Festive Interlude (by Asha)

Good morning, fellow Chocoholics. I know you are loving the new stamps Flowerhead stamps. They  are seriously gorgeous and I cannot wait to get them inked up.  However, with under a month left to get your Christmas cards in the mail,  I believe a little Festive Interlude is in order.

Today I am revisiting Chocolate Baroque's older Christmas stamps to make a couple of shaker cards.  These are quick projects - NO fancy inking, blending or colouring BUT guaranteed to get squeals of delight from the recipients.

My first project showcases the Peace On Earth set. I heat embossed the image with WOW Ebony Embossing Powder and stamped the greeting with VersaFine Majestic Blue. To give a little depth, I inked the around the image with Shaded Lilac Distress Ink. I added a few pale sequins in the shaker window and mounted the whole piece on sparkly silver card stock. To finish, sheer blue ribbon tied in a knot.

For my second card I stamped the snow covered cottage from the Snowy Scenes stamp set with VersaFine ink and lightly sponged around the image with Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink. The shaker element is the window in a die-cut ornament. I stencilled the scripty background with Picked Raspberry Distress Ink directly on the card base and adhered the ornament shaker piece on it. The sentiment is from Christmas Magic released last year.

I hope you are inspired to use some of your small stamps from your large sheets to create these whimsical and fun cards. And, it is so satisfying to breathe new life into much-loved older stamps.

Be sure to stop by soon for more fun makes from the rest of the DT. As always, details of full list of supplies used is available on my blog.

Beijinhos,
Asha

Christmas At Home (by Julie)

Hello, today I have two more Christmas designs from this month's fabulous, festive stamp sets. My first is created with one of the new single cling mounted stamps called Welcome Home, the snowflakes in the background are from the new Sparkling Trees and the sentiment is from Christmas Magic

The main image has been stamped with Sepia Versafine and then coloured with pencils. I stamped the image again onto spare card so that the trees could be cut out and decoupaged. The snow has been added with a white marker pen with extra Crystal Stickles for good measure. The image has then been edged with Mermaid Lagoon Distress ink, before being mounted onto silver mirri card. I masked off the section behind the main image on the base card with masking tape and stamped the snowflakes with Versamark and heat embossed with Sparkling Snow Embossing powder, before adding Faded Jeans Distress ink with some cut n dry foam. The sentiment was stamped with Onyx Black Versafine.

My second card is in a very traditional style and has been stamped with the brand new Christmas Candlelight set.

The base card has been coloured with Tea Dye Distress ink, stamped with the small holly stamp using Watering Can Archival ink and then coloured with colouring pencils.

The candle image was stamped onto glossy stamping card with Watering Can Archival ink before being coloured with alcohol pens. The image was cut out with a die and the larger size die was used to cut the green card-stock matt. Both die cuts have been edged with a gold marker pen and Tea Dye distress ink.

To finish off the sentiment was stamped with Black Onyx Versafine and is from the Christmas Magic set.

Many thanks for stopping by and please pop back soon to see some more design team inspiration.

Sparkling Trees (posted by Claire)

Good morning folks, Claire here with a couple of cards made with this months newstamps. I always look forward to getting my mits on the new Christmas Stamps from Chocolate Baroque and this years new designs are as beautiful as always  (you can find them all here) I've got a couple of cards to share today using stamps from Sparkling Trees

I made this rocker card using the group of 3 trees and the snowflake stamps using a card blank from my stash. I stamped the trees using Stormy Skies Distress Ink in the centre of the circle and then created a little forest by repeat stamping the image using both first and second generation stamping.

I distressed the edges with more Stormy Skies and added lots of glitter and gems. The bottom panel was created using the same ink and the snowflake stamps from the same stamp sheet. I assembled the card, layering the focal image up over a paper doiley and adding a bow topped with a button. To finish off I've stamped the sentiment from Christmas Candlelight on white card with versamark and embossed with silver embossing powder. I cut the sentiment out and added a little colour with more Stormy Skies. 

