Tracy Evans Boutique Designs "Special Delivery TE64" Heat Embossed Artist Trading Card

A clean and simple design on my Artist Trading Card (ATC) for the day,  Starting with white card, I used a blending brush to apply three shades of Distress Oxide Inks.  Starting with Shaded Lilac in the bottom right corner, then Wilted Violet as the mid colour and then the darker colour of Villainous Potion.

I used Wow! Clear Embossing Ink pad tio stamp the flowers, which is part of the Tracy Evans Boutique Designs "Special Delivery TE64" stamp set.  I then coated the stamped image with Wow! Opaque Bright White embossing powder and heat set.

I added some tiny specks of white Posca pen near the embossing, finally adding a word sticker saying "hope".

Tracy Evans Boutique Designs "Dog Rose and Butterfly TE45" Gold Heat Embossed Card

When I started to make this card, I had a clear idea of how I wanted it to look.  I'd choosen the background, the stamp and colour of embossing powder before even going in the craft room.  Sometimes when creating, things don't always sit right and this is one of those makes for me.  I actually made this card yesterday, walking away from it to see how I felt about it when I saw it again. It is now growing on me slowly.

The background is two shades of brayered Colorbox Inks.  Greens and blues are my favourite colour combo! For the central design, I used a stamp from the Tracy Evans Boutique Designs "Dog Rose and Butterfly TE45" stamp set, initially stamping it in Versafine Clair "Twilgiht" dark blue ink, but then I decided to add Wow! Rich Gold Embossing Powder over the top of the stamping and heat set.

On a small off cut of blue card, I then stamped three butterflies from the same stamp set and repeated the heat embossing process.  I fussy cut the butterflies and glued them into position.

Next, I drew some circles with a gold gel pen and added some line detail to them.  I then used a dark blue Posca Pen to add three lvertical lines from the top right and the bottom left, to balance the design.  They looked too prominent, so I added some line detail using the gold gel pen again.  Finally, I added some tiny dots of "Blackberry" Liquid Pearls across the surface.

Tracy Evans Boutique Designs "Nature Feeds The Soul TE48" - black with white pastel pencil

 

This afternoon, I've had a play using a white and black pastel pencil on black card.

I used the "Echinacea" stamp from the Tracy Evans Boutique Designs "Nature Feeds The Soul TE48:" stamp set, stamped in Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink on to black card.  I was able to see just enough of the design to  colour the image with white and black pastel pencils and a white gel pen.

The sentiment is part of the same stamp set.  I used Wow! Clear Embossing Ink with Wow! Silver embossing powder and heat set, then glued it into position on the card.

Tracy Evans Boutique Designs "Artsy Alpha/Numbers TE16" with a star Artist Trading Card

Here's another Artist Trading Card (ATC).  The background blues and orange shades are from a clean up of my brayer, some years back.  Because the colour was so dark, I didn't get round to using it.  So today, I decided it had been hanging around for long enough.  Use it or bin it!  I opted to use it.

Using a Wow! Clear Embossing Ink Pad, I stamped the Tracy Evans Boutique Designs "Artsy Alphas/Numbers TE16 Stamp" on to the dark brayered background.  I then coated the stamped ink image with Wow! Rich Gold Embossing Powder and heat set.

On a piece of navy coloured card I stamped the large star from the Tracy Evans "A Promise Of Tomorrow TE63" stamp set, using Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink.  I then coated the stamped image with Wow! Clear Gloss Embossing Powder and heat set.  Once dry, I fussy cut the star shape and glued onto a piece of card cut to the same shape to add a bit of dimension, I then glued the double layered star on to the Artist Trading Card.

I inked the edge of the ATC using Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink and then added a Tim Holtz "idea-ology" word sticker to the middle of the star, saying "Create".

A Crafting Niche "52 Week Mini Art Card / Tag Challenge 2026" - Week 34

The Crafting Niche 52 Week Mini Art Card/Tag Challenge 2026:

This is a weekly challenge. I provide you with a prompt/theme each Sunday morning through out the year.  The challenge is very relaxed.  You can do as much or as little as you like.  You can create cards, tags, Artist Trading Cards (ATC's) or index cards, the choice is yours. You just go with what ever is in your head at the time.  You can stamp, get inky, use patterned papers, texture, embellish it is all down to you.

