IndigoBlu Challenge 21 - Magical Masking

I was lucky enough last month to be selected in the top 3 of the IndigoBlu challenge. I was asked to create a piece of work as inspiration for this current challenge, Magical Masking.

This is the card I have created for my inspiration piece.
This card used the dinky flutterby and the flourish for the Music Hall stamp plate. The saying "Just to say..." is from the Bloomin Great stamp plate.

The butterflies and greeting are stamped using brilliance inks - pearlescent sky blue and pearlescent purple. the masked off background behind the butterflies is coloured with spun sugar distress ink, the flourish is also stamped with spun sugar before the masks were removed from the butterflies.

I mounted the panel onto blue then onto pink cardstock, then added a bit of bling.

I'm loving the small round TH blending tools!

I also created another card using the dinky butterfly stamp and couldn't decide at first which to use as my inspitation piece, but, in the end opted for the card above. You decide if  I made the right choice.


Here is the second card I created and this one took a lot longer than the first to do  -

This is card number two.

I stamped the first butterfly as the focal point and masked it off. then I stamped the others in turn, masking them off as I went along. They are inked with salty ocean and mowed lawn distress pens. I then stamped the script stamp on the background using old paper distress ink. Once this was done, I removed the masks from the butterflies.


I inked the edges of the card with salty ocean distress ink using the mini ink blending tool. I then mounted the panel onto green cardstock.

I then stamped the butterfly onto heat resistent acetate using blue hawii and cactus green stazon inks. Dried it with my heat gun then cut out. I shaped the wings, adhered glmour dust, angel whispers, to the reverse, then stuck just the body of the butterfly over the body of my main image.

I stamped the sentiment, "If you truly love nature...." from the Nature 1 stamp plate onto spare card, cut it into two and inked the edges with salty ocean distress ink before adhering it to the card as shown.

Once the glue had dried, I added a bit of bling to the body of the acetate butterfly and onto the card.

Well, did I make the right choice? Over to you, what do you think? The first is clean and simple, the second far more busy and time consuming.

Your comments are always welcomed, and thanks for dropping by.

Wanda

Relaxing Sunday afternoon

This is how I spent my Sunday afternoon, before heading out for something to eat.

 Well, I didn't want to get my fingers inky before going out now, did I? I had great fun using up a packet of air dry clay and lots of different moulds. I made some a while ago using ultra tick EP and my melt pot but decided to use up some air dry clay I bought ages ago for some project that never came to fruitition. I decided to give it a go and see how stable they were. The answer is very! They are ready now to be painted to match whatever project they end up on. Mind you, I will have to store them very carefully.

I have a more than a few mdf things waiting to get the "treatment". Such fun to be had. I just have another 8 or so packs or air dry clay to use up, then there is the clay that needs to be baked. Oh my! Why do I do it? Why didn't I just buy black and white and paint them? I know not why.

Anyway, It was a very relaxing way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

What do you think! Do you have a stash like this?

Bye for now,

Wanda

Lavinia Stamps challenge 10 - Autumn Colours

For this card I have used stamps I purchased recently at Port Sunlight, a great show for stampers, held twice yearly on the Wirral. Anyway, I digress. I stamped the plant images using tree branch archival ink. I then masked the moon and added spiced marmalade distress ink using a brush. Then I masked off the bottom portion for the land, and to ground the plants and used vintage photo distress ink, again with a brush. I removed the masks, then stamped the verse, again using tree branch archival ink, then I stamped the fairies using second generation vintage photo distress ink.

I coloured in the leaves and pods using brushos, then finally added a bit of glitter to the stars caused by the fairies wands touching. There is a bit of glitter on the top of each leaf and pod too! I think I got a bit carried away with the glitter!

That's all from me for today folks.

Thanks for stopping by. All comments gratefully received.

Bye for now

Wanda

Clarity Stamp Challenge 20

I decided to go with a Winter theme thereby adding another Christmas card to the pile. I had great fun making this. I used a Clarity moon mask and tore paper to cover the bottom of my card. I added distress ink from the top of my card fading out as it got near the land area. I removed the moon mask then stamped the trees, firstly with an old, rather dried up black archival ink pad, then again with a new black archival ink pad.

I then worked on the bottom area, firstly stamping the three deer in place, using a mask so their feet would appear to be in the snow. Then I added ridges and shadow using the palest blue distress ink pad (I think it was stormy sky). Finally, using a glue pen I dotted snow in the sky and using fine white glitter, I then edged the ridges with the glue pen and added glitter all along the ridges. Finally, I dusted lightly around the edges of the card with blue distress ink then matted onto black cardstock.

So that's another Christmas card to add to the pile (not a very big pile I hasten to add).

I hope you like my card and welcome any feedback.

Bye for now.

Wanda

A Sketch - Indigo Blu style

Challenge 20 in the Indigo Blu challenge blog this month is a sketch. so I decided to enter with a Christmas card with new stamps I bought recently.

