On the Boardwalk

I was just looking through my card box and realised I'd never blogged this card so thought I'd do that today.  I made it for a challenge where the theme was Boardwalk and using Kraft, Turquoise and Orange colours.

I dry brushed some white acrylic paint through Tim's Woodgrain Stencil to create a boardwalk type feel and added some stamping from Crafty Individuals stamp sets.    I hand cut a surf board shape, stamped some flowers from Oak House Studio's Spring Bloom set and coloured them with markers.  The turquoise I did in stripes to make it look like waves.

Hope you like and thanks for popping by.  Please be honest and let me know if my surf board looks more like an ironing board - both my daughters thought so!!

Elaine  x
     

Turquoise Beads

I thought I'd show you something different today. A couple of years ago I bought a string of turquoise beads but found they weren't long enough so at last I found the time to re-string them.

I have a few lampwork beads in my stash so I've used one as a centrepiece and then added some Miyuki Cube beads and silver spacers.  I kept some of the turquoise beads back to make a matching pair of earrings. 

I quite enjoyed making this so watch this space, I might make some more!!

Elaine xx

Through the window

Here's another card made using the Vintage Blue Inks from Oak House studio - both the Ink in a Bottle spray and the Pure Colour Chemistry Watercolour Ink.  

I started by spraying some watercolour paper with Vintage Blue Ink in a Bottle and added a little Delicious Damson too.  I silver embossed the Block Frame stamp, painted the frame with Vintage Blue Pure Colour ink and cut out the sections.  To add a little more interest I painted Pure Colour ink onto a small acrylic block and stamped this to create the mottled 'brick' pattern.   The flowers are from the Spring Blooms set (as is the sentiment) - these were silver embossed onto some card sprayed with Delicious Damson and Paris Pink Ink in a Bottle and arranged in a plant pot.  The net curtains are the Mack Rose stamped with White Brilliance onto vellum.

I'm loving playing with these new Inks - they're so intense and allow you to create the shade you want.  I'm looking forward to getting some more colours and having a mixing session in the lab....lol!!

Elaine x

Sepia Tones - Poinsettia

I managed to get my hands on some of the new inks from Oak House Studio namely the Pure Colour Chemistry watercolour inks - they are extremely intense so a little goes a long way and they lend themselves to painting, misting, mixing and writing etc etc!

Here I've just used the Sepia tones to show the different products available.

 

 

I started by spraying a sheet of watercolour paper with Vintage Sepia Ink in a Bottle and then overspraying with the Glorious Gold.  If you don't have Ink in a Bottle then why not buy an empty spray bottle and water the Pure Colour down.   I used half the background over stamped with the English Garden Text. The rest I stamped with the Build Your Own Poinsettia set of stamps (3 bracts and a centre) and gold embossed.  The outer leaves I painted with Vintage Sepia Pure Colour Chemistry - a deliciously rich ink I have to say - and then glued it all together with silicone glue to give some height.  I glued beads to the centre too.

 

 I've stamped the Friends Like Fruitcake with Chocolate Pigment Ink and clear embossed, sponged a little Vintage Sepia Ink in a Bottle and then matted this on some card painted with the Pure Colour Chemistry Ink.  To finish I created some stripey ribbon by just dragging a paint brush with the intense ink along one side and heat drying to crinkle.

 

I love all the shades you can get from just one bottle of ink and can't wait to acquire more colours.  Pop back on Monday for a look through the Vintage Blue window! 

 

Elaine xx

 

 

Steampunk Sparrow

Here's my card for the Less is More Challenge  week 236 where it's ONE LAYER cards and THE EYES HAVE IT.  I know I must be mad but I love one layer cards as they are indeed a challenge.

I have no face or eye stamps but then realised it would be good opportunity to use my new Deep Red Rubber stamp - the Steampunk Sparrow.   He's just inked with Onyx Black Versafine and coloured with Tombow markers.  I masked him off and created a panel using the cog stamps from Chocolate Baroque's Punky Flowers set.   I drew a couple of lines and finished with the Oak House Studio sentiment.

I'm also entering this into:
Happy Little Stampers Challenge - CAS and MASKING
The Craft Barn's weekly challenge - COLOURING
The Craft Stamper - Make It Take It - PENS and PENCILS

Hope you like and thanks for visiting - you're always welcome!!

Elaine xx

Vintage Blue Heart

I was lucky to get a couple of the new Pure Colour Chemistry Watercolour Inks early so thought I'd have a play!!  Here  I've used Vintage Blue Ink in a Bottle with Vintage Blue Pure Colour Chemistry.

I first sprayed a stripe of the Ink in a Bottle on a sheet of watercolour paper and immediately held it upright to create the drips - this is a bit experimental as I sprayed ink and water a few times.   Once this was dry I drew a line of  the Pure Colour Chemistry Ink and held this upright and allowed more drips to form.

 

 

 

I've used the Scroll Frames set of stamps - 4 stamps that fit on the block to create various scroll frames. 

 

 Using all 4 stamps to create the larger heart, 3 for the smaller one and then rectangular and oval frames and a scroll background......a very versatile set of stamps!!

Once my background was dry I silver embossed the large scroll heart and then used a very small paintbrush and coloured in the sections with Vintage Blue Pure Colour Chemistry Ink.  I've matted and layered and to finish added the Creativity sentiment stamped in Midnight Pigment ink, coloured with Ink in a Bottle and on a mat painted with the Pure Colour.

I'm loving these new inks as you can control the depth of colour so easily!!  The Pure Colour Chemistry Inks are on pre-order till launch on 14th August.  Why don't you pop over and have a look - loads of lovely colours!

Elaine x

August and Pink Butterflies

Well here is my August calendar page for The Craft Barn's Calendar Challenge where the words this month are PINK and BUTTERFLIES.  I'm doing 14cm squares that will be mounted on black A5 card as a flip calendar.

I didn't want to do too much pink so decided to create a wildflower scene - the background is Tumbled Glass and Mowed Lawn Distress Stains and the stamps are from Crafty Individuals set  CI-395 - Build a Meadow.  I randomly stamped with Leaf Green Archival and used a white Posca pen to highlight the daisies.   To give the ground some texture I've stamped the Without Change (Oak House Studio) in Leaf Green Archival too. 

I've silver embossed the Charming Butterflies (Oak House Studio) and coloured the smaller ones with Seedless Preserves and the larger one with Picked Raspberry.  I've just stuck the bodies down and bent the wings up for a bit of movement.  To finish the August calendar is matted on some Picked Raspberry card.  I'm hoping there is enough pink on this!  

Thanks for visiting and thanks for all your comments on last month's calendar challenge - they're much appreciated!!

Elaine  x

Berry Colours

Here's my card for the Less is More Challenge week 235 where the Colour scheme is BERRY COLOURS.

I've used the Harlequin stamp from Oak House Studio inked with Distress Inks - Picked Raspberry, Festive Berries and Dusty Concord (think Blackberries!!) to create the border and then finished with the Friends like Fruitcake sentiment stamp.  They're not really my go-to colours but I kind of like them all together.

I chose the Harlequin stamp as I'm also entering this in the Craft Barn's Weekly Challenge where the theme is Diamonds.

Hope you like and thanks for popping by.

Elaine x