Hydrangea quick and easy cards and tags created for Chocolate Baroque

Good morning. Here is another quick and easy project. Take a look at the Chocolate Baroque DT Blog for more quick and easy project ideas from my Teamies.

Materials:

• Hydrangea Tag stamp set
• A6 (approx. 10.5 X 15cm) cream card blanks, white stamping card
• Inkpads: Versafine (Onyx Black) and Distress Ink (Antique Linen)
• Watercolour pens (blue and purple)
• Spectrum Noir clear sparkle pen
• CutNDry foam and watercolour brush
• Hole punch and matching ribbons

How to do it:

1. Stamp the main image and the tag. Trim card and cut out the tag.
2. Colour quickly by scribbling watercolour pen onto the shaded areas of the stamp. Pull out the colour with a damp brush.
3. Drag the pen around the outer edges of the card and tag, then use damp foam sponge to blend in from the edges. Also blend in Distress Ink from the edges.
4. Glue topper to card front and add ribbon to tag. Brush over highlights on the flowers with a little clear sparkle pen.
5. This quick and easy set is ideal for batch making.

Floribunda quick and easy card created for Chocolate Baroque

Good morning. Here is a quick and easy project using the lovely Floribunda Net stamp from Chocolate Baroque. Check out the Design Team Blog for more quick projects from my Teamies.

Materials:

• Floribunda Net and Mackintosh Sentiments stamp set
• A5 white card blank, blue card (11 X 17.5cm) and white stamping card (9.5 X 16cm)
• Distress Inkpad (Chipped Sapphire)
• Alcohol ink pen (dark blue)
• Watercolour brush
• Cosmic Shimmer Twinkles (Aqua)

How to make it:

1. Stamp the image and sentiment with Distress Ink. Brush over the image with a damp paint brush to add shading and colouring.
2. Glue and layer onto the blue card and card front. Touch up with glitter glue on the rose petal tips.

Mini Indian Canvas created for Chocolate Baroque

Good morning. Today I am sharing a mini canvas for this month’s texture theme.

Materials:

• Gothics Fragments, Texture Fragments, Indian Elephant, Words of Inspiration stamp sets
• Mandala Stencil (Martha Stewart) and fossil stencil (Andy Skinner)
• Mini stretched canvas (21 X 14.5cm), watercolour card (20 X 14cm), scrap stamping card
• Mod Podge (Matte)
• WOW embossing powder (Gold detail)
• Ink sprays with mica – archival type, waterproof when dry (teal, pale pink)
• Inkpads: archival dye (teal), Versamark
• Sakura Starlite pens – archival glitter (green, blue, pink, purple)
• Coloured pencils (greys)
• Viva Décor Glitter Paste (603 teal)
• Microbeads (pink multi)
• Alcohol marker (teal) and fine tipped marker (cerise)
• Acrylic paint (cerise pearl)
• Decorative corner punch
• 3D glue gel

How it was done:

1. Spritzed the watercolour card with water, teal and pale pink inks. Laid down the fossil stencil while wet and left to dry overnight. The ink gets pulled under the stencil by capillary action giving a negative image.
2. Randomly stamped the background with the texture stamp and teal archival ink.
3. Stamped the gothic arch and sentiment with Versamark and heat embossed with the gold powder. Coloured with the glitter pens and fine tipped pink marker.
4. Applied glitter paste with a palette knife through the mandala stencil. Whilst wet dropped on some microbeads – pressed lightly into surface. Dried overnight.
5. Stamped elephant with Versamark onto scrap stamping card and heat embossed with gold powder. Coloured with glitter pens and grey pencils, Cut out and shaped slightly. Glued to card with 3D glue gel.
6. Punched corners and outlined with teal marker.
7. Coloured outer edges of canvas with acrylic paint.
8. Glued the card to the canvas with Mod Podge. Also applied over the top to seal the image. Note: I thought that my pink fine liner was archival but it was water soluble! Hence it bled and smeared across the canvas when I applied the Mod Podge – eeeek! However it did add to the texture effect – tee hee.

