clear ep. Black ink was then sponged over. I have to say that using a brayer makes everything much easier - quicker and cleaner!

Sitting on a branch

2011-03-03T15:46:00.003Z

This card was not planned at all, but was one of those projects which just evolved as it went along! I had made the background using the craft mat technique and dye inks, sprinkling some rock salt over and then leaving to dry. The next day I was debating what to do with it and suddenly decided to run it through a Cuttlebug embossing folder. Well I was really pleased with the result and did not want to obscure it too much, so I just stamped Stampotique's Moon Girl and sat her on one of the branches and added a few lace flowers.

Oops, out of tea!

2011-03-03T15:22:00.007Z

These are a couple of cards inspired by Rachel Jackson's work in Craft Stamper magazine. The first one is my version of one of Rachel's cards in the new edition of the magazine. I've followed Rachel's design closely although I had to use different stamps - on mine the flower stamp is by Elusive Images and the text by Hero Arts. The text panel was made by wrapping and glueing tissue paper around a piece of card. The tissue was stained first with coffee and then stamped onto when it was dry. Rachel actually used tea to stain the tissue in her project but when I looked in the cupboard for some tea bags I discovered I had run out! I can't stand tea and never drink it although I usually keep some in case friends visit. I seem to have a vague recollection of using the last tea bag for another craft project some time ago. So much for hospitality. I decided to add the butterfly to my card using the new free stamp with the magazine. This was also stamped onto some of the tissue paper which I glued to a scrap of card first.

The second card uses another technique by Rachel which appeared in the magazine in August 2009 - pressing distress ink pads onto a sheet of tin foil, spritzing with water, then using this spritzed ink as a 'stamp pad' for your stamp. I have used this technique to stamp Stampotique's Arty and the flourish at the bottom of the card. I then mopped up all the ink left on the tin foil with a piece of card to create the background. I felt that the image of Arty was too white, so I stamped her dress on a piece of spare inked card, cut it out and glued on top. This gave me a nice bit of solid colour in the centre of the image. The idea for the flower came from the latest Craft Stamper - using canvas die cut with Tim Holtz's Tattered Florals die, which I coloured with distess inks.

Schooldays Moo

2011-02-23T12:44:00.004Z

Here is my entry for the latest Make a Moo or Two challenge on the theme of schooldays. I have used an old dictionary page for the background and then added images which I have stamped, coloured and cut out. I decided that the girl in the middle looks old enough to be a prefect, hence the 'prefect's badge' (you might not be able to see it in the scan, but I have written a minute P on the star), and I couldn't resist putting a tiny bow in her hair! LOL

Embossing with salt

2011-02-21T14:53:00.003Z

Another of the techniques featured in Craft Stamper recently that I decided to have a go at is Trish Latimer's embossing with salt. I have to admit that I found it difficult to get the salt to stick... I had to use at least two layers of the white embossing powder first and then found it worked better if I reheated and added salt on one small area at a time. Eventually I managed to get a reasonable result and here are a couple of cards that I made. I embossed a flourish and a bird die cut from grunge paper (both dies by Tim Holtz), adding the colour afterwards. The flower on the red card was also made using a Tim Holtz die.

Make a Moo and SDC too!

2011-02-14T14:18:00.006Z

I was really pleased to hear that the Make a Moo or Two challenge blog has started again. The latest theme is romance... well it is February 14th today after all! I've made these two moos for the challenge using a vintage photo and the text at the top of the moos is from stamps by Hero Arts.

The theme on Stampotique Designers Challenge is also love and we can use any stamps we like, so I decided to use the moos on a card for that challenge as well. The background panel was created using distress inks, water and a flourish stamp by Stampin' Up.

Serendipity Resist Technique

2011-01-31T14:44:00.006Z

My friend Chris has created some beautiful cards using this technique - you can see them as well as all her other gorgeous creations on her blog at http://rubbaluvva.blogspot.com/ Anyway, she inspired me to have a go and this is the result. I stamped and clear embossed the flourish stamp and then sponged over distress inks (victorian velvet, pumice stone and crushed olive), finally stamping with the same inks.

Backgrounds, backgrounds...

