Original artwork by Beccy Muir, all rights reserved.
Images are for personal use and must not be copied, swapped, shared, resold or mass produced without the express written permission of the artist.
Sunday, November 29
Poinsettia Card
Adding Dimension 
1. Start with two images that are exactly the same. You will want an image that has some areas that can be cut and reattached with foam tape, such as this poinsettia flower. The top petals are perfect for cutting away from the rest of the image.
2. Use your preferred method to colour the images. As you can see in the photo above, you will only need to colour and shade the petals that you are cutting out from the first image. The base image however (the lower flower) needs to be coloured completely. Make sure you add some nice deep shadows and use a darker tone on the background petals since these will recede once you add your cut outs.
3. Cut out your individual top petals as well as the entire bottom image. (Alternatively, you could simply trim around the bottom image leaving it on a background of white card.)
4. Using a ball tool (or a rounded pen lid) and a foam square, rub the back of each of the individual petals. This will give them a rounded shape and help them to stand up from the base image.
5. Apply a piece of double-sided foam tape in the centre back of each petal. This will support the cardstock and help it to retain the shape you added with the ball tool. Add a little dot of strong glue to either end of the petal to "anchor" it into the picture.
6. Adhere each petal in it's correct position and press firmly on the foam tape and the glued ends. At this point you might like to add some beads or brads to the centre of the flower instead of simply colouring the image.
7. The finished dimensional image is now ready to be added to your project! You can use it as a card topper like I did, or perhaps decorate an altered notebook, Christmas recipe tin or little album.
Poinsettia Card
One of the easiest methods of adding dimension to a project is to "pop" some of the elements to make them stand up and away from the page or surface of the project you're working on. You can use a number of products to do this including silicone, which is used extensively in those wonderful 3D paper tolle pictures, and good old double-sided foam tape, which is what we are going to use in this project.
1. Start with two images that are exactly the same. You will want an image that has some areas that can be cut and reattached with foam tape, such as this poinsettia flower. The top petals are perfect for cutting away from the rest of the image. 
2. Use your preferred method to colour the images. As you can see in the photo above, you will only need to colour and shade the petals that you are cutting out from the first image. The base image however (the lower flower) needs to be coloured completely. Make sure you add some nice deep shadows and use a darker tone on the background petals since these will recede once you add your cut outs.
3. Cut out your individual top petals as well as the entire bottom image. (Alternatively, you could simply trim around the bottom image leaving it on a background of white card.)4. Using a ball tool (or a rounded pen lid) and a foam square, rub the back of each of the individual petals. This will give them a rounded shape and help them to stand up from the base image.
5. Apply a piece of double-sided foam tape in the centre back of each petal. This will support the cardstock and help it to retain the shape you added with the ball tool. Add a little dot of strong glue to either end of the petal to "anchor" it into the picture. 
6. Adhere each petal in it's correct position and press firmly on the foam tape and the glued ends. At this point you might like to add some beads or brads to the centre of the flower instead of simply colouring the image.
7. The finished dimensional image is now ready to be added to your project! You can use it as a card topper like I did, or perhaps decorate an altered notebook, Christmas recipe tin or little album.Have fun!
Sunday, November 22
Miss Penelope
Originally Designed: November 2011
Remastered: July 2022
Original artwork by Beccy Muir, all rights reserved. Images are for personal use and must not be copied, swapped, shared, resold or mass produced without the express written permission of the artist.
Friday, November 20
Little House
I made this little house from a sheet of chipboard, some patterned paper and embellishments. The cardstock used to cover the roof was embossed through a cuttlebug and then inked to reveal the snowflake pattern.
It was relatively easy to put together once I worked out the extra paper needed to cover the added thickness of the chipboard. The completed project measures about 7" in height and 3" square, so it's the perfect size to decorate a dressing table or sideboard.
I am hoping to make a little gingerbread house sometime before Christmas and will put up some step-by-step instructions and photos for anyone interested in having a go.
Technique Class - Colouring
Miss Penelope Cards
Colouring Technique
Requirements:
- a stamped or printed image - must be waterproof ink
(print or stamp on good quality flat white cardstock)
- absorbent cloth or paper towel
- a variety of water colour markers or felt tip pens
- small paint brush
- water container
- a non-absorbent surface (I use an acrylic block)
Technique:
1. Scribble some colour on to your non-absorbent surface. I use an acrylic block because it is convenient and of a good size. You could also try a small piece of glass, a pallette pad, a sheet of acetate or even a plastic sleeve from a folder. It doesn't matter so long as the colour cannot be absorbed into the surface.
