Recent Projects

 I rarely seem to post anything here any more. Projects which I complete as part of my u3a craft group do find their way on to that blog, but here's a range of things I've made this year.

Hardanger Suncatcher

Special Birthday Card

New Baby Card

Entrelac Baby Blanket

Origami Paper Flowers

New Home card

Thank You Card

Quilled Butterfly using a butterfly cut out of white card for the outline

Quilled Butterfly using the cut out butterfly

Happy New Year

 I've been taking advantage of good buys in the run up to Christmas, and finally have had a chance to play!

This is a stitch die from Spellbinders. I do love stitching on paper, and I've liked this one since I first saw it, so getting it in a pre-Christmas sale was a plus. You don't have to stitch - the holes could equally be used as positioners for liquid pearls or similar. I kept the card itself fairly simple.

Another Spellbinders stitch die. There are other bits I haven't used and I'm not sure the leaves work really well with a 'wheel pattern' stitching. I think I may adapt that when I use it again. I've used a paper doiley that I sprayed with dissolved Brushos (very dilute), a Spellbinders circle die and some paper I found in my scraps collection. I'm not sure where it came from, but suspect it may be one I made by tiling a sample of an image.

And another Spellbinders die. I've got a couple more of these background dies, and while I do like them, it's so irritating that they're not standard-sized. They're too wide for A6, not the right shape for 5 by 7, and have to have an addition when you use my most common card size - 6 by 6. In this instance, I finished it with a border die cut. It's a die I've had for years and I suspect it's a Joanna Sheen design, but I'm really not certain.

All the stitching was done in Sulky Blendables. I'm gradually  increasing my range of these, but it seems only a limited selection is available in the UK and I'm not about to get in to importing and being fleeced for postage and customs charges.

Not Spellbinders this time, but Stamps by Chloe. I haven't bought any of her designs before, although I've got a few stamps that came with Creative Stamping magazine a while ago. In fact, I made a lot of Christmas cards using that set recently. She has a very feminine, frilly style and that's very much to my taste (although I'm not remotely frilly in person!) This was made using a stamp and die set. I used Versafine Clair to stamp the corner four times, cut the flowers from two images and coloured with pencil (a mix of Polychromos and Koh-i-Noor Polychrome). I added some Sakura Stardust clear to the swirls and some stitcky gems. The greeting is also from Chloe and it's another stamp and die combination. There are three dies - I've used the largest of them with the stamped image.

Another Stamps by Chloe stamp and die combination, but this one is a panel. I used similar colouring materials. The background is a panel embossed using an Embossalicious folder which I've dabbed with interference ink. I finished the card with some washi tape and a couple of die cut borders - again, I suspect these are Joanna Sheen but I'm not sure.

It's been lovely to spend some time stamping and colouring - I don't seem to have enough time for those these days! Maybe I should try to make more time for it in the coming months. 

Clarity Stamps and Stencils

 I recently took advantage of a 50% sale at Clarity Stamps and got myself a set of stamps and stencils I admired when I last looked. I've used one of the sets to make a card for a friend.

I stamped the central image and the separate butterfly in Versafine Clair (grey rather than black) and coloured using coloured pencils. The outer area uses Distress Ink in Tattered Rose and Victorian Velvet. I added some glitter pen over the two butterflies, and picked out the green stems in fine liner or glitter pen. The flowers were made from die cuts.

Cards

 I've made a few cards this week, all for reasons you'd prefer not to have for making cards.

First, a card I made for a friend who's due to go into hospital for surgery:

I used a Sizzix die set for the owl, and an Elizabeth Craft set for the oval. The papers are from a magazine. I cut an aperture out of the paper-covered front of the card and placed the mounted owl into the space.

And the inside of the card. Paper is the reverse of the piece I used on the front of the card. Excuse my fingers in the top photo. I couldn't get it to lie flat enough!

And then, a couple of sympathy cards.

