Bouquet of Sunshine and Smiles and Pink Magnolia by Penny

Bouquet of Sunshine and Smiles.

Morning Peeps!  I hope you are all well and enjoying the lovely Autumnal colours that are starting to come through!  I'm back to share my first post with you this month featuring stamps from the Celebration Bouquet, Happy Flowers Day and Filigree Trading Hearts sets, CB Mask/ Stencil   Useful Leaves and Kaleidoscope of Butterflies, Distress inks, black Versafine ink and alcohol markers.  

I began by stamping the bouquet image onto a piece of CB Luxury SmoothWhite Paper using Versafine ink and coloured it with pens.  I did the same with a butterfly then fussy cut both images.    

On a plain piece of CB's Designer Papers I added DIs through a couple of stencils to create a background, then added gold pen around the edges.    I took a white base card and stamped one of the worker images around two edges.  I attached the background panel to the base card, off setting it to the side.  I then attached the bouquet and butterfly with 3D glue, stamped and die cut a sentement then attached it to the card with 3D glue.

Pink Magnolia.

This project uses stamps from the Happy Flowers Day, alcohol pens, Distress Inks, CB Stencil Kaleidoscope of Butterflies, black Versafine ink, clear embossing powder and an embossing folder from my stash.

I stamped and embossed the Magnolia image onto smooth white paper, then coloured it with pens.  I added a few stencilled butterflies using DIs then blended ink around the edges of the panel.  I took a piece of Kraft card and embossed it through a folder, then attached it to a white base card.

To complete the card I stamped a sentement along the bottom edge of the base card.


Thank you for popping in today, I hope that you have enjoyed this post and that I've encouraged and inspired you to have a go!  I'll be back later in the month with some more crafty fun!

In the meantime take care,



                        xx  Penny  xx

Cup of Tea Anyone? (by Judith)

Hello everyone, I hope that you are keeping warm, and looking forward to longer, lighter days to come. As you read this post, I will be at Hochanda with Lesley for two days of TV shows, I hope that you will be able to catch the shows, as we have some lovely demos and great products to share with you. The Design Team have made some beautiful samples again this month.

For my post today, I am sharing some projects that I demonstrated on last month's Anniversary show on Hochanda, using the fabric panels. If you caught the shows, you will have seen these samples during the afternoon show. My first project was unfinished at the time, and I have now made it into a useful book cover, and I thought I would share a few photographs with you. Katya is from the set of 3 Ladies fabric panels.

I coloured the fabric panel with tea first of all, dipping the whole thing into a bowl of the warm liquid, and gently squeezing out the liquid, and letting the panel dry. You can decide how dark you want the panel to be, by dipping the panel more than once, or leaving it to soak a bit more.

Once the panel was dry, I coloured the image with Inktense pencils, and blended them with a waterbrush, to give a watercolour effect. The whole effect looks very vintage, which is exactly what I wanted. I like the blotched effect that the tea has given, as if the fabric is old, and has been in storage for a long time.

I created a book cover by adding some felt wadding, and two pieces of contrast fabric to make a 'sandwich', using a journal as my template. I turned the ends in to make the inside flaps, and hand stitched those in place.

I will be able to reuse the cover once I have finished with the journal. The wadding makes the cover feel very luxurious.

My second project is a canvas bag, from the Timeless set of fabric panels, that I showed as a finished example on the show. I had already coloured the Steampunk image with Inktense pencils as before. The panel had been dipped in tea, but I had created a lighter finish, which teamed up with the canvas bag perfectly. I used a blend of pencil colours to create a stone and metallic finish, so easy when you are colouring. I used green, orange and brown for the metal, to give a rust-like appearance.

On the bag itself, I used a couple of stencils, Tando Mini Cogs, and Chocolate Baroque Mask- Kaleidoscope of Butterflies to create a background. I used Inktense pencils, colouring through the stencils, and then used a waterbrush to spread the colour.

I decided to outline the butterflies with a permanent marker for a bit more definition.

