A little Christmas #121

I had a fancy to make a Christmas card today.  This cute stamp is a magazine freebie I've had for ages - he's a nice stamp to colour with some Promarkers.  I added a couple of red shades to his hat and used a mixture of browns, greys and pale beige for his body and face.

I've cut him out using a Spellbinders die.

The backing papers are another freebie from a magazine - from Kaisercraft.  A little bakers twine artistically swirled to finish and a little white gel border on the papers was the finishing touch.

Short and sweet today - busy busy photographing more of my jewellery to put up on my folksy shop!

happy crafting

Jane

www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk

Black, White and Grey #116

Another monotone piece again today - again practicing my shading with Promarkers.

I started by covering my card with two different black white and grey backing papers.  I added a ripped edge on the bottom backing paper and added some black ink.  I edged the card piece in a little black ink too.  I then stamped my happy happy stamp on the background.

I stamped my Hero Arts stamp (G2812 Woman in Profile) onto a separate piece of card using Black Memento ink.  I darkened up the black pieces with my fineliner black pen.  I then used my Promarker blender and Promarker Frosted Leaf to add some outlining around the lady and the postmark and then also around the border.  I tried to blend the grey shade using the blender.  As a final touch I used the chisel edge to run a border around the outside of the panel.

It's surprising that just that little bit of shading makes her and the postmark look three dimensional and raised up from the background

I then mounted the whole piece onto black and onto a 5x7 card

Not quite mastered the blending yet - need more practice!

happy crafting

Jane

www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk

Cute as a button #115

Back again with another quick card.  This cute little chap is a House Mouse stamp.   He's sound asleep on his cotton wool  shhhhhhh. 

I've stamped him in Black Memento and coloured with Promarkers.  I'm trying to improve my blending techniques with my Promarkers at the moment - leaving more white spaces by putting down some blender pen and then adding colours so it blends easier and more delicately.

He was then just mounted onto a navy card and onto a small square card blank.

he's just so cute!

happy crafting

Jane

www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk

Thetford Samples

Just as this post goes out the doors will open at Sincerely Yours at Thetford and I'll be busy demonstrating these fab designs all day.  I hope you will be able to visit and see these in person as the photos don't do the vibrant colours justice.  At the top we have used Distress Inks, in the middle fab bright ProMarkers and at the bottom Alcohol Inks combined with the floral borders from Chocolate Baroque.  Loving these stamps from Woodware! 

happy crafting

Jane

www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk

A new style for me!

I'm not one for doing cutesy characters...  not generally the sort of style I would pick - but I borrowed this stamp from Sarah to challenge myself to do something a bit different.  I raided my box of Ink Mister backgrounds and found this particularly vibrant busy one and thought - right double the challenge to put this stamp onto such a vibrant piece.  I was determined not to paper piece - but to stamp directly onto the background.  I started by stamping and embossing my little girl (she's a Wild Rose Studio stamp).  I then set about experimenting with colouring mediums.  Because the background was so saturated with mica, I was finding the paints and promarkers I was trying was just sinking below the mica and getting lost.  So I decided to paint in the stamp design with some gesso.  I did this slowly and gradually and after painting each time I wiped over with a jay cloth to make sure the heat embossed areas didn't get paint dried on the top.  After a few coats it was enough to start trying some different colours.  I tried some distress paints, but I couldn't get a strong enough colour, so I went back to my Promarkers - and after building up a couple of layers of colour I got the effect I wanted.  I found the colour went on a lot easier using the chisel end rather than the point - that seemed to move the colour about.

I added the words (Chocolate Baroque stamp) and added some lines with a black promarker and drew through a mask with a black fineliner.  I also added some white gel pen highlights around the wording and around my little girl to make her stand out from the background even more.  Finally I mounted the piece onto black card and onto a 5x7 card blank.

It's nice to challenge yourself... always a bit daunting but satisfying when you complete your project!

Started to get excited.. only one more day before I travel up for the trade show woohoo!

happy crafting
Jane
www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk

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Little Monsters!

