Imagine triptych by Brenda

Hello Peeps, time to share some more samples from the March Hochanda shows. I recently purchased this new die which lends itself to the shape of these stamp panels perfectly. I started with with a background of oxides in shades of green then stamped Arched Landscape, Garden Lace Scene and a quote from Words of Inspiration, once the ink was dry I covered all three with clear embossing ink and Speckled Egg Distress Glaze which gives a lovely gloss finish but leaves the detail of stamping perfectly clear and sharp.

For this one I have used (again) Floribunda Net stamped on to an acrylic background which had some random stamping in white using Just Useful and then the focal images stamped and heat embossed with detail gold EP. Some colouring of the blooms using Distress Markers and a die cut sentiment.

I hope I have given you a little inspiration this month.

All things bright and beautiful (by rachel)

 Hello there! Rachel here today with some more makes from Lesley's March shows. 

In this first sample I really wanted to use colour - the background of the tag was paint brayered onto to a gessoed greyboard piece - the topper was simply stamped Garden Lace scene onto smooth card) in black and coloured in using watercolour brush pens.

For this simple card I stamped the arched landscape image in black ink then set with colourless embossing powder before again colouring using watercolour brush pens. 

For this third make I used the landscape collage image and stamped it on smooth card and set with clear embossing powder. Next I coloured it in more subtley using translucent paints. I then fussy cut the image. I used the same translucent paints to create the colour in the background, drying between colours to prevent muddying. I also added background stamping in orange ink.

I hope I have given you a few more ideas of ways to use your stamps.

Big hugs

Rachel x

Smiling by Brenda

Good morning, hope everyone is OK and had a good Easter. 

Today I am sharing some of my samplesd from last months Hochanda shows. Starting with the top creation using the beautiful Floribunda Net which I stamped onto an inky Oxide background and bleached out the colour from the blooms. Using gesso as an 'ink' I stamped some circles from Just Useful and numbers from Small Graph. On a panel across the bottom I used one of the images from Life is so much Better which was launched on the show. They are my own and first set of inspirational quotes and I'm still a bit taken back that Lesley and David wanted to make them into a stamp set, thank you both 😊

Following the current trend of long tall cards I used Garden Lace Scene which fits this style so well. After stamping the image I added colour and mated with coordinating colours. The sentiment is another from Life is so much Better.

As always my thanks for popping in today.

A Day Out

Hello everyone, I'm sharing some of the cards I made for the March show on Hochanda.

These are some beautiful stamps, all with a landscape theme. I want to show how versatile the stamps are by sharing two examples of each stamp set. 

My first cards use the Landscape Collage stamp set. 

For this card I used pink Distress Inks for the background.  I then spritzed with some water and blotted with paper towel to give some interest. I stamped the image in black onto the background. I stamped again in black onto some white card, coloured the flowers, the background and the moon. I cut away the frame and the cut the remaining image into "tiles" which I placed onto the pink card at different heights with foam pads. I added a sentiment from Life is so Much Better. 

This is the same stamp, but coloured with shades of blues and purple Distress Markers.

The background is Distress inks. This time I lifted the ink by spraying a stamp from Abstract Fragments with water, stamped and then blotted the card dry. This leaves a lovely reverse image. I also added stamping in the corners from Butterfly Daisy Collage.

My next cards use the Arched Landscape stamp set.

I started with a 8x8 card base, I added slightly smaller mats in black, purple and white.  On the white mat I die cut the corner and added some stamping from Make Your Mark.

I then used a 6x4 piece of photo paper. Unfortunately, this technique does not work on all photo papers so it is trial and error! On my craft sheet I pressed my lightest Distress Oxide pad down a couple of times and then spayed with water. I then dipped the photo paper into the ink and gently dried it. (I say gently as the paper is thin and could easily scorch.)  I repeated this with a few colours starting with the lightest to darkest, using less ink each time. When the final layer was dry I used some damp paper towel and wiped off the chalky "oxide" leaving the vibrant colours behind. I then stamped with VersaMark and embossed in white. I added a black mat to complete my card.

This card uses the same stamp, but a totally different look by using alcohol markers. I used Memento Ink to stamp the image. I finished by making a white frame and layers.

My last two today use the Garden Lace Scene stamps

First I made a tag, stamping in Archival ink and coloured with watercolour pens. I then gave it a coating of shimmer spray and some pretty ribbons.

For my last card I stamped the image 4 times onto white card in Memento ink. I have  cut  away parts of the image to decoupage the layers. I coloured in each of the areas that would be showing with alcohol markers. I then layered the pieces with foam pads.

 I love how I can use any colouring medium with these stamps and get great results.

Thanks for looking

Sandra x

Bright Landscapes (by Judith)

Hello everyone, I hope that you are all keeping well. I have a couple of vibrant projects to share with you today, showcasing stamps that Lesley brought to you on last month's TV shows on Hochanda. 

 My first project is an accordian book, and I have used lots of stamps from the shows. These little books are a great way of experimenting with stamps and colour, you can let your imagination go wild. I started by colouring a piece of drawing cartridge with some ink, and let this dry completely. I then stamped and embossed the Klimt Panel twice with gold embossing powder, and cut the panel out. I mounted the panel onto black card. 

 

I cut some strips of drawing cartridge just a little bit smaller than the pieces of black card, and coloured these with Distress Ink, before scoring them into sections. I stamped the Arched Landscape and Landscape Collage twice onto the panels on one side, and coloured these with pencils. I stamped the Klimt Panel using second generation stamping in between the panels as an infill with pink and blue Distress Ink.

