Craft Stamper Canvas

Today I have taken a break from cards and I'm sharing a canvas that I made with some Visible Image stamps that also featured in the October edition of Craft Stamper Magazine.

The inspiration behind this canvas came from the sentiment used, and the thought that if we procrastinate and delay doing things in life for too long, we may miss amazing opportunities. The missed opportunities are represented by the sparkling shards of clockface and glass falling from the clock as it speeds along on it’s flight.

This is a 5 minute video showing how the canvas was made

For a light and airy canvas I used a limited colour palette and left lots of white space.

Texture comes from the dimension paste added through a homemade wing template. Once dried, distress inks created a second wing and were also used to add additional sweeps of light colour.

Several clocks were stamped and coloured in matching colours before being cut into the ‘shards’.

Some shards were glossed and others glittered for variety.

A complete clock image was placed at the top of the wings and the shards were then attached, at varying dimensions, both on top of the clock and falling in a wave downwards.

The sentiment strips were also raised on foam. More inking and shards complete the design along the canvas edges.

Stamps Used:

(please click on the picture to be taken direct to the stamp set in the online store):

  

Other Supplies:

Pre-primed canvas picture, Distress Inks (peacock feathers, shaded lilac),Versamark clear ink, Versafine Onyx Black ink, Distress Marker (shaded lilac), Versamarker watermark pen, scrap card, Paper Artsy Grunge Paste, WOW! embossing powders (opaque bright white and cha cha cha embossing glitter), stardust Stickles, Docrafts Chronology metal clock hands, Papermania X-cut Chronology Cogs, a brad, Ranger Glossy Accents, mod podge, fixative, scrap paper.
Craft knife, spatula, blending brushes, die cut machine, stamping platform, stamping blocks, tweezers.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Artistic Inspirations #209 - Anything Goes
Crafting From The Heart #229 - Anything Goes
Crafting With Friends #75 - Anything Goes
Creative Artiste #44 - Anything Mixed Media
Get Creative Challenge #75 - Anything But  A Card
Love To Create #14 - Anything Mixed Media
Pammies Inky Pinkies #1845 - Anything Goes
Polkadoodles #45 - Anything Goes
QKR Stampede #321 - Anything Goes
The Corrosive Challenge Blog #11 November - Anything Goes

Visible Image social media and other links (just click on the words in capital letters):

SHOP where the fantastic stamps are sold
BLOG with all the latest news and posts
FACEBOOK PAGE with info, inspiration and weekly giveaways
FACEBOOK GROUP come share your work with us and enter the monthly 'show and tell' challenges
INSTAGRAM
PINterest

That's it from me for now. Thanks for stopping by and I really hope to see you again soon.

Hugs,
Sharon xx

Less is More #384 - Metallics

Hi,

It's been a silly old week for me as I've been rushing around like a maniac, so there is only one card from me today.

You may recognise the background for this card because I used it on a card in this post. This colour along with Teal are my favourite colors and when I use those colours, I always make more of a background than I need on a single card so that I can make 2 or 3 different designs with the same piece of inky goodness. Here I've married stitched hillsides with some silver trees. I didn't add a sentiment because I don't think it needs it.

And yes....I did make a gold/orange version too. I love the different look a warm and a cool colour scheme gives to the same design.

So the challenge at Less is More is all about Metallics this time.

and as it is our first November challenge we are welcoming back Happy Little Stampers as our sponsor

https://shop.happylittlestampers.com/

Our fab guest designer is Angie Cimbalo from Cimba Creative Fun and she's made a beautiful card for this challenge. You can see that and the rest of the super inspiration from the design team over at the challenge blog 

These are the items I used on my card:
STAMPS: Visible Image Organics
DIES: Happy Little Stampers Christmas Tree Dies, Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside Borders
INKS: Encore Silver, Distress Stains (Seedless Preserves, Dusty Concorde, Wilted Violet)
OTHER: Distress Stain Spritzer, White acrylic paint, Glimmer Mist marshmallow, water colour card, silver mirror card, white card, 3d foam.


I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Crafting From The Heart #227 - Anything Goes
Crafty Creations #377 - Anything Goes
Crazy for CAS challenge #11 - Favourite Colour
Creative Moments #156 - Anything Goes
Crimbo Crackers #171 - Anything Christmas Related Goes
Retarte #131 - Anything Goes (second entry from me)
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Make Your Own Background
The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge #40 - Anything Christmas Goes
That's Crafty! Challenge November - Winter Wonderland


That's it from me for now. I hope you found something you like and I really hope to see you again soon.

