A New Year's Eve Message (by Judith)

Hello everyone, as we come to the end of 2019, I would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year and all the very best for the coming year ahead. The past year has been a very busy year for all of us at Chocolate Baroque, and we cannot believe how quickly the time has flown by. As Lesley mentioned in her Christmas Day message, we sadly lost Sue, our designer this year, we will miss her amazing creativity, but as you continue to use her designs in your artwork, her memory lives on. Sadly, I lost my own Mum this year as well, we shared a love of crafting, and I will miss talking about my latest projects with her.

One of the highlights of our year was a trip to Doncaster to Stamp Magic, where we had a stand, and I helped out with a Make and Take area. We were incredibly busy all day, and I thought that I would share a few of the samples from the classes. The format was the same throughout, but the colours and stamps varied. We used Distress Oxide Inks to create a background on Drawing Cartridge, and then stamped over the top using Versafine Clair Inks. We coloured a whiteboard heart with the left over Distress Ink, and stamped an image over the top, adding some extra colour with a water brush. White highlights could be added for an extra pop.

The hearts make great gifts in themselves, as Artist Trading Hearts, so I also designed one card with a strap across, so that the heart was detachable:

Pop over to my blog where you can also see some of the Crafty Individuals samples that I made as well. I have not finished colouring some of these, because they were made on the day as quick examples. However, I now have a nice collection of cards almost ready to give when required, and only need to add a touch of colour to the hearts and a sentiment or two.

Enjoy a very happy, creative 2020.

Thanks for stopping by,

Judith xx

Trees, trees and trees by Zoe

Good morning Lovelies and welcome back to my last post this year.

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas.

I’m back showcasing my samples from the shows last month featuring brand new stamps on Hochanda.

My first two card and matching envelopes were simple inking through a stencil using brushes and ink pads and simple stamping.

This card I used ripped paper to mask off the card which is a linen texture cardstock, I used Pan Pastels to colour and sealed using a cheapo hairspray, again, simple stamping, I used the dots from the sets to add a little interest in one corner.

This card I had some Shaving foam technique scrap in my craft stash, I stamped the background with the mesh and numbers stamps using oxide inkpad, simple stamping and coloured using Inktense pencils.

My final sample was a waste piece of card which I’d used as cleanup with brayered and neon paints.


Thanks again for taking the time to visit. 

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year xx Zoe

Reflections by Brenda

Good morning, Brenda here with some more samples from last month's Hochanda shows.

My top card features Remembrance Tree with a Pan Pastel background, stencils and Distress Inks used to build up the scene and then the Tree stamped with Versafine Black and a reflection in the water and sentiment from the Harmony Tree set.

Here we have a Brusho background over-stamped with Small Graph Paper and then using Verafine black I stamped 'O' is for just as laid out on the set before cutting into separate stamps. I used my stamp platform to allow several inking to achieve a sold finish.

This is one of the Whiteboard Trading Hearts and inked with Distress Oxides, then stamped first with the grids from Small Graph Paper using a blue Versafine Clair ink, then Freedom Flower using with Versafine Clair, added some splatters around the edge using one of the worker stamps from the same set and highlighted with a white gel pen. The word is from 'F' is For, stamped onto vellum using the same ink and heat embossed with detail clear EP.

Yet more Distress Oxides and then the large image from Butterfly Mind stamped in Versafine Clair and texture paste and a stencil used to add sections of script. I also used the splatter stamp from Freedom Flower to add more interest and sentiment from the Butterfly set. I then stamped the Butterflies again onto vellum using Versamark, heat embossed with white EP, cut out, decoupaged and added wire antenna.

The background for this one was a leftover piece using Alcohol Inks and I simple stamped Harmony Tree and the sentiment with Versafine black and heat embossed with detail clear EP to prevent smudging as the base piece is a gloss coated card.

As always I appreciate your visits and words of encouragement.

Butterflies.....

Hello
I am sharing some more of my cards from the November Hochanda show.

For my first card I created a watercolour panel by pressing three of my Distress Inks onto an acrylic block and spritzing with water. This was then placed onto my card stock and lifted, leaving the lovely pattern behind. I then stamped the individual butterflies  and sentiment from the Butterfly Mind stamp set.

My next card features the butterflies and filmstrip from the same set. I used Brushos to create a soft back ground.

This card uses the large butterfly, the separate film strip, a sentiment and the large splatters.

As you can see these are three quite different cards from the same stamp set.

My last piece is an art journal page using the Freedom Flower  and Small Graph Paper Chocolate Blocks

Thanks for looking
Sandra xx

Faux Stitching and Tree Landscapes (by Julie)

Hello, hope you all enjoyed your Christmas celebrations. I have a selection of cards to show today that I made for Chocolate Baroque's November, Hochanda TV shows.

My first is a DL card stamped with the Small Graph Paper design. There is a chain link design that comes with the stamp set and I used it to make the stitched design on top of the graph paper image. The back ground has been coloured with Distress ink and the distress stamp is from Freedom Flower.

The sentiments are from Journal Today

Following on the theme of stitching, I decided to make the small graph paper stamp look like a cross stitch design by stamping the flower from Freedom Flower over the top. I then mounted it onto some frayed burlap fabric. The background has been coloured with Distress inks and over stamped with the distress stamp from Freedom Flower. The sewing images are from Haberdashery

I finished the design off by colouring in the squares on the thin strip of graph paper from Freedom Flower to form Happy Birthday, much like you would on a cross stitch design.

This tree design is on the reverse of a recycled hanging ornament that I bought from my local supermarket. I stamped the tree from Remembrance Tree and the small tree from O is for... using an oil based dye ink that dries permanent. I then applied texture paste with a pallet knife to form the hills and when it was dry I coloured with Distress inks and gilding waxes. I made a mask for the sun/moon before colouring the background with Distress inks. I sealed the picture with a glitter spray varnish.

