Flower Power by Rachel

Hello there - Rachel here today with some more samples from the March shows - this time using the poppy ledger and floral study stamp sets.

In this one I stamped in versafine on white card then heat set in black embossing powder. I coloured the flowers in using water colour pencils then mounted on black card and added the words.

In this one I stamped in versa mark onto some of the papers from the January shows heat set it with white embossing power. I then repeated this on another piece of paper and fussy cut the flower heads. I also used the dotty stencil on the backing card. 

In this one I used the poppy ledger stamp onto a pre coloured inky background and painted the flowers using luscious powders. In the background I used the dotty stencil and a stamp from the make your mark set.

I hope you have a good day.

Hugs

Rachel x

Awesome Day by Rachel

Hello there! Rachel here for my first visit this month. I am bringing some of my samples from the February Hochanda shows. This first one was created using the Bluebell stamp from the snowdrop script set. I adore bluebells  and go walking in the same area each year to see carpets of them. If I'm really lucky and time things well I also usually get to see baby owls!

To make this card I first created a very pale landscape using inks having first masked off a circle. Then I filled in the circle with yellow ink to create the sun. Next I repeat stamped those bluebells and coloured in using water colour pencils.

My next sample is my pot that I made using a stamp from the rustic fragments set. I stamped in an orange colour then overpainted inglazes of blues and greens - I was trying to achieve a rough ombre..... Once dry the pot was over glazed and fired.

My final card today involves a distress oxide background and a strip from the edgy edges stamp set. Very simple!

Hope you have  wonderful day!

Hugs

Rachel xx

Punky flowers, fish and birds by Rachel

Hello there. Rachel here again with a few more samples from the December shows.

In this first one I used an image from the Punky flowers sheet and teamed it with a sentiment from the punky expressions sheet. The flowers were coloured with water colour pencils.

In this one the background was created by brayering ink on a round gelli plate and printing it. Then I added a punky flowers image and coloured it with pencils before adding a sentiment from the punky expressions sheet.

This one has a brushos background tht I stamped the bird over - I then coloured it in using inks then painted the water before finally adding punky expression sentiment.

My canvas was a bit of a labour of love - the background was done mainly using foam and my fingers with acrylic paints from various sources! Once dry I added the funky fish and steam punk sea world stamps that I had stamped, coloured and fussy cut. I added them and overpainted using a gloss medium. 

Finally my free standing piece - for this I used the funky fish and some punky flowers on a monolith - both images were coloured using acrylic paint.

I hope this has given you more ideas as to how to use your stamps!

Hugs

Rachel xx

Steampunk birds by Rachel

Good Morning! Its time for my first post of a new year. Here's hoping its going to be a good year - and a post with some inspiration involved! Today I am sharing some makes from the December shows - I love these stamps and have been waiting for them to come to Hochanda - I'll step you through how I made each card.

In this first one I started by creating the landscape using masks and ink then overstamped with punky flowers plus one of the steampunk birds. I coloured them in using water colour pencils. The sentiment came from the Punky Experssions sheet.

In this one I first used a mask and some inks to create the arch then I added the cockerel from the steam punk birds set and coloured him using water colour pencils. The sentiment came from the Punky Expressions sheet.

To make this card I used lots of images from the steampunk birds sheet and stamped them on kraft in versamark and set using white embossing powder before fussy cutting. For the background I used versamark on black card with the punky flowers then brushed over luscious powders. Finally I added the fussy cut images and a sentiment from the punky expressions set.

For this final card I created the background using a stencil and brushos. The bird was stamped separately and fussy cut and added. Finally I added the sentiment from the punky expressions sheet.

I hope this has given you some inspiration as to how to use your stamps.

Hugs

Rachel x

More Mushrooms by Rachel

Hello there! Rachel here today with another offering using the Mushroom house stamp.

I created this card by starting with a gelli print. I had already taken one print from an inky plate and this is the very soft and muted second print. Onto this I stamped the Mushroom house. I chose blues and browns for the colour scheme as they work so beautifully together... I thought blue mushrooms might be quite unusual too! All colouring was done using water colour pencils. I also edged the card blank in the blue colour too. Lastly I created a lanscape behind the image and also coloured that in blue. 

I hope you have a wonderful day!

Big hugs

Rachel xx

The toadstool Garden by Rachel

Hello there,
I have a card to share with you today using the wonderfully detailed stamp 'The Toadstool Garden'. It really is a beautiful image to work with...

I thought the image was so beautiful in itself that it only really needed simple treatment - so I just used watercolour pencils to shade the stamped image. On the back of the card I stamped some of the leafy stamps.

Here's a closer look at the image. 

Have a really wonderful day!

Hugs

Rachel x

Butterfly perfumery - 3 ways (by Rachel)

Hello there! Rachel here with you today - I have three cards made for the January shows to share with you today - all of them used the Butterfly perfumery stamp set.

In my first sample I used flitterglu and metal leaf with the images and stamped onto black card - I also used metallic pens to finish off the bottle. There is also a butterfly that I stamped and cut out and decoupaged on.

The next sample shows a simple distress background that I overstampled with a fluorish, The main panel was stamped and coloured using distress inks.

In the final sample I decided to use the butterflies as a cut edge feature. I really liked how this worked and if I did this again I think I would add another layer!

I do hope these have given you a few ideas.

Big hugs

Rachel x

Timeless Fabric Panel (by Rachel)

Hello there! Rachel here today with a bag I decorated using one on the fabric panels from the January shows. Sadly my samples were still in the post so weren't seen on the show itself....

The fabric panel was a dream to work with - I loved the design and used paints that work on paper and fabric to do my painting. I chose lovely bright colours for the main part of the panel but edged it with grey to tone it down slightly. Next I worked on the main bag fabric and added some of the main colour through a stencil that matched (in my mind at least) the leaves on the fabric panel. Once dry I sewed on the fabric panel and ironed the whole thing to make the paint washable. 

I hope you like this as an idea of how to use one of your fabric panels if you ordered them!

Have a great day!

Hugs

Rachel x

3 pairs of pears

Hello there! Its Rachel here today joining you with my first post of this new month. We are showcasing the stamps from July's show this month and I am excited to bring you my plate which I was so pleased with.

This is the fired, complete plate ....

and here it is pre -firing!

This one was a bit of a labour of love involving stamping first with glaze for the light green pears, over painting with the green glaze and then overpainting again with the first glaze to ensure the image showed up.  The yellowy green pears were first stamped in ink and then painted in glaze. The ink burns off in the kiln so this is necessary. I also painted the negative non- stamped area too.

The border was done last to try and complement the pear colour and design - I just did that freehand.

I look forward to bringing you more makes later in the month!

Have a great day!

Hugs

Rachel xx

Blossom and grow, be scrumptious and captivating (by Rachel)

Hello there! I hope you are well! Rachel here today with some more samples from the June TV shows...

This mini canvas and frame were made using the Blossom and Grow stamp set. I stamped on tissue paper and painted the flowers before scrunching and gluing directly to the frame. The canvas was made by stamping the central image, masking then re stamping and then painting with the micaceous paints.

I made these next two pieces using scrumptious succulents and captivating cacti. I loved making this 3D piece using stamps and colouring with sparkle pens before fussy cutting.

For this final piece I used the same stamps to make an eclipse card. I think there is one of the blossom and grow stamps in here too. Lots of masking going on here to create the image and then I used dies to cut the letters before remounting them raised and with black card in the gaps to create a shadow.

I do hope you have enjoyed looking at some of my samples today!

Big hugs

Rachel x