2011-01-31T14:28:00.003Z

Here are a couple of cards I made over the weekend as a result of trying out background techniques. The first one uses a clingfilm background - I used the craft mat technique on the card using barn door, chipped sapphire and dusty concord distress inks, and then while it was still very wet I pressed crumpled up clingfilm over the surface and left it in place until it was dry. For the card I stamped the flourish (by PaperArtsy) in black around the edges. The Mona Lisa stamp is by Tim Holtz.

The new edition of Craft Stamper arrived on Friday and this latest edition contains some fabulous techniques! One I particularly liked was called 'Blended Paper' - you stick strips of torn printed or stamped papers onto a piece of card, then paint a thin layer of gesso over. Here I have used mainly stamped paper plus a bit of an old book page. I sponged vintage photo ink over the background when it was dry. The article also demonstrated how to create a shadow behind images and I have had a go at this as well, although I think my shadow is bit too dark... more practice needed! The stamp of the two women is by Rivercity Rubberworks.

Stampotique Designers Challenge 23

2011-01-31T14:16:00.002Z

Here is my entry for the current Stampotique challenge in which we have to use only Stampotique stamps and to use orange and turquoise.

New stash... new cards!

2011-01-24T14:48:00.010Z

I went to the Sincerely Yours Papercraft Fair at Hinckley a week or so ago with some of my cardmaking friends. Although it was a fairly small show, I was impressed with what they had and I spent quite a lot of money!! I could have spent loads more than I did on one stall alone - it had all my favourite things by Tim Holtz and PaperArtsy to name but two. Anyway, I bought some nesties, several of the new Distress Inks which I still hadn't got, and some stamps of course. I've been busy trying out these new goodies and here are some cards I've made.

On the first two cards I have used the PaperArtsy Hot Picks HP1005 stamps that I could just not resist buying! I've used 2 of my new Distress Inks, Stormy sky and Wild Honey, to create the background (using the craft mat technique). On the second one, the backgound paper is part of Papermania's Bird Song collection. I made the flower using a brown paper bag!

The third one is using my new set of nesties, and as I was using the music stamps by Darkroom Door (to make one of the bookmarks below), I decided to carry on and make a card for a friend's birthday. She loves music and sings in a choir, so the theme is very appropriate for her! I have also used a Martha Stewart border punch that I bought at the show.

Upcycled bookmarks

2011-01-24T14:31:00.004Z

'Upcycling' seems to be the buzz word at the moment! My local library has a group that meets regularly for a coffee morning and an activity of some sort and I have done craft projects with them several times. They have asked me to come back to do something in a few weeks' time so I have decided to do making bookmarks using recycled materials. I have been making a few examples to take along and here are three that I've made using stamping. I've used old greetings cards for the base card on two of them and some corrugated card from an old box for the third. On two of them I've used paint swatches to stamp onto.

Stampotique Designers Challenge 21

2010-12-15T13:11:00.003Z

For this latest Stampotique challenge we have to use punched and die cut shapes - here I have used some flower and leaf punches, and nesties for the circles, and the background paper is from Papermania's Hampstead range. Stamps ae by PaperArtsy, Crafty Individuals and of course Stampotique's Moon Girl.

Medallion Christmas

2010-12-06T08:51:00.003Z

These are my favourite Christmas cards I've made so far this year. I really loved Lousette Ashton's projects using this medallion stamp by Stampin' Up in Craft Stamper a couple of months ago, so I decided to try it out for myself.

Stampotique Challenge 20 - Bling Bling!

2010-11-29T09:01:00.003Z

A lovely opportunity to go mad with the gems and glitter on this latest Stampotique Designers Challenge... and have I used lots of glitter, from glitter card, glitter embossing powder and loads of Stickles of course, and all in my favourite pink!

Stampotique Challenge 19

2010-11-18T08:52:00.004Z

Here is my card for the latest Stampotique challenge on the theme of 'girly girl'. I have used Stampotique's Moon Girl along with a few other stamps including the background which is by Hero Arts.

Inky backgrounds

2010-11-01T09:07:00.003Z

Here are a few cards I have just made using some ink & water backgrounds - I have been playing about with Distress Inks, water, salt and cling film. The first two are using the results of the salt wash technique, and the third card using cling film. I do love making my own backgrounds and of course each one you make is unique! Stamps used on these cards are by ISC, Basic Grey, Stampotique, PaperArtsy and Art Journey.

