Sitting Pretty

Sitting Pretty

Today I would like to share this make with you, it uses a stamp set called

 Mermaid Queen Rubber stamp sheet - A5

I also used a Grey Inkpad, Watercolour Brush Pens, a Clear Glitter Gel Brush Pen and one of my Make Art inkpads Garden Patina which I used to colour the background and the mermaids spotlight bubble.

Another card made using the Mermaid Queen set and the very versatile and much loved

 Make your Mark Rubber Stamp sheet - DL

I used the worker stamps in the Mermaid Queen stamp set, a mop up background on glossy card, the stamped images were embossed using a clear embossing powder.

The bubbles from the Make Your Mark set I feel set the scene on the backing card for the finished topper.

Thank you for looking in today

Love Doreen

 

Its all about the sea - by Rachel

 

Hello there - Rachel here today with some more inspiration from the June shows. In this first card I have used mostly stamps from the Mermaid Queen set. I did a little stencilling lightly in the background then stamped the images and created the scene. I painted the scene using mica powders.

In this next card I used the Seashell Collage stamp set - I used distress oxide in the background then I created a little 'wreath' using the images then stamped the beautiful verse and seagull stamp centrally. 

My final piece is a ceramic plate  - I used the Ammonite stamp to make this - I wanted it to look like a bed of rock with fossils in it! 

Have a great day!

Hugs

Rachel xx

Under the Sea (by Doreen O'Brien)

Hello, Doreen O'Brien here, back with another blog post to share with you.

I first cut an oval to use as an aperture for my card. I inked the background with Distress ink and then inked over a stencil. I stamped my images from the Mermaid Queen set and coloured them with Distress inks. The sentiment was stamped onto card and attached with foam pads.

Well, that's it for another week.

Bye for now.

Doreen

Mermaid Queen (by Andrew)

Morning Peeps thank you for stopping by. 

Another card for you today again from the recent Chocolate Baroque TV show.

This time I will be using the Mermaid Queen stamp set.

Take an A5 piece of card and trim 2cm from one long and one short edge.

Using Broken China, Salty Ocean and Salvaged Patina Oxides and a stencil cover the card. If you don't have a stencil, use your paintbrush and paint thick and thin lines. Matt and layer on to blue card. Leave to one side. 

Take a piece of card big enough for the mermaid stamp and stamp in Momento London Fog, tear the edges.

Stamp the image again on to a scrap piece of card.

With the second image colour the tail and bra using the Artway shimmer paints, cut out and put to one side. 

With your main image colour the mermaid using alcohol markers and also the coral and seaweed.

Dab Distress ink pad (not Oxides) in Broken China on to acrylic block and with a water brush apply colour to the background of the mermaid.

Take the same ink pad and go around the torn edges.

Cut out the bra and tail from the second image. If you look at the stamp at the bottom, I left the two 'fins' either side of the tail, and just cut the V shape and up to her waist. Stick on to the main image using foam pads or gel glue.

Go around the torn edge with Broken China. Attach to the main panel.

Apply gems to hair, belly button, and four corners.

Job done.

 

 

Vitamin Sea

 Hello everyone, I am sharing some more of my cards from the June shows on The Craft Store.

I have used stamp sets  Mermaid Queen, Something Fishy, Seashell Collage, Make Your Mark, Punky Expressions and Edgy Edges

For my first card I stamped and embossed the main mermaid image and coloured with watercolour pencils.  I added some sparkle to the mermaid's tail so it was lovely and shimmery. 

I then used Distress Inks for the background taking care not to go over the mermaid. I used a blue archival ink to stamp the seaweed, bubbles and fish. Using the blue ink gave a bit of depth to the picture.  

I added some gauze along the bottom of the card which I coloured with ink. I then added some fussy cut shells and a die cut of a ships wheel. 