I had great fun making this one. The main image is stamped with treee branch versafine ink then coloured with Country Cottage paints. the mat behind the main image is snowflake lace, stamped with copper Cottage paint which has been lightly misted. Once this was dry I over stamped with flitter glue and Autumn Blaze gilding flakes. The panel is then inked with old paper distress ink. The large mat is done in the same way but inked more lightly. I also used flitter glue and the same gildiong flakes around the edges of each mat. These were then mounted onto brown card, then matted onto a cream A5 card blank. Oh, and the red ribbon was added to the large mat. The main image is mounted using pinflair gel to raise it up a bit. Both mats are tucked behind the ribbon.

Finally, gems were added to the centre of some of the snow flakes. Nothing like a bit of bling at Christmas is there.

I hope you like my card and welcome feedback.

Bye for now.

Wanda

Clarity challenge 18 - feminine

Clarity stamp challenge 18 for August - feminine

I tried to upload this card to my blog via my ipad several days ago, with a photo I had taken on my ipad but it was having none of it. So here I am on my laptop with a photo taken with my camera. Phew, got there in the end. I am quite technically challenged.

The challenge set for us this month at Clarity stamp is feminine. There are so many beautiful stamps in the Clarity catalogue to suit this theme. I chose this one as I immediately pictured her in a country garden.

I stamped the lady and the cottage with black archival then masked them both off. I added a mask for the sun. Then I started to play with my Clarity brushes and distress inks and several pieces of torn paper to form the hills and the path. The tree branch and bids  come from the set with the bird feeder on.

The inks used are stormy sky , scattered straw, wild honey and rusty hinge. Also shaded lilac for the flowers along the path. The lady and cottage are coloured with my new spectrum noir pencils. The tree is from the trees and their mantles set.

This card was most enjoyable to create, very relaxing.

Thanks for dropping by. Your comments are always welcome.

Wanda

Blue Tits and Blossom (Clarity style)

I bought these stamps a few weeks ago and didn't get round to playing with them until today. How could I neglect them for so long?

I seem to be producing a lot of 8 x 8 cards these days. This one is no exception.

I stamped everything using potting soil archival ink by Wendy Vecchi. Then coloured each image using prisma pencils.

Then shaded the sky using distress ink and Clarity brushes and my Clarity blending mat (so useful).

Mounted the image onto dark blue then onto pink card, then onto my card blank.

I will be producing a lot more cards with this set of stamps.

Bye for now.

Wanda

My New Favourite Indigo Blu Stamp

Indigo Blu challenge 15 Words are all you Need

I bought this lovely stamp at Port Sunlight recently. Isn't it lovely. Crying out for a bit of decoupaging, I thought. Stamped in black archival. Coloured with prisma pencils. Stamped and coloured again for the decoupage.

The sentiment is from another set, again stamped in black archival.

A light dusting with distress ink, then mounted onto orange and yellow card, then mounted onto an 8 x 8 card blank.

I am entering this card into the Indigo Blu challenge which is all about words.

I can see this image adorning all sorts of altered things.

Enjoy your day. Bye for now.

Wanda
http://indigoblublogchallenge.blogspot.co.ukIndigo Blu challenge 15 - Words are all you Need

A Little Tree

The stamp used here is the latest offering from the Clarity New Design Club. Such a useful little stamp.

I decided to a one layer card with this one.

I masked off a panel on a 6 x 6 card base. Stamped the tree three times using tree branch Wendy Vecchi archival ink. Then brushed distress ink into the area.

A Clarity greeting, using the same archival ink. And there you have it!

Quick and simple.

Bye for now.

Wanda

Another Clarity Stencil

This is another of my favourite Clarity stencils. Mind you, I just love poppies.

I coloured through the mask with distress inks. Let that dry. Cleaned the stencil then put it back in place. Then I applied clear embossing paste. While the paste was still wet I poured over micro beads. Those little blighters get everywhere, don't you know!

A light dusting of distress ink around the edges using those fabulous Clarity brushes. A white mat, a green mat, an 8 x 8 card base, and the jobs a good un.

Hope you like it.

Bye for now.

Wanda

A Clarity Stencil

I just love this stencil. It is my new favourite!

I light dusting with three distress inks (squeezed lemonade, salty ocean and pink?). Removed the mask and a light dusting around the edges with squeezed lemonade. Mounted onto blue and pink card then onto an 8 x 8 card base. A greeting, a pale blue organiza ribbon across the corner finished with a bow. And there you have it!

Such a fun and easy card to do.

Bye for now.

Wanda

Another Clarity Stencil, Don't you just Love Them

This is my newest Clarity stencil so it just had to have an airing. I am entering this into this months Clarity challenge which is monochrome.

I applied distress inks with my Clarity brushes. Allowed that to dry and cleaned the stencil..

Next, tape the stencil back in place and apply clear stencil paste onto the design.

Remove the stencil and clean it thoroughly. Allow the work to dry overnight (without touching it with your fingers to see if it is dry).

Then stamp the word, from the very useful Clarity word chain stamps, using the same colour distress ink. Cut this into a banner and stick this over the place where you stuck your finger into the paste to see if it was dry!

Bye for now.

Wanda

Nature at it's Best

A lovely image using Indigo Blue stamps and Wendy Vecchi archival inks, plus distress inks for dusting.

