Victorian Gothic

 Hello and welcome to my blog  :)  I'm sharing another DT sample with you today, this one was made while I was on the Sheena Douglass DT  for the DOTD embossing folders launch on tv.  I decided to create a card inspired by one of my favourite horror stories - Jekyll and Hyde.  I have used SD Victorian Gentleman, Floral Fiesta and Dancing Skeleton stamps; DOTD embossing folders Baroque Frame and Skulduggery; Dyna paints, Distress Inks, Aquatints, silver gilding wax, black and white marker pens.

I took a piece of black card and embossed it with the Baroque frame, then gilded it with silver wax.  I took another piece of black card and embossed it with the Skulduggery folder, then painted over it with Dyna paints.  I matted the frame panel onto the skull panel, then matted that onto black card.  I then stamped corner and border images onto a white base card with DI, blended ink around the edges, and attached the embossed panels.
   

I stamped a lightening image onto acetate and embossed it in white, then cut it out.   I stamped the Victorian Gentleman onto white card twice, masking the first image and then stamping the second slightly offset from the first, using grey ink.  I painted both men with Aquatints, one darker than the other.  I then cut out one of the embossed skulls and coloured it with white and black marker pens.  

I cut both men out, then drew a cloak on black card and cut it out.  I attached the skull and the cloak to the second man, and added a chain and clasp with silver pen.  I then attached the images to the card in 3D, and added the lightening between them.  

I absolutely loved making this card and I'm really pleased with the result.  The gentleman stamp is perfect to create the Victorian Gothic feel to this piece.  This card could be used for several occasions, including Halloween, especially anyone who likes Gothic Horror!  

Thank you for visiting my blog today, I hope you've enjoyed this post and will come back soon  :)

Friendship Rose

Hi and welcome to my blog  :)  Today I have another of my Chocolate Baroque samples to share with you.   I have used the same background stamp as in the 'Natural Beauty' and 'Rainbow Flowers' posts, but each card is totally different.  
I have used the Belle Flowers and Harlequin Rose stamp sets; Pastel Aquatints, Versafine ink, Distress ink, gold marker pen, white embossing powder.  
  

I stamped the large background onto white card then washed over it with Pastel Aquatints.  When dry I blended DI around the edges of the panel. For the main focal panel I stamped a rose script image onto acetate and embossed it in white.  I then did the caught in crystal technique on the back of the acetate and left to dry naturally.  I created a mat for the background panel by colouring the edges of a piece of card, cut slightly bigger than the panel, with a gold marker pen.  I matted the panel onto it and layered them onto a base card.  

I cut out the focal panel when dry and attached it to the card with dimensional glue.  I stamped a sentiment onto white card and washed over it with Aquatint.  I die cut the sentiment panel, edged it in gold pen then attached it to the card as before.  I added some die cuts and some Stickle dots to complete the card.   I love the way all these stamp sets work so well together, and that just by changing the colour scheme you can create very different cards.  This is another great worker card for all occasions, men and women.
Thank you for popping in today, I hope you have enjoyed this post - and come back soon  :)  

Natural Beauty

Hello there and welcome to my blog  :)  Today I have another of my Chocolate Baroque design samples to share with you, I think it's one of my favourites out of all of them.  I love the natural and vintage feel of this card, and the sentiment is lovely too.  I have used CB sets Words of Love and Belle Flowers; Watercolour pencils, Distress Ink, sepia Versafine ink, copper marker pen; embossing folder.

I stamped the Belle Flowers onto a piece of white card in sepia ink, then trimmed the card to size.  I coloured the flowers with watercolour pencils and water, then blended DI around the edges.   I wrapped a piece of hessian around the bottom of the panel.   I created a mat by using a copper pen around the edge of a piece of card cut slightly bigger than the floral panel.  I then embossed a piece of Kraft card, blended DI around the edges, and matted and layered them all onto the base card.

I stamped several small hearts onto white and Kraft card, and cut them out.  I stamped the sentiment onto Kraft card and cut it out as a pennant, then blended DI around the edges.  

 I attached the sentiment and hearts to the card with dimensional glue.

I really enjoyed making this lovely card.  I think it's a good worker card that can be used for all sorts of occasions and for male or female cards.  The colour scheme and sentiment could easily be changed to suit the recipient.  Thank you for visiting my blog today, I hope you enjoyed this post and will come back soon  :)  

Clockwork Mask

Hi and welcome to my blog  :)   Some more Steampunk for you today, this is another of my samples for the tv launch of the Time Travellers PP collection.  I love decorating masks and I've wanted to do a Steampunk mask for years, so this was an ideal opportunity!  This mask is inspired by the clockwork villain in the film 'Hellboy'.  I have created this with just die cuts from the collection; stencils; black gesso, texture pastes; Dyna paints, gilding waxes and two metal embellishments.  
  

I started by painting a white mask with black gesso as a base.  While that was drying I die cut some cogs, chains, pipes and clocks from black card.   I covered some of them with texture paste, and some with gilding waxes.  When the paste was dry I painted over it with Dyna paints and gilding waxes. 

