Hare you are

Hello

Today I'm sharing another card using a gel plate background. The first stage was to stamp background flowers in Distress ink and then the foreground in black Archival ink.

Then the delicate bit of adding detail with Posca paint pens, Inktense pencils and white Gelly Roll pen.

A very therapeutic way to spend a couple of hours. 

Thank you for stopping by. Have a lovely day xx

Fox family

Hello

A quick one today sharing another card using a gel printed background. The initial stamping looked like this...

...and I didn't want to add too much more as I liked the misty morning feel. Just a little Distress ink added a bit of depth and some Posca paint for colour and highlights.

Thank you for taking time to visit. All your comments are very much appreciated. Have a lovely day xx

Evening in the garden

Hello

Once again I seem to have time for crafting or blogging, not both! I have had a bit of time in the craft room making birthday cards.

The cards started off with gel plate printed backgrounds. These were made with a layer of dye based ink brayered onto the plate, followed by a sprinkle of Brusho crystal pigment and a spritz with water. It doesn't take long to make a stack of lovely backgrounds.

I used mostly Lavinia and Card-Io stamps, starting with lighter shades of dye based ink in the background and black Archival ink in the foreground.

Then the time consuming bit is adding in all the detail to create more depth, using Posca paint pens, white gel pen and Inktense pencils. To finish off the edges were darkened with Distress ink.

Another card...

Thank you for stopping by. Hope you have a lovely day xx

Plant play

Hello

Recently I had a wonderful parcel of stencils from Giovanna Zara including her designs for GelliArts.

I thought Brusho would be good for a first play.

I layered the images using both the stencils and the masks, starting with the palest colour lemon yellow and then working through leaf green, sea green and violet.

 I love the texture you can get with Brusho when you control the amount of water

Lots of fun and lots of inky fingers by the end. I've lots of ideas for these so watch this space...

Thank you for stopping by xx

Life happens...

Hello

This is one of those weeks where life happens and craft doesn't! I have lots of birthdays for family and friends this time of year, but I'm afraid celebrating does interfere with crafting. Hence just a quick one today.

I started with Pentart light modelling paste through a Craftreat stencil. It's light, like it says, but also quite flexible when dry, which makes it great for cards that need posting and won't crack if they get bent.

Once dry I sprinkled it with Brusho, spritzed it, then spattered Distress Ink.

A little stencilling with one of the new Giogiocraft stencils in the corners added a bit more interest. I gradually built up highlights and shadow with alcohol markers and gel pens.

A few spatters finished it off and tied it all together. A handy masculine card for a beer lover.

Hope your week goes well. Thank you for stopping by xx

Feeling blue

Hello

A bonus challenge with Isa this month was to create a tag that is completely monochromatic, no black, no white. 

I started by gathering together various inks in blue. First I gave everything a pale blue wash with Brusho...no white remember!

The blue was paler on the elephant but still there...honestly.

Next I used my new hamsa amulet stencil from GiogioCraft with the grey-blue weathered wood Distress Ink. Then I forgot to take any more photos!

The stamps were from Creative Stamping magazine issue 93. The elephant was layered up using foam pads.

It was a really tricky project and not very satisfying. I'm still itching to give it some white splatters or highlights! It was, however, a good exercise in appreciating 'value' and contrast in projects if you want them to be cohesive and grab interest.

I'd be interested to know what you think. Your comments are always welcome.

Have a lovely week...full of colour and contrast! xxx

O Christmas tree

Hello 

Another quick share of two cards made earlier in the year. You can see the original post here with the how-to.

Autumn seemed to come to an abrupt end here and now it feels very wintry indeed. Planning is underway for a family meal over Christmas. A lot of tidying to go and not much time for crafting...but then all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy! 

Hope you have a lovely week xx

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

November tagalong

Hello

The November challenge with Isa is a spinner tag. Not something I've done before so it was fun to have a go. 

I started by die cutting circle apertures in two tags, rings to edge the apertures and smaller circles that would fit inside.

I stencilled a sun and a moon on the small circles. Later on I was pleased with how the sun turned out but not as keen on the moon. With hindsight I think a more opaque paste would have been better and given a sharper image.

I stamped and embossed one side in white and the other in black.

Over the white embossing I sprinkled grey Brusho and spritzed with water and over the black embossing I used gamboge.

The sun and moon were stuck together with a twisted thread between them and they were then stuck between the two tags. The tags were finished off with some Distress Oxide ink on the edges and some dots of enamel accents.

It even spins…

 

 

Thank you for stopping bye. Hope you have a lovely week xx

Group therapy

Hello

A quick one today using the same technique as my last post using Pentart light modeling paste through a CrafTreat stencil. Not easy to photograph the first step.

I used Brusho for the background and gilding wax on the letters.

 

A quick card and great for something a bit more masculine. I tried it out in different colours.

 

Thank you for stopping by. Hope you have a lovely week xx

 

 

Stencils and modeling paste

Hello

A while ago a friend and I got together for a crafty day. One of the things we had a go at was using Pentart light modeling paste through stencils.

It can be used in moulds but is very light and fairly quick drying on a porous surface. We prepared quite a few for later use...
 

...taking over the living room floor.

I started with a good sprinkle of Brusho and Pixie Powders, spritzing with water to get the background going. You can see a bit of the sheen from the Pixie Powder.

The modeling paste acts as a resist and remains much paler, although the red seemed to stain a bit more. Next I used gilding wax on the paste.

I didn't feel I had quite the depth I wanted so I added a bit of stencilling.

Finally a few white splatters tied it all together.

They have a really nice textured finish, very tactile indeed.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by. Do let me know what you think, your comments are always welcome xxx