WOYWW + More Faux Vellum Technique

Hi one and all, time is running away from me so lobbing in with a very quick post for WOYWW and to share a new card in the Faux Vellum technique but as this is WOYWW or What is on your Workdesk Wednesday (pop over to Julia's and join in do!). So here is my desk.. or as was last night, as packed up now!

Have two images stamped in Black Onyx Versafine and embossed and you can see there are more Christmas cards being made! I have used my Caran D'Ache Aquarelle pencils, and as the are water colurs they make for lazy colouring, you colour then blend with a brush. I had the DI Antique Linen ink out, smooshed it on my laminated white sheet to colour the skin tones on the images with a watercolour brush. Grey promarker was there for highlights around the images. Other colouring pens are at back but didn't use them on these images.

I made a set of three of these cards, this is using the Faux Vellum technique which I showed step by step on the post below (or here). Used some Victorine stamps (the three silhouette wise men and the sentiment stamp - Wise Men seek Him Still). The the pebbles and the reed grass stamps are two Stampscapes stamps, multiple stamped. I rubbed some Cocoa Memento ink with my finger around the bottom to define it before removing the mask.

Out on our Sunday icecream drive, we saw this beautiful scenery down at our local jetty. I clicked a few to share with you.
It is springtime here and our flowers are just magnificent .. the roses and the sweetpeas are abundant this spring. Not much rain but beautiful sunshine, we are very blessed of God indeed to live where we live!

Thats it for today am busy making up some DT cards as want to get the posts for next three months done ahead of the busy Christmas time. Some of the DT cards are also Christmas ones so that is a double bonus!

Thanks so much for popping over for peek and chat.. you are really appreciated!

May God richly bless your day wherever you may be!

Shaz in Oz.x

Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.  John 6:29

Also linking up to:

1. Di's Snippety challenge - Used snippets on my card.   http://pixiescraftyworkshop.blogspot.com.au/ 

2.Word Art Wednesday - anything goes     http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com.au  
3. Simon Says Monday Challenge theme is Explore the World - or travel - and the three wisemen are travelling very far on there camels on my card.http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge/?p=6845
4. Crafty Hazlenut's  Extra Christmas challenge  http://craftyhazelnutschristmaschallenge2.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/chnc-challenge-extra-for-october-2016.html

WOYWW + Vellum Card Completed!

Hullo everyone .. well another WOYWW or What is On Your Wednesday is upon us.. yes! amazingly another week has passed. For the initiated, to see just what WOYWW is about do pop over to our hostesses desk Julia of the Stamping ground and see for yourself! So here is my desk!

Some of you might be forgiven for thinking you have seen this desk before as it rather similar to the one I showed two weeks ago! I had to interrupt the making of this ultra cute Bugaboo image card for my great nephews very first birthday to make the card shown below. But now I do have a card layout chosen which is the sketch on the right (but going to flip it have decided) near the monkeys and their WOYWW badge. To left far bottom corner is new Versafine ink pad in Imperial Purple .. I love these pads they emboss so beautifully, and my fav. navy blue pad is one of these and as love purple have decided to get this one .. not tested yet.

Next exciting image is of the newbie in my craft cum computer room. I have inherited this cast off of a swivel draftsman chair which is nicely raised for my desk which is standing height as do most of my crafting that way. As you can see it is in need of new covering and those red colours dont quite go, so have some material saved from old curtain one side were okay other side had worn out. Plan is to cover it ...so watch this space. On left behind it is my cutting station.. an old TV cabinet from 1960's which my dad turned into a bookcase... now has crafty items stored in it. Have a big shot as well as cuttlebug as thought the CB was broken (2 years ago now!) and then someone on WOYWW sorted me out on it so the Big shot is used for certain things and CB for others!

Here is the card I was working on last week's desk (Nat look away). Has La la Corners, the HB greeting is Memory box, Sarah & 18 is Olivia CB alphabet, the 18 underlay gold is from SB labels 8 fancy set. The music stamp is from Victorine originals. Has special poem inside which is on my desk today, under the print out for Hudson's greeting.