On such a wintery day I thought I would make a bright and cheery card.  This card is using the Woodware Little Monsters stamp set.  These fun little monsters were stamped and coloured with ProMarkers.

The background papers I found by rummaging through my collection (thought it was about time they were put to use!).

this has been mounted onto an 8x8" card.  You'll be seeing a few cards made with this set - they are a fun one to try different techniques.

have fun crafting!
Jane
www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk
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Woodware Rosehip Wreath stamp

Yes... I got a new stamp... can you tell!   One of those stamps that you see and straight away have loads of card ideas.  I had a fab crafting session at the weekend and managed to create these 7 cards.... and I still have more ideas I haven't had a chance to create yet!

We'll be creating a Rosehip Wreath card at this week's Attleborough Craft Club (this Friday 6.15-8.30) as part of the make and take - so if you fancy a dabble, come and join us (call 01953 454976 for info).

If you would like this stamp - click here to find it on our website! - it's a bargain at just £4.05!

Now ... onto the cards...

Silver sparkle embossing powder, watercoloured Stardust in the background, Berries coloured with ProMarkers

Background created with Distress Paints, Embossed in Black, Liquid Pearls for berries

Embossed in Black, Colour added with Promarkers, Accented with Crystal Stickles.  Memory Box Dies used - Precious Snowflakes, Tessatina Border and a little card candi to finish

Embossed in White.  Edged with Brilliance Moonlight White.  Die used is the tessatina Border from Memory Box cut into little squares

Stamped in Plum Archival ink onto an old dictionery page. Accented with gold liquid pearls

Embossed in Silver, Patina Gilding Wax added to the background, Gold liquid pearls on the berries

Stamped in Archival Library Green, Berries coloured with Sakura Glaze Hunters Green

One stamp - so many possibilities!

Did you know we have been nominated for the Best Local Craft Store in East Anglia?  If you would like to vote for us, please visit www.britishcraftawards.com.  Thank you!

happy crafting

Jane
www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk

Such a Hoot!

This is Hoot!  He's a Woodware stamp.  I made this card a little while back so fans of our Facebook page or visitors in store may have already seen him, but as I've just got this little chap back in stock I thought I would give him a bigger audience!  I've coloured him in with Promarkers and cut him out with a Spellbinders Label Die and added a swirly accent with a Memory Box Blooming Vine Die.  The backing papers are an odd sheet of Kaisercraft that I had in my stash.   The greeting is part of the same stamp set.

I'm busy preparing for the Suffolk Papercrafting Show which is at the Leisure Centre at Bury St Edmunds this Sunday and Hoot may just make an appearance! I'll be demonstrating with Black outline Peel-offs and Promarkers and I have some fab bold designs to colour.  So in my next blog I'll share one of the sample cards I have made ready for Sunday.

We've had lots of goodies delivered from Woodware, Wild Rose Studio and Crafty Individuals ready for Sunday... we'll have a big choice of stamps, paper pads, dies and masks as well as loads of Peel-offs and lots of other goodies too!  But don't worry, if you aren't local or can't make the show all the new designs are being uploaded onto the website over the next few days so you won't miss out on the new designs!

happy crafting
Jane

one border, two cards!

Two cards for you tonight - as I won't have time to blog tomorrow! Following on from yesterday's card I have used the other die from the same border set on these two cards. This lovely lattice border has been used on a 5" square card. The border is slightly smaller thatn the length of the card so gives a nice finish top and bottom. I've then just lined the right hand edge of the inside of the back piece of card with a contrasting colour to make the most of the delicate pattern. The first image of the lady is from the fabulous Joanna Sheen Fashion Boutique CD - an all time favourite of mine. The dog is a stamp from Wild Rose Design and has been coloured using ProMarkers and cut out using a nestability die. Simple designs but so elegant and very effective. If any of you are creating lovely things using your nestabilities and border dies, I'd love to see them - email me an image and I'll put the best ones up on a future blog!

here's hoping you all find time to craft this weekend!

