Simon Says - Stencil It

Hi everyone,

I'm here again with my 4th and final card as Guest Designer for the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge! The past month has flown by and I’m sorry this GDT spot is coming to a close, but I have been really thrilled to be able to make some cards for this awesome challenge. 

This week the theme is

Stencil It

The lovely folks over at Simon Says Stamp are generously giving away a FABULOUS $25 voucher to shop at the  Simon Says Stamp Store! All you have to do is take out your crafty supplies, make something following this week’s prompt, and add a link in the Inlinkz  on the challenge blog post!  You can enter 5 times so that's 5 possible chances to win! All winners are chosen randomly, so everyone has an equal chance - good luck everyone!

Here's my card for this week (links to my supplies are below the description)

I cut a piece of white stamping card slightly smaller than C5 card size, and stamped the image from my favourite AALL & Create stamp set "Through the Meadows" using Versafine Clair (Nocturne), then heat embossed with clear powder. I applied Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Spiced Marmalade and Picked Raspberry) to parts of the image and background by dabbing the inkpad onto my craft mat, spritzing with water then picking up with acetate and dabbing onto my image panel. 

I stencilled the background using Tim Holtz Dot Fade stencil and Hickory Smoke DOX, then added a couple of background words using 2nd generation stamping with Charming Pink and Summertime VFC. I stamped and heat embossed another butterfly, coloured it with my yellow Sakura Stardust pen then fussy cut and attached to the main image.   I blended Black Soot DOX around the edges of the panel, and added some sparkle to a couple of the circles by painting with my Spectrum Noir Sparkle pen. Finally I stamped a sentiment from AALL & Create "Textured Florals" with Versamark, heat embossed with white detail embossing powder, cut out and attached, before matting the finished image onto black and pink card stock and my card blank.

Here is an angled picture to show the sparkly butterfly and sparkle on the main image.

I also made an Artist Trading Card (ATC) with an offcut salvaged from an earlier attempt at the above card, matted onto a snippet of black card stock.

This also uses the same A&C stamp set and stencil as the card, with the addition of Wilted Violet Distress Oxide in the background, and Sakura Stardust orange, pink and purple pens on the butterfly. The sentiment sticker is by Tim Holtz.

Here are links to what I used: 

Stamps: AALL & Create Through the Meadows, Textured Florals;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Spiced Marmalade, Picked Raspberry, Hickory Smoke, Black Soot, Wilted Violet); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Charming Pink, Summertime); Versamark embossing ink; Sakura Stardust Gelly Roll Galaxy Gel Pens (yellow, purple); Sakura Stardust Gelly Roll Meteor Gel Pens (pink, orange); Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle Pen;

Tools: Tim Holtz Layering stencil - Dot Fade

Other: Tim Holtz Idea-ology Small Talk stickers.

Don’t forget to visit the challenge blog to see the amazing inspiration from the rest of the Design Team.

You have until Monday  8 am Ohio time, 1 pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Card:

Crafter's Cafe #295 - Circles (3rd entry)

Crazy Is Our Fame, Stencils Are Our Game (March) - Use a Stencil (3rd entry)

Creative Knockouts #490 - Add a Sentiment

DL.Art (March) - Anything Goes

Fab 'n' Funky #569 - Lots of Layers

Krafty Chicks #656 - All Occasions

Pammie’s Inky Pinkies #2312 - Anything Goes

Path of Positivity #110 - Anything Goes Positive (2nd entry)

Word Art Wednesday #587/588 - Anything Goes (5th entry)

ATC:

Arty Divas (March) - Anything Goes

Classic Design Challenge #3 2023 - Anything Goes

Creative Crafters #62 - Anything Goes

Mixed Media Lovers #23 - Focal Point (2nd entry)

We Love 2 Create #3 - Anything Mixed Media Goes

I'd like to thank the team at Simon Says (Monday) for having me as their Guest Designer for March - it really has been exciting and inspiring. Take care, and thanks for visiting my blog today.