Stampotique Challenge 18

2010-11-01T08:48:00.004Z

The theme for this Stampotique Designers Challenge is 'spooky, creepy, crawly' and we can use only Stampotique stamps. For my entry, I have created a background using Distress inks and Glimmer Mists, having first smeared some white acrylic paint on with my finger for a moon, and used almost ALL the Stampotique stamps I own! I even used the beak from 'Strut your stuff' for the tiny hats on the stick things.

Tiny House

2010-10-28T08:38:00.005+01:00

The word on this week's Inchy by Inch challenge is HOME. For this inchy I have used an offcut left over from a salt wash background I'd made, and the little house stamp is by PaperArtsy.

BIG card

2010-10-26T08:47:00.005+01:00

It's my Mum's birthday next month and I decided to make her a big card using one of these 8 ins x 8 ins blank cards. I bought them ages ago but have never got around to using one till now! As I used the Tim Holtz bird cage and flourishes dies, they are big enough to use on such a large 'canvas'. The blue parts were created using Paper-Soft which gives a lovely soft chalky finish.

'The Future' Inchy

2010-10-25T12:52:00.004+01:00

Now that I've caught up with inchies for the Inchy by Inch challenges I can relax and go back to making only one each week.... but I'm still a little late with this one (last Monday's challenge)!

Inchy catch - up!

2010-10-14T08:29:00.004+01:00

Mainly because of my holiday I haven't been able to join in the latest InchybyInch challenges - on the theme of WORDS. But I have now caught up and here are my inchies for the first six words: touch, dainty, wave, separation, devotion and the past.

Birthday Card

2010-10-11T17:22:00.004+01:00

Hi everyone - I know it's been a while since I posted anything, but I've been on holiday!! I went to the USA - started off in Atlanta, then travelled to Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans. We had fantastic weather, lots of sun and the temperatures varied from a 'cool' 75 to a hot 90 F. We got to hear lots of music too, as well as visiting all the famous places and studios where Elvis lived and worked... no I'm not a huge fan of Elvis, but obviously these were all included. I was surprised to find that Graceland is actually not that big, it always looks enormous in photos. The one disappointing factor about the holiday is that I did not find one rubber stamp shop while I was there! I usually come home with an extra suitcase full. Anyway, I am back now and must catch up with all the birthday and Christmas cards, and challenges too! I've just made this card for a friend's birthday at the end of the month - the tree stamp is by Crafty Individuals and the circular 'time to celebrate' is a Craft Stamper freebie from a couple of months ago.

Z for...

2010-08-02T08:42:00.003+01:00

... zebras! Yes we have reached the end of the alphabet on the Inchy by Inch challenge.

Ready-Steady-STAMP! Challenge 26

2010-08-02T08:37:00.002+01:00

The new Ready-Steady-STAMP! challenge offered us another long list of ingredients to choose from. I have used: travel theme, map, patterned paper, film strip, ribbon, brads, metal embellishment, chipboard, glossy accents, distress ink, StayzOn, and a flower made from punched circles.

SDC No. 12

2010-08-02T08:33:00.004+01:00

Here is my take on the latest Stampotique Designers Challenge - this time to follow a sketch. I've used Jasmin and a quote stamp, both by Stampotique. The background papers are Papermania's Hampstead range.

36 inchies...

2010-07-27T08:32:00.002+01:00

... make 1 yard! LOL This is my entry for the Inchy by Inch alphabet challenge for the letter Y. We've only got one more to go now!

RSS Challenge 25

2010-07-26T08:45:00.004+01:00

We had a very long list of ingredients to choose from for this Ready Steady Stamp challenge, so it was easy to use at least 5! On this card I have used the following from the list: wings, little girl theme, alcohol inks, Stickles glitter glue, pink, pearls and gems, lace, inked and distressed papers, and butterflies. The image of the girl is by Paper Whimsy and stamps by Hero Arts and Papermania.

Christmas in July

2010-07-24T08:23:00.003+01:00

Yes, that's the theme for the Stampotique Designers Challenge no. 11! I decided to ignore the traditional Christmas colour schemes for this one, and as well as Stampotique's 'Sheer' I've used the 'Serene Snowflakes' set from Stampin Up! The background panel was created using glossy white card on which I stamped the large snowflakes using Ranger resist ink, then brayered over with Kaleidacolor Creole Spice. I stamped the smaller snowflakes on top using Memento inks in Paris Dusk and Sweet Plum. The lettering was made by running a strip of white card through a Dymo machine and then sponging with Spiced Marmalade distress ink.