You can see the sparkle a little better in this pic

My second card is a very quick and easy make again using Sparkling Trees and a sentiment from Christmas Magic clear stamp set.

I simply stamped and embossed the tree from Sparkling Trees and the sentiment with versamark and embossed with a sparkly gold embossing powder. I coloured the baubles on the tree and then applied glossy accents, sprinkling with some glass glitter. They look a bit like jelly tots lol.

I hope you're enjoying the new Christmas stamps and all the inspiration from my talented teamies.

Thanks for visiting today

Claire xx

Christmas Sparkle (by Julie)

Good morning everyone. Today I have some fabulous, brand new, Christmas stamps to show you. With the weather here in the UK being slightly unseasonal of late, it has not been that hard to imagine all things festive, so grab a cup of something and have a read.
My first card uses stamps from both of the new sets which are Sparkling Trees and Christmas Candlelight.

To start with I inked up the larger pine cone stamp with Watering Can Archival Ink and stamped the design in each of the corners on the base card. The background was created with Fired Brick, Tea Dye and Forest Moss Distress ink before colouring with colouring pencils. The middle panel has been stamped with the naked tree from the Sparkling Trees set, using Spanish Moss Versafine ink and the centre circle was die cut and stamped with the smallest pine cone stamp from Christmas Candlelight. I decided where I was placing the centre panel and then stamped the small pine cone stamp so that it looks like it is emerging from underneath each corner of the panel. The sentiment is from Christmas Candlelight and the card has been finished off with dabs of Crystal Stickles and flat backed gems.

My second card has been created using Sparkling Trees and the sentiment is from Christmas Magic.

The background is just red and green liquid watercolour onto watercolour card, dry with a heat tool and then add dabs of a silver metallic ink pad. The background snowflakes have been stamped with Onyx Black Versafine along with the sentiment and the trees. I stamped the trees for a second time onto green card and embossed with Sparkling Snow Wow Embossing Powder before cutting out and mounting with silicone. The reindeer was stamped with Onyx Black Versafine, coloured with pencils, cut out and mounted with silicone. The sparkly panel was created by spreading Hologram Viva Crystal Gel onto a non stick sheet. Leave to dry completely before peeling off and colouring the smooth side with red and green alcohol markers and then apply the coloured smooth side to some silver mirri card. The black frame has been die cut and embossed with a snowflake embossing folder and then silver gilding wax was used to add highlights. Snowflakes stamped onto acetate using Picket Fence Distress paint were then cut out and mounted with silicone to finish off.

These cards are obviously not quick but are relatively easy to do, so please do pop back regularly where the rest of the Design Team will have more Christmas ideas for you.

Two Birds Flying Free (by Asha)

Good morning, fellow crafters. I've got two cards to show you today - both featuring stamps from the new July release stamps: A little Bird Told Me and Free As A Bird.

In the first card, I created the background on pale purple card stock with a stencil and Distress ink. The bird is coloured with alcohol markers and fussy cut. The two little cages are heat embossed in white.

For my second sample I used one of the birds from A Little Bird Told Me, to make a Christmas card. I coloured him with Polychromos. The snow flakes, heat embossed in white, are from Family Christmas A4 sheet, and the greeting is from Christmas Magic clear stamp sheet.                    

That's all from me today. As always, details on how I made these cards are available on my blog. Thanks for stopping by and come back soon for more crafty ideas from the rest of the design team.

Beijinhos,
Asha 

Little Gifts For Christmas (by Asha)

Good morning, everyone. We are now a fortnight away from Christmas. Ideally all your cards should be in the mail and it's time to look at finalising the gifts. I've got 3 projects to help you make those pressies extra special.

1. Gift Card Holder

Gift cards make perfect presents ... when you run out of ideas! It can be a special gift when housed in a beautiful box. And you can't beat the wow factor of heat embossing.

