Love this Mermaid Queen stamp from Chocolate Baroque

The Mermaid Queen is one of my favourites of the sea themed stamp sets featuring on the shows on Hochanda this afternoon – 4 and 7pm Freeview Channel 85 (watch online via their website). Tune in to see FAB demos from Lesley Wharton and loads of inspirations from my Chocolate Baroque Teamies.

 

I have made variations of this card a few times to gift to friends.

Sea Dragon Canvas TV show sample created for Chocolate Baroque

Sea Dragon Canvas – TV show sample created for Chocolate Baroque on The Craft Channel this week.

Materials:

• Seadragon, Mermaid Queen, Underwater Kingdom, Underwater and Seashell Collage stamp sets
• White stamping card, teal green glitter card
• 20cm square canvas board
• White Gesso
• Acrylic paints (blues, greens and teal metallic)
• Viva Décor Croco Crackling Colour (green shimmer -501)
• Viva Décor Precious Metal Colour (pink)
• Alcohol pens – for colouring die cuts (greens)
• Watercolour pencils (pinks, purples, blues, greens, yellow, orange)
• Versamark Inkpads (Vintage Sepia and Onyx Black)
• Archival inkpad (dark blue)
• Watercolour or acrylic transparent shimmer paints (blue, green – for dragon)
• Recycled jewellery pieces (chains, pearls etc.)
• PVA pearls
• Iridescent glitter glue (pink)
• 3D glue gel
• Dies to cut seaweed – mixed branches (Heartfelt Creations) and leaves (Couture)
• Stencils with swirls or water patterns (optional)

How to make it:

1. Add a coat of white gesso to the canvas. Note: The canvas was already primed but I find that the gesso adds a bit more of a key for adhering acrylic gels etc.
2. Paint the background with streaks of blue and green acrylics. Add some texture with stencils (if you like).
3. Stamp some of the weeds etc. with dark blue ink. Stamp the mermaid silhouettes in black ink. I used a heat gun to aid drying.
4. Apply the crackle paste all around the edges using a palette knife and leave to dry overnight. Rub over the crackle texture with some pink metallic paint. Add some sparkly streaks into the water. Rub a little teal metallic in some areas.
5. Die cut a range of seaweed shapes using dies from plain card (colour with pens) and teal glitter card.
6. Stamp the dragon, seaweed, shells and starfish onto white stamping card using black ink, and brown ink for some of the shells. Colour with watercolour pencils and a damp brush. Add some shimmer paint to the dragon. Cut out and shape slightly to give them dimension.
7. Glue on the die cuts and stamped images using 3D glue gel. Add some ‘treasure’ – chain, pearls etc. Add PVA pearls to some of the shells, and extra sparkle with glitter glue.

Finishing your artwork:

Optional: Spray the canvas with acrylic varnish. This will protect the canvas, particularly the watercoloured images.

I used a Tim Holtz BigZ Easel die to cut a stand from mount board (attached to the back). Alternatively punch some holes and hang with cords.

Sea Dragon card TV show sample created for Chocolate Baroque

Sea Dragon card – TV show sample created for Chocolate Baroque on The Craft Channel this week.

Materials:

• Seadragon (sea dragon, mermaid, sentiment), Underwater Kingdom (mermaid), Underwater (starfish), Seashell Collage (Wheel and Anchor) stamp sets
• 6 X 6 inch scalloped card blank, white stamping card
• Versafine Inkpad (Onyx Black), archival dye ink (blue)
• Brusho’s (Turquoise, Ultramarine)
• Metallic paint (silver gold) *
• Pebeo Drawing Gum
• Watercolour pencils (yellow, golds, oranges) and brush
• Alcohol ink marker (black)
• Decorative Lattice Swirl Die (Heartfelt Creations). If you don’t have these dies, swirly or seaweed like foliage dies would produce a similar result.

* I used Starlight paint (Imagination Crafts) but the Aztec Paints featured in the shows this weekend would be perfect.

