Saturday, October 31, 2015

STAMPlorations Inspiration #45


Here's a little STAMPlorations inspiration for you using the Heaven Sent stamp set.  The background is made on a Gelli Plate using acrylic paint with punchinella and lace.  The image is coloured with Distress Inks then fussy cut, and the sentiment stamped directly onto the panel.


Pop on over to the STAMPlorations blog for more fabulous inspiration from the Design Team, and if you're inspired to CASE any of our cards, why not add it to the CASE playground for a chance to win prizes.

I'm adding my card to the Simon Says Monday challenge - Throwback.  I've gone for April 2015 - In The Middle.


Friday, October 30, 2015

Purple Poppies


You learn some interesting and unexpected things in the line of cardmaking.  I wanted to play along with this week's Muse, and also with this week's FUSION:

Tracey McNeely for Muse


I already had my Clearly Besotted Brushed Poppies stamp set out on the desk (granted, it was under a pile of gelli prints, background papers, half-completed cards, etc., but it was out on the desk) because I wanted to try some poppy cards in colours other than red.  So I turned to my friend Google and searched "purple poppies".

In the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand the red poppy has been used since 1921 as the symbol of remembrance and hope to commemorate soldiers killed in conflict since 1914, and is worn in the days leading up to Remembrance Sunday (nearest to 11 November).

There is also a white poppy which, depending on your point of view, is either a political protest against war, or is worn alongside the red poppy as a lasting message of peace.

I was surprised to learn that the purple poppy was adopted in 2006 by Animal Aid to remember the animal victims of war, and again is either a political protest or worn alongside the red/white poppy to remember animals that lost their lives in service to their country.

The other thing I learned is that, while there certainly are purple poppies, they are often confused with purple anemones, which are a different family.

So here is my non-political, non-anenome, purple poppy card.  I think I'll try pink next.  Or orange.


I'm also entering it into Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.


Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Art Is... A New Stamp Set from STAMPlorations!

We've got a great new set being released for you at STAMPlorations today - this fabulous set from Shery, filled with great quotes.  Love those fonts!



I've used one of the quotes over a flower made with alcohol inks and an air duster - great fun!


We've got a mini blog hop going on - take a look at the fabulous inspiration for you here.  Comment on this blog and at the other stops on the hop for your chance to win this set!  It's available in the STAMPlorations store at 10% discount until 4 November.

Monday, October 26, 2015

STAMPlorations inspiration #44


Did you enjoy last week's blog hop?  Here's a bit more inspiration for you using my new set, FolkFlowers.  I stamped all the images with Versamark then white-embossed them.  Using Distress Inks as watercolours, I coloured the images and added a loose wash in the background.  I used a white gel pen to separate the different shades in the background.



Pop on over to the blog for some more fabulous inspiration, and if you fancy CASEing this or any of our cards, why not add it to the CASE playground for chances to win?

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Seeing Things and Finding Faces - Face No. 5


This is my fifth and final (for now) face.  Another turn of the page in the mop-up journal and this was what I saw:


The sunglasses, the nose, cheek, chin, ear, neck - yes?  A few quick scribbles and the face was done.  I find that if you use quick sketchy marks, you can get away with mistakes and make adjustments by just adding more quick sketchy marks.

If you've been here for all five faces, thank you very much for your forbearance ;)

I'm adding this to Paper Artsy - Faces and Kim Dellow - Show Your Face

Making Tracks At A Sprinkle of Imagination


I'm over at A Sprinkle of Imagination today with this card.  Pop on over to see how I made it.  I'm entering it into Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday.


I'm back later with my fifth and final face - I bet you're glad ;)

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Seeing Things and Finding Faces - Face No. 4


Another page turned in the journal, and this one really jumped out at me:

The forehead, they eye sockets, the bridge of the nose, the cheek, chin, neck, yes?  Again, a few fast and furious scribbles with the pen, and there it was.  DH is convinced I was being guided by The Other Side.  Ha :)

I'm entering this into:

Paper Artsy - Faces
Kim Dellow - Show Your Face

I've got one more to show you tomorrow, then that's it.  Until I get another visitation... ;)

Friday, October 23, 2015

Seeing Things and Finding Faces - Face No. 3


Another page turned in my journal, and another face jumped out at me.  On the right-hand page.  Can you see the eye sockets?  The white bridge of the nose?  A cheek?

