Damask Poppies (posted by Judith)

Hi folks, here's another project from me using the lovely new stamp sets just released at Chocolate Baroque; Dusky Damask and Sweet Poppies. I wanted to create a very monochrome feel to this project with just a burst of red from the poppies themselves. I stamped the large background stamp onto white card, reversing it in opposite corners. It's a lovely big stamp, and is great for an 8" x 8" card. I stamped the poppy image onto a long thin oval, and painted it with Distress Stains to give the flowers and leaves a very watery feel.

I made a crinoline flower which I sprayed with Distress re-inker and water to give a bright red colour, and added a black button to the middle.

I'll be back in a few days with another sample. Thanks for stopping by, Judith xx

A Parisian Theme (Posted by Elaine)

One little word on the Pretty Poppies plate sent me off on a French theme for this card.

I started by printing a monochrome background from the Delightful Damask CD onto white pearlescent card. I embossed the large damask design from the new Dusky Damask plate in a gold black metallic EP. This shows a little better in the second picture.

I added a torn panel of damask patterned vellum and embossed my sentiment. I added a Die-Namics Eiffel Tower die cut in black and finished off the card with black organza ribbon, some red paper roses and black gems.

Elaine

Pressed Poppies (posted by Judith)

Hi folks, I just love Poppies, they are my favourite flower. I was so pleased to work with the latest stamp release Pretty Poppies from Chocolate Baroque.

I made a background using leaves from a plant called the Plume Poppy, using a technique taught to me by my Design Team mate Elaine. I also pressed some Poppy leaves between two pieces of watercolour paper to create the smaller panel on my card. The leaves create a lovely delicate image, as they are very watery. I simply inked the edges with Memento Ink.

Finally, I stamped the main image, and coloured it with Polychromos pencils, and decoupaged the butterfly. The sentiment is so lovely, and the font is really beautiful. I will be using this a lot.

Keep checking back to see what my Design Team mates have come up with using these fabulous stamp sets. Thanks for stopping by, Judith xx

Poppy Fields (posted by Claire)

Hi, Claire here with the first on my samples using the newly launched Pretty Poppies stamps, I'm sure you're going to love these stamps as it  has the most beautiful images and sentiments.

I've used an 8x8 card blank, red and white card stock for matting and layering and some lace from my stash. The backing paper is from the Decadent Brocade CD

I made the focal image using panpastels and distress markers. I began by creating the background scene with ultramarine blue tint and rubbed out a cloud shape using a pencil eraser. I used paynes grey and tiny bit of yellow and magenta panpastels to give the cloud a bit of dimension. I used torn copier paper to mask off the hills and used shades of green panpastels to create the hills. 

As PanPastels can be erased I just stamped the poppies over the background and rubbed out the colour. I used distress markers to add colour to the beautiful poppies.

Don't forget to keep checking back as all the team have come up with some really beautiful projects  with the new stamps. 

Thanks for popping by

Claire xx

Fly Away with Me by Debbie

This card was a combination effort from my daughter and myself. I knew what I wanted to do with the Penny Farthing stamp but couldn't come up with the wording I wanted. The sentiment was done using Word on the computer and trimmed to size. I cut a cloud shape from masking tape and shaded with Tumbled Glass Distress Ink then removed the masks.

I stamped the Penny Farthing with Memento Black and added a little colour to the wings. There are lots of new and exciting cards coming up from the Team. Debbie

Announcing our July Stamp of the Month

Actually, there are two Stamps of the Month - we just couldn't decide which of our two gorgeous lovelies should have the official SOTM status, so they are both available at a special introductory price this month.

Here they are in all their glory and you are going to be entranced by what the girls have come up with - their endless creativity never ceases to amaze me and I hope it inspires you too.

 

We have the lovely Pretty Poppies and the gorgeous Dusky Damask.  Both have special prices for one month only, and there is also a multi-buy option which saves you even more.

I'll kick things off with this 8x8 inch card - details coming up on my blog over the weekend.

 

Enjoy the blogfest to come and have a great weekend.

oh, and please continue to encourage the girls with your comments - you never know when the giveaway pixie will strike!

Steampunkery Winner

Just a quick post to announce the winner of our Steampunkery giveaway is ....


Gill who left a comment on Judith's hinged ATC post on June 16th.

Congratulations Gill - please can you get in touch to let us know where to ship your stamps.

New stamps are being launched tomorrow, but due to a slight run in with Blogger's draft mode being more like daft mode, you might know that already!

Wait til you see them though - I'm biased of course, but they are beautiful....

Those magnificent men in their flying machines (posted by Claire)

As soon as I saw the Steampunkery themeplate I started singing 'Those magnificent men in their flying machines' and just couldn't get it out of my head so I made a computer generated sentiment to go with this card.