Last image of the day is of the large seas we have been having up and down the cost at the moment though they are dropping now. Sadly we have visitors who dont realise how dangerous these seas are. A Scandinavian visitor was swept out to sea at 5pm yesterday, at South West Rocks south of here, and north at Ballina two days ago, a young Asian man was also swept out to sea.. not first and sadly wont be last. And yes has happened right at this spot in last twelve months, usually visitors but occasionally even a local may have it happen.

Well, thanks so much every one for popping over for peek and chat and may God bless your day wherever you may be. Shaz in Oz.x

1. Di's Snippety challenge - Used snippets on both cards.   http://pixiescraftyworkshop.blogspot.com.au/ 

2.Word Art Wednesday - anything goes    http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com.au  

WOYWW + Gumblossoms ~ Snugglepot and Cuddlepie

Ah here we are everyone ~ another Wednesday!

Last one for September, suddenly realised it's three months Christmas - yes, I know some folks dont like mentioning it, but ostriches dont live here! :D

Happy WOYWW everyone!! (WOYWW = What is On your Workdesk, Wednesday?) Do join us peeking/stickybeaking at desks and work spaces around the world! over at Julia's hosting blog - Stamping Ground!! 

Now I wonder how many of you do what I did yesterday?? I was supposed to making my gum blossom card (showed you the stamped images last week from RosA). 

Suddenly I went off on a tangent on another card!

See below! There is the image in the centre - the brayered night scene? 

Well, found it looking through my dies for the proper card. Immediately an idea for it jumped into my head and I was off!! 

Here I am inking the mount card with foam for background to a deeper royal purple to match brayered ink colour. And yes, do work with dear monkeys + WOYWW frame there all the time :D

 

 I will add the Christmas card in separate post (down below) as I will enter it Dis Snippets challenge and Sarn's  Christmas Card Challenge. Here is my desk no 2! As you can see I finally worked out how to mount the coloured gumblossom image.

Caran D'ache pencils in centre of desk, as well as brads. Am trying to work out which one to use and yet to add greeting it. It is a thank you card to France. The tape is there as always use it when using dies. Need to attach them sometimes when lengthening or shortening die cuts in cutting them.

For those of you who may not know what real gumblossoms look like, here is one that is growing near our church, one of the WA species and is really beautiful. Most are yellow or red flowers, this one is clear pink. 

 I wonder if any are familiar with the story ~ the Adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie - these were written by May Gibbs, an Aussie, written in 1930s for children (see more here and here). 

 

Well, thank so VERY much everyone for popping over for peek and chat (you make my day). May God bless you day wherever you may be.

Shaz in Oz.x 

PS Next week (Tues) is eye surgery so no WOYWW post but will have scheduled posts.

PPS. here are the actual Gumnuts that Sugglepot and Cuddlepie live in:

 A Lemon flowering gum called Bloodwood, at the front of my sister's house.

Snippets Cards for Christmas!

Hi there everyone - well just realised it is three months til Christmas so thought better make this one - if you read my WOYWW post later you will see I was supposed to be working on something else - but hey, that does not really matter does it? as long as it all gets done in the long run.

This was a brayered snippet which I did forever ago it is brayered piece with Kaleidacolor Blue Breeze with post it note of glossy card, the stamped and embossed with SU Lovely as a tree set.

 

Mounted on blue lattice rectangle Spellbinder and then on purple card which I deepened to ink colour (see this Wednesday's desk post< you can see me doing it for WOYWW). Added a silver peel off for greeting. So would like to enter this in Di's Snippets challenge and have a play in the playground (swings please!! get giddy on merry go around!). Snippets were purple + black card + image. 

I thought would enter it in the Christmas Card Challenge over at Sarn's - see Sandra of Stamping for pleasure. I think it has something to do with reindeer's (or was it chickens??) but mine is hiding behind the trees! :D

Thanks so very much everyone for popping over for a peek and chat - and may the LORD bless your day in a special way wherever you may be!
Shaz in Oz.x

PS. don't you hate the way you dont remember everything?? As was finishing this card off, I thought of the Craft a Scene Challenge. which this month is "Trees", see here and then forgot when I posted it!

And B. left a comment to remind me! So there you are, friends always come in handy.

PPS. Oops, I am sorry, Sarn, it is is not "Lovely as tree" set - funny how 0ne forgets - it is the Victorine Originals tree cluster stamp.. see this post here where also used it, they are a US stamp company. sell unmounted stamps - bought mine on eBay, but they sell on their site too. 

