When is a balloon not a balloon???

Good Evening.
And it's Friday which means 2 days off for me!
It promises to be a good weekend with going over to help Maria move into her new premises along with other very willing volunteers.

Anyway I thought I would blog another of the samples I did for the last Clarity weekend shows and do the other one I did using the balloon stamp set.

I wanted something completely different so...

I started off by stamping and embossing in bronze the large balloon. The smaller balloon was embossed in silver.

 

I then cut them all out and the small balloon was cut into a circle.

 

 

I then cut a piece of cream card to 18 x 18 cm found a sentiment and heat embossed it in bronze in one corner.

 

 

 

I cut a piece of bronze coloured card 10 19x19 cm and added this to the 20x20cm card blank

 

 

Once this was on I layered the card with the sentiment on it and then arranged the balloons in the opposite corner to the sentiment using silicon adhesive

 

And here is the finished card.

 

 

So the balloon becomes a flower!

 

Have a nice weekend

 

Happy Crafting

 

My beautiful Balloon

Well I can't believe its been nearly a week since the Clarity Shows! This week has flown by!

Getting back into th eswing of work has been a struggle this week ....I think as its been so dark and wet and cold I have just wanted to stay in bed especially as thats where Colin has been when I have been leaving my house. Him being retired hasn't really impacted on me going out to work until now!

I also think I had such a relaxing Christmas Holiday that I in someway relaxed a bit too much if thats possible!!

But the week has really gone fast and so much has been done at work that it feels like we've never been off!!

 

Anyway here is one of my samples from last Sundays Clarity Show on Create and Craft.

 

I started off by stamping the big balloon into place then with out masking it I created the background starting with the forest. I used the trees mask for this and started with the pale trees at the back and as I worked to the front I used darker and darker green ink. I used a mixture of the stencil brushes and make up sponges to do this. I then tore a piece of paper to create a hill and with out adding ink to my make up sponge I added the hills.

To add perspective I then added the small balloon. I inked the stamp and grey adirondack and then spritzed it lightly with water to make it stamp with a dimpled effect. I then overstamped it in second generation grey to make it have a full shape......Thank goodness for Clarity stamps!!!
I added a moon mask and brushed a blue sky and used a make up sponge around the moon mask to make it pop! I then removed the mask and took the whiteness off the moon by brushing over without adding any more ink. Its quite amazing how much ink this brushes hold!

Now to do the big Balloon in the fusible fibres.I used 3 colours of fibres...pink blue and yellow but its amazing how many colours this makes. I make 2 so I had a choice of them and they were both done the same but they both look different! I cut out th ebasket and the balloon and stuck them over the stamped balloon. Heres a close up.
You can see the different colours here but also you can see the effect of the smaller balloon.



The next part was to mount the topper onto some dark green card and mount it to one side of an 8 x 8 card blank. I then used dark green adirondack ink and the letterbox and numbers kit and shapes to add the sentiment.

I did practice first to see it it would fit!


I thought this was a good sentiment to use for this set of stamps!

I have to say it really is a beautiful balloon stamp and the pattern on it is lovely.

Well thats all for today folks.

I am off out with Colin so I will see you all later.

Please leave a comment if you pop by to look.

Happy Crafting and weekend!

 

love and hugs

Happy New Year!

Well I can't believe we are at the end of another year!
And What a year it's been for me!...craft wise anyway!
Firstly I was asked to be a part of the Challenge blog team and then in June I was asked to be on the Main Clarity Stamp DT....it still feels like a dream and it is one of the best things that has happened to me! I feel blessed to be a part of it all and I have made so many new and wonderful friends through it! Long may it continue!

And so into 2014 we go and this means we have a new Challenge for you over at the Clarity Challenge Blog....it had to be 'New Beginnings'. There were many really lovely entries for the 'scene building' challenge so I am sure that you will come up with loads of amazing ideas for this one. I know the team have done!

I had to ponder long and hard for a different idea for this one! I had thought of New Year and new home and resolutions but otheres were quicker off the mark than me and my ideas were gradually being used. Then in a spark I had it....I saw a friend celebrating the fact she had got her divorce through and that she was ready to make a new start!!! That was it!!!

Here is my card

I started off by taking a piece of A5 clarity card and cutting it into a square by cutting off a 6cm strip from one end. I then stamped Douglas and Annabel into place next to one another but being mindful that I wanted eventually to split them apart. I then masked them off....get the clarity masks if you haven't already got them... they are so much easier than having to cut out although both of these are not too bad to do!

Next I made some clouds using cotton wool and versamark and brayered over with cloudy blue for the sky. I then polished off the versamark ink to reveal the clouds. It also meant I could then stamp the branches on in the top corners. I used the two halves of the split tree for this.
I added hills using willow as an undercoat with Lettuce over the top. I then stamped the larch tree and the little trees and added shadow around the feet and uder the trees. I removed the masks and coloured the two characters in using promarkers.
I then took a micron pen and drew the jagged line right down between them! It felt really strange making a lovely picture and then cutting it in half but that is what I did. I had made my line quite thick and cut up the middle of it so I hav a black edge on both pieces of card.
I then stamped the words  onto a piece of theuva card using the letterbox kit and my favourite shapes. I stamped the shapes in Espresso and the letters in Lettuce. I then used the block shape to colour them in before I cut them out!
I took an 8 x 8 card blank and using the large wall stencil I brushed it in willow first then in places I added a touch of terra cotta then without adding any more ink I brushed over the whole area.
I arranged the picture on the card blank and added the words with sticky pads and finished the card off with some sweet lilac flowers.