To finish I added the Vitamin Sea quote. To make this I used the alphabet on Edgy Edges. Using my stamping platform I inked and stamped each letter onto a piece of clear plastic and then moved my piece of card underneath until it was in the right place, removed the plastic and stamped onto the card. This takes a little time, but worth it.

My next card is a rusty, grungy porthole!

I cut a ring out of white card and added some grey board "nuts". I added some texture paste around the ring, heavier on the grey board. When it was all dry I painted with different shades of watered down blue and grey acrylics. I then added a wash of Quinacridone Gold paint to give the rusty effect.

I cut another circle slightly larger than the centre of the ring and added a distress ink background. I stamped the images and coloured with water colour pencils. The mermaid silhouettes were embossed in black. 

I covered my card base with some wood effect paper, stamped the ship in the lower left corner and added my porthole.

My last card today is a mini fish tank.

I blended blue and green distress inks randomly for the background. Using the same colour inks I added a stencil. I then stamped and coloured the foliage and fish. I added some glitter glue to give a sparkle to the fish. I added a sentiment and mat and layered my card. I then used a Versamark pen and some copper embossing powder around the edge.

Thanks for looking

Sandra x

From The Deep (by Judith)

Hello everyone, I have a few projects to share using stamps that were featured on last month's TV shows on The Craft Store.

 My first card was created on a piece of glossy card, and I used an inky plate to create the background. I brayered a selection of Distress Inks onto the plate, and then pressed the card onto the plate to get a print. I trimmed the card to size, and then placed a square of Masking Tissue in the centre. I stamped the images from Mermaid Queen and Seashell Collage around the edges using Archival Ink. I added some shading using grey Archival Ink before removing the Masking Tissue. I stamped the bird and sentiment from the Seashell Collage stamp set within the faux frame, amd added a touch of pencil colouring to the image.

To create my second card, I used a piece of Smooth White Stamping Paper and stamped the Ammonite image in the foreground using black ink. I masked the image using Masking Tissue, and proceeded to stamp the image again in grey ink, masking as I went along, until I had filled the page. I only needed three masks in total to achieve this effect, and as they are reusable, I will be able to put them to good use in future projects. I used colouring pencils to complete the project, choosing a rainbow palette, and using three different colours on each shell to give a good variation of shading. I started with the lightest colour each time. I added a sentiment from Birthday Words.

My third card was created using Drawing Cartridge and Distress Inks. I added salt to the background while it was still wet to create an underwater effect, like bubbles in the sea. Once the background was dry I added some foliage along the bottom from Something Fishy, and completed the sea bed by drawing in some lines and dots with a fineliner pen. I added lots of the fish, and stamped a few extra fish and shells onto to some sticker sheets which I coloured separately, all with pencils. I added a few fronds of colour to represent seaweed using my Koh-I-Noor plalette and a waterbrush. 

This last project is a golden oldie which I am sharing again for those readers who have not seen it before. I used Ink and mica powder on the bckground covered up with scrunched up cling film. Once the background was dry, I stamped all of my images from Mermaid Queen with Archival Ink and coloured them with pencils. I have joined the images up with dots to make them appear to be part of one big scene using a fineliner pen, and used toning colours throughout.

Thanks for stopping by, I will be back later in the month with more projects to share with you. Take care, and stay safe,

Judith xx

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

Above and Below by Penny

Hello everyone, I hope you're all warm, well and safe today.  With all the horrible weather we're having, the strong winds,the terrible flooding and all the damage to peoples homes I thought I'd share some bright and sunny projects with you.  These are some pages from a couple of calenders I made in 2018 as Christmas presents, having bought them from Chocolate Baroque.

Under The Sea.

The stamps I have used are Mermaid Queen and Underwater Kingdom sets, Distress Ink, Versafine ink, clear EP, pearlescent acrylics, alcohol pens and a stencil from my stash.

I stamped and embossed three images to create an underwater scene then coloured them all in using the paints and pens.  I masked the images then took a stencil from my stash and used blue DI to recreate the currents in the sea.

