Broken Puzzle

Hello.

I think this card is a little bit like me at the moment ;-) I seem to be completely disorganised these past few weeks .... just like there's a little bit of me that is missing which has disappeared down a vortex!

I suppose that happens to us all towards the end of the year, eh? It's a good job that most of us have some time off over the festive season to recharge our batteries, isn't it?

Anyway, this was such a fun card to make and the stamp set used is from the latest release by Visible Image. It is perfect for sending a supportive message to someone that is having a hard time.

Here's how I made it.

First, blend some distress oxide ink through the Time Tunnel stencil onto a blue panel.

Stamp the outline person image onto some white card and use Zig clean colour real brushes to give it an ombre colour. Take the jigsaw puzzle piece and repeat stamp it over the person image to make it look like a puzzle. The jigsaw puzzle stamp is not meant to interlock completely, but it works pretty well if you just rotate it 90 degrees each time you stamp.

Stamp 4 more puzzle pieces and add one word from the sentiment into each piece, then fussy cut them out.

Stamp another blank puzzle piece and cut that out. Cut out a couple of the puzzle pieces from the main image. TIP:If any of the puzzle pieces that you stamped didn't match up very well, use those bits to be the cut out ones.

On the inside of the card blank, blend very lightly through the time tunnel stencil again and stamp the other sentiment inside.

Mount the blue panel onto some black card and then onto the card blank. Attach the main image at a jaunty angle with fun foam. Add the missing pieces of the person direct onto the blue panel. Then for the sentiment, raise 2 of the puzzle pieces up on fun foam and attach the other 2 pieces direct to the blue panel.

Stamps Used:

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

Other Supplies:

Distress Oxide (broken China), Versamark (onyx black), Zig Clean Colour Real Brushes (034 dull blue, 036 light blue, 80 violet, 803 english lavender), white card, light blue card, black card, 3d Foam, blending brush

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 #409 - Pick A Triangle

Hi there. It's the last challenge of the year for Less is More and that means it is the final opportunity to be in with a chance of the fantastic prize from the sponsor; Catherine Pooler Designs. So head over to the blog to enter and while you are there, catch the amazing samples from the DT and the guest designer Tinstar Designs.

Cue Card

Sponsor https://shop.catherinepooler.com/

It is a recipe challenge this time. The idea is to pick only one of the triangles in these designs and make a card with your images/patterns/die-cuts only in that one triangle. You can, of course, rotate the rectangle one.

I have 2 cards for you today so let's take a look at them

1) Festive Wedding

Anyone who loves the festive time of year would love to get married in that season, and I thought this wedding cake stamp from Stamps By Chloe could be stamped in gold and have the lily flowers changed to red to fit in with the colour scheme of the festive time.

Simply stamp the design onto the card base and heat emboss in gold powder. Add a little shading to one side of the cake tiers with a pencil crayon. stamp the floral side of the cake again in red ink and heat emboss with clear powder. Fussy cut the larger flowers and layer onto the card with 3d foam pads. Job done!

STAMPS: Stamps By Chloe (wedding cake stamp collection)
INKS: Versamark clear, Distress Oxide candied apple
OTHER: WOW! Embossing powders (metallic gold rich, clear gloss), White card, pink pencil crayon, 3d foam pads.

2) Intuition

This was the first card that I made but I was disappointed with myself for not sealing the inking with micro glaze, so the Nuvo drops look a bit discoloured and wet on the edges. However, I do like the design so I thought I'd share it anyway.

Here's how I made it:

Mask off a triangle on your card blank and blend an ombre of ink with distress inks.

Stamp the branch in the same inks, plus add in a coordinating ink, multiple times into the inked part.

Remove the masking and MY TIP.....don't do what I did and just carry on....make sure you seal the inking with some micro glaze.

Draw a deckle edge to the outside of the inked triangle with a glittery black pen. Then add some white Nuvo drops and let those dry

and finish with a white embossed sentiment on black card raised up along the middle of the card.

