Winter wreath

Hello

Today I'm sharing an old project dating back to 2016 and Craft Barn DT days. It's still one of my favourites and a really useful technique when embossing. You can find the full process details here.

The wreath was stamped and embossed in white and over stamped with three different colours of distress ink, slighlty off set each time. It was then spritzed with water and sprinkled with Brusho, before adding some colour with fine liner, glossy accents and stickles.

There's starting to be a bit of a nip in the air and winter is officially just a couple of weeks away. It's about time I gave some thought to this year's Christmas cards!

Thank you for stopping by. Have a lovely week xx

Spring hare

Hello

Today I'm sharing this lovely hare from Woodware. I used dye based markers on the stamp and a stamping platform to get the image in the same place each time.

The first one I only used one colour on the hare but then I had an experiment building up different colours for a bit more depth.

Think I like the second one better. What do you think?

Thank you for stopping by. Enjoy your day xxx

You brighten up my day

Hello
Thank you for popping by. When I have a few minutes to spare I am continuing on my mission to use up my craft stash by putting my hand into the bits and pieces box and either make something with whatever I pick up or get rid of it. It's a big box...it may take some time!

Here's a quick card made with a background from my stash that is at least a couple of years old. The owl came from a magazine my lovely husband bought me.

Have a lovely day xxx

Materials used:

PaperArtsy stamps: ETS06 

Woodware stamps: brightening your day

Papercraft Inspirations February 2019 stamp and die set

Faber-Castell Gelatos 

Promarkers

Archival Ink

Bubble Bloom

Hello  there
Nearly the weekend with a chance to relax just around the corner. Today I'm bringing a project that I've done for The Craft Barn using a Woodware stamp and alcohol inks on Yupo synthetic paper. Woodware have a range of stamps which are simple outlines of circles making flower heads and are perfect for this technique. I've applied the alcohol ink with a fine brush, cotton buds and even a pin.

I couldn't decide on a sentiment or not...what do you think?

For a few more details pop over to The Craft Barn blog or better still grab yourself a bargain from the sale!

Hang on in there, one more day until the weekend...Thanks for stopping by. xx

Peace on Earth

Greetings
Wherever you are in the world today and whether you are celebrating Christmas or not, I'd like to wish you all Peace...inner peace and fulfilment.

 

Merry Christmas 

Peace and Goodwill to All

(If you're already tired of eating and socialsing and would like to read more seasonal messages and some crafty inspiration pop over to The Craft Barn blog!)

Beary Christmas

Hello there
If you're feeling a little frazzled with Christmas preparations here's a little something to make you smile...

 

Can't have too many bears!

Thank you for stopping by xxx

Fond Farewells

Fond farewells is the theme at The Craft Barn this week. Some how it slipped my attention that my project was published yesterday but it's not too late to take a look at the blog for details of how to make it.

It's a great stamp for layering and although I thought it was perfect for a retirement, it would equally be great for a birthday or a party invitation. I decided to stamp on acetate for a glassy feel but it would work equally well on card.

Thank you for popping by. Hope you have some lovely crafty treats lined up for the week ahead. xxx

M is for Meadow

Penultimate letter of The Craft Barn dictionary challenge...M. A quick one as Christmas is nearly upon us. I've used a variety of flowery meadow stamps with a Gelatos background and some acrylic paint splatters. I rubbed away some of the background with a baby wipe and circle stencil to create a bokeh effect.

Just one last letter to go...

Materials used:

 Gelatos

PaperArtsy stamps: EDY10, EDY11

Woodware: hedgerow

Hero Arts: blooming meadow

Free magazine stamps

Archival Ink: cobalt, cornflower, jet black

PaperArtsy Fresco Finish acrylic paint

Woodware Wreath

This week it's Christmas Makes at The Craft Barn. I've made a Christmas card with one of the new Woodware stamps. For full details pop over to The Craft Barn blog for a look.

H is for Hippy

Back from holiday and just scraped in with this fortnight's entry for The Craft Barn dictionary challenge for letter H. Short on inspiration, I flicked through the old dictionary I'm using and came across the definition for hippy which rather amused me. So here goes...

