The world is full of beauty.....Fantasy and flowers at Cards in Envy.......

Good morning!

I was really pleased how this artwork photographed! Just how it looks here in front of me at home - bright and beautiful!

I produced this piece for my entry in to one of my absolute favourite challenges - Cards in Envy and their current challenge "Fantasy and Flowers".  

Lets talk you through exactly how I got there.....

I started with a new favourite card stock Bockingford hot pressed card.  The background was first and that was produced with Pebeo Deco Creme paints starting with the lovely pink at the top and blending down with the lavender and then the mine grey.  I then painted on the moon simply with some gesso. I knew that the background had to be kept quite plain due to the drama that I wanted to stamp on to it!

All the stamps used here are from Lavinia Stamps (Queen of fantasy stamping in my view) and the flowers are from Visible Image.

The fairy was first to be stamped on there in order for me to see where the rest of the artwork was going.  I have used versafine black onyx to give me that crisp black image.

I then stamped the lovely trees and some of the flowers directly on to that background but also stamped some of them on to a separate piece of card stock, cut around them and coloured them with alcohol pens.  I added the little inquisitive mice and some dragonflies to add to the feel of everything.

Having coloured in the flowers on the background I then stuck the brightly coloured ones over the top to give depth to where she is walking.

I finally stamped the sentiment (again, Lavinia Stamps) and mat and layered.

How nice to be walking through the flowers with what seems to be, not a care in the world....

I would like to enter this in to the Cards in Envy challenge "Fantasy and Flowers" :-
http://cardsinenvy.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/fantasy-flowers-card-challenge.html

Thanks for stopping by,

Leanne xx

Sweets For My Sweet......

Good morning!

Right, well, I've been having a play with some Darkroom Door stamps for a challenge over at Cards in Envy that I wanted to join in with "Wouldn't that be sweet" - well is this bright enough for you!!!!?

Personally I can't stand Liquorice Allsorts but boy, does this look jolly!

I have done a step by step so you'll be able to see how I got there so lets take our usual journey :-

OK, I started with my blank piece of card and stamped the Allsorts image twice in two different directions. I also stamps some sweeties (also from the same Darkroom Door stamp set).  I also clear embossed the sentiment "Sweets For My Sweet" twice (but you'll notice that I wasn't happy with it twice so I changed that towards the end!). You can see that I have also covered all the images with masking fluid at this stage.

Lots of colour going on now! - and it went all over me and no, I wasn't wearing an apron!

So, I used Aquatints for the background and went straight over the masked off images.  Once happy, I rubbed away all the masking fluid and using the same aquatints, I coloured in the Allsorts and used some Decoart metallic paints to colour in the sweeties. The sweeties were then embossed using either gold or silver embossing powder to give them some depth.  The clear embossed sentiments resisted the Aquatints and popped through.  

I have restamped Staz On ink and the sweetie stamp straight over the top of the sweets - this was experimental to see if I could make them look like they were in cello wrappers and it worked a treat!

Now it was coming together -  I then had to make the Liquorice Allsorts pop off the page so they were coloured in with a black alcohol pen.  I stamped the word "yum" on there too! The sweeties had some glossy accents added to make them shine like a true sweetie wrapper!

I edged around the two Liquorice Allsorts panels with a black pen and I wasn't happy with the two embossed sentiments so I restamped it in black embossing powder on to a piece of card that had been painted with two of the Aquatint colours and die cut it and attached.

Mat and layered and I was done! 

It's a very flat image from the work that I usually produce but that's the name of the game with this stamp - the challenge asked for something sweet so we got sweets!!!!

Hope you've enjoyed this bright and colourful journey - I didn't find this the easiest set of stamps to work with but the final result couldn't be more jolly!!!! (even if I don't like liquorice!!!!).....

I would like to enter this in to Cards in Envy "Wouldn't that be "sweet" card challenge":-

http://cardsinenvy.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/wouldnt-that-be-sweet-card-challenge.html

Thanks for stopping by,

Leanne xx

With Love & Thanks.......

Good morning!

Here's something a bit sweet don't you think? Zinouk du jardin by Carabelle-Studio.

I took a couple of photo's so I'll talk you through it, lets take our journey....

Right, I started with a piece of Sheena stamping card and painted a couple of colours of aquatints on to an acrylic block, mixed the colours up a bit and then laid the stamping card on to the block - aquatints cover so well.  I had a couple of runs but that's fine, I like those! and left it to dry (doesn't take long at all).

I then sprinkled some water from my finger tips, let it soak for a moment and mopped up some of the paint.

Then I stamped all the images from this stamp set and coloured them with alcohol pens and the flowers with sparkle pens too.

I then stamped some bubbles (from old pot lids) and highlighted with a white pen and a charcoal pencil then finished with glossy accents so that they looked like real bubbles.

Added Zinouk and a couple of sentiments "Dream" and "With Love & Thanks" - both Inkylicious - the "& Thanks" are Sentimentally Yours by Phil Martin.

