Purple Classics

This is a card I made for one of my daughters who started a new job recently.  She is an Assistant Designer at a book publishers so I wanted to design a card that reflects her new role and is personal to her.  One of her favourite colours is purple so the colour scheme was an easy choice.  The stamps I have used are Sheena Douglass' 'A Little Bit Magical - Knowledge' set; the Mona Lisa is from the Tim Holtz collection; the word 'Create' is from Paper Parachute; an embossing folder from Sheena's 'A Taste of India' collection; Distress Inks, H2os, gilding wax have also been used.  The background panel started as a piece of white card onto which I blended 3 colours of DIs before embossing it in the folder.  I added gold gilding wax to highlight the raised pattern.  On another piece of white card I stamped some books, a quill and ink bottle, the word and the Mona Lisa in black ink then heat embossed with black EP.  I fussy cut the images out then painted them with the inks and some gold H2o paint, except for the Mona Lisa.  I blended the same inks all over the panel, added black ink around the edges, then triple heat embossed with clear EP to give a glazed effect.  I made a tag for the word and edged it in black.  I threaded some coordinating fibres through the tag.  Then I took some pink hessian ribbon and stained it with the inks to tone in with the card.  I attached this to the background panel, then matted that onto black card and layered it onto the base card.  The other images were attached as embellishments with dimensional glue.  I am really pleased with this design - and so was my daughter!  I think it will make a good worker card too, for many occassions and male and female cards too

Poppies and Brushos

Another birthday card that I made recently for one of my daughters.  She loves the colour purple and I love red poppies so I decided to use black card and Dyna paints, giving the flowers a 'two-tone' effect.  I also wanted to play with my Brushos again as they make lovely backgrounds amongst other things!  So for this design I have used Sheena Douglass Perfect Partners Poppy dies, Pebeo Dyna paints, black Brusho crystals,Gold Brilliance ink, and other die cuts from my stash.  The base card is white, and I have sponged around the edges with Red Blue and Gold Dyna paints.  Taking a piece of watercolour card I spritzed water lightly over the card and sprinkled the brusho crystals over the wet patches.  The great thing about Brushos is you cannot predict exactly what pattern they will make, as they spread randomly across the wet card.  I only used one colour of Brusho, but each colour is made up of component coloured crystals which separate beautifully as they spread.  When dry I used large nesting dies to cut the background panel and a black matting layer, then with the die still on the background panel I added some gold ink around the inner edges.  I made a smaller panel in the same way for the sentiment.  Next I die cut all the flowers, stems and leaves out of black card and embossed them.  I painted the flower petals with Red Blue and the leaves and stems in Green Gold.  I used Gold paint on the embossed highlights on the petals, and left the flower centres black.  I attached the background panel to the black mat and then to the base card.  I did the same with the smaller panel.  I attached the flowers, stems and leaves with dimensional glue to the large panel.  I used dies to cut the sentiment out of black card and added gold gilding wax, then attached them to the panel and then to the card.  I really love the contrast of the black with the 'two-tone' zingy  Dyna paints in this design.  I think this is a very cheerful card that could be used for different occassions.

Birthday Hearts and Flowers

This is a card I made as a commission for a friend.  The only brief I had was that the recipient was 18, her name and that she liked the colour 'Sky Blue'.  This is an adaptation of a couple of designs I have done before with some personalisation added.  I have used 'Fluttering Hearts' stamp set by Chocolate Baroque, the Orchid set from Sheena Douglass' 'Little Bit Sketchy' series, a Crafters Companion embossing folder, Brilliance inks, Pebeo Dyna paints and glitter.  The base card is white and I stamped a corner floral image in each of the corners using sky blue ink then heat embossed them with clear powder.  I then painted the flowers, and edged the card with blue ink.  On another piece of white card I randomly stamped a heart image in silver ink, and a sentiment in blue.  I then embossed it in the folder and die cut it.  Keeping the die on the card I blended some blue ink around the the edges, then I removed the die and lightly brushed the very edges of the panel with silver ink.  I attached the panel to the base card.  On another piece of white card I stamped a bird and hearts image, and heat embossed in the same way.  I painted the image then fussy cut it out.  I added glitter, then attached the image to the card with dimensional glue.  Using a piece of sky blue card I die cut the personalised greeting and name, then sprayed the letters with 'Stick and Spray' and added glitter.  When they were dry I attached them to the card.  This is a very pretty design which could be used for several occassions in different colourways.  