In both cards, the focal image is from Lavinia and the sentiment is Woodware. I've also used a couple of Aall and Create stencils, and in the top card, also a Woodware background text stamp. I masked the sentiment panel with removeable tape before adding Distress Ink. The top image was stamped in Versamark and embossed with clear powder. The lower card has the image stamped in Versafine Clair, as were the sentiments in both cards.

Easter and Anniversary Cards

 The first few are Easter cards from patterns by Stitching Cards.

This is a new pattern from Stitching Cards. I thought it was cute!

And an older, although new-to-me pattern.

And a couple of cards from a company called Form a Line. They've got quite a few free patterns, and in fact, I think the designer is the same as for Stitching cards. In both cases, I've used the free Stitching Cards font to add, or in one case, change the greeting.

This one was just the floral wreath.

And this one originally had a Happy Birthday greeting which I replaced. All the stitched cards used machine embroidery thread.

Stamping this time, and not a clear stamp in sight! The central image is a stamp by Crafty Individuals. Once it was stamped, I masked it, and then added further images using stamps from Stamperia (music and the right hand lace strip) and U Mount (butterflies) and the crackle (Crafty Individuals again). All images were stamped with Verrsafine Clair in Acorn. The background shading was added with Distress Ink. I added further colour to various elements using pastel pencils. The background paper came from a CDRom I've had for a very long time called Crafty Image Emporium. I tweaked the colour in Photoshop elements. 

And finally, an anniversary card for my OH. The background was made ages ago and not used. There's Distress Ink, a stencil and a stamp involved there. The diamond shapes were cut using Spellbinders Nestibilites. I added a gold border using an acrylic paint pen. The digits were cut using a die set from, I think, The Works. The sentiment was stamped using a pre-inked stamp I've had for a very, very long time. I bought it before I was comfortable stamping! I added some colour to the leafy bit using a Posca pen.

See what happens when you're planning to be out all day, and then the weather means you have to stay in and craft instead!

A Special Birthday Card

 I had to make a card for a special birthday.  I'd seen someone using the Lavinia Lillium stamp as a partial background recently - I think it was on the Lavinia group on Facebook, but I wasn't planning on using it when I saw it, so I didn't not the originator. Anyway, that's how I started.

I made the card base approximately 8in square, and I've created a vine effect with the Sizzix/Susan Tierney Cockburn Beeblossom die, along with a couple of other branch dies from other Susan Tierney Cockburn set from other manufacturers. I coloured the flowers with Promarkers, adding some detail with Pan Pastel. The leaves were made using olive green card. I stamped the Lillium with Versafine Clair ink, and coloured the blooms with Promarker, then outlined them with an fine Posca pen. You can't see it in the photo, but I finished the flowers by adding a layer of clear glitter marker (Crafter's Companion). I created a suitable sentiment in Photoshop Elements and cut it and a mat with a Spellbinders die set. The stamped area was shaded with Distress Ink in Tattered Rose and Spun Sugar. I added a darker shade around the whole edge using Picked Raspberry (which I originally misread as Pickled Raspberry, and that's how I always think of it!) I've digitally removed the sentiment for the photo.

I made a couple of insert pages using similar techniques.

Beeblossom is quite a dimensional flower, so there's no way this card was going into an envelope. Therefore, the next stage was to make a box. I used 12 by 12 white card to make a basic lid and tray box which I decorated to match the card. Again, I've digitally removed the recipient's name.

I added an oval label area with a mask, and a little background texture with Tattered Rose ink and a Lavinia stencil.

International Art and Soul Challenge 147

 The challenge for this fortnight was set by my team mate Maggie, and she wants us to post something with a Fancy Fold.

I spotted instructions for an Infinity card on Craftworld recently. I tried one of these years ago, and it was horribly difficult with having to separate out sections using a craft knife. I wasn't impressed. This version just uses four separate pieces of card, and was so much easier! You can see the instructions here.

