My Baby Grandson Has Turned One!

I made this birthday card for my precious little grandson who has just turned one.

I have used the "Animal Outing" stamp set and coloured the images with Balmy Blue and Pool Party Blends Markers. The stamp pad ink colours are Balmy Blue, Pool Party and Coastal Cabana.

I have embossed some Whisper White card stock with the "Brick and Mortar" embossing folder and added some gauze in between. I have used Gesso all over the surface before adding my inks.
I randomly sprinkled on some Shimmer White Embossing Powder and heat set. I mixed Balmy Blue ink in some White Embossing Paste and spread through a Pattern Party Decorative Mask. The letters and numbers have been dipped in the new Ice Stampin' Glitter. To finish I sprinkled on some Snowflake Sequins.

 I also decided to decorate the envelope.

I really love how soft and magical this card turned out. Perfect for my little angel!

Another Galaxy Card

My son in law to be recently turned 30 and I wanted to make him a birthday card that would hold a cash gift. As I began thinking about a masculine theme I remembered the galaxy card from my last post "Celebrate Amazing You". As he loves the colour blue it was a perfect choice.

The colours and technique is the same as my previous galaxy card only this time I cut out the number thirty. As I haven't purchased the number dies yet I had to stamp the number and cut it out by hand. It isn't as smooth as a die cut but it sufficed.
I also added some tiny silver stars.
The numbers and quote are from the "Number of Years" stamp set.

On the inside I created a pocket at the base of the card to hold the cash gift. I created another galaxy panel to fit and die cut "celebrate" from the "Celebrate You" Thinlits Dies. I adhered the cut outs to the back of the front flap of the card.
I created a liner for the card by printing out my sentiment and colouring it using the same ink colours spritzed on my craft mat. The black spot stamp is from the "Awesomely Artistic" stamp set.

I created a custom sized envelope using the "Envelope Punch Board".

This technique is great for a masculine cards. It would be fun to create it in other colour ways.

Celebrate Amazing You!

Today I wanted to share four cards with you, all different but sharing a similar technique.

On all of the cards I have used gesso on black card stock in different ways and then applied different coloured inks to each.

For all of my cards I have used the "Amazing You" stamp set and the "Celebrate You" Thinlits die set.

For this card the ink colours are Wisteria Wonder and Night of Navy.

I  applied the gesso through a mask and once dry I sponged on my inks. The gesso picks up the sponged inks readily. I also added some silver embossing powder. Some "bricks" were cut away to show case the die cut and stamped sentiment.

For this card I sponged on the gesso covering most of the card surface. Once dry I sponged on and blended my inks: Berry Burst and Tangerine Tango. Then I lightly screwed up the card to create wrinkles. I swiped Basic Black Archival ink over the wrinkles to accentuate. I stamped some black dots in the background. The sentiment is die cut and stamped and embossed. I wrapped some gold thread around the card background before adhering to the card base.

I used the sentiment from the front die cut to decorate the inside of the card.

For this card I began by applying the gesso lightly with a brush in a cross hatching fashion. I added some heavier gesso lines with an old credit card. Once dry I sponged on and blended the inks: Rich Razzleberry and Crushed Curry. I grabbed my credit card again added some Rich Razzleberry lines. Using my credit card again I added some Versa Mark lines and embossed them with gold embossing powder. 

I die cut the word "amazing" twice in black card stock and gold embossed one of them. I offset the gold over the black. I finished off by adding some gold thread to the "o" and "u".

To achieve the effect on this card I lightly sponged on the gesso so there was some of the black card showing through. Once dry I blended my ink colours: Pacific Point, Mariner Mist and Tempting Turquoise. I sprinkled on some silver embossing powder and finished off with some gesso splatters. I really love this effect, it reminds me of a galaxy.

The sentiment was die cut and silver embossed. I threaded some seed and bugle beads onto silver thread and wrapped it behind the "you".

I decorated the inside of the card with the die cut.

Gesso really is a great companion to your inks. It is so versatile and creates so many possibilities.

Our Daughter is Engaged!

We are so happy and excited to announce the engagement of our eldest daughter to the love of her life. So of course I had to create a card. As we wanted to give them a monetary gift I decided to create a card that had a pocket to hold it.

The ink colours I used were Tempting Turquoise and Smoky Slate.

I printed the sentiment from my computer.

I used a script stamp in the background from the "Background Bits" stamp set.

I created my patterned paper first. Here I have added some Silver embossing paste through a mask.

I dyed some gauze in Tempting Turquoise for the background.

I also used the Shimmery White embossing paste to hold some seed beads in place.

