Vintage Style Bluebirds Card

Hello all!  I have a really pretty vintage style card to share with you today using two of Terri Sproul's new stamp sets from Sin City Stamps.

Stamp image onto slick white card stock with black StazOn or any permanent ink.

Paint the birds, nest, flowers and leaves with Twinkling H20s in Burnt Umber, Pink Azalea, Ocean Wave, and Moss Green.  The best way to activate the "twinks" is to spritz water into each pot and let them sit for a few minutes.

I wanted to age the paper, so I used a blending tool to add Antique Linen distress ink to the white card stock.

Here is a close up of the coloring with the antiqued background.

Next, I layered this piece onto a pink card stock layer, then onto a dark green card stock layer.  I left the tiniest border of each color around the image.  Then I die cuts a piece of tan card stock with the Fancy Tags die, and before removing the paper from the die, I used the blending tool to add more Antique Linen distress ink to it.

When I removed the die, the tag now has this nice, aged look and highlights.

I adhered the stamped piece slightly off center of a 5"x7" periwinkle blue card base, and I cut the tag in half, adhering each half to the sides of the stamped image, as shown.

Die cut a branch from brown mat board with the bird branch die and adhere to the card front above the nest image.

Add some paper flowers to the left side, covering the edge of the branch.

Punch several leaves from the dark green card stock scrap, and paint with the Moss Green Twinkling H20s.

Adhere the leaves around the flower bouquet, and cut leaves apart to add to the branches.

The give my card a nice balance, I decided to stamp two butterflies from the Terri Sproul's Wish stamp set with black StazOn ink.  I used the Pink Azalea, Ocean Wave, and Moss Green twinks to color them.  Then I fussy cut them out, shaped their wings and adhered to the right hand side of my card.  I added Amber glitter liner to their butterfly bodies.

Supplies used:

Sin City Stamps: Terri Sproul's Vintage Set; Terri Sproul's Wish
ColourArte:  Twinkling H20s:  Burnt Umber, Pink Azalea, Ocean Wave, Moss Green
Card stock:  White, Pink, Green, Periwinkle Blue
Black StazOn ink pad
Antique Linen distress ink
Blending tool
Bird Branch (Sizzix)
Brown mat board
Fancy Tags Two die (Spellbinders)
Leaf punch (Martha Stewart)
Paper flowers (Prima, Recollections)
Amber Glitter (Viva Decor)

I hope you enjoyed my card project today.  I love these sets and I think you will too.  So pop on over to the Sin City Stamps online store and check out all of the new sets and products that Sin City Stamps carries.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful, creative week!

Barbara

Beauty-ful Cards

Hello fellow stampers.  Barbara here with a couple of cards I've been dying to make using this new stamp set called Big Bold Blossoms by Daniella Hayes.

In example #1, I colored directly onto the stamp with Distress Markers in Dusty Concord (flower), Peeled Paint (leaves), Wild Honey (stamen).  You can take your time coloring onto the stamp because you are going to rehydrate the inks by misting water over the stamp.

You want to mist very lightly, just making the ink look wet, not runny wet, although you can get a very watercolor effect by doing that.  Of course, your image will not be crisp like this one.

I brushed these same colors onto my craft sheet and picked each color up with a water brush, applying it to the image.  I used less water for a deeper color and more water to gain some light highlights.  However, when coloring the stamen, I picked up Mustard Seed from my craft sheet and colored the center in.

In example #2, I simply misted the stamp once more, without adding any more marker colors, and stamped again.  This time, my image is a bit lighter, but still quite visible.

This time, I am going to color the image with Copic markers in V01-Heath andV04-Lilac (flower), YG03-Yellow Green, YG23-New Leaf, and G99-Olive (Leaves), and finally a light application of YG00-Light Mimosa (stamen).  I found this to be an easier and quicker coloring technique because the Copic Markers are alcohol-based and will not affect the image stamped with water-based Distress Markers.

Here is a comparison!  Which one do you like best?  No need to answer, of course, as this is a personal preference.

Now, in this next example (#3), I stamped the image once more, still without adding color to the stamp, just more misted water, and this is where you can see the watercolored effect better.  

But what I really want to do with this is cut out the flower and use the negative space as a mask so that I can stamp inside my flower image.

I cut the leaves and stamen out and, with some removable tape added to the back of these pieces, I covered these areas to protect them from my next step.

I wanted to add some script to my flower, but not to my stamen or leaves.  I used the script stamp from the Art Journaling with Terri Sproul 2 stamp set with Black Soot distress ink.

I used this same technique for both of my flower images, and here is the result when I remove the masks.

I fussy cut the flowers and embossed them with a stylus to give them some added dimension.  Emboss the outline of the flower on the stamped side.  Then turn it over and emboss the centers between the embossed lines you made on the front.  

You can see the purple one, on the left, is more shapely than the very flat pink one on the right.  Set these aside.

