Stampsmith Challenge #40

Stampsmith Challenge description:   Spring colours and flowers.   Using a Stampsmith stamp.


 Here is my entry

Main Items Used

Stampsmith stamp - Thank Heavens 2

3d Flowers   - Free cut files from Birds Cards
Frame - Free cut files from Svgcuts

Silhouette Cameo Machine

Cuttlebug embossing folder

Kindy Glitz

Stickles

Aquarell watercolour pencils

I found a wonderful place that offers free designs for cutting machines and also some digital papers and stamps.    Bird Cards 3D flowers were used in this but shrunk down quite small.    I coated the leaves in Kindy Glitz.   I believe Kindy Glitz is the same as Stickles except that it is an Aussie brand.    

I stamped my image with Black Versafine.   It is important when using the watercolour pencils that you use a permanent ink that wont run.    I still allow a day or two for it to dry and set into the paper just to be sure.    I did try the Bic Mark it pens but they re-wet this ink so they are not suitable.   I think they are the same formula as copic pens so test before trying. 


 The watercolour pencils are a very cheap alternative to copics.    I bought a 36 colour set for around $20 from Officeworks in Australia.   I'm sure they are much cheaper in other parts of the world but that is a good price for here compared to Copics.   However for this card I used an old 12 colour set.   As you can see there are enough colours to do basic colouring.   The 12 pack usually has 2 blues, 2 greens, etc so shading is easy.   You can get a 12, 24 &  36 pack which has about 6 shades of blues, greens, reds etc.    Here is a link to the pencil colour chart.   Watercolour pencils     If you want to get really serious there are even larger packs out there with 100+ colours.

When colouring the stamp I used the lightest colour all over then the darker colour on all the shadows.     Using a very small tip paintbrush just slightly damp, I blend the colours from the lightest into the darker colour.   You can build up the colour and also use the pencils without water.    Test your paper first too.  The paper I use for photo stamps is a very smooth matt finish and it copes well with the water. (bought from an Aussie supplier and is stickybacked)  




TIP:   If the pencil tip breaks off, don't throw it out.   You can crush it, add water and use it like  paint.  

Stampsmith Challenge #19

While wandering around the Blogiverse for inspiration I came across the Stampsmith Challenge.

The challenge is to use any stamp and use Teal & yellow as the colours.

I decided to use Lucy from the Stampsmith Lucy set.   I just love her expressions.  

I chalked a lemon yellow around the edge but it hasn't shown up on the photo.   The frame and insert are from a Spellbinders combo set and Lucy's hat is a cuttlebug die.

I curled some paper up in gold and teal to around the leaf sticker and added some bling in gold and amber.

For Lucy's realistic colouring I stamped using Versafine in black and after drying my preferred method of colouring is water colours.   I use a really cheap set of paints but they work really well and blending colour is easy.    I would love Copic pens but they are not easy to find in Australia....well, I've never seen them.....

Thanks for looking.

A.J

Buggy Challenge #5

After a long, long break I've jumped back into card making with a challenge.    I urgently needed a birthday card for my wonderful cousin Karen, who is a very glamourous lady indeed.     Sometimes inspiration is hard to find after a hiatus so having a starting point is great for a kick into action.

One of my favorite places to buy Quickutz from is Scrapbuggy

After having a wander around the site I noticed there is a scrapping challenge.   The challenge is to design something using the layout found here  Buggy Challenge #5

Okay, so it's not a scrapbooking page but I used my artistic license to use it for a card layout.   Lots to fit on to a small space but I think it still worked.

These are the Quickutz dies I used.......

 

And some Cuttlebug bits, I also used several other embossing folders.   Got to love those.!

As always, after being so careful with the gluing and colouring, as I picked it up I got a lovely big black mark  on the side.   What's a girl to do!!!!     An extra piece of sticky lace covered this up nicely.    This is the same holey lace that I used across the bottom, inking it with a silver green ink. 

Hope you enjoy and find some ideas and inspiration as I do when I wander around the blogiverse.

Stampsmith's December Challenge.

 

Items Used:

Stamps from Stampsmith -Wording -  Say it with Flair set

Picture stamp from Marilyn 2 set

Quickutz Nesting Star set

Cuttlebug - Round tag from he Baby Face Alphabet set

The challenge for the December Stampsmith Yahoo group was to make a Christmas card for a person who provides a service.

Can you guess who I've made the card for?.......    Here's a hint, once you start getting a bit older, this person becomes very, VERY important........especially to fight off the grey's and I'm not talking the little Alien variety of Grey's...lol either, whom in most cases have no need for the services of this person!  

Making - A very Hairy Christmas card.......

First step was to stamp the Marilyn with versafine black.  Wait a while so it's dries or else you will get smudging even though it is waterproof ink.    I use a cheap set of children's watercolour paints but they are just as good for this purpose.   I have gouache paints but they offer a more solid colour rather than a wash of colour so I prefer to use the watercolours.   I used glitter on the dress and earrings  and gave her a lick of mascara with a very fine black pen.

 The wording was stamped using a combination of words from the "Say it with Flair" stamp set.   I used an acrylic block and some double sided tape and arranged the words in a staggered pattern, embossed with gold Zing.    You can go back and fill in any gaps with a smaller word or object.   I filled the space with a little Christmas tree punch out.