Sea Palace.

I have used stamps from the Seadragon and Underwater Kingdom sets, and the same products and tools as above.

I stamped and embossed some focal images then coloured them as before.  I then used the same stencil to create the background.  

Sunny Cove.


For this page I used stamps from the Seashore Scenes and Seaside Dreams sets, Versafine sepia ink, Clear EP, and Colouring pencils.

I stamped and embossed a scene  then added a border of shells either side.  I coloured everything with pencils.

Beachside Holiday.


This time I have just used stamps from the Seaside Dreams set,colouring pencils

I stamped and embossed the Beach Huts, and the borders, as before.  I then coloured the images with pencils.

Thank you for stopping by today, I hope my post has cheered up your day .  I shall be back next month with some more crafty fun, in the meantime stay safe.

Take care,


                             x x  Penny  xx

Shells and Seahorses (by Carole)

Hello everyone, Guest Design Team member Carole is here for her final post this month, and she has created a beautiful underwater themed project for your inspiration. 

Carole writes:

Hello everyone, my final contribution for September goes under the sea.
What a great stamp set this is, I just wish I had more hours in the day to 'play' with it more.
I have used the Mermaid Queen set, to create this under water scene.

Products used: Mermaid Queen stamp set, acrylic paints, thin acetate, permanent inkpad that will dry on acetate and shrink plastic, gold pen and thread.

I started with the background so that it would dry while I did the rest.
Cut an A4 piece of acetate in half, and squeeze several different colours of paint onto one half.
Place the other half of the acetate on top and run your hand over it to spread the paint.
Pull the two sheets apart and an interesting pattern may occur.

At this stage you could sprinkle a little glitter over while the paint is wet. I tend to make a larger acetate piece so that I can cut out the most interesting section.
Put aside to dry thoroughly.
The seahorse was stamped and embossed, then coloured with a gold glittery pen and the tiny one is done with shrink plastic. Very cute it is too. The shells are full size.
Once the background was dry, I stamped the seaweed onto the front with a permanent inkpad, (I used Stazon), and the card was assembled.

Well that's it for this session, I look forward to showing more ideas in my next slot.
Thank you for your comments, they are always appreciated.

Best wishes, Carole

Other sea related samples to follow on my blog soon

http://cchotchpotch.blogspot.com/

Aquarium and Layers (by Magda)

My second post for this month is a virtual Aquarium journaling page and a mixed media Tag

Step by step. : Aquarius

1. Colour randomly in blue, green your journaling page with Distress Ink

2. Spritz with water,  dry well and cover all with white gesso 

3. Stamp Mermaid Queen stamps with Archival Jet Black in first and second generation and colour 

    all with Brusho watercolour

4. Cover the journaling page with an Acetate sheet to give a glass effect

Tag

1. The background of the tag has several layers of colours as brown, blue, pink, red and  fine gesso,  

     heavy sand gesso and mesh.

2. On this background stamp with Archival Jet Black in first, second and third generation the butterfly
     and the sentiment of Butterfly Perfumery rubber stamp plate

Thanks for passing by

Magda

All Worries Wash Away (by Judith)

Hello everyone, I am closing out the month with a couple more watery creations for you, using the sea themed stamp sets that we have been showcasing all month.

My first card was created by making a background using Distress Inks in shades of blue, yellow, pink and green. I stamped the shells from the Seaside Dreams stamp set, and masked the image before adding the second image behind. I painted both images and then added some pencil detail and white highlights. Finally, I stamped the sentiment onto three pieces of scrap card, and attached these to the background.

For my second card, I used a background from my stash that had been made by painting Brushos over the background with lots of water to make a colour wash. Sea salt had been sprinkled over the top and left to dry, which had created small bubbles randomly over the background.

