Totally Techniques - Faux Torn Edge Technique

Stampin Up Botanical Bliss for faux torn edge tutorial with zoe tant

Hi and welcome to our September Totally Techniques Blog Hop where this group of International Stampin' Up! demonstrators are sharing inspiration for the Faux Torn Edge technique.  If you're starting here you can find your way around the hop using the next button below and if you've just joined me from Kelly's blog you've already seen a show stopper of design.

 I have a video tutorial but Youtube isn't playing with me right now. So here are a few details of how to do this.
UPDATE
After 3 days !!!! I can now finally share my video with you.



 The bottom line is all you need is a torn piece of copier paper for the top card and a torn piece of scratch card for the one below.  You can use sponge brayers or sponges to add colour above the torn edge using it as a mask.  I used both pieces of torn paper and washi tape to hold them in place leaving a gap for the Happy Birthday card and then added ink with the brayer.  I used Granny Apple Green, Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana for adding the colour band. I used the same colours and Pacific Point to stamp on images in first, second and third generation ink whilst keeping the masks in place.  I also gold heat embossed the flower from Botanical Bliss again with masks in place. Finally I removed the masks and added a no line watercolored flower, sentiment stamped with Berry Burst and added some pearls.

For this second card I used a card mask and gently sponged on colour using the mask, but only so far up my artwork.  I then moved the mask to reflect the bottom sponging and repeated the process leaving some 'white' space in between the two bands.  I stamped the flower in black Staz On ink starting in the middle and moving outwards making sure to stamp off the edge to draw the eye outwards also.  I used a sponge to add Granny Apple Green to the flowers to make them pop leaving odd white spaces.  I've added a handful of the sequin assortment and a sentiment to finish and matted my artwork onto a Coastal Cabana card base.

These are really simple, but impacting techniques and even a beginner stamper can do this with just ink, stamps and paper.

Hopefully I'll have the video up for you soon, but in the meantime all products used are available in my Stampin' Up! Online Shop.  

You're off next to visit talented Barbara in Austria.

Thanks for stopping by and come back soon.

Zoe x

1. Lynsay Mahon - Canada
2. Nadine Weiner - Germany
3. Kelly Acheson - USA
4. Zoe Tant - UK
5. Barbara Meyer - Austria  
6. Annette Elias - The Netherlands
7. Satomi Wellard - Japan
8. Marine Wiplier - France

Stampin' Up! Botanical Bliss Birthday Cards

September is a busy month for birthdays in my calendar and so I made a selection of girly birthday cards using Stampin Up Botanical Bliss set.  It's one of those sets with an eclectic mix of stamps, but they blend together really well and the sentiments are in a fabulous font.  The design team at Stampin Up are really talented and often their own hand writing has been used to create some of the scripted fonts.  It could be the case partially with this set.

I used the vine stamp as a starting point with all these cards stamping it twice overlapping it in Mint Macaron and Soft Sea Foam.  If you are not a 'green' fan then you might be persuaded to like it more with these two subtle shades.  I also used Blushing Bride, So Saffron and Calypso Coral to add elements from the stamp set.  In the top image I used the no line watercoloring technique to colour the focal flower on watercolour paper.  I stamped the flower in Smokey Slate to add an outline which hasn't disappeared completely with my watercoloring, but I think is faded enough not to overpower the delicate flower.  I've added different embellishments of pearls, ribbon or self adhesive sequins and also 'flicked' ink using the marker pen lid to take up some of the 'white space' that you may find difficult to leave and these spatters just soften it for you.  

On this final image I modified the sentiment by using washi tape to mask the happy on the stamp from the set and then added in a Happy from the winter catalogue set Merry Christmas to All.  Using masking and marker pens you can adapt sentiments to suit your needs.  Also a left over piece of ribbon too short for a bow or knot can just add a little sparkle and detail to a flower by folding it in half and adhering it behind the flower.  It helps to draw the eye across  the card and with the iridescent sequins there is just enough bling!

