Fifteen Minute Cards

Hello everyone, it is time for our monthly blog post featuring cards and projects made in fifteen minutes or less. We aim to share inspiration for cards created in a very short space of time with our fabulous stamps that can appeal to a beginner stamper or someone with more experience alike. Cards that are flat for posting, so important these days with rising postage costs. Cards that are great for batch card making, suitable for Weddings, for Christmas, Craft Fairs or for fund raising. We hope that you can find useful ideas that can be adapted for lots of different occasions.  Sadly, this will be the last of these posts, but we hope that you will continue to use the back catalogue of posts as a useful resource. You can type 'Fifteen Minute Cards' in the search feature to bring up the posts.

Our first selection of cards are from Brenda. She has masked either side of a panel, lightly inked the edges, then stamped the images, stamping with Versafine Clair Ink.

She has used a background from her stash, coloured the stamps with watercolour markers and spritzed them with water before stamping.

She has used an oval mask, added Distress Ink, stencilled all over before stamping with Versafine Onyx Black Ink.

She masked the base card, randomly brayered two different colours of Distress Ink in different directions, then stamped the image with Versafine Clair Ink.

She used the same technique for this card, but used different colours.

Magda has created a series of ATCs by stamping The Toadstool Garden, cutting the pieces, colouring the background and then picking out details with watercolours and a brush.

She has used the Useful Leaves stencil in the background and added Stickles to the mushrooms.

She has created a Thank You card and matching envelope coloured with watercolour pencils.

Rachel has created a gelli plate background, stamped the image and coloured it with pencils.

Penny has used copper embossing and Koh-I-Noor paints to create this card. She used a copper pen to edge the panel before attaching it to the card base. 3D foam pads add dimension to the embellishment.

Distress Inks were blended onto glossy card and the leafy border was stamped using sepia ink. She stamped the tree border using copper embossing powder and both panels were edged with a copper pen before assembling the card.

Penny used scraps from previous projects to complete this card. She stamped two images from Autumn Edges onto Chocolate Baroque papers and tore the edges. She added ink to the edges, and coloured the images with pencils. She stamped and embossed a sentiment in the middle of a piece of coloured card and added the two torn strips above and below the sentiment.

Doreen has used Distress Oxide spray inks to create her background, stamping the image using a stamping platform to get a darker image by stamping repeatedly. Her toning matting layers really help to pick out the background colours.

She has stamped the large Tagtastic stamp on Autumnal patterned paper using Versafine Clair Ink. She used the same ink to stamp the Autum Edges image, then coloured it with Koh-I-Noor pencils.

Using a stamping platform she stamped the image with smokey gray ink. She then stamped the trees in turn using green, habanero and vintage sepia inks, cleaning the image each time. She used pencils to enhance underneath the trees and to add little dashes of colour to resemble leaves. She tore the edges of the card. For the background, she created a leafy border using third generation stamping using sepia, red, habanero and sepia once again.

Two cards from Gerrina next, a black and white card, using white embossing on the large Patchwork Butterfly creates a super quick card.

These watercoloured fuchsias would brighten up your day if you received them in the post. Adding something like decorative washi tape, or coloured ribbon is a quick way to complete your card.

We could not complete our final Fifteen Minute blog post without a piece of Mail Art from Zoe. She has given us some stunning examples over the last few years, and here is another beauty.

We hope that you have enjoyed our final Fifteen Minute blog post, do keep visiting the blog for regular inspiration from the Design Team, thanks for stopping by,

Woodland Delights (by Julie)

Hello, today it is my turn to share three cards that I made for Chocolate Baroque's recent  Hochanda TV shows.

 I used the Autumn Poppy set to create my first card which has a bit of a woodland theme. I stamped the mushrooms twice to the bottom right hand side of the card, followed by the leaves spreading from the top of the card. Don't worry if you over lap any leaves as you can hide any "mistakes" by stamping some leaves on spare card, cutting out and layering over the top with 3D foam pads.

I hand drew the tree trunk, before colouring the whole design with Distress inks and Polychromus pencils.

These two cards have been stamped with Mellow Fruit. They make a reasonably quick cards and as you can see are very similar in design.

The cherries and apple designs were stamped with grey Versafine Clair, before being coloured with polychromus pencils. The background is also coloured with the same pencils and white paint pen highlights were added to finish the designs off.

Thanks for stopping by and please call back for more Design Team inspiration.

Julie xx

Sew Lovely (by Deborah)

Hello everyone today sees the first of three posts this month by our Guest Design member Deborah Wainwright. Deborah has created a beautiful tag for your inspiration. 

Deborah writes:

Morning everyone Debs here with you again with the start of three posts over the next few weeks using the lovely stamps brought to us by Lesley and David.

For this medium sized tag I have used a variety of stamps off some of my favourite sets called Haberdashery, Floral Mannequins and The Sewing Room.