I simply hand stitched the panel to the bag, but could just as easily have machine stitched it to the bag. I hope that you have enjoyed my projects, and reading about how I put them together. I will be back later in the month with more projects to share with you, thanks for stopping by.

Judith xx

Honeysuckle Tag by Penny

Hello peeps, I hope you're all warm and well today.  I have a pretty card to share with you, one of my samples from last month's tv shows.  This project uses stamps from the Honeysuckle Butterfly, Butterfly Daisy Collage and Briar Rose Butterfly sets, CB Luxury Smooth White Paper, and CB Drawing Cartridge.

I began this project by taking a piece of drawing cartridge and blended three colours of Distress Inks over it.  I then stamped several images randomly all over the panel.

I matted the background panel onto black card and attached it to a base card.

I die cut a tag and stamped the Honeysuckle image onto it, then coloured it with pens.  I used the Kaleidascope of Butterflies stencil to add a couple of butterflies, and I blended ink around the edges of the tag.  I added a bow at the top with some twine and attached the tag to the card.

Thank you for dropping in today, I hope that I've managed to inspire you to have some crafty fun yourselves! 


Take care until next time,


                                          xx Penny xx

Painted plate by Brenda

Good morning, Brenda here with some more Butterfly inspiration.

I have been wanting to try decorating a plate for ages but seemed unable to source any Pyrex plates, turned out they are not called that anymore and now go by the name of Duralex! The photos does suggest the plate is upside down but it I promise it's not and does have a conventional indent.

I started by stamping Briar Rose Butterfly several times onto tissue paper which I then cut out and coloured with sparkle pens, I found the consistency of the pens perfect as the liquid blended over the tissue without tearing it. Next I used black archival ink to stamp some leaves to give contrast. 

Next I adhered the tissue to the plate making making sure the coloured side was placed against the glass, I used a dried clear decoupage glue for this. When dry I pained the whole of he back of the plate with metallic acrylic paint. I am not totally happy with this one especially the blending of the pain, but it was a good starting point to try and master the technique.............be warned I have more plates waiting for be decorated.

This card features the lovely Honeysuckle Butterfly image which I stamped onto a Distress Oxide background and coloured with Distress Inks. Using part of the script stamp from Paisley Elephant, stencils and black Distress Ink I added some background interest and also some spatters of watered down ink. The sentiment is from Artistic Affirmations

I managed to incorporate stamps from all sets featured in the shows on this one, Harebell Butterfly, Briar Rose Butterfly, Thistle Butterfly, Honeysuckle Butterfly and Butterfly Daisy Collage. The base card is a shape a few people asked about at a recent show so if you would like the details I have then on my own blog here. The background for all panels was created with Distress Oxides, everything stamped with Versafine Black, colouring with sparkle pens, some background stamping using Useful Leaves and Kaleidoscope of Butterflies masks and finally a few decoupages Butterflies.

Many thanks for your kind words and visits which myself and the team always appreciate.

Colourful Butterflies (by Zoe)

Good morning Lovelies, I'm back with my final post for this month featuring these beautiful stamps.

My first card I created the background by laying down Sparkle pens onto my mat, spritzed with water and picked up the colour onto my card. Istamped the image twice, once onto my background and second onto a spare bit of card. I coloured both images using Sparkle pens and cut out the flowers and butterflies from the spare card and decoupaged. I used the floral border stamp for the edges, it matches the flowers on the dress perfectly.

Second card I used Distress Inks to colour the card. I then used the Butterfly stencil and used a coordinating colour, dried well then stamped all the sentiments which I carefully stuck to an acrylic block, and heat embossed using white embossing powder. I then used the border stamp to finish it off, again in white embossing powder.

Third card, I made the background using the Shaving Foam technique and simple stamping using Versafine Black ink. I coloured the image using watercolour markers and added glitter to the centres of the flowers. The mat I layered onto was Brushos spritzed with water in coordinating colours.

Thank you so much for visiting. Have a wonderful day xx Zoe xx

Kissed bubbles by Brenda

Brenda here with my last post for this month using some of the stamps from last months Hochanda shows. 

