Goodbye 2017!

As I reflect on the year that has been I can't help but be thankful for all the moments that came by it. Because of them I am entering the New Year changed. I am not the same person I was entering this year. As a result I will live and do things a little differently. I am so grateful for the opportunities God gives us to grow in our perspective and in our faith.

For this project I have used my StampinUp! inks as watercolour paints.

The colours I have used are Powder Pink, Bermuda Bay, Tempting Turquoise, Berry Burst, Daffodil Delight, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede and Black Archival.

The stamp sets I have used are "Number of Years" and a new stamp set from the 2018 Occasions Catalogue "Lovely Wishes".

I have used watercolour paper as a base.

The Powder Pink ink gave her a nice soft skin tone.

I have used the StampinUp! Watercolor Pencils for shading and detail.

The Bible verse was printed from my computer onto Whisper White card.

To make the verse stand out I used the Basic Black Watercolor pencil and smudged it with a paper stump.

The 2018 was first stamped in Black. I then stamped it in Berry Burst, cut out the numbers and offset them over the Black with Mini Stampin' Dimensionals.

I am filled with gratitude for the year that was and I am looking ahead expectantly for the year that soon will be.

Happy New Year everyone!

Ink, Gesso and Masks

I have one more experiment with Gesso to share with you.

This time I sponged some Gesso through a mask and allowed it to dry before applying the ink. I have used Stampin'Up! Melon Mambo and Tangerine Tango. The stamp set is "Number of Years".

When I spritzed my background with water the ink on the Gesso turned into a cool batik type pattern.

I cut a hole from the centre and backed it with some gathered paper.

I have really loved how the inks have played with the Gesso to give more of a mixed media feel to my cards.

More Inky Fun With Gesso

I have been having some more fun playing around with my Stampin'Up! inks and Gesso.

 I have once again used Bermuda Bay and Pacific Point Ink Refills with Gesso as they were on my desk from my last project.

This time I added some drops of each of the Ink Refills on top of a puddle of Gesso. Then using a wide paint brush I picked up some of the ink and Gesso and brushed it across my paper. The result was this cool streaked background.

I also added dots of Gesso randomly to my background with the end of my paintbrush giving a raised texture.

I created the flowers using a rough cut circle technique and dipped the tips of the petals of two of the flowers into Gesso. It almost looks like snow has settled on them. I also dipped some of the flower centres into the Gesso.

I do have one more technique I would like to try with my inks and Gesso.

Stay tuned.

Playing Around with Gesso

I was experimenting today to find out how our inks react with gesso and I love how well they behave!

My card is a little bit messy as it was just an experiment but I think you will get the idea.

I have used Bermuda Bay and Pacific Point Ink Refills directly from the bottle.

The flower is from the Touches of Texture stamp set. The sentiment is from the Awesomely Artistic stamp set.

I collaged the background first with inked background papers and Gesso and then added some Embossing Paste through a mask. I wanted a way to colour the Embossing Paste without having to first mix it in. Applying a coat of Gesso to the dry Paste provided "tooth" for the inks to stick. The Gesso also gave the inks the ability to flow across the surface.

I added some Smoky Slate ink with a sponge dauber to the tops of the bricks.

The sentiment frame was silver embossed and then squished into some Gesso. I applied my heat tool to the Gesso to make it bubble up to create further texture.

Here is another example of my playing around. I haven't applied this one to a card as it was my first attempt and a bit messy but it shows you how colour can completely change the look of a card.

I have used Powder Pink and Crumb Cake ink in this example.

I do have another experiment in mind for Gesso and ink but that will be for another day.

Limited Supplies

I am so excited and can't wait to attend my first StampinUp! OnStage Local Event in Sydney in April next year!

StampinUp! have called for Display Board Stampers and at first I wasn't going to respond. Being a new demonstrator most of my projects have been created with limited supplies. Then I thought perhaps if I show some of them maybe some of you may be encouraged to just take what you have and start creating.

So here goes...

My first card features flowers just because I love them. It was made using Very Vanilla Cardstock, Ivory copier paper and the brown paper packaging from my order. The inks I have used are Powder Pink and Crumb Cake. The sentiment is from a Hostess Set called Background Bits.

This is a great project if you lack punches or dies. The flowers were made by simply cutting a rough circle with scissors and dividing it into petals. I used a simple ball tool to shape them.

I have also used gold embossing and tinted embossing paste in the background but that is totally optional.

The tendrils were made with twisted paper.

The flower centres are just small pieces of paper rolled into a ball and either rolled on the ink pad or VersaMark pad and gold embossing powder.