Hugs,

Springtime…

Hi everyone, a couple of days ago I became aware of a new challenge - Woodblock Wednesday - which requires entrants to use woodblock stamps as the focal point on their project. This month they are partnering with Penny Black, and these two things really inspired my creative juices as I have several boxes full of old woodblock stamps, many of which are Penny Black! So I decided to have a root around in my stamp boxes with a view to making some kind of Penny Black spring project, but with no other particular criteria in mind.  I played around with a couple of card ideas, but eventually I settled on a series of spring ATC’s ..  which is also a great way of using up my snippets of both white and coloured card, so I can submit my homework at the Snippets Playground!  

Here they are.

I love the old PB brushstroke stamps, and quickly decided on this vintage daffodil stamp which must be around 15 years old. I cut three pieces of stamping white card from various snippets each 3.25” x 2.25”, and onto each I stamped the flower coloured with Marvey watercolour markers and spritzed with water. I then sponged Distress Oxide ink around the edges of each ATC, using a different pastel spring shade on each one. I then did some 2nd generation background stamping in the corners … for the first ATC I did use a clear stamp to aid placement, but on ATC’s 2 and 3 I went for broke and used a woodblock background stamp, inking carefully and hoping for the best!! I masked one of my favourite PB woodblock sentiment stamps “Spring Magic”, inked and stamped just the top line onto each ATC. I edged each image panel with the same colour Versafine Clair used for the background stamping, then matted them all onto daffodil yellow linen card stock - luckily I had a snippet just large enough to get three ATC-size  pieces from!.  

Here’s a closeup of each ATC.

ATC1

ATC2

ATC3

Stamps: Penny Black Jonquil (3887K), Spring Magic (2952C), Letter Background (1999L); Lavinia Texture 2;

Media: Marvey Watercolour Markers; Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Tumbled Glass, Twisted Citron, Speckled Egg); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Warm Breeze, Verdant);

Gems from my stash.

Challenges I would like to enter:

ATC’s Around the World #99 - Spring (2nd entry)

Cardz 4 Galz #195 - Spring Flowers

Creative Crafting Uncles #39 - Spring/Easter

Creative Inspirations (March) - Spring Blooms (3rd entry)

Make My Monday #196 - Spring Colours (3rd entry)

My Time to Craft #504 - Springtime

Penny Black Saturday Challenge (March) - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Spring/Easter

Snippets Playground #450 - Use Snippets

Woodblock Wednesday (March) - Use a Woodblock stamp

Here’s a picture of the woodblock stamps I used.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend, wherever you are and whatever the weather. Take care and thanks for visiting my blog today.

Hugs,

Dramatic Dandelions

Hi everyone, today I would like to share the result of a little play session I had, experimenting with ways to create a bokeh effect background. I have long wanted to have a go at this technique and there are lots of Youtube videos for it; and I thought I could use my Lavinia “White Orbs” stencil for the different sized circles, but I wasn’t sure what  medium to use to ink the white circles.  I first tried Versamark and Perfect Pearls but found that the Perfect Pearls tended to stick to the inked background, so then I tried Brilliance Moonlight White pigment ink which worked better though it was not ideal - I tended to get a bit of pooling at the edges of the circles. I have read that Hero Arts Unicorn ink is the best white ink, but it is nigh impossible to get hold of in the UK right now, so I did my best with what I’ve got. I decided to go with a vibrant multi-coloured Distress Oxide background with strong silhouette stamping to make it pop, so that I can enter it into this month’s Lavinia Creative Challenge “Bursting With Colour”.  Here’s the result.

First I stamped and heat embossed the fairy, then I created a bright multi-coloured background by blending Distress Oxide inks and grounded the fairy with more DO and my Lavinia hill mask. I then added the bokeh effect using Brilliance Moonlight White ink brushed through the stencil, moving it around to create overlapping circles, and added further silhouette stamped dandelions and birds. I then added a spotlight using a circle mask and black DO, stamped a sentiment, and blended black DO round the edges. I added Sakura Stardust pen highlights to the fairy wings and dandelions, then edged the finished panel with gilding polish before matting onto black and teal card stock and a 7” square card blank. 