I used the waste from cutting the cogs as a stencil and added texture paste through it.  I also used a lattice stencil with a smooth white texture paste mixed with Dyna paint.  I used the card circle waste from the cogs as screw and bolt heads.  I added white sand texture paste  through a card stencil along the top of the eyes as eye lashes.  I used a copper marker pen to outline the eyes, then added cogs as eyeballs and screw heads  for the Iris'.  I decorated some die cut pipes the same as the cogs and added them as a moustache, then added the metal lock as a mouth.
  

When all the texture paste was dry I added all the die cut embellishments and a small metal clock.  I wanted a suitable mount for my mask, so I took a large piece of cardboard and peeled the top layer off in a few places.  I then painted it in black gesso and added gold gilding wax to highlight the texture.  When dry I attached the mask with strong bookbinding glue.

I had SUCH a blast creating this mask!  It turned out just as I hoped it would.  Now as I've said I love Steampunk, I love this mask - and I shall probably make another one!  I think my teenage grandson would probably like one for his room.  

Thank you for popping by today, I hope you've enjoyed this post - do pop back soon  :)  

Punky Pioneer

Hi and welcome to my blog  :)  I have a card which I created during my time on the Sheena Douglass Design Team to share with you today.  It was one of my samples for the Time Traveller PP Collection launch.  
I have used stamps from Steampunk Woman, Make Time, Geared Up and the co-ordinating dies; Distress Inks, SN Aquablend pens, Aquatints, Pebeo Dyna paints, gold embossing powder;  Pebeo black texture paste.   

I started by die cutting all the elements from black card.  I wanted to make them appear rusted and aged so I covered them all with the texture paste and left them to dry.   I then painted them with gold Dyna paint and a verdigris paint made from mixing white and teal Aquatints.  

I then took a piece of white card and blended DI's all over it.  I stamped the large clock face randomly then blended brown ink around the edges.  I stamped a pattern in each corner and embossed in gold.

Next I stamped the Steampunk woman onto white card and coloured her with Aquablend markers, then cut her out.  I also stamped the large clock face onto white card and embossed it in gold.  I then coloured the image with the pens and cut it out.  I had already die cut the clock hands in black card but I wanted to show the detail so I stamped them onto acetate and embossed in gold.  I then cut them out and attached them onto the die cuts.  I stuck the two clock face die cuts together to make one thick piece, then attached it to the stamped clock face.  I added some verdigris paint to the hands and attached them to the clock.  

I matted the background panel onto black card and layered it onto a white base card.  I attached the cogs, clock and woman with dimensional glue.   I then stamped a sentiment onto white card and embossed in gold, blended ink around the edges, then matted it onto black card.  I attached this to the card in the same way.

  

I really enjoyed creating this card, and using all the techniques, stamps and dies.  The Steampunk woman is a very striking image of a bold and independent woman, a pioneer even!  I am very pleased that I have managed to capture this and couple it with the vintage, aged  Steampunk design of this card.  I think this design will suit men and women of all ages, and various occasions, a really good 'worker' card!  
Thank you for popping in today, I hope you have enjoyed this post and I hope to see you again soon!  :)

Beating Heart

Hello and welcome  :)  Today I am sharing another CB tv sample from the shows earlier this month.  I have used CB Leafy Trails and Harlequin Rose stamp sets; black Versafine ink, Versamark ink, gold, white and black embossing powders; alcohol pens; gold marker pen.

I started with the background panel by stamping the large Leafy Trails image onto white card in black ink.  I blended red DI around the edges and painted the berries, then matted it onto black card and layered that onto a white base card.  

On a separate piece of white card I stamped the large Baroque style heart and embossed it in gold, then stamped several small hearts and embossed them in white.  I painted part of the large heart and all the smaller hearts then cut them out.  I stamped the sentiment onto black card and embossed it in gold, die cut it and edged it with gold pen.  I then stamped the large border in black ink onto acetate and embossed it in black.  I cut out the border and coloured the little flowers on the reverse with alcohol pen, then added gold pen to the centres on the right side.  

I attached the acetate border to the card then added the hearts and sentiment panel with dimensional glue.  I love the red, black and white colour scheme with hints of gold, I use it a lot in my art work.   This design could be re-created in different colours  as an anniversary card, and with a different sentiment it would make a lovely birthday card for a loved one.

Thank you for stopping by my blog today, hope to see you again soon  :)  

Rainbow Flowers

Hello and welcome to my blog  :)   today I am sharing another of my samples for Chocolate Baroque with you.  This card showcases one of the large background stamps and a sentiment stamp, simple but very effective.  I have used CB stamps Belle Flowers and a sentiment from Rose stem Script; Pastel Aqua Tints; gold embossing powder; gold Pebeo marker pen; die cuts and a wooden embellishment.  

I began with stamping the Belle Flowers onto white card using Versamark ink.  This is a large stamp and I don't have a block big enough for it, so I placed the stamp flat onto my glass mat and then took the card to the stamp, pressing evenly all over the image with my fingers.  Try to keep your fingers flat to the card to avoid pressing too hard and transferring ink from the negative areas of the stamp.  I then heat embossed the image with gold powder.  

