summer and autumn ladies

 I have three of my sample cards for last month's tv shows to show you today. It was hard to have favourite ladies, but I think these two stamps are well in the running!
For both cards the summer fayre stamp was stmaped using black versafine ink and coloured with watercolour pencils, masked with masking fluid, and brusho backgrounds added. I have always liked the idea of blue roses, but have always been disappointed by the more lilac shade when they flowered......
For the first card I partially diecut the lady out, leaving the butterfly and poppies outside the die. The base card was coloured with distress oxide inks, leaves added using the useful leaves stencil and overstamped with the large crackle stamp. The poppies in the foreground are from the floral notes plate, stamped onto leftover paper coloured with brushos and fussy cut out.



The base card was done in the same way for the second version, but the lady was cut down to a rectangle and matted onto gold card. I  sprinkled red brusho over the green background to try to create a poppy field effect, but it didn't quite work....

For the autumn medley stamp I tried to create a wood effect with the brushos, using my version of a  technique found on Youtube. I started with a piece of white card, sprinkled brown and red powder at the top, and used a damp sponge to drag the colour down the page. The colours are more blended together than the original, which used acrylic paints to blend the powders, but i was quite pleased with the result. back ground mounted onto black and gold, then onto white base card blank.
The lady was stamped with black versafine ink,  coloured with pencils and fussy cut out. I stamped the hair part again several times onto a spare piece of card coloured with orange, yellow and brown brushos, and fussy cut out the best leaves and decoupaged them onto the original.

colour challenge 30

Colour challenge 30 over at Chocolate Baroque, and this was my offering.
Background was a piece of card that nearly got thrown out in the pre-Christmas clear up until i realised it matched the colour swatch!
It was created using spray starch and mica powders on white card, and I did wonder if it would take stamping - but it did. The stamp is from the floral notes set, and coloured using the same mica powders and a waterbrush. Black and lavender mats on a white base card to finish it off

floral notes

 For my last post this year I have made two cards that could be used as thank you cards

Both cards have brusho backgrounds, and use the same stamp from the floral notes set. For both cards I stamped the image first using versafine and clear EP, then masked it using masking fluid.  I have finally found a fluid that works on smooth stamping card, all the ones I have tried before work beautifully on watercolour card but rip the surface of stamping card.  This one by Talens was recommended by Jane Aldridge, and works beautifully, as well as being easy to clean off the brush.

I sprinkled the brusho powders over and spritzed with water, then rubbed off the masking once the card was thoroughly dry.






For the first card I coloured the image with promarkers, then diecut it and added a diecut matt.




The second card I left the image white, and used silver mirri and black matts, and added the sentiment from Mackintosh sentiments clear stamp set.

I wish you all a  very happy, healthy and crafty New Year.

colour challenge 29

 The new colour challenge for Chocolate Baroque features lovely autumnal colours, so to be awkward I did a Christmas card......
I used a bauble design stencil, sponging white pigment ink through it on a kraft card base. Once the pigment ink was dry, I stamped the new single Christmas stamp Christmas post through the aperture using black memento ink- should have used a stamp positioner, then the postbox may have been straight! (or maybe not, as I don't tend to get on very well with those gadgets!)
Coloured image with my favourite watercolour pencils and a water brush, with white sharpie pen highlights for the snow.





I used the same stencil, this time on white card with peeled paint distress ink for the bauble for my second card. Stamp this time is from the new set floral notes, again stamped in black memento ink and coloured with watercolour pencils - and again with a squiffy image! My excuse this time is that I was trying to get as much of the stamp in as I could - having it straight would have lost the smaller buds............
Sorry in advance, but I am becoming quite addicted to this stencil, so you will probably be seeing more of it that you would like....................