I added some stencilling using coordinating Distress Ink, and stamped the small seahorse using first and second generation stamping. I added some stamping along the bottom using stamps from the Mermaid Queen and Underwater stamp sets. The bubbles were created by dipping a pen lid into white acrylic paint, and pressing it onto the background.

I stamped the large seahorse onto a scrap of card, another background left over from a previous project, and cut the image out, leaving a small border around the edge. I attached the image to the background, and added a sentiment from the Seaside Dreams stamp set. Finally, I edged the background with teal ink, before adhering it to a white card blank.

We hope that you have enjoyed our nautical creations this month, and hope that they have inspired you to try some of our ideas yourselves. Look out for some floral inspiration next month, based on the sell out shows at the beginning of January on Hochanda.

Don't forget that there is a callout for new members for our Guest Design Team. Do check out the post on the Shop Blog for details of how to apply. The deadline is 23rd February, so there is plenty of time to apply. We are a really friendly Team to work with, and you could get to see some of your designs on the TV!

Thanks for stopping by,

Judith xx

Happy Birthday (by Marga)

Here I am again to show you something that I made for the shows Lesley presented in December.

I made this card by stamping the shells on white paper and colouring them with my pencils. I cut them out and placed them on a piece of kraft paper.

All you need now is a sentiment and the card is ready.

Stamps I used are: Birthday Words, Mermaid Queen, Underwater

Big hugs

Marga

Seaside Delights (by Julie)

Hello, thanks for popping in. 

I have three seaside themed cards to show you so I will get straight on and show my first card:

The background is Distress inks and then over-stamped with the shell and star fish from Underwater

The main image is a selection of shells stamped and masked from Underwater as before and then whilst all the masks are still in place, stamp the large single cling Ammonite shell over the top. When the masks are removed the large shell will appear to have been stamped behind the other smaller shells. The little star fish was stamped onto separate card, coloured with water-colour and then cut out and mounted onto the main image with 3d pads.

The sentiment is from Birthday Words.

My second card is a very simple stamp and colour card. 

The Ammonite shell was repeatedly stamped over the background and shaded with pencil. The lighthouse and seagull are from Seashore Scenes and were stamped onto separate stamping card with Onyx Black Versafine, before being coloured with pencils, cut out and mounted onto black card-stock.

The card was finished off with a sentiment from Seashore Scenes.

My third and final card is stamped using Seashore Scenes as before along with Mermaid Queen.

I started by creating the underwater background with shades of blue and green Distress inks. I applied the ink with cut n dry foam and used the straight edge of some scrap paper as a guide. Apply Picket Fence Distress Stain to add the highlights.

Next I stamped the mermaid silhouette with Onyx Black Versafine. I also reverse stamped this image by stamping the mermaid onto some plain rubber and then pressing the image down onto the design.

The little seahorse is from Mermaid Queen which was stamped with Versafine and then coloured with coloured pencils. The lighthouse scene is from Seashore Scenes , which I stamped onto spare stamping card, before colouring with pencils and then cutting out with a circle die. Before mounting onto the card with 3d pads I edged the circle with Hickory Smoke Distress ink.

Thanks for looking and please call back for daily Design Team inspiration

Julie xx

Mermaid in December ( by Magda)

Today I want to show you the samples I made for the TV shows that Lesley had in December on Hochanda.
Both projects were done with the  "Mermaid Queen" stamp set.

For the backgrounds:  I used several blue shades of Distress Ink Pad, spritzed with water and stencilled with clear and white modelling pastes.

For the three decorations:  that Lesley put on the Christmas tree, I stamped the elements of Mermaid Queen with Onyx Black, Green, Red,  Spanish Moss  Versafine Ink.

For the card : I stamped some elements directly onto the background, while the Mermaid  is cut out, stamped with Versafine  Onyx Black and coloured with Koh-I-Noor Brilliant Water Colour.

I hope you liked my projects and please remember that you can have a lots of inspirations visiting the Chocolate Baroque Design Team Blog.  