Let's put the first card together.  

Stamp striped butterfly from the Terri Sproul's Wish stamp set twice onto scrap white cardstock.with black StazOn.  Color one butterfly with Twinkling H20s in Blue Grass and Golden Opal.

Adhere the two wrong sides together and outline with a black marker.

Stamp "Beauty" onto a scrap of white card stock with Peeled Paint distress ink.  Die cut a label shape around the image.  

I used the two colors of Twinkling H20s to color the label, spritzing with water and allowing the colors to marbleize.  I curved this label when adding it, and used the metal studs to appear as if it is holding the label down on each side.

I decided to add the Golden Opal Twinkling H20 to the stamen on this flower, as well as outline the kraft doily with it, for extra shimmer.

Adhere all the pieces to the card, as shown in the photo above.  

Card number two is layered over the die cut cream doily that I distressed with Antique Linen distress ink.  A few decorative swirls were die cut from the same die and added beneath the flower.  

Supplies used:
Sin City Stamps:  Big Bold Blossoms by Daniella Hayes; Art Journaling with Terri Sproul 2; Terri Sproul's Wish stamp sets
ColourArte:  Twinkling H20s - Blue Grass, Golden Opal
Distress Markers:  Dusty Concord, Peeled Paint, Wild Honey, Mustard Seed, Antique Linen
Copic Markers: V01-Heath, V04-Lilac, YG03-Yellow Green, YG23-New Leaf, G99-Olive, YG00-Light Mimosa
5"x7" pre-folded kraft card
5.5" x 5.5" square green card
Cream card stock for die cutting
Marianne Design LR0236 die
Kraft doilies (Recollections)
Country Road paper pad (Paper Studio)
Two metal studs

I hope you enjoyed my card projects today and that you will check out the new stamp sets that are arriving at Sin City Stamps.  We are also sponsored by ColourArte with a selection of their gorgeous Twinkling H20s, which are so versatile and easy to use.  Please check both shops out for some fab products.

If you are interested in seeing more of my work, I would love for you to stop by my blog at Black Hole Art Studio.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful, creative weekend!!!

Barbara

Mixed Media Backgrounds

Hey there!  I hope everyone is enjoying the warmer weather, but where did May go?  Hmmm... it sure does fly by faster and faster.  But today I have a fun, steampunkish, tag tutorial I want to share.  I am using a new (to me) stamp set that I just got from Sin City Stamps using one of my favorite images, hot air balloons.  I have prepared a video tutorial to show you all the fun you can have using all of these products together.  So let's get started.

Supplies:

Sin City Stamps

• Up Up and Away rubber stamp plate
• Art Journaling with Terri Sproul 2 rubber stamp plate

ColourArte Primary Elements Artist Pigments:

• Olive Vine, Meridian Blue, Burnt Umber, Ginger Flower, Ancient Coin, Sunflower

ColourArte Radiant Rain Shimmering Mist:

• Blue Pearl

Gina's Designs Lasercut Chipboard

• Steampunk 2 Shape Set
• Word Ribbons 4

Small (2-5/8" x 5-1/4") Ivory Tags (Paper Reflections)
Clear Gesso (Liquitex)
Gum Arabic (Winsor & Newton)
Mini Mister filled with water
Black, Leaf Green Archival ink pad
Tim Holtz Ideaology Spinners w/brad
Vintage Photo distress ink pad

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope I have inspired you to try these great products.  You see how beautifully they work together, stamps, chipboard, and paints, ooh la la!

Have a wonderful, creative weekend!

Barbara

Great Things Wall Plaque

Hello dear stamper friends!  This month, the talented Sin City Stamps design team have been sharing some awesome projects using those luscious products from ColourArte.  I combined their beautiful paints with some of Sin City's rubber stamps and die cut shapes.

Today I am going to share a simple but fun wall plaque.

I traced this design onto a piece of thick chipboard and cut it out.

Spread DecoArt Media Modeling Paste through Circle Collage Stencil by Terri Sproul with a spatula.

I applied the paste in three spots, that magic number.  Allow to dry.

Spread more DecoArt Media Modeling Paste through SCS Brick Wall Stencil in three spots, going off the edge of the board.

Once again, allow the paste to dry before proceeding.   You can speed drying time with a heat tool, but be careful or you could get some bubbling.

Spread more DecoArt Media Modeling Paste through a script stencil and allow to dry.

Paint entire board surface with white gesso and let dry.

Spray ColourArte's Shimmering Mists over background:  Honeydew, Ginger Peach, and Snapdragon.  Let dry.

Spray ColourArte's Shimmering Mist Honeydew over the entire background.  It gives the colors a bit of a vintage feel.

Lay out chipboard pieces onto background in a pleasing manner.  Do not glue them down yet.  This is just to give you an idea where to stamp.

Stamp flourishes and crackle background around the base with black archival ink.  Use several sizes of the flourishes to build your own flourishes and extend them.