Red and Gold - always a striking combo. That magnificent tree is from the Turtle Doves A5 sheet, heat embossed in gold and matted on gold card stock. I also did some tone-on-tone stamping in the background with the little snowflake from the Snowy Scenes A5 sheet with Versamark.

This is a top opening box, revealing a pocket for the gift card in a slide-up mechanism. The sentiment is from the Christmas Magic clear stamp set, heat embossed in gold. I have link to a video tutorial for this project on my blog.


2. Gift bag

If you're super organised and have all your gifts ready for giving, how about making gift bags to house them. The WRMK Gift Bag Punch Board, available from the Chocolate Baroque store, makes light work of it. Here's one I prepared earlier:

I made the medium sized box and the main star is the jolly man from the Santa Baby A5 sheet. He is coloured with water-colour pencils, fussy cut and popped up with foam tape in front of heat embossed snowflakes from the Snowy Scenes A5 sheet.

Water colouring is easy and very forgiving - just what you need when in a hurry. Trust me, it really is that simple. Just lay down the colour as shown below and, using a fine brush, let the water do all the work. No fancy blending or shading. I have details of the colours used on my blog.

3. Gift Card and Treat Box

And when you want to spoil someone - go for the double whammy: Gift Card and a treat  - all in one box.

 I decorated the top of the box with the wreath from Hearth and Home A4 sheet, coloured with alcohol markers. Keeping it simple with just some ribbon.

The box opens revealing the gift card in a pop-up mechanism with room for a few golden nuggets! I've got details on how to make this box on my blog.

Three project ideas to help you with your festive preps: elegant, playful and extravagant - there's something for everyone. I hope these projects inspire you to play with your Chocolate Baroque Christmas stamps.

Thanks for stopping by. The rest of the Design Team are having fun with the gorgeous December release stamps, so please stop by regularly for more crafty ideas.

Beijinhos,
Asha

Angels and Bells! (posted by Maria)

Hello everyone, once again you can see the beautiful Angel from the A child is Born stamp set passing by!

I made this card by creating a background using watercolour powders. I have coloured the angel with alcohol markers here, but of course you can colour it with pencils or Distress Inks. I cut the angel out and placed the image with 3D foam on the card. The snowflakes are stamped with Versamark and white embossing powder.

On this card I first made my background with Distress Inks in the colours I liked and I stamped the leaves   with Versamark. I used golden embossing powder to emboss with my heat-tool. Then I stamped my bells on some white paper, and coloured them in with my alcohol markers. I cut the image out with a die cut , and leaving the die cut in place, coloured all around with the Distress Ink. I removed the small card from the frame so that there was a beautiful white frame all around, and placed it with 3D foam on the card.

Have fun making your Christmas cards with all the fantastic Christmas stamps of Chocolate Baroque and enjoy!!

Greetings
Maria

A Child is Born and Snowy Penguins By Florence

Hi everyone

Today I would like to share three cards made using both the A Child Is Born and Snow Penguins stamp sets.

For my first card I used just the bells from A Child Is Born set.  I stamped the bells onto white card stock, colored the image and then fussy cut them out. I made up the card as seen using some backing  papers and adding some foam tape behind the bells to make them 3D.

These two cards have been made in the same way using just the snowflake stamp from Snowy Penguins.  I used a piece of backing paper I had made previously and just stamped the snowflakes randomly using Archival Ink.  I used one of the stamps from the Christmas Magic Sentiments Set and a die cut to make the tag and made the cards up as seen.

For the third card I just added "Christmas Is In The Air" using one of the word stamps from Snowy Penguins with the snowflakes on the backing paper.  Again, I used one of the sentiments from the Christmas Magic Sentiments Set to make the tag and made the card up as seen.

It has been such a delight using all of the new Chocolate Baroque Christmas Stamps this month.  Do check out all of the fabulous projects made by the DT.   

Thank you for looking.

Florence x

Sleigh Bells and Snow Balls (by Asha)

Good morning, fellow Chocoholics. I have more Christmas projects to show you - all made with the new stamps.

