Chocolate Baroque challenge 18

Hello to anyone reading this.

As I seem to be organised and ready for Christmas day, I decided to enter the Chocolate Baroque  challenge again, as I really like using black and white with one other colour.



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                                         Lovely striking colours and what a cute photo.


I have been playing with the new background stamp called Floral weave. Love it, as it is the sort of design that can be used as a whole or cut up , as I have done.

 

         The top card has been embossed with Red dragon embossing powder and clear on white card.

                                 The photo, unfortunately, has made the red look very pink!!

                                Hope you all have a great Christmas and best wishes for 2016.

                                                                           Carole

Christmas - blue, silver and gold

Hello.

Here are some more of the Christmas samples I did for the Handmade Christmas fair.

I am very into dark blue and silver  this year and blue with gold,  and I really like these colours mounted onto craft card.
Here are four cards I did using the ArtCuts shapes as the focal point. The paper is Japanese handmade paper, that ArtCuts sells. It is gorgeous to use.

 

 

 

The dark blue is a Versamagic Midnight blue. My favourite colour this year!

The stamping is done with Hobby Art stamps.

 

Hope you all have a very good Christmas and a very happy 2016

 

Bye for now

Carole

Chocolate Baroque challenge 17

Hello again.


Love the new Chocolate Baroque challenge colours, they fitted in very well with a project I was making with an ArtCuts oval bauble shape. Aren't they gorgeous? There are lovely samples on the challenge web site.

I embossed the oval bauble with a lovely turquoise embossing powder I had forgotten I had.
 I put several layers on and then embedded one of the Chocolate Baroque stamps from Exquisite Edges,  into the hot melted embossing powder, to get the impression. Then it was brushed over with gold pigment powder.

 I really like this technique and haven't used it for a long time. Must do some more now.

The background was stamped with VersaMagic,  and brushed over with gold pigment powder.
It was then sprayed with cheap hairspray, to fix it, otherwise you get fingerprints all over your work. I did the same with the bauble.

I covered some tiny hearts with turquoise and gold handmade paper, from ArtCuts and stuck them on.
The Noel was made with some very old letter brads that I found in my stash. Very useful.

Thanks for looking and hope you visit again.

 

Carole

Kirstie Allsop's Handmade Christmas Fair - Manchester.

Hello to anyone reading this.
Thank you for visiting my blog.

I am writing this as a very tired , but happy person, who has recently returned from the Handmade Christmas Fair in Manchester Central,  with Artcuts.

We had a great time and were very busy demonstrating different projects and doing three Make and Take sessions.

Our Make and Take went well  and we met many lovely people, who were  very enthusiastic crafters.
 Thank you to any one  who visited Artcuts stand. Hope you had a good day.


The show was held at Manchester Central , just a couple of minutes walk from our hotel.

A great venue surrounded by buildings with lovely architecture. I spent most of my time looking up , as we walked around. 

We were also excited that the Christmas market was on, so we wandered around that one evening,  after the show. It was quite magical.

 This civic building had the most amazing ceilings that we could see from the square.
I would love to have had the time to visit this building.
Perhaps next time.




Here are a couple of things I made for the show.

The bunting went on the tree that ArtCuts had sponsored in the entrance lobby. I stuck on the  ArtCuts embellishment shapes and used Wink of Stella clear and white pens and glitter to add twinkle.
. We did all the decorations for this in green and red and stamped them with Hobby  Art  Christmas stamps.

It looked very pretty when it was finished and was positioned right by the café, which was great.

 

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Unfortunately, my photos do not do it justice.
The lovely green and red heart bunting was done by Chris,  and can be seen on her  blog. (sketching stamper).

The tree next to the stand was decorated with different blues and white and looked very pretty too.
Again, rubbish photo. but you get the idea!!

 Chris has the Fergus heart bunting on her blog now, that you can see in the photo. It is beautiful.
Fergus is another Hobby Art stamp we used at the show.

 

 

 

Will show some more next time.

Bye for now.

Carole

Christmas cards

Hello to anyone reading this today. Hope you are having a good day.