There is a dedicated private Facebook Group, with a lovely bunch of people who are already sharing their makes from previous challenges.  You can find the group by clicking this link.  I'd love you to join in. 

The prompt for Week 34 is "Summer"

During the summer months, Rosie our dog likes to swin in the sea, so my tag is about 'Dog walkes by the sea".

I used a plain white card, cut into a tag shape.  I then used a Wow! Clear Embossing Ink Pad on the Inkylicious "By The Sea - Waves Stamp Set", coated the ink with Wow! Clear Gloss Embossing Powder and then heat set using a heat gun.

I then used "Shadow Grey" Ranger Archival Ink though the Inkylicous "Scenic Mountain Hills Stencil", adding touches of a dark pastel pencil for extra details

I gave the sky a light covering of "Sky Blue" Ranger Archival Ink.  I then painted the sky, using two shades of diluted Distress Oxide Inks:  Tumbled Glass and Speckled Egg.  For the Sea, I used three shades of diluted Distress Oxide Inks.  The colours I used are:Salty Ocean, Mermaid Lagoon and a tiny touch of Mowed Lawn.  For the sand, I used two shades of diluted Distress Oxide Inks:  Tea Dye and Wild Honey.  I added extra colour to the sand using a pastel pencil.

Finally, I printed out the words "walkimg the dog on the beach", cut it to size and glued into position, then added a touch of diluted "Tea Dye" Distress Oxide Ink to tone the white down and make it look less obvious.

Tracy Evans Boutique Designs "Love Grows Here TE65" Feathers Artist Trading Card

Apologies, this is a bit too vibrant for the morning!  I found a gel press off cut in my stash, so decided to use that as the base for my daily Artist Trading Card (ATC).

I used a Wow! Clear Embossing Pad to stamp the feathers on to the card base, the feathers are part of the Tracy Evans "Love Grows Here TE65" stamp set, then coated with Wow! Angel Eyes Embossing Powder.  I repeated the process for the three feathers then used the heat gun to set the embossing powder.

I then lay the Tracy Evans "Distressed Background (diamonds) SS31" stencil over the top of the card and applied "Chipped Sapphire" Distress Oxide Ink through the stencil..

I added some line work to the embossed feathers using a black fine liner pen then added dots to the background, using a gold coloured gel pen.  Finally, I added a Tim Holtz "Idea-ology" word sticker saying "Use your wings".

Tracy Evans "Framed Delights TE58" Brick Wall and Frame Card

I used Wow! Rich Gold Embossing Powder and ink , heat set o create the central frame, which is part of the Tracy Evans Boutique Designs "Framed Delights TE58" stamp set. I then used Ranger Archival Inks through the Tracy Evans "Brick Wall ST9 stencil".  The colours I used are:  Sky Blue, Shadow Grey, Prickly Pear and Tea Rose.

I stamped the frame again and used the extrernal area as a mask to protect the rest of the card, so that I could stamp within the fram.  I used Versafine Clair "Sand Dune" light brown ink to stamp the text, which is part of the Tracy Evans "Winter Delights TE23" stamp set.

Next, I used Versafine Clair "Morning Mist" grey ink to stamp the wild flowers within the frame.  The flowers are part of the Tracy Evans "Create a garden TE66" stamp set.  I then stamped the bird on the branch, from the same stamp set, using Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink.  I added touches of white gel pen, a black pastel pencil and a black fine liner pen for extra detail.

Funky Fossil Designs "Mechanical Hello" Card

I needed to make a birthday card for my brother, so decided to use a background I had in my stash.  It comprises of various Distress Oxide Inks and then a further Distress Oxide ink applied through the Funky Fossil Designs "Mechanical" stencil.  On the left hand side I had used three shades of Wow! Embossing Powders and heat set.  Sadly the sparkle doesn't show too much in the still photo

I then used the Funky Fossil Designs "Hello Die" with two shades of green cardstock to cut the word out. I layered them with the darker one in the background so that it works as a shadow.  Mounting the card in the same coloured cardstock for continuity.

Funky Fossil Designs "Take 3 Challenge - January 2026

My entry for the Funky Fossil Designs January "Take 3" challenge (Purple, Stitching & Love).