PPPS. Oh and guess what just picking myself up off the floor!

Thanks so much to the wonderful ladies at this Challenge blog ~ they do such a marvellous job, and are a great inspiration!

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 93 + Challenge + Freebie!

Well, another Wednesday is peeking into view!! And so is another WOYWW! Are the weeks getting shorter as the year of 2011 progresses?

So much happening too in the bigger picture of our world (sadly not all happy – and so I am in much prayer for Japan and Middle East) - let alone on our small work desks.

Mine is slightly tidy again - sorry will try to leave it messier - next time I will take  pickie on Tuesday before cleaning day! I have been working none the less as you will see I also have some more stash newly arrived. Two new Penny Black Stamps (they have come! two weeks ago saw one on Brenda of Butlers Abroad desk ) - yet to play with them, but have done some others.

Up the top left are the House Mouse stamps (have had this one for a while) and just coloured a rose-smelling mice twosome. I have a number of friends with birthdays who are rose lovers so they will be getting them; and tried it this time with combo of the Dovecraft pearly chalks and Promarkers. I just loved the look of it! yet to make it up... 

Oh and I have new storage for Promarkers, which I found at Spotlight. This is a DMC thread sorter roll –AND it has perfectly sized spaces for Promarkers - I wish I had two of these instead of the Letraset one I had already bought, as like it much better. And a third of the price!

The left hand middle card is detailed here. And it is made using the paper from free downloads of Glenda Waterworth two weeks ago on WOYWW! Do love her paper!

The Hedgie card is one I had stamped on last weeks WOYWW (someone commented on it?).

I have made it for a friend's newly born daughter. Brayered the Flower Cuttlebug (called Caramello) folder in baby pink dye ink, embossed then sprayed in Diamond Glimmer Mist, a Nestie mount and Sticky "Sweet" button at the top with pink checked ribbon to finish it off.

 Underneath it is the card I am entering in this weeks   Christmas challenge @

Hazels.   Go for Gold!

So it has used Victorine Originals Bauble stamps in gold plus pine tree stamp from Sheena Douglas (Little Sketchy 2 Faith set) with deep green (not black) corrugated mount and the Marianne Die Snowflakes in Mirri Card.

The other card done with the Penny Black Aspire stamp. The recipe & card is shown in detail - to see click here. 
Some very clever ones of you may recognise it as newbie stamp from last week. :D

For those of your puzzled why we are looking at work desks... join in the fun take a trip over to the queen of WOYYW, drop by Julia's Stamping Ground!

And may God bless your day wherever you might be,

Shaz in Oz.x

PS just looking around and found this gorgeous freebie so check it out folks from our very clever Donna at Bearly Mine Designs.. to get bigger resolution with Windows make sure after right clicking you select "Save Link as..." not "Save as..",  which is what I used to do till Glenda sorted me out..

PPS. CUTTLEBUG USERS - HELP!! any answers please? 
My cuttlebug is one year old, but it has had lots and lots of use with various cutting dies- not just embossing and I think it is going to die soon.. the last two weeks of use it seems to separate at the top side join near the handle (which is getting looser too)  and make funny noises. It goes back together it can be either embossing or cutting, but mainly with thicker folders. I am very weak in my hands due to my arthritis plus very poor manual skill in strength items. So I dont think I am forcing it, as dont have the oomph! 
I noticed in my Google search on this matter, the new bugs have green honeycomb plates for the A plate - so it has more give?

1.Does anyone know what may be happening here?

2.Are there maintenance things I should be doing with it? I always test shims/plates levels before cutting/ embossing. 

PPS. In answer to Jude - your comment on loose screw may not be entirely off the mark. I printed off pdf manual on assembling the bug and praise God I still had the Allen key used for assembly and tightened up the handle an awful lot and seems better - however time will tell!! (pray it all good now as not $ for Big Shot let alone Vagabond.. they are so dear, plus different power to Oz at present..)
Would you believe it is one year and 4 day sold! just out of warranty!
love Shaz in oz.x 

Our Daily Bread Challenge / Christmas Card Challenge - Brayer on Acetate

Well here is my entry to two challenges - and hopefully make the cut off date for both.

