Stamping Sensations embossing and texture

Good morning and welcome! It is the first Sunday of May and time for a new challenge at Stamping Sensations. Our challenge this month is to use Embossing and Texture and our Sponsors are Tonic Studios. For my card this month I used our lovely Ruth's stamps from the Tonic Pick of the Bunch Rudbeckia stamp set, along with the Tonic simplicity doily square die. I coloured the flower with promarkers and dusted with Tea Dye distress ink. The dry embossing was done with a Cuttlebug embossing folder and again dusted with tea dye DI. I added a little bit of stickles to the butterfly and the flower centre.
Do pop over to the challenge blog to see the lovely creations from my teamies and find out how to enter.
There is an awesome prize from Tonic too. Feast your eyes on this!

 Thanks for looking!

Last of the Inkylicious samples

Most of my remaining samples use the lattice background or the Almanac background. For this first one I swirled distress ink pads in mustard seed, spiced marmalade, worn lipstick, shabby shutters and broken china onto my large inky mat. I sprayed it with water and then placed some watercolour paper on top. when it was dry (and ironed so it was flat) I stamped the background with versamark and used gold embossing powder. The little circles were filled with diamond stickles.

A simple wedding card, using silver embossing powder, distress stickles and spun sugar and antique linen distress inks.

This simple sympathy card was stamped in memento black and coloured with a range of pastel promarkers. I cut a frame using Go Kreate arched window dies. The dots of liquid pearls finished it off.

Very similar, but this time I used some tree stamps to create a little scene.

I realised I had created lots of very feminine cards, so I thought I would try and use the almanac background to produce some more masculine cards. There are lots of different inks and sprays on this one! The embossing folder is a Darice one and the leaf die is sizzix. I don't think this one made it onto the show, but my Tag Bag did!

This  tag bag was made from 2 large tags and some concertina folded card, and I got the tutorial from here. The inkylicious large tags are ideal to make little gift bags with.

Lots of walnut stain and wild honey Distress ink on this one, as well as some gold mica sprayed on the Marianne die cut. I didn't spot this one on the show either.  I hope you have enjoyed looking at my samples as much as I enjoyed making them. Thanks for looking!

Worn paint backgrounds

 Hello! I am here with more Inkylicious samples, this time using the worn paint background. My wooden picture frame was painted with Gesso then dusted and stamped with spring distress inks. I also used silver embossing powder. I am entering this into the latest challenge at Allsorts where the theme is anything but a card.

This was dusted with peacock feathers and festive berries distress inks.

 I will let you into a little secret - this one didn't make it to Deby as I manages to spill a cup of tea on it! It was dusted with barn door, wild honey and spiced marmalade distress inks. The stamping was done in Adirondack espresso

More spring distress ink and gold sparkle wow embossing powder.
There are still more samples to come.  I am going to try and put the remaining samples into one post  very soon!
Thanks for looking and for all your lovely comments!

Vintage florals from Inkylicious

 Thanks for all your lovely comments about Sunday- much appreciated! I hope you managed to enjoy the show, even though it didn't get it's second airing at 11 pm. As promised here are my samples using the new Floral Etchings stamps from Inkylicious. My first uses chipped sapphire distress ink, a variety of spellbinder dies and some card candy. the damask background got used again too!

 Next up I stamped on watercolour paper with versafine sepia and coloured with distress markers and a water brush.

 This one was stamped on silk art card and coloured with distress markers. I dusted tea dye on the panel and Victorian velvet and bundled sage on the base card.

 More distress markers and silk art card, and over a piece of crumpled sprayed paper ...

 The silk art card again, and this time I coloured the stamp with my distress markers.

 Now I think this one is my favourite, in fact I am going to make another to hang on my wall! I think Dawn Bibby liked it too!

Finally another one layer clean and simple study in Versafine Olympia green.
With quite a lot of these I used the worn paint background-I will be back soon with my samples using it. I LOVE it - such a versatile stamp!
Thanks for looking!

Today is the day!

 Warning! Picture heavy post!
At 5pm this afternoon I will be sat in front of the TV cheering on Deby as she appears on Create and Craft with some new stamps from Inkylicious. She will be working with the presenter Dawn Bibby.  Today I am going to show you some of the cards I made using the Damask Background and a variety of stamps from the new A4 sentiment stamp sets. I will try and give a bit of info for each card, but if there is anything you want to know just leave a comment and I will get back to you. The first card was made using some paper that I had sprayed with walnut ink and some mica powders; card stamped and dusted with Victorian velvet, tea dye and walnut stain DI and flowers made with spellbinders rose creations and a woodware fern punch.

  I used Broken china and Tea dye DI for this one, and Brass sparkle Wow embossing powder.

 Cranberry Adirondack ink for this one, Die is Marianne designs, punches from ek success and woodware.

 DI in festive berries and peacock feathers on silk art card then over stamped with black archival ink.

 Spun sugar, Victorian velvet and Tea dye distress inks on this one. The roses are a Marianne Die and the leaves are a woodware punch.

 More Adirondack Cranberry...

 I used Versamark, stamped on black card and brushed with mica powders. The panel was dusted with the spring range of Distress inks

 Finally a one layer clean and simple card. The panel was masked off before dusting with dried marigold, spiced marmalade and fired brick distress ink. With the mask still in place I stamped the damask background in versamark and dusted with gold mica powers. Here is a close up so you can see the shimmer.

 The faux stitching is done with distress markers using the fine end.
Well, thanks for looking and for leaving a comment. Hope you enjoy the programme. I will be back with vintage floral samples very soon.

