Fly Away Dreams

Hi Folks!  Yesterday Barbara Gray posted on her Blog about a lovely new Leafy Stencil and it reminded me that I hadn't posted about a card that I had made a few weeks ago for a young chap that was moving on to pastures new.  So I thought that I had better get on and do it before I forget again!!

So Blue for a boy ... I stamped the boy with the birds in Archival - Cornflower Blue on Clarity Coated A5 Card.  Then sprinkled with clear embossing powder and heat set from underneath.  I had used a spellbinders die to cut out the shape first.

Next step was to put in a moon mask and then create some sky and a bit of a landscape with the copy paper.  Brayer used for the Sky and Make-up sponges for the landscape shading.  Added a flock of birds and then I set about adding the lovely  Maple Leaf and did a bit of secondary stamping.  I love the effect the wet ink has on this type of card with the leaves...you get shading without even trying!  I then stamped the sentiment and embossed it as with the boy.

Now just a little reminder when using coated card stock to let your ink dry  completely unless you are embossing it as the ink will stay wet for a while...you can hurry it along a bit by using your heat gun.  And if you are using embossing powders, brush a bit of talcum powder over your work first...great for getting rid of static!

This was actually a last minute card and I was not quite sure of where I was heading.  But mounting this piece on a blank card just didn't look right so I decided to add a rectangular backing sheet. I once again used the Maple Leaf stamp on Theuva Card to create a border and then attached it together with double sided tape and then mounted it onto a blank white card.

I also stamped the Maple Leaf inside the card too but unfortunately I can't let you see it as it was immediately taken from me and promptly some very rude words were written in it. ( all in jest I am told )

I love using just one colour of ink and achieving as many shades as possible out of it.  The shading is dependant on which type of card or paper you use too.  Coated Card will give you a darker / stronger image, whereas Plain card or Theuva Card will give you a softer image.

The young chap loved his card and confessed that he thought he would end up with a very bright pink girly card...I told him I had that one in reserve!

Happy Crafting everyone !

Emma x

Lavender Dream

Hi Folks!  Still got the lurgy but determined to carry on regardless!  So today I thought I would share a lovely landscape stamp used with one of my favourite techniques...Embossing!

I have chosen the Large Landscape stamp from ClarityStamp Limited and my favourite Ink  (at the moment) Archival Brilliance Pearlescent Lavender.

The other items used in making this card are:

May all your Dreams Stamp (insert)                          Stencil Tape (or masking tape)             

Dream Stamp from Lesson 10                                  Stencil Brush (large)

Large Birch Leaf Stamp                                            Copy paper 

Bare Tree  Stamp                                          

Clear Embossing Powder                                          Ruler

Heat Gun                                                                  Wet wipes

Talcum Powder                                                         8 x 8 inch Blank Card    

Soft Brush for dusting                                                Moon Mask

I Taped off the 4 edges of the Blank Card, making sure that the Stencil Tape went slightly over the edge ( To protect it from getting discoloured when using the stencil brushes). I Sprinkled Talcum Powder onto card and brushed over lightly...tapped away excess.  (this stops the embossing powder from sticking where it shouldnt ).  Then I Inked up the Landscape Stamp, centered onto the card and stamped.  I Sprinkled the embossing powder on top and then tapped off excess and then heat set from underneath.




I added a moon mask and using a ruler tore some hills in some copy paper.  I lightly brushed they sky with the lavender ink.  I took the hills out to either side of the stamped image.  I tore anothe piece of copy paper but more of a straight line and used this piece to follow the lines for the horizon within the stamp.


 I put a bit more shading in on the outside of the image using my stencil brush and the torn copy paper. I then used the Large Birch Leaf stamp to stamp around the edge at the top and sides.  This gives the impression of looking through the trees. I then stamped the Bare Tree from a remountable winter set along the bottom of the image.

I then dusted once more with Talcum powder.  Stamped the word Dream and then embossed and heat set it

I stamped the sentiment onto the center of the insert and then I lightly stamped the Birch Leaf around the edges.  Once all the stamping was done I removed all the masking tape to leave a lovely white border.

Now I could have drawn a border all around the image either freehand or with a ruler but I decided just to leave it as it is. 

I hope you like it.  xx

P.S.  When using stamps and pearlescent ink it is best to give them a bit of a wipe as soon as you can. Intricate stamps can get a bit clogged up with this type of ink. With Clarity Stamps you can submerge in warm water or just give them a swipe over with a wet wipe.

Moon Fairy Dreams

Hi Folks!  Hope you are all well out there.  What a busy couple of weeks it has been for me and once again I forgot to post my Blog...slap on hand.  So over the next couple of days I WILL post a few more cards that have been made recently.




Today's contribution was made using the Moon fairy stamp from Clarity Stamp (my fav) along with the verse May all Your Dreams Come True, which is of course another Clarity Stamp.

To begin I stamped in clear versamark both stamps onto White Clarity Coated A5 Card.  I had laid a border around the card using masking tape and I also put a piece over the card to separate the picture from the words.









I laid a mask over the moon fairy ( supplied by Clarity Stamp) then with Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink, loaded onto my brayer and blending it on my splodge mat. I worked on the top part first (covering the bottom half with copy paper). Then I did the same for the word area.  I did this as I wanted to shade in the corners a bit more for each area.

I removed the masking tape and disaster struck!  I had obviously not de-tacked the masking tape enough and it tore away the coating on the border so I had no choice but to trim it back taking out the white border altogether.   I still had the centre piece to do.  So taking an Indigo Blue Pro Marker pen I coloured a length of white gauze ribbon and with a piece of foil and a die I cut out a buckle and of course you can see from the photo I threaded the ribbon through (I did have to fold it a bit first).  I attached this at the back of the card with double sided tape.

I attached a piece of pale blue mottled backing paper and used a perfect layer ruler to trim to give me a bit of a border.  I then attached this to a white card blank.  I gave the card a bit of a polish and then I went over the moon fairy and words with a versamark pen and dusted on some Perfect Pearls  ( I did the talcum powder bit first) gave it another bit of a polish.  Finally I added stars with a fine white micron pen.

All I can say is thank you to the people who invented paper trimmers.  Certainly came in handy on this card!

I could probably do a tutorial on what not to do and if you do, how to get out of it...plenty of practise.

Happy crafting everyone!

Hugs Emma x