X...

2010-07-22T08:46:00.003+01:00

... marks the spot! Here is my X inchy for the Inchy by Inch alphabet challenge.

W for ...

2010-07-12T08:52:00.003+01:00

.. WREN. My W for the Inchy by Inch alphabet challenge.

Paper Soft trials

2010-07-05T10:27:00.004+01:00

Here are a couple of cards I made over the weekend using Paper Soft. I found it relatively easy to use (after a little practice) with cut & dry foam, and with a foam brush - covers the cardstock well, blends nicely and does not take too long to dry. You can apply it very lightly or more heavily for a deeper or more intense colour. Because it goes on very sparingly, it is not too 'wet' and so does not really cockle the paper like most paints would do.

On the first card I used cobalt blue and magenta, both for the background and I also applied it with a small sponge to the diamonds stamp. This worked well, although I wouldn't use it for a very detailed stamp.

The owl card has a background of cobalt blue Paper Soft which I applied onto cream card - this has given it a more 'turquoise' result. I then over stamped it with a leaf stamp with the same colour PSoft. The oval was embossed using Tim Holtz's woodgrain embossing folder, and then coloured with walnut brown Paper Soft.

V for...

2010-07-05T10:16:00.003+01:00

VISION. The Inchy by Inch challenge is getting harder now we are nearing the end of the alphabet and those pesky W, X, Y & Z!

Ready-Steady-STAMP! Challenge 24

2010-07-05T08:48:00.008+01:00

The RSS Challenge has been changed slightly - we now have a much longer list of ingredients from which we must use at least five. This new challenge is to alter a book, notebook or journal. I was lucky to find this green spiral bound notebook in a local stationers, reduced to only 99p! Here are a list of the ingredients I have used:

Masculine sample.

Dry embossed background: I have used a Tim Holtz embossing folder and then coloured with walnut brown Paper Soft.

Use Paper Soft or Distress Inks: Lime green Paper Soft has been used to colour the background panel, with a hint of walnut brown around the edges. I have also used the same green to colour the card for the shield. Scattered Straw distress ink used on the card on which the pen nibs are stamped.

Colours: cream, brown and green.

Coat of Arms: I have used the shield stamp and quote.

Metal embellishment: I have added a metal corner bracket and a sprocket with a brad.

All the stamps are by Paper Artsy.

Paper Soft

2010-07-01T16:07:00.002+01:00

It's funny, I had never heard of this product until this week and then I see it mentioned twice! Once in a project in the latest Craft Stamper magazine, and again on the Ready Steady Stamp! challenge blog. Isabelle Norris has used it and has also posted a demo of it on her blog. As usual I can never resist a new craft product so I ordered 4 pots of Paper Soft from L.B. Crafts yesterday afternoon. To my great surprise they arrived this morning - what fantastic service! The new challenge on RSS includes using this product if you have it, and the colours are green and brown. By a strange little bit of serendipity I had actually picked these two colours in my order. So I am planning to try it out over the next few days and also to complete my project for the challenge... so watch this space!

Paper Soft is a water based paint by Viva - specifically developed for papercraft. It comes in a jar with a big sponge on the top, and you can pick up small amounts with cut & dry foam or similar and then blend onto your cardstock.

Cherish

2010-06-28T08:42:00.006+01:00

The new edition of Craft Stamper arrived on Saturday with a beautiful free flower stamp. I couldn't wait to try it out, so made this card. 'Water' stamping is a technique I've been meaning to try for ages, and after seeing a gorgeous tag on my friend Rachel's blog a few days ago, I decided to take the plunge (forgive the pun)! The background has been sponged with various dye inks and then I stamped all over with a flourish stamp that had been lightly spritzed with water. The flowers have been stamped onto grunge paper and then coloured on both sides with dye inks. The flourish and cherish stamps are by Stampin Up!

U for ...

2010-06-26T15:17:00.002+01:00

UMBRELLA. My next alphabet inchy for the letter U - I have used part of a stamp by Katzelkraft.