 

Again, I took pen straight to paper, and within a minute the face was drawn.  I'm entering this into the following galleries:

Paper Artsy - Faces
Kim Dellow - Show Your Face

STAMPlorations Inspiration #43


It's time for the STAMPlorations Inspiration Team to bring you some - erm, inspiration! Today we're focusing on older sets.  I've used the marigold image and a sentiment from The Birds and The Blooms set.  I stamped the image in Antique Linen Distress Ink, then coloured in with Spiced Marmalade, Peeled Paint and Forest Moss inks, then stamped the sentiment.  Added a few splatters, trimmed the panel and adhered it to and orange card base and added some green twine.

Pop on over to the STAMPlorations blog to see what the rest of the Inspiration Design Team have created, and if you want to CASE this or any of the cards you see, why not add it to our CASE playground for a chance to win prizes?

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Seeing Things and Finding Faces - Face No. 2

This is my third post today, sorry for bombarding you!  
Click here for my STAMPlorations blog hop post, featuring my latest design, FolkFlowers.
Click here for my Seize the Birthday post.


After seeing my first face yesterday, I turned the page in my notebook and saw this:


Can you see the sunglasses?  The tip of the nose? The profile of the cheek?  A hint of mouth?  It's a bit like those colourblind pictures - can you see the hidden image?

I'm entering today's face into the following galleries:

Paper Artsy Faces

Kim Dellow Show Your Face.

Thanks for stopping by!

Seize The Birthday - With A Pocket Card


Time to Seize The Birthday!  For this challenge we'd like to see pocket cards.  I'm not quite sure this is what Nancy had in mind, but it's a card with a pocket, so I'm hoping I'll get away with it ;)  If you don't want to make a pocket card, any project will do, as long as it's a birthday project.


The pocket stamp is a really old one from Personal Impressions, and the balloons are from an oldie but a goodie Hero Arts set.  The lovely sentiment is from is from Clearly Besotted.

I'm entering this into Less Is More - Masculine.

and Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday - use a stamp.


FolkFlorals - STAMPlorations Blog Hop


It's Day 3 of the STAMPlorations release blog hop, and today we're concentrating on my newest design for my stamp range, The Bee's Knees - FolkFlowers.  Just look at all those possibilities!


I made a trio of cards.  Stamped some of the images several times onto patterned paper, then made three similar mixed media backgrounds using Mixed Media ElementsMixed Media Grunge and Artplorations Confetti Circles stencil, then added the fussy cut images.  The sentiment is from Dee's Balloons and Banners set.


Here's a look at each card:




Have a look at all these prizes on offer, get commenting and join in the Fall Flower Flash Linky Party!
  • SEVEN (7) commenters randomly drawn from the designers' blogs will each win a $10 gift certificate.
  • ONE (1) commenter randomly drawn from the STAMPlorations blog will win a $25 gift certificate.
  • THREE (3) players randomly drawn from the Fall Flower Flash Linky Party will each win a stamp set from the new release.
Pop on over to the STAMPlorations blog for some more fabulous inspiration.  Don't forget to comment at every stop, including this one, to increase your chances of winning! Commenting will close on 25 October, winners announced on 27 October.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Seeing Things and Finding Faces - Face No .1


Paper Artsy's current challenge is all about drawing faces.  Leandra has put up a comprehensive post, chock-full of inspiration and links to videos and online classes.  The emphasis is on having a go, and letting go of the idea that your drawing should be perfect.  I can go with that!

