Technique Tutorial Thursday: Painting with ink pads on glossy paper

This month Stampin' Up! launched a new catalogue and we are celebrating a whole new colour revamp! I love experimenting with new colour combinations and today's technique is using just inkpads and glossy white paper! Extremely easy, low tech and just a little bit inky!

 

You will need:
* Glossy white cardstock - an A4 sheet cut into quarters (10.5cm x 14.9cm)
* Stampin' Up! ink pads - I've used Sahara Sand, Soft Sea Foam, Mint Macaron and Crumb Cake.
* Stazon Black ink pad
* A tree stamp from Rooted in Nature stamp set.

Step 1. Hold your glossy white paper in one hand and your Sahara sand ink pad in the other.
Hold the ink pad at a 45 degree angle and gently wipe the edge of the ink pad across the white paper. The edge of the ink pad will create a messy line on the glossy surface.
Draw a second line and give it a little twist as you swipe it across the paper. Each line will have a little smoosh as you swipe it down the page.
Note: "Smoosh" is a technical term for a smooth swooshing motion. ;)

Step 2. Open your second inkpad. I've used Mint Macaron, and give it a 45 degree angled smoosh across the page. If it looks too dark or too inky you can wipe it off while its wet with a tissue and apply it again. There's no right or wrong in painting. Just go with whatever happens!

Step 3. Open up your Soft Sea Foam ink pad.
This time use the inkpad direct to paper and drag, slide, paint the ink on to the paper so you get a nice wide stripe. This is your sky.

Step 4. Open your Crumb Cake inkpad and use the edge of the inkpad to paint a curved stripe along the bottom edge of the paper. This is your foreground.
Maybe add some Coastal Cabana for water in the middleground ...

Step 5. Add a little more depth to the sky with Sahara Sand if it needs it, and along the bottom edge with Crumb Cake ink. Now you're painting.!
Wait for it to dry, the colours will lighten as they dry.

Step 6. Using black stazon ink, stamp some trees in the foreground. Be careful just to lightly touch the glossy paper and not press too hard as the surface is shiny and the stamp may slip.
Note: I used the stamparatus to get a clean image.
I've added the Happy Birthday on the Classic Label punch to keep it simple and not cover up too much of my "painted" sky.
My favourite stamp set to apply this technique is the "Dandelion Wishes" stamps.

 
 In order to create a sunset I've added a line of Petal Pink ink, its a beautiful apricot that you see in our Australian skies. The purple dandelion skies are painted with Highland Heather, Gorgeous Grape and Balmy Blue with  a touch of Blueberry Bushell ink for depth.
 
If you live in Australia and you'd like to place an order you can email me at nerida_carter@hotmail.com or visit the online shop at www.stampinup.com/en-au
Make sure you choose Nerida from NSW as your demonstrator so I can send you a little thank you gift.

Inksomniacs Team Blog hop "Love What You Do"

Welcome to The Inksomniacs Team Blog Hop!

Never seen a blog hop before? It's created by a group of bloggers blogging on the same day, with the same theme and connected by links so you can hop from one blog at a time getting fab ideas to copy and share or just browse while you have a cuppa on the lounge. Remember to share some comment love along the way!

Our Theme this time is "Love what you do".

It just happens to be the name of a new suite of products that are being released next week at Stampin' Up! The suite of products includes two stampsets, papers, and embellishments.

I wanted to show you something different!

So rebel that I am, I have just grabbed a handful of new products that I received at #ONSTAGE2018 and am showing you a really simple technique called stained glass.

The centre piece of my card is a piece of printed velum. It comes in a pack of 24 6"x6" squares.

They look like stained glass windows and they're called "Graceful Glass".
The stained glass technique involves colouring the back of the velum with coloured markers. I've used the new alcohol blends which give a lovely bright clear colour.

Then I've adhered the velum with clear glue dots to the card. You can barely see the glue dots but I did carefully cover them with the new Pearlised doilies and a strip of Velvet ribbon!

