Don't you just love Versatility ? (by Doreen)

  Don't you just love Versatility ?

Hello everyone, for todays blogpost I have included several different makes all from the same wonderful set of stamps along with a couple of other stamps from other sets.

The stamp set is one of the brilliantly designed word strip sets A4 Slim Word Strip 2 the other sets used are Rejoice! and A Tomte Christmas. I have used several different techniques which I am fairly certain you are familiar with they are Distress Inks applied with blending brushes mainly either to use on their own or through stencils or to colour Chocolate Baroque Black and White printed DL card. Versafine Clair Inkpads are also used throughout in Black, Dark Blue, Versamark with White Embossing powder.

If you have any questions on any of the above card do not hesitate to ask.

Thank you for looking in today

Love Doreen

Tree of Knowledge ( by Doreen)

  Tree of Knowledge

Hello everyone, welcome to the second blog of the month for me, which gave me the opportunity to use one of my favourite dies in conjunction with this beautiful stamp set. If you were not already aware I love trees no matter of size shape etc I am just fascinated by all of them !!

   The Tree of Knowledge I feel lends itself to this die not that I can remember where I purchased it from it just lives on a magnetic sheet waiting for me to put it to use.

I have used the largest of the dies for a base and the next size for the image. I stamped the image using Versafine Clair Morning Mist, then coloured the edges with Distress Inkpad Olive applied using a blending brush. The sentiments were also stamped in the Versafine Clair Morning Mist ( I really do like this grey) and then I coloured the image using

 Derwent Chromaflow Pencils.

I made my own stand for the back of the card as I didn't want to mount this on a blank and wanted it as a stand alone card in its own right. I simply scored a piece of card applied it to the back of the card and cut off an angle at the bottom to make it stand with a bit of a tilt.

Below is another sample made on watercolour card using Brushos and stamped in Black.

Thank you for looking in today

Love Doreen

Hint of Autumn ( by Doreen )

Hint of Autumn 

Today I would like to share a simple but very effective card.

 

 The leaves are from the Nature 2 set of stamps, using a Multi Coloured Dye Inkpad of which there are in mine colours of Autumn but I also think it would look lovely in purple, pink and blue..... The stamp used is the largest in the set and I used second generation stamping to fill in the background. The bolder images have had their colour dragged out using a fine paintbrush that was wet but not too wet enough to flood the image. The sentiments and numbers are all stamped using Versafine Clair Acorn.

I mounted the topper onto a card blank which I made myself using Chocolate Baroques Kraft Card it really does make a sturdy Card Blank.

Here are two more samples using the Nature 2 stamp set

Thanks for looking in today

Love Doreen

 

Harebell by Doreen

 Harebell

Hello everyone, today  I would like to share a quick but effective card with you using the Harebell Butterfly stamp set. I had the background left over from a previous make but it just uses the original Distress Inkpads applied and blended with brushes.

This card is quite simple already having a spare background or you may have some printed papers that you would like to use.

I  decided to stamp in a different colour as normally I tend to stick to my old faithfuls Grey, Black or occasionally Blues. With this card I have used Versafine Clair Purple Delight.

Stamp your main image almost centrally and stamping off the edges using other images from the set plus using the silhouette stamp for your foliage at the bottom of your images.

I have coloured the images using Inktense Pencils blending the colour with water.

I simply mounted this onto a blank white card as I really didn't think it needed anything else. If you do not have the Inktense Pencils, Watercolour Pencils or paints will work equally as well if painting my go to paints are the Koh - I - Noor watercolour paints which Lesley tries to bring to the shows as regularly as possible and are worth their weight in gold.

Thank you for looking in

 

Love Doreen 

Butterfly Blue by Doreen

Butterfly Blue

Good Morning everyone, today I would like to share this card with you very simple but to my my mind, pretty card.

This card does not use the hero image from the Briar Rose Butterfly A5 set of stamps but just two of the worker stamps.

I first cut a square of smooth stamping card and marked the centre just for guidance.