Birthday Harvest

This is a lovely card that I made recently for a very good friend, using a technique that I learnt a few months ago.  This is Paint Fusion by Sheena Douglass, it's a mixture of traditional Folk art and stamping.  Ever since I first tried Paint Fusion I have wanted to produce artwork with the berries, and thanks to my daughter who bought the stamps and die set for my birthday I have.  This is my first attempt and I am very pleased with it.  I have used the Brambles perfect partners stamp and die set from Sheena, Pebeo Deco Matt acrylic paints, Kraft Card, Gesso paint, shrink plastic and other bits and pieces.  The background panel is a piece of Kraft card painted with a thin layer of Gesso, leaving most of the edges without paint.  When dry I used Vintage Photo Distress Ink on a piece of cut and dry foam to give a distressed look to the edges.  I then dragged the sponge down the panel a little way to give the effect of weathered wood.  This was repeated along the top and bottom edges.  Using the ink I stamped the leaves several times onto the panel.  I then painted them over the stamped images using the Paint Fusion technique, with my brush double loaded in green and white paint.  I die cut and embossed a sprig of leaves, then painted them in the same way. To create the berries I stamped them between the leaves, then putting some bright pink paint on my thumb I "printed" the base of each berry.  Next I used the rubber on the end of a pencil to "stamp" the individual cells of the berries in purple paint, some of the cells are solid and some are letting the pink underneath show through.  I used white paint to add highlights to the berries.  I watered down the green paint and added a hint of the pink to make a slightly browny-green for the stalks and the veins on the leaves.  I stamped the bramble corner image from Sheena's 'A Little Bit Magical Honesty' set in Versamark ink and heat embossed it in gold powder.  I stamped a sentiment onto white shrink plastic in sepia ink, cut it out and shrunk it.  I die cut another another sentiment from Kraft card and inked the edges of the letters.  The base card is white and I inked around the edges with Vintage Photo ink.  I attached the background panel to the base card, then added the die cut leaves to the panel with dimensional glue.  I also attached a sprig of die cut berries that were painted as before.  Both sentiments were attached with wet glue to complete the card.  This is a good 'worker' card that can be used for different occasions, male or female.   

Look What I Caught!

This is a card that I made recently for my youngest grandson to give to his dad for his birthday.  The stamp is one that I've had for years and I love using it.  I have used it for children's cards and scrapbooking alike, it is so versatile.  I have used a Sheena Douglass embossing folder, my old stamp, some Pearl acrylic paints, Brilliance ink - Sky Blue, Pro Markers and some punched out creatures.  The base card is white and for once I have left it alone, except for some creatures punched out of pearlescent paper.  I then took a piece of white card and sponged the paints all over it.  When dry I cut a panel, smaller than the card front, and embossed it in the folder through a machine.  I used this folder as it looks like ripples of water.  On another piece of white card I stamped the little boy in black ink and heat embossed the image with black powder.  I then coloured the image with Pro Markers, and fussy cut it.  I blended black Distress Ink around the edges of the embossed panel then matted it onto black card.  I added a little silver gilding wax to the edges of the black card and layered it onto the base card.  I attached the boy with dimensional glue, then added clear glaze to the jam jar to make it look like glass.  I made a tag out of a piece of the sponged card and matted it onto black card, adding black ink and gilding wax to the edges as before.  Next I die cut letters from pearlescent papers and made up the sentiment, adding black ink to the edges of the letters to make them stand out.   I attached the sentiment to the tag, added a couple of buttons and punched out dragonflies.  I also attached dragonflies to the embossed panel and added glitter to all the wings.   I then threaded some ribbon through the tag and attached it to the card with dimensional glue.  I love this little card it's so versatile.  It could be used for a child's birthday or an adult's.   