STAMPS: Visible Image (night owl)
INKS: Distress Oxide Ink (spun sugar, picked raspberrry, seeless preserves, wilted violet), Versamark clear
OTHER: White card, masking tape, scrap paper, black sparkle gelli roll pen, white gloss Nuvo drops, WOW! opaque bright white embossing powder, 3d foam

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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

Stay Strong

Hello there. Today's card may be super-simple but it means an awful lot to me because it helped me to overcome some overwhelm. This is one of those sentiments that works for so many occasions too, like a card to boost someone's spirits, perhaps to help someone recuperating, or even as a sympathy card.  I will be sending a similar card to a friend who is overcoming some medical problems at the moment. That's the thing about Visible Image sentiment stamps - they are awesome and you can always find the right sentiment for every occasion.

Sometimes simplicity is really hard to do, but personally I think it is very powerful. This card is simplicity itself. Simple blend an ombre background with distress oxide, fading out so that there is still some white left at the bottom of the card.

Let the ink completely dry then heat emboss the sentiment with a platinum embossing powder.

Repeat stamp the top of the Deep In The Forest stamp all around the edge to frame the panel, using the same platinum embossing powder.

Add some white highlights to the sentiment with an opaque pen. Mount the panel onto foam, and then onto a card blank. Add some clear gems in two sizes dotted around the edges. 

I was incredibly tempted to add some more stamping in the background, but I am glad I didn't because I think it would have detracted from the awesome sentiment. For me, the simple ombre inking provides the perfect backdrop.

Stamps Used:

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

Other Supplies:

White Linen card stock, Distress Oxide Inks (tumbled glass, broken china, faded jeans), blending brush, Versamark clear ink, WOW! Metallic Platinum embossing powder, Posca opaque white pen, clear gems, 3dfoam.

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 #408 - That's Torn It!

My goodness, this year has flown by! Here we are at the penultimate challenge for 2019 at Less is More. Yes, just one more challenge after this one. We have a fantastic new sponsor for or last challenges of this year too. And our theme is such an easy one to incorporate into your designs.

Cue Card

Sponsor https://shop.catherinepooler.com/

Head on over to the challenge blog for some fantastic inspiration from the design team

I have 2 cards for you today.

1) Healing Takes Time

Talk about lucky! The perfect stamp for this challenge (which was set ages ago) arrived in the end of October release by Visible Image Stamps! I was really taken with the crack/tear/rip (whatever you wish to call it) that is held together with safety pins stamp, so I had to use that one for this challenge. I think the image suits the sentiment perfectly.

After stamping and heat embossing that stamp onto some kraft card, I coloured the safety pins with a gold pen, then I just tore the opposite edges of the card panel so that it met at the end of that stamp. To tie in with the 'time' message, I gold heat embossed a time swirl on the red card, then simply layered the kraft panel on top. The sentiment was heat embossed onto a small piece of red card and layered with some 3d foam.

STAMPS: Visible Image (Ahead Of Our Time, Don't Judge)
INKS: Versamark Clear
OTHER: WOW! embossing powders (primary ebony, metallic gold rich), Red card, Kraft Card, Gold opaque pen, 3d foam

2) Santa's Sleigh

Christmas is a-coming and I need to get a wriggle on making those Christmas cards, so I made several with this design on it.

I thought I'd do a short photo tutorial on this one to show it is quick and easy to make and replicate (albeit the sky will look different on each one).

First, wet some water colour paper, spritz with the two colours of brushos and leave to dry. As you can see, I made a batch of backgrounds here.

Darken the edges of the sky with a little blended faded jeans and black soot distress oxide inks. Then flick some watered down white acrylic paint for stars. Let this completely dry.

Heat emboss the Santa and reindeers with white embossing powder. Tear up some pearlised paper for hills and layer those across the bottom.

Trim the panel down to the size you like and layer it onto silver card before attaching it to a card blank.

