Totally Techniques Blog Hop - Stencils

Welcome to August's Totally Techniques blog hop.  We are featuring cards using stencils to create our desgins this month.  I have used the Stampin' Up! Pattern Party Design Masks on top of a watercolour washed area created by using an aqua painter and ink from the lids of my ink pads.  

Water Colour Wash Instructions

1.  Using an aqua painter add water to an area of the card you wish to colour.

2.  Again with the aqua painter pick up colour from the inside of the ink pad lid having gently squeezed the ink pad prior to opening which puts the ink pad onto the inside of the lid.

3.  Add the colour to the wet area on your card and move it around using the brush of the aqua painter. You can add more water from the painter if required. 

4.  Once happy with your wash allow to dry.  You can remove excess water carefully with kitchen roll/paper towel and also dry off with a heat tool. 

Once the wash is thoroughly dry you can add all sorts of design using the masks.  I sponged some with Stampin' Up! sponges and daubers and also used a marker pen to create the black design by scribbling through the mask and colouring in blocks of the pattern through the mask.  You'll also see that I used embossing paste which was coloured with a DROP, just a drop, of re-inker and then spread using the paste tools over the mask.  

Additional colour was added with a couple of stamps from the Stampin' Up! Touches of Texture set.

All this was done on a piece of shimmery white card stock so that it has a splash of sparkle.  Final touches were to add some black bakers twine and a gold faceted gem.  I've left it blank for adding a sentiment later.  

Have fun with masks and stencils and don't forget you can create your own stencils with window sheet and dies or your trimmer.  

You're off to visit Barbara now who has a beautiful project to share with you. 

1. Nadine Weiner Germany

 2. Shannean Moncrieff Australia

3. Zoe Tant UK That's me

4. Barbara Meyer Austria

See you soon Zx

Stampin' Up! Cheers to the Years for Achiever's Blog Hop

Stampin' Up! Incentive Trip Achievers Blog Hop

Welcome to this fun blog hop showcasing sneak peeks from the upcoming Stampin' Up! Winter catalogue due to go live to everyone on 1 September.  It is a real ecclectic mix of seasonal treats and I truly believe there is something to satisfy everyone's tastes.

I've used the Cheers to the Years stamp set for this simple, elegant wedding card, yes you read it right, a wedding card from the winter catalogue. We're still mid wedding season and I have fallen in love with this set which has good wishes for the new year, snowflakes and some simple stamps that can be used for wreaths or for abstract design.

My design layer started life as a piece of whisper white to which I added a clear heat embossed design using one stamp.  I then added pool party ink to using a sponge brayer.  I carefully added some copper embossing being careful to use my embossing buddy and to heat the design from underneath to avoid too much blending between the white and copper embossing.  I've also added some individual silver mini sequins and tiny white hearts from the Cookie Cutter Builder punch.  The sentiment is included in the Cheers to the Years set and that too is heat embossed with copper powder before being put under the sponge brayer treatment to make it blend with the background.

The inside has a small amount of design and adds the additional part of the sentiment from the same set.

If you don't have a demonstrator and would like to know more about Stampin' Up! products please email me at zoetant@live.co.uk. I will happily send you a complimentary copy of the winter catalogue for you to browse. 

You can also get more sneak peeks by carrying on with the blog hop from me, Zoe Tant, here in the UK.

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More sneak peeks coming soon Zx

Moving Along with the Times - Something beginning with 'B'

We've a great challenge and an easy one to join in with at Moving Along with the Times right now.  We're looking for projects designed featuring something beginning with 'B'.  Mine for the DT is this fun pot of brushes from the Crafting Forever stamp set.  It's a lovely set if you like colouring or you can just stamp on to colour and I'll share another card like that with you soon.

 A quick and easy way to colour these images is to use the marker pens and an aqua painter.  I've used very vanilla card stock so you need to be quick and not too fussy so that the card doesn't get too wet.  Using the acetate sheet from my stamp a ma jig or indeed a plastic bag if you don't have the acetate, add patches of colour to the sheet with marker pens. Lift the colour with a slightly damp aqua painter brush and add to your image. It allows you to add some light and shade as the colour fades and is really quick to do.

I created a little depth on the card on the left by adding double layers of stampin' dimensional to the back of the pot before adhereing to the card.   The new mini or baby dimensional as they are known in my house, are perfect for the raising the scissor handles.

Please do join us in our challenge over at MOVING ALONG WITH THE TIMES.  We'd love to see what you create sharing something beginning with 'B'.

Hugs Zx

Christmas Card Club - The Nativity

Stampin' Up! Night in Bethlehem Stamp Set

It's been while since I've participated in the Christmas Card Challenge as life has been busy with the build up to Thailand and this week exam results for Olivia. I'm delighted to share though that she got her first choice place to study Business and will be leaving the nest very soon.  We are so proud of her.

Our challenge today is set by Christine and she wanted us to remember the true meaning of Christmas which has fallen perfectly with my recent order of the new stamp set Night in Bethlehem and the Bethlehem edgelits . These will both be available to purchase in my Stampin Up online shop from 1 September.  Aren't they fabulous and will be useful for years to come.  I've teamed them up with some new papers called Merry Music Specialty and you can just see that the sheet I've used has a carol printed on it with the line "Born a king on Bethlehem's plain...."  I've used sponges and ink to add colour to a soft sky bendy card similar to one in shape to one I made years ago for Shelli's old creative challenges which I won.  You can just see too that I used the brick wall mask behind the first layer of buildings to add a little more interest.  I've also heat embossed in clear some stars onto the carol sheet prior to sponging on colour.  Mary and Joseph are stamped and die cut black on white.

Do take a look around the other ladies blogs for lots more 'Reason for the Season' inspiration.

Happy Sunday.

Hugs Zx

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Sweet images in Heartland Set

I fell in love with this sweet image as soon as I saw this year's catalogue. Living in Lincolnshire it fits our farming county perfectly.  The barn and tractor stamp also in the set are super too and are just right for young boy and older male cards.

We used this set last week at coffee and a card at The School House Coffee Bar in Horncastle and also before I went to Thailand at The Craftea Cafe in Lincoln.  Everyone loved it and of course it is a very therapeutic stamp set with gentle colouring required. We used the water colour pencils and a blender pen to move and blend the colours across the image.

You'll see an accent of Island Indigo card stock made with the Ticket Tear Border punch, new to the Stampin' Up! range this year.  We also used the Triple Banner punch to create the Pool Party banner cut at 1.5" wide.

To make sure that your stamped image doesn't run or bleed when coloured you need to use either the Archival Black stamp pad from Stampin' Up! or your black Star On ink.  Stamped onto a precept stitched shape circle which as a little more detail, but is easily created.

I love the sentiment in this set too as it is suitable for lots of occasions.

Have a great day!

Zoe x

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