Lavinia Stamps - Northern Lights Sky - Step by Step photo tutorial

I have had a fabulous response to my "Northern Lights" card using Lavinia Stamps, with some asking for a step by step guide.  I am no photographer, but have made a duplicate card this evening with a photo step by step, so hope to show how to create the colourful skyscape.

These are the products that I used to create the card.

I started by using a blending tool and Distress Oxides.  The first shade I used was Spiced Marmalade, then Crushed Olive, Picked Raspberry and Peacock Feathers.  Finally, I used Wilted Violet to colour in the remaining areas.

I then added Chipped Sapphire over some of the Wilted Violet area.  I popped a mask of torn card to create the landscape just below the colours and dragged the Black Soot Distress Oxide downwards from the mask, which in turn creates the landscape.

I folded a piece of kitchen roll into four and dampened the inner corner (you could also use an ear bud or a sheet of wet wipe to do the same), and lifted some of the colour by lightly dragging the damp corner across the sky.  This makes the colours in the sky appear more vibrant.

I lay a sheet of copy paper over the land area of the card and using a fan shaped paint brush, dipped into water, splattered droplets on to the sky area.  I then blotted with a piece of kitchen paper.  This produces a bleached effect where the water has been, leaving lighter spots which mimic stars.

At this stage, I moved onto stamping.  When I stamp, I use a Misti platform, other makes work just as well.  This allows you to re-stamp in the exact same position, which is quite hard to do if just using a normal stamp block.

Using Lavinia Stamps "Spring Trees" and "Star Gazing" I used two shades of Versafine Clair ink.  Morning Mist for more distant stamping and Nocturne for closer stamping.  

I then added some Distress Oxide in the shade of "Chipped Sapphire" around the edge of the card and also between some of the colours in the sky (use the edge of the blending tool between the colours as you don't need a solid area of colour).  This seems to make the colours pop more.

Now it's time to create the landscape around the stamped images.  Again I used a mask of torn card and Distress Oxide ink in the shade of Black Soot.  For the landscape right at the front, I used Versafine Clair "Nocturne" ink.

I then stamped the Lavinia Stamps "Mini Slender Mushrooms", again in Versafine Clair, Nocturne.

Finally, using a white Posca pen, I added some stars to the sky and some highlighted areas to the mushrooms.

I hope this has helped you to attempt a similar sky.  Any questions, just leave a message in the comments.  Sam x

Design Team Make - Love To Craft Challenge Blog #32 (March 2019)

I've made this Design Team card for the March 2019 "Love To Craft Challenge Blog".  If you have a minute, please do pop over and take a look at the lovely creations by my fellow Design Team members.

The base of this card is made of Brusho and Distress Oxide Inks.  I stamped the images using various shades of Versafine Clair inks.  I used these Lavinia Stamps on this card:  Sebastian the Seahorse, Sea Bubbles, Shoal of Fish, Fern Heads and Sea Creatures.  I finished the card by adding area of white, using a Signo Pen, around the eyes and the bubbles.

Time To Make Some Changes Tag - Visible Image Stamps

It seems ages since I have made a tag that isn't part of the challenge, so this evening I had a quick play and made this one.

The base is a mix of Distress Oxides.  I then used Distress Inks in the shade of "Candied Apple" through an Andy Skinner "Tornado" stencil.

Using a Visible Image stamp from their "Ahead Of Our Time" set, I stamped the spiral and the falling lady, both stamped in Versafine Clair "Nocturne" ink.  

Using the same ink, I stamped the "Time To Make Some Changes" sentiment which is part of the Visible Image set called "Somewhere In Time".  Also from the same set, I stamped the fragmented splatter around the edge of the tag.  Finally, I used a Sakura Jelly Roll pen to colour in areas of the spiral.

Lavinia Stamps Design Team Samples for Hochanda TV on 21st Feb 2019

These are the third set of Design Team samples I have created for Lavinia Stamps, to be shown on Hochanda TV on 21st February 2019.

Sample 1
I've created a Distress Oxide background using "Dried Marigold, Carved Pumpkin, Picked Raspberry and Squeezed Lemonade".  Stamped in Versafine "Black Onyx" and Versafine Clair "Monarch.

I've used the following Lavinia Stamps for this tag:  Faith Fairy, Lunar Buds, Mini Leaf and Stars 2.

Sample 2

For this card, I have used a Gelli Plate to create the background using Brusho inks in orange and lime colours.  I have stamped the images in Versafine "Black Onyx" ink.

I have used the following Lavinia Stamps for this card:  Faith Fairy, Mini Leaf 5, Forest Scene and Stars 2.

Sample 3

For this card, I used a Gelli Plate to create the pink and blue background.  I then divided the panel up to create rays from the bottom right hand corner.  Masking of areas, I filled in alternate panels using Distress Oxides in the "Twisted Citreon" shade.  

I stamped the fairy and the leaves on the green panels using Versafine Clair "Monarch" ink.  Finally, I added some dots using a Signo Pen.

3rd Birthday Card - Stamper Anonymous - On The Farm

Our little Grand Son Jacob, is celebrating his 3rd Birthday.  Jakie is our little star.  He was born with Downs Syndrome and had a very difficult first year, mostly spent in hospital.  He is a little behind other children of the same age but he is the most loving little fella you could wish to meet.

In making this card I wanted to make him laugh, so I positioned the farm animal on top of each other.  The animal stamps are part of a set by Stampers Anonymous and is called "On The Farm CMS303".  I stamped the animals in different shades of Versafine ink and coloured with Promarkers.