Hugs,
Sharon xx

My Guardian Angel

Hi!  I've gone all sparkly today! Well....it is getting pretty close to the 'Sparkly Season' isn't it?

I couldn't resist making a card full of glitter and sparkle because the theme for this month's 'Show and Tell' in the Visible Image FaceBook Customer Group is 'Sparkle'.  We love you to share the gorgeous things you make with your Visible Image stamps with us in that group, and there is a monthly prize for the winner of the 'Show and Tell'. So, if you haven't requested to join that group yet.....what are you waiting for? Head over and join in with us.

I have 2 versions of this card to show you, one where the angel is black and one where the angel is white. I'd love to know which one you like the best.

This is a 6 second video showing the sparkles:

Here's the details for this card ...

Texture comes from the card stock that I used: Hopsack card for the base and linen for the angel.
Techniques used:

• The double Glitter Technique
• Ink Blending
• Heat Embossing 

Stamps and Stencil Used:

(please click on the picture to be taken direct to the stamp set in the online store):
             

   

A step-by-step for this card

Die cut a circle in a piece of A5 hopsack card and blend distress inks from the lightest around the circle to the darkest at the outside edges.

Let this completely dry then heat emboss the Angel word in white embossing powder.

Stamp the circles from 'You Are Not Alone' in Picket Fence, Broken China and Chipped Sapphire distress inks.

Die cut some double sided adhesive sheet with the same large circle die. Remove one side of the backing and centre the 'Strobes' stencil onto it. Take the blue glitter and pour some onto the stencil and work it into the adhesive with your fingers. Remove the stencil and add the white glitter to the adhesive sheet in the same way.

Die cut a small circle into the centre of the adhesive sheet - small enough to be hidden behind the angel, but large enough to take some foam squares.

Stick the ombre background onto a card blank and then remove the other part of the double sided adhesive sheet and adhere that into the opening.

Heat emboss the angel image onto linen card stock with a sparkly black embossing powder and fussy cut it out. Stick 3d foam pads to the back so that they stick to the card and not the glitter.

Here is an alternative version with the angel in white

Other Supplies Used:

Spellbinders Circle Dies (large), Distress Inks (tumbled glass, broken china, faded jeans, chipped sapphire, picket fence), Versamark clear ink, WOW! embossing powders (opaque bright white, black twinkle embossing glitter), double sided adhesive sheet, white and blue glitters, foam squares.
For the white angel I used WOW! Sparkling Snow embossing glitter. Papermill Direct Hopsack and Linen card.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
A Gem Of A Challenge #230 - Anything Goes
Crafting From The Heart #227 - Anything Goes
Creative Fingers Challenge #154 - Anything Goes
Jo's Scrap Shack FFC258 - Anything Goes
QKR Stampede #320 - Anything Goes
Retart #131 - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Make Your Own Background
Through The Craft Room Door 6 November - Anything Goes (Thank you for selecting my card as the winner of the last challenge)

Visible Image social media and other links (just click on the words in capital letters):

SHOP where the fantastic stamps are sold
BLOG with all the latest news and posts
FACEBOOK PAGE with info, inspiration and giveaways
FACEBOOK GROUP come share your work with us and enter the monthly 'show and tell' challenges
INSTAGRAM
PINterest

Don't forget to let me know which version you like best...the white angel or the black one.

Hugs,
Sharon xx

Make Your Story Incredible

I love crafting! Don't you?

For me, it gives me such a great excuse just to play with colour and any bits and pieces that I can lay my hands on in my craft room. So this week I've been playing with some more fabulous Visible Image stamps,  brushos, stamping on brushos and creating a distressed look with some embossing glitter - and by that I mean that the glittery elements are not solid but more patchy.

These brusho colours make such an interesting background for the brilliant typewriter, don't they? And the loopy border at the top makes it look like the background has been ripped out of a spiral bound notebook too.

It's been a little hard to capture the glittery elements in the photos, but if you click on the photos and look at them when they are larger you should be able to see bits of the glitter embossing.

So how did I make this?

First, wet the water colour card and sprinkle a tiny bit of brushos on. If the brushos don't move enough, use the smallest amount of sprayed water to help them along. Dry with a heat tool.