First up is the gift laden sleigh from the Santa Baby A5 sheet, set against the magical Northern Lights. I used various shades of Distress Inks to create the sky and added little silver dots for the stars. I coloured the presents with alcohol markers and sprinkled some shimmery fibres for the snow on the ground . The greeting is from the Christmas Magic clear stamp set. Details on the products used to create this card is available on my blog. 

My second project is a set of tags. I have to admit to not being a great fan of tags. But there's something about the images from these new stamp sets than inspired me to make these. The trio of bells is from the Holly Bells A5 sheet and the tree is from the Santa Baby sheet. I heat embossed the bells in gold onto some red cardstock, fussy cut and adhered to the tag base with foam tape.  The tree is just stamped directly onto the tag and dotted some red Liquid Pearls for the baubles. I blended Distress Inks to create the background on both tags.

And finally, here's an icy number I recently posted on my blog. For this easel card I used the Snowy Penguins clear stamp set. Super simple to make and has all the glitter and shimmer of a perfect Christmas. Details on how I made this card can be seen here.

Thank you for stopping by today. I hope you enjoyed looking at these projects as much as I enjoyed making them. There are so many ways to works these gorgeous new Christmas stamps. Please drop in regularly to see more inspirational work from the rest of the Design Team.

Beijinhos,
Asha

A little Christmas Magic (by Lesley)

If you want to batch make a load of cards one of the best ways to start is to create a selection of backgrounds and the *acrylic block technique is ideal for this process. You can use a variety of dye based inkpads or makers and you will soon build yourself a nice little pile of colourful bases on which to stamp. You'll be surprised how many you can do in about an hour. Leave them overnight to dry thoroughly and you're good to go.

For this background I used Peeled Paint, Shabby Shutters and Squeezed Lemonade Distress inks on an A6 piece of white cardstock. Once dry I used the Climbing Vine and Cell Theory Crafters Workshop templates and some white gesso to add interest over the inked background. I then stamped the holly spray from the Holly Bells stamp set with Tuxedo Black Memento across all four corners and painted the holly berries with Festive Berries Distress ink. The sentiment is from the Christmas Magic clear set and was stamped onto an oval die cut. Finally, both the card and the die cut were edged with Tuxedo Black.

I hope you'll have your own messy, inky session making backgrounds; it's great fun and you can get quite a little production line going once you start. 

* If you want to learn more about the acrylic block technique then you can find it here as part of Glenda's Monday Mojo series

Don't forget to keep checking back every day for more inspirational ideas from the rest of our talented design team.

Going around in Circles (posted by Judith)

Hello Folks, I have some samples on circular theme for you today, using the stamps of the month.

For my first sample, I created a watercolour background in shades of green and purple, and then added a circle mask in the centre. I stamped an image from the Harlequin Fragments stamp set around the edge of the mask, using green ink. I sponged a little bit of green ink around of the mask to add some shading, before removing the mask. I stamped and embossed the holly and bell images from the Holly Bells stamp plate using gold embossing powder. I also stamped another set of  images onto a spare piece of card. I coloured the spare images with water based markers and a water brush  and decoupaged them onto the background. I added some hand drawn 'string'. The sentiment is from the Christmas Magic stamp plate.

For a more detailed  explanation of how I made this card, you can hop over to My Blog

I have a couple of CAS cards that I would also like to show you. In these days of rising postage costs, flat cards are always useful to make, and these two cards would make good batch cards, that you could make in lots of different colour options as well. The first card was made using blue and lilac tones, and I simply created a reverse mask, sponging coloured ink through a circle aperture onto my card. I coloured the top and bottom circles first, and overlapped the middle one last. I then selected three baubles, taken from the Santa Baby/Holly Bells Multi-Buy stamp set, and stamped them in the same inks that I used to create the circles, giving a tone on tone effect. The sentiment was taken from the Christmas Sentiments Multibuy

The last card was made in much the same way, except that I created a single circle, blending yellow and green inks, and chose a stronger ink to stamp the bells. The sentiment comes from the Bold Christmas Words stamp set.