Here’s an angled picture to show the sparkle - it also shows a few other things such as why you shouldn't stamp on top of pigment ink bokeh circles!!.

I would be the first to admit that technique-wise this is a bit rough and ready, and I’ve learned a few things for future projects. I may try doing a bokeh background using Pan Pastels next time.

Stamps: Lavinia Josie, Fairy Dandelions, Dandelions, Bird Collection, Let Your Spirit Take Flight;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Squeezed Lemonade, Spiced Marmalade, Salty Ocean, Peacock Feathers, Wilted Violet, Black Soot); Versafine Clair (Nocturne); Brilliance Moonlight White pigment ink; Sakura Stardust pen (clear); Cosmic Shimmer Gilding Polish (Warm Copper);

Tools: Lavinia White Orbs stencil; Lavinia Hills Acetate Masks.

Challenges I would like to enter:

A Gem of a Challenge #6 2023 - Anything Goes

C.R.A.F.T. #672 - Anything Goes

Crafter’s Cafe #295 - Circles (2nd entry)

Crazy Is Our Fame, Stencils Are Our Game (March) - Use a Stencil (2nd entry)

Happy Little Stampers: Stencils (March) - Anything Goes with a Stencil (2nd entry)

Lavinia Creative Challenge (March) - Bursting With Colour (5th entry)

Love to Craft #73 - Anything Goes

Pammie’s Inky Pinkies #2311 - Anything Goes

Path of Positivity #110 - Anything Goes Positive

Word Art Wednesday #587/588 - Anything Goes (4th entry)

That’s all from me for today.  Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Simon Says - Spring/Easter

Hi everyone,

Monday has come around again, and I'm here with my third card as Guest Designer for the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.

This week the theme is

Spring / Easter

The lovely folks over at Simon Says Stamp are generously giving away a FABULOUS $25 voucher to shop at the  Simon Says Stamp Store! All you have to do is take out your crafty supplies, make something following this week’s prompt, and add a link in the Inlinkz  on the challenge blog post!  You can enter 5 times so that's 5 possible chances to win! All winners are chosen randomly, so everyone has an equal chance - good luck everyone!

Here's my card for this week - a Lavinia meadow scene with spring flowers (bluebells and Welsh or California poppies), bunny and bird, and blossom on the trees. I know that in reality these things wouldn’t all happen at the same time or in the same field, but in the magical world of Lavinia anything is possible!! (links to my supplies are below the description)

I cut a square of white stamping card and used  large and small circle masks and my Lavinia acetate hill masks to create a circular background of hills, sky and sun with Distress Oxide inks (Salty Ocean, Broken China, Tumbled Glass, Twisted Citron,  Bundled Sage, Mowed Lawn, Squeezed Lemonade). I used a home made reverse circle mask to mask the outer portion of the card, stamped the gate and fence using Versafine (Vintage Sepia), and the bird using the same ink and shaded with Versafine Clair (Pinecone). 

I stamped a "background" row of bluebells then a "middle" row, then a “foreground” row using Shaded Lilac, Blueprint Sketch and Wilted Violet  Distress Oxides. I removed the mask then stamped the hare using Nocturne VFC and the poppies using Cheerful and Verdant VFC. I added some background trees  on the hills using 1st and 2nd generation stamping, and added a little blossom using Spun Sugar and Kitsch Flamingo DO. I stamped the "Secret Garden" sign in the bottom corner, then stamped again onto separate card, covered in blended Antique Linen Distress ink, then fussy cut and attached popped up on foam tape. 

I added a couple of wispy clouds over the sun using torn paper and Stormy Sky DO, then highlighted the sun, animals and poppies with Sakura Stardust pens to add some sparkle, and added a few tiny flowers to the ground with acrylic paint pens. Finally I added a sentiment, edged the finished panel with black marker pen and matted simply onto blue linen card stock and my card base.  