Stamp the 'cracks' in distress ink and emboss with embossing glitter. The large cracks were stamped with salty ocean then heat embossed  with clear multi sparkle embossing glitter. The small cracks were stamped with antique linen and heat embossed with clear sparkle embossing glitter.










Stamp the typewriter with black ink and heat emboss with clear embossing powder.

Mask each word in the sentiment separately and stamp onto the typewriter paper part with black ink then clear emboss.

Fussy cut the typewriter image.

Stamp the word 'incredible' with salty ocean distress oxide onto a scrap piece of card and heat emboss with clear sparkle embossing glitter.

Punch out a loopy border and attach it to the top of the brusho piece of card.

Cut pieces of blue glitter card to fit as mats for the brusho background and the 'incredible' sentiment, and then back these and the  typewriter with fun foam.

TIP: gut the middle of the glitter card mat for the background so that the foam on the back of that piece can be adhered directly onto the card blank.

Glue the large blue mat and background to the card blank, attach the brusho piece on top (so that the glue/tape runner sticks into the gutted piece and directly onto the card blank.

Attach the typewriter, then the blue mat for the sentiment, and finally the sentiment.

Draw a random dot/dash pattern around the main image panel and the sentiment.

Stamps Used:

(please click on the picture to be taken direct to the stamp set in the online store):
           

   

Other Supplies:

Papermill Direct white hopsack card, brushos (cobalt blue, orange), distress spritzer, distress oxides (salty ocean, antique linen), WOW! embossing glitters (clear sparkle, clear multi sparkle), Versafine onyx black ink, Ranger superfine clear embossing powder, fun foam, blue pen, border punch (an old Martha Stewart one). 


I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
A Gem Of A Challenge #230 - Anything Goes
Crafting From The Heart #226 - Anything Goes
Jo's Scrap Shack #FFC 257 - Anything Goes
Polkadoodles #43 - Anything Goes
QKR Stampede #319 - Anything Goes
Sketch Saturday #537 - Sketch

The Corrosive Challenge #10 - Anything Goes (entry #2 from me)
Through The Craft Room Door 30th October - Anything Goes

Visible Image social media and other links (just click on the words in capital letters):

SHOP where the fantastic stamps are sold
BLOG with all the latest news and posts
FACEBOOK PAGE with info, inspiration and weekly giveaways
FACEBOOK GROUP come share your work with us and enter the monthly 'show and tell' challenges
INSTAGRAM
PINterest

Hugs,
Sharon xx

Less is More #383 - Dimension

Hello! Today I have a real mix of die cut and stamped cards for you. Why?  Because it is time for another Less is More challenge and this time we are looking for dimension

I challenged myself NOT to use an embossing folder or dimensions paste and to just see how dimension could be added with die cuts alone.

We are sponsored by the fantastic Uniko for our October challenges and they have a very generous prize for the winner:

 
 

http://www.uniko.co.uk/shop/

We also have a fab guest designer joining the challenge today it's Claire Garland who was our August Winner and her card is superb. Head on over to the challenge blog to see it and for some fantastic inspiration from the rest of the design team

 I've linked the challenge for each card at the bottom of this post.

1) Purple Winter Skies

I love non-traditional Christmas cards, so I had a play with some Halloween colours and a few dies to create this (and the next) Christmas card.

The dimension comes from layering up the frame and adding the two die cuts at different levels in the frames, so that they create a sort of 3d scene.









I had a play with my distress stains and made a background by pouncing the stains onto wet water colour paper, spritzing whilst drying.

Then I dipped the paper into spots of the same distress stains and dried those before stamping the organics stamps in silver ink.

Next the background was spattered with watered down white acrylic paint.

The final touch on the background was a spritz with glimmer mist for a touch of sparkle.

The moon is simply a die cut circle glued onto the background.

To make the die cuts look 'snowy' I simply cut them out once in white card and once in black card, and then glued them so that the white peeps over the top of the black one.


STAMPS: Visible Image - Organics
DIES: Marianne Design Creatables Horizon Trees, MFT Inside Out Stitched Rectangles, Sizzix Cherry Blossoms, Die'Sire Happy Christmas, Sizzix Circles
INKS: Encore Silver, Distress Stains (Seedless Preserves, Dusty Concorde, Wilted Violet)
OTHER: Distress Stain Spritzer, White Acrylic Paint, Glimmer Mist marshmallow, White Linen Card, black card

2) Christmas Morning Sunrise

So here's a variation on the same theme, and this time I created a Christmas Morning sunrise with snowy houses using the Halloween colours of orange and black. I think this one makes a cheery Christmas card.













