Autumn Edges in Cool Colours

Hello everyone, I hope you are doing well.    Time is flying as here we are at the end of November already.

I have a non Christmas design to show today using Chocolate Baroque's new fabulous Autumn Edges stamp set.  As we are getting to the end of Fall Season and the hot colours have left, I've used cool colours for this card. 

The center background was created with Dylusion Spray inks -  I spritz water after spraying the inks, added a little sea salt and let it dry (which creates the watermarks if you are not familiar with this easy technique). 

I shook the salt off and then stamped the Owl from November Fairy and part of the leaf edge to the top and bottom with Cobalt Archival ink.    Using a little bleach and brush (do not use synthetic brushes with bleach) I removed the colour inside the leaves and around the owl.  This technique gives a bit of a batik look.  I added a little colour back onto the leaves using Distress Inks on my craft mat with a brush and water.

The light blue background is coloured cardstock.  I stamped part of the tree and solid leaf edge with Cobalt Archival ink.  The leaf die cuts are by Impression Obsession, I embossed them on the back with a stylus after blending Distress Inks over top. 

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day,
Shirleyx

Chocolate Baroque - Challenge #5

Hello my dear blog friends, I hope you are doing well.

I have a Christmas design today for Chocolate Baroque's Colour Challenge - #5.

The background is a piece of Basic Grey designer paper from my stash.  I like using the solid colours to stamp over and then colour with my Prisma pencils.    This one took some time, but it's very relaxing, I enjoy it very much.    The background is one of the fabulous Big Bold Backgrounds - Snowflake Outline.  The angel image is from the  Gothic Angels set, I coloured her with Inktense pencils and added lots of stickles to her wings.

And below is the challenge inspiration photo.  We would love it if you could join us for a chance to win a £15 gift voucher at Chocolate Baroque.

This is a card design by me using the same techniques, you may have seen my post in January 2014

Thanks for your visit and have a great day!
Shirleyx

A Christmas Postcard

Hello everyone, I hope you are enjoying the weekend.

I have a card to show today featuring a beautiful stamp by Crafty Individuals that I've had for a while, the lady is so pretty.

I'll join into the Allsorts Challenge Blog with this one as the current theme is "No Designer Papers" which is right up my alley as 99% of the time I create my own backgrounds.   However I still have some beautiful papers hanging about in my stash :)

I stamped the main image, Christmas Postcard Collage, on glossy paper and coloured with TomBow markers (with a craft mat, water & brush).

The background is Dylusions inks and stamped with the beautiful snowflakes from Chocolate Baroque's A Child is Born set. I also added little circles from a stencil using white pigment ink and then embossing with glitter powder. 

The flower die cuts are by Crealie- CL CF 18 (coloured with Distress Inks and a top coat of clear Glimmer Glaze)

The branches are by Sizzix- Tim Holtz Alterations - Holiday Greens (coloured with Distress Ink and cut into smaller pieces).

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day,
Shirleyx

Enjoy the Magic of the Season

Hello everyone, I hope you are doing well.  It's been cold here with snow again this week, winter has arrived early but it's feeling more like Christmas!

I have a design to show today using stamps by two awesome companies: Chocolate Baroque &  Designs by Ryn. 

The background is Evergreen Distress Spray.  The Pine branch was stamped with the same colour Distress Ink.   The Faerie (coloured with Prisma pencils), corner designs and sentiment were all stamped with Cobalt Archival ink.  I added glitter to the fur trim on her dress.

Chocolate Baroque stamps:  Corner design and Pine branch are from New England Winter.  The sentiment is from the Christmas Magic set.

Designs by Ryn:  Ornament Faerie.

Thanks for stopping by
Shirleyx

Celtic Stars

Hello everyone, I hope your week is going well.

I have four designs today using Design by Ryn's beautiful Celtic Stars.   Each star is available individually, cling mounted and they are all part of the unmounted Winter Collection.  These amaxing designs are hand drawn by the very talented Ryn.

My first design features Celtic Star 1 (currently on sale 50% off this month).

