Wishes and Honey by Penny

Morning everyone, I hope you are all well and enjoying the lovely weather we have had lately.  It is my pleasure to bring you a couple of projects today, a couple of cards from the 'Bee' shows on tv last month.  

Make a Wish

For this card I have used stamps from the Rose Tree and Honey Bee sets, Distress Inks, silver sparkle embossing powder, Versamark ink.  On a piece of white card I blended the Distress inks to create a background, I stamped several small floral images randomly over the card plus a small bee, using the same inks.  I then stamped and embossed the Dandylion image a few times and added the seed heads  as if they were floating away on the breeze.

I took a white base card and stamped a floral image and the seed heads around the edges using one of the Distress Inks then matted and layered the focal panel onto it.  I blended the ink around the outer edges, then stamped a sentiment from the Words to Dazzle and Sparkle set.  I die cut the sentiment, added ink around the edges and attached it to the card.

Honeycombe

This time I have used stamps from the Honey Bee and Baroque Meadow sets; Distress Ink, Versamark ink, white embossing powder, white gesso, pearlscent paints, a stencil and a die from my stash.  

On a piece of Kraft card I stamped the Honeycombe image and embossed it in white.  A little way below I added white gesso through a honeycombe stencil.  I trimmed away the bottom edge of the Kraft card to accentuate the honeycombe pattern.  I painted the bees then matted the panel onto yellow card.

On a white base card I stamped the grasses in yellow Distress Ink along both side edges then attached the focal panel.  I took a spare piece of Kraft card and stamped one of the bee images onto it then embossed it in whiteas before.  I coloured and cut out the bee then added it to the card.  I used another piece of Kraft card and a die from my stash to create a large bee embellishment and added it to the card.  I then stamped and embossed the words onto Kraft card and cut it into a panel before attaching it to the card with 3D foam.  To complete the project I added a couple of metal embellishments that compliment the honeycombe patterns on the card.


Thank you for popping in today and joining me, I hope you have enjoyed these projects.  Take care and happy crafting till next time,


                                                             Penny

In an English Country Garden by Brenda

Good morning, it's my turn to share some more inspiration using the beautiful cottage garden flowers which featured in some of Lesley's recent Hochanda shows.

I adore Digitalis so the Honey Bee stamps set used on the above card really appealed to me, well all flowers do but anything associated with a traditional cottage garden reminds me of my childhood which is now reflected in my own gardens.

I started by stamping the Digitalis twice onto a piece of card, then cut around part of the blooms so that I could use a die to cut a square aperture.........by doing this you can carefully place the cut section outside the die so that they then lay over the aperture.

Next I have a 6"x8" canvas, it was a pre primed canvas but I gave it another coat of gesso  before building up the colour with acrylic paints and then added some texture with a stencil and texture paste coloured with the same yellow acrylic paint. I did the same with the tiny blue dots and then stamped around the edges with the honeycomb stamp from the Honey Bee stamp sheet. The digitalis were coloured with the same paints but watered down and the each cut out to place onto the canvas. The sentiments are from Amazing Macintosh Words.

The base of this card is brown and gold metallic acrylic paint brushed in both directions across the card and water added to give a ramdom look, he the honeycombe from Honey Bee stamped around the edges with Versafine Toffee. I stamped, coloured and cut out six of the Sunflowers from the same set, layered them up and added a sentiment from Words to Dazzle and Sparkle.

For my final card I usea a piece of black card for the base layer, a stencil and sprayed mica which was simply gold mica powder and water mixed together. The flowers from Fragrant Honeysuckle and Bee were stamped with Versamark and heat embossed with detail white powder then coloured in with sparkle pens.

As always I really appreciate your visits and kind words.

Mixed Media Mini Book (by Nikki K)

Hello everyone, today we have the second of our projects this month from our new Guest Design Team member Nikki Killinger. Nikki has created a fabulous mixed media project for us.

Morning everyone,

I'm here with my second Guest Post for Chocolate Baroque today. I have made a mini book, with stamps from the lovely Butterfly Poppy Collage set for you.

I painted the greyboard mini book in dark grey chalk paint, and then added patches of cream colour. Over the top of this I added patches of chalk crackle medium. The final coat was a pale green/blue chalk paint, and when it crackles it shows both of the other colours through in patches.

On top of this I stamped the text from the Butterfly Poppy Collage in toffee ink. The edges of the book were painted in dark brown to age it.

The greyboard feathers were painted in the blue green, and stamped with the background swirl and text stamp from the Butterfly Poppy Collage set. I love this stamp as you can pick any area of it you want for smaller items. The feathers were then glazed with a triple thick glaze and glued to the book.

