The Undecided Bride

A Save the Date card made for the bride who hasn't decided what colour to have for the flowers and bridesmaid dresses for her wedding!  Seriously it's a card made for the Less is More Challenge where the theme is WHITE ON WHITE.   The challenge has been going 5 years now so congratulations to Chrissie and everyone involved.

I envy people who can do a classy white on white card so thought I'd have a go.  I've used white leather look card for the base, white linen card and embossed with Holographic Super Sparkle powder to create a little texture.  Stamps are from Oak House Studio - the English Garden Text, the flower outline from the Double Daisy set and Save the Date from the Wedding Words set.  I've used silver card for the mat which could easily be changed to add colour.

I've also seen that the new Craft Stamper Take It Make It Challenge asks for text stamping - you may not be able to read it but I think it creates great interest on the background.

Thanks for visiting and for your comments - they are always gratefully received!!

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

 

 

Sunflower Canvas

Here's another project for the ONE STAMP event - I decided to get painty and inky and create a mixed media canvas with the Sunflower Stamp as the main feature. 

Firstly I sponged two shades of Fresco Chalk Paint on the canvas - mainly Limelight but with Hyde Park round the edges.  I then sprayed it with Bottled Sunshine and Glorious Gold Ink in a Bottle and dripped some Bramley Apple down the canvas.

I then randomly stamped the English Garden Text using Pumpkin Pie Pigment Ink and used a plastic card to add the lines using Yummy Chocolate Pigment Ink to create the trellis effect.

Over that I smoothed some Grungepaste tinted with a little Hyde Park through a leaf stencil, removed the stencil to wash it and immediately added some  Welbeck Green and Gold Embossing Powder to the paste.  Once it was dry I heat embossed it.  It was a little too white so I added the stencil again and sponged on some Green as Grass Pigment ink.

Next I stamped the Sunflower on some cream cotton fabric 3 times withYummy Chocolate Pigment Ink and clear embossed - this acts as a gutter to stop the ink seeping.   I then painted them with Citrine and Amber Acrylic Inks.  As I knew cutting them out would be fiddly I overpainted them so I wasn't left with any cream edges.

I stamped the Sunflower 3 times on some aluminium with Stazon and cut out inside the lines.  I stuck the fabric to the metal and shaped them to give dimension to the flowers.

My canvas is just finished with the saying printed on the computer, outlined with orange Sharpie.

All the Stamps, Ink in a bottle, Ink Pads and embossing powders are from Oak House Studio. 

Elaine x

August Challenge - Alphabetica

Behind with my blogging again but I have been making things - it's just that I can't publish them just yet!   So today sees the launch of the August challenge over on the Oak House Studio blog with the theme of Alphabetica - anything WORD, LETTER or NUMBER related.




Today I thought I'd show you a couple of my cards using the Large Rose stamp.   The first image is very clean and simple with lots of white space.

I stamped the Rose, masked it off and then stamped over with the English Garden Text stamp.



I then decided I didn't really like it, so cut it down and created a Mothers Day card instead.  Still quite simple but much better I think!!

My final sample today is an MDF frame sprayed with Totally Turquoise, Peacock Green and Denim Blue Ink in a Bottle and then gold embossed with the English Garden Text.

 

I've used the Linen stamp for the background and  the Without Change set of stamps.

 

Full details of the challenge are on the blog and all Oak House Studio products can be found HERE  The English Garden Text stamp is a lovely script font, is great for backgrounds and I have it on good authority it is likely to be "Stamp of the Week" shortly but is already in the shop at half price.

Thanks for looking and why not enter the challenge - there's a prize to be won!!

 

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



A Rose for June

I've just come across the latest Papermill Challenge  which is to create something that makes you think of JUNE - there's still time to enter if you are very quick so click HERE for all the details.

The climbing rose on the front of my house always flowers in early June so I thought I'd do a card with a rose.   I've used stamps from Oak House Studio - the English Summer Text for the background, the Rose and the 'Take Time' sentiment.  The rose is watercoloured and then it's all mounted on Ocean Blue card from Papermill Direct - has to be my favourite!!

Hope you like my card and thanks for looking. Papermill runs regular challenges so it's worth keeping an eye on their blog for a chance to win some of their wonderful card!!

Oak House Studio - Floral Challenge

Over on the Oak House Studio blog and facebook the new March challenge is up with the theme FLORALS - so anything floral using any Oak House Studio product.  Full details can be found HERE.