So, what to work on?  I have a little notebook/journal that I made last year, and so far the only thing I've done with it is use it to mop up excess Distress Inks.  I thought I'd start in that because, being A6, it's not too intimidating.  I started looking through the pages, and one of the shapes looked like a male profile.  Unfortunately I didn't take a photo before I started scribbling, but if you look at the face, you can see where I followed the profile line of the darker shape.

Here's a look after I started drawing the face but before stamping.  I didn't use pencil, went straight in at the deep end with black 0.3 fineliner pen.  Somehow I find it easier to draw with pen.  Scary, I know!


And a look at the double-page.  I've added a pen in the photo for scale.


One I started looking through the notebook, I kept seeing faces - spooky!  I'll post some more over the next few days.

ETA: I'm also adding this to Kim Dellow's Show Your Face gallery.

Hope Blooms - STAMPlorations Blog Hop


Hello, and welcome to Day 2 of the STAMPlorations release!  Today we're showcasing this gorgeous set by Shery:

Hope Blooms

I went for a rustic look with a bit of corrugated card smooshed with Distress Paints, a bit of hessian and twine, and some selective colouring on the stamped image.


Have a look at all these prizes on offer, get commenting and join in the Fall Flower Flash Linky Party!
  • SEVEN (7) commenters randomly drawn from the designers' blogs will each win a $10 gift certificate.
  • ONE (1) commenter randomly drawn from the STAMPlorations blog will win a $25 gift certificate.
  • THREE (3) players randomly drawn from the Fall Flower Flash Linky Party will each win a stamp set from the new release.
Pop on over to the STAMPlorations blog for some more fabulous inspiration.  Don't forget to comment at every stop, including this one, to increase your chances of winning! Commenting will close on 25 October, winners announced on 27 October.

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Friends and Flowers - STAMPlorations Blog Hop


It's release time at STAMPlorations, and that means a blog hop with loads of inspiration for you!  Today we're showcasing Deepti's latest set, Friends and Flowers, with three gorgeous images and matching sentiments:



Here's my card.  I chose to keep it simple and leave the sentiment off for now.  A bit of random colouring, and bit of shadow and it's done.


Have a look at all these prizes on offer, and get commenting and join in the Fall Flower Flash Linky Party!
  • SEVEN (7) commenters randomly drawn from the designers' blogs will each win a $10 gift certificate.
  • ONE (1) commenter randomly drawn from the STAMPlorations blog will win a $25 gift certificate.
  • THREE (3) players randomly drawn from the Fall Flower Flash Linky Party will each win a stamp set from the new release.
Pop on over to the STAMPlorations blog for some more fabulous inspiration.  Don't forget to comment at every stop, including this one, to increase your chances of winning! Commenting will close on 25 October, winners announced on 27 October.

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Is It Too Early For Snow?


Where I live we rarely get snow, so I'm quite happy for big snowflakes to appear on my cards.  This snowflake is the Tim Holtz Blueprint snowflake, without the blueprint markings.  I coloured just the snowflake with Neocoour II crayons and spritzed before stamping.  This is version 4.

Version 1: Not enough crayon, not enough spritz.
Version 2: Changed to Gelatos.  Again, not enough crayon.
Version 3: Back to Neocolour II.  Note to self: ensure stamp is properly clean, then the bits that you don't want to show won't show.
Version 4: Neocolour II again.  The cleaned stamp was still damp so more of the colour stuck to the rubber, giving a much better result!

The sentiment is stamped in Brushed Pewter Distress Stain.

I'm entering this into the One Layer Christmas Card challenge, Anything Goes with a twist of Silver.  Well, pewter.


I'm also entering into One Layer Simplicity Challenge - Whatever the Weather.


Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Purple Power


Quick post from me - I'm sliding in at the last minute with a second card for Becca's Hop To Stop which is raising awareness about domestic violence.


A bit of stamping, a bit of sloshing, a bit of splattering, and there's your card!  I'm also entering it into Simon Says Monday Challenge - Watercolour

and Virginia's View - All Things Coloured

Thanks for stopping by!