Tonic Studios | Sweet Melia Hello Card

I really do love these flower dies from the Tonic Studios Beautiful blooms collection.

This one is. Similar version to the one I made for the Win and Tonic blog, but I changed a couple of things.

I used:

Beautiful Blooms - Sweet Melia 1286E - USA | UK
Beautiful Blooms - Woodland Aster 1285E - USA | UK
Trellis Circle Base Die set 489e - USA | UK

Nuvo Embellishment Mousse - Black Ash 811N - USA | UK
Nuvo Embellishment Mousse - Spring Green 808N - USA | UK
Nuvo Crystal Drops - English Mustard  685N - USA | UK
Nuvo Crystal Drops - Rhubarb Crumble 679N - USA | UK

Sentiment Stamp: Big Sentiments, PICSA6068 Paula Pascual for Sweet Dixie

Yupo paper 110gsm

The first thing I did was to create a template using the circle Trellis using Yupo paper. Its a synthetic paper that is thin enough to be die cut - though it will depend on the die cutting machine and the intricacy of the die. Then I used the Nuvo Black Ash Mousse to colour through using a cosmetic sponge dabbing through the stencil on to the card. I trim the piece of card to fit in the font of the card.

I used the green mousse to colour the base card, I added the die cut flowers and the swirl.

For the centre of the flower I used the Rhubarb Crumble crystal drop and then while still wet I added a dot with English Mustard.

Finally I stamped the sentiment with black ink. 

I hope you like it!

Blog Hop | Color Life by Quim Diaz from Coses d'Scrap

Today I am super excited to be able to participate in a very special Blog Hop to celebrate the wonderful new products designed by my friend Quim Díaz from Coses d'Scrap alongside some of my crafty friends including Alberto, Quim, Elena, Gerry...

This is the card I made. I wanted to go colouring, cardmaking and with my minimalist style to showcase the versatility of this collection.

I will let you in to a little secret. I love colouring, but I always find it a challenge to find easy to colour images and many times I don't get a perfect impression when I stamp on watercolour card. 

So these bold printed watercolour papers ready to colour are perfect for me!

I selected the Nature Life pack of 12 x 12 papers printed on watercolour thick paper.

You can learn more about the whole the products from Colorlife here.

I love that the papers are designed so that there are a lot of elements in them, perfect to trim them to create smaller pieces as well as leaving them all in the 12 x 12 paper. I trimmed the that sakura branch and trimmed to fit inside the frame, but then I changed my mind and did not use the frame but layered in to a card. Typical!

I just love the poppies in the bottom as well, so it was a tough choice between them all.

I was lucky enough to be gifted in February the whole set of Distress Markers and I hadn't had a change to use them for a project, so this was the perfect occasion to use them.

As I used Spun Sugar which is already a very light colour, with water even more so, I used the soft felt brush nib directly to the paper.

Then I blended the colour using a water brush. I recommend strongly to get the best quality water brushes you can afford, as there is a huge difference between the cheaper and more expensive ones. I kept an acrylic block near by to use as a palette, scribbled some ink with the marker

Using the fine nib, I added little dots where the shadows should be inspired by the real flowers, like almond tree blossom, that have that sort of dots on them.

To add even more darker dots I used the Fired Mahogany marker. Because the paper is still very damped, the dots bleed slightly so the effect is quite beautiful and random.

Then, I coloured the branch using Antique Linen and Frayed Burlap (just for the accent dots).

For the leaves I used Shabby Shutters marker, though I did not used it direct. I scribbled it on to the acrylic block and with the watercolour marker I coloured it pcking each time the colour form the block.

For the dots effect I used Crushed Olive Distress marker.

Then, I used Tonic Studios Nuvo Glue Pen, which is a dual glue as it dries to a clear tacky finish which is perfect for the next step.

Of course, gilding flakes! I love them! Once the glue was tacky, I placed with my fingers the Nuvo Gilding Flakes, press down to make sure there was contact, and then rub off the excess with a stencil brush.

To add a sentiment, I used one of my sentiments of the Big Sentiments set with Versafine Black ink pad.

Then I attached it to card and added a little bow butterfly using grey bakers twine on the top right corner.

I just love the dot effect! And those flowers are so pretty.

I hope you like it!

Be sure to visit all the bloggers in the blog hop!

- Annika Flebbe

- Alberto Juárez

- Elena Roche

- Gerry Van Gent

- Karine Cazenave

- Paula Pascual ( That's me!)

- Quim Díaz

- Silvia Curti

Thanks Quim for letting me play with your fabulous new collection!