Sea Dragon Canvas TV show sample created for Chocolate Baroque

Sea Dragon Canvas - TV show sample created for Chocolate Baroque on The Craft Channel this week.

Materials:

• Seadragon, Mermaid Queen, Underwater Kingdom, Underwater and Seashell Collage stamp sets
• White stamping card, teal green glitter card
• 20cm square canvas board
• White Gesso
• Acrylic paints (blues, greens and teal metallic)
• Viva Décor Croco Crackling Colour (green shimmer -501)
• Viva Décor Precious Metal Colour (pink)
• Alcohol pens – for colouring die cuts (greens)
• Watercolour pencils (pinks, purples, blues, greens, yellow, orange)
• Versamark Inkpads (Vintage Sepia and Onyx Black)
• Archival inkpad (dark blue)
• Watercolour or acrylic transparent shimmer paints (blue, green – for dragon)
• Recycled jewellery pieces (chains, pearls etc.)
• PVA pearls
• Iridescent glitter glue (pink)
• 3D glue gel
• Dies to cut seaweed - mixed branches (Heartfelt Creations) and leaves (Couture)
• Stencils with swirls or water patterns (optional)

How to make it:

1. Add a coat of white gesso to the canvas. Note: The canvas was already primed but I find that the gesso adds a bit more of a key for adhering acrylic gels etc.
2. Paint the background with streaks of blue and green acrylics. Add some texture with stencils (if you like).
3. Stamp some of the weeds etc. with dark blue ink. Stamp the mermaid silhouettes in black ink.
4. Apply the crackle paste all around the edges using a palette knife and leave to dry overnight. Rub over the crackle texture with some pink metallic paint. Add some sparkly streaks into the water. Rub a little teal metallic in some areas.
5. Die cut a range of seaweed shapes using dies from plain card (colour with pens) and teal glitter card.
6. Stamp the dragon, seaweed, shells and starfish onto white stamping card using black ink, and brown ink for some of the shells. Colour with watercolour pencils and a damp brush. Add some shimmer paint to the dragon. Cut out and shape slightly to give them dimension.
7. Glue on the die cuts and stamped images using 3D glue gel. Add some ‘treasure’ – chain, pearls etc. Add PVA pearls to some of the shells, and extra sparkle with glitter glue.

Finishing your artwork: Optional: Spray the canvas with acrylic varnish. This will protect the canvas, particularly the watercoloured images. I used a Tim Holtz BigZ Easel die to cut a stand from mount board (attached to the back). Alternatively punch some holes and hang with cords.

Sea Dragon card TV show sample created for Chocolate Baroque

Sea Dragon card - TV show sample created for Chocolate Baroque on The Craft Channel this week.

Materials:

• Seadragon (sea dragon, mermaid, sentiment), Underwater Kingdom (mermaid), Underwater (starfish), Seashell Collage (Wheel and Anchor) stamp sets
• 6 X 6 inch scalloped card blank, white stamping card
• Versafine Inkpad (Onyx Black), archival dye ink (blue)
• Brusho’s (Turquoise, Ultramarine)
• Metallic paint (silver gold) *
• Pebeo Drawing Gum
• Watercolour pencils (yellow, golds, oranges) and brush
• Alcohol ink marker (black)
• Decorative Lattice Swirl Die (Heartfelt Creations). If you don’t have these dies, swirly or seaweed like foliage dies would produce a similar result.

* I used Starlight paint (Imagination Crafts) but the Aztec Paints featured in the shows this weekend would be perfect.
How to make it:

1. Stamp the Sea Dragon with Versafine and mask with the Drawing Gum. Trim to approx. 10 X 14cm and edge with black pen.
2. Drop Brusho crystals onto the card and spritz with water.
3. Colour extra card with Brusho’s for die cuts. Cut out the swirly trellis with dies.
4. Stamp the anchor, starfish and wheel with Versafine onto spare card and cut out. Stamp the sentiment with blue ink, cut out and edge with black marker.
5. Stamp the silhouette mermaids with blue ink. Remove the masking from the dragon, colour the dragon and starfish with watercolour pencils. Add some shimmer paint to the dragon.
6. Layer elements and glue to card front.

