Free Wild Rose Stamps!

I can't believe it's almost a week since my last post, haven't done anything special to stop me from creating, just caught up in my mundane chores I guess! I created this card using the free stamps that came with Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine. Not all magazine, stamp freebies are of the greatest quality but these definitely are. I stamped the flower border diagonally across the card using peeled paint distress ink and then went over it with a water brush, I filled in the stripes left using a yellow ink pad. I stamped the heart stamp 6 times using lime Brilliance ink and a yellow marvy marker, after cutting them out I then went over all of the hearts with the peeled paint distress ink. I arranged the hearts onto a scrap of square card, gluing them down with silicone glue. I then attached the heart flower to the card using silicone glue and finishing off with a stamped flower also from the set as the centre of the heart flower. This was stamped using the peeled paint again and then going over it with a water brush. The sentiment is from the set as well and was stamped using black Brilliance and water coloured with the peeled paint distress ink. It was attached to the card using foam squares.

Watercolour Flower

I picked up a second hand set of 4 Rubbadubbadoo Art Flower stamps that were being sold at my local craft shop. The idea is customers can take in there unwanted stamps which have been labled with the cost and who is selling them, then the shop takes the money for the stamps and keeps it until the seller goes in to collect it. I think it's a great idea as the set of 4 only cost me £4 - bargain! So the above card is made with one of the Art Flower stamps. I coloured the flower using watercoloured inktense pencils and then cut a mask and stuck over the flower. I brayered over the card and mask using a Big and Juicy ink pad in waterfall and then stamped swirls using white Brilliance ink. (The swirl stamp was from Hampton Art). I masked the main card and just brayered the ink to the top right corner and to the bottom of the card and went over it with the swirl stamp like before. A strip of green handmade paper was added to neaten the brayering and the flower panel was mounted onto a torn piece of the handmade paper which had, had its edges inked with the waterfall ink pad. The main card was lightly sponged with the waterfall ink and finished off with 3 flat backed gems in green and blue.

Owl

Hi everyone, it has been difficult to craft this week as it has been half term but my daughter's friend came over yesterday so I took the opportunity to hide in my craft room and make something. However I'm not sure what I made is ok. I think if I gave it to anyone then it would have to be for a childs birthday. I used a new set of stamps from Woodware, designed by Francoise Read, which I got as part of a subscription gift from Craft Stamper Magazine. I wouldn't usually choose to buy this style of stamp so I think I am still finding my feet with them, but will keep practicing.

February Graphicus Design Challenge

Here is a card I made for a friend but I used the Graphicus February Challenge to get the theme, which was Brick and Teal. I really love these colours together but probably wouldn't have chosen them myself.
All of the images have come from a floral stamp plate from Elusive Images.
I started off by cutting a frame from chipboard using a sizzix frame die, covered it in Gesso and then coloured the whole frame with Teal Staz-On. On some white card I stamped the flower image and a few extra leaves using a Jade Marvy Marker and a deep red Tombow Pen, the background was chalked with red and brown. This was then stuck to the reverse side of the frame. The base card was sponged with Teal Staz-on, a red dye ink and Fired Brick distress ink. The Greeting has been rubbed onto a Teal, brayered background which was attached to a red card that has been edged using a Fiskars paper trimmer. Each edge of the base card has been stamped using a small scroll border using the teal Staz-on. The teal flowers have been stamped onto acetate using the Staz on and the red flowers have been stamped onto card using the red dye ink the Jade Marvy Marker and then highlighted with Fired Brick distress ink. The flowers were then cut out and attached to the card using silicone glue and each finished off with a blob of aqua stickles glitter glue.

Blog Candy Giveaway

There is some lovely blog candy being given away by Lorraine on her blog, Coldwaters2CraftingCorner. Why don't you go and pay her a visit as she is celebrating 10,000 hits. Well done Lorraine!

Stampbord Bracelet & Box

Good morning, for today I have a stampbord bracelet to show you. As you can see it is made using 5 mini 1 inch squares of stamp bord. The holes were made with the big bite and then joined together with jump rings and a bracelet dubery at each end (not sure what the proper term is as it's not a clasp!)

I coloured each panel of stampbord with lavender distress ink and then stamped the tile design (elusive images) with faded jeans distress ink, I then edged each tile with a silver paint pen before covering each tile with glossy accents. When they were dry I attached together with the jump rings.

I made the box to fit the bracelet using a box maker. Before the box was put together I sponged the card with the lavender and faded jeans distress inks. The three tiles are the same stamp used for the bracelet but I have triple embossed some card that has had the corners rounded off and them stamped into the embossing while still hot. As you can see it is a much crisper image than on the bracelet. I think this is because the glossy accents makes the colour bleed. Although it was not intentional to have the blurry image on the stampbord I do still quite like it!

I lined the box with some blue organza type material but the camera flash has made it look really different.

Blog Candy from Elusive Images

Wow, there is some fab stamps up for grabs on the Elusive Image Design Team's blog. Take a look, I don't really want to encourage anyone else to apply because I want them all, but unfortunately I have to!!

Swirls and Flowers

Thank you for dropping by. It's been a bit difficult to craft this week as my daughter has been at a home for a couple of days due to that white stuff closing all the schools! Anyway thought I would post this pink creation of a card. The base card has been coloured with distress inks, worn lipstick and lavender I think and then the swirls have been stamped with pink staz on and then highlighted with a black gel pen. The tag was made in a similar way. The flowers were stamped onto acetate which I coloured with raison alcohol ink. I backed the flowers onto black card and stuck to the card using silicone. The swirls on the mirri board have been embossed with holographic and then mounted onto black card before attaching to the main card. The whole thing has been finished off with a few strands of wool that those furry scarfes are knitted from!
The background swirl stamp is from Hero Arts Clear Stamps, the tag swirl is from Crafty Individuals (I think) and the flowers are from Elusive Images.

The Bunny Ran Out Of Food!

Yes an odd title, but the reason I took this wintery picture was because I had to walk to the pet shop to get the bunny some food as we only have a tiny bit left! The little back roads where I live looked a little too slippy for my liking to get the car out and drive so I put my wellies on and took my camera with me for the photo opportunity!
I love the weather when it is like this but it is no fun for anyone trying to go about their busy day. It just so happens I am not working at the moment so for once I am quite pleased we have snow!

Sarah Kay Stamps

Here is a card and matching gift box that I made for the Papercraft Essentials competition that was run at the end of last year. It hasn't photographed that well and I apologise for my net curtain shot but I photographed it at night and it was the best place to take it at the time!

I traced around a paint pallette onto some brown card and aged it a bit with mahogany distress ink and some cream chalk ink. The paint brush was made from Hearty Clay and the paint splashes were from some kid's paint pens I had. The Sarah Kay stamp was stamped with Staz on and then chalked. After cutting out I covered it with Glossy Accents. The paint sploges were made from left over card painted with glittery nail varnish!

I made the box to fit the card but before assembling I stamped with the Sarah Kay stamp and coloured with chalks. The back ground was coloured with distress inks and the odd dab of black brilliance ink.

I think I was more pleased with the way the box turned out than the card, which is typical as the box was a last minute addition that took about 30 miniutes to do.