Matted and layered in lovely bright yellow and orange - very happy with that! Nice and sweet and jolly!

Also check out some really lovely new stamps that Crafty Individuals have launched here - well worth a look:-

http://craftyindividualsblog.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/new-stuff-plus-giveaway.html

I would like to enter this in to the Cards in Envy challenge "Thank you":-

http://cardsinenvy.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/thank-you-card-challenge.html

Thanks for stopping by,

Leanne x

A Strong Woman believes.......Season's Greetings

Good morning!

Well, I thoroughly enjoyed making this card!  It wasn't the fastest card I've ever made but I was really "deep in to it" every step of the way - have you ever been there?!!!

Somehow, I did remember to stop every now and then and take photo's along the way so lets take our usual journey shall we?

Ok, started with my usual piece of Sheena stamping card and stamped the main image - time traveller steampunk woman by Sheena Douglass.  I then stamped the propeller from Sheenas' voyage of discovery stamp set - these were all stamped with Archival watering can ink.  I then masked off the woman and the propellers with masking fluid and started to fill the open space with holly and ivy stamps by Clarity Stamp.  The drawing gum was then rubbed away.

I laid some lace over the top and sprayed through with some Cosmic Shimmer spray mist.

I then set to colouring in the holly and ivy and woman with Spectrum Noir colouring pencils and I finished the pine cones and berries with alcohol pens.

It was coming together!!

I painted in some diluted spectrum aqua pen ink around the woman to "pop" her out.

I then decided to stamp the sentiment from this same stamp set "A Strong Woman believes she can do anything and she does" at the bottom and stamped "Seasons Greetings" out and die cut round it and attached it to one of the lovely bunches of holly. Sponged distress ink around both sentiments and attached.

Mat and layered.

What a card to give to a strong woman - or just someone special that you feel deserves to know that you think that they are strong and inspirational - you know, I know exactly who I am going to give this card to this Christmas.....

Hope you've enjoyed the journey today and that you like what you see, let me know with a kind comment, I love to read your views on my work - it makes it all worthwhile!,

I would like to enter Moving Along With The Times challenge of "Anything Goes.....with Christmas":-
http://movingalongwiththetimes.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/34-anything-goes-with-christmas.html

Thanks for stopping by,

Leanne xx

Secrets are hidden.............

Good Morning! Thought I'd have a go with my Lavinia Stamps this week.  I just love the mystical feel that they have. I've produced this card with the theme of autumn colours for the Lavinia Stamp challenge this month.  Can you tell where the secrets are hidden??????

The first step I took was to stamp the largest toadstools and seed pod and mask them with drawing gum.  Then I used the wax paper technique to give the whole piece of card some texture and resist.

I then brought in my autumnal colours with distress inks and momento inks - sponging them all over. Then I coloured the seed pod and toadstools with alcohol pens.

I finished off by stamping my little animal friends and the fairy and her dandelion heads and added some glitter to the toadstools and around the seed pod and dandelion heads.

Where do you think the secrets are hidden???? Well, my guess is that they are going up with the dandelion seeds as she thinks of them........

I would like to enter this in to the Lavinia Stamp challenge - Autumn Hues.

http://laviniastamps.com/lavinia-stamps-monthly-creative-challenge/

and Fantasy Stampers challenge - Sunshine Colours.
http://fantasystampers.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/challenge-70-sunshine-colours.html

Hope you like this one,

Thanks for stopping by,

Leanne xx

Be your own kind of Beautiful!

Morning! Well I don't mind telling you a little secret.......(this was a bit of a challenge for me!!!! - out of comfort zone here!!!).

As you'll have noticed from my blog, I'm quite a serious crafter, serious subjects and serious colours but monster and or aliens set me a challenge from Moving Along With The Times - I quite enjoyed it actually once I got it straight in my head where I was going with it!

Started with my usual blank white piece of card stock and laid down some distress inks.  Knew that I wanted my aliens to hold the sentiment so inked up a tag in the same colours and stamped the sentiment "Be your own kind of Beautiful!"

Then got out some stencils and using the same colours that I used for the base I inked through those. Used some white acrylic paint to go through a further stencil and an old lid to make some circles. Stamped my alien and monster and the eyes (Dylusions stamps) and gave the eyes a cord to dangle on with a fine liner.  Coloured in with alcohol pens. Note the hand of the monster and tongue of the alien are on here but not stuck down yet (I needed to stamp the hand and tongue twice and colour in twice as I wanted the hand and tongue to be glued on top of the tag).

There, matted the tag on black card to make it pop from the page and stuck the monsters hand and aliens tongue over the top of the tag.

The idea behind this card was to do a card and keep the colours so that it would be suitable for both a child or an adult alike.

Out of my comfort zone here but thoroughly enjoyed the challenge!

I would like to enter this card in to the Moving Along With The Times "Monsters and/or Aliens" challenge.

Thanks for stopping by,

Leanne xx

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