Fantastic shows from Lesley Wharton on the Craft Channel this week

Did you catch the great shows with Lesley Wharton (from Chocolate Baroque) yesterday on The Craft Channel – you can watch catch up videos online if you missed it.

The first show was demonstrating fab paints and gels from Viva Decor. Lesley then had a 2 hour show (7-9pm) demonstrating the wonderful sea themed stamps from Chocolate Baroque. She has another show this afternoon with Aztec Paints. Lesley will also be back later in the week with another sea themed show. I always love her demos – definitely worth watching.

Here are some of my projects using the sea themed stamps. Some have featured on the show along with more FAB samples from the rest of my Chocolate Baroque Teamies.

Projects with the Seashell Collage stamp set.

Projects with the Mermaid Queen and Seadragon stamp sets.

A 3D boat card and variation on a tag card using the Seashell Collage stamp set.

Quick and easy projects using the Seashell Collage set.

The Mermaid Queen set is fabulous – I have made several variations of this card for friends, and for the show.

A canvas and card using the marvellous Seadragon set.




Stamp sets used: Seashell Collage, Underwater, Seadragon, Underwater Kingdom and Mermaid Queen.

All these sets mix and match and work together beautifully – can you tell how much I love these sets?
I will add details and step by steps for all the projects later xxx.

Butterfly scene cards created for Chocolate Baroque

Good morning. For my texture project today I have made 2 variations of a butterfly scene card.

I have used ink spritzing and stamping with texture stamps to create interesting backgrounds. I have used the large gem slice stamp and heat embossing with sparkling pink powder to add a colourful textured foreground for my scene. The butterflies were also stamped and embossed, then coloured and cut out.
Both scenes were created in the same way but I took one of them a step further by mounting on a larger card with a textured embossing powder border (using heat resistant tape to adhere the powder before heating), die cut foliage and floral gems, finishing with another of the lovely stamped butterflies. Of course I just had to add PVA pearls and glitter in there too.
We have all had so much fun creating with this month’s theme of texture.
Materials:

• Just Butterflies, Nature Fragments, Abstract Fragments and Tall Trees stamp sets
• 12 X 15cm and 15 X 17cm white card blanks
• 11 X 14cm watercolour card
• Ink spritzers (lime green with mica and bright pink)
• Watercolour pens for colouring and background stamping (green, teal, blue, pink and purple)
• Glitter pens (blue and green)
• Heat embossing powders (cerise with glitter, and textured mix of fine and chunky pink, black and white)
• Inkpad for stamping trees (dark green)
• Glitter glue (aqua holographic)
• Alcohol markers for edging card and colouring die cuts (green and pink)
• Floral shaped faux gems (pink and blue)
• PVA pearls (purple)
• Heat resistant double sided tape (Wonder Tape - for heat embossed border)
• Foliage Dies (Sizzix, Tim Holtz Garden Greens)

Summer Love Seahorses Necklace created for Beads Direct

This is what I have been busy working on for the past few weeks. I hope that you like my Summer Love Seahorses. Full step by step and materials lists are on the Beads Direct blog.

Textured Book Covers using the Tangled Birch from Chocolate Baroque

I hope that you like my texture project for the blog today. I got the idea from one of Lesley Wharton’s demos on The Craft Channel where she used Brushos to make lovely background papers and book covers.

