Sooty and Stamp!

This is one of those techniques that I love and the effects are outstanding, but please when you try this yourself please please take care, I always do this in the kitchen near the sink! You need to take a piece of glossy card and a candle, light the candle and then with the glossy side face down pass the card backwards and forwards over the flame, move quickly and with the flame just touching the card. You will see the flame starts to coat the card in soot but not burn the card, take care near the edge of the card. Once you have a good coating of soot (you may need to do a few passes over each area) take a perfectly clean stamp and stamp into the soot, and as you remove the stamp you will see the stunning result. Take care not to scrap off any soot until you fix your piece, I use proper pastel fixative and put a generous coating off it down. I love the effect of this technique but please take care when doing it, and give your stamp a good scrub with warm water and an old toothbrush to get the soot off it!

Enjoy

Happy Crafting

Alixxx

Wet, wet, wet

And we are not just talking about the weather, although that is pretty wet too! But I am talking stamping... Wet Stamping, a really easy and effective technique. This technique works wonderfully with your dye pads such as distress inks and big and juicy pads, and stamps such as leaves and flowers. The paper or card you use will give you different effects, I find an uncoated cardstock let's the colour spread, where as a glossy card grabs the colour quickly. Start by inking up your stamp, for cards in this post I inked up with two colours, applying them roughly where I wanted them, but you don't have to be too careful (any body who knows me knows careful or delicate are not words I know!!) Now spritz your card stock with plain water, making sure you have a good covering, then simply stamp onto this soggy card. I often do 2 impressions to get different intensities with the colours. Now try and let it dry naturally so the colours spread nicely. Once it is dry you can then over stamp the image with a good dark colour, lining it up as best you can so the colours show through the stamped design. It is that simple!! Use small stamps to create your own designer backgrounds! I love this technique as it gives you a soft effect and looks stunning, go on five it a go!

Happy Crafting

Ali xx

Busy Busy

Well it is going to be a busy few weeks, we have soo many exciting products being developed it is great. We have new stamp designs and masks, I don't know where to start. But I can say I have beautiful natural stamps on Create and Craft this Friday and new transport stamps on 28th June!! So watch this space!
Right back to current things, as you know I love to experiment with my masks and see what effects you can create with them. And I have to say I do love the vintage look you can get by combining inking and embossing with a smidge if mica! Simply ink up your mask with a pale distress ink (antique linen works a treat), then emboss it into some card, so the ink is lifted off the mask. Now select a slightly darker distress ink, but not too dark (pumice stone or similar)! And ink the design working the ink well in, then move to a slightly darker colour, I like Spanish olive, and build up some of that, then finally end with a good dark colour such as walnut stain, just enough to highlight the embossing. While the ink is still damp, dust with a lovely mica powder, and watch the design just pop. You will never know it started a plain white card.

Happy Crafting

Ali

Well a lot to share....

Firstly sorry, not sure where the last month has gone, honestly this year is just whizzing by! But I have a fair few techniques and projects to share with you. Which I will do over a few posts. I have recently done a couple of DT spots for PanPastels Here is the latest, loving the effects you can get with these pastels.

To acheive this aged vintage look, I took a lovely foliage stamp, inked and stamped with perfect medium and then brushed a dark green Pan Pastel over the image, this picked up all the detail and distressed the back ground a little. I then set this with some pastel fixative as I needed to ink all over the top with Perfect medium and did not want to spoil the lovely detail. After inking all over the image I applied Ultra Thick embossing powder, heat set and then repeated for 2-3 layers, so I had a nice smooth glazed covering. I then popped the glazed image in the freezer for 10 mins. This make the glazing go brittle and allows you to bend and crack the embossing to give it that aged look. This was then matted and layered on to the card. The final touch came from using the Pan Pastels to create my own vintage washi tape. I took a length of masking tape, stuck it to an old plastic bag, so I could work on it with out removing any of the stickiness. I then stamped the same image as the topper, along the masking tape in Perfect medium, again brushed on the Pan Pastels (using the same colours to ensure it all tones beautifully) working the pastels in well so they highlight the texture of the masking tape. I then tore the tape in to smaller pieces and applied the fixative spray again, as the nature of masking tape does mean if not fixed the design will rub off over time (remember to tear first as the fixative spray makes the tape harder to tear!) I then applied the tape as accents on the card as a nice alternative to ribbon.