Meadow Poppies

This is a card that I made recently for a dear friend's birthday.  The design is inspired by Sheena Douglass and her design team, with a few touches of my own.  The stamps used are bySheena Douglass, the embossing folder is one from the 'Textures' range by Crafter's Companion, the inks are all Distress inks and the corners are made with a Tattered Lace die.  The base card is white and I have cut a piece of Kraft card to size to cover the front.  I embossed the panel in the folder through a machine giving it a lovely Hessian texture, then blended ink around the edges to emphasize and distress it.  I attached it to the base card, then cut a smaller panel of white card for the focal design.  I blended three colours of DI onto the card; Scattered Straw, Frayed Burlap and Vintage Photo.   When dry I stamped some meadow flowers repeatedly along the bottom edge of the panel, then I stamped the poppies a couple of times over the flowers.  I used water and a brush to faux bleach the flowers, stems and leaves of the poppies, dried them, then painted them with DI's; Fired Brick and Mowed Lawn.  I stamped the poppies onto a piece of scrap paper, cut them out and used this as a mask.  I then stamped some script randomly across the panel using the mask to protect the painted poppies, giving the effect that the script is behind the poppies.  I blended Walnut Stain DI around the edges to add depth, and attached the focal panel to the card.  I die cut two leafy corners from some dark brown Core'dinations card and attached them with wet glue.  Then I die cut a small panel from Kraft card, stamped a swirls across it using second generation ink, added a sentiment and some shading, and attached it to the  card with dimensional glue.  I love this card, I think it suits both male and female recipients, and is a great worker card suitable for lots of occasions.

Silver and White Elegance

This is a beautiful card that I made recently for a friend's daughter.  I love to use silver and white or gold and white for wedding cards, this design would suit a silver or golden anniversary as well.  Although I have only used two colours there are a lot of elements to this design which, when put together, give the card a wow factor.  I have used Centura Pearl card, silver mirror card, Sheena Douglass Ancient Arches embossing folder, Platinum Planet Brilliance ink, Creative Expressions swirl stamp, and several floral and foliage dies.  The base card is a white scalloped edge card and I stamped the swirl image along the edges.  I embossed a piece of Centura Pearl card in the folder through a machine, in fact I put it through twice as the panel was wider than the folder.  I matted the panel onto silver mirror card leaving a border, then layered it onto the base card.  Next I die cut lots of flowers, in various sizes and shapes, out of Centura Pearl card.   I glittered the edges of some of them, and inked the edges of the others.  I also die cut some foliage sprigs in pearl and mirror card, and some trailing ivy in pearl card, glittering the edges.  I then shaped the flowers with a ball tool, and assembled them in layers to make 3D flowers.  I added  a pearl to the centres, and arranged the flowers and foliage onto the card.  I attached them all with dimensional glue.  I then die cut the sentiment out of mirror card and attached it in the same way.  I added names to personalise the card by die cutting the letters, spraying them with 'Stick and Spray' then covering in glitter, and attached them with dimensional glue.   

Moonlit Paradise

This is a lovely card that I made recently for a friend's daughter.  I love these stamps and the two-tone paints that I used, they give the work a bit of opulence.  I wanted to design something a bit special as it's for a milestone birthday.  I have used stamps by Sheena Douglass from her 'Laguna Bay' collection.  The paints are Pebeo Dyna paints, I also used Chipped Sapphire DI, and an Embossalicious embossing folder.  The base card is a white 8"x8" card which I edged with the DI.  The focal panel is a piece of navy card onto which I have stamped an Orchid corner image in onyx black Versafine ink and heat embossed with clear powder.  I painted the images in greens and blues.  On another piece  of navy card I stamped the humming bird and hibiscus flowers and heat embossed them.  I painted the images in different colours and added silver to all the images as a highlight.  I then fussy cut the humming bird and hibiscus flowers.  I embossed a piece of Centura pearl card in the folder through a machine.  I cut a large circle and added glitter to the raised cloud pattern, then edged it with the DI, to make a moon.  I then attached the moon to the centre of the focal panel and attached that to the base card.  I attached the bird and flowers to the card with dimensional glue.  I painted another piece of navy card with blue Dyna paint, then die cut the sentiment.  I die cut the name and numbers from white card and glittered them, then attached everything to the card.  I really love this design, it could be done in any colour scheme for any occasion.   