Tonic | Music notes birthday card

This is a quick card I made last week using a couple of  Tonic Studios dies for the shows at Create and Craft USA. I rarely do monochrome cards using just black and greys, but I quite like this one.

The musical sign is the Treble Clef from the Music Rococo collection.
The pattern in the background was created using the Simply Screens Honeycomb die.
The sentiment is from my Big Sentiments stamp set.

Guest post over at Craftie Charlie

Today I am sharing a card that I have done for Craftie Charlie as a guest post on their blog.
You can see the whole card and what products I used here.

Hoy quiero compartir una tarjeta que he hecho para Craftie Charlie para un guest post en su blog.
Podeis ver la tarjeta entera y cuáles son los productos que he usado aquí.

I know it's been a while, but you know having a full time job (which does involve doing some blogging) and trying to manage Crafty Storage blog, it leaves me with not much blogging energies. From now on I will be posting a project a week over at the Sizzix Uk blog - here - on Mondays afternoon.

So pop over there for some die cutting inspiration and tutorials.

In the meantime I will leave you with a card I did a while ago for Crafts Beautiful.

Well Done card

At the minute I am really enjoying three crafting products: the new Tim Holtz Bigz dies from Sizzix, the distress stains and, of course, my stamps. All of which can be found in this card. The heart is one of the Movers and shapers dies that has been stained using the Peeled Paint distress stain. The large message is from Big Sentiments and the little one from Punchable labels.

Anyone going to Ally Pally this weekend? I am still unsure whether I will be able to go cause we are having our bathroom renovated, and if it is finished by the weekend some spring cleaning will be needed on the weekend. Of course I would rather go to a lovely craft show - in my opinion, the best craft show in the uk - rather than be cleaning, but, you know how it goes!

Journaling Spots - Tutorial 1

I started by stamping the graph journaling spot rectangle using Smokey Grey -Versafine- and Premier Quality Smooth White Card.

It fits nicely on the Scallop Rectangle Large Punch from EkSuccess.

Here is the same stamp but trimmed to the edge and then on top stamped one message from big Sentiments.

This is the larger journaling circle. I stamped it with Deep Lagoon - Versafine.

Then, I stamped the three flowers from the Punchable Tags.

It fits nicely on a 2" circle punch.

I stamped then the smallest spot using Summer Sky Memento ink.

It fits on a 1" circle punch.

Then I stamped the message - from Punchable Labels set - on it, remember the messages from that set fit in any 1" circle punch.

Gap Card Workshop

Today I am off to the Glitter Pot to teach Gap cards in the morning and Distress ones in the afternoon. This one is one of the Gap ones. I love those Gears, a Sizzix die from the Tim Holtz collection.


So, I better go and get in the car!

A quick one

Yes another masculine quick and easy card. The patterned paper is from Oliver collection -Basic Grey and the film strip is a Sizzlit long die from the Tim Holtz collection. The inside of the film strip is a perfect fit for the Big Sentiments.

Design, Simple

Sometimes it is good to break some designs rules, you know, like the one that it says that you should not mix more than two typefaces or fonts in one layout. Because sometimes breaking the rules just works!

I just want to point out that the birthday messages are from the Mixed Sentiments -small- and the Big sentiments -the larger one-. Because they are the same design just enlarged, they just combine perfectly.

The flowers are die cut using a Spellbinders die, Flower Creations.

All materials available from The Glitter Pot.

Fanciful flight

This card has a big focal point, the Tim Holtz Fanciful Flight. By the way, I see this one as a dragonfly, but it is actually a butterfly! Whatever it is, it is absolutely beautiful, although all the elements are individual cuts and the wings are only one side so you have to cut them twice and assemble them, check Tim's video in which he explains the concept behind here.

The card was made using another of Tim's dies, the Baroque one part of the Movers and Shapers range. I have to admit that when I ordered it, I wasn't to sure about it.

A close up just because I wanted to show the intricate detail of the overlay, the alcohol inked golden background and the glossy accented body.

I stamped the messages on to the back of an alcohol inked acetate. First, I inked it with my alcohol gold ink and then added some browns, turn it over after it was dry (a few seconds!) and then stamp the message with StazOn. Just to remind every one, you can use StazOn with clear stamps, just do not use the traditional StazOn remover, just use immediately after stamping a baby wipe, that will remove most of the ink on the stamp although it may still leave behind a stain, if that bothers you try the new StazOn All Purpose cleaner which is safe for acrylic clear stamps.

