PaperArtsy Blog Post: Topic 10 - Bottles

Hi everyone,

It's my turn again on the PaperArtsy blog tonight ... the current topic is Bottles and I made a photo holder with just a Tonic Water bottle, some paint, a bit of card and some Stickles...

Head on over here for all the details...

Enjoy!

A Lighter Shade Of Pale

Hi everyone,

Here's a card using an idea that I've been wanting to try for a while. I keep seeing ombre effects pop up on my Pinterest board in everything from crafting and fashion to home decor, and with the PaperArtsy Fresco Finish paints coming in family's of four ... they are perfect to achieve this shaded look. Painting inside stamped lines can be a bit tricky (especially if you're using opaque paints) ... so out came my trusty gold embossing powder too.

Instructions

1.  I cut two pieces of white Smoothy card - one was 6"x8" and folded in half to make my card blank, the other was 3.5"x5.5".

2.  I stamped the scallop border from my PaperArtsy stamp set EEG07 five times onto the card mat using a Versamark ink pad, and then heat embossed them with gold embossing powder.

3.  I stamped "Best Wishes" from the PaperArtsy stamp set ECL01 along the top scallop using a Jet Black Archival ink pad.   This stamp comes with the words on two lines - but I like to cut these up so I can use them either way.

4. Using Mermaid, Bora Bora, Beach Hut, South Pacific and Inky Pool PaperArtsy Fresco Finish paints, I painted in each of the scalloped borders with a fine paintbrush. (Inky Pool is in a different colour family to the others - but it works really well as it has a turquoise tone).

5.  Once the paint was dry, I added little white dots to each scallop with an Extra Fine White Sharpie pen, and then went round the edge of the mat with Brass Treasure Gold on my finger.

6. Once mounted on the card with thin 3D foam pads, I felt that it needed something more.   So I cut a small square of white card and heat embossed gold embossing powder all over it (that way it co-ordinates beautifully with the other embossed bits).   Once cool, I punched out a small flower from the card and outlined it with a black pen.   Once I'd stuck it on, it just needed some turquoise coloured Liquid Pearls in the centre.

Enjoy! 

Using Up Leftovers - Part 2

Hi everyone,

Back again ... this time with some mini cards using more of the background sheet I created for the PaperArtsy blog post here.

I love these mini cards.   They're just 3.5" square and the perfect small size.

I once again cut up 0.25" strips and punched 1.5" circles.   Inked all the edges before decorating the cards.   This time I used the greetings from Clare Lloyd's stamp set ECL01.   Adding some simple doodles with a black fineline pen and a Sharpie Extra Fine white pen really makes them pop.

 I added a strip of white card and a stamped dotty border to this card (from EEG04)

Again, a strip of white card makes all the elements "pop" a bit more against the kraft 

And a few more...

That dotty border again.   And the greeting stamped onto white card.

 On this card I stamped the scalloped border (from EEG07) first, and doodled the dots.

Enjoy!

Using Up Leftovers - Part 1

Hi everyone,

Do you remember my recent PaperArtsy blog post (3 May) where I created a background and cut some of it up to make a pocket scrapbooking layout?   Well, if you do, then you'll remember I told you that I had plenty of the background sheet left (and if not, then you can find it here)!   Anyway, this is what I used a bit more of it to create...

I've wanted to use this fabulous quote from one of the Sara Naumann stamp sets for ages.   And it just seemed to work perfectly on this card.

Instructions

1. From white card create a card blank (mine was 5.5"x11") and a mat 4"x4".  Cut a 0.25"x4.5" strip of the background paper and punch three 1.5" circles.  Cut the circles in half.  Ink all the edges of the mat, the three half circles and the strip, with black ink.

2. Doodle a stitched line around the edge of the mat with a black fineliner pen.   Glue the background strip and half circles in place on the mat, and then stamp your saying (from ESN12 stamp set) in the middle.   Stick the mat onto your card black with thin 3D foam pads.  To finish, glue a small wooden star in place.

And there's still more of the background sheet to use ... so check back in a few days for more ideas...

Enjoy!

Happy Stampers Festival

Hi everyone,

Last weekend, imagine that... (ie. me and Mum!) had a stand at the Happy Stampers Festival.  This is a specialist stamping show that's on twice a year in Port Sunlight (near Liverpool).  It's a fabulous show that has 30+ stands, all filled with lots of lovely stuff.

We went to showcase our own exclusive range of clear stamp sets, but we were also lucky to be able to take some of PaperArtsy's smaller stamp ranges (namely Ink & The Dog, Squiggly Ink, Urban Snapshots and Cats Meow).

The drive there took a while (5 hours!) thanks to lots of roadworks, lorries and us getting lost (my mother is brilliant at lots of things ... but not map reading. lol).  We arrived just in time to grab a quick bite to eat, before the hall opened at 2pm for setting up. And that is when I discovered I'd left all our art boards at home.  Doh!  Oh well, these things happen.

