Winter Shaker Card created for Chocolate Baroque

Good morning. Today I am sharing another of my recent show samples using one of the lovely seasonal ladies – Winter Dawn. I just had to go over the top with sparkle and bling for this one – tee hee.

This one does make a nice Christmas card (sorry to use the ‘C’ word) - but it could just as equally make a nice winter birthday card too.

Materials:

• Winter Dawn stamp
• Seasonal Elements and Seasonal Journey stencils
• 16 X 13cm card blank, smooth blue card, holographic mirror card, blue glitter card, heavy acetate (recycled packaging)
• Versamark Inkpad
• WOW embossing Powder (Metallic Silver Superfine)
• Colouring pencils (white, blue and grey)
• Fine tipped markers (black and opaque white)
• Glitter glue (pale aqua) and loose glitter (extra fine pale blue)
• Crystal glitter (Pinflair Iced Diamond - for inside shaker)
• Acrylic texture paste (Pebeo concrete relief paste)
• Viva Décor Kristall Gell (Hologram)
• Snowflake dies (various suppliers)
• Foam tape and strong double sided tape (red liner)

How to make it:

1. Stamp the image with Versamark and emboss with the silver powder. Colour with pencils and use fine tipped black pen to darken eyes. Use the white pen to enhance highlights. Add glitter glue to snowflakes. You could stop at this stage and simply mat and layer onto the card front.
2. Cut a frame from holographic card. Using texture paste add the lettering through the stencil. Quickly coat with loose glitter. When dry enhance the lettering by drawing on a drop shadow with black pen.
3. Trim the acetate to fit behind the frame. Add snowflakes using Kristall and applying through the stencil. When dry glue to the back of the frame with strong tape. Apply the framed window to the card with 3D foam tape ensuring that there are no gaps. Before sticking down add a pile of crystal glitter to the middle of the card.
4. Finish with die cut snowflakes.

Autumn Medley Stepper Card created for Chocolate Baroque

Good afternoon. This is another of my show samples using the Autumn Medley stamp from Chocolate Baroque. This is a variation of a previous project but this time I used some of the new stencils too.
I have used acorn and foliage dies from my stash but elements could be cut out and decoupaged from the stamped image too.

Materials:

• Autumn Medley and Mackintosh Sentiments stamps
• Useful Leaves and Seasonal Journey stencils
• A5 ready made stepper card (Hunkydory), white stamping card, A4 thick cartridge paper and waste shredded paper
• Ink Spritzers: Reds, oranges, yellows and greens – some with gold mica (Mr Huey’s and Lindy’s Stamp Gang)
• WOW embossing powders (extra fine Gold Rich, White and Metallic Gold Sparkle)
• Inkpads: Versamark, Distress Ink (Vintage Photo)
• Dye based inks: Orange and yellow (Spectrum Noir Aquatints)
• Watercolour and sparkle pens (reds, oranges, yellows, browns and greens)
• Fine tipped marker (brown)
• Paper raffia (yellow)
• Dies: Acorns (Spellbinders), foliage with berries (Sizzix Tim Holtz), leaves (Sheena Douglass), square and mini tag (Tattered Lace)
• 3D glue gel

How to make it:

1. Spritz the cartridge paper with autumnal coloured inks and leave to dry. Trim the background panel. Die cut the tag, foliage and acorns from the remainder.
2. Add further colouring detail to the foliage and leave to dry. Shape using a ball tool and embossing mat.
3. To finish the background panel apply Versamark through the leaf and sentiment stencils and heat emboss with sparkly gold powder. Use the fine tipped pen to enhance the lettering (adding a bit of a drop shadow). Blend a little Distress Ink in from the edges to frame, and glue to the card front.
4. Stamp the sentiment onto the tag with Versamark and heat emboss with white powder (‘with love’ – tricky to see in the photo). Add raffia ribbon and glue to the back step of the card (right hand side).
5. Stamp the Autumn Medley onto stamping card using Versamark and emboss with detail gold powder. Colour with watercolour and sparkle pens.
6. Lay the square die onto the image and mark the position of the overhang with pencil and trim around with a craft knife or scissors (i.e. the foliage and hair that extends beyond the die edge). Lay the overhang behind the die cutting edge (so it won’t cut through) and cut out the square. Edge with Distress Ink, blending in from around the edges of the square mat.
7. Scrunch up a bundle of the waste paper strips and raffia and lay the die cut topper over the top. Put everything together using 3D glue gel.
8. Finish by adding Glossy Accents to the stamped berries, acorns and some hair strands to give added shine.

Summer Poppy card created for Chocolate Baroque

Good morning. Today I am sharing another of my TV show samples created with the gorgeous Summer Fayre stamp from Chocolate Baroque. This is a variation of one of my earlier cards. I added more colouring using watercolour pencils, and created a leafy background using one of the new stencils.

