Christmas Cards continued

Continuing the theme - a few more cards over the next few days.  I thought I had finished making them, but I seem to have more friends alive than I thought.  (So many have departed recently).    There was a time when we received about 160 cards.   I have made 80 this year!  I have cut the list considerably, but I do like to keep in touch with family and friends at Christmas - at least they know I am still alive!

and another ink card

If you have read the two previous posts - you will know that I have been playing with alcohol inks,   I do love the effects you get, normally completely out of your control .   I shall experiment at some point with some more and die-cutting flowers etc from them.

Another Inks and Christmas Card

This was a little play I had with Indian Inks, Alcohol inks and yupo paper.   The Indian Ink didn't move like the alcohol Ink, so I added a little alcohol inks and then encouraged the inks to move by drawing threw them with the end of a paintbrush.

 and here is a section of it used on a Christmas Card.

Christmas Cards and alcohol ink

My granddaughter and I were playing with my alcohol inks on yupo paper on Sunday.  Today I have made 20 Christmas cards and used part of the above play as a background for one of the cards  It looks fab in real life.  The photo doesn't really do it justice it simply glows in the light.

I'll share another one tomorrow

Christmas Ornaments

Ornament 1 

A friend and her daughter liked the ornaments that I had made recently that they asked if I could make some for them.   More MDF kits duly purchased and I proceeded to create two personalised gifts.

Ornament 1

They were personalised to their specification 

Ornament 2

Ornament 2

I had such fun painting these.   Everything was covered in white gesso and then the trees had distress oxides sponged on to the edges.   The deers and signposted were painted with Amsterdam acrylics.   The snow detail etc was created using Luv Crafts Let It Snow.

The base was painted with white acrylic paint and then Luv Crafts Puff Paste was applied thinly with a palette knife and "roughed up" which when heated up puffed up to give the looks of snow.  I then sprayed the base with a little water and sprinkled some Ultra Thick Embossing powder on and heated that up to make the snow "glisten".

Finally I painted baubles with the words chosen, and the year, with Posca pens; and added more Let It Snow..   Next year they can add a bauble of their choice or get me to paint one with next year's date on it! - lol!

Christmas Cards 5

 Another selection of cards, all painted slightly differently.   The little stamps are from Julie Hickey, and I used my stamp platform to position them, which meant I could batch make them, knowing that they were position correctly each time.

They have been embossed and then painted using inks from ink pads.  I had a good production line going - painting one colour on all the cards, and then repeating with next colours, by which time the first colour was dry.

Most of them have been finished with a little Let It Snow and some Nuvo drops.

slight variation on this one as I discovered s smudge on the edge
so double sided tape and glitter rectified that - lol!

This final card was an experiment stamping and embossing in white, but I wasn't happy with the effect as the image and sentiment didn't show up well.    Rectified with a bit of shading with ink from ink pads around the images and the wording.  Corners added in same colour and some Let it Snow.

Christmas Cards 4

This one was a little experiment   I stamped the poinsettia and embossed with white.   It looked a bit lost on the card, so I applied some distress oxides around the edge, and added some IZink spray finish and some Nuvo drops.  I love this little s tamp - so next time I will stamp it out and fussy cut around it and make a group of them.  Or maybe stamp it out on a tag and add it that way.

Playing with Inks

I was watching a demo on Hochanda earlier this week, and it inspired me to get my Pinata Inks out andhave a little play.  These ae the results of the play.  I love the "flower" above - that will be fussy cut and used on something.

I love playhing with these inks and isopropyl alcohol as you just never know what is going to happen.  Love the colours in this piece too.   Hopefully I can find something to use it on - or maybe even die cut it and use it in a jewellery piece.

Christmas Cards 3

It's back to Christmas cards again today, and another one of the designs of a batch I made.     Clarity dies again, mounted on to one of their design paper sheets, which had also been die cut.   Finished off with a couple of Julie Hickey stamps, which were stamped with a Nuvo green ink pad.

