101 ways with the Block Frames Stamp

I was given the Block Frame stamp by Lynnda at Oak House Studio and asked to write a post about it.  As the great man himself would say, there are endless possibilities with this stamp......if you don't like faffing then there is a very nice Christmas version (on the right) but I saw the empty frame and thought it was very versatile - add an image, a sentiment, whichever way you like and it obviously frames your work.

 

Clean and simple, inky and messy, you can do whatever you choose.  All the details are over on the OAK HOUSE STUDIO blog so please go and take a look.  Meanwhile I'll leave you with a few cards.

 

Ok I admit I haven't made 101 cards but I hope you get the idea - you can use the stamp whichever way up you like and for whatever occasion - as they say, it's not just for Christmas!   All Stamps, Inks in a Bottle, Pigment Ink Pads and Embossing Powder is from OAK HOUSE STUDIO.

 

Thanks for looking and I hope I've given you some ideas for the Borders and Frames Challenge.

 

 

Christmas Corner Decoration

Today is  ONE STAMP, ONE DAY over at OAK HOUSE STUDIO where the Design Team and anyone else who wants to join in make projects using just one stamp.  This time it is the CHRISTMAS CORNER stamp - a mix of Holly and Hellebores. It's one of the first Christmas stamps I drew about 8 years ago when Oak House Studio was born.




For my project I've made this Christmas hanger using the Acrylic Inks on Acetate and full details are on the Oak House Studio blog today.


The Acrylic Inks dry beautifully on the wood and acetate so I'm thinking they'll be great for metal and glass painting too.....and they are such a deep vibrant colour.




I've also made an Inchie necklace using a 1" square piece of Stambord - a new product on the Oak House Studio website.   For this I stamped a section of the Christmas Corner, painted with the Acrylic Inks and sealed it with 2 layers of clear embossing powder.

The Christmas Corner is lovely for making cards too and here are a few more ideas.

 

 

 

As you can see it is detailed enough to just stamp for quick and easy cards or it can be layered and beads added etc.   For more ideas please visit the Oak House Studio blog (8am-8pm) or take a look on Facebook - at the Oak House Studio page or  Inkspired by Oak House Studio - this is a closed group to keep out the spammers but if you would like to join, just ask!

Many thanks for looking and I hope you find some ideas ready for those Christmas makes!!

Detail Embossing Powder

If you have ever wondered what the difference is between Standard Embossing Powder and Detail Embossing Powder then go take a look at my post on the Oak House Studio blog.

For the majority of embossing, standard embossing powder is good but for fine lined stamps, intricate patterns and fine lettering then you do really need to use Detail powder.   The card below shows a combination of both grades of powders - Detail for the wording and Dog Rose and then standard powder for the faux soldering frame around the edges.  For more information then please go take a look at my blog post HERE. 

Oak House Studio sell a great selection of embossing powders  with Detail powder in 100g jars for £10 - it'll last you forever!!

 

 

All Embossing Powders, Stamps, Pigment Ink Pads,  Ink in a Bottle Sprays,  Pipettes and Water Brushes that I've used in my post  can be found in the Oak House Studio Shop.   Why don't you go take a look and try some embossing!

 

Elaine x



Craft Barn Dictionary Challenge 2013

Well it's nearly the end of the year with the last 2 letters of the alphabet for The Craft Barn's Alpha Dictionary Challenge. So here they are, I and  X, plus a few photos showing all my ATCS and album.

For I, I've clear embossed the Ideogram (kanji symbol for happiness) and then inked the ATC with Dusty Concord and Chipped Sapphire Distress Inks representing Indigo and Iodine.  I've chosen to do ILLUMINATION with the light bulb flowers stamp from Chocolate Baroque embossed in gold (think illuminated letter!) and coloured. As always, it's finished with the torn dictionary definition and alcohol inked Thicker.

For X,  I've chosen to do XMAS ...well it is Christmas and to be honest there were few words to do!   The background is a mix of Barn Door and Aged Mahogany Distress inks overstamped with the Christmas Words Block stamp from Darkroom Door in Vermillion Archival.   The holly and hellebore are the Christmas Corner stamp from Oak House Studio embossed in gold, coloured with metallic markers and with red beads for berries.  I've added some tinsel, the torn dictionary definition and the alcohol inked Thicker with a touch of glitter as it's Christmas!!

Here's a photo of all 26 ATCs together.

I've mounted them on 8 x 8 black card and added other torn words from my dictionary along the edge.  These are words that either mean something to me or secondary words that I've illustrated on my ATCs.  I've also included my take on the challenge so that in 10 years time I'll remember why I did what I did!!

I've thoroughly enjoyed this challenge and surprised myself by creating every single one on time.  Thanks must go to The Craft Barn for all their hard work and the design team for their inspiration.  Thanks also to everyone who has visited my blog over the year and left such encouraging comments.  I'm now looking forward to seeing everyone else's end of year posts and finding out what The Craft Barn have in store for us in the new year.

Merry Christmas everyone and Happy Creating in 2014!!
 

Christmas

I'm going to have to pack my crafting stash away so just thought I'd post one last card.
 

I'd like to wish all my friends and followers a very Happy Christmas and a very Merry New Year.   Hope you all have a wonderful time, get lots of crafting goodies for Christmas and come 2013, are all refreshed for another year of Crafty Challenges!!

Christmas & Craft Stamper

Well I have it on good authority that my Mini Christmas Card made it into the December 2010 issue of Craft Stamper magazine - yeh!!!

I haven't had chance to buy a copy yet so have no idea what else is in there but I thought I'd let you know how I made it.


I've used Oak House Studio's Christmas Corner, Winter Garden Text and Merry Christmas stamps and the brief was to use red, green and gold to produce a 4" x 4" card.

I've gold embossed the Winter Garden Text, edged it with gold Stickles and then matted it up onto green then red card. This stamp is great for all sorts of cards - it does include Holly and Hellebores which fits with the Christmas Corner stamp perfectly, but it doesn't actually mention christmas so can be used for any winter/early spring cards.

The Christmas Corner was again embossed in gold and painted with Twinkling H20s. I think I did 3 of these so that I could use 2 layered for the main corner and then use the other to decorate the Merry Christmas. I just finished it off with some red Stickles in the Hellebore centres and a few small red beads for the Holly berries.

Hope you like it. Yes, I know it's the beginning of November, but showing this card has actually made me feel more christmassy so maybe I'll get my christmas stamps out and have a play.

Z Cards

So how old are you? Did you think I was going to write about Z Cars? Or Softly Softly! I do remember these programmes but I was young at the time ....honest!!

The cards that attracted attention at Ally Pally were the shaped cards so here are a couple of my cards similar to those at the show. I'm not sure what they are officially called, bi-fold cards, concertina cards, Z cards - let me know.

No need for templates or anything complicated - a pencil and ruler, fold an A4 sheet of card into 3 and then cut off a diagonal from the front two-thirds.



On the left is a very simple card showing off the Christmas Corner stamp embossed in China Red.


On the right the card is stamped with the Sunflower in 2 shades of Brilliance and embellished with ribbon and a shrink plastic sunflower.


As I said before the cards are so simple to make, just cut the front on an angle to suit your corner stamp or design, but they give that little bit more dimension. Enjoy!