I've used Distress Oxide Inks for the background colour. I've used: Spun Sugar, Picked Raspberrym Wilted Violet, Faded Jeans and Chipped Sapphire. Using Versafine Clair "Fantasia" ink through the Funky Fossil "Scandi Sunburst" stencil.

I've then used Versafine Clair "Twilight" dark blue ink to stamp the hearts which is the Funky Fossil "Heartfelt" stamp, heat embossed using Wow! Clear Embossing Powder.

I've used the Funky Fossil "Rub Ons" for the stitches and the one of the Funky Fossil word stickers from their "Sentimental Sticker Stack".

52 Week Mini Art Card / Tag Challenge 2025 - Week 52

The Crafting Niche 52 Week Mini Art Card/Tag Challenge 2025:

This is a weekly challenge. I provide you with a prompt/theme each Sunday morning through out the year.  The challenge is very relaxed.  You can do as much or as little as you like.  You can create cards, tags, Artist Trading Cards (ATC's) or index cards, the choice is yours. You just go with what ever is in your head at the time.  You can stamp, get inky, use patterned papers, texture, embellish it is all down to you.

There is a dedicated private Facebook Group, with a lovely bunch of people who are already sharing their makes from previous challenges.  You can find the group by clicking this link.  I'd love you to join in.

The prompt for Week 52 is "Celebrate"

For the base colour of this tag I used Blue Print Sketch and Wilted Violet Distress Oxide Inks.  I then used Versafine Clair Medieval Blue and Morning Mist to stamp the background text, using  Visible Image "Distressed Christmas" stamp set.

I used a Wow! Clear Slow Drying Embossing Pad to stamp the bursts, then coated them with Wow! Silver super fine embossing powder and heat set.  The bursts are part of the Visible Image "Rays of Light" stamp set.

In the middle of the fireworks I added Lavinia Stamps "Moon Dust" silver glitter.  I then added word stickers and finally dots of "Lightning: Liquid Pearls.

Funky Fossil Designs "Stencils Unlocked" Techniques - Day 1, technique B

This is my second make of Funky Fossil Designs "Stencils Unlocked Techniques from Day 1. If you'd like to know more, take a look at their page on this link.

I used three shades of Distress Oxide Spray Inks for the background colour.  The colours I used are: Cracked Pistacchio, Mermaid Lagoon and Speckled Egg.  It took a really long time to by fully dry, so even after big blasts from the heat gun, I left it over night.

Over the each end of the coloured card, I lay the Funky Fossil Designs "Mechanical Stencil", applying "Heavy Glossy Body Gel" by Pentart through areas of the stencil.

I then pinched small amounts of embossing powders between my fingers and sprinkled over the surface. The three colours of Wow! Embossing Powders I used are:  Lavaburst, Angel Eyes and Blueberry.  I then heat set with the heat gun.  

Top Tip:  when using the heat gun, keep it moving over the surface of the embossed area.  If you hold in one place for too long, the medium and powders can bubble - great if you want more texture but not so good if you are wanting it relatively smooth!

Funky Fossil Designs "Stencils Unlocked" Technique Challenge - Day 1a

For various reasons, my crafting mojo is practically non-existent, so to give myself a nudge, I decided I would try out the Funky Fossil Designs "Stencils Unlocked" Technique Challenge.  It's just for a few days and I love stencil play and it's always good to get more techniques under my belt. You can find out more about this on the Funky Fossil Designs web site here.

For the base colour of my piece, I used three shades of Ranger Archival Inks:  Forget-me-not, Sun Dazed and Sienna.

I then used Versafine Clair "Acorn" brown ink through the Funky Fossil Designs "Alpha Numeric" stencil.

Next, using Wow! Clear Embossing Pad, I applied the clear ink through the Funky Fossil Designs "Scattered Straw Mask", coated the areas in Wow! clear embossing powder and heat set.

I then used a Versafine Clair "Pinecone" dark brown ink pad to drag over the surface of the background, using a blending brush to ensure I got into the crevices of the masked area.  I then used a piece of kitchen roll to rub over the surface, removing excess ink from the embossed areas.

I tend not to like brown grungy looking pieces of art, but i quite like this one. 

Karen Telfer's "12 Days of Christmas Tags 2025" - Day 8

I'm up to date and here is my Day 8 tag for Karen Telfer's "12 Days of Christmas Tags - 2025" series.  If you would like to play along too, you can find Karen's tutorial here.

