True Colours

Hello,
 Today I have a card to share that I made with the Concorde & 9th turnabout dahlia stamp. I do love turnabout stamps and have had them out recently to practice because I do struggle to get them properly lined up. Anyway, you can probably expect some more turnabout examples from me in the next few weeks.

As you can see I have also used the coordinating die and as always when I use these stamps, it is almost lined up exactly, but not quite. I have decided that I am not beating myself up about it and am sharing it anyway because despite that I think it is a good card. I really like the colours, when I say that it generally means that they are Catherine Pooler colours. I originally stamped the fourth colour in Something Borrowed but then decided to use the coordinating die and cut out the blue, replacing it with the blue mirror card. I am pleased with the effect.

Here is a close up:

I am sharing this card at:

Stamping Sensations - Show your true colours

****Show Your True Colours****

Stamplorations - Anything CAS goes

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it.
Hilary
xx

2 Stencils 2 cards

Hello,
It is time to make sure I put an entry into Pixies snippets Playground #354 so I have found a card that I actually made a while ago but haven't posted yet.

This stencil is from The Crafters Workshop and I have inked it with distress oxides. It is finished with a die-cut sentiment cut from blue and white card to create the shadow. I added a bit of sparkle with some stickles and 3 enamel dots to finish it off. The snippets are the little bits of blue and white card used for the sentiment.

I am also sharing this at A Place to Start with a challenge title of stencil me in.

I have another card made in the same style that I thought I would share now too. I don't know which I like more, it's a tough call. This is an art screen stencil from colour box and I also used distress oxide ink.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it.
Hilary
xx

Birthdays and Butterflies

Hello,
Today I have an alcohol pearl inked background to help showcase my die cut flowers and butterflies on this birthday card that I made for a friend.

I have always loved alcohol inked backgrounds but now I have some alcohol pearls I like them even more. I also used some silver mixative on this one. The die is from Memory box and I cut it twice and stuck it down, then I used my alcohol markers to colour in the petals before stacking the remaining die cut on top. This next picture shows the shine a bit better.

The butterflies are part of the die set and add a little final touch I think. The sentiment was heat embossed.

I am sharing this card at:

Die-Cut Divas - Celebrate Birthdays

HLS Anything goes with dies - June Challenge



Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it.
Hilary
xx

Bees

Hello,
This months Twofer #17  has the prompt Bees. I was lucky enough to win 2 Chocolate Baroque stamp sets at Stamping Sensations May challenge, one of those sets was called Honey Bee so I really had to use it for this twofer challenge. The stamp set includes a range of bee themed stamps and I chose to use the large solitary bee for my cards.

My first card uses a Uniko stencil, Gold Perfect Pearls and  background created with distress inks. It is a birthday card.

The bee was stamped on acetate and heat embossed with Wow gold pearl embossing powder, as was the sentiment. I fussy cut the bee and mounted it with a clear pad. The panel was mounted on some green fun foam and then onto the dark green card base. The next picture shows the shine a bit better.

And here is a close up of the bee:

I am also entering this card in the June CAS Stencil Challenge



My second card is very simple and hopefully showcases the bee stamp where the first one didn't so much.

I inked the die cut square with wild honey distress ink and stamped and heat embossed the bee and it's label with black embossing powder. the square is mounted on foam and the base card is a coated light grey. I couldn't decide whether to add a 'just a note' sentiment and in the end I decided not to but I might change my mind before I send it out.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it.
Hilary
xx

Emboss Resist

Hello,
My card today in an emboss resist using a stencil, clear embossing and alcohol inks on watercolour paper.

Here is the card:

The stencil is a woodgrain which I inked with versa mark and heat embossed. I then used alcohol ink which soaks into the paper creating rather a lovely subtle effect. I also used bronze mixative that gives it a shine and isn't resisted by the embossing in the same way. The card is finished with a bronze strip of metal effects card and a diecut sentiment.

Here is a close up:

I am sharing it at Just add ink #460 emboss resist.