As per my post yesterday one of these had working with acetate (2011 Christmas Card Challenge Week #9) and the other is with Our Daily Bread  -blues-challenge

The acetate was a challenge in more ways than one! I used Archival Jet black on the acetate for the tree stamp from Victorine Originals in the US (and did two stamps for two cards, with two moons on post-it notes circles if you look at last post on the original brayering). The black stamp did not take long to dry, you ink on one side allow a few hours and then colour on the reverse side to which you have stamped.Brayering on acetate?!..

Well it was a learning curve! I sprinkled the brayered ink on the back with extra fine glitter and attempted to set it with a spray glue..But this did not totally take, however by using brads to attach there were no real issues here.

As there was insufficient brayered colour on it, underneath the acetate I attached Stampin Up Glossy White cardstock, upon which I had brayered the same colours as on acetate.  I was using Broken China and Adirondack Lights in Cloudy blue and Cool Peri and the Twilight Purple too - just very tiny bit at the top and carefully and gently blended that it in, as it a very dark colour.  Our Daily Bread Greeting was stamped on Labels 4 Nesties, coloured with Bashful Blue and mounted on Black, the Snowflake Cuttlebug folder is also in Bashful Blue.

Well, I now have another one to finish as I did two acetates at once, so two more Christmas cards on the way.. Yay!

This is my very first lot of Daily bread stamps which I used for first time today and must say I was incredibly pressed with their quality. I have been stamping for 18 years and they are some of the best I have ever used, and also I love the calligraphic style of the beautiful words of God! I do particularly like this Christmas set.

Thanks, Our Daily Bread.

 God bless till next time and rejoicing that it was not worse with cyclone Yasi – answered prayer but still so much devastation so I am praying for all in the clean up, and post trauma.

Love Shaz in Oz. x

Oh, and a big special thank you to my new following encourager's! I am still pinching my self over some folk liking my work!!

PPS A note from Maggie C. Silvercrafter :

Thanks for sharing . I have not tried brayering on acetate, but I have printed on it and then coloured in with Sakura pens, which works well. I have also used peel-offs, flowers and that sort of thing, and coloured those in from the back. A third method is to scan a stamp onto your computer, flip it digitally, and print it on the acetate, and either colour it or add silver or gold leaf to the back. The scanning of the stamp should not be done if you are doing it for sale, and it could be a good idea to ask the designer if they are ok with you adapting their design in this way (I asked Barbara Gray and she was fine with it as it was not for sale).

Thanks Maggie!

PS. Here is the second card, and yes! I know - it was late at night (any other late night crafters out there?) when I put the final piece on card, top piece of acetate and was on a little to the left before I realised and could not adjust it (sigh, at least it was straight!) it gripped, never to be removed. 

Changed the layout and background, used the Herringbone Embossing folder as love it with brayer work, and used my "extend the folder" method (see side labels) as it is only a small A2 Cuttlebug folder and this piece is almost double-sized, then attached a Fancy labels from Spellbinder to the sentiment just for added detail, and a chiffon ribbon.

Like a change anyway, and really will do this acetate again one downside it does not photograph colour evenly and apologise for that!

Brayer Fun - Stampscapes + Enlarging Cuttlebug Folders Part 1

Well don’t we just love to play with things, folks? Saw a Stampscapes card on ShazSilverwolf's blog and wanted to do some so out they came!!( see here)

I discovered the brayer and then Stampscapes about a year ago... First the brayer, and then through You tube, I discovered this brilliant lady, Sandy Hulsart (her blog – one of them “Scenes with Sandy” is on the side of my blog under blog list) and if you want a great You-tube video, look here to see her explain. EDIT 2014 - Sandy has taken link off so doesn't work. I have done a video so look here, for sort of an idea.

These first three are brayer ones done with my Stampscapes stamps and the other one has them, plus Victorine Originals.

The brayered colours in all of these are mostly done with my Stamping Up Spots. Well, when I learnt that was all I had. Yes, I know - how do you do it with the spots?

I lined up three spots in row, on a piece of cardboard and fixed them with Blue Tac. They were dye ink spots not the pigment ink ones, but you can do it with pigment ink ones too! I have brayered with these (have Pastel spots in the pigment, my other two sets are dye ink) and then embossed them with embossing powder and then layered things on them. You need to roll the brayer forwards slightly twisting the brayer to get the blank bits covered as well. I use the Stamping Up Glossy White paper for these but have used a variety of papers. Try it and if it works - great! that is my motto.