3D Printing

I treated my family to a 3D printer for Christmas - but of course had to try it out when it arrived (In fact this was the second one received as the first one failed to proceed so had to be returned - thankfully this one seems to be working ok)

It might not be very inspiring - but we had a little play to make sure it worked and this is what my daughter produced:  two paperclips, three cogs, a dice (though this is a bit iffy as whoever designed it didn't get the opposite sides to add up to seven - lol!) and  geometric snowflake - at least I think that is what it is called.   My daughter was operating the machine at the time, and being a mathematician it had to be something to do with mathematicsl!

Not sure whose house it is going to live in - I think it will be travelling between homes on a regular basis!   I might even get to have a play at some point, although I will need some lessons first!

I nearly forgot my cousin's birthday - Clarity Fresh Cut dies to the rescue.   These dies and the Clarity backing paper don't need much more.

I added a sentiment from Creative Expressions which continues on the insert to read Have a Fabulous Birthday.

Sympathy Card

Keeping it simple again, with a fairly plain front of the card using my favourite Clarity Fresh Cut Lily die, and putting the sentiment etc on the insert.

Christmas Cards 2

Blue Mirri Card

Another selection today with a variation on a theme.  This time using one of the Clarit Christmas dies.  The first two have been cut with blue mirri card and used as a topper, with a sentiment from John Next Door stamp;ed in Blue Nuvo ink and clear embossed.

Blue Mirri Card

The next couple from my selection have been cut into the card and either paper from a Clarity backing pad added behind, or parchment from one of the patterned pads  Sentiments again from John Next Door.  

Chritmas Cards

Well it;s that time of year again, and the reason I have been awol this week.   The guilty conscience was nagging and it said get started on your Christmas cards.

Advance notice - it may get a little boring, but I am just selecting a few at a time, which have been created in a similar way.

The main image was the stamp from the Clarity Club this month, so I had to use it (no point in leaving it until next year!)    In the top image  I have done a watercolour technique using ink pads  In the lower image I used Perga Liners (pencils) and again used a watercolour technique.  I had quite a production line going - having stamped the image, I then proceeded to paint all one colour on the cards, and then start on another colour, by which time the first colour was dry; which was a lot easier than paint the whole of one card before starting another.

The corners were a John Next Door stamp and the sentiment was a Julie Hickey stamp which were stamped with Spectrum Noir Midas Metallic inks. I have done various variations of colour on m cards - some have been stamped with Platinum, some with Blush, but the majority have been stamped with Rose Gold (love that colour).  On some cards I have embossed the corners and sentiment, some I have left plain.

Finally a little Luv Crafts Let It Snow has been added at random.

Sewing Machine

Just a little teaser today - a MDF model sewing machine, which I have put together, and started on the decoration.using some Samantha K mdf elements and stencil.     I have in fact now applied a coat of white gesso, although I am not sure whether to continue with white as a base coat oor do it black.

I shall make some flowers etc to embellish it and also perhaps add some paint fusion flowers.

A few weeks ago I received a RAK in the form of a little box containing MDF blanks.   The proviso was that I did something with it.   Well Having applied some gesso almost as soon as it arrived, it has sat on my desk waiting for me to get inspired.

I had so many ideas swimming around my head I didn't know whee to start.  Inspired by a demonstration on Hochanda where the origin of ATC was explained as a show case of your art, I decided rather than go with a theme, I would try to attempt something different on all of the cards, with a little of something from all my interests and just go with the flow.  So that is the plan

The little book box was covered with some tissue (just ordinary tissue out of the tissue box, but separated and just one scrunched up layer applied with slap-it-on.  When dry more black gesso was applied

Next various metallic and Pebeo DYNA paints were sponged on.  Gold gilding wax was then applied lightly over the rough surface and around the edges of the box   A strip of washi tape applied and a peel-off from my stash.   Sitting on my desk was a die-cut parchment butterfly - so some gold gilding wax was applied to that too.

I stamped the sentiment onto a piece of card and rubbed the edges with pebeo gilding wax.   