The bauble is made using the tag punch from the Cuttlebug Baby face set.   If you look at my Quick Birthday wish card you can see I used the flower die.   I hate to throw anything out so I used the left over negative cutout as the top decoration on the bauble.   The first version just didn't work for me.   The string was to small and the colour was too washed out.....So I added colour with a bit of glitter and used a thicker ribbon through the loop, some bling......instant bauble!!!.    It is slightly raised  on the card

Right Picture (Before)

Below Picture (After changes)

I thought this would be an easier challenge than the last two as we do have Christmas here in Australia....but I found this one the hardest.!    I think having lots of ideas rather than no idea has served as a bit of a hindrance.   A wonderful friend of mine in the US has sent me a "Care Package" of lots of Halloween goodies so I'll be ready for that one next year.!   

Thanks for looking and a Merry Christmas to all.    

Quick Birthday Wishes

 

Items Used

Matha Stewart Happy Birthday punch

Cuttlebug Dies -  2 x 4" Flowers Dies (37-1508)

Leaf from the Combo Persia set (37-1919)

This was a fairly simple and quick card to make.   Many colour combinations would work great with this style of card too.    Assembling the flowers first makes it easier to arrange them.    For the leaves I manually cut the a darker colour leaf to stick behind the leaf cutout as it's much easier to do this than to fit all the little pieces into the cut outs.

Thanks for looking.   Comments are always appreciated, even the anonymous ones...lol !

KSCC#29, kitchensinkstamps

 Kitchen sink stamp Challenge #29

Items Used

Kitchen Sink Stamp set 3 step sea shells

Cuttlebug Tiny bubbles embossing folder

Beach punch

Quickutz lettering Banana Splits and alphabet from the Flirt pack

Cuttlebug Love language Combo die

Earthly Ores Colorbox

The Kitchen sink Challenge 29 called for a Monochromatic colour scheme.  

I used the brown tones from the Earthly Ores Colorbox ink set to do the shell.   The papers are from all different places and often I grab them from a scrap box.

I used a glitter and sand mix on the edge of the punched border and blow the shell and lettering.    Bronze glitter is used on the edge of the embossed tiny bubble paper.

The two hearts are  die cut from the Cuttlebug Love language Combo die in a lovely shimmer paper.

Thanks for looking.!

It's a Girl

Items used:

Stampsmith stamps - Ooh Baby set

Cuttlebug - A2 Combo Welcome Baby

    Cuttlebug  -  Die2x6 Fruit & Tags

                        Cuttlebug - A2 Tiny Bubbles Embossing Folder

Core-ordinates paper

Colorbox Stamp Pad - Pastel (rainbow)

This was a fun little card I made for a new baby.    The gorgeous stamps are just 3 from a great set of fun baby photo stamps.  I used the pink section of three colours to stamp the babies.   Cut with the Tags and threading the ribbon through gives them a fun way to display them.

The words were cut once in white and then in sparkle pink paper and joined together off centre to create a glowing shadow.   

The Bubbles folder works really well with the paper that you sandpaper to reveal the base colour.  Mixed with the gingham, this all came together beautifully.   A few glitzy flowers of bright colours added the last bit of sparkle and contrast.

A Special Birthday

Items Used

Cuttlebug Baby Face

Martha Stewarts Happy Birthday punch

Quickutz Stripes Label Embossing folder

Quickutz Nesting Square border dies

This card was a fun one to make.   I had some balloon paper but really wanted a bunch effect rather than the random ones.  I used the Babyface dies to create this look.   This allowed me to get the shading without having to do any colouring.    Before placing the final balloon, I gathered some coloured threads and stuck them across doublesided tape, sticking it  to the card where the two pink loops are shown.

The blue balloon was then placed on top.

The box was made using the the Quickutz Nesting Square. There are several sets of Nesting squares but this one has the border.     The inner square piece was embossed with the stripes and a piece cut from the border for the top of the box. 

The balloon  threads were pulled tightly and fastened into a bunch with double sided tape and covered with the box.  Tissue paper was added  and box lid and bow.

Thanks for reading.  Any questions feel free to ask.

    

A Birthday for a special Girl

Items used in this design:

Cuttlebug folder from the  Plum Blossom set

Quickutz : Teddy Bear (see below for technique)

QK Nesting Stars(set of 5)

QK Nesting Scalloped Ovals (set of 3)

QK Banana Split Alphabet

Jones Tones Glitter

The bear was cut out in Quickutz double sided adhesive paper.   I placed all the body parts down with the protective top layer still on the sticky paper.   To shade, lift the parts of the paper from the areas to be the darkest first.   Folding back each part until all areas are ready.  Sprinkle on the dark pink glitter.  Remove the rest of the paper and sprinkle the pale pink glitter.   Tip of the excess glitter as you go. The paws, inner ears and nose are placed and coloured separatedly or alternatively you could just use glue in the same manner.    The letters and number have a light coat of Kindyglitz in Chrystalina.  This product is Aussie made so may not be available readily in other countries but I believe it is similar to Tim Holtz Stickles.

I made this card for a very special girl.   All the parts are made with the Epic Six cutting & embossing machine.   All the Dies used are from Quickutz.   A great place to buy from is Scrapbuggy .   This is a US shop but has international flat rate shipping of $15.     Stay tuned for a review on both the Epic and Scrapbuggy.    

If anyone wants anymore information please feel free to ask.

TIP:  When you've finished all colours, flick back of card several times with the right side facing down over a piece of paper.   This will remove any stubborn loose glitter.   If you have used more than one colour, the excess will be multi coloured.   I have a spare jar that all the excess multi coloured glitter goes into.   This can be used later and looks great on black.