By the way, the Dotty border stamp that was featured the other day matches the 4mm crystals and the 3mm pearls, or vice versa, which are the most standard sizes for self adhesive or hot fix crystals or pearls.

Using Leftovers of leftovers

When it comes to leftovers of leftovers, you would think that they have a destination called Rubbish Bin. Well, usually it is the case, but when I have leftovers of leftovers from papers or backgrounds that I really like I can not throw them away. So I keep them in the same bag as before, you know, a small poly bag with all the bits from one project so that they all coordinate.

The piece on the left is a leftover from a larger project. I used the leftover for yesterday's card and this was what it was left, so I used it in combination with some other bits.

can you see that the patterned paper has a punched out circle? Well, that was like that because I punched out the circle for another card, therefore I incorporated it into my new design.

I finished off the card with one of my Big Sentiments.

More Patchwork

I still have got plenty of Vintage My Minds Eye papers, and more recent as well. So I am working slowly through them. And by plenty of papers I mean little scraps, when I am working with papers that I really, really, really like I keep in a poly bag any decent leftovers, and that could be as small as a 1cm wide by 5cm. I will only keep those papers that really inspire me. In that poly bag will only be papers of one collection, that way I can mix and match any of them. Which is great when you are doing this technique as little pieces are required.

You can see in this close up, how the pattern of the embossing folder continues seamlessly. I love this technique, you will have a chance to have a go if you are coming to Dawn's Residential or coming to one of my forthcoming workshops, which reminds me I need to update.

Of mists

I know so many friends told me wonders about angel mists and glamour mists and whatever other name they may have. And yet, I only got my first Tattered Angel spray last March after seeing the beautiful work that my friend Julie had done using some striking mists. The lovely Glenda and Lynn from Elusive Images helped me to select a quartet and happily off I went.

And oh, boy, don't I just love them, I adore them. So I thought I better share this card I made the other day, just having a play. First I sprayed a A4 card with four colours -sorry but I forgot their proper names-, then I trim the sheet into smaller panels and then embossed one of them. Then I sanded the top off and voila. That beautiful background was created. In real life is even nicer as it has proper shimmer.

The rest I finished it off using leftovers from a previous work. And the message? One of my Big Sentiments.

Big Sentiments Card

So you can see how the Big Sentiments are quite larger than their Mixed Sentiments counterparts. So if the original (Mixed) fit within the inner lines of the circle tags the larger ones will overlap with the inked borders of the tag. Does it make sense what I just wrote?

Anyway, I think you get the idea.

I stamped the circle tag first using Pixie Dust Versamagic ink and then the message on the top using Sepia Versafine -you can use any pigment ink for overlaying.

I stamped the border using one of the messages from the Mix & Match stamp set.

Once again I used My Minds eye papers from the Quite Contrary collection, available from Craftwork Cards.

Introducing Big Sentiments

Big Sentiments is another one stamp set that I did after some requests for a slightly larger sentiments.

In this set you get 19 -yes, nineteen- general essential messages. They are mostly the same ones featured in the Mixed Sentiments set so they can be combined perfectly but larger, as well as a few new ones -Happy Everything, Good Luck, Welcome Baby, Sorry, Hello, Miss You, Make a Wish.

So, how they compare? Well you have the same message side by side above. The one on the left is obviously from the Big set and the one on the right is from the Mixed Sentiments. Wether the Mixed fit in a 1" circle or square, the Big Sentiments will all fit in a 1 1/2".

-By the way, the little message is all stained as I used Archival inks which are similar as StazOn in the sense that will stain/colour the stamp. It is not dirty, the stamp will still stamp beautifully even with VersaMark. If you want to avoid staining just avoid Archival and StazOn Inks on any clear stamps.

The Big Sentiments fit into a 1 1/2" plain circle or a 1 3/4" Scalloped circle, but also in many more shapes as illustrated in this photo. Some of the messages will even fit into smaller circles and ovals.

INKS, INKS, INKS

If you would like to know which are my favorite ink pads when stamping with my clear stamp sets, click here.

Square tags card

I will admit that my brain wasn't working on full power when I decided to take this photo, because, who on their right mind would have taken a photo of a black card with a black backdrop? Yep, just me. And lazy me I did not want to retake the photo, well in part due to the fact that I just could not as I did not have the card anymore.

Anyways. Back to the card and the Square Tag. Yes that light pink on the square is actually a stamped image, the reason that is so faint is because I stamped using the very lovely and soft Angel Kisses Memento ink, as I wanted to stamp on top one of the Big Sentiments, to highlight that even though they are not meant to fit in still look pretty good together.

The other message is from the Mix And Match set.