I also made another card with a left over piece so I thought I would include it in this post:

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it.
Hilary
xx

Daisy

Hello,
Today I have another watercolour card to share. I bought this Woodware stamp a while ago and have been meaning to get around to using it ever since. The day finally came, I am not sure what prompted it but here is the result of my playing:

As you can see I heat embossed the stamp with white embossing powder on hot pressed watercolour paper. I then used watercolour powders (Brusho) to colour it. I then added some definition with my zig real brush pens.

Here is a close up:

I am sharing this card at:

Seize The Birthday - #167 Anything Goes

AAA Birthday - Game 2 Use watercolours

 

I made a second card at the same time but used Distress Oxide inks on Bristol Board, which gave a very different feel to the card, even though I used similar colours. I again added detail with the same coloured ink using a brush. I am not entering this one in any challenges but I would love to know what you think. I prefer the vibrancy of the first card but there is something about the subtle colours and smoothness of this one that I quite like too.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it.
Hilary
xx

Background Stamping

Hello,
Today I have quite a bold card to share. This is one of my favourite techniques, watercolour powders on a heat embossed background. I used white heat embossing and brush powders and finished by adding extra colour and definition with my Zig brush pens.

I didn't want to detract from the background so I die cut the sentiment and stuck it on a piece of vellum that is wrapped round the panel.

Here is a close up:

 I have to say that I am very pleased with this card. I am usually extremely self critical (like most of us I suppose) but this one came together, I think it is the colours that make it.

I am sharing it at:

The Flower Challenge - Focus on background stamping

Watercooler Wednesday - Feminine anything goes

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it.
Hilary
xx

Blue Roses

Hello,
It is only the 6th of June and I have actually made a card for this months CAS Watercolour Challenge which asks for something blue. Just for a change inspiration came quite quickly and I got out my Uniko pure florals rose stamp set and chose to use the bud to make this card:

I stamped the bud rose repeatedly in a line on hot pressed watercolour paper with versafine black ink and then painted the roses with Zig clean colour real brush pens. When I finished I used a white gel pen just to add highlights and I roughly did the background with a grey pen. I used a stitched frame die to create the 2 pieces for the panel, stamped the sentiment in Catherine Pooler something borrowed ink and attached the panel to the front of my card. The sentiment is by Uniko too. I have used it a lot I really like the fine detail of it.

I am still not very good at watercoloring but I can see that I am making slow progress. Here is a close up:

I am also going to enter this in the HLS Watercolour Challenge.

  

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it.
Hilary
xx

Snippets #353

Hello,
Today I am sharing a card at Snippets Playground #353. I am conscious that the challenge only has 3 days to run and I am trying to make an effort to enter each fortnight. The card I have is one I made several weeks ago but haven't shared before, I used the faux stained glass effect. I don't know why I haven't shared it as I am quite pleased with it. Here it is:

The snippets are the mauve paper that I had in my off cut box and the background, which was an off cut from a watercolour background that I had done for something else.  

To make it I started with the watercolored background and then layered up 3 die cuts. Once they were glued onto the background and dry I filled the spaces with glossy accents and once that was dry I added a final die cut so that it looked neat as it is impossible not to get some glossy accents on the frame, particularly as some of the spaces were so small. Once that was done I agonised over how to present it and eventually hit on the mauve paper as a backdrop. I mounted it on the same off white cardstock as used for the die cutting and finished with the simple sentiment that is clear heat embossed.

Here are a couple more photos:

You can see the glossy effect on this close up.

Do let me know what you think, I like to read your comments.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it.
Hilary
xx

March Birthday

Hello,
Today I have a very quick post because I realise that the AAA Birthday #1 is about to close and as I have a number of cards made that I haven't posted, I had a look through them and came up with this:

This card was made for a special friends birthday at the end of March. I used the Concord & 9th All Season turnabout stamp and the 4 Catherine Pooler foundation ink colours. I love these colours, so vibrant. The sentiment is also from the same stamp set. To finish it I die cut the panel and mounted it on a blue pearlescent card base.

For some reason I didn't take a close up picture of this card, not sure what happened there. Anyway I was quite pleased with it and my friend enjoyed it too. I do find turnabout stamps a challenge to get lined up correctly so I am always pleased when it works. I particularly like this one because it makes a perfect circle.



Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it.
Hilary
xx