A Just for Fun Card

This card was just for fun really, and also to experiment with different textures and paints and inks. Also using the watering can, flower and sunshine. The background I used a gradient in paint shop pro called morning glory, just printed it out to the size I wanted. Using pens and markers painted in the little tufts of grass and flowers. The sun is stamped and coloured using glass paints, it gave a nice effect. The fairy is also painted using glass paints as well as the flower, the middle of the flower is slightly raised using 3-D clear gloss by Anita's. I used a golden pearlised card for the watercan and then stippled with my gold pen. This card is very colourful and different from my usual range, but I really enjoyed making it and got some great ideas for using textures.

Let there be sunshine and flowers for many hours..lol.

Holly

Father's Day in the Garden

Father's Day is not far off, so I got down to some serious inspiration. I found a nice tutorial on the Create and Craft website using WS designs templates and stamps. I liked the idea of the card but wanted to design my own style using my own style watering can. This was the end result, I have listed templates that you can download and use for your own use if you choose. This design can also be used for thinking of you, just for you, whatever takes your fancy.

Using A4 white card folded, I layered with a pastel coloured background, this I printed out using a free paper, but you can use any you prefer. For the flower, I printed this from a image from a colouring book, I have added the template of the flower for you. I coloured the flower using Whispers marker pens and sakura stardust pens. For the centre I used Anita's 3-D embossing clear gloss finish. This adds depth to the flower and makes it stand out a little. The watercan I created a nice design from a picture. To get the embossed leaf effect, you need to make a template, cut out the leaves, then place the card over the template and use the embossing tool, I found this works best using pearlised card as you can see. The handle and spout and top are coloured using my gold pilot pen, then the second coat I stippled which gives it a hammered look. I printed out the flower pots from a image I found and made the sign and printed out. The pots I used white card, then using whispers marker pens I coloured in using a orange colour that resembled terracotta. Using the same colour I then went around the edge to hide any trace of the white card, then using the black I outlined the detail. For the soil effect I used the brown marker and drew what is supposed to look like soil...lol. For the 3rd pot I used a peel off garden set2 product code (XL553U) and using the spade, I coloured using the Whispers markers permanents, then attached to the card and coloured using the same green colour. Cut out and making a slight slit in the soil pushed the spade through, then attached at the back with double sides sticky tape. Using the same effect I attached the seeds sign. You can change the style and look as much as you like and everytime you get good results. I hope you enjoy this tutorial and design as much as I have making it.

Watercan template

Flowerpots template

Flower template

Seed Sign

Happy Crafting all

Holly

Sunshine

Inspired by one of my favourite songs is how this card came about. I also used some of the songs lyrics. The ribbon reminded me of summer deckchair material. The flowers are sequins with AB beads on wire. Background papers were from a old collection. The sun face I stamped in black ink and used Sakura stardust pens to colour.

This card is rather dark in the photograph but much brighter in person. Need to get a new daylight bulb just when you need it it blows...lol.

Alexander O'Neal 'Sunshine'

Happy lazy Summer days ahead...

Holly

Feeling Oriental

As the title says I was feeling in the mood to create a oriental style card. So I just had a play about with a picture I had from the internet and it went from there. The Kimono was made from a small template I had using a background paper from the Old World mat stack. and found some nice ruby ribbon. The beads are a pretty japanese bead that I had from way back when I used to make jewellery. The picture was just printed out from my pc and I made the frame from left over backing paper from the Kimono. The tiny sequin flowers were made by threading onto craft wire with AB seed beads. The backing paper on the actual card was from my own design created on my pc.
I do enjoy creating Oriental designs this card began when I was unable to sleep due to chest infection, It helped me get through the night...lol.
Happy Crafting

Holly

Summer Themes

On a similar theme to the last card I posted, here is another with the use of chippies by Woodware. This time I tried to keep the theme in cool mint colours.

Using green mint backing paper, and layering with embossed white then silver mirror and embossed white. To give the stamped effect I used a small PM clear stamp and stamped in green ink. The medallion I used sakura stardust pens using the yellow and the green. For the centre I added a small floral gem also in green..lol. Usin polka dot ribbon and tiny gem hearts. The Chippie shape I coloured using Whispers markers then added a honey bee stamp in a darker shade of green. The end product is shown here.

The chippies are available in many designs and you can buy them from various outlets, I got these from Artymiss, the medallion stamps are available from Stamps uk

My next theme will be Sunshine....

