Chocolate Baroque Challenge 31

Hello everyone. Welcome to my blog.
Another lovely colour combination this month.

These challenges keep me focused on my stamping and I have had fun using a lovely poppy set called Summer Poppies,  that I haven't touched for a long while. Found it again when I was tidying my stash. That's a challenge in itself!

 

 

 

 

 So, here's my first card. Very quick and simple.

 

 

 

 

I like the main stamp a lot as it is surprisingly versatile

 

  This one took longer as there was a lot of cutting out, but I think it was worth it.

The ribbon is actually the same colour as the inkpad, although it appears much redder in my photo!

 

 

This is the background that I did first before I overlaid the others features. Seemed a shame to cover it up really.

 

 

 

Thank you very much for visiting. Must go, as I have the boring things to do now.

 

Happy Crafting

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

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

 

 

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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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

More Artcuts hearts

Stamping onto wooden hearts by Artcuts

 I thought you might like to see a few more hearts stamped with some of my favourite stamps.

I generally like to use fairly bold designs, as you can see. They are stamps from various companies.
 Chocolate Baroque, Indigo Blu, Woodware, being the main stamps I like to use.

This is one of my particular favourites by indigo Blu. I have done several things with this stamp and am in the process of making a necklace pendant at the moment.

 

He just needs some crowns to go either side of him, to complete the banner.

It's so sweet.

 

 

 

 

I have stamped straight onto the wood with Versafine and then coloured. with watercolour pencils. The background colour is done with a variety of mediums, Versamagic and Brilliance inkpads are my favourite way of colouring the backgrounds but slightly watered down acrylic paint gives a lovely light  wash effect, and can look good too.

 

 

This is a close up of one of my favourite cards. it is stamped with a gorgeous fushia stamp by Chocolate Baroque. The background paper is one of the lovely handmade screen printed papers that Artcuts sells.

 

 

 

 

I have overlaid a smaller heart over the big heart, although it is difficult to see this in the photo.

 

Thank you for visiting.

 

Carole

A Card for mum

Hello.

Thought I would post the card that I gave to mum for Mothering Sunday. I know this is a little belated but just found the photograph that I took of it .

I was really pleased with the finished result and the heart could be taken off and hung as a decoration as well.

 Hope you like it.

 

 

The stamp I have used is a Chocolate Baroque bauble stamp.

This stamp is a particular favourite of mine as I think it is a lovely design.

 

The heart is made from birch ply and is sold by Artcuts.

It has a lovely surface to stamp onto. I then put Glossy accents onto the flower, and, when dry, swiped a VersaMagic inkpad over it.

The edge was then glittered and a crystal style strip stuck on.

 

Thanks for visiting.

Bye.

Carole

Gorgeous new stamps

Hello

Thank you for visiting.

I was very excited recently, as I received my delivery from Chocolate Baroque and couldn't wait to use the new stamps I had ordered.

 

 I bought a flower border set and two baroque hearts which I have been wanting for a while .

I immediately stuck the rubber stamps onto the cling mount and got the clear stamps ready to try them out.

                                           Oh boy!!! Are they gorgeous!!

 

 

I have stamped the hearts onto Artcuts laser cut heart shapes.

The poppy baroque and fushia baroque are such beautiful  images and work perfectly on the hearts, giving lovely bold designs.

 

You will be able to see the samples for real if you are able to come along to the Farnborough craft show at the end of February.

                             Artcuts will be there with a demo table this time.
                                             Look forward to seeing you.

 Please mention that you saw the samples on my blog if you come to see us.

The border stamps are great for making base cards to display the stamped hearts, as you can see above.

I just love the Chocolate Baroque designs and they work so beautifully on the heart shapes.

Hope you have enjoyed looking.
Carole 

Christmas decorations

Artcuts Christmas decorations


The Artcuts wooden decorations are great to work with. They can be sanded to give a lovely smooth surface for stamping, or coloured with stains or acrylic paint to give a coloured surface to work on.

The bird has been painted with Paper Artsy chalk paints and then over-stamped with a Chocolate Baroque stamp and blue Versafine  inkpad. When this was dry it was painted with PVA glue and a clear glitter sprinkled over it.

 

 

The bell was coloured around the edges  and then glittered in the same way.

Four small hearts were then stuck on and a flower centre finished it off.

 

The gingerbread man was just glittered straight over the laser burnt side so that the burnt edges showed through , underneath the glitter.
This is one of my favourite techniques as I like to see  the natural wood with the burn marks.

 

 

 

These  have been stamped with Versafine and clear embossed. They were then coloured with water colour pencils. The moon was glazed with Glossy accents and glitter sprinkled over.

Little Claire stamp called Little George

Little Claire stamp

 

 

 

 

The bauble has been stamped in the same way as the owls and then each section was glued and glittered. This was time consuming but pretty when done.



 

Artistic bauble stamp by Chocolate Baroque

Stamps by Chocolate Baroque
 

These were coloured with Versamagic inkpads. They give a lovely matt finish, which I like.

 

  Hope you have enjoyed the projects and thank you for visiting my blog.

 

 

Happy crafting

 

Carole

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 







Decorating Artcut shapes

An exciting time at Alexander Palace


Hello to you all.
Bit slow on posting recently as I have been very busy.

I was lucky enough to be demonstrating for
Artcuts at the Alexander Palace craft show recently. It was great fun.
Exhausting, but I was kept well supplied with tea and coffee by Rebecca, the owner of the company.

 There was a great deal of interest in what I was doing with the wooden laser cut shapes that Artcuts produces in their own workshop, and plenty of positive feedback, which is always lovely to hear.

Thank  you to everyone who came to see us and show so much interest. It was much appreciated.

 

 

The laser shapes can be decorated in so many ways and are particularly good for stamping onto.
The samples  here  have been stamped with Chocolate Baroque stamps. A big thank you goes to Glenda, the owner, for supplying me with some stamps to use on the shapes. They worked extremely well as they are lovely bold designs. The stamps used were a plate called Artistic Baubles . Six lovely circular designs, five of which can be seen here.

 

The photos don't do the stamps justice really, which is a shame.

I'll post a few more samples next time .

 

 

Hope you've enjoyed looking. Bye for now.

 

 

Carole