Stampotique challenge

2010-06-26T08:27:00.004+01:00

When does creative inspiration usually strike for you? In my case it is very often first thing in the morning. I get out of bed, make myself a cup of coffee, and after a few sips of caffeine an idea will pop into my head. When this does happen all I want to do is get out my crafting stash and have a play. But unfortunately I rarely have the chance to explore my ideas at the time because I have got to get washed and dressed and leave for work! So for me, freedom would be the chance to say I'm not going to work today, I'm going to stay at home and create! This is what inspired me to make this card for the latest SDC on the theme of freedom, using Stampotique's Moon Girl. The 'I don't feel like working' stamp is by Paper Artsy.

T for ...

2010-06-21T09:43:00.005+01:00

Tea-time! Here is my inchy for the letter T. I have used part of a stamp by Crafty Individuals which is a tree full of cakes, & tea things and says at the bottom: Meet under the tree for a nice cup of tea. I used the full stamp (well almost!) back in April for one of my little 'greenhouses'.

Neighbourhood Watch

2010-06-21T08:57:00.005+01:00

This is my entry for the latest Ready-Steady-STAMP! challenge. The houses were each cut from white card, then coloured and stamped with Distress Inks. I have added acetate to all the windows and the faces are images by Paper Whimsy. I hand wrote 'Neighbourhood Watch' with a dip pen and purple watercolour paint.

S for...

2010-06-14T08:35:00.001+01:00

Scarlet woman! I couldn't resist this when I decided to use this picture.

Stampotique Challenge no. 9

2010-06-14T08:29:00.003+01:00

The challenge this time is Summer... what does it mean to you? I did think about doing something about rain!! But in the end I used flowers and the sun... the sun stamp is another Craft Stamper freebie and the other stamps are by Paperbag Studios.

Butterfly Houses

2010-06-14T08:26:00.002+01:00

Our next little house swap on Craft Swap Forum is on the theme of butterflies. I've used various stamps on these, including one of my old favourites - Vanessa by Paperbag Studios, and all the backgrounds created with Distress Inks.

Calligraphy

2010-06-10T17:14:00.002+01:00

Here is a piece of calligraphy I have recently done - you will probably recognize the quote... and the mask I've used in the background! So it's a big thank you to WS and TH - two geniuses born 500 years apart.

R for...

2010-06-10T08:43:00.002+01:00

Read. My latest inchy for the InchybyInch alphabet challenge.

3 more ATCs

2010-06-07T09:11:00.004+01:00

As I had been working in black, white and green, and I had my Wizard out, making the card for the RSS challenge, I decided to carry on and make another ATC for the Craft Swap Forum challenge - this particular theme is Black & White plus one other colour. I used another Tim Holtz embossing folder for the background - Bingo - and the free stamp that came with Craft Stamper magazine last month. However, I found I couldn't just be content with one... I made two more! The themes for the other two are Heavy Metal (to use any sort of metallic technique) and I used one of my all time favourite stamps by Paperbag Studios; the word 'Hush' is grungeboard letters that I have covered with foil. The third ATC is for the theme Bad Hair Day (what else?) and I used a really old Judikins stamp, with the birds nest (by Anitas) stamped on top! Just like my hair usually is when I get up in the morning, although I haven't actually found any eggs in mine yet!

RSS Challenge 22

2010-06-07T08:59:00.006+01:00

Well here is my effort for the latest Ready Steady STAMP! challenge. For the background I have used one of Tim Holtz's embossing folders - Patchwork. My fabric is a strip of muslin that I dyed with Distress Inks and Glimmer Mist. The flower is made up of a green paper flower, then little black punched hearts, and a couple of sequins glued to the centre.

ATCs revisited!

2010-06-01T08:48:00.003+01:00

I haven't made many ATCs recently, but was inspired to make some for a revamped challenge over on Craftswap Forum. We have set six challenge themes and members can take part in any or all of the challenges over the next 12 months. I decided to make one over the wekend and then went on to make two more... I had forgotten how much fun it is to make ATCs! The themes for these three are (from the top): Less is More, A Day Out, and It Had to be a Man.

Q for...

2010-05-29T10:55:00.003+01:00

Queen. Here is my next inchy for the Inchy by Inch alphabet challenge.

Stampotique Challenge 8

2010-05-29T08:32:00.003+01:00

The SDC theme this time is purple! I have used Tim Holtz's Time Works masks on the background and sponged Dusty Concord DI over, then added a light spritz of Purple Pansy Glimmer Mist. My Stampotique stamp here is Jasmin by Jo Capper-Sandon.