The Inktense blocks were a holiday souvenir from the Derwent shop. I'm looking forward to getting to grips with them properly. Watercolour course starts up again soon so watch this space.

Materials used:

Lavinia stamp: Zen Ella

GiogioCraft stencil: floral circle

XCut embossing folder: floral curls

PaperArtsy Fresco Finish paint

Derwent Inktense blocks

gesso

gel pens, Stabilo All pencils

J is for Jungle

The Craft Barn dictionary challenge for this fortnight is the letter J with a dragonfly included somewhere.  For quite a few days I was convinced I was going with jigsaw but at the last moment I felt more in the mood for a jungle.  Although I've gone with a fantasy idea of a jungle I quite like the definition which includes 'place of intense struggle for survival', seems pretty apt.

Materials used:

Dylusions paint: lemon zest, fresh lime, cut grass, vibrant turquoise, London blue 

PaperArtsy Fresco Finish: snowflake

Dylusions: doodle parts, further around the edge 

Hero Arts: CL337

Hobbycraft: eucalyptus,  owls

PaperArtsy: JOFY33, 

Taylored Expressions: discover your wings

Woodware: climbing up

unknown guinea fowl stamp

pens, pencils, Promarkers

Winter Trees

Some of my Christmas cards this year were inspired by Kay Carley and how she uses Brusho.  The joy and frustration of using Brusho is that no two came out exactly identical!

Materials used:

Woodware: trio of trees

Brusho: gamboge, sea green, prussian blue, yellow, canary

Stampendous embossing powder: detail white opaque, frantage shabby white

Stickles glitter glue

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

I started by stamping the leaves on to a sheet of copper and heating it with a heat tool until the copper started to change colour.  The copper turned first deep orange, red, purple and then blue so by lingering over different parts a multi-coloured effect was obtained.  The leaves were cut out and the main patterns traced with a fine embossing tool on the front of the copper.  A larger embossing tool was used on the back to create even more dimension.

A leaf pattern was stamped in Distress Ink on to a card blank and shading added with a waterbrush.  A little more colour and shading was added with an orange pencil and a digitally cut sentiment adhered to the bottom.

 Finally the copper leaves and a cord bow were fixed on with Glossy Accents.

Whether this is a festival you celebrate or not it's always good to take time to celebrate and appreciate the good things in life, many of which are intangible and easily forgotten.

Thanks for taking a look x

Materials used:

Magic Metal: copper sheet

Ranger Archival Ink: jet black

Ranger Distress Ink: wild honey

Spectrum Noir Colored Pencils: 021

Woodware Clear Stamps: leaves and swirls, leaf quartet

Silhouette Studio: Be Thankful phrase

Ranger: glossy accents

Orange cord

Time to Be Thankful

It is about this time of year my sister puts in a request for some Thanksgiving cards for her American friends, so I thought this year I would get a head start.  First the Sizzix Fern embossing folder was used on white card.

Distress Ink was applied and built up in layers, the embossed areas coloured with Promarkers and  leaves stamped around the edges.  The stamped leaves were partially coloured in.

 

Treasure Gold was lightly rubbed over the embossed area and smeared more along the edges.

Two set of leaves were stamped, cut out, coloured and curved using an embossing tool on a foam mat.  More Treasure Gold was applied to the edges of the leaves.

Distress Ink was used to create a co-ordinated coloured background on a card blank and the leaves adhered with silicone glue.  The wording was cut on an Original Silhoutte digital cutter.  And there you go!

 Recent events have given me reason to reflect and be thankful I have such a great life.

Materials used:

Sizzix Embossing Folder: fern

Distress Ink: weathered wood, dusty concord, salty ocean, squeezed lemonade, fired brick

Woodware Clear Stamps: Leaves and Swirls

Promarkers: tulip yellow, gold, pumpkin, orange, berry red, lush green

Treasure Gold: white fire

silicone glue and adhesive tape