Here's a top tip when smooshing ink.  Instead of wiping away the surplus ink at each stage of smoothing the tag through the ink, I give the ink a light spritz of water and then pull the tag through the ink.  You end up with a lighter version of the original background (like above).  Two for the price of one has to good, right?

For the background of my tag, I used three shades of Distress Oxide Inks, using Spun Sugar, Tumbled Glass and Cracked Pistachio.  

Top Tip Two:  Before each stage of stamping, I dusted the surface of the tag with an anti static chalk bag.  This stops the embossing powder sticking where you don't want it.

I stamped the Lavinia Stamps "Noel" which is part of their "Seasonal Words" stamp set in Versafine Clair "Bali Blue" ink, coated in Wow! Clear embossing powder and heat set.

I used a Wow! Clear Embossing Pad to stamp the Lavinia Stamps "Fairy Webs" at the top and bottom of tag, coating with Wow! Bright White super fine embossing powder and heat set.

I then repeated the process with the snowflakes, using two Lavinia Stamps sets:  Snowflakes and Snowflakes small.  Finally, I aded some pale blue sticky gems to the snowflake area around the "Noel" word.

A Crafting Niche 52 Week Mini Art Card / Tag Challenge 2025 - Week 44

The Crafting Niche 52 Week Mini Art Card/Tag Challenge 2025:

This is a weekly challenge. I provide you with a prompt/theme each Sunday morning through out the year.  The challenge is very relaxed.  You can do as much or as little as you like.  You can create cards, tags, Artist Trading Cards (ATC's) or index cards, the choice is yours. You just go with what ever is in your head at the time.  You can stamp, get inky, use patterned papers, texture, embellish it is all down to you.

There is a dedicated private Facebook Group, with a lovely bunch of people who are already sharing their makes from previous challenges.  You can find the group by clicking this link.  I'd love you to join in.

The prompt for Week 44 "A circle / circles"

A very simple tag from me this week using kraft card for the background.  I used a washi tape roll to draw round with a white pastel pencil to create the circle. Then added some Lavinia "Snowflake Stickers" to create a wreath, using pale blue sticky gems for the middle of the snowflakes.

I used one of the Lavinia Stamps "Christmas Greetings" stamps with Wow! clear embossing ink, coated in Wow! Bright White super fine embossing powder and heat set.  I then used a white Posca Pen to create snowfloakes drifting over the tag.

Lavinia Stamps "Shadow Bloom" hope card

 

I made this card for a friend who is quite poorly at present. Starting with the Lavinia Stamps "Shadow Bloom" stamp, I stamped the image using Versafine Clair "Medieval Blue" ink.  I then coated the stamped image in Wow! Clear Embossing Powder and heat set.

I used "Sky Blue" Ranger Archival Ink through the Lavinia Stamps "Waffle Stencil" around the stamped image, fading the colour out towards the top and bottom.

Using Versafine Clair "Medieval Blue" ink again, I added some foliage to the flower using one of the leaves from the Lavinia "Vine Set".  I used the same ink to stamp the word "Hope" which is part of the Lavinia "Blessings" word set.

Next, I used a paint brush to colour the flowers using "Spun Sugar" Distress Oxide Inks.  I added dots of yellow Posca Pen to the middle of the flowers, finally adding some dots of "White Opal" Liquid Pearls to the stencillled area.

Karen Telfer's 12 Days of Chrismas Tags 2024 - Day 6

On the run up to each Christmas, I usually take part in Karen Telfer's Christmas Tag challenge.  Because we were living in the caravan and I didn't have my craft supplies, I wasn't able to take part in 2024.  Now my craft room is set up, I thought I had better get cracking on the tags.  For 2024, Karen was doing 12 tags rather than 24 as she had a busy work schedule.

This is my Day 6 Tag (You can watch Karen's tutorial here).

I used three shades of Distress Oxide Inks for this tag, using: Mustard Seed, Mowed Lawn and Abandoned Coral shades of inks.

I used a Wow! clear embossing stamp pad and Wow! Bright White super fine embossing powder and heat set to stamp the star and the sentiment, which are both part of the Stampin' up stamp set called "Bright and Beautiful".