Magda

Seaside Mini Hangers (by Anne)

Good morning. I made these mini hangers for the recent sea themed shows. I had so much fun making these, although one of them almost ended up in the bin – tee hee.

On my first project I used stamps from Mermaid Queen, Seaside Dreams, Underwater and the large Ammonite stamp.

1. I started with one of the white board panels (approx. 10.5 X 14.5cm) from a mixed media white board pack (Chocolate Baroque). I used a swirly stencil from my stash and spritzed through the stencil with blue ink containing mica. I then applied blue acrylic paint mixed with sand texture paste through the stencil with a palette knife for texture. When dry I added some sparkle with gold glitter glue and applied silver gilding wax to the edges.
2. I trimmed a piece of greyboard to make the top panel, stamped the sentiment with Versamark and heat embossed with WOW embossing powder (Detail White). Shells were stamped onto the background using blue pigment ink. The edges were finished with silver gilding wax and gold glitter glue. Holes were punched into the header and main panel and they were joined with string for hanging.
3. I applied Hollographic Crystal Gel over the Ammonite stamp surface and left it to dry for several hours before carefully peeling away. I rubbed over the surface lightly with gold and silver gilding wax to emphasise the detail. I then painted the surface with DecoArt Antiquing Cream (Titanium White). After drying I rubbed away the colour from the surface with a damp cloth (this medium remains water soluble when dry – so can be used to add detail to crevices).
4. I applied StazOn Ink onto the Ammonite and seahorse stamps, then I applied Soft Form Relief Paste (Silver) over the top and left to dry overnight. The embellishments were peeled away from the stamp and rubbed over lightly with gold and silver gilding waxes. The seahorse was glued to the background. I used a fine tipped pen to add in a little more detail (the ink didn’t transfer too well).
5. I stamped the shells onto cartridge paper using Versafine Ink (Onyx Black) and spritzed with orange/yellow and gold inks with mica to colour. The images were cut out and shaped lightly using a ball tool and sponge mat. I die cut a decorative star shape from black card and coated with gilding wax. The embellishments were glued in place with 3D glue gel.
6. White pen was used to add highlights to the pearls and seahorse eye, then Glossy Accents added for shine. I finished with some small embellishments created with air dry clay and silicone moulds from my stash.

On my second project I used stamps from Mermaid Queen, Seaside Dreams, and Underwater sets.

1. I started with one of the white board hearts from a mixed media white board shapes pack (Chocolate Baroque). The background was spritzed with blue ink containing mica. The background weeds were stamped with blue pigment ink and the foreground weeds with Distress Ink (Peeled Paint) and embossed with WOW Embossing Powder (Clear Gloss).
2. I stamped the seahorse and sentiment with Versamark and embossed with WOW Embossing Powder (Silver) and coloured with dark blue sparkle pen then added a layer of Glossy Accents over the seahorse. At this stage it all looked a complete mess and nearly went in the bin – tee hee. I stamped over the top using StazOn Ink (White) and decided to continue with ‘the mess’. Maybe it would be ok when other bits & bobs were added?
3. A fine tipped marker was used to add a drop shadow around the sentiment lettering which made it stand out better.
4. I spread some Viva Décor Crackle Paste (Teal) around the base of the heart and dropped in some blue seed beads for texture. When dry I rubbed over the surface and edges with a little silver gilding wax. I punched a couple of holes in the top to attach a hanging ribbon, and holes in the sides and base for attaching hangers.
5. The seahorses and weeds were stamped onto blue card with White StazOn Ink, cut out and glued with 3D glue gel.
6. The shells were stamped onto cartridge paper and spritzed with blue and gold inks with mica. The shells were cut out, shaped and acrylic modelling paste applied to the backs to make them a little more robust. I applied clear glaze onto the fronts for shine. When dry I created attachment holes and added them to the base of the heart using recycled jewellery chain loops.
7. Finally finished by adding some glitter glue sparkle – just had to be done – tee hee.