Here's how I created it:


I added Distress Ink around the edges of a piece of decorated chipboard and added this to my tag. I stamped and cut out my mannequin, flowers, buttons and cotton reel, all of which I painted with watercolours. I then aged them with Distress Ink and adhered them to the tag. To finish, I added some embroidery cotton to the cotton reel and added some highlights to the buttons, added some tiny flowers, and to add some retro style I added a beaded hat pin. I typed my sentiment and added it to a small piece of mountboard. Lastly a little trinket was added to the same cotton and tied in a bow.

You can make so many variations with these stamps so why not pop over to my blog to see more samples I made for a recent show on HOCHANDA http://dawainwright.blogspot.com

Take care for now and I'll see you soon

Hugs Debs xxx

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

Kim Moody Latest Release

Hello everyone, we have a real treat for you today, a compilation post, sharing some projects made for recent TV shows on Hochanda featuring the newest Kim Moody stamps. Kim created these fabulous houses as a set that could be put together as a street, or equally work brilliantly as stand alone images. He has also drawn some smaller add on images which are so useful for creating scenes and completing your artwork. We hope that you will enjoy what we have to share with you today, including Kim's own artwork, so grab a cuppa, and take a look.

The Posh House is sure to make you smile, it really is very delapidated, with its crumbling plaster, exposed brickwork, and an air of genteel neglect. It is calling out to be fixed up, and its name suggests that it feels superior to its neighbours who are in far better shape!

Kim has used coloured pencils and added some of the smaller images that can be found on the stamp plates to complete his project.

I have used Distress Oxides for my backgrounds, and added a large tree image from the Trees a Crowd stamp set to finish the card. The sentiment is also one from Kim's stamp plates, something new this time.

Brenda has used Distress Oxides for the background, adding texture paste through a stencil. She has used white embossing on black card for the stamping.

For the next card she has used Pan Pastels for a lovely soft effect, adding foliage from some of our Chocolate Baroque stamp sets using Versafine Clair Ink, and added detail with colouring pencils. The bees and foxgloves are from the Honey Bee stamp set.

Our House is a super tall skinny house, great for creating terraces, or again, as a stand alone house. The little cat looking up at the pie in the open window, the milk bottles, and the bird on the roof, are all great little details. You can have so much fun choosing your own colour schemes for these houses. Kim has coloured his artwork with pencils, adding a cheery sunburst behind the house, and more of the little images that come with the larger images on the stamp sheets.

I used an acrylic tag, stamped with Archival Ink and painted the image with acrylic paints. I stamped the sentiment onto a piece of patterned paper and then attached it to back of the tag with matte medium.

Lesley has used an MDF tag and stamed the image with Versafine Ink before adding clear embossing powder. She coloured the image with VersaMagic chalk inks, and added a touch of white Koh-I-Noor paint as a highlight.

I stamped and masked the house, created a wash of colour over the background with Distress Inks. I added a woodland using trees from Trees a Crowd, and then added the little removal van. I coloured the images with pencils.

Brenda has used Distress Inks both to paint and add a stencil on this card. The brick stencil makes a perfect partner to the house image.

Gran's House is full of character with the beams and the wonky handrail on the steps. The cracked plaster on the walls and the lovely old door simply add to the quirky nature of the house. Kim has used pencils to colour his artwork, the multicoloured bricks look fabulous, don't they?

I chose kraft card and white embossing to create my card. I added trees from the Trees a Crowd stamp set, omitting the trunk from one of them to make it look like a bush instead. I used a Versamark pen to complete the landscape, and added the embossing powder over the top. I coloured the images with Koh-I-Noor paints.

Brenda has created a marbled background, then stamped the image onto a piece of book paper. She has added details with pencils.

She has used a combination of Distress Inks and Distress Oxide Inks to create this next project.

The Shop is asuch a detailed image, every time you look, there is something else to see. Check out the little mouse underneath the boxes, and Kim's signature bird on the roof. You can have so much fun planning which colours to use for all of the fruit and vegetables. Kim has coloured his project using Koh-I-Noor watercolours.

Brenda has used Pan Pastels in the background of this first example, and Koh-I-Noor watercolours to paint the image.

She has used Distress Inks and colouring pencils to create this lovely card, giving a more masculine feel with kraft card elements.

 Simple red stamping on this next card using Versafine Clair ink has created a very striking card.

Pan Pastels and Versafine Clair create a real party mood on this rainbow coloured card.

Talking of parties, I have used some of the little words to create a set of party invitations by stamping onto Gelli plate backgrounds. These were really quick and easy, and made in just a couple of minutes. I added a faux stitched border with a fine liner pen.

Now finally, we have a series of cards showing how you can combine the images together, Kim has called this one 'Our House in the Middle'. He has coloured this one with pencils.