My first Christmas cards of the season.

 Normally, I do not think Christmas until December and then it's a frantic rush to get my cards done and sent.  But I have been doing Artcuts samples, for the Handmade Christmas fair in  Manchester, in November, so it's been a bit of a necessity!!

The shapes are great for cards and they can be a gift too, to hang on the tree.

The papers are gorgeous hand printed Japanese papers and are lovely to use.
More to follow, when I can find the photos!!

Bye for now and thank you for looking.

                                                                             Carole

Chocolate Baroque challenge- card 2

Hello again.

Chocolate Baroque challenge , card 2.

I decided to enter a second card this month as I have also been  "playing" with an owl border stamp that I bought recently. Couldn't resist this one!!

 

It is great for masking and using as a background , as I have done, and the individual owls can be cut out easily.

I think this will make a good autumn birthday card, and the leaves that have been falling rapidly from a tree in my garden, work perfectly with the colour scheme.

 

 

 

 

Thought I'd also show you another card that I have made with them.

Much simpler design, quick and easy.

 

 

 

 

I've already got another couple of ideas buzzing around in my head for other cards.

I really like it when a stamp inspires, like this one, and is easy to use.

 

Mind you, anything with an owl on is automatically on my "must have" list!!! 

Thank you for visiting again.

Bye for now.

Carole

 

 

Chocolate Baroque challenge 15

Hello to anyone reading my blog.


I have been having fun with this months colour challenge on Chocolate Baroque site, as I really like these colours together.

 

 

 

 

They remind me of a winter sunset and as I was driving out this evening the sky looked magnificent with streaks of yellow and grey.

I have just received my new edge stamps and they are gorgeous.
The sample below uses one of them with another stamp I already had, and I am entering this card into the Chocolate Baroque challenge this month.

 

 

                 I  have used one of the borders from Exquisite edges with Garden lace scene.

Thanks for looking.
Carole

Crafty individuals challenge September - Anything Goes

Hello.
 Just a quick post as I am entering the Crafty Individuals challenge for September.
Left it a bit late, but hey ho!!

I bought this stamp recently and thought it would make a great card for winter birthdays or Christmas.

 

 

I have embossed it with silver and coloured with pearl paints. I then die cut the frame around it.

The photo doesn't really do it justice as the pearls look very pretty against the black.

Must finish as I need to get this sent.
Bye for now
Carole

Fairy Heart

Hello to anyone reading this.
Hope your day is good.

Well, today I have couple of samples  using a stamp which I would normally shy away from, a fairy!! For anyone  who knows me, you will know that this is VERY unusual for me.

I was asked to try it for a new kit that is being launched by Artcuts at the Kirsty Allsop Handmade show at Hampton Court, in September. But shock horror!!!, I found that I got carried away 'playing' with it afterwards.

Even my mother commented that, "for someone who doesn't like fairy stamps, you seem to be doing alright with your samples". So that was nice to hear.

But, I have to admit, I have enjoyed working with this stamp.

It is a Lavinia fairy called Giselle,  and in this first sample I have used it in conjunction with a Chocolate Baroque  stamp called Fantastic Florals, as the background.
 The tiny butterflies are Artcuts embellishment butterflies, coloured and glittered.

 

 

 

I like the fact that you can use part of the stamp and she still looks good. So she fits on the smaller heart too.

 

I have also used her with a Hobby Art  daisy stamp on the background.

I will show you this next time as I haven't managed a photo of it yet.

 

Hope you visit again soon

Best wishes

Carole

 

 

 

 

 

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Background to Chocolate Baroque card

Hello again to anyone reading this.

Thank you to everyone who left a comment about my last cards I posted. It really cheered me up to read them.

After the last post that I submitted to Chocolate Baroque's challenge, Janice asked how I had done the background colours. I'm sorry that I have taken so long to get around to answering your query.

I started by stamping the top border with Seedless Grape Distress ink and quickly covering with clear embossing powder, then heat embossing.  I then stamped the bottom border and embossed.
 I then masked both sides of the edges before stamping and embossing one side, then the other.

