Graffiti Happy Birthday.......

Good morning! Off on a different tangent this time! Graffiti!!!!

This was loads of fun!!!  Started with a piece of craft card and embossed it with a brick wall effect embossing folder.  Darkened the edges with walnut Distress Ink then started to play!

The rubber graffiti stamps are from Woodware so stamped those randomly and coloured in with alcohol pens for a nice solid colour.  Stamped the spray can from a set from Bee Crafty and glittered it up to be a bit different! Cut it out and with some 3D tape attached it to the card.  Added some spray paints to make a mess and added some chunky embossing powders around the edge.  This was a more simple card but turned out exactly how I had it in my mind and I was very happy with it.

Well, that was week one for my blog - hope I've done ok?  I've enjoyed it!!!  I will now be posting a couple of times a week I hope (due to the running of several businesses and two teenage children - and I don't suppose I'm alone but some days I just can't get to that craft desk, no matter how hard I try - I run out of hours / stamina!!!!!

I hope I've given you a sneak peek in to my world of stamping and inks and paints (we've still lots to explore) - stay with me,  hence - "a brush with a stamper"..........

Thanks for stopping by,
Leanne x

Make A Wish......

Good morning!

This is another creation done for another of my daughters school friends recently.

Ok, this started as a plain white piece of card and probably looks more complicated than it actually was!  I firstly stamped some spots on the card with perfect medium and clear embossed them so that they would resist any ink and always be there. Then I gave it a very pale blue colouring of Distress Ink all over.  Then stamped the main image -I think this is an absolutely stunning stamp!) - "La femme aux oiseaux" from Carabelle Studio.  Then wanting to lift her face slightly and having used Distress Inks, I lightly painted some water on to her face and patted the ink back off with a paper towel - perfect, brought her right out of the page!

Some further stamping of dandelion clocks of various kinds and a stamped sentiment of "Make A Wish" followed by a darker blue Distress Ink border.

Just to finish it off I sprinkled on some Stampendous frantage embossing powder straight over the top (just laid in on, not stuck on with anything at all) and heated from underneath so that I didn't blow it off of the page!

Came together really well, was happy with that and so was she!

Thanks for stopping by,
Leanne x

Happy Birthday Poppy.....

Good morning!

This creation was made for the birthday of one of my daughters school friends.  My orders were for it to be bright and to include the birthday girls name "Poppy"!

So, with this in mind I set out by stamping out the letter boxes from Clarity Stamp and completing with the stamped letters inside - all from the Clarity Stamp letter box range.

I then covered each box with the stick on masks from Clarity.

Knowing the boxes were nice and covered I set to with my Inkylicious ink duster brushes and brushed on some inks (I think I've used a combination of Adirondak here and Momento inks).

Then stamped (again straight over the top of the masked off letter boxes) in onyx black Versafine some of Sheena Douglass's rubber stamps and in two of the corners.  Then to jazz things up a bit I stamped over the round circle images again using the same stamps but this time dipped in Pebeo gede mixtion relief glue - when just dry I then laid over the gede foils in different colours to give me a raised shiny foiling effect.

Removed the masks from the letter boxes and lightly dusted over them with matching colours so that part of the boxes still remained lighter than the background.

Hand drawn barbed wire around the edge and a few blue pearls on there as well left a job well done!!

Bright and included Poppy's name - happy with that!!! (and so was she yesterday when it was given to her!).

Thanks for stopping by,
Leanne x

May Flowers.....

Good morning!

Well, this one was a little different for me.  This was a project that I did for The Ken Oliver blog (Kensworldinprogress) for the "May Flowers" challenge.  You had to use the Ken Oliver Color Burst range.  I must admit I did find it fun playing and seeing what I could achieve with these products.

First of all I started to draw the bleeding heart flowers with a very light pencil and then I masked over them with drawing gum.  I then went to town on laying down some colour for the background by simply mixing the color burst with water and painting as with a water colour paint.  I splashed all over the masking fluid (as you can when you mask off your original drawing/rubber stamp design etc) and then rubbed away the masking fluid to reveal nice clean white flowers.  I then mixed some of the color burst to make the vibrant pinks and painted the flowers in.  With a few sprinkles of color burst around the design and some spritzing and a "beautiful" sentiment I was done!  An example of what can be achieved using Ken Oliver Color Burst range.

I backed with lilac felt this time to show off the colours.

This was entered in to the Ken Oliver (Kensworldinprogress) May challenge and although I didn't win, my entry did feature on his blog for Monday June 6th 2016 when they showed just a few of the entries so I was absolutely chuffed (considering who's blog it is and that its an American blog!!).

Pretty and quite jolly I thought.

Thanks for stopping by,
Leanne x

Be Your Own Kind Of Beautiful...

Good Morning!  It's the WEEKEND!!!!!!

Here is a card that I have made for the Fashionable Stamping Challenge for June "Beautiful Blooms".