Here are links to what I used: 

Stamps: Lavinia Wild Hares Set (Large), Garden Poppy, Bluebells, Gate and Fence, Bird Collection, Small Trees, Secret Garden; sentiment - retired Penny Black;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Salty Ocean, Broken China, Tumbled Glass, Stormy Sky, Squeezed Lemonade, Twisted Citron, Bundled Sage, Mowed Lawn, Shaded Lilac, Blueprint Sketch, Wilted Violet, Kitsch Flamingo, Spun Sugar); Distress Ink (Antique Linen); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Pinecone, Cheerful, Verdant); Versafine (Vintage Sepia); Sakura Gelly Roll Stardust Galaxy gel pens (yellow); Sakura Gelly Roll Stardust Meteor gel pens (orange);
Tools:  Lavinia Acetate Hill Mask Stencils. 

Don’t forget to visit the challenge blog to see the amazing inspiration from the rest of the Design Team.

You have until Monday  8 am Ohio time, 1 pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in.

Challenges I would like to enter:

2 Sisters On the Blog #72 - Spring/Easter

Crafter’s Cafe #295 - Circles

Critter Crazy #72 - Anything Goes With a Featured Critter (2nd entry)

Daisy Chain Challenge #72 - Flowers (3rd entry)

Four Seasons (March) - Spring (2nd entry)

Make My Monday #196 - Spring Colours (2nd entry) - TOP PICK

Sweet Stampin’ - Spring/Easter

We Love Stamping (March) - Anything Stamped with option Spring Is In the Air (3rd entry)

Word Art Wednesday #587/588 - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

I am also entering a version of this card (without sentiment) into the Lavinia Monthly Creative Challenge “Bursting With Colour”.

Take care, and thanks for visiting my blog today.

Hugs,

Spring Greens

Hi everyone, this week my posts seem to be coming along like buses … four days in a row, I think it must be a record!!

 This month’s Visible Image ATC swap over on FB is on the theme Spring Greens - with the emphasis on the green, so a monochromatic creation is required using only VI products. I made two ATC’s so I would have an extra one to trade, and a co-ordinating greetings card to send to my swap partner. 

Here are the the ATC's.

Firstly I cut two pieces of white stamping card and created a smooshed Distress Oxide background In shades of green, then I stamped and heat embossed the tulips. I added background script, grungy circles and blot stamping, then stamped, heat embossed and fussy cut more tulips to which I added more script stamping (this was the tricky bit as I tried to vaguely line up with the background script while using a different colour ink!!). I painted the tulip leaves with watered down Posca sparkle pen ( a mix of green and yellow inks) then watered it down much more to paint the tulip heads, which I then went over with my clear sparkle pen. Finally I edged the cut flower heads with black marker, attached to the image panel and added a stamped sentiment and some white Posca spatter before matting simply on black card stock.

Here's a closeup of one of them.

Stamps: Visible Image Sketched Tulips, Where Flowers Bloom;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Morning Mist, Verdant); Posca Sparkle pens (green, yellow); Posca pen (white); clear embossing powder.

Challenges I would like to enter:

ATC’s Around the World #99 - Spring

ATC’s With a Heart - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Crafty Gals #241 - Make It Green

Double Trouble #133 - Use the Colour Green

Four Seasons (March) - Spring

Inspiration Station #47 - Inspiration Prompt

(I am inspired by nature and the colour green)

Make My Monday #196 - Spring Colours

Pammie’s Inky Pinkies #2310 - Anything Goes

Now for the co-ordinating card ...

I used exactly the same method and products on these as on the ATC's above. Here is an angled picture to show the sparkle.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Beautiful Blossoms #3 - Floral + Mood Board

Challenge Up Your Life #156 - Monochrome

Crafting Happiness #140 - Lots of Green

Daisy Chain Challenge #72 - Flowers (2nd entry)

Inkspirational #285 - Word Prompt - Numbers

Sisterhood of Crafters - The Colour Green

Mix It Up #64 - Anything Goes with option Distressing

Try It On Tuesday - Go Green 

We Love Stamping (March) - Anything Stamped with option Spring Is In the Air (2nd entry)

Word Art Wednesday #587/588 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

I think that’s me all greened out for today! Take care and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

I Spy With My Little Eye...