The show takes place in a beautiful building - Hulme Hall.  I took the photo below on Saturday ... unfortunately it was tipping down with rain when we unloaded the car and van on Friday ... definitely not photo weather!  Or unloading weather for that matter!

One we'd finished setting up it was time to check into our rooms at the pub next door, dry ourselves off, and then meet up with Mark, Leandra and Ella for a well deserved drink and some dinner.

Here's the stand just before the doors opened at 10.30am (would have looked even better with the art boards!!)

The whole day was really busy, and it was lovely to meet so many new customers.

I grabbed a chance to have a quick walk around, and see what PaperArtsy were up too.   Here's Mark and Ella ...

And Leandra and Sue Carrington demoing.   

Before we knew it, it was 4pm and the show was closing. Time to pack up, and start the drive home. Luckily the sun was out for us for loading the car and van, and the drive back was a dream.

The next Happy Stampers Festival is on Saturday 3 October.  It is a ticket only event, so if you want to go, make sure you get your tickets early!  It's a fab day out if you love stamping.

Oriental Flower Card

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to share a card I've made using one of the rather gorgeous JOFY stamps from PaperArtsy.   Not sure if this flower is oriental or not ... but I think it looks like it.

Instructions

1. Cut a piece of white card 3.5"x5.5" and have another spare piece a similar size.  I started by stamping my greeting (from the imagine that... Write Big stamp set) first (as it was quite large and I wanted to make sure it would definitely fit). I used Jet Black Archival Ink as it is waterproof.  Stamp the large flower image (from the JOFY32 stamp set) on both of the pieces of card (the sized piece will be for the front of your card, and the spare piece for the cut out flowers).   Outline the piece that is going on the front of your card with double lines using a black fineliner pen.

 

2.   Paint the flowers on the spare piece of card using Prawn Fresco Finish paint (from the Limited Edition JOFY 3 set) and then shade the centres with London Bus Fresco Finish paint.  When dry, cut out the flowers and the large bud at the top.

 

3. Colour the buds and stalks on the card front piece using the same paints as in Step 2, plus Hey Pesto Fresco Finish paint.  All these paints are translucent, so they won''t obscure the lines of your stamped images. You don't need to paint the flowers and bud that you painted on the spare piece.

4. Make a card blank from black card (8"x6" - folded in half to make a 4"x6" card). Cut a mat measuring 3.75"x5.75" from gold card. Stick the gold card and card front to the card blank.   

5. Shape your flower petals around a pencil so that they curve slightly. Glue them onto your card.  Add some accents using a gold paint pen.

Enjoy!

Bundles of Joy

Hi everyone,

Well recently we've had a new addition to our extended family ... I have a new second cousin called Chloe ... and so naturally I needed to make a congraulations card. There is also another gorgeous baby due in the next few months (a boy this time), and so I decided to get both cards done together (which is why one has a pink background, and the other a blue).

They were pretty quick and easy to do, once I had the idea.

Instructions

1.  I cut two pieces of Simple Stories "Vintage Bliss" Live Simply patterned paper each 3" x 3.5".  I inked the edges of the patterned paper with Smokey Grey Versafine Ink, before matting them onto co-ordinating cardstock (sorry - I just used scraps so I don't know the names of the ones I used).

2. I then stamped a stem (a stamp from Hobbycraft that's been sitting in my stash for a while) with Versamark ink onto the patterned paper, and heat embossed it using WOW Bright White embossing powder.   I stamped the greeting at the bottom of the patterned paper with Smokey Grey Versafine Ink (the greeting is from a Papertrey Ink set that you can find here).  Before sticking the mats onto the card blanks, I edged them with White Fire Treasure Gold.

3. To decorate the card I die cut two flowers from Lemonade Bazzill (using some Papertrey Ink dies).  I edged these with White Fire Treasure Gold, and stuck these onto the card with thin 3D foam pads.  I added punched flowers out of vellum and leftover scrap card to the centre of the yellow flowers. 

4.  The final touches were three more punched mini flowers, some gems and a wooden heart (that had White Fire Treasure Gold brushed over the top).  And then some White Opal Liquid Pearls in the centre of all the flowers.

This photos shows you the punches and stamp that I used...

And here's the beautiful Chloe...

Enjoy!

PaperArtsy Blog Post: Topic 8 - Sprays

Hi everyone,

I'm the Guest Designer on the PaperArtsy Blog tonight.   If you make your way over there you'll find out how to make a fabulous background using sprays in three different ways ... 

...which I then cut up to make this pocket scrapbooking layout.

There was lots of the background left over ... so keep your eyes peeled on my blog for some other ideas on how to use them.   

I also started a new journaling page by blotting the sprayed stencils in my journal, and adding the leftover scraps from punching the circles in there too.   Not sure where this will be going ... but when it does, I will of course show you.

Enjoy!