Thanks for stopping by, Judith xx

A Craft Christmas By (Doreen)

Hello to you all, I am sharing a sample made from the new stamps that have just been released for September over at Chocolate Baroque. My card uses a couple of the stamps from the Holly Bells stamp sheet...I started by stamping my tree, snowflake and sentiment onto craft card with Versamark and white embosed them. They were then matted onto white card  The sentiment is from the Christmas Magic Set

Christmas Night (posted by Judith)

Hello Folks, I'd like to show you a card using the newly released Santa Baby stamp set. I wanted to use the sleigh flying through the air pulled by a reindeer, and so I looked through my older christmas stamp sets and found the perfect match on the Damask Reindeer stamp set. I stamped both of the images onto a piece of smooth watercolour paper, and then covered them with a mask. I also added a circle mask at this point. I coloured the background with a variety of blue Distress Inks, graduating to a deep purple at the bottom of the page. Around the circle, I added some yellow, to create a glowing effect. I spritzed the background with water to create a starry feel to the background, and added a little bit of pearl spray for some extra shimmer.

I removed the masks, and coloured the images with water based markers and a water brush. I stamped a tree from the Stained Glass Christmas stamp set along the bottom of the background, using green ink and clear embossing powder. I added some grey shading to the moon, and stamped a sentiment taken from the Christmas Magic clear stamp set using black ink.

I have also created a card using the A Child is Born stamp set. I stamped the corner snowflake stamp around the edges of some watercolour paper using white embossing powder, and filled in the gaps with one of the smaller snowflakes to create a frame. I created a watercolour background using lots of blue tones. I stamped the angel onto a separate piece of card, and coloured the image with pencils. Finally, I added the word 'Joy' to the background.

Full details of how I made this card can be found over on My Blog

 My Team mates have some beautiful inspiration for you over the coming month, so please keep checking back. Thanks for stopping by, Judith xx

Honeysuckle Butterfly and a Pear Tree (posted by Claire)

Good morning everyone, another couple of samples made with the beautiful Honeysuckle Butterfly and  Turtle Doves stamp sets. 

My first card features this lovely image stamped with Memeno Tuxedo Black ink and coloured with pencils. I've die cut the bottom of the card and dusted around the edges with Picked Raspberry Distress ink.

The background was made by simply applying distress inks (Picked Raspberry, Wild Honey and Ripe Persimmon) to my craft mat, misting with water and swooshing my card though the ink. To finish off I've added a hot pink bow and a pretty button from my stash. 

All the gorgeous new Christmas stamps have really got my Christmas crafting off to a good start. This card features another distress ink background.  The image has been stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black and coloured with Graph'It Markers. I've added some glossy accents to the pears and matted the image on some green card distressed with a craft knife. I've added the two birds (gold embossed on green card) and one of the lovely sentiments from Christmas Magic

Thanks for visiting today

Claire xx

Christmas Magic (posted by Judith)

Hi Folks, I have some Christmas projects for you today, using the lovely selection of seasonal stamps currently on offer.

My first card uses stamps from the Snowy Scenes/Turtle Doves multibuy stamped onto green paper using white embossing powder. I added tiny red gems to the tree and snowflakes for a little bit of Christmas bling. To complete the background, I added a stamp from the Nature Fragments stamp set, stamped in dark green ink. I also stamped a sentiment from the Christmas Magic clear stamp set in the same colour onto a piece of scrap paper. I edged all of the pieces of paper with green ink and then matted them onto dark green card before assembling my project.

My second card was created by stamping a large ornate pear from the Pears and Baubles stamp set onto my background using brown ink. I coloured the pears using a mixture of green and yellow coloured water based marker pens and a waterbrush. I filled in the background between using a blue marker pen and a waterbrush. The main image was stamped onto a die cut piece of card using gold embossing powder, and coloured in with the marker pens in the same way. I edged the background with toning blue ink. I added a large flourish from the Butterfly Dreams stamp set, using gold embossing powder.