Jane

More from Create a Scene Cottage

More from the Create a scene cottage set of stamps. This time we've used a selection of stamps to create a scene - start with the greenhouse in the middle. Then stamp the flower pots in the foreground. then the wheelbarrow on the left and fill in with the flowers. I've coloured with the promarkers. I only have a couple of greens, so use a yellow to add highlights to your green areas. A good colour for your green house is a pale blue - like pastel blue - just a few dashes here and there in the panes of glass is enough to give it some life and depth. More from this set of stamps later this week! Happy crafting

Jane

Country Cottage

I've been playing with my Create-a-scene Cottage Stamps. This lovely cottage is such a lovely stamp. For this card I stamped my cottage in Memento Tuxedo Black, then coloured it using my Promarkers. It's quite a large stamp so it's best made into an A5 card. I mounted the cottage onto a card that is shimmery gold/brown and cut it slightly longer than my cottage so I could tie a piece of cream ribbon around the end piece. It needed something behind it so I cut a piece of black card, ran it through the cuttlebug with an embossing folder and highlighted the design with a Brilliance Galaxy Gold ink pad. A final touch of a few peel-off dots just for a little detail was all it then needed! I'll post another one later this week - same stamp - but a different style of card.
Off to Wymondham tomorrow for a craft fair... it was nice to have an excuse to make up some cards today!
happy crafting
Jane

it's been a while....

I know.. I've been a bad blogger.... I've been laid low with a nasty bug and just haven't had time to blog... so I'm going to try and catch up! Had a fab day with the Attleborough crafting group yesterday doing projects with them - and I got to craft on their fab projects too!.. A lovely group of ladies and we had quite a giggle!

Today's card has been made using the Woodware Wine Buff set. This is a nice set to create a card for men - so would be ideal for Father's day cards. However, after making a few masculine cards with these stamps - I thought I would do one with a more feminine feel as I'm sure there are one or two ladies out their who appreciate a good bottle of wine!! :-) So for this one I stamped and coloured the image in with Promarkers and then used my nestabilities to create this lovely frame. I thought a lilac theme would be nice - so I embossed my panel with the paisley embossing folder and then added a little inky highlight to the raised sections. Finally a piece of gingham ribbon just added the finishing touch!

Did you know you can buy 2m of ribbon for just 50p from the website? We've lots already listed on there - but have some new colours in stock that we'll be putting up soon too! Ideal for that little extra something on your card!

It's a busy week this week - Diss club on Monday then Harleston club on Wednesday... better get making some ATCs to swap!

happy crafting

Jane

The Aliens have landed!

This fun card has been created using the UMount Outer Space (item 6472) stamp set. I started with a square of black card and spritzed it with Cosmic Shimmer Misters - Blue Lime, Bronze Blush and Lilac Night. Then I ripped some scrap paper into a hill shape and placed in down onto the card like a mask and sprayed it heavily with Ocean Sunlight to create the land at the bottom. I punched out a circle in white and spritzed it with lilac night and silver misters. Next I stamped my aliens onto black card. I created a mask for the green alien using a sticky note so I could have a row of three! I coloured in using Promarkers - tea green for the 'ghost' alien. Orange and true blue for the tall one and lime green for the 3 eyed aliens!. Then just assemble it all together for a fab fun card! I've a busy week this week with 3 craft events to do - but I've lots of cards to post up as well as the creations from the fab workshop I attended on Monday with Creative Expressions - so watch this space, I'll pop on later in the week to post up some more!

Happy Crafting

Jane

It's Lofty!

For today's card I've used a lofty the giraffe stamp. I've stamped him in Tuxedo Black Memento ink and then coloured him in using Promarkers. To make the image stand out I've outlined him in a pale grey - this is also a handy way over covering any little strays over the lines. I've then used my labels dies to create the mount and then taken a sheet of patterned beige paper and run it through the cuttlebug with a Quickutz Vines embossing folder. Then add a little brown ink across the raised part of the card to add a few accents. Finally a little knot of rust coloured ribbon provides the finishing touch! I do like this style of card - you'll see similarilities in other designs I've created. I find that if you have a bold image, keeping the background quite crisp and clean only highlights the main design. I'll find you something a bit more artsy for my next project - show you something a little different in style!

happy crafting!

Jane