I painted the flowers with Aquatints except for the bell flowers which I left white and added glitter.  I always love to use bright colours, these inks have a softer hue which seem to suit the flowers.  I finished the panel by blending Distress Ink around the edges.

I took another piece of card, cut slightly bigger than the panel, and coloured the edge with gold marker pen.  I matted the panel onto the gold edged card, then layered it onto a white base card.  




To complete this card I added a sentiment panel.  I stamped the sentiment onto white card and embossed it in gold.  I added a wash of Aquatints then die cut the panel.  I used the gold pen to edge the panel then attached it to the card with dimensional glue, I added a wooden bird painted with Aquatint and some die cut foliage.  I really loved making this card, it's a simple design but so pretty and effective.  I think this card is suitable for various occasions and for male and female cards.  

Thank you for popping in today, I hope you enjoyed this post and will come back again soon  :)

Marbled Rose

Hi there and welcome to my blog  :)  I'm sharing another Chocolate Baroque sample today that I made for their debut show on Hochanda.  I have used stamps from CB sets Rose Stem Script, Harlequin Rose and Words of Love; Alcohol inks; Distress Inks - Wilted Violet and Picked Rasberry; white embossing powder; glossy card.

I started by creating the background panel using glossy card.  I blended three colours of Alcohol inks onto the card using a blending tool and felt.  The inks react with each other to give a lovely marbled effect.  

I then cut the background into two panels, and used a silver marker pen around the edges.  I matted the panels onto black card.  
  

Next I stamped the Rose Stem Script image in Versamark ink onto acetate and embossed it with white powder.  I repeated with one of the Words of Love stamps, then cut the images out.

On a white base card I stamped the border image in DI across the middle, coloured the little flowers and added silver marker pen to the centres.  

I added the stamped acetate images to the background panels with 'Invisidots', then added the panels to the base card with dimensional glue.  

I haven't used my alcohol inks for years so it was great fun to play with them again!  Again, I think this design would suit various occasions including Valentines day, birthday, anniversary.  I hope you've enjoyed this post and will visit again soon  :)

Take Time to Smell the Roses

Hello again and welcome to my blog  :)  This is another sample that I created for Chocolate Baroque's debut on Hochanda, using their Rose Stem Script and Belle Flowers stamp sets.  I have also used Distress Inks - Mowed Lawn, Squeezed Lemonade, Candied Apple, Vintage Photo; Stickles - Fruit Punch; white embossing powder and Versafine inks - black and grey.  

I began by creating the background panel with a piece of white card.  I stamped the large background image in grey ink and coloured it with  DI's, then blended ink around the edges.   I added stickles to the berries and left to dry.  I blended green ink around the edges of another piece of white card cut slightly larger than the background panel to create a border, matted the panel onto it then layered the whole thing onto a white base card.   On another piece of white card I stamped the Rose Stem Script and embossed in white powder.  I used masking fluid to mask the rose then blended yellow ink over the whole panel.  The embossing acts as a resist and shows through the ink.  I removed the masking fluid and painted the rose with DI's.  I tore the edges of the panel and blended ink around them.  

I attached the panel to the card with dimensional glue.  I stamped and embossed a sentiment onto a piece of white card and blended ink over it.  I then die cut the sentiment and blended ink around the edges, and attached it to the card with dimensional glue.

These lovely stamps can be used in a variety of ways for a variety of occasions.  I think this design would make a lovely birthday or retirement card, but with different colours and another sentiment it could be adapted to suit the recipient.
Thank you for stopping by today, I hope you will visit my blog again soon  :)

Shabby-Chic Hearts

Hello and welcome  :)  I have a piece of home decor for you today.  It is another of my samples for Chocolate Baroque using the beautiful stamps they are featuring on t.v. today.  I have used stamps from CB sets Harlequin Rose and Words of Love; white gesso, acrylic paint and emulsion paint; PVA glue; gold embossing powder and two wooden hearts.

I wanted to give this project a shabby distressed look with cracked paint, as if it was old wood.
I started by giving both hearts a coat of gesso.  When that was dry I painted them with a blue acrylic, it can be any colour as long as it's dark.  When that was dry I gave them a coat of PVA, the thicker the  glue the bigger the cracks in the paint.  I left that to dry naturally and when it was nearly dry (the glue starts to form a skin and to crack) I painted over it with a neutral emulsion paint (tester pots from DIY stores are great!)

I then used a heat tool to dry the whole thing.  As it dries the heat causes the glue to react with the paint and cause the cracked paint effect.  The dark colour of the acrylic shows through the cracks just like old wood.  When dry and cool I stamped various images in Versamark ink and heat embossed in gold powder.  I painted some of the images with a liquid acrylic.  I punched some holes with a Cropadile and threaded the hearts together with gold cord and added gold ribbon bows to complete.

I love creating home decor projects and upcycling.  These beautiful stamps cried out to be partnered with some hearts and I'm really pleased with the result.  A simple home decor piece that would make a lovely addition to any home, or a great gift as you could use any stamps and colours of your choice.  I hope you have enjoyed this post, thanks for visiting my blog today and I hope to see you again soon  :)