Thanks for stopping by, Judith xx

Have a butterfly ball with our August Stamps of the Month

Well here we are at the end of July ready to launch brand new stamps for August and this month we have two gorgeous A5 sets. First there is Thistle Butterfly

then we have Honeysuckle Butterfly,

and, of course, our usual money saving multi-buy.

Both sets are packed with stunning botanical images and fluttery butterflies and will have you grabbing your inkpads and colouring mediums in an instant. Those keen eyed stampers amongst you will notice that these are a wonderful complement to our Briar Rose and Harebell Butterfly stamps. So don't forget to visit this blog regularly as I know you will be blown away by the wonderful samples that the Design Team girls have come up with. And here is some beautiful artwork from Glenda using the Honeysuckle Butterfly

 Aren't those colours dreamy?

We are also releasing two individual clear stamps today. Snowy Cottage and Winter Church are available as singles or a multi-buy

These beautifully detailed stamps are a good size and could easily be the focal point on your Christmas cards, thus allowing quick and easy batch card making. You just need to add a sentiment from our Christmas Magic set and you're done. And the versatility of these stamps means that if you change colours you have images that can be used all year round. That church would be gorgeous for a wedding card wouldn't it? Glenda has produced some more stunning cards with these little beauties, I think the Scottish air is really working on her creative mojo!

To find out how Glenda made all three of these fabulous samples please keep checking out her blog, where she will be giving you more details about them.

Ok folks, have fun and enjoy our new stamps and all the inspiring artwork that is to follow.

A Snowy Scene and a Fragment Flower (posted by Claire)

Good morning, Claire here with a couple of samples to share. I always look forward to the release of the new Christmas stamps and this years stamps are gorgeous. I've used the gorgeous snowy cottage from Snowy Scenes as the focal image from this card

The background was made using some of the new snowflake stamps and the Christmas Magic clear stamp collection. I stamped and embossed the sentiment with silver embossing powder. Next I  stamped the snowflakes using Distress Ink in Iced Spruce and lightly distressed the edges of the card before matting on grey card. I stamped the image with the same ink and used a waterbrush to add some shading. Next I used a zig glue pen and clear glitter to add some sparkly snow. I die cut the image with a spellbinders die and layered it up over another die cut adding some silver gilding wax to highlight the embossing. I added a de cut poinsettia and a holly vine to finish off.

My second sample today was made using Tangled Fragments. As soon as I saw this stamp I had the idea to use it as a flower head.

I began by stamping the fragment in versamark on some card that I'd covered with some Ranger Tissue Wrap. I embossed with Gold embossing powder and added some colour with a red Graph'It marker.

 I stamped in the stem using a stamp from Diamante Delights and added some black seam binding ribbon. To finish off I added a couple of crystal buttons topped with little twine bows.

Thanks for visiting today

Claire xx

Best Wishes (by Doreen)

Hello to you all, I am back sharing another sample using the gorgeous 

Harlequin Fragments

I first inked up my card with Picked Raspberry and Faded Jeans Distress inks then I sprayed my fragment stamp with water and stamped this onto the inked card. This then removes the ink......

Once this was dry I then stamped the Harebell Butterfly image over the top and coloured in with distress inks.  I inked the edge with Black Soot to add depth then mounted onto white card.

Oh Christmas Tree

I am also sharing a Christmas card this time using stamps from the  "Turtle Doves stamp sheet". I first of all clear embossed the stamp with black Versafine then using a mask for the moon blended Faded Jeans and Black Soot distress inks for the sky. The hills in the background were made using some torn card and  more fade jeans on some sponge.The tree has been coloured in with Distress inks and the gorgeous sentiment is from Newly released Christmas Magic stamp sheet .xxx