CE Sunday...

Happy Sunday,

Well its a new month and that means a new selection of goodies from Creative Expressions for the design team to show you in detail.  This month we are working with the Tessa Frame, Orange Blossom Dies and matching stamps.  I thought that the best way to show off these beautiful stamps and dies was to show them in their simplest form in Black and white!

A Different Perspective...

Happy Saturday,

Something different today with a change in Perspective with the new Perspectives range of Dies designed by Sue Wilson for Creative Expressions.  Not my usual pretty card at all but something a little more cutting edge?!?

 I stared by cutting the Smile from the base card which gave me both the aperture and the word as the perspectives range of dies are designed so that both the waste and the shape are usable together or on their own.!  I then added double sided adhesive behind the aperture and used all the smaller words in the set to fit into the letters ( it's almost like it was designed to fit!)

I then added diamond sprinkles where the glue was exposed to add some shine and cover off the adhesive.  I used the piece I had cut the smaller words from, using the same adhesive and diamond sprinkles method, as a backing piece adding coconut white card behind.

The background is a piece of embossed cobalt foundation card with the linen 8x8 embossing folder rubbed over with pearl moon gilding wax.

A tie and knot of jute twine ( sorry Mrs D) and a metal lock embellishment and finished.

Hope fully you will agree a different card for me but one I enjoyed playing with!

Enjoy...

It's all in Black and White...

Happy Friday,

I thought I ought to go back to a classic combination today especially after the pink shabby card yesterday which really split opinions!

Today's card is made using another of the stamps designed by Sue to match her dies from the new January 2016 release and this one juts cried out to me for a simple black and white treatment.

I stared by cutting a long strip of coconut white foundation card, i then stamped over this using the Mardi Gras stamp to die for in black archival ink.  I then studded these with 5mm stick on  black pearls in the points in the stamped images that were just crying out for pearlage.

Next I stamped the image twice onto scraps of coconut white. I cut them both out using the matching Hamilton die from the Australian collection.  Next I cut the centre form one of the stamped images using the outline centre die from the set.  I also cut a scrap of black card with the same die, I cut this in half and mounted it, overlapping, behind the cut to create a shadow.  I then foam mounted this over the second stamped image to give a stacked pattern design.

I added this over a strip of black seam binding added pearls and a large messy bow to the left.  Finally a few layers of coconut white and black to create the finished card as shown.






Ingredients:
Card Size: 18 x 30 cm
Colours: Coconut White, black foundation card
Stamps: Mardi Gras stamp to die for
Dies: Hamilton
Embossing:None
Inks: Jet Black archival ink, 
Embellishments: 5mm Black stick on pearls

Enjoy...

Shabby in Pink...

Happy Thursday,

Something a little different in style from me today slightly shabby and hopefully vintage!

 I really wanted to highlight the flowers on the Tuileries frame stamp to die for with a simple card that shows the detail.

I stared by stating the stamp in watering can archival ink twice, I coloured the flowers on one of the stamped images, using watercolour pencils.










 These were coloured by shading around the outside of each flower then pulling the colour in using a damp paintbrush.  I then went over these with a  white pencil to highlight the individual petals adding a 5mm stick on white pearl in the centres of the larger flowers and a 3mm one in the smaller ones..  I then cut the 2 flowers sprays from the first stamped image ( that's the beauty of stamps you can "print" as many copies as you want quickly!



Next I cut the second image out using the matching Auckland die form the New Zealand collection and shaded whilst in the die with pretty ink pink colour cloud blending ink to give a shaded and shabby feel to the image.  I added the flowers using foam tape so that they domed out from the background.

I then added this to  card made from some of the beautiful pages in the Gypsy Gypsy paper pad from Craft consortium ( another one in my growing collection of 12 x 12 paper stroking pads!)  I added a frame made form double pierced squares set A which I shared, again shabby style, using more of the colour cloud.  A final layer of the paper from the pad ( a pink dotty paper if you zoom in) and a couple of layers of white and taupe to finish.  The sentiment, from my pierced flags clear stamp set for CE , is a real favourite being slightly tongue in cheek put great for putting a smile on someones face!

I hope you like my travels into shabby its a new one for me I usually like classic and clean however I have to admit I like how this one turned out!

Ingredients:
Card Size: 21 x 21 cm
Colours: Coconut White, Baby Pink, Taupe Gypsy Gypsy 12 x 12 paper pack 
Dies: Auckland die set, double pierced Squares set A
Stamps: Tuileries Frame stamp to die for, pierced tags clear stamp set JL
Embossing:none
Inks: Watering can archival ink, CS colour cloud blending Ink Pretty in Pink

Enjoy...

Roses are Red...

