The future is in your hands

Hello and welcome

I am very much enjoying a well deserved week off work so where did I end up? You've got it, the craft room. It has been a while since getting in here and getting mucky and it has been great fun I have to say. I decided on this fab stamp set by Visible Image for my first make. How true is that saying...The future really is in your hands.

Here's what I used...

Rather than list it all I have saved time by taking a photo of items used for this make. The only thing I missed was the Ranger Texture Paste in Opaque Matte, Clear Embossing Powder, and a the stencil used for the texture around the edge. I have no idea on the make or name as its in a folder with no packaging. Any stencil of your choice will do :-)

Here's what I did...

I began with a piece of white card stock and just swiped the first three ink pads down the card and then blended over the entire card with the Antique Linen. 

Take the first hand stamp and ink up with the Versafine Ink pad. I used a stamp platform to allow two or three impressions. Quickly sprinkle over the clear embossing powder and heat until melted. Repeat this with the second hand. 

Take the wording from the same stamp set and stamp this with the black Versafine Ink in between the two hands. Take the word discover from the second stamp set and stamp this using the Archival ink pad in Magenta Hue.

Take the stencil and texture paste and apply randomly around the edge of the card. I like to heat set this as it bubbles up slightly to give a slightly bubbled finish. Once this is dry, take a blending foam and the Abandoned Coral and blend around the edge of the card to darken the edge. 

Take the Treasure Gold in Brass and apply gently with a finger tip over the texture paste and around the edge of the card to give a soft gold shimmer. Take a green brush pen, or any colour you prefer to give the eye some colour.

Mount the card onto black card and then a piece of coordinating card and then onto your white card base. Remember to leave plenty of extra at the top to cut the corner to make the tag shape. Punch a hole and die cut the reinforcements. I had no matching ribbon so used a white ribbon that I coloured with the inks used on the card for the perfect match. I must admit I tend to do this most of the time as it saves on money buying many different colours that don't often match. 

I hope you like it and as always, thank's for dropping by.

Will be back again real soon with another make. No stopping me while I am enjoying time off work.

Take care

Bev. xxx

How fragile we are

Hello and welcome

I hope you are all well. I decided to have a good tidy up in the craft room which very quickly led to a quick make while in there. It is almost valentines day so with that in mind, this was the result.

Here's what I used:

MDF Upright... Note Pad.

Visible Image Stamp Set... How Fragile.

Distress Inks... Black Soot, Weathered Wood, Aged Mahogany, Fired Brick and Tattered Rose.

Archival Ink... Jet Black.

Posca Pen... Red and Silver.

Heart Die.

Gesso... Black and White.

I began by coating the MDF upright with white gesso. I used two coats. I decided where I wanted the main image to go and then cut a piece of acetate roughly to give me the outline. I used the inner piece as a mask to allow me to blend over the aged mahogany and fired brick. Once happy with the colour, take the the black soot and gently blend out from the acetate to give a darker shadow. Then take the outer piece of acetate to cover the pink and blend over the weathered wood . I used the black soot once again to darken the inner edge. Lightly brush over the center with tattered rose to give a soft pink area where the hearts are to go. The outline was not quite dark enough so I used a black colouring pencil to add more depth. I mixed some black gesso with water, and using a fan shaped brush, flicked some black over the lighter area. Before this dries, take a paper towel and wipe down the upright to smudge the dots. Colour the upright base with the aged mahogany and fired brick to match the upright.

Take the visible image stamp and ink up with the archival ink. Stamp down onto the MDF. I used a stamp platform to enable me to repeat stamp to get a good strong image. Using the shattered glass stamp from the same set, stamp randomly over the whole piece. Using the red posca pen, colour the centre pieces in red and the outer pieces in silver. Now take the wording and stamp this as the bottom of the center piece. Cut out two hearts from a piece of red card. Glue the first heart flat onto the upright and then use dimensional glue for the second heart to raise it up slightly.

A very easy and quick make when time is lacking. All good fun. Hope to be back soon.

Much love

Bev xxx

Christmas Baubles

Hello and welcome

Well here we are at the end of another year. Where has it gone? Time seems to go so fast I can't keep up with it, and as for time, well there never seems to be any with life being so busy. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I thoroughly enjoyed mine and it was all over way too quick before being back at work.