I started the background by stamping a small star from the Celtic Star Set with white pigment ink and embossing with clear.  The colour is a mix Dylusions spray and Distress inks.  I used a Memory Box stencil to create the small circles with pigment ink and glitter embossing powder.   I painted with Crackle paint over top.  The Celtic Star was embossed with silver and painted with Tombow markers.

Next up is Celtic Star 2:

The background is Tattered Rose Distress Spray.  I used a Memory Box stencil and Tea Dye Distress Ink to create the pattern.  I also stamped along the edge with retired Climbing Vine.

Next is Celtic Star 3:

The background looks like a Gelli Plate print to me, but it's not.   I used this sheet to 'mop up' ink off the background of the top card.  it created blotches where the embossing resisted the ink.  I also used the top of the stencil that I used on the top card turned over and stamped onto the background.  The star was embossed with silver and painted with Tombow markers.

And finally is Celtic Star 4, also on sale this month,  the background is a cleaner style:

I used pigment inks blended over stars that were stamped with white ink.  I used the darker ink to stamp again in the background.  It's hard to see the 'ghost' effect in this photo above.  The star was stamped with Cobalt Archival ink and coloured with Seedless Preserves Distress Ink (using water on an Acrylic sheet., I 'need' the spray in this colour :)).

And here is a close up of Celtic Star 1 and the background where you can see the effect of the Distress Crackle paste:

The sentiments are by Chocolate Baroque.

Thanks for your visit and have a great day,
Shirley

Autumn Edges

Hello everyone, I hope you are doing well.

I have a couple of  vibrant designs to show using Chocolate Baroque's fabulous new Autumn Edges.  I love the colours of Fall, but they are fading here :(

The leaves at the top are from Autumn Poppy and the Mushrooms from Autumn Edges.

I used Distress Sprays in the background and bleached out some of the stamped areas and painted with Distress Inks. (using a craft mat, brush & water).  The outlining is with a white pen.  I added glitter to the 'ground'.  The sentiment is from Amazing Birthday.

The flower die cuts are by Crealie which I coloured first with Distress inks and then painted over with Glimmer Glaze.  

And below is the 2nd leafy design :)

I painted the leaf edge stamp from Autumn edges (in the middle of the card) with Tom Bow markers, spritzed a with a little water and stamped on white card stock.

The background is Persimmon & Raspberry Distress Inks using an acrylic block and water.   I over stamped with a leaf from Autumn Poppy.

Happy Birthday from Birthday Words and the small solid leaf border were stamped with Cocoa dye ink.   The fabulous leaf die cuts are from Impression Obsession which I coloured with Distress Inks.

Thanks for your visit and have a great day,
Shirleyx

Pretty Pansies and Waterdroplets

Hello everyone, I hope you enjoyed the weekend.

I have a design today in a favourite colour combination using Design by Ryn's pretty Pansies and her new amazing Sideways Droplets along with Raindrops set.   I think I was dreaming about summer while creating this, it's been dreary here this past week.

The background is Dylusions Inks and Gold Glimmermist.   I stenciled using Design by Ryn's Maidenhair Fern with several Distress Inks and Gold Brilliance ink which gave a neat effect but hard to see in the photo.   I stamped the Pansies several times, coloured with Tombow markers, cut them out and arranged as shown. The matting and stamping is navy not black as it appears. The quote is by Impression Obsession - C3671.

Designs by Ryn now sells her stamps in unmounted sheets at her website and also at retailers around the world.    You can still buy mounted individual stamps at her website.

Thanks for your visit and have a great day,
Shirleyx

Colourful Fruit

Hello everyone,  I hope you are doing well.   It's wonderful to back with Chocolate Baroque's Design Team after taking a couple of months off during our move.        

Chocolate Baroque's new Mellow Fruitfulness is a wonderful set with elegant fruity images that will work well for gift tags on homemade jams, cook book covers and more. My first design below was quick to make with the exception of the colouring.

The background is Peacock Feathers Distress Ink (using an acrylic block to apply) along with blending the same ink with a honeycomb style stencil.   I stamped a fragment from Texture Fragments with Mowed Lawn Distress Ink.  The images from Mellow Fruitfulness and sentiment from Words of Gratitude were stamped with Black Archival Ink which I coloured with Prisma Pencils.

