Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Three Peppers

This is the first pepper I have drawn for Neil and Caro - not the best picture. A really interesting subject to draw, getting the lights and darks in as well as the form. Next was the yellow pepper....

Yellows are always difficult  to work on white paper, but I was happy with this one......

and finally, the red pepper. This one was fun.
They are on each on an A4 sheet of paper so that there is a choice on framing options. Probably the best way would be to place them in a 3 aperture frame, so they are all together.
I have tried to get a group photo so one can see the effect of all three together.



I think they will make a lovely group, framed up.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Kenny K Digital Pictures

I fell head over heels in love with the Kenny K digis that were featured on Shaz's blog, so I hopped over to New York see what was on offer and could not resist buying a couple. This sassy gal is Film Star (I think) and I decided to try my hand at ethnic skin tones. I thought she turned out so cute. Pity the Spica shimmer does not show up. Mounted reverse nesties with bling on the tips and also used digi paper I picked up on my travels. It was so very late when I got to the sentiment, that I found a precut label in black and a suitable sentiment, stamped Rangers Black Perfect Medium and doused it with Perfect Pearls. In hind sight, I should have gone for the metallic embossing powder, so may still  change it. I have a few others coloured up, just need to get to making up the cards.... time, time, time.........

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Coloured Pencil Painting - Work in Progress

My art teacher has returned from a working break in the U.K. and so it was back to the 'drawing' board. As always, I had such good intentions of getting so much done in her absence........ yes, you know the story! My eldest son and his fiance have moved into a lovely old style flat - big spacious rooms etc. and they were looking for some suitable pictures to put into their kitchen. So, I am using this opportunity to hone my skills and pass on the results to them. This composition of red onions and white garlic with a knife on the table, I started two weeks ago. I was really not enjoying it, but Linda forced me to get passed the block, so I chipped away at it a little at a time. The above picture is what I took back to class this morning and this is what I bought home.....


..... I am really into it now. Loving the journey. I have learnt a couple of very valuable lessons. One is, art is no different to life, you just have to jump the hurdles, or at my age, walk around them.... and two, always use the very best art materials. I used Canson 180gm water paper, which is a really good paper, but should have hauled the Bristol board out of my revered stash. With this medium you build up layers of pencil colour, so you work your paper to death, and Canson - this particular one, is not suitable! It was starting to break down, so, for now, I need to leave the dark shading on the onions alone. Perhaps, I will try to tweak it a little more later on, but for now, I will be working on the garlic and then the knives.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Two Techniques


I have blogged a card using the Black Velvet technique - the flower - but the background I cuttlebugged wax wrap, placed it wax side down onto glossy card stock, covered it with brown paper and ironed it to transfer all the wax onto the glossy c.s. I then took dye ink and wiped the pad over the card stock and it transferred onto the white, only where the wax did not cover. Before it all dried, I wiped it with paper towel to lift the excess ink off the card. Something different.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Teddy Stampers Challenge # 14

When I saw the challenge over on Teddy Stampers for Summer Bears I thought of this stamp in my stash and decided to enter the challenge. In Kwa-Zulu Natal we have hot, wet, humid summers and teddy caught in a summer shower fitted the bill perfectly!
I stamped him in Momento black and coloured with Copics and highlighted with Spica's. Nothing fancy about the rest of the card, just summery I think.
We are freezing here at present, so it was a pleasure to work on a 'warm' looking project.
Have a great week!

Friday, June 18, 2010

Tent Card




I was determined to try a tent card and found a cute birthday Tilda I had coloured - not so well - some time ago. As this was just a trial run, I was not too fussed about that. I used a lovely piece of dp I got from Poala as well as the flowers. You must be able to see her influence in this card - I admire her work so much, but a real battle to put it together like she does! Anyway, the card worked out very well and I will be using it again.
I have another view for you - hopefully you can get the idea of the card from this picture.




I won't be sending this one out as I got carried away with the glitter spray and Tilda has more on her face than is left in the tin!! I should have masked her off....... we live and learn.....

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Reverse Nestabilities

I was so taken with the posting on StampTV about reverse nestabilities, I got busy right away. The coolest thing about this technique is that there is no waste! You use the negative cuts for this card and the cut outs are available for another project. The most important thing to remember is to line up your cuts before rolling through the Cuttlebug. Do take a look in at StampTV - there are awesome videos and hints and tips for you to enjoy!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Another version.....

Back to an earlier post, this was another version. I tried to get a mirror image by stampin with Versamark and using clear e.p. I then stamped with Versamark and used white e.p. right next to it. Not quite what I envisaged, but not bad either. Loved the ribbon and pearls arrangement.