Then using the Versafine Clair Paradise stamped the beaded image at four opposite angles on the card. It does not need to be perfect. Do the same again with the Versafine Clair Twilight and then for the centre I inked just the tips with the Versafine Blue Belle and stamped the image just twice opposite one another. Then with add some ink in the centre with a stencil brush.

Using a scrap of card stamp the Butterfly and cut out, then colour with the stencil brush which should have enough ink left on from colouring the centre. Shape the butterfly and just add some glue to the thorax, if you have some glue gel add a little to under the wings and then position onto card. If you don't have the gel some double sided foam tape will work just as well.

The next thing I did was add some seed beads to the Twilight stamped images which believe me take quite a while but is worth the effort, I had these in my stash and they just seemed perfect to finish this image. Then my final thing was to add some glossy accents to the markings on the Butterfly which I did using a cocktail stick as I didn't want to risk squeezing the bottle to hard and ending up with a big blob on my Butterfly.

Thanks for looking in Today 

Love Doreen 

 

F is for Fabulous by Doreen

F is for Fabulous

Well hello everyone and welcome to August a little late I know but better late than never. Today I would like to share a card with you that uses the F is for.... and the Small Graph Paper stamp set.

Firstly using Masking Tissue stamp in Versafine Clair Nocturne and cut out the image, then using the stamp again stamp onto a piece of card ensuring it is larger than necessary so as it can be cut to size later.

I heat set my image simply because of impatience and then cover with the mask, then take the Small Graph Paper stamp the image over the top of the masked area. Cut the card to size leaving a little border around the F is for and Small Graph Paper.  To add some depth to the image I used a graphite pencil. Then apply to the Black Card.

Once card has been mounted I decorated the envelope with a stamp of random dots and the word from the F is for .... set

Thank you for looking in today 

Love Doreen

 

Christmas in Mind by Doreen

  Christmas in Mind

Hello, today I would like to share some simple but effective cards for Christmas (yes I realise it is only July but it is almost August and I find this is when the months until December usually just fly by with me ending up in panic mode realising how little time I have to make cards for Christmas)

These stamps all come from the really useful Christmas Flourish set just using a variety of techniques.

In this first card I chose a background printed paper and I am sure we all have plenty of those in our stash. Then I took 2 blue shades of inkpads stamping alternatively.

So simple to add a subtle amount of colour with a sparkle gel pen, mount and your card is done.

This second card is even simpler if that is at all possible. Again I have used a background paper. Use an anti static pad over the paper and then a Versamark Inkpad stamp the image and sprinkle the whole of  the image with White Embossing Powder, heat emboss. Mount onto card and your card is complete.

This third card has a little more work than the previous cards. Take a piece of watercolour card sprinkle with Brushos I have used Prussian Blue and Orange, not too much a little goes a long way, spritz with water or a clear sparkle if you have one it is for Christmas after all.

Leave to dry naturally for the best results, when it is dry use an antistatic pad over the brushos then stamp with Versamark and sprinkle with embossing powder of choice, I used White as it seems to be my go to powder at the moment for some reason. I stamped little sprigs in black in the corners and mounted on black card for the best contrast to the colours I used.

My fourth and final card for today is simply using Gold Embossing on Black Card which gives a striking contrast, I also used a Gold Posca Pen to give a frame just around the inside edge of this card.

There ends a month of a variety of card using our wonderful Retired Selection of Stamps.

Mine will certainly still get an airing as once they are in your head I think they just pop in when you are trying to think of the perfect stamp for someone.

Thanks for Looking in again Today

Love Doreen

Monochrome Beauties by Doreen

 Monochrome Beauties 

Hello, well here I am with my second post of our retired sets of stamps, I have to say I absolutely love Monochrome Cards.

The only things to remember when making them I find is check your hands for traces of ink regularly. Use a fairly new Inkpad or reink it but not to liberally and let the ink settle into the pad before use.  I find the best inkpad to use is the Versafine Clair Nocturne it is a really nice inkpad to use and does the job well. A good quality smooth card is essential for a perfect finish. Luxury Smooth Card by Chocolate Baroque is my choice of card for this type of card. The only other advice I can give is to practice your ideas on a piece of copy paper until you are happy with your result.