Hi everyone, my lovely blogging friend Ellie has exciting news today, as she is launching a new monthly challenge on her blog Ellibelle's Corner, entitled I Spy With My Little Eye...

.. and my exciting news is that she asked me to be her Guest Designer for the first challenge - woo hoo!! Thanks Ellie!!

As mentioned above, the challenge will start on the 3rd Wednesday of each month and will end on the Sunday before the next challenge at 23.59 US Central Time … so that’s Sunday April 16th. Here’s a link to the first challenge and the theme is ..

I Spy With My Little Eye ... a Spring or Easter Critter

Here is my card for this challenge.

One of the things I love about Ellie's style of crafting is her use of adorable Penny Black stamps - both recent and vintage. I myself have a good collection of vintage wooden PB stamps all the way back to when I first started crafting in 2005, but since coming back to crafting in 2021 after a few years away they have been rather sadly neglected. I think this is partly because my confidence in colouring with alcohol markers was low on my return, and I kind of got out of the habit. Easter is a time though when I do tend to turn to these cute critter images, so this challenge was the perfect opportunity!! I have to say this duckling really is one of my favourites … he looks so daffy, the expression on his face is priceless somehow!

I cut a frame of pearlescent white card using my stitched square dies, then embossed with a floral folder I recently picked up in the charity shop. I stamped my image onto a square of Neenah card stock and coloured with Promarkers and Flexmarkers, then lightly inked grass and sky with Distress Oxide inks. I gently blended DOX inks in co-ordinating colours over the embossed frame using teeny stencil brushes, then attached my image panel behind the aperture.  I stamped my Easter greeting direct onto the image panel, and the springtime sentiment onto a snippet of white pearlescent card which I then cut out with a stitched square die and edged with pink DOX. I assembled the card by adding two colours of twine with the bow secured with a sparkly brad, and the sentiment popped up on foam tape. Lastly I added a bit of sparkle to the duck's flowers with my Spectrum Noir sparkle pen - here is a closeup to capture the twinkle.

Stamps: Penny Black Duckling (3347H), Spring Magic (2852C), Happy Easter (2855D);

Media: Promarkers and Flexmarkers; Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Squeezed Lemonade, Spiced Marmalade, Picked Raspberry, Twisted Citron, Bundled Sage, Tumbled Glass); Memento ink (black); Versafine Clair (Nocturne); Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pen (clear);

Tools: Hunkydory Duo-Stitched Squares; Die’sire Embossalicious Floral Frenzy embossing folder;

Twine and brad from my stash.

Challenges I would like to enter:

As You Like It - Favourite Easter Critters (and why) - TOP 3

(I would normally say bunnies, but there is something just so adorable about this duckling holding his bunch of Easter flowers - he is my favourite!)

Beyond the Blue #81 - Blooms

Can You Handle the Pressure? - Anything Goes Embossing - TOP 3

Crafty Animals #70 - Anything Goes with an Animal

Crafty Calendar (March) - Buttons/Bows

Crafty Catz #628 - Anything Goes with option Spring

Creative Inspirations (March) - Spring Blooms (2nd entry)

Critter Crazy Challenges #72 - Anything Goes With a Featured Critter

Cutie Pie #180 - Beginning With B (Blooms)

Dream Valley #289 - Things With Wings (2nd entry)

Happy Little Stampers: Dies (March) - Anything Goes With Dies

I ❤️ Promarkers #530 - Anything Goes with option Add a Flower

Make My Monday #196 - Spring Colours

Passion For Markers #681 - Colours of Spring - TOP 5

Penny Black Saturday (March) - Anything Goes with option Easter

Simply Create Too #188 - Spring Colours

Stamping Sensations (March) - Anything Stamped with option Wings and Tails (3rd entry)

Triple B (March) - Birds, Blooms and/or Butterflies (3rd entry)

We Love Stamping (March) - Anything Stamped with option Spring Is In the Air

Word Art Wednesday #587/588 - Anything Goes

Please do pop over to Ellie's blog to see her fab creations, and link up your spring/Easter critter makes here.

That's all from me for today - take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,