Fresh as a Daisy

This is another lovely card that I made recently for the staff at my grandson's nursery.  I dug out some stamps that I've had in my stash for years, Daisy Daydreams by Kay Karley.  I thought the simplistic style of these stamps would suit a card given by a toddler.  I chose bright, summery colours of Brilliance Inks - yellow and lime green - on Centura Pearl card to give the design a fresh look.  I stamped a daisy border around the edges of the base card using lime green ink and heat embossed    with clear powder.  I added icicle Stickles to the daisies.   I then took another piece of Centura Pearl card and stamped it all over with the daisy background stamp, and heat embossed as before.  This time I painted the daisies yellow with diluted ink, and added Stickles to the centres.  I die cut the panel and blended ink around the edges.  I coloured another piece of card with green ink and die cut it slightly larger than the background panel.  I then matted and layered them onto the base card.  On another piece of white card I stamped 3 butterflies, 2 small and 1 large, and heat embossed them.  I then painted them with diluted inks and added Stickles as before.  Next I stamped some individual daisies and a sentiment and heat embossed as before.  I painted the larger daisy and added Stickles to all the flower centres, then fussy cut all the embellishments.  I shaped them all with a ball tool and attached them with dimensional glue.   A lovely design that will make a good worker card, suitable for all ages and occasions.

A Rose for Teacher

This is a pretty card that I made recently for my grandson to give to his teacher at the end of his time in her class, her name is Rose.  The stamps used are either freebies from a magazine or so old that , they have been discontinued.  I used Distress Inks Picked Raspberry,Worn Lipstick and Mowed Lawn.  I also made my own shade of acrylic paint to co-ordinate with the inks.   The base card is Centura Pearl, and I have embossed it in a folder through a machine.  Then I blended some DI around the edges of the card.  The background panel is a piece of white card onto which I have stamped a pattern of roses using Versamark Ink and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder.  I then rubbed ink all over the panel, and polished it afterwards with a soft cloth.  The embossed pattern resists the ink, showing a white pattern through the coloured ink.  This is called the resist technique.  I coloured another piece of white card with acrylic paint, then die cut it.  I edged the shaped panel with ink, then cut the background panel slightly smaller than the coloured panel.  I matted and layered them onto the base card.  On another piece of white card I stamped a couple of rose images in Sepia Versafine ink, and heat embossed them with clear powder.  I water coloured the images using the DI's then fussy cut them.  I also die cut some foliage sprigs and painted them in the same way.  I stamped a butterfly, painted it then cut it out too.  I then stamped and heat embossed a sentiment onto white card, then die cut it and added ink around the edges.  I attached it to the card with dimensional glue, then added the flowers and foliage behind it.  I coloured a piece of white card with diluted ink then die cut the name from it.  I inked around the edges of each letter to add shading and attached them to the card with dimensional glue.  I like the simplicity of this design, it makes a nice change from some of my more complex artwork.  I think this design will work for a variety of occasions, and it can be personalised to suit.   

Fishing with Daddy

This is a lovely card I made recently for a family birthday, my youngest grandchild gave it to his daddy.  I have had the focal image stamp so long that the company name has worn off!  I find it so useful for both card making and scrapbooking alike.  So as well as the image of the boy I used a Sheena Douglass embossing folder from the 'Little Bit Oriental' collection, and coloured the project with pearly acrylic paints and Pro Marker pens.  I started with a piece of white card and used some sponges to blend the pearly acrylic paint all over.  When it was dry I blended Black Soot DI around the edges.  I then embossed the panel in the folder through a machine.  I then matted the background panel onto black card.  On another piece of white card I stamped the image of the boy in black ink and heat embossed with black powder.  I then coloured him with Pro Markers and fussy cut the image.  I added clear glaze to the jam jar to give it the look of glass.  I used a white gel pen for the highlights on the boots.  I made a tag using the same paints as the background, stamped some hand and foot prints in blue ink and matted it onto black card.  I used alphabet dies for the sentiment cut out of the same card, and edged the letters in black ink.  I punched some 'beasties' out of pearly paper and added all the embellishments with dimensional glue.  I added some buttons and ribbon to the tag then attached that with dimensional glue as well.  I wanted to create a naive, simple card for a child to give to a parent, but I think this design would suit a card FOR a child as well, and cover lots of occasions too! 