The background was made in the same way as the purple card, except for the organics stamps being stamped in gold ink on this one.

Once again, the dimension comes from adding the die cuts at different levels within the frames.

STAMPS: Visible Image - Organics
DIES: Marianne Designs Houses die, MFT Inside Out Stitched Rectangles, Sizzix Cherry Blossoms, Die'Sire Merry Christmas, Sizzix Circles
INKS: Versa Color 91 Gold, Distress Stains ( Ripe Persimmon, Carved Pumpkin, Dried Marigold)
OTHER: Distress Stain Spritzer, White Acrylic Paint, Glimmer Mist marshmallow, White Linen Card, black card 

 

3) Leafy Tag Birthday

It would've been rude of me not to include a card where I used some of the LIM sponsor stamps, and I think I was still in tag mode here.

These tags are actually a label die which has a fancy piece at each end, and I just cut one of the fancy ends off. Then they were ink blended with the 2 blue inks.

The leaves were stamped with the yellow, orange colours and to get a smooth blend on the stamp I used blending foams to add the inks to the stamps.

They were fussy cut and then curled and shaped with a bone folder.








The sentiment was heat embossed on white onto a scrap of co-ordinating blue card. Star shaped brads were attached to the tops of the 'tags' and then they were mounted onto the card black with fun foam. The curled leaves were then added on the top of the tags

STAMPS: Uniko Nature's Treasures II & Pure Florals Cosmos
DIES: Sizzix Ornate Square
INKS: Prism (Artic Mist, Blue Lagoon, Canary Yelloow, Orange Zest, Red Chilli), Versamark Clear
OTHER: Wow! Opaque Bright White embossing powder, star brads, fun foam, white card.

Challenges entered:

1) Purple Winter Skies
ABC Christmas Challenge - U is for upon OR V is for very quick - I actually used both themes (snow upon trees and a very quick die cut card)
Cardz 4 Guyz #206 - Into The Woods
The Merry Christmas Challenge Oct 15 - Nov 14 - Anything Christmas Goes

2) Christmas Morning Sunrise
Watercooler Wednesdays WWC193 - All About Holidays
Crafty Gal's Corner #177 - Halloween Colours
The Holly And Ivy Christmas Challenge #39 - Anything Goes

3) Leafy Tag Birthday
Creative Moments #155 - Anything Goes
Incy Wincy Designs Oct 15 - 3 Nov - Happy Birthday
The Creative Crafters #9 - Anything Goes

LIM BLOG
LIM FACEBOOK PAGE
LIM INSTAGRAM

Thanks for stopping by. I'll be back again on Thursday.

Hugs,
Sharon xx

Lose Yourself

 

Hello there. Today's card is a riot of rainbow colour using those brilliant Hip Hop Girls from Visible Image.

The last time I used these images I heat embossed them with black embossing powder and outlined them with white (which you can see by clicking here), and this time it's the reverse; white embossing powder outlined with black. To be honest, I think they look fab in any colour.

Here's how I made this one.

On a piece of 300gsm water colour paper, paint a rainbow of colours from one corner to the centre, and reverse the colours from the centre towards the opposite corner.  I used a fair bit of water with each colour, then cleaned the brush before moving to the next colour and made sure the colours just touched each other so that they mixed slightly. Then I spritzed the card with water and dried it all with a heat tool.

Next, I took the Two Tone stencil and laid it over different parts of the card, then I used a baby wipe through the circles part of the stencil to lift the colour. The card was left overnight to completely dry.

The girl dancer images were embossed with white embossing powder. You may need to repeat stamp the images if your watercolour paper has a bumpy texture. Outline the images with a black pen. Stamp the two arrows from the set in distress oxides, and then gently blend around the outside of the panel with brown distress ink.   Mat the panel onto black card and then onto a white card blank.

Stamp the sentiments onto scrap white card, fussy cut them and then attach them to the front of the card with 3D foam.

Decorate the inside of the card by stamping the girl images in Antique Linen distress ink, and the sentiment from the Street Dance Boys in black ink.
 

