Bright and Cheery

I've been doing some more emboss resist, but this time with a bolder colour palette!

Stamps:

Cottage Garden

Life In Full Colour - with Anesha

Anesha is the queen of off-the-page projects here at Beccy's Place, and boy do I have a fabulous example of her work to share today. Have a look at the gorgeous wine box she decorated using the images from the new Rainbow Lorikeets digital stamps. There's even a cute little gift tag to match!

Anesha has very generously shared a colour guide for those who are curious about her choice of medium.

For more information or to see other creations from Anesha, please stop by her blog:

Anesha's Blog

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Emboss Resist

Emboss resist is a fun technique for those days when you want to play with colour without too much effort. It involves heat embossing an image onto card stock, usually white, and then sponging coloured ink over the top. The areas that are embossed will resist taking up the colour revealing the stamped image.

Stamps:

Cottage Garden

Thank You

Springtime Colour

A couple of days ago I explained about applying colour directly to solid stamps with water-based markers, and today I have a few more examples to share...

I scribbled some pen around the flowers and leaves and drew in a quick border for a loose, fun look.

Stamps:

Cottage Garden

A Celebration of Colour - with Karin

Karin has put her Derwent colour pencils through their paces while colouring the birds from the new Rainbow Lorikeets set. She has kindly shared her colouring guides so you can see all the fabulous pencils she has used on her projects.

Don't you just love the heart Karin has added behind the two birds below? She achieved this look by masking off the section behind the birds with a heart shaped mask and then adding colour with various crayons. They blend together beautifully for a nice, soft background.

You can check out more of Karin's work over on her blog:

Karin's Blog

A Rainbow of Colour

Silhouette stamps are perfect for adding multiple colours at the same time, and a simple way to do that is by using water based markers. Place your stamp on an acrylic block and then colour each area with a marker as though you're colouring an image. Make sure you hit every part of the stamp with colour - placing a piece of white paper underneath your work will help you see where you've placed the ink.

I like to mix colours directly on the stamp. Generally, I start with the lightest colour and then tap or stroke in the darker colour to whatever area I like. There's no need to fuss a lot with this technique, just enjoy!

It doesn't take too long to build up a healthy stack of coloured images ready to be made into cards.

Stamps:

Everything Papercraft - Nesting

Nesting in papercraft terms refers to a group of items that are incrementally smaller than the one before, such as boxes that sit one inside the other.  Card makers regularly use nested shapes to decorate their cards or to mat sentiments or pictures.  There are many nested craft items on the market from punches to various sized containers.

Tutorial - Curtain Fold Card

Today's tutorial is more of a decorative element than a true card fold technique.  It involves concertina folding a piece of double-sided paper to form a pretty decoration that brings to mind pleated curtains. 

1. Start with a strip of double-sided patterned paper measuring 21/2" x 103/4". Measure 3/4" from the bottom, right hand edge and mark with a pencil. Using a ruler and craft knife or a trimmer, cut from the top, left hand corner to the mark you made on the right hand side. We'll only be working with the piece that has one 21/2" edge and one 3/4" edge. 

2. Place the patterned paper on your score board with the horizontal edge against the top and the 21/2" edge at the left edge. See the photo below. Score at 3/4", 21/4", 3" 41/2", 51/4", 63/4", 71/2", 9" and 93/4".

3. Beginning with a mountain fold, concertina the scored paper from beginning to end. Once folded, it should measure 4" wide. 

4. Apply a small amount of glue between each fold and press firmly to hold in place.

5. Now it's time to assemble your card. You can add whatever images, stamps, decorations and embellishments you like. Traditionally, the folded patterned paper is positioned at the bottom of the card as a kind of frill.

6. Apply a couple of strips of double sided tape or some glue and attach the "curtain" at the bottom of your card.

7. Add a strip of ribbon, washi tape or card stock over the top of the "curtain" to give it a finished look. Complete your card with a sentiment and whatever additional embellishments you like.

Stamps:

Garden Views with Kathy

It's time to take a leisurely stroll around the garden with Kathy.

She has created two fabulously colourful cards using the new Cottage Garden clear stamp set.

Kathy has created a pretty lace valance by threading a bamboo skewer through the holes in some cotton lace. It frames her faux wood window beautifully and adds a feminine touch to her gorgeous garden themed creation. She has kindly shared a colour chart of all the inks she used to stamp the garden scene.

Kathy stamped the silhouette image in an opaque black ink, then created a very pretty background with her Marvy markers. The end result is a gorgeous sunset over a lovely cottage garden.

Kathy's Blog