Monoprint Cover - (by Magda) - Bridge House, Italian House, Floral Edges

 Hello again,

I don't really like the white cover of my new note book, so I decided to personalize                                     it making it colorful and funnier.

I considered the cover as if it were a simple sheet to use on a monoprint plate with                             different stencils and colors.  I used the same Distress Ink Pad colors and the same                              stencils  for the two toppers. On one I stamped with Archival Ink Jet black only the                           sentiment of Bridge House, on the other also a portion of the Italian House.  The                                      tiny decoupage flower is a cropped part of  Floral Edges another so precise and                                 detailed stamp of Chocolate Baroque

I hope you liked this transformation and I thank you for reading my post today.

Hugs,    Magda  

past times (by Veronica)

Today I have samples using the Timeless and Scripts and Timepieces stamp sets. - anything with script images is right up my street, so i loved these.

My first sample  used the Scripts and Timepieces along with a window stamp from Gothic Fragments in the background. The background panel was inked with distress inks and stamped the large script and the window using the same inks.

I stamped the script panel on a separate piece of white card using a stamping platform. I inked the stamp up using the Koh-i-Noor marker pens , using the red pen for the initial flourish and odd words in the the script and black for the rest. Once it was dry I cleaned the stamp then inked the initial flourish using a versamark pen and stamped again - the stamping  platform meant that it lined up beautifully - then embossed in gold.  I tore the image out then inked round the edges before curling it up and  over to look like a scroll and gluing onto the   background.

 The Timeless set for the second card, stamped twice onto white card in black and once in versamark and gold embossed. One black image was overstamped  and gold embossed using a versamark pen and coloured with distress inks. Watch faces were cut out of the other images and decoupaged onto the main image, which was ddded to a distress ink background. The sentiment is from Say it Vertically 

Scripted

Hello, I'm sharing some more of my samples from the April show on the Craft Store.

These cards feature stamps from Scripts and Timepieces and Make Your Mark.

For my first card I used stamps from Make Your Mark and stamped randomly over a Kraft card base in brown ink. On a smaller piece of card I created a wash in blue and green dye inks. I then stamped the Spes Nostra  (which I believe means Our Hope) in black archival ink. I stamped the watch 3 times, aged them with some ink. I then added some gloss medium to the watch faces to resemble glass.  I mat and layered onto black card.

For my second card I blended dye inks to make a  background. Using the same colours I added stamps from Make Your Mark to give some depth. I then used the large script  from the set and embossed in Copper embossing powder. I added a banner across the card using the text stamp and added a pocket watch which I stamped, embossed and cut out.

 My last card uses a stamp from Make Your Mark, which could be a crack in the wall or a lightening strike and a dandelion style flower from Retro Florals. I used my stamping platform and rotated the cardstock around to get the pattern. I finished with the Seeds text from Sow the Seeds.

Thanks for looking

Sandra x

Seaside Collage (by Lesley Ebdon)

Hello everyone, an old friend is joining us on the Design Team blog this month. Lots of you will remember Lesley Ebdon from her time on the Design Team, and she has kindly agreed to do a guest spot for us. She has created some beautiful cards, and this is her first.

Lesley writes:

Hello everyone,

I was delighted to be asked recently if I would like to do a guest spot on the blog joining so many talented crafters, some of whom have been friends for many years. It's a bit like coming home, lol, and it's lovely to be here again.

I decided that as several of my male family members have birthdays in March and April that I would take the opportunity to create their cards using Chocolate Baroque stamps and colours that may not be considered traditionally male themed. Who says men's cards have to be dark and sport themed!

 

The first card was for my Son. He and his family have really missed being able to go to their favourite holiday getaway on Anglesey because of the restrictions so I used stamps from sets Seashell Collage and Mermaid Queen to create a reminder of where they will soon be able to go, fingers crossed. I did some very subtle random stencilling with a wave like design, then stamped the images with a mix of Distress Oxide and VersaClair Inks and coloured them with PolyChromos pencils. Before stamping the little collage in the bottom left corner I stamped the text with second generation ink.

 

Add the sentiment, matt and layer and it's done.

Stay safe and I'll see you again soon,

Lesley xx

Setting the Scene (by Judith)

Hello everyone, I hope that you are all keeping well. I am sharing more projects today from last month's TV shows on the Craft Store, where we showcased the fabulous Retro Vases and Retro Floral stamps. As I mentioned in my last post, if you would like these stamps, you can give Lesley or David a call at the unit, and they will take an order from you, as these stamps are not available on the website.

I decided to create a little scene for my first card. I used some torn strips of paper to create some hills, using Distress Ink and a blending brush. I added a circle mask to create a sun. Once the background was created, I chose some suitable silhouette stamps from the two sets and stamped those using various colours from the Versafine Clair range of inkpads. I used first and second generation stamping to create some depth to the foliage. The little butterfly stamp comes from the Butterfly Blush stamp set, so useful for this kind of scene. The sentiment comes from the Life is so much Better stamp set.

My next two cards followed the same basic principles, I used a piece of fabric and stamped circles in analogous colours, (next to each other on the colour wheel), using different sized circle stamps from the sets and coloured Archival ink. I then chose some of the retro images and stamped over the top using black Archival ink.

For this first card, I used an inky plate background.

For the second card, I used a Brusho background. Matting the layers onto black card adds more definition. The sentiments are from the Say it Vertically stamp set.

My final card was a quick card created straight onto a card blank. I stamped three vases using Versafine Clair ink, which I masked with Masking Tissue. I then coloured the floral staps with brush pens and stamped them above the vases, before removing the masks. I added a bit of shading with a grey pencil to 'ground' the vases.

I really had a lot of fun working with these stamps, and hope that you have found some inspiration in my projects. Thanks for stopping by, take care,

Judith xx 

Retro by Zoe

Good morning Lovelies and welcome to my first post this month.

Here are some of the samples I made for last months The Craft Store TV show featuring these fabulous stamps.

I used Greyboard tags which I’d Gessoed first, I used spray inks to colour them, I stamped the Retro Vases with Versamark ink and heat embossed, a couple of them I stamped into while still molten, I cut them out and decoupaged them onto the stamped images.

I kiss stamped the envelope.

Thank you for visiting today I hope you like my creations.

Have a wonderful day xx Zoe xx 

Retro Meadow ( By Doreen)

Retro Meadow

Hello Everyone, well here we are already into May ... Can you believe it ? 

Today I am sharing this simple but effective technique which is very achievable to the beginner and going forward. It also makes for a rushed card needed quickly and without a fuss.

 

To make the Landscape style card you will need :

One A4 piece of card folded in half.

Half of an A4 piece of stamping card plus the same in a contrast colour of your choice to mat and layer.

The stamps used are a selection from the Retro Flowers A4 set of stamps, which although are not available on the website can be ordered via a quick call or email if you prefer to Chocolate Baroque where Lesley or David will provide you with any information you require. I have also used a sentiment from Life Is So Much Better

https://www.chocolatebaroque.com/life-is-so-much-better-rubber-stamp-sheet-a5

 I have used a selection VersaFine Clair Inkpads to stamp my images randomly across the width of the card starting with the 1st generation and stamping without re-inking until there is no ink on the stamp,

Then using the stem stamps in the set I have chosen 3 different shades of green to give the long grassy effect starting with the lightest colour and working my way through until happy with the result.

Trim your contrast card to your desired size and then trim the stamped piece accordingly. I am always inclined to glue the contrast card in place and raise the stamped image with foam pads. 

Thanks for Looking in today,

Love Doreen