 

Stamps And Stencil Used:

(please click on the picture to be taken direct to the stamp set in the online store):
           

  

Other Supplies:

Gansai Tambi Water Colours (cadmium red #30, orange #33, lemon yellow #40, may green #51, Persian blue #63, purple #139), Paintbrush, Water Spritzer, baby wipes, Versamark clear ink, Wow! opaque bright white embossing powder, micron black fineliner pen (0.05), Distress Oxides (candied apple and blueprint sketch), Distress Inks (gathered twigs, antique linen), Versafine Onyx Black ink, Water Colour Card, black and white card, 3d foam.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
A Gem Of A Challenge #228 - Anything Goes
Crafty Sentiments Designs 23 Oct - Anything Goes
Hiding In My Craft Room #375 - Freestyle
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends #92 - Anything Goes
Pammies Inky Pinkies 1842 - Anything Goes
Retarte #130 - Anything Goes
The Corrosive Challenge October - Anything Goes
Through The Craft Room Door 26 Oct - Anything Goes

Visible Image social media and other links (just click on the words in capital letters):

SHOP where the fantastic stamps are sold
BLOG with all the latest news and posts
FACEBOOK PAGE with info, inspiration and weekly giveaways
FACEBOOK GROUP come share your work with us and enter the monthly 'show and tell' challenges
INSTAGRAM
PINterest

Thanks so much for stopping by today. It was lovely to see you here.

Hugs,
Sharon xx

Dream Big

Hello there. Did you watch the facebook live event by Visible Image on Tuesday in their customer group, where they showed the latest release stamps and stencils along with some DT inspiration and a fab demo by Mark? Wasn't it good! Here's a link in case you missed it: FaceBook Live.

This is one of my cards shown in the video and it is made with the fabulous stamp set called Daydreamer, along with the 1983 and Grateful stencils, all by Visible Image.  Hopefully these close-up photos will clearly show how the sentiment stamps were used in conjunction with the 1983 stencil on the background.

Here's how I made it:
Stamp the image of the girl in memento ink and colour with promarkers. Fussy cut the image and attach it to fun foam. Add glossy accents over the glasses and some glitter over her lips. Set this aside to dry.

On a piece of white card (for the background) ink through the 1983 stencil with squeezed lemonade. Leave the 1983 stencil in place and attach the Grateful stencil over the top and ink through this with scattered straw. Remove the stencils and stamp the sentiments into the white gaps using squeezed lemonade.

TIP: a stamping platform is useful for this because the ink is very light therefore each sentiment needs stamping a couple of times.

Add a co-ordinating mat behind the background and attach both to a white card blank.

TIP: If you do not have the right colour for the mat, simply colour the edge of a white mat with the chisel end of a coordinating promarker (this is what I did).

Stamp the 'what if' sentiment and attach this to 3D foam too.

When the image is dry, attach that and the sentiment to the front of the card. Add some extra 'thought bubbles' with white Nuvo drops.

Simples!

Stamps and Stencils Used:

(please click on the picture to be taken direct to the stamp set or stencil in the online store):
             

     

Other Supplies:

Memento Black Ink, Distress Inks (squeezed lemonade, scattered straw), glossy accents, Nuvo Crystal Drops gloss simply white, glitter glue, 3dfoam, Promarkers (face: blush, baby pink, sunkissed pink, coral, cerise, true blue. Hair: primrose, vanilla, mustard, raw sienna. Clothes: raw sienna, terracotta, chestnut, burnt umber) white card. 

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Addicted to Stamps #167 - Autumn Colours (a second entry from me)
Artistic Inspirations #208 - Anything Goes
Dragonfly Dreams October - Autumn Colours
Lemon Shortbread #78 - Anything Goes
Retarte #130 - Anything Goes
Pammies Inky Pinkies #1841 - Anything Goes
Stamping Sensations October - Shades of Autumn
Stinkin' Inkers October - The eyes have it
Through The Craft Room Door 16 October - Anything Goes

Visible Image social media and other links (just click on the words in capital letters):

SHOP where the fantastic stamps are sold
BLOG with all the latest news and posts
FACEBOOK PAGE with info, inspiration and weekly giveaways
FACEBOOK GROUP come share your work with us and enter the monthly 'show and tell' challenges
INSTAGRAM
PINterest

Thanks for stopping by. I really hope to see you again soon.

Hugs,
Sharon xx