I added some splatters of white paint and black Posca pen to the background too.

Lavinia Stamps Headress Jingle Bell Forest Tag

I've had a very random play today, making this tag, which I have called "The Jingle Bell Forest".

I used four shades of Distress Oxide Inks for the background, using Salvaged Patina, Peacock Feathers, Blueprint Sketch and Villainous Potion. I sprinkled splatters of water across the surface then blotted the tag to get a mottled/bleached look/

I used the Wow! Clear Embossing Pad with the Lavinia Stamps "Headress" and "Bells" stamps, coated in Wow! Rich Gold embossing powder and heat set.

I then stamped the trees, using four shades of Versafine Clair Inks (Morning Mist, Warm Breeze, Blue Belle and Twilight) with the Lavinia Stamps "Small Fairy Fir Tree" stamp. I used Versafine Clair "Arctic" ink for the shadows.

Finally, I added some splatters of white Posca Pen and dots of "Mermaid" Liquid Pearls to the headress along with some dots of blue glitter gel pen too.

52 Week Mini Art Card / Tag Challenge 2025 - Week 11

The Crafting Niche 52 Week Mini Art Card/Tag Challenge 2025:

This is a weekly challenge. I provide you with a prompt/theme each Sunday morning through out the year.  The challenge is very relaxed.  You can do as much or as little as you like.  You can create cards, tags, Artist Trading Cards (ATC's) or index cards, the choice is yours. You just go with what ever is in your head at the time.  You can stamp, get inky, use patterned papers, texture, embellish it is all down to you.

There is a dedicated private Facebook Group, with a lovely bunch of people who are already sharing their makes from previous challenges.  You can find the group by clicking this link.  I'd love you to join in.

The prompt for Week 11 is "Greens and Blues"

•••

For my Week 11 "Greens and Blues" tag, I started out with a navy blue base for the tag.

Some years ago, I saved a lovely photo from a magazine of a piece of green and blue fabric.  I decided to cut it into strips and stick it on to the navy tag base at regular intervals.

I then used Wow! Embossing ink and Wow! Rich Gold Embossing Powder to stamp the sentiment which is part of a Lavinia stamps set called "Heartfelt Verse".  I then heat set the powder, cut the piece to size in a banner shape and stuck it to the tag using double sided sticky tape.

Clarity Stamps "Retirement Card"

My friend retires from her TA job in the local primary school tomorrow after many years of service, so I made her this card.

For the central area of the card, I used two stencils from the Clarity Crafts "Seedheads & Tiles" stencil set.  For the square background I used "Vivid Chartreuse" Ranger Archival Ink .  I then lay the decorative leaf stencil from the same set over the top and applied "Fern Green" Ranger Archival Ink through the stencil.

I dusted the surface of the card with an anti static bag of chalk, then stamped the words "On your retirement", part of the Clarity "Entwined Sentiment" stamp set, using Wow! Clear Embossing pad, coated the words with Wow! Rich Gold Embossing Powder and heat set.

I mounted the card on to a piece of dark green card then on to a white card blank.  I used a Signo Uniball gold coloured pen to add littel dots around the central tile and around the extremities of the inner leaf.

Funky Fossil "Classic Trimmings" Christmas Tag

As usual, when I get back from the caravan, I have to have a play with stamps and inks.  Today I made this Christmas gift tag.

I started with a blank tag and added horizontal strips of washi tape in a plaid design.  The tape is from the Funky Fossil set called "Timeless Traditions Trio Washi Tape".  I then sanded the surface to dull it.

Next, I went around the edge of the tag and drew vertical lines (on the left hand side), using a gold gel pen. I then used the Funky Fossil "A7 Face the music" stamp set to stamp music notes, stamped in "Jet Black" Archival Ink.

On an off cut of white card, I used a Wow! Clear Embossing Pad to stamp the ornament shapes.  The ornaments are part of the Funky Fossil "Classic Trimmings" stamp set.  I then coated the stamped image in Wow! Rich Gold Embossing Powder and heat set.  I coloured the ornaments and then fussy cut them, gluing them into position on the tag.

Finally, using Versafine Clair 'Morning Mist" grey ink, I stamped the sentiment, which is part of the Funky Fossil "Christmas Small Print" stamp set, cut it down and edged it in a gold gel pen.