Sew much fun!

I have mentioned this before - I have never been fond of sewing. But I have been trying out some hand stitching on cards recently and actually enjoyed it! Here are a few cards which I have made.

On the first one I have kept it fairly simple using a stamp by Artemio on a background using pigment inks and then adding a small zig-zag of stitching with black thread. The coloured 'squares' on the base card were made using Tim Holtz's scratches stamp in both directions, and then I coloured in some of the spaces using Distress Markers.

This card has a stitched border around the edge of patterned paper which I first stamped and clear embossed the flowers and butterflies by Hero Arts, then sponged Distress Ink over and around the embossing. I've finished it off with a lace flower, ribbon and a tiny tag.









For my third card I have used a Dina Wakley stamp on a background of waste paper that I had used underneath various other projects. I layered this onto red card and added a line of wonky (deliberate) stitching in red. I have used the 'crinkled ink' technique on the base card, stamped the quote (by PaperArtsy) which I covered with a strip of Tim Holtz film strip, and finally added two Hero Arts butterflies decorated with Indian bindis.

 

Mother's Day Card

This is the card I have made for my Mum for Mother's Day on Sunday. I guess most of you will recognise the famous Tim Holtz stamp I have used! I had this lovely background paper which is printed with vintage dressmaking images, so I dug out this stamp (which I haven't used for ages) to go with it. Then I just added a couple of hearts, a flower, some ribbon and buttons to complete the card... easy peasy. I think Mum will like the colour scheme - her favourite colour is beige!!!

Tiny houses

The other stamps I recently bought from Crafty Individuals are these gorgeous little houses. Joanne Wardle used them in a recent edition of Craft Stamper and I just had to get them! Crafty Individuals usually send you some free small stamps with an order, which is always a wonderful surprise.


On the first card I have used one of the stamps and coloured the houses individually using Pro Markers. The faux wall was made simply using small strips of paper and an old book page, the edges inked with brown, and then glued on 'brick' style (I saw this idea in an Australian card making magazine and thought it would work well on this).


For the other card I decided to go for a clean and simple design.... as a complete change from my usual style!! This time I stamped the houses onto patterned paper, added a scalloped border and then glued to the card. I used one of the free stamps I received along the bottom of the card. To finish, I used this Craft Stamper freebie chandelier stamp at the top, and added a few tiny gems.

Adding a bit of glitz!

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

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.

The Moving Finger!

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.

Message in a bottle

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

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

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.

Calligraphy Christmas Card

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.

And another rosette...

... 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

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.

PaperBag Studios stamps

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!

Embossing Resist

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.

Christmas in July!

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.

Tattered Floral

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

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.

Something old, something new...

... 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.

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!

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.