I added some pages to the book and a metal feather down the spine on some silver elastic, to tie in the theme.

The word 'Dazzle' was taken from the Words to Dazzle and Sparkle set, I just inked the word itself and stamped onto white card, and attached it to a glass dome to magnify it and add an embellished element.

I hope you enjoy the post today, thank you for taking time out with me.

Best Wishes,

Nikki K. xx

Nikki will be back next week with her final project for the month,

Fabric Stamping (by Judith)

Hello everyone, I have some projects to share with you today incorporating fabric. I really like to add some texture into my projects whenever I can, as it adds a bit of interest and makes the project look and feel quite expensive, for very little cost. I demoed these three projects on last month's TV shows on Hochanda, and I hope that you managed to watch Lesley and I in action.

To create the first card, I cut some small pieces of cotton fabric, and put some Distress Ink onto a craft mat, which I spritzed with water. I patted the fabric into the ink, moving it around to blot up the ink. I added more ink and water if necessary to get a good coverage of the fabric, but was happy to leave some areas uncoloured. I left the pieces of fabric to dry by themselves.

I frayed the edges of each piece of fabric, and stamped a silhouette image from one of the stamp sets: Tranquility, Serenity, Wisteria Lane or Eastern Grasses, and added a sentiment as well. I chose words from Artistic Affirmations, Amazing Mackintosh Words, and Words to Dazzle and Sparkle. I used Archival black ink to stamp all of the images onto the fabric, leaving the stamp on the fabric slightly longer than I would on card or paper, to allow the ink to grab onto the fabric. You do not need to press any harder.

I attached the fabric pieces to a piece of black card before matting them onto a card blank. A little button with paper string tied through was a finishing touch to each card.

For my next card, I created a paint swatch effect by masking sections of a piece of cartridge paper, and inking three toning colours of Distress Ink. I stamped the silhouette image from the Eastern Grasses stamp set onto the piece of card.I matted the panel onto black card before adding the panel to a piece of linen card.

I coloured a piece of cream ribbon with Distress Ink and stamped it with Archival Ink as before, using a sentiment from the Amazing Mackintosh Words stamp set. I attached the ribbon to the background and then placed the background on a square card blank.

For my final project, I used a Crafty Individuals tag, and stamped the main image from the Tranquility stamp set across the bottom of the tag. I coloured the image with pencils. I added the wisteria image using water based markers across the top, using first and second generation stamping for a fuller effect. The ribbon was made in exactly the same way as before, picking up colour from the craft mat, and then once dry, stamping with Archival Ink. I used a word from the Serenity stamp plate. I like to colour ribbon myself to coordinate with a project, you can see another example here.

 

I hope that I have inspired you to to have a go at stamping on fabric, I will be back later in the month with more projects to share. Thanks for stopping by,

Judith xx

A Distant Folly by Penny

Good morning lovelies, I am so pleased to be back again to bring you this project.  I hope I find you warm and well - and hopefully not snowed in! If you are snowed in then grab a cuppa and a biscuit and join me for a few minutes of crafty inspiration.

This card was one of my samples for the tv shows last month featuring the beautiful Scenic Countryside stamps.  I have used stamps from the Sunburst Scenes, Country Views, Landscape Edges and    Words to Dazzle and Sparkle sets.  I have also used black Versafine ink for stamping and alcohol pens, Brushos and Distress Inks for colouring.

I began this project with a piece of whitecolouring card and stamped the wall image at the bottom of the card.  I used stamping tissue to mask the image then stamped it again to extend it the full width if the card.  I stamped several other images to create a scene and coloured them all in.  I added some hills and slopes with a black liner pen, to connect the separate images.

I used white charcoal to add some clouds to the sky, and some highlights on the river to give the effect of ripples.

I removed the masks from the wall and used a paintbrush to add water to each stone.  I then sprinkled black Brusho over the wet stones, I wanted the random colour burst of Brushos but with a bit more control.  There are so many lovely tones and colours in the black Brusho paint and I think they give a realistic look to the wall.  I wanted the wall to pop a bit more to give the scene perspective so I stamped it again onto acetate in black and embossed it with clear powder.  I then fussy cut it and attached it to the scene.

Using a large white base card I stamped several smaller worker images around the edges in different Distress Inks.  I then blended one of the colours around the outer edges of the card.  To complete this design I stamped a sentiment in black ink on the focal panel, edged the panel with black ink and matted it onto black card before attaching it to the base card.

  

Thank you all for joining me today, I hope that you have enjoyed this project and that it might inspire you to try something similar or at least get your crafty mojo going!

