Butterfly Happy Birthday

I'm proud of this little creation, so I'm rewarding myself with two posts today.

This is another of the 'blanks' I stamped last weekend. I coloured it yesterday with Spectrum Noirs based on the current palette at CAS Colours and Sketches. Super chuffed with myself, definitely improving. I confess it's a bit more orange than I intended, but hopefully it's still within the spirit of the thing.

Cajun Craze - Brown/Oranges: 092, 090, 021
Marine Mist - Blues: 064, 066, 069
Always Artichoke - Greens: 59, 108, 57

I'd always planned to put the line sentiment in, but it needed something more. I decided to layer it on some suitable paper, and thought a drawn border might work. I'd tried drawing a rope border before, but failed miserably. After a bit of experimentation I realised that I'd been working too 'flat', and needed more curves. Hurrah, success, of a kind. The original plan was to colour it, but I decided it worked really well plain, so I've left it. See what you think.

CAS Colours and Sketches #138: Cajun Craze, Marine Mist, Always Artichoke
CAS-ual Fridays #142: Pretty Patterns (because I love the pattern of the butterfly's wings, and am rather proud of my hand drawn border pattern!)

Through the Christmas Window

I've had this stamp for a while, but only recently bought the masks, which gave me the confidence to actually get on and use it.

Today, an outside in picture. Luckily an idea I'd been tinkering with in my head perfectly fitted this month's Clarity Challenge.

Started off by stamping the window, masking it totally and then brushing through my brick wall stencil with Old Paper distress ink. Then applied grunge paste very roughly through the same stencil, making it deliberately patchy and restricting it to the centre of the picture. Coloured it very lightly with Pumice Stone.

Then masked off the background, and put the mask in place over the window, and used the Leafy Swirl stencil and Mountain Rose Adirondack to put some 'wallpaper' in the background. A couple of Wee Folk images complete the interior.

Finally coloured in the Window Frame with Spectrum Noir pencils (Browns 90, 94 and 111)

Clarity Stamp Challenge #30: Tic Tac Toe (Centre Line: Stencil, Stamp, Grunge Paste)
ABC Challenge: Q is for Quantum Leap (I chose L for Lyrics: O Tannenbaum or Oh Christmas Tree)

Happy Birthday Elephants

I'm trying to stay in the crafting saddle, so I went online for some inspiration this morning, and then went back to one of the images I stamped last weekend.

This elephants stamp is another Clarity New Design Club image, and I coloured it in with Spectrum Noir Pencils (Greys 112, 114, 117 and 119), because my new found confidence is making this one of my very favourite techniques.

I decided to go with something different for the background. I got out my brayer and some Fresco Chalk Acrylic paints (in Turquoise, Chartreuse and Cherry Red) and "walked" it around the edges. It's one of those slightly unpredictable techniques, which for a perfectionist is a good thing to do sometimes! Must do it more often.

Finished off with a sentiment and a sharpie marker around the edges. Hope you like it.

Colour Q #304: Basic Grey, Coastal Cabana, Poppy Parade, Daffodil Delight
Friday Mashup #222: Happy Birthday and Favourite Technique

Shading with Spectrum Noir pencils

I went on one of Barbara Gray's Clarity retreats recently, and one of the best things I came away with was more confidence about using my Spectrum Noir pencils.

The concept of 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and light feathery strokes all going in the same direction only really sunk in when I was doing it myself.

So that I don't forget I've made myself a little visual aid. Posted here in case others find it useful

Wedding Congrats

A friend asked me to reproduce a card I had made before, with these two lovebirds.

I didn't want to make a complete copy, but needed it to be close enough for them to be happy with the final result. I've used all the same techniques: brushed inks on the base card for the background, painted the birds with distress inks, black 'highlighting'.

I changed the colours slightly:

• Spun Sugar and Worn Lipstick Distress, Cranberry Adi
• Aqua and Denim Adi, Evergreen Bough Distress

This is a wedding congratulations card, but we wanted it to be subtle. Feels nice and CAS for this week's challenge at Less is More.

Less is More #237: Congratulations

Sending you Friendship

This little girl was a Clarity Club stamp a few months ago. She's been sitting in my stash feeling a little sad and looking for a place to make her mark.

I was a making a handful of 'cheer you up' cards, and felt she'd go perfectly well with this sentiment, made up of word chain stamps.

Rootling in my stash to come up with a background, I came up with a piece of "blending mat mop up scrap", but which I mean that when I'd finished with my blending mat some time previously I'd spritzed and smooched the remaining ink, and then transferred it to some copy paper. It had a good 'background' feel, and some patches for paper piecing her dress, so off I went.

I blended a bit of grey around the edges, but it felt too harsh, so I softened it with some Adi Mountain Rose, much better. Girl's dress is paper pieced, her skin and hair coloured with Spectrum Noir pencils.

At this juncture I was skimming 'Challenges for Days' and realised the colour combo flukily fits this week's palette at Colour Me! What were the chances ...

Colour Me #84: Cucumber Crush, Tangerine Tango

Hummingbird Birthday

Howdy, can't believe (bar one card) I've been away from the blog for two months - that's life I guess.

I'll be honest, little crafting has been achieved in the interim. Other commitments had priority, and I was getting a little overwhelmed with the pressure I was putting myself under to complete challenges.

So, after a bit of a break, a music festival and a craft retreat with Barbara Gray I'm getting back in the saddle. I've worked a few things up over the weekend, and hope to share them with you this week.

Honest pirate: I declare in advance that you may see some layout similarity over the coming days. I started out yesterday by slicing some A4 card into three, turning them landscape, and stamping an image at one end or t'other. It's interesting seeing how differently they're coming out.

First up, a birthday card I've made in advance for a friend, using this lovely Clarity Hummingbird stamp, with two Word Chains for the sentiment, and the Flower Power stencil to provide a subtle background. The colour palette comes from Colour Q. One thing I had a chance to play with on retreat was the Spectrum Noir pencils, it really boosted my confidence and I've used them to colour in the hummingbird. I then "double glazed" the bird. Think it was the right choice!

Colour Q #303: Early Espresso, Pumpkin Pie, Taken with Teal, Rich Razzleberry
Addicted to Stamps and More #157: Make your mark