So before we slip into 2019 I thought I would share this very large tag which I made for the Hochanda Christmas TV shows last year whilst on the design team for That's Crafty. It ended up being entered into the Mixed Up Media mag which was a very proud moment for me, and therefore I was unable to share it. It wasn't until I was having a little tidy up on my phone that I found it. There is a short explanation of how I made it, and products used on the third photo down which was taken from the magazine. 

Well I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a fabulous New Year. I hope you all get what you wish for. For me it will be more time to craft as I am missing it terribly. We all need time to do the things we love as without it life becomes very boring and quite draining. 

Take care of yourselves and happy 2019 to you all.

Much love

Bev. xxx

Black ice... Honor the Seasons and Bloom and Grow

Hello and welcome

I can't believe we are in October already and it's whizzing by so quickly too. Quite scary. This really is my favorite time of year and on a long drive out yesterday as passenger instead of driver, I was able to take in the beauty of all the amazing colours as the leaves on the trees are turning. Stunning. I really to need to make something with those colours. For now though it's all about the cracked ice technique.

I managed to grab a little time earlier in the week and have been wanting to re visit this technique. I managed to find one piece of silver foil and made these two cards along side each other. So quick and easy but I must admit I'm not as in love with the look as I was when I first stumbled on the technique.

All that's needed are stamps of your choice, black archival ink, versamark and embossing powder.

Here's what I used...

Stamp Set... Leaves. Both sets are very old and I believe they are by Creative Expressions but any you have will do.

Stamp set... Bloom and Grow by Visible Image.

Archival Ink Pad... Black.

Versamark Ink Pad.

Embossing Powder.

Heat Gun.

Black Card.

Here's what I did...

Cut the silver foil to the size you would like. Take the black ink pad and holding it lightly, drag it down the silver foil. repeat all the way across the card.  Turn the card top to bottom and repeat. To darken the edge just gently drag the ink pad down a few times and do the same at the bottom.

Take the verse from the leaves set and stamp it into the middle of the foil. Take two or three of the leaves and using the same ink, stamp randomly over the foil. My ink pad is drying out so the solid images were not easy to do. I did use my stamp press which helped as I was able to repeat stamp. Set aside to dry. I did the second card exactly the same but using the Bloom and Grow set.

Once the ink is thoroughly dry, take the versamark pad and very gently and without pressure, drag in down the card in the same way as the black ink, making sure you try and keep it even across the foil. Apply the embossing powder and heat set. This gives the look of ice. Quite effective and the photos really don't do it justice.

I mounted onto black card and then onto white. I then mounted once again onto black before mounting onto the card base.

I hope you like them. I think you either love this look or hate it but if you've never tried it have a go, it's all good fun :-)

All for now.

Bev. xx

Sing your own song

Hello and welcome

Back here again. Grabbing any spare moment I can to create something at the moment. This is a very quick and easy one and way smaller than my usual makes. It seems to be all about words and feelings at the moment. I think of or choose wording and find something to put with it. 

I have taken a pic of the items used to create this card once again to save time :-)

Here's what I did...

I began by blending over the spun sugar over the whole card and then darken the edges with the victorian velvet. Take the dinky stencil by That's Crafty and a baby wipe and take off some of the ink in a couple of places. Blast with a heat tool to ensure dry before placing the stencil back over and blending through randomly with victorian velvet until happy with the look.

Take the Visible Image stamp and ink up with Archival Rose Madder and stamp onto the card. Take the microphone from the Sheena stamp set and ink up with Versafine Blck Onyx and stamp onto the card. Take the verse from the same stamp set and stamp with the same black ink. No stamp for the other wording so I used my P-Touch to type out the wording. I stuck the wording to white card and trimmed. Glue into place on the card and draw round the edge with the black Posca pen.

Mount this onto black card and then onto a piece of matching pink card stock and then onto a card base.

How easy was that. So no matter what people think... Sing your own song.

Thank you for dropping by and enjoy the rest of your week.

All for now.

Bev. xx

Focus

Hello and welcome on this lovely sunny Sunday.

I hope you are all well and enjoying the weekend. I had a little spare time yesterday and really wanted to visit a past technique which I have been thinking about all week but found I had run out of the main item needed to make what I had planned. I even tried a substitute material which was going quire well until I had to heat it. Sadly it all went wrong so made this very quick tag instead. It's all about the words for me lately and had these words in my head so this is this is the result.