Take care until next time,

  Penny

A Walk in the Moonlight by Penny

Goodly morning to you all!  I hope everyone has survived the 'Beast from the East' and storm Emma, and that you will join me for a few creative moments.  Today it is my pleasure to bring you a project that will hopefully inspire and encourage your crafty mojo.  This atmospheric card is one of my tv samples from the February shows.  I have used stamps from the Landscape Edges, Silhouette Grasses and Words to Dazzle and Sparkle sets: Versamark and black Versafine inks, white charcoal, clear and silver embossing powders, silver pen and some dies from my stash.

On a piece of black card I stamped the trees and fence image in Versamark and embossed it with clear powder.  I used white charcoal to create the Moonscape background, giving the piece a moody, atmospheric feel.  I die cut some branches and foliage from another piece of black card and added silver gilding wax to them.

I then took a white base card and stamped several images repeatedly around the edges in black ink, using first, second and third generation ink to create a frame.

I edged the focal panel with silver pen, matted it onto more black card and attached it to the base card.  I stamped a sentiment onto a spare piece of black card and embossed it in silver.  I then cut the card into a banner  and attached it to the card.

This is a card that will suit any occasion and any recipient, and it could be adapted to create a piece of home decor.

Thank you all so much for popping by, I hope that you have enjoyed your visit - pop in again soon!

Take care until next time

Penny   xx

Create Art (by Magda)

I am happy to share with you some projects made with the new stamps from Chocolate Baroque:

Wish Flower
Mosaic Flower
Bird of Joy

I used various products for these projects:

Watercolor Pencils
Distress Ink Pad
Brusho
Stencils
Archival Ink
Stickles Crystal
Mesh wire
Wire
The sentiments  Words to Dazzle and Sparkle and Loving Sentiments

As you see the result of each card is different, which one do you prefer ?
Have a nice day and happy colouring
Magda

Katya (by Doreen)

Hello everyone, today sees the second post from our new Guest Design Team member Doreen Sympson. Doreen has created a  fabulous card using our popular stamp Katya.

Here is how Doreen created the card:

Materials:

Stamps: Katya, Words to Dazzle and Sparkle
Shaving Foam (cheapest works best)
White card
Alcohol Inks
Glitter brush pens: grey green and red
Blue Lagoon Versafine inkpad
Clear Detail embossing powder
Glossy Accents
Gems from stash

Instructions:

Using shaving foam and inks, make a marble effect background on white card.

When dry use anti static bag all over card, stamp using Blue Lagoon Versafine and heat emboss with Clear Detail embossing powder.

Take glitter pens, water down in palette or on a craft mat, and colour using a fine paintbrush.

Check this is dry before applying Glossy Accents to gems in headdress, tassels, eyes and lips. Leave to dry.

Mat and layer onto card. Add sentiment and gems.

Thank you for looking,

Love Doreen.

Doreen will be back next week with her final post of the month,

Make a Wish (by Brenda)

Morning Peeps, I am back again with a few more shares using the lovely new stamps Lesley launched on Hochanda a few weeks ago.

The background of the above card is actually the leftover from another one which I mopped up from my craft mat and rather likes the the muted colours. Using the small leaf from the Take It Or Leaf It set I randomly stamped the background with second generation stamping and a red Distress Ink, I then used the first generation ink to stamp the Chequered Flowers which I have to say I just love, they remind me of Thistles but with so much more interest going on. Finally I added a sentiment from Words to Dazzle and Sparkle.

A canvas now which I primed with Gesso, then acrylic paint and crackle glaze before adding leaves and 'spots' using Useful Leaves and Seasonal Elements stencils and texture paste. When dry I placed the stencils back in place and coloured with acrylic pain, then using the same paint coloured some elements from one of the colouring pages from the Colouring Collection which I then cut out and added to the canvas. I added three chipboard Butterflies painted with the same colour and stenciled some leaves onto the largest. Finally some gold Gilding Wax here are there and a sentiment from Amazing Mackintosh Words.

My thanks for popping in today and I hope you have a lovely weekend.

Floral Harmony (By Marga)

Hello all, do you love the TV shows also as much as I do? Here is a card with one of the latest new stamps Floral Harmony.

I coloured this card with Distress Ink and I used some gelli pen here and there. Also the shadow around the image is Distress Ink. 

I used the stamps : Floral Harmony and Words to Dazzle and Sparkle.

Hugs 

Marga

Happy Birthday (by Brenda)

Good morning, I hope you are doing well and enjoying the Summer.

It's my turn to post some inspiration from the lovely new floral stamps and colouring pages that Lesley released on Hochanda in July.