It does not matter what color your die cuts are because you can make them your own.  First, paint each die cut with a coat of white gesso and let dry.

The chandelier was painted with ColourArte's Mediterranean Blue, edged with Nutmeg daubers.  Then, dimension was added with Peacock Liquid Pearls.

The table was painted with Nutmeg dauber, dabbing over and over, leaving specks that resemble burl wood.  Dimension was added with Platinum Pearl Liquid Pearls.

The spiral staircase was painted with the Nutmeg dauber, then Solar Gold Dauber.  More Nutmeg was added to the stairs.  Dimension was added with Platinum Pearl Liquid Pearls.

Cover the vase with Mediterranean Blue and edge with Nutmeg daubers.  Add dimension with Royal Blue Liquid Pearls.

Cover the lamp base with Mediterranean Blue and edge with Nutmeg daubers.  Cover lamp shade with Bisque Liquid Pearls, applying two coats with your finger and allowing to dry between coats.  Add dimension with Platinum Pearl Liquid Pearls.

Dab the solid butterfly with Radiant Rain Rich Cobalt, mist with water and dab excess.  Dab top cut out butterfly with Radiant Rain Mallard and edge with Radiant Rain Solar Gold.  Let dry, adhere pieces together.  Add dimension with Platinum Pearl Liquid Pearls.

Cover the dress form with Nutmeg dauber.  Use finger to dab a very light coat of the Platinum Pearl Liquid Pearls over the wire portion, and sponge Vintage Photo distress ink over the wood legs and top.  A bit of dimension was added with Platinum Pearl Liquid Pearls.

Give the frame an antique gold look by first dabbing with Vintage Photo distress stain, dry, then Radiant Rain Solar Gold dauber, dry, then Radiant Rain Nutmeg dauber, dry.

Die cut a frame using two dies sizes from the Spellbinders die set onto a piece of chipboard.

When you separate the pieces, you will have a frame and a center piece.  Save the center piece for another project.

Die cut a single piece of chipboard and tan card stock from the largest rectangle to be used as your backing piece.  Stamp sentiment onto another piece of tan card stock, center frame piece over image and trace around it with pencil.  Cut away excess card stock, as well as the letters "C" and "s", as shown.   These are the pieces you should have.  

Dab vintage photo distress stain over the chipboard frame, leaving dots of color to look like burl wood.  If you do not gesso the chipboard first, the stain will sink right into the fibers wherever it hits first, giving you these awesome color variations.

Dab ColourArte's Solar Gold dabber over the top.

Lightly dab more Radiant Rain Nutmeg dauber over the frame to give it a more vintage look.

Adhere frame over stamped card stock, allowing the letters that extend past the frame opening to be seen.  Adhere the second backing piece of chipboard to the back for stability.  Add some dimensional accents with Platinum Liquid Pearls in each corner.

Adhere all chipboard pieces to the base, as shown.  (Some of the photos show a different framed sentiment, which I ultimately changed to the current one).  Edge base with Chestnut Roan chalk ink.

I used Flower Soft™to make flowers and leaves using floral wire and glue, adhering the little flower particles to the wire.  I then inserted them into the vase in the lower left corner.

I found this little metal bird in my stash and knew I needed it to balance my piece.

Paint bird with white gesso, let dry.  Then paint with Radiant Gels Twilight and Stargazer dimensional paints.  Paint beak with Radiant Gels Emperor's Gold, and dry brush a bit over the bird's wings and tail feathers, as well as the breast.  Dot the eye with a black pen, and an even tinier dot with a white gel pen.

Here are a few more closeups.

Sin City Stamps:
Circle Collage Stencil by Terri Sproul
Brick Wall Stencil
Art Journal 3 rubber stamp plate
Sin City Wings rubber stamp plate
Around the House die cuts
In the Bedroom die cuts
Butterfly and Bee die cuts

Other:
DecoArt Media Modeling Paste
Liquitex white gesso
ColourArte Radiant Rains Mists:  Honeydew, Ginger Peach, Snapdragon
ColourArte Radiant Rains Daubers:  Mediterranean Blue, Nutmeg, Solar Gold
ColourArte Radiant Gels Dimensional Paints:  Twilight, Stargazer, Emperor's Gold
Flower Soft™(emerald green, baby pink, lavender)
Liquid Pearls Peacock, Platinum Pearl, Bisque
Vintage Photo distress ink and distress stain
Black archival ink
Chestnut Roan chalk ink
Scrap tan cardstock
Metal bird embellishment

I hope you enjoyed my rather lengthy, but picture-filled project today, and that I may have inspired you to take those die cuts and make them your own.  I think you will love how easy it is to change the look of simple shapes with gorgeous paint products from ColourArte.  With the right products, anything is possible.  Of course, the stencils are fabulous fun for adding texture, and the stamps add that extra bit of flair.

Have a wonderful week, and stay crafty, my friends!

Barbara