I've used distress stains to create the cloudy sky and distress markers to colour the image. Pop over to my blog for all the details 

Thanks for popping by and for all your lovely comments

Claire xx

A Treasure Map

Here's something a little different - a treasure map made with the Steampunk Travel stamps and featuring a Sea Monster from the Here be Dragons stamp set.  Find out how it was made over on my blog.

Mobile phone (posted by Claire)

Hi there, Claire here with another sample from 'Steampunkery and 'Steampunk Travel', I thought the mobile phone would be perfect for the man who has everything lol.

I've used Derwent pencils to colour the image and popped a die cut aperture over the top before matting on some kraft card. The lacey cogs border was also stamped on kraft. I used the digital backing paper 'Edwardian Gentlemen' and inked over with vintage photo distress ink using the Crafters Workshop 'Gears' template. In the opposite corners I used the same template with stencil paste, brushed over with mica powder for a metallic look. I added some brown velvet ribbon and a lovely little lock brad to finish off.

I hope you're enjoying the new stamps as much as I am. 

Thanks for visiting today

Claire xx

Fly Away with me by Debbie

When I recieved the Steampunkery Stamps I knew that I wanted to make a mans card. I chose to use the Air Ship stamping it with Memento black so that I could colour it with Alcohol pens. The edges were coloured with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink to tie on the colours. I mounted it onto black so that the image would stand out from the paper behind it which is from the Bo Bunny Serenity 6x6 pad. The base card is a white 8x8 and used the smaller stamps from Steampunk Travel with the Brushed Corduroy ink again. For the sentiment I stamped it onto card, cut it to a strip, scored twice on each side, folded and cut two triangles then glued onto the card. These are great stamps to have in your stash for lots of occasions. Debbie

Steampunk beetle (posted by Claire)

Hi there, Claire here with my first project using the new Steampunkery and Steampunk Travel Stamps, I really enjoyed experimenting with different products to make this card.

The background was made using black and brown shades of PanPastels just blended together and then stamped with the text from Steampunk travels using versamark ink. I brushed over gold mica powder and not only did it pick the detail up beautifully it left a slight golden shimmer over the panpastel base. The next layer was  made using the same shades of panpastels this time using the 'Gears' template from Crafters Workshop. I added a top coat of Claudine Hellmuth Multi Medium Gloss , dabbed on with some kitchen roll, Next came a layer of torn card coloured with panpastels and stencil paste applied through a Tile Texture Crafters Workshop template

I stamped the beetle three times on some black Clearly for Art modelling film using versamark ink and embossed with gold. I painted the beetles with twinkling h20s and cut them out before giving them a coat of Matte Multi medium. I layered them up and finished off with a layer of glossy accents on the beetle and the clock face. You can see the detail a little better in the photo above

I hope you're enjoying all the inspiration from my team mates, these stamps are going to be perfect for those tricky male themed cards with the steampunk images and the fun sentiments

Claire xx

Travel Journal (posted by Elaine)

I have really enjoyed playing with the new steampunk stamps, even though I don't really normally count myself as a steampunk fan. Sometimes it is great to step outside our comfort zones and get playing. For this project I used a ready made book shaped box from a high street chain.

When I first started the book was all pink and feminine. I started by choosing some 12 x 12 paper which I coloured with Vintage Photo Distress ink and overstamped with a stamp from the Texture Fragment set to give the feel of vintage paper. I made a spine by colouring a strip of adhesive canvas with Expresso Adirondack dye ink.

I stamped images from the steampunk sets and embossed them in copper metallic EP. Then I distressed the images with more Vintage Photo DI and coloured pencil shading. I finished the project by raiding my hardware selection for keys, a lock panel, book corners, pen nib etc.

Hope you enjoy playing with these great stamps!

Elaine x

Bright Sunny Flowers

Chocolate Baroque continues to amaze many people with the new stamps they are producing! I'd like to share some of my projects made with some of the new stamps, and I'd appreciate your comments at the bottom of the post. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy! Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions!

These are from the Sunny Sunflowers set.

I stamped the images on white cardstock, with Only Orange ink from Stampin' Up. The shading was done with Copic markers. The background is from a summer stack of paper, and I used two embossing folders on the white panels. Pearl brads completed the centers. The bottom border was a die cut given to me by a friend, and the word, "Happy" is from the Chocolate Baroque Artistic Expressions set. I don't have any sentiment stamps from Chocolate B yet, so I used one from my collection. I love the patterned background paper, so I cut a thin strip 1/4" wide, and wove it through the eyelets on the border strip. 

These Sunny Sunflowers are so bright and cheery!  You can't go wrong with flowers like these!

Bright little Beetle (posted by Judith)

For my second project, I wanted to create a more feminine feel with these steampunk stamps. I set about creating a soft background using Pan Pastels in shades of orange and pink. I used  the reverse Chicken Wire Crafter's Workshop template through which I sponged Versamark, and then applied a blend of the same colours of Pan Pastels as before. I then stamped the large cog and flower stamp from Punky Romance in opposite corners, again using Versamark, and applied more Pan Pastels.

