Valentine Card Created for the Chocolate Baroque Colour Challenge 18

I thought that this month’s colours gave a perfect opportunity to get ahead with a Valentine’s Day project. I hope that you like it.

I am looking forward to seeing your projects for the Challenge, Anne x.

Materials:

• Baroque Orchids stamp
• A5 scalloped red card blank, white stamping card, white pearlescent card
• Red coloured pencil
• Red and black ink spritzers
• Versafine inkpad – Black Onyx
• Fine black marker, red and black alcohol markers, white acrylic pen
• Glossy Accents
• Adhesive and 3D glue gel
• Border punch, heart and sentiment dies – Tonic

How to make it:

1. Spritz white card with red and black inks. Dry, trim and edge with black marker. Add highlights with white pen. Layer onto white pearl card and glue to the card front.
2. Cut border from pearl card using a punch and glue to the card front. Also glue on a strip of the waste card (after punching).
3. Cut 3 hearts from white stamping card. Draw faux stitching with fine maker and edge with black alcohol pen. Cut the sentiment from pearl card and colour with red alcohol marker. Stick to 1 of the hearts.
4. Stamp the remaining 2 hearts with black ink. Tip: to help align a specific area of the stamp onto the heart it is easiest to lay the stamp flat onto your craft mat, then lay the die cut heart down onto the stamp. Rub over to transfer the image.
5. Colour the image with red pencil leaving the border uncoloured.
6. Glue the hearts to the card front using 3D glue gel. Finally add a layer of Glossy Accents to the stamped hearts, omitting the border.

Technorati Tags: Valentine Card,Chocolate Baroque,Stamping,Card Making,Baroque Orchids

Art Bag Created for Chocolate Baroque TV Show

I created this sample for the recent TV shows from Chocolate Baroque on The Craft Channel. Lesley Wharton was fantastic and gave some wonderful demos using the new background stamps – Floral Weave, Open Weave, Studded Lattice and Baroque Orchids. They are so versatile for so many projects and styles.

I have used recycled curtains to create myself a large Art Carry bag. I used all four of the lovely new background stamps to decorate my fabrics.

Now I have a lovely new bag to carry my unframed paintings to exhibition. You could easily adapt the design idea to make a shopping or handbag, or to decorate a ready-made bag.

Materials:

• Floral Weave, Open Weave, Studded Lattice and Baroque Orchids stamps
• Recycled blue cotton curtains with cream cotton lining
• Iron on paper backed fabric adhesive (Bondaweb)
• Sewing and machine embroidery threads
• Black iron fix textile paint
• Cut-N-Dry foam and palette knife
• Tim Holtz Tattered Florals and Leaf dies (BigZ)

How it was made:

1. I first made a simple strong bag to fit my board mounted artwork pieces. Simply 2 rectangles sewn together with handles to fit over my shoulder. This is a very large bag so it is easy to decorate and sew on the applique pieces while made up. For smaller bags and shoppers it would be easier to decorate the panels before completing the construction.
2. Ironed Bondaweb onto the back of the cream lining. Leaving the paper backing in place cut out flowers and leaves with the dies. Printed the text to create a template for cutting the lettering.
3. Stamped all the cut shapes with textile paint using a random mix of all four stamps (see tip). Left overnight to dry and cure.
4. Stamped the front of the bag with the Floral Weave stamp. Left overnight to dry then fixed the paints with an iron (this makes the paint permanent and washable).
5. Peeled the backing paper off all the cut out shapes and ironed onto the bag. This secures the shapes and heat fixes paints.
6. Finally I stitched around all the shapes using a straight stitch and free machine embroidery. This is where you drop the fabric feed dogs and freely move the fabric beneath the needle (like drawing with a sewing machine and thread).

Tip for stamping with paints: I used to use a standard sponge for applying acrylics or textile paint to my stamp. I would apply paint to a palette then pick up with a sponge, dabbing to remove excess paint before applying to my stamp. After a short while the paint would start to dry on the palette. The detail of the stamping was also gradually lost as clumps of paint built up in the stamp crevices after repeat application of paint. When this occurs you need to stop and clean up the stamp before continuing.

I now use Cut-N-Dry foam and the results are so much better. I apply plenty of paint directly to the pad and work it well into the foam with a palette knife. The foam can now be used to apply paint to the stamp repeatedly without reloading. Placing the foam paint side down on a craft mat while not using also keeps the paint moist for ages. I find this method gives much sharper printing, uses a lot less paint and is easier to clean up when finished.

Clean up well and do not leave paint to dry onto your stamp. I use a little soapy water and a soft tooth brush if needed.

Pretty Box Created for Chocolate Baroque TV Show

I created this sample for the recent TV shows from Chocolate Baroque on The Craft Channel. Lesley Wharton was fantastic and gave some wonderful demos using the new background stamps. They are so versatile for so many projects and styles.

I used the lovely Baroque Orchids stamp to give a plain balsawood box a complete make over. The box was actually an empty Turkish Delight sweet box left over from last Christmas.

Materials:

• Baroque Orchids stamp
• White gesso
• Acrylic flow formula paints – yellow, orange, bright pink and light turquoise
• Turquoise alcohol pen
• Die cut flower coloured with alcohol markers
• Fern leaves created with paper clay and a mould
• Pale blue glitter glue
• Cut-N-Dry foam and paint brushes
• 3D glue gel

How it was made:

1. Painted the box with white gesso.
2. Painted with yellow, orange and pink paints – blending the colours together.
3. Stamped the box with the Baroque Orchids stamp in turquoise acrylic paint. Applied to the stamp with cut-N-Dry foam. Tip: to stamp the sides it is easier to place the stamp onto your craft mat and roll the box sides onto the stamp. Remember to clean your stamp quickly before the paint dries.
4. Added dots of colour with alcohol marker and glitter glue. Sponged some turquoise acrylic along the box edges.
5. Glued on the embellishments.