2. Allow some water to absorb into your paint brush, then add it to the colour on your acrylic block. You are watering down the ink to a much
thinner, wetter consistency. Add as much or as little water as you wish depending on the depth of colour you want to achieve. Fill in the printed image as you would if painting. Try and work quickly as the colour will absorb and dry unevenly if it is allowed to sit for any length of time. If you have a particularly large area to colour it's a good idea to use a larger brush for quicker application.
3. When you add a shadow to an image it is generally done by applying a colour that is a darker
tone, but with this technique, we are applying shadows by increasing the depth or amount of colour in certain areas. Wash off your brush and apply enough clean water to make it moist but not dripping. Now you want to pick up the colour only on the very tip of your brush. Do this by swiping the tip of the brush gently through the colour.
4. Apply the colour at the darkest area of the image, which would be the outer edges. Lay the brush almost flat as you apply colour. The water
held further up the bristles will dilute the colour as it leaves the tip giving you a nice even, graduating shadow. If you are left with a very distinct line of colour, simply rinse the brush and gently apply some clean water over the area until the colour evens out. Be careful not to overwork it or the paper will start to disintergrate and come away.
5. Complete all the basic colour and shading. When applying darker areas think about the way the light hits an object leaving shadows on the
opposite side to the light source. We also have shadows in areas that recede such as eye sockets or under the edges of clothing and in folds of fabric.
6. Add a little colour to the cheeks of your bear by painting clean water on the area you wish to colour first. Apply diluted red or pink colour by gently touching the brush to the moistened cardstock. The colour will bleed into the moistened area. If the colour is too intense, simply wipe the excess water out of your brush and then touch the
coloured area again. Your brush will soak up some of the liquid.
7. Feel free to add extra areas of detail with the pen applicator. This will allow you to get into those tight areas, increase the intensity of colour, or apply extra details as I have on the cape of the little pink bear.
8. When you are happy with the colouring of your image, allow it to dry and then use it as an embellishment on a card, off the page project or scrapbook layout. You can leave the image on the background of white cardstock, or you can cut around the image and apply it to a different background as I did with the little white bear wearing the blue cape.
Colouring Technique
There are lots of different ways to colourise stamped or printed images, from paints and watercolour pencils to inks and markers. The technique that I want to share with you today is both cost effective and lots of fun!
Requirements:
- a stamped or printed image - must be waterproof ink
(print or stamp on good quality flat white cardstock)
- absorbent cloth or paper towel
- a variety of water colour markers or felt tip pens
- small paint brush
- water container
- a non-absorbent surface (I use an acrylic block)
Technique:
1. Scribble some colour on to your non-absorbent surface. I use an acrylic block because it is convenient and of a good size. You could also try a small piece of glass, a pallette pad, a sheet of acetate or even a plastic sleeve from a folder. It doesn't matter so long as the colour cannot be absorbed into the surface.
2. Allow some water to absorb into your paint brush, then add it to the colour on your acrylic block. You are watering down the ink to a much
thinner, wetter consistency. Add as much or as little water as you wish depending on the depth of colour you want to achieve. Fill in the printed image as you would if painting. Try and work quickly as the colour will absorb and dry unevenly if it is allowed to sit for any length of time. If you have a particularly large area to colour it's a good idea to use a larger brush for quicker application.3. When you add a shadow to an image it is generally done by applying a colour that is a darker
tone, but with this technique, we are applying shadows by increasing the depth or amount of colour in certain areas. Wash off your brush and apply enough clean water to make it moist but not dripping. Now you want to pick up the colour only on the very tip of your brush. Do this by swiping the tip of the brush gently through the colour.4. Apply the colour at the darkest area of the image, which would be the outer edges. Lay the brush almost flat as you apply colour. The water
held further up the bristles will dilute the colour as it leaves the tip giving you a nice even, graduating shadow. If you are left with a very distinct line of colour, simply rinse the brush and gently apply some clean water over the area until the colour evens out. Be careful not to overwork it or the paper will start to disintergrate and come away.5. Complete all the basic colour and shading. When applying darker areas think about the way the light hits an object leaving shadows on the
opposite side to the light source. We also have shadows in areas that recede such as eye sockets or under the edges of clothing and in folds of fabric.6. Add a little colour to the cheeks of your bear by painting clean water on the area you wish to colour first. Apply diluted red or pink colour by gently touching the brush to the moistened cardstock. The colour will bleed into the moistened area. If the colour is too intense, simply wipe the excess water out of your brush and then touch the
coloured area again. Your brush will soak up some of the liquid.7. Feel free to add extra areas of detail with the pen applicator. This will allow you to get into those tight areas, increase the intensity of colour, or apply extra details as I have on the cape of the little pink bear.
8. When you are happy with the colouring of your image, allow it to dry and then use it as an embellishment on a card, off the page project or scrapbook layout. You can leave the image on the background of white cardstock, or you can cut around the image and apply it to a different background as I did with the little white bear wearing the blue cape.
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