Floral card

Today's card is a stamped one using this month's stamp from the Clarity Club.   The background was created with Artistry inks through a Sweet Poppy metal stencil, and then the image stamped in the "circle" with Versafine Clair, and then water coloured with Artistry inks.  The Sentiment was a Julie Hickey stamp.

I always do inserts for my card, and for once I am sharing an example.   This is the one for this card - it was mainly produced in Craft Artist.   I always doe a border and then trim this with a wavy edged trimmer.   I normally put an image from Craft Artist on the left-hand side, but on this occasion I stamped an image using Card-io stamps, as they complimented the front of the card,

 

Yellow & Grey card

 

One of my granddaughters is very much into the colour yellow.  She also loves Harry Potter and in particular Dobby - and you can't have Dobby without socks!    She also wanted a basketball net for her birthday, which I have bought for her.    Therefor the card reflects all these items.

The card was created in Craft Artist.

A Nautical Theme

Experimenting with an idea for a nautical theme for a man's card.     I created a mask for the lighthouse stamp from Crafts-Too, and using the Chocolate Baroque masks and stencils applied some Artistry Inks in a blue and teal.  Removing the mask I then stamped the lighthouse.   the other stamps weren't masked, but stamped straight over the coloured squares, although a little colour was applied to the wheel, anchor and bottom of the lighthouse afterwards to create some shade.

I wanted to use the bird from the set of stamps too, but in hindsight I probably shouldn't have gone with that idea!  

Playing With A New Toy

I treated myself to a new craft toy last week - a Kaleido!     What's that you ask.    It is a new die-cutting machine with a difference.

Basically it is a manual die-cutting machine, but it also foils too, amongst other things (because it has an electric supply to to heat the rollers. It was the foiling that sold it to me as you can use any stamp in your craft stash, and don't have to buy special "stamps".  It comes with special ink to use on your stamps.  You then lay your foil on the stamped image and run it through the machine, peel of the foil and tada you have a foiled image.

Here are photos of my first play.   I wasn't expecting miracles  for a first attempt, but we pleasantly pleased with the results.  I just grabbed some random stamps and had a play.

First try with pink foil

2nd try with blue foil

Third try with the pen that comes with it and green foil.

As you can see from the green effort it also comes with a pen, so you can draw your own images, words etc. and foil them.  Another added bonus is that the base plates is magnetised - so really great for dies.

I have some "play" to try, as it will also foil on material.   It will also fuse fantasy fiber/film, together and then you could stamp and foil that.    With another medium that comes with the machine, you can foil your own die-cuts!    John Lockwood also demonstrated creating backgrounds from grated crayons.  I am looking forward to experimenting.

I am really pleased with my first efforts, and can see the machine will "come into its own" for Christmas cards.

Tulips from Amsterdam

A variation on an earlier card I did, but this time using the windmill stamp, and masks.   This time I in addition to brushing the colour on across the strip, I added some water colour elements using the Artistry inks - in fact the mound that the windmill is sitting on is actually green - although it doesn't look like it in the photo

Birthday Cake Topper

 

Although a Harry Potter cake had been ordered for granddaughter's birthday, the non-dairy members of the family needed a cake too, and I created this cake topper image in Craft Artist to be printed to go on that.   It's not everybody that get's two cakes on their birthday!

Panda & Slytherin Card

 My youngest granddaughter is very into Harry Potter at the moment in particular Malfoy and her birthday list contained all things Slytherin!  She also loves Pandas. thus the card I created for her in Craft Artist.

Tulip Birthday Card

 

A simple, but effective technique I saw demonstrated by Barbara Gray, using the tulip stamps from the Dutch collection.

The area was masked off, and the tulips stamped and then masked, and then blue Artistry Ink applied between the strips of masking tape.   Rather than draw lines at each edge of the blue, I decided to use some fine peel-offs from my stash.   A sentiment was then added.

Welcome Twins

We have more lockdown babies born recently - this time twin girls to my great niece.   I created this in Craft Artist.