On the reverse, I used the Klimt Panel once again, using the same colours of ink to build up the background. I also stamped fragments of the Floribunda Net stamp on each page and coloured this with pencils. I constructed the book, adding ribbon to enable me to close the book.

My second project is equally colourful! I chose to stamp the Garden Lace Scene onto kraft card using white embossing powder, and used inks to colour the scene. I matted the image onto a piece of Lesley's A5 Double Sided Designer Papers Roll Up. I also stamped and embossed onto this background using white embossing powder, and chose to use an image from the Lace Fragments stamp set. There is a strip of lace on this set that matches the border on the main image exactly, and I stamped this onto kraft card to use as a strip behind the main image instead of a piece of ribbon. I stamped and embossed one of the new Say It Vertically sentiments onto kraft card to finish my project.

These images are such fun to work with, and I have lots more to show you this month. Keep checking back to see what my Team mates have to share with you as well. Thanks for stopping by, stay safe,

Judith xx

Summer Song Thrush (by Carole)

Hello everyone, today we have another fabulous project from our Guest Design Team member Carole Cann. 

Carole writes:

Hello again, here is my card for this week as a Guest Designer.

I have used stamps from the Harlequin Rose and Pretty Poppies stamp sets, plus the Garden Lace Scene and Song Thrush individual stamps.
I stamped and silver embossed the panel onto black card and coloured it with mica powders. The whole scene was then glazed, this is a technique I really like on black, as it gives a very dramatic effect.
The border was stamped and silver embossed onto white card and then coloured with Distress Ink. I then discovered, by accident, that the panel sat nicely into the border of the Garden Lace Scene, so I decided to use that as part of the background too. The words are from the Summer Poppies stamp set.

A full description of the project can be found on my blog.

Thank you for looking,

Carole 😃

Carole will be back with her final post for this month next week,

Turquoise Summer (by Carole)

Hello everyone, it is with great pleasure that we are introducing a new member of our Guest Design team today. Carole Cann has agreed to join the Team, and we hope that you will make her very welcome. You may have seen some of Carole's previous artwork on the Challenge Blog, where she entered regularly, and wowed us with her beautiful designs.

As always with new members to our Team, we wanted to get to know Carole a little bit, and we asked her a few questions.

What was the first set of stamps that you bought from Chocolate Baroque?

My first set of Chocolate Baroque stamps was definitely Patchwork Butterfly. I liked everything about it and there is not one stamp that I haven't used.

What would you say is your crafting style?

My crafting style is quite varied and it depends what mood I'm in at the time of making. I am quite meticulous and spend far too long deciding on a layout or where embellishments are going to be placed. I will often stamp things several times if there is a slight flaw, usually due to my cat's fur as he likes to help!

What is your favourite crafting technique?

My favourite crafting technique is definitely stamping, as I can use it on a variety of surfaces with a range of products. I particulaly like working on metal, which seems to have gone out of fashion unfortunately. A lot of Chocolate Baroque stamps are ideal for this technique as they are lovely open designs. I also enjoy doing spritzed Distress Ink backgrounds and then looking at them to see which stamps would go best on them.

I have always been into crafting of some sort as I had very creative parents, and have tried many things over the years including lino and screen printing. I discovered stamping way back in the late 90's and was hooked. I found it very engaging as it gave me the flexibility to use different techniques and products, with other peoples' lovely images.

Carole's first project this month is a pretty card, evocative of Summer days. 

Carole writes:

Hello everyone, here is one of my samples that I would like to share with you all.

I stamped the Garden Lace Scene first, onto white card.  The border from the Harlequin Rose stamp set was stamped alongside with an embossing pad, and clear embossed. It has been coloured with Distress Inks.

The saying, from the Summer Poppies stamp set, was stamped and embossed onto parchment, to give a softer look. I made the roses from circles and attached them, with die cut swirls, for added embellishments.

Changes to the colour scheme could make this suitable for many occasions.

Thank you for looking. I look forward to showing you another idea next time.

Carole 😊

Carole will be back next week with another project to share. You can catch up with her on her blog here. In the meantime, do keep visiting the Design Team blog for a daily dose of inspiration from the regular Design Team girls.

Garden Lace Scene By Florence

Hi everyone

I hope you are all enjoying the weekend.

Today I would like to share with you some cards made using the new Garden Lace Scene Stamp.  This is such a gorgeous image.  As you would expect from Chocolate Baroque stamps, the image stamps perfectly every time.  Lovely crisp lines and detail.

As this is such a beautiful image I decide to keep the first three cards simple in design with only the addition of sentiments from the Mackintosh Sentiments Rubber Stamp Set which go perfectly with this image.

I have just changed the colors of the ink I have used to stamp the image and the colors used to color the image in.

When I first looked at this stamp The Great Gatsby Sprang to mind.  The thought of elegant parties with guests dressed in their finery and sipping cocktails on the terrace resulted in the idea of combining the Garden Lace Scene image with one of the Fabulous Flapper Ladies.

These cards were easy to make.
I stamped my images with Archival Ink and colored them.
Card 1 and 2 I used ink and a damp paint brush to color the image.
Cards 3 and 4 I used water color crayons and a damp paint brush.
On card 4 I stamped the Flapper Lady onto a separate piece of white card, colored the image and attached it to the card using foam tabs.

Thank you for looking
Florence x