My card base is Blushing Bride and I've used just a layer of whisper white for my stamping and punched embellishments.  

Happy birthday to you if you are a September baby. 

Hugs Zoe x

Happy for you !

This card was supposed to post whilst I was away in Alaska, but my scheduling clearly didn't work so I'm sharing now.  

 I love this new set called Bouquet Blooms. It has a set of coordinating dies called Gatefold Blossoms which allow you to make not surprisingly gatefold cards. However on this card I haven't used the gatefold but the flower dies.  One is a large die that cuts out the flower corsage, for want of a better word,  on this card and you also have individual dies to then add depth to the design with each flower.  

I've used subtle colours and teamed with some of the new colour family designer paper stacks which are now 6" x 6" and very useful with stripe and dotty/spotty designs for any occasion.  

I also used a layering circle to cut out the circle design and it's centre to add some depth.  

You'll see I've added a small banner at the top left and this is to share a top tip. When you finish your card and get an inky finger splodge you can cover it with the reverse design and use the piece you cut off to create the shape of the paper on the main card. There is always a way to save the day! 

Lovely bright flowers on a not so sunny summer's day. 

Big hugs all 

Zoe x

Amazing Friend - Happy Birthday

Amazing You + Lovely Inside and Out + Cake Soiree = Stampin' Up!

Earlier this week I shared a couple of cards that I made using the fabulous Cake Soiree stamp set from the Stampin Up spring catalogue.  I also shared a video tutorial of how I created the 'smoosh' effect on the flowers of the cards.  I had several flowers left over and like many of you I'm sure I didn't want them to go to waste so I created this card which was for a dear friend of mine on her birthday.

To begin with I flicked ink from a calypso coral and berry burst marker pens by simply putting the end of the pen nib just into the lid and flicking it out of the lid over the card stock.  You can see it creates a very gentle and subtle spatter effect.  I stamped 'friend' from Stampin Up set Lovely Words in fresh fig ink and also 'for a great' onto a spare piece of whisper white which was then punched out with the classic label punch. This is adhered with stampin dimensionals also.   I added the remaining flowers from my earlier project using glue dots and stampin dimensionals.  My amazing die cut is also one I had spare from a stampin up party I held and was die cut with the double sided adhesive sheets as described in my you tube video here.

You can just see my addition of a little fresh fig card stock at the bottom of my design which was created using the ticket tear border punch.  This is a particularly good punch for mens cards.  The design layer of the card had a bow of white baker's twine added around it prior to being stuck on with stampin dimensionals.   The card is a DL size the base is cut at 21cm x 21cm and scored at 10.5cm and fits in a DL envelope.

As crafters we tend to keep every little scrap and off cut, but sometimes it's actually a good thing to use them and find a use for them rather than overloading your craft room.

Thanks for checking in and I hope you like my short and sweet video with some helpful smooshing, heat embossing and delicate die cut tips.

Hugs
Zoe x

Stampin' Up! Mediterranean Moments for Special Memories

Stampin' Up! is definitely near the top of my 'best jobs I've ever done' list as there's so much opportunity to achieve fabulous incentives not least the annual incentive trip. With the help of my fabulous team and wonderful customers I've been lucky enough to achieve a few now and last year's one was a Mediterranean cruise, which is why I've chosen Mediterranean Moments stamp set from the Spring Catalogue to share with you today.

The images remind me of a fabulous holiday then and also one with my family some years ago when we visited Rome, Florence and Pisa.  I thought it might be too much history and sightseeing for the children who were then just 7 and 11, but they loved it as did Martin and I.  

My card is very simple.  The image is stamped firstly onto thick white card stock with memento black ink. I stamped it again with black Staz On onto watercolour paper and then used my new favourite Stampin' Up! watercolour pencils and an aqua painter to colour the image.  I always tell my customers I'm not a Colourer Inner, but I'm really pleased with how this turn out.

Stampin Up Watercolour Pencils 141709  

Once I finished the colouring I used the Lots of Labels frame lits to die cut my image and then carefully adhered it over the original stamped image just giving a slight impression of it carrying on just like my memories of happy times spent.  