Then, I saw somewhere, I think it was a Lavinia Facebook group, where someone had filled the various panels with different pictures and decided to try something similar. The basic card started with four pieces of card, each 8in by 4in, and the end result is 8 by 8in. This is what I came up with!

This is the front. I created the picture as a whole and then cut it to fit the panels. Anywhere there is an opening or a fold, I treated as a separate panel. The stamps here are a mix of Lavinia and Inkylicious, and the background inks are Distress while the stamping ink was Versafine Clair.

When you open as if the card is a gatefold, you get this:

Mainly Lavinia with one Inkylicious stamp as well as some Tapestry stamps in the lower, large image. When you open this along the line between the cat and the sprite, you get this:

The poppy images are the same as in the last photo - visible on two 'sides' of the card. Again Lavinia, Inkylicious and also some Clarity stamps along with stencils from a set I got at The Range. And finally, opening along the central vertical line, you get this:

Stamps this time are from Inkylicious, Artemio, Woodware, and Personal Impressions.. I left a panel without an image so I can add a message.

Throughout, I've added detail to the stamped images using Posca pens, and on this face, I added a little glitter. Opening this along the horizontal centre returns you to the front of the card.

I do hope you can join us this time.

International Art and Soul Challenge 145

 This fortnight's theme was set by my time mate Debbie, and she wants to see Autumn-themed projects.

When tidying my craft space recently (I know, and it wasn't much tidier when I finished!) I came across a background I made some time ago and didn't use for some reason. It was perfect for this theme, so I used it as a starting point and came up with this:

I created the background using some leaf stamps, stamped in a Kaleidocolor ink pad in Autumn shades. I then coloured the leaves with Promarkers in shades close to the outlines. I then added some raindrop images using an Inkylicious stamp. I finished the background using some Distress Ink.

The sentiment was stamped using another Inkylicous stamp, using Versafine ink and copper embossing powder. Again, I added some background colour uisng Distress Ink, and layered both the background and sentiment with brown card and attached everything to a gold-coloured blank card from Tattered Lace. And that's it.

I do hope you can join us this time.

International Art and Soul Challenge 144

 This challenge was set by my team mate Chriss, and she would like to see projects in orange and black. 

My first thought on seeing that colour combination is that I don't like orange, and then a moment later, that I do like peach, coral, and all sorts of oranges that are not the shade I immediately think of as 'orange'. Funny how my brain works!

So, armed with a couple of Lavinia stamps, a couple of Lavinia stencils, an Inkylicious mask, a rubber stamp of unknown origin, some Distress Ink, a black fineliner and a little paint pen, I came up with this.

It's a simple card, and I had to force myself to leave it overnight to stop me adding more decoration. I did, in fact, add a few small stamped images (the rings) the next day, but stopped there. The Lavinia stencils are fairly obvious, I think, but the Inkylicious mask is one of their sun/moon circles, and I used it in pale areas to give some overlapping discs shapes, the most obvious of which is towards the bottom left corner. I just wanted to tone down some fairly white areas with ink that was already on my brush. I used mainly Spiced Marmalade, but added a little Crackling campfire on the background.

The Lilium flowers (the group and one of the individual stamps) were stamped in Versafine Clair ink, and the outlines of the flowers accentuated with a paint pen. I then used Distress Ink in Crackling Campfire as a watercolour for the rest of the flowers.

A very fine black mat, and that's it. I haven't added a sentiment, might might well do that when I know where the card is going.

I do hope you can join us this time.

International Art and Soul Challenge 143

 The challenge for this fortnight was set by my team mate Jane who wants projects on the theme of Trees/Wood.

The focal image is stamped using stamps from Lavinia (tree trunks), Inkylicious (branches and ferns) and Clarity (leaves). I used an Inkylicious mask for the distant hills, and some die cut paper tomask the sun. The background was inked using Distress Ink. Most stamping was done in Versafine Clair, although the leaves are also stamped in Distress Ink. I coloured any clear parts of the trunks or leaves with coloured pencil.