To save time listing, I have taken a photo of products used to make this tag.

Here's what I did...

I began with a piece of card and blended the Tea dye and Bundled Sage over the tag until happy with the depth and blend. I took the Harlequine stencil and using a baby wipe, dabbed through the stencil randomly to remove some of the colour. I did the same again dabbing through with the Tea dye. Working out roughly where the camera was to sit, take the PaperArtsy stencil and applly Tea dye and Weathered Wood at the bottom of the tag. I took one of the elements from the Seth Apter stamp set and the Victorian Velvet ink pad and stamped part of it all the way around the edge. Then blend around the edges with Vintage Photo to darken.

Stamp the camera onto a spare piece of card using Baked Brown Sugar ink and sprinkle over the embossing powder and heat. Once cooled take the Antique Linen and blend over the whole camera. Cut out carefully. Glue the camera in place on the tag and set aside.

I did't have a stamp for my chosen wording and I didn't want to use an alphabet stamp so typed wording into the P-Touch and printed. I didn't want to stick this directly to the tag so applied to spare card and cut out. Glue in place on the tag and draw in some stitching using a black micron pen.

I found a little flower in my stash so glued this to the lens of the camera. To give the look of shadow in front of the camera I used the dots pen. I have to admit this is one of my favourite tools and use it all the time. Fantastic for shading and shadows :-)

Mount on to brown card and then I chose some card to pick up the colour of the rose. Mount on to tag base. Punch a hole for the ribbon.

No matching ribbon in my stash so used a piece of off white ribbon and applied Tea die and a little Vintage Photo to a craft sheet and spritzed with water. Dragged the ribbon through and dried. Thread a piece through the hole and then make a bow.

So make sure you focus on what you want and maybe you will get it. I hope you like it and as always, thank you for dropping in. 

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday and have a fabulous week ahead.

All for now.

Much love, Bev. xxx

People in Life

Hello and welcome

I have made another quick and easy card. I didn't actually know where I was going with this. Had an evening to myself last night and had this verse that I really love and just stamped it to the side on a piece of card and went from there. This was the result. I wasn't that keen at first and it very nearly went in the bin but I thought no, keep going and see what happens.

Here's what I used...

Inkylicious stamp... Some People in Life.

Deep Red stamp... Alice Standing.

Inkylicious stamp... Moon complete with stencil and mask.

Carabelle Studio stamp... Rabbit from Alice and Wonderland I think. Had ages and bought as is.

Leonie Pujol stamp set... Feathery Flourish.

The Crafters Workshop stencil... Mini Microbial.

Versafine Ink... Onyx Black and Smokey Grey.

Ranger Archival Ink Pad... Shadow Grey.

Ranger Distress Inks... Squeezed Lemonade, Broken China and Weathered Wood.

Posca Pen...Gold.

Signo Pen... White.

Here's what I did...

I began by stamping the verse on the right of the card with black ink. Then stamp Alice to the left and the moon between the two. Stamp Alice onto masking paper and carefully cover the stamped image. Now use the mask for the moon and carefully cover that. Using the distress inks in squeezed Lemonade and Broken China, blend gently using brushes to get a soft even colour blend, leaving it very light over the wording. Once happy with the colour take the stencil, place over Alice. Take theWeathered Wood distress ink and blend across the stencil to give some interest.

Remove the masks from Alice and the moon. Place the negative of the moon stencil over the moon so that you can easily position the moon stamp. Stamp the moon using the Shadow Grey. Now take the rabbit and stamp him onto the moon using the Smokey Grey ink pad. Brush over very sofly with the weatheredd wood.

Colour Alice using any medium you have. I used Whisper water colour pens. I felt I wanted a border for this card so took one of the elements from Leonie's stamp set and stamped around the edge of the card with black ink. Take the small flower from the same set and stamp one in each corner of the card. 

I found a clock in my stash so decided to hang this from the moon. Glue into place and then draw a gold chain using the gold Posca pen. Add some white highlights to Alice using the Signo pen.

Mount onto a piece of complimentary blue card stock and then onto some lemon card. Mount onto the blue again before mounting onto the card base.

A very easy card to make and shows this awesome verse off well. I am sure we all have someone in our life that fits with this verse and I hope we can all be one of those people. Life is way too serious sometimes.

Hope you like it. Thank you for dropping in and have a fabulous weekend.

All for now. 

Much love, Bev. xx