The doilies are almost silver with the pearlescent shine on one side and white on the other. You have to see them in real life, seriously gorgeous!

Here are all the products I've used to make my card. The stampset I've used is called "Make a Difference". It is just one piece of the "Love what you do" Suite.

What makes it different is that it is a photopolymer alphabet which has Script and Block letter characters, numbers, punctuation... so you can write what ever you like.

PLUS all these cute little phrases to put on the back of your card -

MADE WITH LOVE, HANDSTAMPED BY, HOME MADE BY, THIS BELONGS TO, CREATED BY, HANDCRAFTED, JUST FOR YOU, WWW. COM.

#MAKEACARD #SENDACARD

So you can make a back of card stamp with your personalised name or your own business card:

And, it has a flower stamp which I used on the back and front of my card ...

I used the Letters in the set to create my tiny little sentiment. I was going to add a sentiment like Congratulations! or Thank you, But I decided on "with love".

Thanks for joining us on the blog hop today, your next hop along the way is Jo Hooper at
https://johooperdownunder.blogspot.com.au

Inksomniacs Team blog hop - March Monochrome

How exciting! It's mad March and our Inksomniacs team have an amazing amount of creativity and ideas to share with you!
So today we have just one week left of Saleabration. Which means we can go all out with sharing our saleabration free sets and WOW you with colour and texture and techniques. Are you ready?
My first project involves just one colour ...

Purple !
I've broken out the "Beautiful Peacock " stamp set which is free during Saleabration.
The body of the bird is Elegant eggplant and the feathers are Wisteria Wonder with a touch of Soft sky.

I stamped a second card with the same colour palette and a few stick on Sequins to match the sequin embossing folder! I warn you it is so quick and easy to embellish with these sequins.
Its hard to know when to stop. Less is more!
However, all that minimalist talk just doesn't apply when you're using sequins and diamantes!

Apparently, I just hadn't finished with the monochromatic mauves. Not yet!
I give you Brusho: watercolour crystals in purple!
Brought to you by the colours of Prussian Blue and Brilliant Red.

I just mixed a little with water on my laminated grid paper (using more blue than red) and the more water you use the lighter the purple becomes til you get this lovely range of blue-mauves.
The more water the lighter the colour. Isn't it fabulous?

The stampset is "Beautiful Day" from the Seasonal catalogue. page 26.
If you bought this stamp set and the brusho crystals you'd be almost (extremely close to) getting yourself a FREE Saleabration set.
Add the clear embossing powder or a pack of water colour paper and you are there!

There you go a monochromatic adventure and all the details of how to earn a free Saleabration stampset. The free products are only available until 31 March!
Now off you head over to Tanya Kane's blog ...and don't forget to leave some comment love along the way!

Inksomniacs blog hop

Welcome to the Inksomniacs blog hop!
Today, we are celebrating the new Seasonal catalogue and Sale-a-bration by CASEing the catalogues.
What's a CASE I hear you ask?  CASE stands for Copy and Share Everything.
When I'm in need of inspiration I copy a card direct from the catalogue... Just pick a page, or pick a stamp set and copy a card from that page.

I've chosen to copy the card from page 17 of the Sale-a-bration catalogue.
The stamp set is called "Amazing You!" And as I dont yet have the framelits to cut out the word celebrate I changed it a bit to just use the stampset. I kept the ribbon, fussy cut the flowers and punched the label shape. I used what supplies I had to recreate the card as best I could.

The background as you can see, is a bit different. It uses the new Brusho watercolour crystals from the Seasonal catalogue.
They are quite addictive as each time you create a background its different from every other one and   I want to make more.

In the Seasonal catalogue on page 26, there are step by step directions on how to use the brusho powder. Basically, sprinkle the crystals, spritz with water and spread around with a brush.
There are so many other ways to use these coloured crystals.