My last card is stamped with O is for.... The main central image was stamped with a blue, dye based ink and coloured with polychromos pencils. The background has then been stamped with the small tree that comes in the set and the edge was stamped with the distress stamp from Freedom Flower.

Thanks for stopping by and please call back soon for more Design Team inspiration.

Julie xx

Key to my Dreams (by Corine)

Hello everyone, Corine is back with her final post of the month:

Hello! Today it is my third and last time to post a card as a guest designer.

I used stamps from the sheets:
Dusky Damask
Texture Fragments
Key to My Dreams
Gothic Fragments

Choose three colours of Distress Oxide Inks. Apply this on an acrylic block. Spray water on this. Also spray water on your watercolour paper. Print the block on the paper. Let the inks blend nicely, dry it with the heat tool.
Stamp with various colours of Distress Oxide inks, various prints on the paper.
Stamp the text with waterproof black ink.
Emboss the keys with copper embossing powder on watercolour paper. Colour these with watercolour markers and cut them out. Stick them on the background. Create a shadow with a charcoal pencil and draw a line along the keys with a black fineliner (0.2mm).

I hope I have inspired you with my cards.

Kind regards,
Corine van Kuilenburg

A special day (by Lesley)

 Artwork courtesy of Jean Hardy

Well here we are again, it's the 25th December 2019 and it's almost the end of another year, and a decade.  It's been a difficult year at CB towers for several reasons. The most significant was that we lost our wonderful designer Sue and it has left a hole in our hearts, for she was a very talented and special person. We are truly fortunate that her legacy will live on all over this world in the shape of her beloved drawing and images, and she will always shine a little light on all of us.

Like all families we at CB suffer the usual ups and downs of life, but we are strong for eachother when necessary and we try to be truly kind to all.  In this world of unrest and uncertainty we like to think we are a little oasis of inspiration and creativity for all our wonderful customers. You are the people who make us what we are and for whom we try our hardest throughout the year.

So not just for today, but for all the days in a year may we wish you happiness, kindness and love where ever you are.

Merry Christmas!

Freedom and Harmony by Rachel

Good morning! Rachel here - its Christmas Eve and here are some more samples from the November shows!

Firstly some AT coins using stamps from the Butterfly mind set...

Next the freedom flower on an AT heart - I coloured this with watercolour pencils...

In this sample I used both the small graph paper and the Harmony tree stamp sets in conjunction with flake - I was pleased to see how the detail was still retained.

Lastly an oxide background teamed up with the  main image from the F is for stamp set as a topper.

Have a truely magical Christmas!

Love and hugs

Rachel xx

F is For...By Debbie

It's time for my second visit to the Chocolate Baroque blog and more of my samples from the November Hochanda show. Chocolate Baroque launched 2 decorated initial stamps this month and here's the second one F is For and 3 samples with different looks and techniques.

This one has been stamped onto a mica sprayed background using Versafine black and I've added some colour to the flowers with water based pens. The image has been mounted onto black card and the 7 x 7 white card blank has been stamped with one of the butterflies from Butterfly Mind using grey ink.

 This one has been embossed with gold powder onto navy card and the flowers coloured with metallic pens. The A5 white card blank has been stamped with a worker stamp from Freedom Flower. 

The 3rd sample has been stamped onto white vellum with Brilliance Graphite Black and then the flowers coloured on the back with metallic pens. I have used clear foam pads and transfer foils to mask the pads which I have used to attach the vellum to some white card. To finish mount onto grey card, an embossed lilac piece and finally onto a white 5 x 7 card blank.

Here are the rest of my samples some of which didn't make it onto the show.

Freedom Flower, Butterfly Mind, O is For, Amazing Mackintosh Words

Butterfly Mind embossed with white powder on ivory vellum.

Butterfly Mind on a sprayed acrylic background

Butterfly Mind on a inked background 

 Butterfly Mind gold embossed on a card front and cut away on one side

Freedom Flower, Butterfly Mind and 

Small Graph Paper

That's all from me for this time and my last time on the Chocolate Baroque Design team as I've made the decision to concentrate on my own workshops and craft projects. I'll still be keeping up to date with Lesley and all the team so from me, bye for now! Debbie

Punky Christmas (by Magda) - Punky Flower

Good morning
in few days we are celebrating Christmas and if you need more Christmas cards, I am happy to share with you a different idea for creating them.

The items of all my projects of today are :
Distress Ink Pad
Stencil
Archival Jet Black
Punky Flower plate of Chocolate Baroque
Faber Castell Art Grip Aquarelle Pencil

I wish you all a Mery Christmas, hugs xx
Magda

heart to hearts (by Veronica)

I was looking for something different to do with the artist trading hearts from Chocolate Baroque, and this is what I eventually came up with.   I made a hanging using two of the whiteboard hearts
along with a larger mdf heart that was an impulse buy at a local show held together by a folded strip of silver ribbon.

I have to admit to using brusho powders again, which made this quite a quick project to do if you didn't count the drying time....
The colours look rather different in the photograph of the finished hanging to those in the scans of the individual hearts, though the small hearts did end up noticeably bluer.

The larger heart was painted with gesso first and some stencilling with structure paste to give some texture, but the whiteboard ones were used just as they came. They were all sprinkled with a mix of black and grey brusho powders, sprayed with spray starch and covered with crumpled cling film then left to dry.
While they were drying I coloured a couple of sheets of white card similarly, but just using grey  this time.
 The magnolia flowers were stamped using black versafine ink onto the card and clear embossed, then fussy cut out and glued onto the hearts