I hope that you like the card and that you will take time to look at the rest of the teams inspiration over at their blogs before you have a go at making a project to enter the challenge. Remember there is a prize of £50 clarity vouchers to be won...it could be you!

Happy Crafting

A very Merry Christmas to you all

Well Christmas Eve and all is ready here...well it will be when Amy arrives. We are going out with Amy and her young man, Matthew tonight to the pub and I am really looking forward to a lively evening!

I thought I would blog the three remaining cards from the last clarity show at the beginning of December.
The first used the cicle aperture and the chrysanthemum stamps.

I managed to bend the sentiment so it fit round the shape of the circle too.
I was glad I had spent a bit of time cutting out the masks for the chrsanths and leaves for the other card and that I kept them!!!

The circle aperture is lovely and with the insert makes it a bit different


The next card I did used the stencil of the flowers which I ran though the grand calibur onto a piece of pearlescent card. Then whilst the stencil was still in place I brushed over the surface with different coolours of distress inks to give it that floral feel.
I then removed the stencil and wanted a piece of card to mount this onto. The card out of the packet of the stencil was there....perfect! and I didn't even need to cut it!

I stamped the Congratulations in Cobalt blue archival and added a gem in each corner to finish it off.

For my final card I cheated a bit and decided to repeat a card I had made before for the Clarity Challenge Blog. It was the one I did using Kasha.

I did update it a bit and used the corner stamp instead of peel offs and used the arch aperture stencil to stamp her into. I also used the clarity wall stencil which I didn't have to my disposal when I last made this card. I also added a sentiment.
I was pleased with how it had turned out and think that it is better second time around!


Anyway I must away as I have my girlie about to arrive.

Have a great Christmas and I will look forward to you leaving me a comment if you get to visit me over the Christmas period.

Happy Christmas Crafting.

Big Orange Flowers!

When I was very young I can remember my grandma always having big orange flowers in the glass vase on the kitchen table and there were always 5! I know now they were chrysanthemums but to me as a child, they were just big and orange. To this day they make me smile as they hold such happy memories of my Grandma and Grandad, who I spent a lot of time with as a child playing in their back garden or on the rug in front of the fire.

So when I got these stamps a little smile lit up my face and I knew I had to do big orange flowers!

The Background is done with the matching stencil. I used the leaves from the Leaf set 1 but I had to mask the flowers which took a bit of cutting out. I also stamped and embossed the congratulation sentiment. I bent it into shape to fit round the flowers and it worked pretty well. I di the topper on a luggage tag and then mounted this onto brown card the onto the backing card before I put it on the 8 x 8 card blank. I finished with a bit of green ribbon and a sparkle gem and a couple of Sweet lilac flowers.

I hope you like this card.

Please leave me a comment if you visit today!

Happy Crafting

Hello Flower

Good morning.
I have been a bit quiet because I have had this awful flu that seems to be doing the rounds but today a feel a little better so I thought I would blog one of my cards from the December clarity shows.

This one used the Chrysanthemum stencil and what a fabulous stencil it is.
And this technique is one used by Eileen Godwin and so well explained to me by my friend Amanda Branston so thanks to them both!

I got a piece of watercolour paper and cut it to the same size as the stencil. I then ran the paper and the stencil through my grand calibur so that it was embossed. I then brayered over with versamark and applied clear embossing powder which I then heated. I then used distress ink which I applied to the card with a wet paintbrush and this is the effect.

I added a pale blue wash in the corner and then trimmed the paper back to the size of the flower.

I then took an 8x8 card blank and using pink and yellow distress inks 1st and 2nd generation I stamped all over the edges of the card with the large and small chrysanthemum stamps to create a background. I mounted the topper onto a piece of pink pearlescent card and then onto the stamped card.

I added some dewdrops to the corners and that was the card made.
I think it looked quite cheery and I was pleased at how it turned out. What do you think?

Have a good day

Happy Crafting

 

Down by the Canal

Well here we are again the start of the month and another new challenge from the Clarity Challenge blog!

Last month we saw some beautiful cards again and it is getting harder and harder each month to pick out the best as they are all so good!

This month it is all about scene building and there are some really fabulous cards from the design team to inspire you! Its well worth a look at their blogs to see how they did them!

So to my card for this challenge. I started off sitting and not having a clue what to do!
Then I looked through the Clarity Catalogue. I often find if I am stuck for ideas if I look through there I suddenly start to get a plan in my head. However it also reminds me of stamps I still need to get!!

Anyhow I'd formulated a plan and then got all the necessary bits and pieces together!

Here is the card I made.

I started off by making the kingfisher out of angelina fibres. I used a mixture of white, pink, blue and green. I cut it out and put it to one side for later.

I drew out a rough plan and used the stamps to give me an idea where I wanted things positioning!

I then got a piece of Theuva card and stamped the windmil and the barge then the branch. I masked the windmill and barge so I could colour them later.

I then masked off the section for the river and using a brayer I created the river. I then used paper masks to create the land and the clouds mask to do the sky. I did put a sun mask so I could get the sun.

I then used the trees and the birds to make the picture more dimensional. The bottom of the trunks make the fence (along with a brown fineliner pen) and the sides of the trees make the grasses along the canal bank and the tuffs of grass in the fields. I used the edge of a post it to do the sun rays! I then removed the masks of the barge and the windmill and coloured these with promarkers.

I then stuck the kingfisher to sit on the branch and the card was matted and layered on to brown and then sand coloured card then onto an A4 card blank which I had used a stencil on to give a soft green background.

I love how the angelina fibres always give you different results and the colours can be so different.

And there is my scene!
I hope you like it!

Now over to you. Lets see some great scenes form all of you happy clarity stampers out there!

Happy Crafting