The background was embossed with a Crafter's Companion folder, and I added some Versafine Clair ink to the raised areas with a brayer. I used an orange base card (from Tattered Lace) some card for matting, and some ribbon from my stash to complete the card.

International Art and Soul Challenge 142

 The challenge for this fortnight was set by my team mate Craftygirl, and she would like to see projects with a Transport theme.

I struggled a bit with this. My stash contains a multitude of flowers, butterflies, landscape bits, fairies, but not a lot in terms of modes of transport. I solved the issue by going to Stitching Cards where I picked up a couple of patterns I could use. I made this card for my brother-in-law.

The stitching design is called Sunset, and while it suggests using all metallic threads, I used what I had to hand. For the clouds, I used some holographic gold thread, and for the rest I used various shades of Sulky varigated thread. I love how that gives that random shading to the sun, reflections and even the sails on the yacht.

The spotty paper if from a very old Papermania pad, and the sentiment was stamped using Versafine Clair ink and a stamp from a Creative Expressions set.

I do hope you can join us this time.

International Art and Soul Challenge 137

 The challenge for this fortnight was set by my team mate Chriss, and she wants to see projects in Red, White and Blue!

I've gone way out of my comfort zone for this, and produced a card with a lot of white space. I was inspired by a video from Eileen Godwin. My version is much simpler and doesn't use Lavinia stamps!

It's a single layer image, stuck directly to a blank greetings card. I've used four inks - Distress Ink in Blueprint Sketch and Festive Berries and Versamark Clair in Tulip Red and Mediaeval Blue. The only other colour is from Posca pens in metallic blue and red.

I began by using Distress Ink and a ruler to create the inky lines. Then, I masked an area and spattered the rest with diluted Distress Ink. I then stamped the flowers (from an issue of Creative Stamping Magazine) and the sentiment (from Spellbinders) using Versafine Clair. I used diluted Distress Ink to fill in the flowers, and a Sharpie pen to add a blue border to the whole sheet. The Posca pens, as an afterthought, provide an edge to the panel.

So, way out of my comfort zone. But, while I have things I'd do differently next time, I'm not unhappy with the result.

I do hope you can join us this time!

International Art and Soul Challenge 136

 The challenge for this fortnight was chosen by my team mate Jane, and she wants to see projects featuring 4 Legged Friends. 

I've spent some time this year (and last year) trying to get better at creating landscapes, and while I've managed to get a bit better, I still don't feel 'I've arrived'! But, that doesn't mean I don't enjoy trying.

For this card, I wanted a kind of fantasy landscape. I started with a piece of card for a DL card, and roughly designated 'sky' and 'ground' using Distress Ink in Peeled Paint and Broken China. Then, I added some detail to the ground using paper masks and more Distress Ink. That done, I added a bit of unrealism with a stencil of differently-sized spots and more Distress Ink - this time in Mustard Seed. I added some vegetation to the sky area using a Crafter's Companion leafy stencil.

The next step was to add some stamping, so I started with the cat, and continued with the bluebells and text - all from Lavinia. Then I added some cow parsley and the butterfly, both from Inkylicious.

At this stage, I deepened the colour of the edges using more Distress Ink in Stormy Sky and Forest Moss, and completed the picture with some Posca pens to accentuate the bluebells and cow parsley, and finally to add detail to the butterfly and to the background.

Stamping mainly used Versafine Clair, although some of the Cow Parsley used more Distress Ink to create a subtler effect.

I completed the card with a little gold metallic shading around the edges, but that's so subtle it's not at all visible in the photo!

I wanted a magical corner in spring with the sunlight reflecting off pollen and dust and the cat studying her surroundings from a secluded spot. 

I do hope you can join us this time.