Brayer background - I think the colours are as follows (did the brayering a while ago):

1.Birthday card – this is brayered from the top end of Kaleidocolor Blue Breeze, with touch of Garden Green (from Stamping up Spots). Stamps are Stampscapes (see site here) Rocks and Grass 301A ,Reeds 067B, Pebbles 256A, Oak branch 203G at the top and a favourite Gulls 302A , Lakeside Cabin small 147F (this is stamped one half on left and other half of it on the right of brayered sheet, so it looks as if you are looking to a gap in the distance).

All are unmounted stamps and makes it heaps cheaper to order; they are really great and have flat rate so if you can get a few friends together it helps that is what I did. Kevin Nakagawa at Stampscapes is really helpful and he sent us ideas cards too which have been great as well as on their website there are heaps of examples and tutorial ideas, I love it

The fine lined papers are from an A4 pack in 5 shades from KMart, “Creativ” brand, mounting on black card.

2. Birthday for brother in law -This is simpler card, notice the background (Cuttlebug folder Herringbone, done in Stamping Up, Blue Bayou paper) is done with by enlarging folder method (see small inset photo below - click on picture, & see the fact you cannot see join in folder at all on this one). If you want to know how to enlarge your Cuttlebug folders, please look for it in the Labels, below this post. Mounted in black card and "Creativ" brand again, and using these stamps – Reeds 067B and 304B, Lakeside Cabin small 147F, and Rowboat 166A. Colours of brayering are Stamping Up Garden Green, Cameo Coral and Not Quite Navy al from the Earth Elements range which are no longer available, (of course).

3. Birthday Card for Dad This brayered with just two colours, Not Quite Navy in Stamping Up and the Garden Green, three stamps - Rowboat 166A, Gulls 302A, Seaside Cove Small 308G.

4. Sunset Card: it is done with the colours of Adirondack that Sandy Hulsart uses on her You-tube video (Purple Twilight, Mountain Rose and Peach Bellini), mounted on the same “Creativ” papers and black cardstock, they seem to match so well. Stamps are the Gulls 302A, Crooked Limb 097E, and Victorine Originals (US) stamps - Grove of Trees; Unmounted Rubber Stamps; 3038 3039 ; these are on eBay and they have great unmounted stamps, top quality, I have just had another of theirs come today. I put a post it note sun on this one and have done it on seaside cove one too.

I have done two more cards but will put them on another post - that is enough for now. They are a different method with brayer (mock marbling) and are tricky to explain so will do another post for them.
.

Why I like these cards is that they make really great Male cards so I use them a lot for these. They’re so much fun.You never quite know how they are going to turn out and are real exploration of creativity.

Hope this is a help if I have not explained anything or you have trouble with my links please let me know.

{Edited note added - for other posts using Stampscapes stamps on this blog - please click on this link here.   
For the post on Mock Marble done with brayer - click here
The post doing brayer on acetate - click here - all other "brayer" posts click on the "Brayer" labels link below this post - thank you!} 

I am praying much for the folks in floods up north of here. Many homeless and worse still, 72 missing in the unprecedented devastation. We are wet here, but okay, but do have some friends affected so I am praying much for them. May the LORD bless you and those you love and keep you safe, wherever you might be.

Thanks so much for popping over for a look and a chat.
Shaz in oz.x

Red Black and white

Well, orders can be very specific at times, and so here is another quick post.

The request was a birthday card in black and white with a large splash of red for her granddaughter!! So I made this one here, with the red background, mounted on white cardstock.

The floral stamps are from "Wildflower Sprigs" by Stampendous (clear stamps). Lovely aren't they and quite versatile, too.

The butterfly stamp is part of a set from Victorine Originals (US).

The swirls stamped image is from "Wild Daisy Rd" set Heidi Grace Clear Stamps by Fiskars, it is bordered by the Taylor Eyelet Border die to make the edges to the bottom panel. A black and white spot ribbon with my Bow-easy making the bow. I have yet to master that Bow-easy!! A few diamantes in red and pearls to finish it off! (Note to self: to get some black bling.)

Have to get onto another order, a 60^th again!! God bless and happy crafting!