Here are two of my cards using Fly Away With Me in the first card and the second card contains stamps from the Baroque Corners set and The Dawn Chorus set.

Many Thanks for Looking in Today

Love Doreen

Spring Flowers by Doreen

 Spring Flowers

Hello everyone, now here we are into July can you believe how quickly the months are flying by this year ? My Mum always used to say the older you get the faster time goes and I would laugh at her and say it can't possibly go any faster but maybe there was something in what she said after all.

Today I would like to share one of my favourite stamps 

the Snowdrop Script which has been retired and as you are no doubt aware so were many others and all blogs during July are focused on giving some inspiration on your bargain purchases last month.

Such an easy card to make using only a few products ;

Chocolate Baroque Luxury Smooth Card, Versafine Clair Nocturne Inkpad and Derwent Chromaflow Pencils although any medium of choice will be fine.

I chose to stamp and mount the text in the stamp set separately after finishing the colouring which does not need to much fuss.

Such a classic and useful stamp set with many uses open to it, if you managed to get one yourself you will find it is a go to set especially during the spring months.

Thank you for looking in Today

Love Doreen

 

Not Just For Cards by Doreen

  Not Just For Cards

Hello everyone, I would like to share a very useful set of stamps with you today and although I have only used the stamps for cards and quite simply used them too, their potential is endless.

Slim Word Strip 1 is the stamp set I am talking about. They can quite simply be stamped onto printed backgrounds, onto plain card with clear inkpads and apply any colour embossing powder to give a subtle or elegant effect, or perhaps an inked background then stamped with any contrasting colour inkpad. But then of course they could be stamped as a background or even used in a journal page. Cover with relief paste leave to dry until it peels off with ease and use as part of a mixed media piece, honestly the uses are endless.

Well enough of my waffling I will be back next month with more posts for you but until then do take care

Love Doreen

 

Your Card Has Been Marked !! by Doreen

 Your Card Has Been Marked !!

Hello everyone I hope you are all well and welcome to my second blog of June.

Today I would like to share this rather randomly stamped card which was intentional of course.

Using the stamp set Making More Marks which I have to say is very versatile and leaves itself open to interpretation.

I think this card is definitely one for the men in our lives, nothing soppy in this is there ?? even my hubby likes it and he does not like cards and can't see the point in them. (How  rude).

Using Distress Oxide Inkpads colours I used are Crushed Olive, Picked Raspberry, Peacock Feathers and Squeezed Lemonade, using the bubble wrap and herringbone looking stamp I stamped some structure lines then added the squares randomly turning the stamp as you go.

I next used the Versafine Clair Nocturne to add not only straight lines but some string like images along with the exclamation marks  and some randomly stamped words.

Finally a few bits of Zentangle to enhance the shapes that the images of the stringy stamp gives us.

Here is another couple of cards using this set and the background of the final one also uses the Blank from the Slim Word Strip 1 

Thanks for looking in today

Love Doreen 

 

Delicate Dragonfly by Doreen

 Delicate Dragonfly

Hello everyone and welcome to my first post of June.

Today I would like to share this sample from our May shows using the Fragile Wings stamp set. A fabulous A5 stamps set which is just amazing.

Using a piece of card which I had previously mopped up inks from my work station for use at a later date, I often do this as you just never know when it will come in useful.

I stamped using a Versafine Clair Nocturne Inkpad, covered this with Clear Embossing Powder then stamped up a piece of Heat Resistant Acetate and embossed this as well. I only  wanted to use the wings from the acetate image so there is no need to stamp the whole image dust with a sparkle clear embossing powder but be quick Stazon dries very quickly.

I used a Black Marker to go around the edge of the topper and then mounted onto a blue piece of card from my stash.

Here are three other cards using this beautiful Dragonfly image and a glass bottle which I made just for a change.

Thanks for looking in today, until the next time, keep well 

Love Doreen