The technique of MASKING

This is an oldy but a goody, you overlap the stamps so that it looks like the 2nd image is sitting behind the 1st. It looks great with solid stamps, but also looks amazing with flowers or people/animals. We used this technique at the last workshop in June and you can find step by step instructions at the Stampin' Up! website here. I used the 'I {heart} Hearts' stamp set to create this card. Just remember to cut your image on the post-it note inside the lines (smaller) so as to not get that gap between the images like on mine below LOL!!!

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Inkspirations Challenge

I decided to try another challenge, I have found it's a great way to start creating outside your comfort zone. This time I followed Makeesha Byl's Inkspirations Challenge #26 it was a colour challenge, some colours I would not normally put together - but I think it actually works really well. Let me know what you think?



Here is my card:


And here is a close up of the flower:

Do you like that button? I made it using a small circle punch, punched out the basic grey card about 5-6 times, glued them together, pierced two holes then covered in crystal effects. Now you can make a button to match any of your designs...try it with some DSP

Embossing Workshop last week

Thanks everyone who came to the emobssing workshop on Wednesday night. I hope the rest of you get well soon. Our first card used gloss paper and we embossed a white tree onto the gloss paper then using a sponge and 'going gray' ink, rubbed over the image, the image doesn't take the ink, only the paper. This technique is called embossing resist. We created the scalloped edge on the black circle using a corner rounder click here to see a tutorial. I love this card if I do say so myself!! My darling husband who pretends to take an interest in my cards actually said this card was the best I've ever made! and he was serious and not just saying that so he could get back to whatever he was doing before I asked for his opinion LOL!!! Well I don't know if it is the best I've ever made, but thanks hon!

Here is a close up of the tree. We finished the tree with red dots from 'real red' stamp and write marker then covered each dot with crystal effects so now the tree looks like it has blossoms or fruit.


Here is the second card we made. We used the "Manhattan Flower" embossing folder and using a brayer you need to put ink directly onto the embossing folder, put the card in the folder and then run it through your die/embossing machine. We then hand cut around the flower. Try this technique using 2 different inks blending together!! Nice and simple yet very effective.

I love this new stamp set of mine "Spring Song" the little birdies are so cute and fun to colour, but I love the price of this set too!! We made the card on the left at the last workshop but I made a couple of others to see the whole set being used. I even had my "non bird loving friend" agree that it was a nice card (once I twisted her arm I think!)

Treasures you find when you tidy up!

When I was re-organising my stamping/work area I found this cute stamp that I had stamped and embossed at a friends house a couple of years ago. It had been sitting there for years (you can tell I really hold onto 'stuff' that I think I might use in the future - no matter how far in the future that may be!) so instead of tucking it away again, I got stuck into it immediately. I coloured in the image using my blender pen and ink from various stamp pads. Cute huh?