I used Masking Tissue to mask The Shop, and Posh House so that I could stamp the other two houses afterwards. I then masked all of the houses to add a Pan Pastel background and trees from Trees a Crowd in first and second generation stamping. I coloured the images with pencils.

 Brenda has used Distress Inks and Koh-I Noor paints for this pretty pastel version.

Brushos, Koh-I-Noor paints and white embossing powder have been used for her dramatic Hallowe'en card.

Finally Distress Inks and colouring pencils complete this monochrome card. The ovals giving a snapshot view of each image, such a clever idea, like vintage photographs.

Lesley has used some paper piecing to add a spot of colour to her card. She stamped the image and cut sections out, then added a touch of extra colour with Koh-I-Noor paints.

Well that brings our post to a close. We really hope that you have been inspired by our projects, and will check out the Kim Moody section of the website for the new stamps. You can also see the older stamp sets there which will work really well with these new sets.

Thanks for stopping by,

Autumn Recipes Book (by Magda)

Hello everybody !
I dedicate this first post of June to all the friends who like writing a recipe book.

Step by step

1. Cut one piece of white heavy cardstock  25,5 x 15,5 cm and a second piece 25,2 x 15,2 cm
2. Colour one side of the first piece with a wash of Brush using autumn colours. This side will be the
    cover of the book.
3. On the front page stencil "Autumn" from Chocolate Baroque stencil Seasonal Journey in a reddish
    colour
4. Blend lightly the inside pages with Distress Inkpad  Brushed Corduroy and Old Paper
5. Add more colour through a stencil leaving some areas to write your recipes, and
    outline scribbling these areas.
6. Stamp on a white  cardstock  several images with Archival Jet Black   You will find the images you
    like in Mellow Fruitfulness  and Autumn Poppy stamp sheets
7. Colour with Faber Castell Art Grip Aquarelle Pencils all the images and cut the edges.
8. Glue every single piece with Inkssentials Glue n Seal on each page.
9. Assemble the book and bind it with a rope.

Autunm Tag 

"Mushroom House " is really a nice funny new stamp with a the right size for a Tag.

I used for it :  Distress Inkpad for the background and on the stencil,  Archival Jet Black , Faber Castell Art Grip Aquarelle Pencils ,  a stencil,  Inkssentials Glue n Seal,  and Stickles. The sentiment is in the new stamp "The Toadstool Garden" stamp 

Thank you for passing by.

Magda

Kraft Funghi With Brusho (by Veronica)

Two versions using The Toadstool Garden stamp, which is a huge image and makes a very impressive card!
Both versions are stamped onto kraft card, the first one stamped with Versamark and white embossed. I sprinkled Brusho powders over the image and spritzed generously with water. Once it was dry the funghi were painted with Koh-I-Noor watercolours.

The second plainer version was stamped using a brown ink and clear embossed. The flowers and leaves were painted with Brusho powders and the funghi with the Koh-I-Noor paints again.

Many thanks to Judith for posting this for me after my computer got fried in a power cut.

Bountiful Birthday and Magic Mushrooms by Penny

Goodly morning lovely peeps, I hope you are all happy and well.  I'm here with my first post of the month, a couple of lovely projects featuring the beautiful stamps that were showcased in May's shows.  

Bountiful Birthday

I have used stamps from the Mellow Fruitfulness, Autumn Edges  and Birthday Words  sets; Distress Inks, Versamark ink,white EP and CB Kraft Card. 

I began by stamping the large artichoke image, using Versamark ink and embossing it with white EP.  I did the same with  the fruits and a sentiment, then I painted the images with DIs.  I matted the panel onto orange paper. 
I took a cream base card and stamped the collection of fruits and nuts images along the edges of the card in DI, then I attached the focal panel to the base card. 
 

A beautiful and simple card that you could use for a lot of occasions and recipients.

Magic Mushrooms.

A tag for you now using stamps from the Mushroom House, Tag Tastic and May Fairy sets; black Versafine ink, clear EP, gold EP, Versamark ink, Koh-I-Noor paints, a white pen and a sparkle pen from my stash.  

On a piece of white card I stamped the tag with Versamark ink and embossed it in gold EP.  I then stamped the Mushroom House image inside the tag, using black ink and clear EP.  I took another piece of white card and stamped and embossed the fairy.  I then painted all the images, adding white pen dots to the mushrooms and sparkle pen to the fairy and her wings.  I attached the card tag to a greyboard tag then cut around it.  I fussy cut the fairy and attached her to the tag.  I also stamped, embossed, painted and cut out a small butterfly and attached it to the tag.  

     

I then added some ribbon from my stash to complete the tag design.

This pretty tag could be a bookmark or a keepsake, and it would suit a recipient of any age.  

Thank you so much for popping in today and spending a few minutes with me, I hope that you've enjoyed my post.  I'll be back later this month with more crafty fun!

   

                         xx  Penny  xx