This is a stunning stamp by Sheena Douglass.  I firstly stamped the rose with Distress Inks and then masked the image over with drawing gum.  I then used Aquatints to paint the background straight over the image and the masking fluid.  When dry I placed a stencil over the card and spritzed with water and lifted the stencil immediately.  When it dries you see the lovely image of your stencil come through in a lovely diluted form.  I then rubbed off the masking fluid and with an almost dry paint brush (just damp) I moved the distress ink around on the flower and the leaves and painted in the stem.

Some matching Distress Ink around the edge to give some depth and a stamped sentiment.

A stunning flower and I think the colours here really make the rose "pop" off of the page.

I would like to enter this in to the Fashionable Stamping Challenge for June "Beautiful Blooms".

Happy with that! Hope you like it too.

Leanne xx

A Great Day For A White Wedding

Good morning!!

I was inspired to make this card for the Cards In Envy June Challenge "A Great Day for a White Wedding/Anniversary".

With quite strict rules and to be no thicker than 1/4" to fit inside an Envy envelope it really meant that the card had to be without "bulk" - no flowers, ribbons, layers would be difficult!  Layers were to be kept to an absolute minimum so I went for it on a single layer of white card!

So, a piece of card turned in to this!  First of all I stamped a Creative Expressions beautiful dress (Viennese set of 2 single stamps) with perfect medium and embossed it with Creative Expressions Frosty Mink embossing powder (a lovely ivory colour) and masked it off with drawing gum.  Next I stamped the birds - I thought they resembled doves) around the image of the dress and embossed them in white embossing powder.  I then set on rubbing Creative Expressions pearl lustre gilding polish all over the card with my fingers (nice and messy!!!! - looks wonderful on your finger nails!!!!).  This gave me a wonderful sort of ivory lustre shine that I was looking for and of course the white embossing resisted the gilding polish.  

Then rubbed away the masking fluid over the dress and covered the dress in Glossy Accents and left to dry.

There is some white stencil work in two corners and then Imagination Crafts starlights Platinum around the edge with some white colour box and some silver embossing powder applied with a broken sponge to soften the edges of what is at least, a single piece of card!

Sentiment of Today and Forever silver embossed on there to suit either wedding or anniversary.

There, very flat, very elegant, I achieved what I wanted - class! - happy with that!

I would like to enter this in to the Cards In Envy June Challenge of "It's a Great Day for a White Wedding(or Anniversary) card.

Bye for now,
Leanne xx

Some People Feel The Rain.....

Second post of the day! "Some People Feel The Rain, Others Just Get Wet".

I was inspired on this design by Dot Leathbridge and her very clever use of rain drops with glossy accents, check out her blog inkartdesigns.com - she's a clever lady! These rain drops have been cut out and glued on once the glossy accents was dry to give it some more dimension.  The perfect card for the weather in London at the moment on the Referendum Day don't you think!!!!!!  I felt that this card would fit nicely in to the Seven Hills Crafts  sketch challenge for this month.

Distress Ink background  with stamped image of Big Ben and stamped water runs and droplets that have been covered in glossy accents.

Popped a suitable sentiment on there and voila!

Finished with Vintage Flowers from Altenew also with "rain" on them.

A "wet" card for a very "wet day"!!

Quite appropriate I think! Happy with that!

                                         Seen here a bit clearer with the rain on the flowers.

A nice card for both male or female I thought?

I would like to enter this card in to the Seven Hills Crafts June Sketch Challenge.

Thanks for popping in,
Leanne x

"Feature a Creature"

Hi there!  I've had some fun with this one!!! Using one of Sheena Douglass's Fields of Gold stamp set.  I've firstly stamped the scarecrow image and then painted over him with drawing gum (to mask the stamped image underneath).  I them used distress ink for the sky with some "splodges" of white on a smoothie for the clouds.  Hills were added using torn paper and distress ink. I then rubbed off the drawing gum to reveal a nice clean white scarecrow which I have coloured in using distress inks with water and a paint brush.  Stamped foliage at the bottom in different colours and some trees at the back of the hills (simply masking off the hills with the torn paper again as I went).  It's a die cut fence again from Sheena douglass thats stuck on the very front to look like a nice authentic field fence with some dimension and some stamped flowers to give that country feel to it!  The creatures on this card are the crows (not sure if the scarecrow is scaring them off or making friends with them!!!!!!??????)

Hope you like it, rather made me smile!

I'd like to enter this card in the Stamping Sensations Challenge for June 2016
"Feature a Creature".

My first blog entry "Happy Birthday Boys"

Well, this is my first entry for my new blog.  A birthday card made for my two Golden Retrievers - it was their second birthday on 14th June!  Did they open their own card, sure they did!  I opened the envelope and they pulled it out!!!!!

I had fun with this one because I already had the perfect stencil - one of Sheena Douglass's stencils.  I have used Distress Inks for the background rubbed with a smoothie and stamped some foliage around the front for balance.  A simple hill from a piece of ripped paper and a moon added with white colour box ink and given depth with a charcoal pencil when dry.

I love my beautiful boys (sometimes more than my children!!!!!!!) Hope you like this one. Nice to play when it's not intended for a human at all so there was no judgement when it was given!

"Happy Birthday Boys!" Lots of love Mumma xx