For this card I used a diluted mix of Distress Ink to wash a piece of white cardstockock and then used the beautiful Floral Harmony stamp which I repeat stamped using Versamark and detail white embossing powder. After coloring the flowers with sparkle pens I used Distress Ink and a stencil to add some flourishes to the top corner, next I took three square dies but before cutting I used them as a guide to place the stamped sentiment which is from Words to Dazzle and Sparkle. I then cut the piece into three and layered up onto a piece of black card using foam pads and made each layer slightly higher as I worked towards the centre.

And here is a colouring page from me from the Colouring Collection which has the most adorable designs. It's a well known fact to those who know me that I am not a colourist but I have to say I really did enjoy doing this one for which I used colouring pencils and blending solution. When finished I added some tiny dots using Liquid Pearls.

My thanks to you all for taking a peek today and if you were lucky enough to grab yourself some of the new stamps and pages I know you will be having fun creating with them.

Chequered Flower (By Marga)

Hello all, today it's my turn to show you a card. And I love the new stamps that Lesley has showed you in her last tv show.

I have stamped this stamp by using the a stamping platform. Because I used different colours it's easy to use this. I also used water colour markers to colour the stamp. And when I stamped it all I used a waterbrush and went over the edges and took some colour in to the open areas.

I used the stamps : Chequered Flowers and the Words to Dazzle and Sparkle

Hugs

Marga

Beautiful Butterfly (by Asha)

Hello, friends. Here's one last butterfly project from me. This time I've made a notecard featuring a gorgeous butterfly from the Patchwork Butterfly A4 sheet. It's a simple card, not time-consuming and perfect to accompany a gift for a special person. The finished project measures 2 1/2" x 4 1/2".

I stamped the butterfly on the edge of the card, coloured him with Polychromos and cut around his wing. And every butterfly deserves a garden, so I stencilled one for him. The sentiment is from the Words to Dazzle and Sparkle A5 sheet.

As always, I have details of the tools and products used on my blog. Thank you for stopping by and drop in soon for more designs by the team.

Beijinhos,
Asha

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

Amazing day (by Brenda)

Good morning Peeps, today I would like to share some more Butterflies with you and judging by how quickly they sold out on Hochanda you love them as much as I do.

For the above card I stamped one of the Butterflies from the Just Butterflies stamp set six times using Black Versafine onto some yellow DP and cut them all out. Using an A5 white card blank I added a piece of the same paper which I matted onto black before fixing onto the base card.

Next I used a mannequin die and cut from black cardstock and mounted onto the card base at an angle and then fixed five of the Butterflies to create a skirt and added a yellow tripe bow at the waist. The sentiment from the Words to Dazzle and Sparkle is stamped with the same black ink onto white card, matted onto black and fixed to the card with foam pads. I added the sixth Butterfly to the card and used small black pearls down the thorax of all the Butterflies and wire antenna to the single one.

For my second card I stamped the large Butterfly from the Patchwork Butterfly set slightly off the page using Versamark and heat embossing with Detail Gold and Ruby Embossing Powders. I sprinkled some aged Spice Frantage around the image and heated and finally stamped the sentiment from the Pretty Poppies set again using Versamark and Detail Gold Embossing Powder.

For my final card I used Distress Inks Broken China, Vintage Photo and Peeled Paint to colour a piece of card, cut a panel and then randomly stamped the flourishes from the Patchwork Butterfly set using Versamark and Detail Gold Embossing Powder. Using the remainder of the inked piece of card I stamped three Butterflies from the Just Butterflies set and cut them out. The sentiment is from the Words of Love set stamped in Coffee Archival Ink, the Butterflies placed into position with wire antenna added and Liquid Pearls down the thorax and trail.

I hope you all have a lovely sunny day and my thanks for your visit today.

Bold Butterfly (by Asha)

Good morning, friends. I'm back with another butterfly project for you. This time around I made a one-layer birthday card.

I started by heat embossing the largest butterfly from the Patchwork Butterfly A4 sheet with WOW Gold Rich EP directly onto the card base. The I added colour to it using Distress Inks: Barn Door, Mustard Seed, Wild Honey and Squeezed Lemonade.

Next, I worked on the background by blending Distress Inks in shades of green: Crushed Olive, Mowed Lawn, Peeled Paint and Pine Needles. Then I sprinkled some watered down Dina Wakley White Gesso to add interest to the background. I also added random blobs of Icicle Stickles for a touch of magic.

And finally, the greeting from Words To Dazzle and Sparkle stamped with Versafine Onyx Black.

As always, I have details of the tools and products used on my blog. Thank you for stopping by and drop in soon for more designs by the team.

Beijinhos,
Asha