And here is a look at the Mellow Fruitfulness set:

Thanks for your visit and have a great day,
Shirleyx

Amazing Trickling Water and Hanging Droplets

Hello everyone, I hope you are doing well.

I have a design today for Designs by Ryn using her new amazing Hanging Droplets Set and Trickling Water Set 2 stamps. I also experimented with Kristal Gel by Viva and Ryn's Floral Spiral stencil.  Ryn has a talent for capturing the 3D look in her original, unique and hand-drawn water effects stamps.  See more water designs here in her Texture stamps section.

To create the background I started by using Peacock Feathers Distress Ink with water and an acrylic block.   Next I added circles using the same Distress Ink and TCW Circles Explosion stencil.

I used Kristal Gel medium (by Viva) over Ryn's Floral Spiral stencil, when it was dry I sprayed Midnight Dylusions ink, spritzed water and let it run.  After drying again I stamped the large stamp from Trickling Water Set 2 and small stamp from Hanging Droplets Set with cobalt Archival ink.  I blended Sapphire DI over top here & there with a lettering stencil.   I painted the water images a little with Distress Inks, water and a brush (using my craft mat) and highlighted with a white pen.  Update:  I did not use Gel on the water droplets, the images are amazing, seriously :)

Tuski the Moth was painted with Tombow markers, cut out and popped up. I added lots of glitter to her (him?).  You can see the glitter gel below, it acted as a resist to the spray ink.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day,
Shirley x

Chocolate Baroque Challenge #4 in Nouveau Style

Hello everyone, I hope you are doing well this week.

I have a design to show today using the Free Digital Background available from Chocolate Baroque's Colour Challenge Blog, which features the colours for the current challenge:

 
The background is the free download that you can find here.   I stamped the beautiful lovebirds from Nouveau Lovebirds with black ink, coloured with Inktense pencils and highlighted with a white Gelly roll pen and glitter.  The background behind the birds was created using Distress Ink & water on my craft mat.  I stamped the deco pieces from the set on the background paper (not straight at the top, it was hard for me to just leave it that way!).  Love is from Artistic Expressions. 

And below is the challenge inspiration photo.  We would love it if you could join us for a chance to win a £15 gift voucher at Chocolate Baroque.

Design by Lesley Wharton

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day,
Shirleyx

Reindeer with Snowflakes & a Relaxed Cat :)

Hello everyone, I hope are having a great weekend.   It's just above freezing here and we have light snow!  I am so not ready for it, but it won't stay, it's melting as it hits the ground.    Hopefully we will enjoy some warmer days this month. 

I have two more Christmas card designs to  show today.    The beautiful stamps are from Chocolate Baroque.

The background above was created with Seedless Preserves Distress Ink and Faded Jeans Distress spray (yes I bought more!) using the Acrylic block technique.    I over stamped with a couple of snowflake negative designs from the A Child is Born set with Distress Ink and I also added some texture with white Acrylic paint and bubble wrap.   The main image is from the Reindeer Landscape set which I cropped a little and coloured with Inktense pencils.  The sentiment is from Christmas Magic.

I coloured the snowflake die cuts from Joy with Distress Inks and then sponged 3D stamp paint over top.  The 3D paint adds lots of sparkle and texture which is hard to see as it's difficult to get proper photos of sparkle and glitter.  I've just discovered this fabulous paint (thanks again to the helpful staff at our local scrapbook & art supply shop).    The little branches are from a McGill punch.

And below is a card without stamping.....

 

The background above started with an embossed sheet using a pretty snowflake folder (by Leane Creatief).  I sprayed Dylusions inks over top and also dabbed some white Acrylic paint with the Circle Explosion stencil by TCW.    The black die cuts are from Memory Box.

And here is our furry boy relaxing .... he is so sweet. 

I am not obese it's just this position I'm in that makes me look 'full figured'  However Mom says I could lose a pound or two:) I'm doing the best I can since I can no longer roam outside freely.   Mom says that I'm co-operative most of the time.  I go outside with a harness and leash, I hope there are no other cats that can see me.  (Cat's don't roam freely in our town, it's against the bi-law and it's not safe for cats - Shirley)

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day,

Shirleyx