tranquillity? - maybe!

Got my new tranquillity stamps from Chocolate Baroque on Monday, and this is the result of my first sessions - apart from an overflowing rubbish bin that is!
I was surprised at how big the buddha image actually is, for some reason had expected it  to be smaller, no idea why............so the first snag was that it didn't fit a 6x6 card, at least the way I wanted it to go! I really wanted the buddha reflected in the water, and just couldn't get it right - hence the 20+ in the bin -I ended up using a  midnight muse Stampin up inkpad as my favourite versafine just wouldn't co-operate, I could get a lovely image on the brayer or acetate block, but would it transfer to the card? no.
Anyhow, once I'd got something approaching lined up. I coloured the image with derwent watercolour pencils and distress ink pads, the iris was coloured with promarkers. Base 8x8 card was coloured with distress inks, aiming for a watery effect - wisteria stamped in distress ink, iris in verafine and promarkers again. Not really happy with the face, but going to use more stony colours for the whole image next time -and yes, i do have a decent image waiting to be coloured!

December quintiles

In even more of a rush than usual this month - why is it that Christmas always seems to suddenly leap out at you?
I did two different ones, as I thought that 2 with the huge  baubles background stamp would be cheating a bit, even if I did colour them in differently............ and to be honest. sponging skies in is far quicker than colouring baubles!
I did add some glitter to the reindeer from the old Christmas fusion set of stamps, and the buildings are from the town houses set randomly stamped along the bottom and coloured in with markers.

sporty masks

 Saturday was the last Clarity East workshop of the year, and Janet had chosen a stencil and sports stamps as the base of the day. . The top card is the first one we did, brushing distress inks over the stencil then stamping into the spaces. We used the full size of the stencil, 7x7", which was mounted onto green card in my case then onto an 8x8" card base.
As a change from masculine cards, we made the thank you card using the same stencil, embossed onto linen card before inking through the stencil in rather more feminine colours this time. The stencil was just cut into 2 strips about 4x11 cms, mounted onto toning card and then onto a 7x7" base card which I brushed with lilac inks first, the word panel was stamped in purple archival ink on colour-brushed card to match the stencilled pieces, then covered with versamark and clear embossed.
In the afternoon we went back to masculine cards, and made the golf card, using post-it note masks for the figures. I even did the wavy lines round the figures like I was supposed to..................think Janet is still suffering from shock!
I always have white card with me, knowing that I seem to work faster than everyone else, so I got 2 alternative designs done to finish off later - very useful, as I couldn't decide which sport I was going to use!
 It was  a lovely day, and we even had a raffle as Barbara had kindly sent Janet some goodies, and Iwon a set of stamps - sketched lady, Eiffel tower and a very nice corner stamp - now I need the Paris skyline mask to go with them.

November quintiles

 As you may have expected, the theme for November was fireworks - sounds simple - and obvious- but finding any Choc Baroque stamps that fitted it wasn't easy.  I was beginning to think I would be reduced to splodging colour on randomly when I thought of the wild meadow stamp set, which includes this stamp- can never remember what plant it is though!
Anyhow, I just used the flower head, and stamped it twice in versamark onto dark blue card then added random embossing powders - they all came from a box of powders I was given, and I used the most lurid ones, the photo doesn't really do justice to the bright pink, orange and purple  (perhaps thankfully!). I added splodges of holographic powder using a versamark pen around the flower heads to try to create a glow around the main colours.
The diecut houses are from a Tim Holtz die, cut in black card.

craft club

It was craft club time at Gissing on Sunday, and this was the card I eventually finished off today. Being very awkward , I didn't like the geometric starry tree stamp Moira had brought for her card , so I did the background, collected my deer diecuts and added ' proper' trees at home later - it also ended up as a square card rather than Moira's diorama card..................... Not sure what stamp we used for the snowflake background, but it was embossed in white and distress inks sponged over for the sky - I know I used broken china and chipped sapphire for the blues but can't recall the sun colour. The small trees are from Chocolate Baroque (terrific treescapes), large one from Stampin Up (lovely as a tree), and the snowflakes on the base card are also Stampin Up (snowflake soiree) clear embossed and brushed with the same blue inks as the sky.

halloween

 I had another play with the new halloween stamps from Chocolate Baroque and a pile of distress inkpads, and these are the results.
All the images were stamped with black versafine ink, and the distress inks used were rusty hinge, aged mahogany, spiced marmalade, dusty concord, chipped sapphire and black soot.
Square card is 6x6, with matting layers of black and dull gold, and the spooky drawn in sakura sparkle pen   using the negative from a sizzix die as a pattern. The next  one is A6,mounted onto dull black distressed round the edges and then onto a kraft base card.
 The mini ones are 4x4, stamped  and inked directly onto the white base card.
 I did add a bit of colour to the gravestones with promarkers

am linking these to the Make my Monday challenge, which is halloween this week (obviously)

spooky

 Thanks to winning a set of the new Chocolate Baroque halloween stamps  - many thanks Glenda - I have managed to make my October quintiles early (I know, wonders do still happen occasionally!). The set I won is called 'nevermore', and I loved the spooky candlestick. I also wanted to use the raven on the gravestones, so I excavated a crate of stamps and found a rather gothic-y window in a set of Christmas stamps (stained glass Christmas). I didn't want the candle design in the window, so for the first tile I inked up the edges of the stamp with a grey marker and stamped onto pale grey card, then drew in the stones around the window. I masked off the wall, then stamped the raven in the window using memento black ink. I coloured in the branches, gravestones and fence  with promarkers, and then sponged distress inks round the moon mask to create the sky.

The candlestick stamped with black memento ink and clear embossed, then the background was brushed with a mix of black, concord and sage inks. I coloured the candles with gel pen, drew a huge web with a grey promarker, dotted it with stickles, and added gilding flakes to the flames - the flames blowing in the wind haven't quite worked.
The second tile I stamped the window in smoky grey ink onto darker grey card and cut the window frame out. The raven was stamped in smoky grey onto white card, coloured with promarkers and distress inks, then glued behind the window. Candlestick stamped with versamark and silver embossed, candles in white gel pen again. Some dabs of bleach to show the candlelight on the wall, then the candle flames and the spiderweb were drawn in with a glue pen and gilded.