The top card was really fun to make, I used an acrylic block and Distress Oxides and created the background by using the acrylic block to kiss stamp Square Bubbles which I inked with three different colours, cleaning the stamp between each colour. I then stamped the Fern from Rose Duo using Versafine black and used one of the small sentiments from "I shall be your Wings" to ground the images.

For my next share the background was created with Mica powders, followed by stamping Rose Duo which I then bleached out and coloured in with pencils, then added some texture paste through a stencil and also some Butterflies using Kaleidoscope of Butterflies Mask and DI's.

Finally one from an earlier show using the smaller stamps from Honey Bee and Fragrant Honeysuckle, stamping them onto hexagons cut out with a die and inked with DI's and fixed to a black base card and a few glass beads added.

I hope I have offered some inspiration today and my thanks for your visits.

Pretty Poppies (by Julie)

Hello, today I have a couple of floral cards to show you.

My first card is a DL card that I have created with the Pretty Poppies set. I simply stamped the central poppy design with Versafine ink and coloured with pencils. I then inked up the little corner stamp with a dark green Versafine and stamped the border around the outside. No special measuring was needed and if you go slightly wrong don't worry, just treat it as a design opportunity. That is why the little Thanks sentiment is there...haha. 

I finished off the card with Distress inks for the background and dabs of Crystal Stickles.

For my second card I cut a piece of glossy card to fit my card blank and brayered the background with blue and green dye ink. I lifted some of the colour by sprinkling with water and then dabbing the excess off with a kitchen towel.

I inked up flowers from Pretty Poppies and Poppy Meadow to create the floral design. I then stamped the larger flower from Pretty Poppies onto white stamping card and cut out selected areas to decoupage over the top.

I finished off the card with some stencilled butterflies using the Kaleidoscope of Butterflies mask and a sentiment from Pretty Poppies.

Many thanks for stopping by and please call back very soon for daily Design Team inspiration.

Julie xx

Autunm & Spring ( by Magda)

Today I want to share with you two journaling pages, as I always return with lots of fun and pleasure to this technique.

For both projects I used the following products :
1. Dylusions Creative Journal
2. White Gesso :  apply randomly with the spatula on the pages and let dry
3. Distress Ink Pad : blend the different colours for the backgrounds with Blending Sponges

For the Autumn Page :
1. Chocolate Baroque Stencil "Seasonal Journey":  stencil the word "Autumn" using Distress Ink
    Pad - Walnut Stain
2. Chocolate Baroque Stamp "Nature Table" : stamp the mushrooms and the leaves with Versafine
    Onyx Black,  Vintage Sepia and Olympia Green and colour with watercolour pencils
3. Chocolate Baroque Stamp "Nature's Peace" : stamp the text with Versafine Onyx Black and repeat
    it in second and third generation

For the Poppy Page :
1.  Chocolate Baroque Stencil "Seasonal Journey":  stencil the word "Spring" using Distress Ink
     Pad - Mowed Lawn
2.  Chocolate Baroque Mask "Kaleidoscope of Butterflies": use White Gesso through the butterfly
     stencil and let dry
3.  Chocolate Baroque stamp "Just Butterflies": stamp the matching butterfly with Versafine Satin Red 
     and Deep Lagoon on the gesso
4.  Chocolate Baroque stamp "Poppy Meadow": stamp the big poppy with Versafine Onyx Black
      and colour with watercolour pencils
5.  Chocolate Baroque stamp "Autumn Hedgerow" : stamp the flower branch with Versafine Olympia  
     Green and Satin Red
6.  Chocolate Baroque stamp "Loving Sentiments": stamp the sentiment with Versafine Onyx Black
     on the page and randomly in second and third generation here and there again

I hope you enjoyed looking at my pages and I wish you a relaxing crafting time.

Magda

Autumn Scenes (by Julie)

Hello, hope you are well. Today I have a couple of Autumnal cards to show you. 

My first card has been stamped with Nature Table. I started my card by applying masking tape around the outside edges of the card blank and then I stamped the group of 7 mushrooms onto copy paper so that I could make a mask. I then stamped the mushrooms that appear behind them onto the copy paper and cut out both images.