Another image from the set is below and has also been coloured with the water colour  pencils.  

Please note 

 The  fabulous watercolour pencils are available to order from the Spring Catalogue, but are  SO  FABULOUS that we've already almost depleted the entire supply!  Stampin' Up! will turn off the order code to make them unorderable very soon to avoid long and large back orders.    If you want them, you need to order them today.

SHOP NOW

Check back soon to see how I make snowy mountains out of Carried Away Designer Series Paper for our Christmas Card Club challenge on Sunday.  

Hugs all Zx

Happy Birthday Olivia

It's birthday time in our house today. It's Olivia's 17th birthday and she is out on her first driving lesson. I'm patiently waiting for her return although I'm guessing that she hasn't actually done much of the driving on this first session.  

My card today was a bit of a happy accident.  I stamped the red balloons onto watercolour paper and then spritzed probably a little too much, but salvaged it with kitchen paper and then added the stamped out lines by masking each balloon.  Using an aqua painter and soft sky ink from the ink pad lid I colour washed some sky and then matted the dried piece onto a slightly larger matt layer.  Adding a 'shine' mark on the balloons brings them alive I think and a simple sentiment makes the message clear. 

Happy birthday to my wonderful, amazing, funny, ditsy gorgeous girl Olivia.  

Hugs Zx

At Sea on the Stampin' Up! Cruise

Ship's Log  Monday 23 May 2016

Today we are at sea on our way to the port of Naples.  It's time to hand in our swaps and then after a conference style welcome from the Stampin' Up! team, we'll be able to collect a bag of swaps various from demonstrators around the Stampin' Up! world.  We've had to make 26 and will get 25 in return. One is kept by Stampin' Up! for display boards at future events.  I'm so looking forward to seeing the different swaps and getting lots of ideas and inspiration from so many others.  I'm hoping there will be lots of ideas for me to share from the new catalogue. Different countries had different stamp sets given out at a big onstage event a few weeks ago so with luck there will be  a mass of creativity and mojo building for the months ahead.

My swap features a new in colour Sweet Sugarplum ink and card stock. It's always the same when you see the colours printed on a flyer you are never sure, but as soon as you start to 'play' with them they really get under your skin and I think this and Dapper Denim will become favourites.  I used Dapper Denim on my incentive trip blog hop card.

By now you have realised I really like Timeless Textures stamp set and I used it to create the back drop for my pretty flower.  I added some splatters in plum, but also used my gold wink of stella pen to add some shimmery splatters.  I just used the nib of the pen and coloured the stamp, quickly stamped and then made sure to clean it with a wipe between each card to make sure it didn't dry on the stamp.

The sentiment is from Endless Birthday Wishes which as a photopolymer set is easy to stamp each word separately but where you want it creating your own combo of words, not that this combo is very original tee hee!

Tonight we're having dinner in the Le Bistro, the french restaurant on board, it too has a non original name, but I believe from reviews that the food is delicious.

Back internet permitting with details of Naples soon.

Zx

Happy Birthday Linda

Happy Birthday to my lovely friend Linda who is celebrating her 50 th today.  It seems that 1966 was a vintage year as I have several friends celebrating this year including me! It was also the year that England last won the World Cup in football and on my 21st my home town Coventry won the FA Cup.  As I said a vintage year.

For Linda's card I've used Stampin' Up! Number of Years stamps and dies and I've added some doodle dashes with the white gel pen and some petite flowers and pearls.  The paper beneath is in the spring catalogue and is called Love Blossoms. It's probably not easy to see in the picture, but I also used my Wink of Stella clear pen to add some sparkle to the numbers just painting it over the patterned paper. I do love a bit of Wink!!!

Have a fabarooney day Linda.  Let the celebrations continue!

Cheers
Zx

ps only 3 more sleeps until the Big Stampin' Up! Crafters Gathering!!! Whoop Whoop