RSS Challenge 21

2010-05-27T08:32:00.004+01:00

Here is my effort for this latest Ready-Steady-STAMP! challenge. I can't believe we are on week 21 already! I decided to use this Mabel Lucie Attwell stamp of the boy in his toy car (by The Artistic Stamper) and suggest a theme of a boy's ambitions.

Jasmin and Moon Girl

2010-05-24T08:37:00.006+01:00

Well I have got another few Stampotique stamps, having just received Moon Girl and two of Jo Capper-Sandon's new range - Jasmin and 'Even silence speaks'. So I will be able to put a little more variety in my entries for the Stampotique Designers Challenges in future! But you didn't think I would wait till the next challenge to try them out?? No way... as usual I wanted to use them immediately and these two cards are the results. For the Moon Girl card I used a salt wash background made with Adirondack dye inks, and a Tim Holtz mask on the lower half of the base card, AND a flourish using one of the new TH dies - I guess this one could be called Stampotique meets Tim Holtz!! The Jasmin card has a background panel using a Hero Arts stamp, Flower Silhouette, which I inked with Bundled Sage and Tumbled Glass DIs and then spritzed very lightly with water before stamping. I like doing this to soften and blend the 2 colours. Jasmin was coloured with copics, and the daisies made with a flower and circle punches.

Punched borders

2010-05-17T08:54:00.002+01:00

I've just bought this Martha Stewart border punch and decided to try it out over the weekend, making these two birthday cards. This punch is really 'MEGA'!

Stampotique challenge 7

2010-05-17T08:42:00.005+01:00

Fortunately for me, this latest Stampotique Designers Challenge can use any stamps. I only have 2 Stampotique stamps at the moment, but not for long!! For this challenge we had to use a template and so I have used a waterfall card template from a magazine. I've used stamps by Papermania plus the freebie cat from the latest Craft Stamper magazine.

P for ...

2010-05-10T15:42:00.002+01:00

... Party animal! Here is my 'P' inchy for the Inchybyinch alphabet challenge.

RSS Challenge 20

2010-05-10T08:41:00.005+01:00

A card made for the current Ready Steady Stamp challenge - this time the five ingredients we had to use were: 1. angel 2. turquoise, white, silver & black 3. ribbon & lace 4. heart 5. wood. The wood had to be real wood, not just paper printed to look like it! Luckily I had this small wooden embellishment amongst my stash. I have used Broken China and Tumbled Glass DIs on the backgrounds. The angel stamp is by Anita's and the music quote by darkroom door.

Out of the box but...

2010-05-10T08:28:00.004+01:00

... behind bars! I've finally managed to do my entry for the latest Stampotique challenge which this time is "Think out of the box". I couldn't decide what to make for this one, but then I received an order I had placed that included one of the new Tim Holtz dies - bird in a cage. So this inspired me to make a little hanging. I thought it would be fun to have Sheer inside the cage and the bird free as air outside! I have used grungepaper for the cage and bird and coloured them with Spiced Marmalade and Rusty Hinge DIs.

O for...

2010-05-05T11:56:00.003+01:00

... OWL. Yes we've reached O on the Inchy by Inch challenge.

N for...

2010-04-26T12:24:00.004+01:00

... NIGHT. Here is my latest inchy for the Inchy by Inch alphabet challenge.

Just to add that I have used a stamp by Inkadinkado and the large bat has been embossed.

Ready-Steady-STAMP! Challenge 19

2010-04-22T08:40:00.005+01:00

A card made for the latest Ready-Steady-STAMP! challenge. The background has been sponged with Distress Inks in Dusty Concord and Bundled Sage, then stamped with a flower stamp (by Tanda) also in Dusty Concord. Then I spread a very thin layer of gesso over, which has softened and toned it down. When it was dry, I stamped the flourish (by Stampin' Up) in black around the edges. The main image is a lovely new stamp by Crafty Individuals which I have stamped on a background of Dusty Concord and Victorian Velvet inks. The flower stamp is by ISC. I added the little 'memories' word (Tim Holtz), a couple of punched leaves and a grungeboard flourish that I had sprayed with Purple Pansy Glimmermist. The only way I could think of to use rubber was in the centre of the flowers - so I punched little circles from some excess rubber trimmed from a sheet of unmounted stamps!