Ink up the group of 7 mushrooms with Onyx Black Versafine and stamp onto your card blank. You then need to cover them with the mask. Ink up the second mushroom stamp and stamp over the mask that you have just put in place. Now you need to place the mask you previously cut, over your second image so that you can stamp the foliage that appears to be growing behind the mushrooms. Stamp the foliage in any green or yellow dye ink that you have to hand. Once you have stamped everything remove your masks and colour with coloured pencils. Apply Squeezed Lemonade and Broken China Distress ink to the background and then remove the masking tape from around the outside edges of your card. Finally take a fine tip pen and outline the centre panel you have just created. You don't need a ruler, freehand looks best.

My second card is similar to the first but is super quick to make. 

Start by applying masking tape around the card edges, then take your Autumn Hedgerow  stamp set and ink up your chosen foliage stamps and stamp to the bottom left of your card. Stamp the lighter colour first and then over stamped with the darker brown ink. 

Apply Weathered Wood and Wild Honey Distress inks through Kaleidoscope of Butterflies stencil 

ans then apply Squeezed Lemonade and Antique Linen Distress Stain to the background before removing the masking tape from the outside edges. To create some depth run a pale grey colouring pencil around the outside of the panel you have just created, smudge it with your finger and you should start to see a faux shadow.

Finish the card off with a sentiment stamped with Onyx Black Versafine.

Many thanks for stopping by and please call again very soon to see more Design Team inspiration.

Julie xx

Harlequin Bouquet Canvas (by Anne)

Good morning. Today I am sharing a small canvas created with the lovely floral collage stamp - Harlequin Bouquet.

Materials:

• Harlequin Bouquet, Loving Sentiments
• Useful Leaves stencil, Kaleidoscope of Butterflies stencil
• 20cm square canvas board, white stamping and watercolour card (or thick cartridge paper)
• Inkpads: Versafine (Onyx Black), StazOn (Black)
• WOW Embossing Powder (Clear Gloss)
• Ultra thick embossing enamel (UTEE clear)
• Ink sprays with mica, sparkle and watercolour pens (pinks, teals, lilacs)
• Fine tipped alcohol pen (black)
• Glitter glue (pale aqua and lilac)
• Viva Décor glitter paste (teal) and modelling paste (pale aqua)
• Decorative oval frame die

How to make it:

1. Stamp the image onto stamping card with Versafine and heat emboss with clear powder. Colour with water based pens.
2. Randomly Spritz the canvas background and cover with UTEE while wet. Heat to melt. I wanted a bit of a random texture rather than smooth glass effect. If you want more texture pour a bit more powder onto the hot UTEE and melt. Ink the sentiment with StazOn and press into the molten UTEE. Leave until it sets before peeling away. I found the image was a little feint so darkened using an alcohol pen – drawing into the impressed lettering.
3. Apply the glitter paste with a palette knife onto the background using the leaf stencil. Apply modelling paste through the butterfly stencil. Leave to dry.
4. Lightly spritz the watercolour card with inks (you want it to be lighter than the canvas background so that it stands out). Cut out the frame with the decorative die and apply some ink to the edges with a sponge to define. Trim the main image to fit behind the frame and glue together. Mount onto the canvas with 3D foam.
5. Finish with touches of glitter glue.

Blue Butterflies (by Judith)

Hello everyone, I have a canvas to share with you today, using some of the products from last month's Kaleidoscope of Butterflies TV Shows on Hochanda.

I took a small canvas, and added a couple of die cut corners. Using the Kaleidoscope of Butterflies Mask, I scraped some texture paste through one of the butterfly shapes several times, creating a flurry of butterflies up the canvas. Once the paste was dry, I painted the canvas with acrylic paint, and added some highlights to the textured butterflies and die cut corners with gilding wax.

I stamped and embossed two butterflies from the Just Butterflies stamp set onto a piece of patterned paper, and cut them out, before adhering them to the canvas. I added a sentiment from the Words to Dazzle and Sparkle stamp set.

Thanks for stopping by, Judith xx