My second card...

...was created using Black cardstock and inked Whisper White cardstock. The ink colours are Berry Burst, Lemon Lime Twist and Basic Black Archival. The stamp set is Graceful Garden.

After creating the background I cut it into pieces and reassembled them leaving some space in between.

I coloured the rose using the inks and an Aqua Painter. The bling is optional.

My third card...

...is a solution for when you don't have specific Christmas supplies like me.

The base is Whisper White cardstock and the background was created on copier paper. As I didn't have red ink at the time, I used pink instead. I have used Tranquil Tide and Berry Burst ink pads. I have used my very first and favourite stamp set Awesomely Artistic. The white embossing powder looks like snow and enhances the Christmas theme.

I stamped the tree using the leaf stamp and the decorations were created using tinted embossing paste through a mask and glittered. The stars are simply a clip art image printed onto cardstock, cut out and gold embossed several times.

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I utilised my computer in this project by printing Scripture onto my background paper before inking it. I also typed the sentiment because at the time I didn't have a Christmas stamp set. 

My first 3D project is a Christmas decoration again created without specific Christmas supplies.

I have used Whisper White cardstock and vellum upon which I printed "O Holy Night". I have used just one coloured ink pad, Tempting Turquoise along with silver and white embossing. The snow was stamped from the Touches of Texture stamp set.

The back side is similar to the front except I have added white stars.

Again the star was a clip art image cut from Whisper White cardstock, inked, embossed and glittered.

It looks pretty at night with the light inside.

My second 3D project is my first Advent Journal.

My second journal (and the one I am currently using) is a variation of this one. You can see it here.

This journal I have on display as it matches my Christmas decoration using the same ink colour Tempting Turquoise.

I have used Whisper White cardstock and copier paper for the covers. The embellishment is a Christmas tree decoration. I have also used my computer for this project, printing the title and Scriptures inside.

Here is a sample of some of the pages. I experimented to create the journaling lines. I have also added some pockets and envelopes for extra journaling space, Scripture or quotes.

For my final project I have created a scrapbook page layout.

Did I mention that I love flowers!

I didn't have any 12 x 12 cardstock on hand so I used what I had - A4 Whisper White cardstock and copier paper. I wanted a soft look to this layout so I used Powder Pink and Smoky Slate ink pads. I have also used Basic Black Archival ink as a second generation stamping. The stamp set is once again Awesomely Artistic. The title was printed from my computer.

I have created a pocket behind my photo to contain my journaling.

All the flowers and leaves were created using a single punch - Blossom Builder Punch. Before punching I made a background on both sides of copier paper. Again the flowers were shaped using a simple ball tool.

I have used tinted embossing paste through a mask. I have also used the embossing paste in a silicone cake decorating mould to create my butterflies. They remain flexible once dry making them easy to manipulate as an embellishment.

I have also tinted some gauze and small paper doilies for the background. 

I love this photo of me many years ago because it really sums up my nature - curious.

Curiosity nurtures creativity. It serves as a reminder to me to stay curious and not let the fear of failure stifle my curiosity and creativity.

I will leave you with this quote from Winston Churchill:

"Success is not final,

failure is not fatal:

it is the courage to continue that counts."

Stay Curious!

Christmas Advent Journal 2017

Welcome to my new blog!

I joined Stampin' Up as a demonstrator recently in October 2017 and I am loving it!

So much so, I created this blog to share paper crafting projects, tips and tutorials as we travel this wonderful creative life journey together.

I thought I would start with my Christmas Advent Journal. It is so easy to get caught up in the busyness of the season and lose focus of the reason for it. So I created a journal to use as a devotional each day to ground me in the real meaning of Christmas.

I have used tea dyed copier paper for the pages and a covered manila folder for the cover.

The Stampin Up! ink colours I have used are Real Red and Old Olive. I have also used Soft Suede to distress the edges.

The leaf stamp is from the 'Awesomely Artistic' stamp set, my very first and favourite stamp set. I have also used some white and gold embossing powder and gold glitter.

This is the first page and how it looks with some journaling.

I have experimented throughout the journal with different background techniques and different ways of adding journaling lines.

The numbers are from the 'Number of Years' stamp set  and the flower from the 'Touches of Texture' stamp set.

I have printed the words from "O Holy Night" for the inside cover page. 

All 24 pages have a Bible verse printed pertaining to the birth of Jesus and a pocket containing a card with the number of the day and...

...a precious promise of God. I couldn't think of a better daily advent gift.