I cut some flowers and leaves from handmade paper using Nestability shapes, and coloured these with Pan Pastels. I stamped the darker half of each leaf with the small tree from Steampunk Christmas. I scrunched the flowers and stuck them together with a brad. I attached them to the card with a bit of Glossy Accents, before sticking a cog in the centre, filling this with Glossy Accents and then adding some seed beads.

I coloured the beetle with Polychromos pencils, and brushed the wings and body with a little bit of gold Mica powder before I covered the body with Glossy accents for a bit of shine.

Keep popping back to see what my Design Team mates have come up with using these great new stamps over the coming days. Thanks for stopping by, Judith xx

Poppy Seeds

Good morning! I hope you are doing well! Here's a bright and colorful card to cheer anyone! A friend gave me the white oval and white butterfly diecuts, and the poppy red was really striking against the white and dark green. This poppy stamp is from Chocolate Baroque's set called Flora and Fauna. If you click on the name, it will take you directly to that location on Chocolate Baroque's website. The complete set is just beautiful, and I can't wait to use each and every flower and butterfly! I don't know what it is about poppies, but they are irresistable to me! Copic markers were used to color the flowers.

You can see a little of the sparkle and shine on the flowers in this photo. I used Copic's At You Spica glitter pens to add it. The red swirled background paper is from a DCWV spring stack.

I hope you've enjoyed your visit, and I look forward to seeing you again!

Happy Birthday Daisies by Debbie

Hello. I think I've said in the past when I get new stamps I have to stamp them out with black to see the detail and impression they make. Well, I got carried away with this flower and stamped an A4 sheet. I stamped the large flower with Versafine Onyx Black and heat embossed with clear powder as I wanted to colour the flower with Alcohol pens. I used a selection of shades of purple pens when colouring the flowers. I cut a strip of the card and I distressed the edge with Dusty Concord then mounted onto black card. I cut out a out a single flower and placed it onto the corner of the sentiment which had been stamped onto a nestability label. The base card was embossed with a cuttlebug folder and dots of white placed where the lines crossed. Thanks for stopping by Debbie

Hinged ATCs (posted by Judith)

When I received the new Steampunk stamps I decided that I would like to create a dimensional piece of artwork using two ATC sized pieces of wood. I had some chunky cogs that would make great little feet for these blocks. I painted the blocks using two different colours of acrylic paint, and then stamped a script stamp from the Mini Scripts stamp plate randomly over the background.

I stamped the small airship, and the small parachute with the key onto tissue paper, and applied these onto the blocks with Matte Medium so that the edges of the tissue paper disappeared into the background. I then decoupaged the larger details over the top. I added the Hat and the large sentiment to the other two panels, and some of the great words from the sets that are just so much fun. 'Toodle Pip' has to be my favourite! I used Polychromos pencils to colour all of my images. I added some small brass charms to accent the Steampunk feel, a cog, some binoculars, and a key. Finally, I added a couple more of the chunky cogs to the top of the blocks, and hinged the blocks together.

My Design Team mates have created some fabulous designs, keep checking back to see what they have made over the coming days. Thanks for stopping by, Judith x

Cabinet card concertina book (posted by Elaine)

As soon as I saw these new steampunk stamps, I felt they were crying out to be used on a kraft card based project. I wanted to do something like an advertising themed project and so the idea for this little book was born!

I cut 6 panels from kraft card using the Tim Holtz cabinet card die. On each panel I added one of the various contraption stamps in versafine onyx black ink. Making sure the ink was thoroughly dry, I added colouring with brown, white and cream colouring pencils. I added a little crackle stamping using the mini mail art set crackle stamp and shading in more Distress Photo DI. I added a computer generated title which I mounted in a chipboard bookplate with some die cut flourishes. I finished off with a couple of metal cogs.

The back cover uses  the top hat image, masked with an image from the Edwardian Gentleman plate added

I joined the panels together with cream vintage ribbon which means the book can be tied together to make it stand up more firmly.

I really enjoyed making this project, colouring onto kraft card with the pale pencils adds a really nice effect.

I have posted another project on my own blog, here is a sneeky peek -

Do pop over and take a peek here at this project where I went to town with embossing and metal!


Elaine x

Tall Trees and Sunny Sunflowers (posted by Claire )

Hi there, Claire here with a card made using the beautiful new Sunny Sunflower stamps and one of my old favourites, Tall Trees. I love these delicate trees and created a little forest to co-ordinate with the backing paper from Essence of Nature with PanPastels

To create the little forest scene I used permanent red shade panpastel and black panpastel then added a little white for a misty effect. I stamped and embossed the trees with Pearl White WOW EP  and then stamped again with black archival ink. 

I made the flower using the large and small flower from Sunny Sunflowers, coloured with distress markers and cut out. I added Sepia glossy accents the the centre and some deep red ribbon.

Claire xx