How to make it:

1. Stamp the Sea Dragon with Versafine and mask with the Drawing Gum. Trim to approx. 10 X 14cm and edge with black pen.
2. Drop Brusho crystals onto the card and spritz with water.
3. Colour extra card with Brusho’s for die cuts. Cut out the swirly trellis with dies.
4. Stamp the anchor, starfish and wheel with Versafine onto spare card and cut out. Stamp the sentiment with blue ink, cut out and edge with black marker.
5. Stamp the silhouette mermaids with blue ink. Remove the masking from the dragon, colour the dragon and starfish with watercolour pencils. Add some shimmer paint to the dragon.
6. Layer elements and glue to card front.

Fantastic shows from Lesley Wharton on the Craft Channel this week

Did you catch the great shows with Lesley Wharton (from Chocolate Baroque) yesterday on The Craft Channel – you can watch catch up videos online if you missed it.

The first show was demonstrating fab paints and gels from Viva Decor. Lesley then had a 2 hour show (7-9pm) demonstrating the wonderful sea themed stamps from Chocolate Baroque. She has another show this afternoon with Aztec Paints. Lesley will also be back later in the week with another sea themed show. I always love her demos – definitely worth watching.

Here are some of my projects using the sea themed stamps. Some have featured on the show along with more FAB samples from the rest of my Chocolate Baroque Teamies.

Projects with the Seashell Collage stamp set.

Projects with the Mermaid Queen and Seadragon stamp sets.

A 3D boat card and variation on a tag card using the Seashell Collage stamp set.

Quick and easy projects using the Seashell Collage set.

The Mermaid Queen set is fabulous – I have made several variations of this card for friends, and for the show.

A canvas and card using the marvellous Seadragon set.

 

Stamp sets used: Seashell Collage, Underwater, Seadragon, Underwater Kingdom and Mermaid Queen.

All these sets mix and match and work together beautifully – can you tell how much I love these sets?

I will add details and step by steps for all the projects later xxx.

Secrets of the Deep Card created for Chocolate Baroque Colour Challenge 24

Here is another project created for the Chocolate Baroque Colour Challenge 24. I am a little unsure about this one but it is certainly Fairy tale and vibrant. If I made it again I think that I would make the sea colour and the mermaids little paler. This would give a little more depth and less clash.

Materials:

· Underwater, Underwater Kingdom, Sea Dragon and Mermaid Queen stamp sets.

· Spectrum Noir Aqua markers, glitter pens.

· White card, yellow card (for die cuts), glitter card (orange), white stamping card.

· Zig 2 way glue pen.

· Pebeo Drawing Gum.

· Midas touch gold foil (for cold foiling with glue).

· Inkpads: Versafine (Onyx Black) and dye based (violet).

· Stickles glitter glue (Diamond).

· Circular nesting dies, largest 15cm (TODO Basic Circles), branch dies (Heartfelt Creations Leafy Branch), eyelet die (Sizzix Originals Red die – Eyelet Washers #1).

· 3D glue gel and foam pads.

How to make it:

1. First create a card blank using an A4 sheet of card folded in half. Cut through both layers with a 15cm circular die, overhanging the die at the top folded edge so that an attachment fold for the front and back stays intact. I also cut an extra circle of card to glue to the back and add strength. Trim the base of the card slightly to give a straight edge at the bottom so that the card stands up ok.

2. Cut a ‘port hole’ frame from glitter card using a 15cm and 11.5cm circular die. I glued another plain card frame to the back to give extra strength.

3. I used some scrap mount board and the Sizzix BigZ die to cut the thick eyelets. Alternatively you could glue together a few layers of ordinary card to make the ‘chipboard’ eyelets. Apply Zig glue (blue when wet) to the eyelets and leave to dry and go tacky (dries clear). Press foil, shiny side up, onto the tacky surface to add foiling. Glue to the port hole frame with 3D glue gel.

4. Cut another circle from stamping card. Stamp the foreground scene with Versafine ink and paint with Drawing Gum to mask. Stamp the embellishments onto spare card and cut out.

5. Colour the scene background with watercolour markers and a water brush. Stamp the background mermaids with dye ink. Dry.

6. Remove the masking fluid. Colour the scene details and cut out embellishments with watercolour markers.

7. Cut branches from yellow card. Add a little shading with pens.

8. Glue the scene flat to the card. Apply the frame with foam pads.

9. Shape the cut out embellishments slightly with fingers or a ball tool and foam mat. Glue with 3D glue gel. Finally finish with a little glitter glue for added sparkle.