International Art and Soul Challenge 135

 The challenge for this fortnight was set by my team mate Jennie who wants projects with a theme of Summer. 

I'm not a fan of summer, it has to be said. But I am a fan of the coast, and listening to the water, although I generally avoid it when the weather's hot and sunny. But it's still what comes to mind when I think of summer, so this is what I came up with.

I started with the stamp of deck chairs which came with Creative Stamping magazine some time ago. I coloured the image with my Koh-i-Noor pencils, and lightly shaded the background with the same pencils - a very subtle effect to remove the whiteness and no more.

Then, I added more colour with Pan Pastels rubbed on using cotton wool make-up removal pads. At this point, I almost ruined the whole thing. I wanted to add some white to the water, and thought I'd use an oil pastel crayon, thinking it would mix well with the Pan Pastel. Well, it didn't. The white oil pastel was invisible against the blue, until I put some more Pan Pastel on top, and then it showed darker than the surrounding area. But, fortunately with Pan Pastels, it's possible to erase, and that's what I did, carrying on and removing colour to get the white sea foam effect. I used the eraser again to just go around the stamped image to sharpen it where it had been softened by the Pan Pastel. I added a little more white using a white gel pen, and finally the sentiment which is from the same set as the deck chairs, and I stamped it in Versafine Clair in green.

A little matting, and that's it. I do hope you can join us this time!

International Art and Soul Challenge 133

 The challenge for this fortnight was set by Jane, and she wants to see projects where there are three of something. That could be three embellishments, three images, three ribbons, whatever you like.

I've been working on backgrounds a lot of late, and after some inspiration on You Tube, I came up with this:

The background started with Distress Oxide inks which I blended together, Then I added some more detail with Pan Pastels before stamping the Lavinia fairy, foliage and words. I added some further detail with a glitter gel pen, a white gel pen, and some Posca pens.

It's not obvious from the photo, but the black background is quite twinkly. I embossed it using a Crafter's Companion folder, then applied some Versafine Clair ink with a brayer too the very fine leaf detail. I had hoped for more colour transfer, but when it didn't happen, I heat embossed using some clear holographic powder.

To finish, I added three flower gems and three tiny clear gems I've had in my stash for a very long time. I suspect it's about three years since I last even opened the box where I keep sticky gems, so it was nice to get them out.

I do hope you can join us this time.

International Art and Soul Challenge 132

 This fortnight's challenge was set by my team mate Christine, and she's chosen the theme Things with Wings.

My first thought was Lavinia silhouettes, but then I had a change of direction, and got out my Ching Chou Kuik/Sweet Pea stamps. 

It's a long time since I've used these stamps, and I've done very little colouring of late, so I honestly didn't expect a lot.

I stamped the image with Versafine Clair and coloured mainly with Promarkers. I added the candle glow with coloured pencil to take advantage of their opacity. I was pleasantly surprised by the result, and, of course, those gorgeous blues and greens are among my favourite colours. I softened the background using a peach hued coloured pencil, but that hasn't come out at all in the photo.

I used an 8in card, so I matted and layered as shown, including a couple of layers of holographic silver to go with the tiny bit of Glamour Dust I used on the image.

The background was created with Distress Ink and a Lavinia stencil, and then stamped with Versafine Clair and a couple of Lavinia stamps - both 'orbs'.

To complete the card, I die cut more of the holographic card using a very old Sizzix die - you know the thinner plastic ones? I rarely use these, but this one giving a foot long result was perfect for this bigger card.

And that's it.

I do hope you can join us this time.

International Art and Soul Challenge 131

 The theme for this fortnight's challenge is Landscapes, and it was set by my team mate, Craftygirl.

I love the gorgeous landscapes I see online - those created by users of Lavinia, Inkylicious and Card-io stamps, for example. I'm not remotely artistic, and my attempts always seem lacking to me. I do use them occasionally, and definitely find the wintery ones easier - partly because they need a lot less ink!