Materials:

• Tangled Birch stamp
• A6 (approx. 10.5 X 15cm) hard backed note books, scrap acetate, kitchen towel and cartridge paper
• Brusho’s and Ink Sprays (pinks and blues, some with mica)
• Starlight paints (with crushed gilding flakes) or metallic acrylic (gold and pink)
• White Gesso
• Mod Podge (Matte finish)
• Tacky acrylic glue
• Glitter glue (pink and gold)
• Alcohol marker (black or dark grey)
• StazOn Inkpad (Black)
• Microbeads (pink and turquoise mixes)

Summary of techniques:

1. The blue textured paper was created from waste kitchen towel initially used to mop up waste diluted Brushos from my craft mat. I spritzed on a bit more colour. When dry the towel was scrunched up and the layers separated.
2. The pink textured paper was created with thin cartridge sketching paper and ink spritzers, some with mica.
3. The papers were applied to the book covers using Matte Mod Podge. The wrinkles created a lovely texture. I sealed the blue tissue with Mod Podge on the outside too, and used both layers as it was quite translucent with just one layer. I left the pink textured paper unsealed.
4. When dry I rubbed over the surface with metallic acrylics to pick up and highlight the textures (using a little on my finger).
5. The Tangled Birch was stamped onto acetate with StazOn Ink. The back was then coloured with metallic acrylics.
6. When dry I added a layer of white Gesso. This made the translucent acrylic more solid and opaque. The image was cut out and glued to the book front with tacky glue.
7. Glitter glue was added to the image front. I used Pinflair glitter wands which work well on acetate. You may want to test this as some glitter glues may not stick well to acetate.
8. Microbeads were dropped into a thick layer of tacky glue for added texture.

Christmas Canvas created for Chocolate Baroque Colour Challenge 26

I couldn’t resist making something for Christmas using this month’s colours – for the golden orange I substituted metallic gold. Check out the Chocolate Baroque Challenge Blog for more lovely projects from my Teamies.

Looking forward to seeing your entries this month x. Materials:

• Christmas Decorations stamp set. Sentiment from Words of Inspiration, reindeer from Sparkling Trees and Lantern from Christmas Candlelight stamp sets.
• 25 X 20cm primed canvas board, white stamping card, black card, and scrap acetate.
• Embossing folder with Baroque style design (EBosser Regency).
• Snowflake stencil (Claritystamp).
• Inkpads: Distress Ink (Mustard Seed), Versamark, StazOn (Jet Black).
• Embossing powder (black sparkle glitter).
• Gesso (black) and acrylic paints (black, green).
• Viva Décor Croco Crackling Colour (Teal green) and Kristall Gel (clear holographic glitter gel).
• Glitter pens (red, green, yellow, gold).
• Glitter glue (red, green, gold).
• Glossy Accents, chunky gold glitter, PVA pearls (gold).
• Pebeo Gilding Wax (Renaissance Gold).
• Purchased berries and twigs, recycled gold chain and red organza ribbon.

How it was done:

1. Embossed black card with folder and rubbed over with gilding wax. Trimmed to make background panel.
2. Brushed the canvas with black acrylic leaving some background canvas texture showing through, and dried. Sponged Distress Ink into the spaces.
3. Applied crackle paste in corners and around the edges and left to dry overnight. Brushed over the top with green acrylic (the paste was not quite the right green). I dropped on some chunky gold glitter into the wet paint.
4. Glued down the embossed background panel. Stamped the sentiment with gold acrylic and outlined with green glitter pen. Applied Glossy Accents.
5. Stamped the bauble diamond 9 times onto white card with Versamark and heat embossed with the black sparkle powder. Coloured the card with Distress Ink. Coloured the baubles with glitter pens. Cut out and glued to canvas with 3D glue gel. Added Glossy Accents to enhance the baubles.
6. Applied Kristall Gel to the canvas through the stencil. Also applied to scrap acetate, dried overnight and cut out.
7. Stamped the lantern and reindeer onto white card. Coloured with Distress Ink and glitter pens. Cut out and glued to canvas. Added Glossy Accents.
8. Stamped the gem decorations onto acetate with StazOn. Coloured the back with glitter glues. Left to fry overnight. Painted the back with black gesso, cut out and glued to canvas. Added gold hanging chains and gold glitter glue to finials.
9. Glued down the berries and twigs. They were already decorated with fake snow. Added a bit more sparkle with gold glitter glue.
10. Finally glued down the acetate snowflakes. Added PVA pearls and dropped on gold glitter.