Holly

Summer

A bright and cheeful card that resembles Summer time. This card is for a competition in the Artykards group. Using silver mirror card then embossing it with Fiskars texture plates and layering with a summer green background paper.

I added some lace and tied this at the centre using a brad, then covered with the medallion stamp. to finish I added a cream ribbon and some odds and bobs from my craft tin. Simple and easy to make but they look like alot of work went into them.

Happy Crafting all.

Holly

Vintage

Thinking on the lines of vintage, I decided to make a card that resembled a old pub sign. I came across this stamp at Artymiss, thought it was ideal for a man card.

For this card I got down to designing a background using my graphics programme, and using brushes made a musical theme. Its not shown well on the card. I then used black pearlised card for the backing. I stamped onto cream card the cheers sign. To make the sign look old and slightly worn, I added some double sided tape to the edges, then peeled it off at a angle so that I got a patterned edge. Using vintage fawn ink pad I rubbed some ink into the torn edge, this gave the darker colour. Then using vintage chalks I then brushed over with a brown, then red and finally light fawn colours. To finish I added 2 brass coloured brads as to look like old nails. I thought the card would be suitable for fathers day, I have not added any text to it.

I decided to add a little picture of my own background that I used for layering this card. Using Paint Shop Pro. Starting off with a colour that matched the theme colours I flooded a 3x3 inch square, then changing to the brush I used a range of different brushes that I had made by using black and white images. I kept layering and layering the different brushes until I ended up with the sample that is shown here. I have added more of my backgrounds to my slideshow.

This was just a play about project to start with but I think its turned out pretty good.

Holly

Whispers pens and brads

Whispers pens are great when using to change the colour of your brads. I used Whispers permanents to do these with, and some colours give a translucent effect. I also made a colour chart so that I know for future reference of what colours look like on the brads. There is not much difference when you use either plain gold or plain silver. You can also cover coloured brads too, but these tend to go darker in colour. I just brushed over these one shown here, but you can add another layer, you may want to varnish them first for if you add more colour before completely dry they do tend to become fluid again.

So now I can add any colour range to the styles of my cards and match any brad with the colours of my fibres.

You can also add glitter and if you add small blobs of clear glue you can then add another colour to the glue so you get a designer effect. The choice is endless.

Hope you enjoy trying this one out, I have added a link to the Whispers pens range just click on Whispers on this page.

Happy crafting all

Holly

Opalite Backgrounds

For this background I used Opalite inks, Crystal Blush and Glacier blue, I also used gold Ink it up.

Using black card stock, I stamped a butterfly background around the card using the glacier blue, then using my laura ashley clear stamps I used the bird in flight stamp in crystal blush, finally using a tiny bird with a ring stamp in gold ink.

This background looks very pretty when you actually see it, sometimes photographs do work no justice. I am now going to use this background for oriental atc's, I felt the design went well the the oriental theme.

It's great experimenting with your stamps and making your own backgrounds. Trouble is I spent more time playing than I did producing...haha.

Happy Crafting

Holly

Making Backgrounds

Today I thought I would work on making some backgrounds for a couple of oriental cards. So I got out my stamps and inks and paints. The first attempt was done on plain card, I used green ink and smoothed out with baby wipe. Did not come out to the best I wanted but it did have a nice effect in the end. I then stamped in black using my new Laura Ashley stamps, I then added clear embossing powder and heated with the gun. I then used another of my LA stamps this time the bird one, and using gold ink I stamped some birds scattered here and there. The end product you can see if the picture, after I had taken this I then trimmed the edges and used shaped scissors to give the edge a nice effect. I am going to use this background with butterflys that I stamped on acetate and then coloured in with Sakura stardust pens. These make a nice effect on acetate.

The next background I decided to make on photo paper,

I love working with photo paper, the inks really blend in

and you can add water to them. For this background I used to start with lilac ink, this I pressed on with a baby wipe, it gave it a speckled effect, next I used another of my LA stamps this time a sort of butterfly and leaf stamp, using it to look like a washed out fabric effect. To complete I got a bit adventurous and decided to use my small clear butterfly stamp, as it was cheep I thought no problems if I mess it up. So I covered the stamp using my gold pilot pen, then quickly pressed onto the paper in various areas. I must admit it does give a nice gold effect to the paper, but cleaning the stamp was difficult. So if you use this idea make sure you do not use your best stamps...lol.

So I have got some nice backgrounds to play with now, I may cover one of them with acetate and add a little tag or oriental lady. I will post the cards on this blog when completed.

Till then happy crafting everyone.

Holly