Scrap Thursday Part 25

I hope to bring you inspiration, new ideas and techniques and revisit old favourites too.

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside! Especially with an ice cream like Jack! I wanted to make this layout fun, create a scene.

The background is a printed paper and I have added white die cut fences to help create the scene. The sea gulls are a stamp by Stampotique coloured in with Copics and the banner, bunting, postcard and frame the top photograph are in all come from Graphic 45.

Girls Just Want To Have Fun!

A birthday card for one of my very good friends. I used stamps from PaperArtsy which I coloured using Copics, the border was coloured using paint by Lin Brown and of course I had to add a tiny butterfly!

July Challenge - The Craft Garden

You can find details of this months challenge at the Here

This is a 12" x 12" scrapbook layout of the beautiful Mel.

I used freebie paper from Scrapbook Magazine (the fans), I cut the fans out from the background paper so I could use my own painted background.

I used Fresco paint from PaperArtsy and a brayer to apply it randomly over a sheet of Bazzill card stock.

I also used embossed card and smooth white Bazzill to get the finished look.

I cut out pendants using Sizzix dies for the title.

These flowers are by Jofy at PaperArtsy, coloured using Copics and the word embellishment is by KaiserCraft.

I added a metal bird cage by Prima and finished it off using sparkly brads. 

The overall affect is very soft and pretty, just like Mel!

Questions and Answers

I have had a couple of questions emailed to me so I hope the answers below are a help, if not then please ask again! I don't claim to be an expert, the info below is what I have learnt over several years of crafting.

Ink Pads!

Even now there are times I still get confused about which ink pad is better for the task in hand and one of the things I have done to help me is to write on the lid of the ink pad what I generally use it for. It is a simple thing to do and when you are working away it is easy to forget what you are doing and stamp with the first ink pad you pick up.

Dye

Dye based ink pads (Distress Ink pads, Adirondack Dye ink pads these are usually in a cream colour case, Archival, Memento ink pads etc, there are many on the market) are a must for most crafters. These generally are quick drying and work well on porous surfaces. If you use a dye based ink pad on a glossy card/paper you may find it never fully dries and will smudge. Although permanent not all are waterproof which is great if you are looking for a water colour style effect and want to spritz the image but not great if you don't! Some ink pads are fade resistant and permanent and some are not so you will need to read the label to see which are which. I use a black Memento dye based pad with my Copic markers.

Pigment

Pigment based ink pads are slow drying so are perfect for heat embossing as you get enough time to add the embossing powder. Pigment ink sits on top of the card/paper surface so again using on a glossy card/paper may create drying problems unless you are heat embossing. Pigment inks come in a variety of finishes.

Fast drying archival pigment inks are available (Tsukineko Brilliance Dew Drop), these dry well on vellum, acetate, photo paper & shrink plastic. These have a pearlescent finish.

Solvent

Solvent based ink pads are quick drying and permanent. They can be used on most surfaces and red/grey rubber stamps, however some of the clear stamps will be affected by them so its best to read the info on the stamp packaging.

I use Stazon in black and brown and I am never without it. Solvent based ink is not great to use if you are colouring in with Copic markers as it smudges. Warning! If you are using a solvent based ink pad over a long period of time make sure you use in a ventilated area (my son will testify that not opening doors and windows creates giggly women trying their best to stamp straight!!)

I hope that the above info is helpful, your local (independent) craft shop will have more expert advice and help if you really get stuck.

18th June Scrap Thursday Part 4

This is the forth scrapbook page for my new weekly post Scrap Thursday. I will try and bring new ideas and techniques and revisit old favourites too. If you have any suggestions or requests just let me know and I will do my best to accommodate these. 

My aim is to list the products I have used with links to retailers (preferably independent stores) and if I find any bargains I will let you know!  

I usually work in a 12" x 12" format as this allows me more space to experiment and get arty!

Materials used for this layout are: smooth white Bazzill, stencils/masks, Distress Inks, Dylusions stamps, Totally Tracy Stamps, Octopode digi images, paint, Washi Tape, WOW, journal pens, Copic markers, pages from an old book.

This week I have used the new colour Distress Inks by Ranger. Ranger are releasing one new colour each month and I have used the first 5 in the layout above.

 I used some white paper as a mask.

I used masks and stencils (Artistic Stamper, Dina Wakley and Dutch Doobadoo) overlapping to create the background.

 Using a craft knife I cut along the shape of the green wave.

 This allowed the bottom of the photograph to be hidden.

Using a journal pen I added some borders between each wave of colour. I used Dylusions stamps, WOW and Copic markers.

I stamped the Totally Tracy flower stamps onto an old book page to mimic the style of the Dylusions stamps.

Using paint and ink pads I added circles and lines criss crossing and overlapping each other. 

 I used digi images from The Octopode Factory

 Added some doodling

 Used Washi Tape for the bird to 'stand' on

And added a digi word image.

I am so very pleased with the result, its full of life and vibrancy as my niece (the photo above!) is.

An Oriental Approach

I had this oriental image from an adult colouring book and wanted to turn it into a card but I needed a suitable stamp for a background which I was lucky enough to find at The Artistic Stamper. They have a good range of oriental stamps from backgrounds to main images. I coloured the background using distress ink pads, the bamboo I cut out first and then coloured in using Copics. My colouring skills leave a lot to be desired which is why I don't usually colour in so apologies to all you superb colourists out there, having attended a workshop with Kate Crane recently I am hoping my colouring skills will now improve!

Honey Doo

Honey Doo Crafts

I made the above 12" x 12" layout using stamps from Honey Doo Crafts.

I used the heart stamp to create the background.

 I used a Martha Stewart punch to create a decorative border.

 Nothing goes to waste, even the packaging is useful!

I just had to add some butterflies!

A great corner stamp, very delicate.

A great end result! The photo was take at Uluru in December last year.

Winner!

WooHoo! My ATC's won the IndigoBlu Blog Challenge!

The new challenge can be found HERE

I'm off to select the stamps I have won.