STAMPS: Visible Image (Christmas Eve)
INKS: Versamark clear, Distress Oxides (faded jeans, black soot)
OTHER: Brushos (ost blue, prussian blue), Water colour card, white acrylic paint, WOW! opaque bright white embossing powder, Pearlised vellum, silver card, white card.



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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

No Matter How You Feel

Happy Halloween.

I don't have a Halloween card for you today but I do have some no-line colouring of a gorgeous image from the BRAND NEW RELEASE by Visible Image. She is an absolute dream to colour, if you like colouring, and she comes with so many gorgeous words too. The sentiment on this card is from a new set too.

Here's how I made this DL card.

Take some Strathmore Toned Grey sketch paper and stamp the image onto it using a light grey ink.

I started with the face. Using some polychromos pencils and a very light touch I started to colour, adding white to the areas I wanted a highlight first (because you can't really add a highlight afterwards). Then I added more colour moving from light to dark, adding a little blue to the darker parts.  I wanted to retain the look of hand colouring so the pencil strokes have not been completely blended in. I am still learning how to colour like this so I knew it wouldn't be perfect, but I like the finished result.

Next colour the hair. I used 3 colours for the hair, adding low-lights with the dark colour and highlights with the lighter colour.  Making sure the highlights don't line up over every strand gives it a more natural look.

To finish the card I stamped a sentiment and some of the words along the edge, then doodled a border in between the stamped words with a black pen.

Stamps Used:

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

      
      

Other Supplies:

Strathmore toned grey sketch paper, Memento london fog ink, Polychromos (101 white, 102 cream, 126 permanent carmine, 130 dark flesh, 131 medium flesh, 132 light flesh, 151 helio-blue reddish, 183 light yellow ochre, 187 burnt ochre, 283 burnt sienna), Versafine onyx black, stamping platform, black micron pen.

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 #407 - OLC Winter Flora

Hi there. It is one layer week at Less is More and we have a theme of winter flora so think about using flowers, leaves, twigs and trees for this one.

Cue Card

Sponsor https://www.uniko.co.uk/shop/

I've used a general floral image by our sponsor, Uniko, on my card today but I've made it 'wintery' with some icy colours, a little bit of snow and colouring the buds to look like berries.

I love one layer cards but occasionally I like to mix thing up a bit by giving them a cut-away edge so that the inside of the card shows through. This is what I have done with this card, lining the inside of the card with white to make the fancy edge show up a bit more.

Here's how I made it.

Stamp and heat emboss the florals down the side of some blue card. Colour the florals with polychromos pencils, adding a little shadow with the brown pencil as you go.

Add some 'snow' to the tops of the leaves and berries with a white posca pen, then go over that with a quicky glue pen and add some glamour dust for sparkle. Fussy cut around the flowers on one edge to add some interest.

Using silver ink, stamp the same floral onto a piece of white card and trim it down to an A6 size. Use this as a template to score the blue card in the correct place, making sure that there is enough space at the edge with the flowers for the white to show when the card is closed. Stick the white card panel inside the blue card blank, on the side that does not contain the cut away edge, then trim any excess blue card away.

Finally heat emboss the sentiment on the front of the card with silver embossing powder.

STAMPS: Uniko (Originally Organic), Visible Image ( Snowman Jack)
POLYCHROMOS: 101white, 102 cream, 165 juniper green, 178 nougat, 219 deep scarlet red
INKS: Versamark clear, Encore Silver
OTHER: Blue card, White card, Posca opaque white pen, quickie glue pen, glamour dust.

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The LIM guest designer this month is the lovely Ankie from Stampinggranny - Ankie blog. She's made a beautiful card which you can see, along with even more fantastic inspiration by the design team on the challenge blog .

That's it from me for today,. I'll be back again on Thursday with more colouring on a BRAND NEW Visible Image stamp. I hope you'll come back to see me then.

Hugs,
Sharon xx