I hope you've been inspired to check out the new Seasonal catalogue and take a closer look at the products you can earn, for free, during Saleabration.

Now to hop along to Maria's blog - click on next :

And please don't forget to leave some comment love, as you stop along the way.

 

Stampin Blends ESAD BLOG HOP

Welcome to Stamping Joy !
As you hop around the list of Blogs today, you will see lots of different ways to use the new Stampin' Blends.
I've chosen to show you the simplest method of colouring with the blends on Designer Series paper.
This "Just add Colour" patterned paper is perfectly designed for colouring.

I love how One sheet of paper can make 6 cards or more.
I cut the paper into pieces of 10cm x 14.5cm card fronts, and a few 2 cm x 14 cm strips.

The "Just add colour" paper has large and small flowers drawn with wide watercolour-like brushstrokes.
On my first card I mainly used Pool party, Cherry cobbler and Daffodil Delight with Old Olive for the leaves. It really is quick to colour as the pens are dual tipped with a wide brush for large areas and fine tipped ends for detail.

You can use them just like textas or coloured markers except they are so much more. When you add the lighter tone to the dark they blend and give you a smooth graduation from one colour to another. This second card I went a little over the top on the embellishments lol!

Take a look at this gorgeous Rich razzleberry "purpleness" !
I started by colouring in with the light shade, then coloured in the shadows with the darker shade.
I blended them together with the lighter shade and finished off on the centre petals with the colour lifter.

With a few of the 2" strips that I cut out of the "just add colour" page, I made book marks.
Then to add some depth I coloured in the background with the Slate Grey Stampin blend.
I think it makes the colours pop just that little bit more!

Out of one single piece of DSP I have made 3 full card fronts, 3 half panel cards and a book mark.

Thanks for stopping by, now hop on over to the next blog and dont forget to leave some comment love along the way.

Stampin' Up! Conference #onstage2017

How exciting !!!! 3 days on the Gold Coast with friends and a full day conference learning about and experiencing a ton of new products, tools, stamps and ideas with new techniques.

The first thing i have to show you are my swaps that i took to onstage!
Swaps are a tradition in crafting circles, everyone brings a sample of their work to share, with any and everyone else at the beginning of the conference. Its a lovely way to meet people, share what you love and introduce yourself to people you wouldn't normally do.
My swaps this year were stamped samples that I practiced my blend pens on. This one is the magnolia stamp coloured with pink pirouette and two shades of rich razzleberry. The patterned paper is Colour theory paper stack and a strip of dazzling diamond glimmer paper. Love that stuff!
Then I silver embossed the happy birthday on to a stitched shape framelit circle.

Other swaps used the "Just Add Colour" specialty papers with assorted teapots, cups and succulents on them.
Another gorgeous tradition in Stampin' up! circles is pillow gifts!
These are the two types of pillow gift I made for Team Stamping Joy and friends.
This Big Shot framelit makes a mini treat bag that I put a coffee or teabag and mints into.
This gorgeous stampset is. "Season to Sparkle" it makes me want to start swinging from the chandelier... With a christmas cocktail! But more of that later.

Saturday morning arrived with a sprinkle of rain, but that didn't bother us as we were inside sharing and getting inspired by the lovely Sara and Shelli.

This years theme was Love it! Live it! Share it!
We are stronger together - We help each other succeed and we celebrate!
Stampin up! Are constantly evolving their business and their brand which is all about sincerity, fun and the making a difference through friendship and helping others. Stamping up celebrates 30 years in the US next year, so they've got a few years experience at this customer relations thing!

After a few hours of conference presentations, new product spotlights, secret attendee information sharing and free gifts we spent the afternoon making some gorgeous new projects.
Ill be showing those a little bit later, too!
We met up with Central Coast friends ...

These are the swaps and pillow gifts I brought home.
Did I mention we had a great view from our apartment, when it wasn't raining, and of course the sun did come out on the afternoon before we went home.

See you back here soon for more updates ...