Once the embossing had cooled, I used  Cut-n-dry foam and Crushed Olive Distress ink to ink over the white areas.

 Hope this helps Janice.



I thought I would show you another project I have done using Chocolate Baroque stamps.

 

This was an old box I've had lying around for ages.

 

I painted it a teal colour and when it was dry re-painted it black and scuffed the edges.

The metal was stamped with black Staz On and then worked to emboss it.

It was then painted over with acrylic  paint and rubbed back.

The side panels are silver embossed on black and then coloured with Perfect Pearl paints, to give the panels a shimmer.

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The bold Chocolate Baroque designs are perfect for metal embossing.

 

 

 

 See you soon and happy crafting

Bye for now

Carole

 

Chocolate Baroque challenge July

Hello again.


The second challenge card I have just completed is for Chocolate Baroque.

The colours are a bit out of my comfort zone and my sample has come out a little brighter than I would have liked!

I have only just started doing any challenges and I find that it really helps me to focus on using colours I may not normally use, and actually completing a card. Must be good.

The stamp used for the background is from the Floral Edges set.
I have stamped it all around the edge, to form a frame.

The butterfly and saying are from one of my favourite sets called Patchwork butterfly.
I have used the stamps in this set so often as they are a great size. It also has an oversized butterfly, which is good for home décor items.
Great used with metal too.

Two cards in one day. Whatever next!

Bye for now. Please visit again.

                                                                               Carole

Crafty individuals challenge-Face Value

Hello to anyone reading this.

I've been a bit slow in posting anything recently. Seem to have so many things churning around in my mind, so can't concentrate on actually getting anything finished!

But... I have actually managed to do a couple of challenges this month, very unusual for me.
I just hope I  get them in before the deadline!




The first is the Crafty Individuals Face Value challenge, and I am submitting the card below.

 

 

I think this image is so pretty and it is one of the first stamps I purchased from this company.

I have stamped it first and then embossed it with a Sizzix heart folder, swiped over with  Victorian velvet distress ink.

 

The other embossed panel is a Tim Holtz border, again swiped over with the distress ink, before embossing.

I like the effect this technique gives to the background.

 

The little flowers are also Crafty Individuals, a freebie I was kindly sent with my last order. They are very pretty and very detailed.

 

Hope you are having a good day and bye for now.

Carole

 

 

 

Owls

Hello to anyone reading this and thank you for visiting.

Today, I have been playing with owls again.
It seems to have been a long time since I've done this.

I have many owl stamps as I have mentioned before, but I recently purchased a Lindsay Mason stamp  called Zendoodle Big Owl Ready to Go, which I really like.

It's a lovely stamp in it's own right, on the left of the picture below, but I was really pleased to see that it fitted beautifully on the Artcuts owl shape too, on the right of the picture.

 

 

On the sample above, I have stamped and heat embossed onto black and then coloured with pearlescent powders. This is a technique I often use as I like the effect.

On this one, I have heat embossed the image onto the wood and then it has also been coloured with pearlescent powders. Tiny hearts have been stuck on for the wings.

The embossing folder behind is an old Cuttlebug folder which I have had for years and it is so useful as a background for all my owl stamps.

Thank you for visiting and I hope your day is as beautiful as it is here.

Bye for now.
Carole

 

 

Chocolate Baroque challenge

Hello again.


I am entering another card into the Chocolate Baroque challenge this month.



They are gorgeous colours and well within my comfort zone.





 

 This is the same card before being mounted onto the purple. I took the photos at different times which was a mistake as the lighting was very different

 

 I think the Sizzix embossing folder and die cut work well with this design and I was very pleased with the result. The stamp is called Song thrush and has proved very useful.

 

 I have done this design in several different colour ways, as I was going to enter last time as well and left it too late!  I'll post these next time.

Thanks for visiting and bye for now.


                                                            Carole

Chocolate Baroque roses

Good evening everyone.

The sun is shining, we have bright blue sky and five minutes ago we had the most dramatic hail storm with hailstones bouncing off the roof! Very bizarre.