Happy Wednesday,

I know it seems strange to start again with a bow but I just love this double sided two tine red ribbon so I started this card by making the bow!  I then thought how well it would match with the stunning new design of stamps to die for Retro Roses which is designed to match with the Sydney die shape from the new Australia collection designed by Sue Wilson for Creative Expressions.

To start this one, once I had tied by bow, I stamped my stitched Heart A6 background stamp onto coconut white using red geranium archival ink.  If you look closely you will see all the hearts that make up the pattern are hand drawn as if stitched with cross stitch and straight stitches.  I cut this to size and mounted it onto rich red foundation card.

Next I stamped the retro roses stamp to die for in watering can archival ink and coloured it using watercolour pencils from my stash.  I shared using 2 colours of red and drew out the colours using a damp paintbrush.  For the lines at the back I light ran a pencil line down each one and softened these lines again using a damp paintbrush.  This gives a feeling of movement and shading.

Next I cut the whole piece out using the outline die from the Sydney set and used the largest centre circle from the set to cut the centre out.  I cut the smaller centre circle from a piece of rich red and mounted the coloured image above.  I then cut a plain mask in red from the Sydney outline and cut the centre out before cutting this in half and mounting each piece behind the stamped image to give a shadow or border.  Finally I used the circle lattice, again in the Sydney die set, how versatile is that?!? in white card and foam mounted this behind.

The whole piece is mounted over the stitched hearts background so that the pattern shows through the lattice.  I added this piece to a larger set of layers onto which, for balance, I added a further strip of the two tone ribbon.

Ingredients:
Card Size: 21 x 28 cm
Colours: Coconut White, Rich Red foundation Card
Stamps: Retro Roses Stamp to Die For, Stitched Hearts A6 background.
Dies: Sydney die set
Embossing:None
Inks: Red Geranium archival Ink
Embellishments: two tone fabric ribbon in red (for ribbon stockists Click HERE)

Enjoy...

Quilted Blue...

Happy Tuesday,

Another new stamp to die for today this time one that matches the Wellington shape from the new Australia collection designed by Sue Wilson for Creative Expressions.

This is the new Scripted Clematis stamp which Here I have simply embossed with CS True white detail embossing powder onto cobalt foundation card.  I cut the centre out by hand (fussy cut) around all the detailed flowers and foliage so that the sentiment stamped in cobalt on white was visible.

Hopefully in this picture you can see all the beautiful script that flows behind the flower sprays any idea what the poem is ( Hint Mrs Duck may guess this one easily!)

Next I cut the matching outside die form coconut white foundation card and embossed the piece, whilst still in the with the quilted circles pin point embossing folder.  I saved lightly around the embossing using the same archival cobalt ink and a smoothie.  I also studied the centre of the circles with 5mm white stick on pearls before tying a bow of navy and natural jute string around the base to balance the design.

A couple more layers, of course!, of the cobalt and coconut white and finished.  Hopefully classic and elegant and quite a simple effect to achieve with the stamp, die and embossing.

ingredients:
Card Size: 16 x 28 cm
Colours: Coconut White, Cobalt foundation Card
Stamps: Scripted Clematis Stamp to Die For
Embossing:Quilted Circles Pin Point A4 Folder
Inks: Cobalt Archival Ink
Embellishments: Small pearl embellishment, 5mm white stick on pearls, navy & Natural jute twine.

Enjoy...

New Stamps...

Happy Monday,

I hope you all enjoyed the stunning new Die launch over on Sue Wilson's Particraft blog last week.  I thought I would showcase the wonderful matching stamps to die for this week that are designed to match the new die range

I had to start with the new Lilly Corner as it is the first sample I made when I got the stamps, I really enjoyed colouring this to look like a stargazer lily!

I stamped the Lily corner twice in watering can Archival ink.  I coloured just the flowers on one of the images using a mixture of distress markers  ( Worn lipstick, tattered rose etc)  I ran the colour around the edges of the petals then pulled the colour out, to shade, using a water brush.  I did the same with the leaves and foliage.  I then added darker dots in the centre of the petals to replicate the stargazer lily look ( the stamp comes plain allowing you to colour to look like many different flowers)


Next I cut these flowers out and decoupaged them with from tape, over the first stamped image.  This I coloured around the edges and then again pulled the colour out using a water brush which shed the distress ink form dark to light in the centre.

I cut an aperture using the matching die and foam mounted this above the stamped image and made the remainder of the card around this.

A simple die cut but I really think this fares the stamped image.

Ingredients:
Card Size: 21 x 28 cm
Colours: Coconut White, Strawberry Pink ( from my stash)
Stamps: Lily Corner stamp to die for
Embossing:beaded fanfare pinpoint A4 embossing folder
Inks: Watering can archival ink, Distress markers mixed colours in pinks, yellows and greens.
Embellishments: Pearl stick pins & pink dazzler

Enjoy...


For any of my stamp sets please Click HERE for Julia Watts Crafts website