Using a wash of Distress Oxide paints, I created the background colour.  When dry, I stamped the line of trees using a Lavinia Stamp called "Trees" stamped in Versafine "Smokey Grey" ink.

The grass tufts and orange flowers are stamps from a Papertrey Ink stamp set called "Love Lives Here", stamped in Versafine Clair ink.

Finally, I stamped the sentiment at the top of the card.  The "3rd" was part of a free set of stamps from a magazine.  The "Happy Birthday" stamps I have had for years and don't recall who made them.

Design Team Make for "My Time To Craft Challenge blog" (389) All You Need Is Love

It's time to share another Design Team make for the "My Time To Craft Challenge Blog". Challenge number 389 has a prompt of "All You Need Is Love", so anything along the theme of Valentine's, Weddings, Anniversaries etc.  If you have a moment, please do pop over to the challenge blog and take a look at some of the fab makes by my fellow DT colleagues and maybe even take part in the challenge yourself.

For my card, I used a sheet of music score covered with Distress Oxides, spritzed and left to dry.

I stamped the woodgrain by using a Stampin' Up "Hardwood" stamp, stamped in Versafine "Smokey Grey" ink.  I then painted a wash of colour using diluted Distress Inks applied with a brush.  Once dry, I die cut a heart in the middle of the woodgrain image.  I then mounted the die cut woodgrain card onto the coloured music score paper.

I die cut the word "love" using a die from a Stampin' Up thinlit set called "Expressions".  The Papertrey Ink sentiment of "is all you need" is from their "wonderful words - love" set, which was stamped in Versafine "Black Onyx" ink.  Finally, I stuck a sprinkle of clear sequins across the surface of the card.

Male Teen Birthday Card

It's time for me to get cracking on cards needed in the next few weeks and here is the first.  A birthday card for a male teen - a theme that I have difficulty with.

I created a background using three shades of Distress Oxides (Tumbled Glass, Spiced Marmalade and Blueprint Sketch).  Once dry, I stamped circles using a Visible Image stamp from their "Shape It Up" set.

Using a stamp from a Stampin' Up set called "Epic Celebrations" I stamped the trainer image in black Versafine ink.  I then stamped the same image on a piece of white card.

I coloured the shoe laces on both images of the trainers, then cut the shoe shape from the white card (but not the dangling laces).  I ran a black pen around the edge of the shoe image then stuck it to the card base using foam pads to elevate the trainers.

I finished by mounting onto black card and trimming to size.  To add a little more interest, I used a silver glitter Signo pen to add dots across the surface of the card - these are not really picked up very well in the photograph.

Design Team Make - Love To Craft Challenge Blog (30)

How time has flown, here I am on the 1st January with my Design Team project for "Love To Craft Challenge Blog".  The challenge blog has an "anything goes" theme every month, so if you have a minute, do pop over and take a look at the fab makes by my fellow Design Team colleagues and maybe enter the challenge yourself?

For my project, I started by making the background with Distress Oxides, using about five different shades.  Using a script stamp, I randomly stamped across the page.

I die cut a circle of vellum the size of the decorative snowflake border and stamped the "Hello", using a Stampin' Up stamp, stamped in StazOn ink.  I stuck the vellum to the background using two dots.

I then stamped the dots and honeycomb using Stamper's Anonymous stamps - I don't recall what they are called as I have had them for some time.

I then added glitter to the decorative snowflake border, available from Craft Box and then stuck it into position over the top of the layer of stamped vellum.

Finally, I covered some chipboard numbers in black and positioned onto the ring and punched snowflakes.  I coated the snowflakes in glitter and then stuck them diagonally across the card.

Week 1 - 52 Week Art Card / Tag Challenge 2019

Hello and welcome to a brand new year of the 52 Week Art Card / Tag Challenge for 2019.

For those of you new to this challenge, you will find all the info you need here.  

There is a Facebook Group for this challenge, where you are more than welcome to join, chat with others taking part and upload images of your creations to the weekly albums. This is a very relaxed challenge for all abilities.

So now down to business.

The prompt for Week 1 is "Celebrations"

We celebrate many things, birthdays, an anniversary, Christmas, new babiesm passing a test and so on.  I've based my tag on new year, but you can of course chose any form of celebration.

I started my tag by making the background using various shades of Distress Oxide inks.  I used a Stampin' Up stamp for the "Celebrate" sentiment.

Using a round punch and an old dictionary I have had since school, I punched circles of text and stuck them on top of the Oxide background.  I then ran the whole thing through the Big Shot in an embossing folder with concentric circles. I then inked the edges of the tag with a grey and black ink.

I die cut the numbers and coloured them with Versafine Clair ink in a shade of "Blue Belle".  Using a silver glitter Signo pen, I added dots onto the blue numbers. Then stuck the numbers to the tag.

Finally I mounted the tag onto a dark blue card and added sequins across the surface of the tag.

A Sparkly Christmas Tag

I had a quick play making a frosty/sparkly tag.

I started with some water colour paper and brushing some diluted Distress Oxides in shades of "Tumbled Glass" and "Salty Ocean".  I stamped the sentiment in Versafine Clair "Blue Belle" (I think it came free with a magazine a year or so back).

I then stamped random snowflakes with Versamark ink and coated with Wow "Bright White" embossing powder and then heated with a heat gun.

Finally, I added some dots of liquid pearls, a few sequins and sticky gems to embellish the tag.  I used Bakers Twine instead of ribbon as a hanger.