Here are just a few of my creations - I mainly make cards, but I've been known to dabble

Sunday 13 August 2017

MFT Pure Innocence: "Bed Rest" Cards

Hello!  Today I am sharing with you 3 cards that I made this week using the only My Favorite Things Pure Innocence stamp set that I have; it's titled "Bed Rest".  

I recently bought this set as I have very little in the way of 'get well' sorts of stamps in my stash.  When I first saw this stamp set, I immediately saw her in a bedroom, so that's what inspired me to make the following cards.

For the first two images, I coloured them with copic markers, listed below.  The third image was done with water colours, zig clean color real brush markers.

The first card I made has the girl in a purple bedshirt and aqua-ish bedspread.  I did this one in the most difficult way possible as I didn't want to die cut her and the bed out as the die leaves a white border around the die cut.  So, I stamped the portions of the stamp on the designer series papers (dsp) and cut the bed image OUT OF the papers!  I do not recommend you do this, it's just silly!  It turned out great, but it's a little funny as when you touch it, the image is actually indented as the background is built up around it.

Copic markers use above (lightest to darkest): 
SKIN: E21, E11, E33, R21
BED: E57, E29, E59
BLONDE HAIR: E11, Y13, Y08
PURPLE TOP: V04, V06, V09
AQUA BEDSPREAD: BG37, BG15, BG09
TISSUE BOX: Y13, YR14, YR18
PILLOW & TISSUES: 0, C00, C0, C1

For the second image, I smartened up a little and did it an easier way.  I just fussy cut the girl in bed out of the copic xpress it blending paper and stuck her to the layers of dsp on the base.  This worked out so much easier and when you run your fingers over this one, she is slightly raised above the background, which makes more sense.


Copic markers use above (lightest to darkest): 
SKIN: E21, E11, E33, R21
BED: E57, E29, E59
RED HAIR: E09, YR18, YR14,
YELLOW TOP: Y11, Y02, Y06, Y08
RED BEDSPREAD: R35, RV29, R59
TISSUE BOX: B21, B23, B18
PILLOW & TISSUES: 0, C00, C0, C1

For the third one (my favourite) I attempted my second ever go at no line colouring.  This is when you stamp the image in a light ink (usually one that will wash away with water - I used scattered straw distress ink).  The difference between no line colouring and lined colouring seemed quite obvious to me until recently when a friend asked about it.  Lined colouring has a distinct outline (like the copic coloured ones above) and the no lined ones do not have defining lines (as below).

I used a window die from a magazine that I bought from the last Brisbane Papercraft Expo (in June) and made my own curtains (and a template for later use).  I coloured the curtains in the same green combination as the bedspread and then ran it through a dotty embossing folder.

Unfortunately, I didn't record the colours used in the watercolouring this time as frankly I wasn't expecting any results worth taking note of!  I'll be sure to include them in the future though.


All in all, I'm counting this a success and will take what I learned into my next attempt at no line watercolouring - which was mainly to wait until sections are dry before colouring next to them, to prevent bleeding.  I watercoloured her on Canson 300gsm watercolor cardstock - the rough side. (I never use the rough side, and I'm not sure if that has contributed to the better results I got this time around.)

Thanks for stopping by and commenting if you have and I hope you have a lovely day!

Cheers
Karen

Tuesday 21 March 2017

Baby Card - The Paper Players Clean & Simple Challenge

Hello there!  I've been home sick yesterday and today (gladly recovered enough to know I'll be at work tomorrow) and decided to play along with the The Paper Players challenge that my friend Ina Grehan pointed me towards.  She knows I've been doing a few baby cards lately and thought to let me know about their challenge.  The challenge is titled: PP336: A Clean-and-simple challenge:

I don't really do single layer cards very often as I love die cutting images and popping them up, so this was a little step outside my comfort zone.  I even added some sequins, but hopefully not too many, lol, I left a lot of white space, so I think it's still CAS (clean and simple).