Big Cat's Palace

This is a birthday card that I made recently for a male family member.  I wanted to make a masculine card, although this design would be good for girls too.  I have used stamps and embossing folders from Sheena Douglass' Taste of India collection.  I used Distress inks to colour: Vintage Photo, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, and Black Soot.  To begin with I took a piece of orange card and embossed it in the Tiger Stripes folder.  I then rubbed over the raised pattern with Black Soot to create stripes, and blended gold gilding wax around the edges of the panel. I then matted the panel onto a black base card.   Next I took the packaging from the embossing folder and embossed it in the Indian Arches folder through a machine, sanded it back and rubbed gold gilding wax over the raised pattern.  The packaging already had a mottled stone effect on it which suited the arches background I wanted for this piece.  I then matted the panel onto black card and layered it onto the base card.  Using a piece of Sheena card I stamped the tiger in black Versafine ink and heat embossed it with black powder.  I then water-coloured the image with the Distress Inks.  I used a tiny bit of green ink for the eyes the added clear glaze to make them pop.  I stamped the leaves using Versamark ink onto green card, heat embossed the images with clear embossing powder, and added a little gilding wax to the edges of the leaves.  I then fussy cut all the images, and added them using dimensional glue. I stamped the sentiment using Versafine ink and heat embossed onto black card with gold powder, then die cut it and edged the panel in wax again, adding it with dimensional glue.  I think this design would suit many occasions, and several different age groups.  I just love that regal Tiger!   

Magical Birthday Goblet

This is a card I made for my eldest grandson's 12th Birthday last month.  I LOVED making this one!  My grandson and I have similar tastes in film and story genres, so I took the inspiration for the subject matter from Harry Potter 'The Goblet of Fire'.  I also took inspiration from a card design by one of the Inkoids - Sheena Douglass' DT, that I saw when she launched the stamps a while ago.  So for this design I have used Sheena's stamps and an embossing folder; the stamps are from several sets of the 'Little Bit Magical' collection; the folder is the 'Ancient Arches'.  To colour this artwork I have used Distress Inks and Dyna Paints.  I started with a piece of white Sheena card and blended DI's; Peacock Feathers, Broken China and Chipped Sapphire.  I faux bleached spots randomly over the inked background and dried it with a heat gun.  I stamped the Ancient Arches image, some script and a scroll using second generation Vintage Photo, Broken China and Chipped Sapphire DI's, then I blended Black Soot DI around the edges.  Next I debossed the background panel in the folder through a machine to add more texture.  I matted the panel onto black card.  I took another piece of Sheena card and stamped the goblet, flames, ink bottle and quill in black ink then heat embossed the images with black embossing powder.  I painted the images with Dyna paints and fussy cut them.  I added clear glaze to the ink bottle and leaves and let them dry.  I took the white base card and blended Chipped Sapphire around the edges, then stamped a scroll across the corners and also on the envelope to co-ordinate them.  I layered the background panel onto the base card.  I attached the focal images with dimensional glue creating another layer and height.  I tore a piece of copy paper into a rough rectangle and tinted it both sides with Vintage Photo, and the very edges with Black Soot to make it look singed.  I then put my grandson's initials on it and rolled it around a kebab stick so that it looks like a piece of singed parchment that has come out of the goblet with his name on.  As I said I loved making this, I think it is a great design for males or females of any age group, and it would suit different occasions.  I had to give this card away obviously, so I think I might adapt the design onto a canvass for myself!   Watch this space!