So here's my tag for starters using a variety of Oak House Studio stamps - ATC Linen Background,  Small Sunflower,  Live the Life and the English Summer Garden text.   The tag background is coloured with Midnight, Sea Green and Powder Blue Pigments Ink Pads - swiped on a messy mat, spritzed with water and picked up with the tag in exactly the same way as with Distress Inks.  The Linen is stamped with Midnight.  The text was stamped with Sea Green,  overstamped with the Sunflower and embossed with silver embossing powder.  I've added some Beadazzles to the centre and hand cut the stem and leaves.

All spray inks, pigments ink pads, embossing powder and stamps are from Oak House Studio.

Why not join in the fun - there is a prize to be won.  A brand new stamp and I don't even know what it is!!

Yellow Rose

Here's a simple card for the Less is More Challenge week 161 where the colours are GREEN & YELLOW.

I've used Oak House Studio's Large Rose stamp inked with Pearlescent Ivy Brilliance and coloured with Tombow markers and watercolours.  I cut a mask and overstamped the rose with the English Garden Text stamp inked with Thyme Brilliance and it's just finished with the word Rose inked with Sunflower Yellow Brilliance.

Apologies for the state of the photo but it's gone dark and overcast again.  Yesterday was sunny and I thought Spring had begun but I was wrong!!  Thanks for looking - I'm off to look at all the other sunny bright creations!!

Love Heart

Here's a twinchie for the Show us your Twinchie Challenge where the theme is Love is in the Air.

I've made a shrink plastic heart - stamped the Heart Palette with Rocket Red Brilliance and then once it'd dried, I overstamped it with the English Garden Text in Blazing Red Stazon. I remembered to punch a hole before shrinking the plastic and just added a few fibres.  I've gold embossed the edges of the twinchie and added the sentiment (all Oak House Studio stamps).

Twinchies are very addictive and it's a challenge to get as much detail as possible onto such a small space.  If you've never had a go, then now's the time to start - check out the link above.  Meanwhile thanks for looking!!

Krafty Flower

Here is a card for the Less is More Challenge where the theme this week is to use KRAFT & CREAM.

I've die cut some Tattered Florals, Tattered Leaves and a Scroll from Kraft card and stamped some of it with Brilliance Cocoa Bean to create interest.  I've used the Mack Rose Stamp from Oak House Studio on two of the flowers layering it up with a plain one in the middle and stamped the English Garden Text on the leaves.   The flower is stuck onto Cream Linen card and is finished with a Hero Arts sentiment.

It's the Less is More Challenge's 2nd Birthday so congratulations to them and if you fancy a challenge, why not join in.  I like getting inky and messy, but sometimes it's challenging to do clean simple cards too!

Roses

Here's a one layer card for the Less is More challenge 67 where the stipulation is to use just Three Stamps.

I had a good look through my stamps trying to decide what to use and which ones would go together. In the end I chose my PSX Rosa stamped in Jet Black Archival and then coloured with Pentel Brush Markers creating a very vibrant colour. I stamped the Thank You in Dark Peony Chalk Ink and having masked this and the rose, I overstamped with part of the English Garden Text stamp - both these are from Oak House Studio. Love this stamp as it's a nice scripty font and the words do mention roses!!

Thanks for looking and for any comments you leave. It makes blogging so worthwhile!!

12 Tags of 2012 - April

Here's my tag for Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of 2012. Despite the fact I don't have the bird and branch die, or the ornate frame embossing folder or the reflections stamps, I've improvised!!


The background is a mixture of Broken China, Bundled Sage, Pine Needles and Rusty Hinge Distress Inks. I've overstamped this with Oak House Studio's English Garden Text in Pine Needles, embossed it with a Craft Too Swirly Frame and then highlighted this with Vintage Photo. I've added some Picket Fence Distress Stain in the middle to lighten it and then embellished with a grungeboard flourish, a Shattered Stains butterfly (Tando Creative) and some seam binding all coloured with various Distress Stains. The sentiment finishes it off.

Well my tag looks nothing like Tim's but there are some similarities - an embossed frame, a flying object, something for it to sit on etc. Hope you like and thanks for taking the time to look!!

Zing

Its been a bit of a grey week here, cloudy and damp etc so I decided to create something bright and cheerful. Its an ATC destined for Craft Stamper magazine for the 'in bloom' theme. The stamps are Oak House Studio Sketchy Flowers and the background uses the English Garden Text set. I don't normally use orange but you've got to agree it's bright!!