Just a quick post to show two cards I did with a group of ladies at a U3A craft group last week.

 

 

I used a Chocolate Baroque set called Harlequin Rose, which has some lovely images on it.

The quote on the top card I have had for ages and cannot remember which company it was from, but the bottom one is in the set.
The colouring is all done with Distress inks used as water colours, or applied with cut-n-dry foam.

I'm working on a new card for the latest Chocolate Baroque challenge now, so must get on.

Have a good evening and thanks for visiting.

                                                             Carole

New die-cut

Hello to anyone reading my blog.
Thank you for visiting.

I have recently purchased a gorgeous die cut from Poppystamps.

Originally I bought it because I thought it would work well with my various owl stamps, as a frame, but it is proving to be very useful.
It is called Massa Leaf frame and works well whichever way it is put, which I like.

The cards below show that it looks good  in two directions and I am still trying to decide which way around I prefer.
I may never make a definite decision on this one!!

 

 

The stamp is by Chocolate Baroque and is stamped onto a wooden square from Artcuts.

I have coloured it with H2o paints.

 

 

 

 

 

Again a Chocolate Baroque stamp, this time coloured with water colour pencils on an Artcuts heart.

 

These wooden shapes are made from a good quality birch ply which gives a lovely surface for stamping and colouring.

 

 

Hope you have enjoyed this post and thanks for looking.

Any comments on which way round you think looks best, will be gratefully received.

 

Bye for now.

 

Carole

Artcuts Heart

Hello to  anyone who is visiting.



I have a very quick make to show you today using an Artcuts wooden heart and  a stamping technique which I really like.
I have never tried it on the wood before but am pleased with the result.

I stamped directly onto the heart with a VersaMagic inkpad and a Hobby Art stamp,  then  heat embossed it with clear powder. It is probably wise to swipe an antistatic bag over the heart before stamping.
I wiped an inkpad all over the heart, then put a piece of paper over the heart and ironed it with a craft iron.

This will melt the embossing powder and lift it off onto the paper.
It leaves a batik effect on the surface of the wood, which I like.

The little butterfly has been coloured with the same inkpad and then glittered.
It is stuck onto the heart with PVA glue, as have the letters.

Hope you are having a glorious day like we are here.
Please visit again and thank you to everyone who takes the time to make a comment.
It's lovely to get feedback.

Bye for now.


                                                               Carole

Chocolate Baroque challenge

Hello everyone.
Hope you are having a gorgeous day, as we are here.


I've been inspired this week and have made three cards. Must be a record!!

I am entering this one into a Chocolate Baroque challenge as it involves using my favourite colours. The first challenge I have ever entered. so am quite excited.



 

 

I'm really in my comfort zone with this colour combination! Hope you like it.

The flowers on the base are softly coloured but unfortunately the photo hasn't shown it very well.
The main stamps are by Chocolate Baroque and the words are Hobby art.

Bye for now.
Carole

Metal embossed book cover

                   Hello to anyone reading this and thank you for visiting.


Two post in under a week!!  That must be a record for me!
I had a sudden urge to get my metal out again, something I haven't done for a while.

It started with a notebook I had lying around which I decided to make it a little more exciting to look at.


 So it started off looking like this...

                            

 

 Rather boring.

 

 

 

After several hours and much contemplating it now looks like this...

 

 

 and the back...

 

 

I used metal tape laid over various die cut shapes , the tape was just the right width for the book, which was convenient.

It was then worked to make the shapes show up well  and extra texture was added to the blank areas.

 

 

 

 

The raised flowers were embossed using a stencil, and stuck on afterwards when the paint had dried.

 

 

Little nailheads completed the centres of the flowers.

 

I really enjoyed making this as it is a long while since I've made something for myself, and I shall enjoy looking at it every time I use the notebook.

 

I have actually started using it too, which is unusual for me.  I have quite a few blank books, but can never bear to start writing in them.

 

 Just one of my little quirks!!

 

Hope you enjoyed visiting.

Bye for now

Carole