Quite a few years ago, I bought the Lavinia stamp Fairy Bridge at Alexandra Palace. I've stamped it several times, but never used in a finished project, as far as I can remember. But, I decided to give it another outing and this is what I came up with.

My normal problem with this stamp is giving it context. This time, after stamping, I extended the rocky area using ink and paper for masking, adding some shading using some Pan Pastel. I used more ink, pastel, and a mask to shade the sun, sky and the water, and framed the image with some grass using a stamp from Inkylicious. I completed the image with another Inkylicious stamp (the bird), some more ink around the edges, and finally some glitter on the water.

I know it's not up to the standard of the ones I see elsewhere, but I'm not unhappy overall. It has definitely helped to continue the rocky foreground.

So, let us see your landscapes - however you create them.

International Art and Soul Challenge 127

 The challenge for this fortnight has been set by my team mate Hazel, and she wants things on the theme of Light and Dark.

There are a lot of potential ideas for this theme, but I went for one which seems obvious to me - a scene with light and dark within the picture.

I started with a rough area of shading - green shading to blue with some brighter sunshine/sunset colours in the middle, achieved with Distress Ink. I then added a Lavinia fairy - which I got by subscribing to a magazine many years ago - and continued with the overhead brances which use a much more recent Lavinia purchase. The lower vegetation is mainly (or perhaps all) Inkylicious. I must admit, both ranges have some very similar vegetation, and it can be hard to tell them apart. All stamping used Versafine Clair ink in black (for the fairy/toadstool) and green for the vegetation. I then added more depth to the background shading, darkening the edges to create a 'tunnel' effect. Then I added a little water sprinkle to the background sky, and some colour to the overhead berries with a paint pen and sparkle to the fairy with a glitter gel pen. I made the toadstool more opaque using Koh-i-Noor pencils in a variety of brown shades. Finally, I further darkened the outer areas using some Versafine Clair ink for its opacity.

I used similar techniques here, but started with a Brusho background printed from a gel plate. The result was very pale, but I added Distress Ink to define the edge colours. The stamps this time are Lavinia (fairy) and Printable Heaven (extra dandelion heads and fluff) as well as Inkylicious (flowers). As above, I finished the flowers with some paint pen, and added some sparkle to the fairy with glitter gel pen.

International Art and Soul Challenge 126

 The theme for this fortnight has been set by my team mate Debbie, and she wants to see your creations on the theme of: All About Love/Hearts.

I started with a stamp from Clarity. It's one of their seasonal wreaths, and the Autumn one is this heart-shaped one. I added some extra leaves from the same set, and a sentiment which is also from Clarity. I added colour to the stamped image using Promarkers, and the the edges using Distress Ink.

A simple card for my oh who prefers things which are on the simple side.

I do hope you can join us this time.

International Art and Soul Challenge 125

 I've chosen the theme for this fortnight, and I want you to Get Inky! It doesn't matter how you use the ink - stamping, stencilling, water-based techniques - but there has to be ink (preferably mainly ink) on your creation.

I started with a few stencils from a variety of manufacturers and Distress Ink in Spiced Marmalade, Ripe Persimmon, and Shabby Shutters. I blended the colours in patches through the stencils. Then, I cut the result using a Tonic die, and stuck the squares in place on some brown card.

Next, I used a Stamps by Chloe die from a recent Creative Stamping magazine and cut the butterfly three times from card inked in the three Distress shades. I layered it as you see, adding a sticky gold dot to the centre point.

Finally, I stamped a John Lockwood/Creative Expressions sentiment in Versafine Clair ink in Acorn. I shaded the background with Distress Ink, and added a little detail to the flowers with glitter gel pens. 

And that's it. It's intended for a friend whose 97th birthday is coming up soon.

I'm looking forward to seeing your inky creations, and if you add a photo of your inky hands to your post, I'll know I'm not alone in always having interestingly coloured hands after a crafting session!