I used silver embossing powder to edge my paper.

I also created a charm using glass pearls and crystals.

The card has a silver ribbon closure.

On the inside of the card I have created a side pocket to hold some money.

The Bible verse and sentiment were printed from my computer before adding background colour.

The art work is a hand drawn image.

I have coloured it using inks as watercolour and colour pencils for shading.

I am pleased to say our daughter and future son in law loved the card as much as I did in creating it.

No Greater Love

Happy Valentines Day.

What a great day to celebrate love and most especially God's love for us.

The creation of this card was truly led by the Spirit. I had an idea of where I was going but it changed and evolved into a true demonstration of God's love.

He allowed His very heart to be nailed to the cross that we might live.

The ink colours I used are Always Artichoke and Cherry Cobbler. 

The cross has been die cut from the "Cross of Hope" Framelits Die Set. I embossed it using gold embossing powder.

The quote was printed from my computer.

I want to recreate this card into a larger canvas that I can see all the time to remind me of how dearly loved I am.

Beautiful Mistakes

Mistakes! Ugh!! As a creative person I'm really not a fan. Don't get me wrong, there are times I love mistakes, when they become creative opportunities.  Or when they work perseverance in me. But there are times no matter how long I persevere I always seem to end up with a mistake in my work I just can't do anything with. There is no covering it up. It is just there in all its glory.

The other day was just one of those days where nothing seemed to go right. I must have attempted this card at least four times but alas, just I had almost completed it, a nasty stray ink mark from my stamp block invaded my sentiment. So I ended up throwing it in my box to try again another day, putting it down to a lesson in perseverance.

However today I felt compelled to pull it out and actually mount it onto a card, not to give to someone but to give to me. It is to remind me that I am not infallible, to accept my mistakes, get over myself and to learn humility.

Mistakes not only build perseverance in us but also the beauty of humility.

I have used Elegant Eggplant and Soft Sky Stampin'Up! inks. The stamp sets are "Beautiful Peacock" and "Lovely Wishes".

I have used masking techniques throughout playing around with ink intensity.

There is that mistake! Some parts of the peacock didn't stamp solidly so I touched up those areas with the basic black Stampin' Write marker.

I really do want to try this design again perhaps in a different colour way, and, minus the mistakes!

Let Your Light Shine - Tag Card

I wanted to experiment with Mat Gel Medium and my inks, so I decided to add texture with some tissue paper.

I have used Crushed Curry and Marina Mist inks and the "Beautiful Peacock" stamp set.

I have typed the sentiment on my computer.

After inking the background I applied wrinkled tissue paper over the top using Mat Gel Medium. I added more ink over the top of the Medium.

I used gold embossing powder on the background and along the edges.

The tag is removable.

I used silk ribbon and gold thread to embellish the tail of the peacock.

The Bible verse was printed from my computer.

I love the texture the Mat Gel Medium allowed me to achieve on this card.

You're Awesome - Ink and Brushos

Our youngest son has just recently reached his first savings goal by working hard over the school holidays in his new job. So I decided to make him a card recognising his efforts and to let him know how proud we are of him.

The stamp set is called "Epic Celebrations". The ink colours are Cajun Craze and Old Olive. I have also used Brushos Moss Green. The paper is ordinary copier paper.

I prepared my background papers first with ink and texture. I will be doing a tutorial on this technique later.

I used Brushos on the sentiment and headphones. I will be showing this technique in a later tutorial. I also sprinkled it over the background.

I dyed some gauze to add some further embellishment.

I prepared a liner on my computer and inked the edges.

I discovered a couple of new techniques creating this card. I am hoping to share them with you soon by way of tutorials. Stay tuned for that.

Angel Wings - Shimmery White Embossing Paste

Another cool medium I received at Christmas was the new Stampin'Up!® Shimmery White Embossing Paste. As soon as I saw it I thought about angel wings.

The ink colours I have used are Pink Pirouette and Smoky Slate. I have die cut the cross using the "Cross of Hope" Framelits Dies. The flowers were created using the Blossom Builder Punch. I cut the angel wings from a sketch I drew.

After adding some ink to the wings, I added some water to the Shimmery White Embossing Paste and washed it across the wings. This added a lovely glittery finish without the dimension. After drying I brushed the Paste onto the wing tips to add some texture.

I also added the Paste to the background through a mask and dabbed it onto the cross. The flower centres have been rolled in the Paste.

I dabbed some Paste around the edges of the bottom layer of the quote.

I continued the Bible verse on the inside of the card.

I love how soft and delicate this card worked out and the pretty touch of the Shimmery White Embossing Paste.