I used the stamp set from Lawn Fawn titled Little Bundle - been in my stash for a while, this is my first go at using it.  I coloured the image with some copic markers and a little gold pen on the buttons on the kids clothes.  All in all, it's the simplest card I've done in a while, and I hope you like it!  Stop by The Paper Players blog and see what the other entrants have made, and thanks for stopping by!

Cheers
Karen






Sunday 5 March 2017

Baby Cards #TheHumanRainbow

G'day everyone!  I have been making quite a few cards that I haven't blogged about yet, so I plan to get right on to that, starting with this post, all the baby cards I have recently made.

The stamp set is by Clearly Besotted "Peekaboo".  As soon as I saw this set, I fell in love.  Now, anyone who knows me knows that I am not a baby person.  I have no kids and plod along quite happily in my life without them, but these images are just so cute!  I think I owned them about a fortnight after first seeing them, due to waiting for shipping.  YouTube has a lot to answer for in my spending habits!

I also decided to have a play with my copic markers and try to make a bunch of babies from the human rainbow - i.e. all colours of babies, like in real life.  I first heard this expression from Sandy Allnock, who is a fantastic artist that I watch all the time on YouTube.  I suggest you check her out if you've been living under a rock and haven't heard of her! lol

When I thought of doing a human rainbow I realised how I don't think I've ever seen a baby card with any other colour of baby than pink/white.  If I ever sell any of these cards one day, at least my customers will have some choice!  I wish now that I'd written down the combination of markers I pulled out, by looking at Sandy Allnocks colour chart, but it's too late now.

Please have a look below and check out the baby cards made, enjoy and I hope you have a fabulous crafty day!

Cheers
Karen










Thanks for stopping by!  Have fun!




Monday 23 January 2017

Mermaid Panel made with Colorburst and distress inks and markers

Hi there.  I've made a few things recently and I'll share them maybe this week as I have a few days off due to the Australia day holiday (and a couple of rec leave days too :o) )  

I was watching a youtube video by Jen Evers (link: Watercolor Extravaganza | 1.5hrs length ) the other day and I ended up joining her facebook group Koala T Crafts for inspiration and fun.  Anyway, in the video Jen was using brusho powders (which are basically identical to my Ken Oliver Color Burst powders) and it reminded me of this panel that I made earlier this month and turned into a birthday card for my lovely friend Virginia.

I absolutely love how this panel came out.  First up I stamped the "Stampendous Cling Stamp - Mermaid" on the A4 sheet and then painted over her with Pebeo Drawing Gum (otherwise known as liquid masking fluid).

Next it was time to go crazy with my powder water colours.  I used ultramarine blue powder and water on watercolour paper but left the bottom section blank.  It looked so much like water under my mermaid that it led me to think it looked a little like a beach at the bottom, so I kept it blank and later sponged on a few different brown and yellow distress inks.

Once it was dry (I think I got back to it the next day), I used a tip I saw on another video that proved to be awesome:  Put a plastic bag (like a freezer bag) over your hand and rub the dried mask off with the bag on your finger.  It worked awesomely and didn't tear any of the paper.  

To colour in my mermaid, I scribbled Tim Holtz distress markers on an acrylic stamp block and picked it up with my water brush.  Going back and adding more colour once it was dried, i.e. layering up the colour, added to the natural shadows that you can see indicated on the stamped image.  Finally I had a few little spots where the background and mermaid didn't quite meet, so I went over those with a copic marker (next time I'll pick a lighter tone, lol).  My image turned out to be all sparkly too which was a fluke as I'm really sure where it came from (maybe the colour burst powder, I haven't checked).

So here she is finally!  To make her into a card for my friend Virgina, I cut the panel down to fit on a yellowy card base from Stampin Up that actually matched the 'sand' perfectly and put a black mat underneath her to really emphasise the panel colours and make them pop.  I also put some of the panel off cuts into the inside to tie it all together.  Oh and by the way, Virginia absolutely LOVES the card I made for her birthday.  Her hair is more green than yellow but didn't show up correctly in the photos.

The completed card is below (sorry for the strange photography angle!)


Thanks as always for stopping by and checking out what I've been up to.  I hope you have a little crafty time for yourself really soon!
Cheers
Kazza