Awash with Flowers - PC - Black Board Stamping

The next technique that I tried was not as successful for me as I would have hoped.  People like Sandi McIver make this technique look simple but in reality it is hard to get the colours even.  In fact Mette, one of my stamping partners in crime, does amazing black board work. . . I have discovered that you also need a very steady hand to make the outline look like white chalk on a black board.  Hats off to black board artists all over the world!

So this first card is stamped first with craft white direct onto black card stock, I have then coloured over the white (once it was dry) with Stampin' Up! watercolour pencils. I then merged the colours with an aqua pen and outlined with a white gel pen.  I wasn't happy with how dull the red looked so I crystal effected it. . . not my best effort but I want people to see the projects warts and all!

This card is almost the same technique as the one above, but I didn't try to merge the watercolours here - I avoided the aqua painter and think that the colours are less patchy.

The third card using this technique was coloured with Stampin' Crayons instead of Watercolour Pencils and the colours are very vibrant. The greeting is from the Elementary Elegance set from Sale-a-Brations and complemented the fine lines of the Awash with Flowers outline stamps.

So I hope that you found some black boarding mojo from the above examples and that you forgive me because they are not the best examples in the world. 

Sharing is caring

Shanni

Awash with Flowers - PC - Outline Stamping & Daubed Colour

Sometimes I like to challenge myself to sit with a stamp set and make ten cards before I am allowed to move on to my next projects. . . This week's PC - personal challenge - was Stampin' Up! Awash with Flowers.  The set is a two step stampin' set and has plenty of images to choose from and although I have owned it for a year now it only gets used for random projects. 

I have come up with ten designs.  All cards are made in the A5/C6 size which means that they are all 10.5 cm x 14.8 cm.  I like to mount my image stamped cards and there is a fair bit of weight in them. This week I also chose to use colours outside my comfort zone.  I really have to push myself to use pink and have to remind myself that whilst it is not my favourite colour, it is a lot of other people's favourite colour. . .

So first challenge - stamping outline and colouring with a dauber - here are two different colour schemes for the same technique and are good examples on how vastly different projects can look by simply changing colour combinations.  I stamped the background randomly in black ink then daubed in the colours.

Colour scheme - Melon Mambo, Regal Rose, Calypso Coral and Pear Pizzazz.  Background colour - So Saffron.  Remember to always stamp off the inked dauber first so that you don't end up with blotchy colour spots.

These colours were easier for me to work with - sweet set Blushing Bride, Perfect Plum and River Rock.  I also added Pear Pizzazz for the leaves.  The background colour is River Rock as well.  I embossed the Blushing Bride card on the front with the Sizzix Big Shot Elegant Bouquet embossing folder to fit in with the spray of flowers theme.

Back soon with the next PC. . .black boarding.
Shanni

Simply Adorned No More. . .

Sad news today. . .Stampin' Up! are discontinuing the Simply Adorned line as of the end of this month.  If you love these little trinkets, charms and baubles then you need to get in and purchase them as soon as possible.  They will not be replenished if they are sold out before 31 March. 

The Simply Adorned trinkets can be found on page 7 of the Summer Mini. They are stunning in real life and are great little add ons for any special occasion card or scrap page.  They are also great jewellery accessories - jewellery grade nickle and hard wearing.

Check out one of my creations using the 1.6cm square charm.  Once again using the Fabulous Florets stamp set and words from the Sale-a-Brations Elementary Elegance set.

They are beautiful in their own right and quite versatile.

Hip love
Shanni

Canberra Here We Come. . .

87 days to go. . . until Canberra Convention and I have only just started looking at swaps for the big event.  I have started out simply as I would like to try and do 500.  Swapping is the best method of meeting people and getting new ideas.  I always try to do cards that are a bit unusual and this year will be no different.

My first swap for Convention 2012 is a black and white number (which really doesn't come up very well in the photo).  It is stamped in Staz On jet black and sprayed with Frost White Shimmer Paint spritzer and Dazzling Diamonds has been applied to the flower petals.  In real life it is quite pretty.

 

The second is equally simplistic - I just love the Fabulous Florets set from the Summer Mini and have almost burnt the rubber I have used it so much. I have masked and stamped the oleander out of this set and then popped a couple on dimensionals. The whole card was misted with Frost White Shimmer Paint spritzer to give it a pearl shimmer.

So I have three other styles in mind and will keep you updated on progress.

Back later

Shanni



Beau Chateau Designer Series Paper Projects

I have a regular group of stamping friends who meet at my place on Tuesday nights and of course our friendships have grown over the years to the point where we give each other gifts and look for any excuse to have a little party.  Christmas was postponed this year due to a bout of gastro so we ended up celebrating in February.

This was the gift that I made for the lovely Helen who is one of the sweetest people you could ever meet, she is also very talented stamper so I was a bit nervous about whether she would like her pressie.

For a closer look at the notebook

And also the post it note booklet

Gotta love the Champagne Mist Shimmer paint spritzer! 

Hip love

Shanni





Join Stampin' Up! During Sale-a-Bration

During the annual Sale-a-Bration promotion it is a great time to get your own account.  The cost of the starter kit is only $249 and you get an additional stamp set of your choice up to the value of $79.95.  That means over $700 worth of products for a fantastically low price of $249. . .

And that's not all - you can also tailor the starter kit to your taste and requirements.  You can change the stamp sets, ink pads, cardstock, designer series papers, punch, wheel and pens - that means that if you already have a bit of a collection you can avoid doubling up.

This offer only goes until 31 March so contact me today if you are even a little bit interested and let me tempt you over to the darkside.

Cheers
Shanni

My Bad - Sorry for the Six Month Absence!

Don't fall off your chair! I'm back. . . and I really am going to make a commitment to blogging more regularly.

So cutting straight to the chase. I have been enjoying the Stampin' Up! Field of Flowers stamp set on a variety of projects recently.  It is such a lovely set of stamps - the flowers can be stamped separately but it is alsoa  two step set which looks great on vintage and shabby chic projects.  The set suits my style and no matter how many times I use it I still feel complete joy with the outcome.

Here are three of the cards I made last week:

All cards very straight forward and all using Stampin' Up! products only.  I hope that you find some new ideas.

Happy stamping,
Shanni