Mounted onto white, orange then black card mats, then onto an 8 x 8 crream card blank.

Quick and simple but lovely just the same.

Bye for now.

Wanda

A Clarity Meltpot Workshop 


Last Wednesday I attended a meltpot workshop with the lovely Maria Simms at Birkenhead. What a fab day it was! My finished canvas looks nothing like it did on Wednesday, but I like it. I had such fun playing to get it to this stage.

 

 I painted the frame inside and out with Eco acrylic paint in Ocean, but I kept the returns black. I used a stamp from the Clarity Journal set as I thought it looked a bit like a sea plant in the background. 

I remade my seahorses using a yummy blue UTEE I bought from Maria, mixed with clear UTEE. I found the melted UTEE much easier to work with when I added a little UTEE flex to the mix.

I melted beeswax in my project pan and poured this into a couple of moulds I have had for ages and this gave me a lovely selection of sea shells and even a little seahorse. These I coloured with mica powders. 

The little fish and the light house I have had for ages. In the base I poured glue and added frantage embossing powders them melted it with the heat gun. This made it bubble up a treat. You can only see it if you get close.

I made a couple of flowers with some stuff a bit like burlap to add the one we made at the workshop.

The string knotted and stuck along the bottom of the frame is an idea someone else had used on her frame (sorry, I forget who it was). I liked the idea so much I decided to do it too.

Such a fun project to do. I'm not sure where it is going to live yet, but I may well do another one.

Bye for now.

Wanda

I made top 3 at Indigo Blu

What a surprise! I made top 3 in the challenge for February/March - Going for Gold. Thank you for selecting my card. One of my current favourite stamps too.

Clarity Workshop

Workshop at Birkenhead with the lovely Maria Simms last Thursday.

This month Maria concentrated on working with stencils. We also used the fabulous lock and keys set of stamps to make a mandala. We made our own ink pad using re-inkers. We also used clear paste and micro beads. My clear paste didn't work out, in fact it was pants, so I did it again today using another stencil which worked better with the paste.So I am a happy bunny. I wish my photography was better as none of my images have shown up very well. I will have top play around with my camera and then with my editing and see if I can get it better in future.

I really enjoy attending Maria's workshops and am looking forward to next month when we will be creating with the melt pot. Bring it on!

Thanks for dropping by. Comments always welcome. As would be any advice on photography!

Bye for now.

Wanda

Flower Power at Clarity Stamps

This month over at Clarity Stamps the challenge is Flower Power

Two months in a row! And my third card of the day! Wonders never cease. These are stamps I have had for a while.I just love the cherry blossom, and the birds. Some new stamps arrived today so I may get round to doing another entry! Adirondack dye inks in various colours and my new stencil brushes (don't you just love them!)

Thanks for stopping by. Comments always welcome.

Wanda

Add Some Pink

Lavinia Stamps Challenge - Add Some Pink

My second card for today.

This is my entry for the Lavinia Stamps challenge for this month. Made with stamps I have had for ages. I just love these stamps and go back to them time and again. Brayering done with Adirondack dye inks, then artwork stamped with black archival. In case you cant see it to well, the pink is at the forefront then more lightly in the background.

Thanks for stopping by. Comments more than welcome.

Wanda

Going for Gold

Going for Gold at Indigo Blu

Well, here I am again. I am determined to blog regularly. This card is my entry for this months challenge over at Indigo Blu - Going for Gold. The background uses peacock feathers and squeezed lemonade distress inks, then the flourish with gold guilding flakes. Same inks on the topper then the this lovely image stamped in potting soil archival, as is the sentiment. The image is coloured with coloursoft pencils.

Thanks for dropping by, Comments always welcome.

Wanda

Lavinia Stamps - Blue and Lilac

Mushroom Houses

What am I like, nothing for over a year then two posts in one day. I was determined I would enter some challenges, and the cards were ready. I had forgotten how to upload images it has been so long, so it has been like pulling teeth to get this far.

I love these little mushroom houses. such fun to play with. I have to admit I cant remember which dye inks I used here, but I think they were distress inks together with my trusty brayer.

Anyway, it's a miracle I even got this far!

I would be interested to hear any comments you have about my two posts today.

Bye for now.

Love and Romance

Good evening my fellow bloggers. I am back! I know, such a long absence. My head just wasnt in the right place for crafting or blogging for quite some time due to personal reasons. but here I am, once again.

The card above was created for the Clarity Stamps February challenge, using a feaure stamp I purchased at a recent Clarity workshop at Chester with the lovely, and very talented, Maria Simms.

The quality of the image is poor. I hope you can see the detail of this gorgeous heart stamp. I have used Mountain Rose Adirondak dye ink and a Clarity Stencil to form the square frame, added a bit of depth with a Clarity honeycomb stencil. I stamped the lovely flower heart with black archival, then coloured in the detail with coloursoft pencils. the sentiment is stamped with Clarity word stamps. The whole image is stamped on one piece of card, including the pink border, then mounted on an 8 x 8" card blank.

I hopr you like it.

Bye for now. I think the dimmer is burning!