Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Watercolours and faux batik

I tried the faux batik technique the other day, and I love the results! I used a Stamp It stamp and heat embossed the image on water colour paper before applying ink with my aqua painter. I then used an iron to heat the panel between sheets of kitchen towel , which melts and removes the embossing powder. Lots of fun!




I kept the card really simple, mainly because I was struggling to find colours to go behind the panel. In the end, I stuck with black because it makes the bright colours pop. :)

Apologies for the slightly blurry photo. I have to learn how to use my camera's macro settings for close range photography but unfortunately, I've been unable to locate the manual! Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Inspiration challenge #19, take two!

It's another friend's birthday this weekend, so another card had to be made. I used the FTL82 sketch from the Clean & Simple blog along with Keesh's latest challenge. I love this sketch!





I used Ranger's distress inks for the background, and this is the first time I've used them so I found it difficult to apply smoothly. Still, they're quite easy to use and blend, which is awesome! I also tired the emboss resist technique for the first time, and I love the way it looks (even though I could've just used white powder). I didn't have matching ribbon, so I did without, but I did spritz a mix of water and Ranger's Perfect Pearls to give it a bit of shimmer. Sadly, the shimmer doesn't turn up in the photo. Thanks to Keesh for another great challenge!

Inspiration challenge #19

I had to make a birthday card for a friend, so I looked to Makeesha's latest challenge for inspiration.




I ran out of white thread half-way through, which explains the two unstitched buttons. The card was finished off at the last minute, so I didn't have time to hunt around for a substitute. It looks so unfinished, to me. Anyway, thanks for stopping by!

Monday, March 8, 2010

Inkspirations sketch challenge #19

It's been ages since I participated in Makeesha's inkspiration challenges, so what better time than now! There are 3 birthday's coming up and I thought it prudent to start now rather than leaving it 'til later. :D




I used a little Hero Arts stamp I picked up at a craft fair and coloured the little girl in using Copic markers. I didn't have any skin-tone markers and used a Blush Blossom marker instead, hence the slightly streaky look of her face. On a side note, I looooooooooove how easy it is to colour using Copics!! The background stamp is also from Hero Arts, called Kanji Poem and I've been wanting to ink it up for a while. The text means Happy Birthday in Japanese, and I printed it out using PSE (Photoshop Elements).

Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Dusty

Helloooooo there! My, look at the thick film of dust on this blog. :) Apologies for not blogging sooner, but I haven't been making very much lately and things have been busy around here. I thought I'd finally update the blog and put up photos of some things I made last month.


This is a card I CASEd from the fabulous Susan Raihala. I can't find the link to her original post, but she used a different flower from the Echoes of Kindness set in Bashful Blue instead of Saffron. The photo is a wee bit blurry, but the sentiment is embossed with black EP.


My contract with my previous employer expired, and my last day was on the 29th of Jan. I've been very privileged to work with some awesome people, particularly those with whom I shared an office with (poor them!). I used Tim Holtz charm fragments and alcohol inks to make pendants and earrings for the girls, and a key chain for the guy. The flowers and ladybirds were stamped with Versamark and embossed with black EP. I found out the hard way that you shouldn't attempt to emboss too many at a time, for I melted one poor charm fragment. Unfortunately for me, it was one of a pair of earrings. Drat!

On another note, I've been trying to find a way to store sponge daubers without having them float around and getting ink on everything. I found this plastic container at a Big W store (like Wal Mart, for those of you in the States) and it fits PERFECTLY, with 30 going into an entire box. YEAH! I'm absolutely ecstatic! It's the little things that count. ^_^



I'm hoping to get back into the creative swing of things soon, so stay tuned for more posts!