I felt the box need something in the bottom corner to balance the butterfly, and inspiration struck and I made a rose and some leaves from air dry clay; coloured them with artistry inks, and a smidgen of more gilding wax.  Happy with the effect.

I also made a start on one of the ATC shapes.   I started off with shades of red, orange and yellow oxides blended in and then sprayed with water and mopped to create lighter area.  I used a Samantha K stencil and some relief paste for the top left corner and added some lines with black nuvo ink and a credit care. I then stamped the words - the black word was embossed.   I wasn't quite happy with the result so I then applied clear embossing ink and Ultra thick embossing powder of the whole card, repeating the UTEE application a couple of times for a smooth finish.   This has of course obliterated the effect of the relief paste - so I shall re-apply it and then decide what else needs to go on the card as the mood takes me.

A bit more on the Christmas Scene

One is nearly finished - need to add some moreand glitter on the base.

I painted a couple of baubles to see which one I liked the best:

Posca Pen Tree and Let It Snow 

Let is snow mixed with Indigoblu paint for tree 

I need to paint a smaller bauble for the scene with the snowman in as he stand above the curve - either that or move the elements around a bit.

Christmas Tree Scene Model - Work in Progress

Originally these trees were going to be green, and I had applied black gesso - then I changed my mind.  I am pleased I did - I do like the blue/white effect.   I painted with white pebeo acrylic, and then sponged various blue distress oxides around  the edges, and a little green on the trunk   I did the same with the small trees.

with stag 

 The Stag was painted with acrylic paints.

with snowman

The snowman was also painted with white acrylic and highlighted with black from a Nujvo embossing pad with my finger to give the appearance of a rounded shape.  Ribbon was tied around his neck.  His features were added with micron pens, and the black of his hat was done with a Pebeo 4Artist Marker and a band painted with a Posca pen.

The Merry Christmas signs were sponged with a cream paint and brown paint and the words highlighted with a micron pen.

All there is to do now is to apply a snow effect, and add a bauble - which I am hoping to paint compliment the design - it may even be paint poured.

I will share the finished designs anon.

Spooky Book Box - Finished

I showed work in progress earlier, and now the project is complete - it has had a spray of marble spray over all the surfaces to look like cobwebs.

inside of box

I have added a die-cut skull  to the back:  (The back had tissue paper scrunched up and applied with IndigoBlu slap-it-on, before painting with black gesso)

back of box

back and front of box

Painted Calico Rose Card

There was a little panic yesterday, when I realised it was a friend's birthday.   A quick card was required.  I suddenly had some inspiration as sitting on my craft desk was some calico where I had practised stamping and painting some flowers.  (The stamp was from IndogBlu, and I used Posca pens to colour it.

I did a qick random background with distress oxides and a sponge     I cut out the flower and applied clear embossing ink to it and then clear detail powder.   This gave the effect of stiffening.  I added a drop of glue around the centre and added some Cosmic Shimmer glitter jewels, and cut into the petals to give them some shape.   The words from Craft Creations, stamped in black and embossed.

Sleepy Owl

Another owl project from me - this time a hanging ornament.   The moon was painted with various acrylic paints and then oversprayed with marble effect spray, and various colours of I-Zink Dye Spray Finishes.

The owl was panted with various shades of brown and cream Amsterdam acrylic paint   The clouds and stars after having gesso applied had white or silver Pebeo 4 Artist Markers applied, and then clear Nuvo embossing pad and clear embossing powder.   The clouds had a little grey distress ink applied for shading.  The owl didn't come with eyes - so I just drew closed eyelids on with a fineliner pen.

Owl Plaque

This is a kit I had that I had a play with.   Background is done with Pebeo Bluc/Black and over-sprayed with marble spray.   The owle was painted with various brown Amsterdam acrylic pains and then details painted with Pebeo porcelaine paints.

The branch was also painted with the Amseterdam acrylics as were the leaves, but they were overpainted with Pebeo Vitrail and detailed with the porcelain paint.   The writing was done with Pebeo Cerne Relief.