Materials:

• Summer Fayre stamp and Useful Leaves stencil (Chocolate Baroque)
• A5 card blank (white hammered card), white stamping card, black card
• Versafine Inkpad (Onyx Black) and Distress Ink (Shabby Shutters)
• Watercolour pencils and brush for colouring
• Water based sparkle pens
• Fine tipped marker (opaque white)
• Alcohol marker (black)
• Glossy Accents and PVA pearls (black)
• Art Nouveaux decorative frame die (Tonic) and dies to cut poppy and leaves (coloured with alcohol pens and sparkle overlay pen)

How to make it:

1. Cut the background mat from stamping card to make a panel to go behind the decorative frame. Create the background by sponging Distress Ink through the leaf stencil. Edge with black marker and glue to the card front.
2. Cut the decorative frame in black card, placing a white mat behind. Draw faux stitching with white pen and colour some elements with red glitter pen. Glue to the card front with foam pads for added dimension. I also glued down some of the black die waste pieces.
3. Stamp the image with Versafine and cut out to layer onto the decorative frame mat.
4. Colour with watercolour pencils, using a damp brush to blend out the colour. Add some areas of sparkle with water based sparkle pens.
5. Glue on the flower and leaves. I created mine with dies but a ready-made flower embellishment would also work.
6. Add Glossy Accents to some areas of the foliage and hair strands to give shine.
7. Finish with PVA pearls.

A set of Quick and Easy Cards using the Seasonal Beauty Stamps from Chocolate Baroque

I made this quick and easy set in under an hour with the Seasonal beauties stamps (Spring Awakening, Summer Fayre, Autumn Medley and Winter Dawn), along with the new stencils (Useful Leaves, Seasonal Elements and Seasonal Journey) – recently featured on Hochanda.

Making them in a batch made it really quick and easy. I trimmed the stamping card (14 X 20cm) to fit a ready made A5 card blank. I then stamped all the images with Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink, stencilled all the background components and lettering, and sponged ink around the edges.

I then used a damp brush to quickly colour the ladies, dragging colour from the stamped image. Where I needed stronger colour I picked up extra ink from my craft mat using water to dilute the ink as needed. I didn't fuss over the details but just swept the water over areas, dropping in darker colour where extra shadows were needed.

Finally I added swirls of fine clear glitter glue through their hair and on the flowers and snow balls as desired.

Quick and Easy Mackintosh Love card created for Chocolate Baroque

Materials:

• Mackintosh Beauty, Mackintosh Windows (small flowers) and Amazing Mackintosh Words stamp sets
• Card blank (11.5 X 19cm) with subtle textured and coloured background (or stick a patterned paper to a plain card blank), scrap of stamping card
• Versafine (Onyx Black) and StazOn (Jet Black)*
• WOW embossing powder (Clear Gloss)
• Spectrum Noir Aquatints (red/pink, teal and purple) and Sparkle Pen (clear overlay)
• Ribbon (deep purple)

 
*I used StazOn to stamp the sentiment on my coated card as I wasn’t sure if Versafine would dry on the slightly shiny surface. If you are using an ‘inkable’ type of card/paper the Versafine will be fine for this.
 
How to make it:

1. Stamp the heart and flowers onto stamping card and heat emboss with clear powder. Cut out elements and colour with inks and sparkle pen.
2. Stick the ribbon to card front with double sided tape. Stamp the sentiment. Glue down the stamped embellishments with 3D glue or foam pads for added dimension.

Just about the little things Mackintosh card created for Chocolate Baroque

Good morning. Today I am sharing another of my show samples with the lovely Mackintosh stamps recently shown on Hochanda.

I used a stamping platform (Tim Holtz/Tonic) to help with placement of the stamps around the card border. This made it quick and easy but it is not essential. A craft mat and acrylic block with a grid will be helpful to get precise placement but it can be done ‘by eye’. Practice on a piece of cheap copy paper.
 
Materials:

• Mackintosh Beauty, Mackintosh Windows and Amazing Mackintosh Words stamp sets
• 8 X 8 inch card blank (smooth inkable card), stamping card, black card
• Versafine (Onyx Black)
• WOW embossing powder (Clear Gloss)
• Water based inks (yellow, purple, teal, deep pinkish red)
• Sparkle pen (clear overlay)
• Layering dies (Torn Edge Squares – Tattered Lace)

 
How to make it:

1. Mount the corner and border stamps onto a gridded acrylic block. Test their placement on a scrap piece of 8 X 8 copy paper. Stamp onto one corner and edge, turn the card 90 degrees and stamp again. Repeat to build the border. Heat emboss with clear powder. Colour with inks and sparkle pen. The embossing resists the ink so makes colouring fairly quick and easy.
2. Stamp the lady onto stamping card. Heat emboss with clear powder. Cut out and colour with inks and sparkle pen. Don’t worry about cutting out the fiddly ‘land locked’ area under the bouquet. When mounted onto the uncoloured background panel it will blend in and not be noticeable.
3. Stamp the panel and sentiment, cut out and mount onto black card, glue to the card front.
4. Glue the lady to the card front with 3D glue gel or foam pads.

Teneriffe Lace TV show samples for Gina-B Silkworks

Good afternoon. Here is a quick peek at my samples for the Teneriffe Lace show on Create & Craft today at 5pm. Freeview Channel 23 (UK) or watch online from the website (they keep videos online for a week if you miss it).

Clover Motif worked on Loom 1 - from Total Trimmings book 1 (Teneriffe Lace)

Christmas Motif - worked on Loom 1

Mixed media canvas - Large and small circular lace motifs from Total Trimmings book - Loom 1. The butterfly was one of my experiments on Loom 3.

I will blog more details soon.