Some more sneaky peeks for Sunday!

If you haven't popped by in a while you may not of heard that I have made some cards for Inkylicious, who have a show on Create and Craft this Sunday at 5pm. Here is another sneaky peek. Most of the cards I made will appear on here with details of how I made them as well as full pictures over the next couple of weeks, I promise!

I did produce a wide range of styles from vintage to clean and simple, so I hope I have catered for everyone's taste.

I didn't go for vintage colours on all of them, but the Distress inks were out with my ink dusters for most of the time!

Victorian velvet and tea dye are a fabulous combination...

 as is tumbled glass and tea dye!

Hope I have whetted your appetite enough for you to tune in!
Thanks for looking and please call back soon!

A couple of cards and another sneaky peek

I'm here with a couple of cards that won't be on the Inkylicious show on Sunday. First there is a card that was inspired by one that I saw at Inkylicious last Saturday. The 'skeleton leaves' are such beautiful stamps and I am really enjoying playing with them. I had forgotten how much I love my Kaleidacolor ink pads, especially creole spice which I used here. The sentiment is from another recent stamp set called 'Say it with Flowers'.

My second card is made using the 'Say it with flowers' stamp set for the main image and one of the new twinchie stamps from Inkylicious, for the background. So far the twinchies have only been available at shows like Ally Pally, so look out for them at the next show you go to. I stamped the main image onto silk art card and coloured it with Distress markers. The punched flowers were made with an e-k success punch. As this fits perfectly with Brenda's theme of 'A passion for flowers' at Allsorts this week, I am entering it there.
I am going to show you another sneaky peek of one of my cards that will be on TV on Sunday at 5pm (hope you will be watching/ recording it!)

I used distress markers to colour this on inkylicious silk art card again, and they work a treat! No streaking like you get with promarkers sometimes. Not sure if you can tell from this, but if you like vintage and floral I think you will love the stamps Deby will be demoing. Go on, set the recorder now - Create and Craft, Sunday at 5pm!
Well, thanks for looking, and I will be back soon with more tantalising sneaky peeks!

Safely delivered to Inkylicious and some sneaky peeks

Well, I had a lovely drive up to Batley this morning to take my sample cards to Deby for the Inkylicious Create and Craft show on April 28th. I was a little nervous as I handed them over, but I am happy to say Deby loved them. We had a good natter and a cuppa before I set off home again to cook pizza and birthday cake for Meg. The cards will be accompanying Deby to Create and Craft for the show at 5pm on 28th April.  I am treating you to two sneaky peeks of  my  Inkylicious creations today.

There will be a range of very versatile stamps on the show that I know you will love! I have had such a great time playing with them and I am really pleased with the results. There is another programme due next month too with lots more lovely stamps to come. I will leave you with a picture of Meg's Rocky Road Birthday cake - made gluten free for one of her guests.

Thanks for looking!

Megan's song

If you have a few minutes and fancy a listen, my daughter has written a song... enjoy!

My little girl is all grown up!

 I can't believe that my lovely daughter is sixteen today! I thought I would share the card I made for her. As she is really interested in all nature it had to be a scene, and last year she bought a wonderful dragonfly field guide, so I included a dragonfly. I also included some geese flying over as we saw lots when we visited Lynne last week. Here is a close up of the dragonfly.

 I stamped it twice in Versafine deep lagoon and majestic blue on to parchment, and embossed with kaleidoscope embossing powder. I cut both out and layered on top of each other. You can't see all of the iridescence in the photo, but it does shimmer and sparkle. All stamps are from Inkylicious and the scene was created with ink dusters and Adirondack inks . Now for a picture of the birthday girl.

 Here she is wearing one of her birthday presents - a traditional kimono, and here is a view of the back of it

 Finally, I will leave you with a sneaky peek of one of the creations I have made for the next Inkylicious show on create and Craft. It will be on Sunday 28th April at 5pm. hope you can watch!

 Thanks for looking!

P.S. I have some new followers (waves)- Welcome! Unfortunately, I can't seem to find out if you have blogs. Google plus doesn't automatically tell you. Please leave me a link so I can visit you too!

Exciting news!

It is the school holidays and I haven't posted for days, in fact I have been quiet all fortnight. I will tell you why... as well as visiting Dad regularly and having a couple of days away at Lynne's in Scotland, I am working on some cards for Inkylicious!!!! Deby asked a while ago if I would be interested in making some samples for her when she next had a TV show, and I jumped at the chance! I just know lots of you will love the stamps that I have been playing with, and I can't wait to show you. There are going to be two Create and Craft shows coming up quite soon, so I will let you know the details in the next week or so, as well as giving you some sneaky peaks of the things I have made. I might just keep saying 'My cards are going to be on telly!!!'  - please forgive me, as I am very excited about it!
What I will show you today are some photos of our visit to Scotland.

 We had a lovely walk along the river,

 taking in views of the Moffat Hills. It was bracing, but the fresh air and exercise were just what was needed!

The following day we went to Caerlaverock WWT centre, followed by a visit to Caerlaverock Castle.

 The castle's curtain wall forms a triangle, and there is a substantial mansion within it's walls.

We saw lots of wildlife too - a Peregrine falcon, lots of Buzzards, deer, teal and widgeon, to name but a few. We also saw the footprints and spraint of an otter, but he wasn't going to show himself this visit. A big thanks to Lynne for letting us visit again, and showing us some of the lovely places around her home. 
Hopefully I will be back soon with something crafty to show you. Thanks for looking!