The masking tape works wonderfully with mica as well, give it a go. Anyway back to making samples for Friday at 11am and 4pm, see you then. Happy Crafting Ali xx

Coffee any one?

I love the antique effect card and papers but what do you do when you don't have any to hand when you need it? Well you make your own don't you...
All you need is normal white card, a stamp and ink pad (I used memento, distress inks might bleed to much so you will lose most of the image) a spritzer bottle of water, and a pinch of coffee (instant any brand, but I find the granules better than the powder!) So simply stamp your image on to your card, I then spritz well with water, don't worry if the ink runs a little it adds to the effect. When the card is really wet, sprinkle a few grains of coffee on to it, let the coffee disolve and spread (you may find warm water helps the coffee spread) Let it all dry naturally (this adds to the effect with the real water marks)

It looks fabulous just left like this but if you want to take it further this lends itself to crackle glazing it. Although there are crackle glazes available on the market, I love to use my ultra thick embossing powder to do it, as it is so easy and it uses stuff I always have to hand! When fully dry apply versamark or similar clear ink all over the image, and apply a layer of clear embossing powder, heat and repeat for a couple of layers so you have a good even glaze finish. Then pop your topper in the freezer!! 10 mins should do the trick. This makes the surface brittle and you can then bend the card and cracks will appear. The background is a piece of industrial wrapping embossed and inked, then torn around the edges, then you carefully make small inward tears about every half ink, allowing you to roll them inwards. The more you fiddle with these edges the better they look, so I often will make up the card and then continue to ruffle them!
So why not wake up and smell the coffee, or even better craft with it!

Happy Crafting

Ali xxx

Embossing Embossing...

We have all heard of triple embossing, and I do love it! But I am also enjoying the effects you can get with Embossing Embossing. This technique uses 2 different types of embossing to create a lovely effect. Embossing is such a varied craft, from heat embossing to dry embossing and even wet embossing, you can create so many different effects, all adding texture and raised detail to your work, so by combining 2 different embossing styles you can really make things pop! To add that extra touch simply emboss your card using a mask through your die cutting machine (I find the traditional stencil style masks are most effective for this technique), then keep the mask in place and ink through with your perfect medium, or versamark ink pad. Remove the the mask and apply fine embossing powder (I use clear but a coloured powder can also be used) Simply heat set.

Top tips to keep a crisp image, before starting dust your card with talc to avoid stray specks of powder, and also when heat setting your embossing powder, heat from behind for a super glossy finish. I liked the effect of this so much with our dandelion mask that instead of it being a background for a card it became the main feature!!So a bit of ribbon and a few self adhesive sparkles, matting on to glossy black card and you have an eye catching card that will be suitable for anyone.
I was unsure how an all black card would look but I have to say I really like it!

Well I have allocated myself a few weeks to play some serious catch up and work on some new products, so watch this space...

Happy Crafting

Ali xxx

Making good use of the things that you find...

I have been called a womble and it is a name I am actually quite proud of. It is true that nothing is safe from crafting in our house, from things in the kitchen such as lemon juice, to old drinks cans which make great craft metal for die cutting and embossing.

On this simple card here I used an old coke can (simply cut up with a good pair of scissors, take care with the initial cutting but once flattened out it is just like the normal craft metal) and then embossed it through my big shot with the wonderful cogs mask, then I sanded the surface a little so it would take a little distress ink. It is then just a matter of  matting on to some embossed and sanded card, simple and quick. For a great pop art look why not use the printed side of the can, it looks fab!

But you can always take things a little further, on this frame here I die cut the can with my sizzix dies and then coloured the can with alcohol markers (I have to say the walnut spectrum noir is a great rust colour!) the more you dab the pen on the more texture and alcohol ink effect you get. The ink stays sticky for a few minutes which allows you time to sprinkle on a bit of clear ultra thick embossing powder and heat set it, I even dipped these into Mica Flakes to give them more details, or alternatively you can sprinkle salt on while the embossing powder is still melted and it adds great texture.

I love this kind of crafting, found art I think is the correct name but in the words of my Dad "I could always make something from nothing!" So if you can't find the right embellishment make your own!

Happy crafting

Ali xxx