Monday, June 14, 2010

and Baby makes three.......

Friends of my sons found out that they are pregnant with their first child. Such excitement and I was asked to do a preggie card or two and wanted to send one from us codgers.... As this is a new chapter in my life, I had not preggie stamps, so, friends to the rescue and soon I had several images to work with. Thank you all dear friends!! This suited the lovely mom to be perfectly. I want non traditional colours, and somehow this fell together - don't you just love it? Such fun to colour.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Play time

On my blog travels I picked up on the resist embossing technique. Now, whilst I have used this before, I wanted to try it out in white. I stamped the background with the Hero Arts Friends Cling stamp, used Versamark ink and stamped these lovely flowers - not sure what they are called - and embossed with white embossing powder. Sponged Momento Canteloupe purchased from Cariena, cut out with Nesties, mounted on scalloped yellow oval. I ran my white cardstock through the Bug and swiped the dots with Canteloupe as well. Mounted that onto a swirly yellow card and both onto the white card. The sentiment was also stamped using the same method above, and guess what - a different sentiment! lol. Of course, Paola's pearls finished it off perfectly.
I delivered this card to a dear friend, Sally Leech, whom most of the RSA girls will know from Stampcamps. She has just had cataracts removed from one eye and the next is scheduled for next week. She loves her cards and stamping and I am sure she will be up and about very soon.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Happy Birthday!!

My youngest son is 27 today!
Where have the years gone?? A gorgeous chubby red head burst into my world and has made it a better place to be. He is into Bonsai at present and  I thought this card would go down well. Unfortunately the stamp did not come out crisp and bright and possibly it is because of the background treatment that absorbed the ink. I used my new Dauber in Pearl from Carina's shop, added a couple of drops of  Distress ink, a spritz of water - all of this onto my non stick craft mat and smooshed the card into this and wiggled it around. Turned out beautiful - picture does not do it justice!
Used the lovely date stamp from Paola , highlighted the date and cut and mounted using Nesties for both the main image and circular one. Finished it off with that Japanese cord - cannot think of the name and was too tired to look for the instructions to tie a chinese knot, that they use this cord for! I know he will love it.

Monday, June 7, 2010

Dainty in Lilac

A lovely Lockheart stamp, coloured with Copics cut out with my Nesties and once again, my favorite sentiment stamp! Spruced up with gorgeous dotty organza ribbon an Paola's pearls.
Clean, simple and very dainty! 

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Pretty Floral

This is a Hero Arts stamp I bought from Niki at one of the stamp camps in Durban years ago! I still use it often as it is so light and pretty. I am trying to use designer paper more often. I bought a selection from Paola - she cuts up the bigger sheets and this gives you a really nice assortment for your money suitable for card making. I sponged the edges of the image whilst it was still in the nestie after embossing, with a soft yellow chalk pad. Mounted this onto a white base that had a small piece of design paper on top of an embossed bright green, added my usual sentiment and a few of the dew drops.
Bright and cheerful!

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Pencil Art

Sorry that the photo does not do the card justice -I really need to get up to speed with my photography!!
The technique is something different. Stamp onto black or dark cardstock using a chalk white stamp pad. It works better with a solid image stamp as you have to have the white base to work on. Make sure it is really dry - I leave it overnight or longer. Taking your coloured pencils just go ahead and colour on top of the white and shade the colours as you go! Really simple and so pretty. I mounted this image onto pink cardstock, both pieces cut with the rectangle nestie, added tabs of rather different ribbon - there were little suede bubbles on the ribbon and offset it onto the front of the card. Added Paola's pearls, as always and voila, a different card. Do try this technique - it is truly stunning!

Blog Candy!

The fabulous Jak Heath has this awesome candy up for grabs - do go and have a look....

http://www.jakheath.com/2010/06/hanglar-stanglar-baby-blog-candy.html

Fabulous Hangler Stanglar Baby Set - perhaps my kids will take the hint and make me a Granny!

Friday, June 4, 2010

Shy Bear

I just love these Shy Bears - but then I love all bears!! I enjoyed colouring with my copics and once again used the Cuttlebug folder Candy Cane Stripes and embossed 3/4 of the card. This is such a simple way to add interest without cutting too many layers. I added Nestie scalloped circles, a butterfly and of course Paola's pearls on to the tags. For all those receiving my birthday cards I do apologise for using this sentiment over and over again. I just love it - it says it all and fits into the nestie tags so nicely.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Storage Idea

All crafters have this huge problem - storage that works for them (or doesn't??). Like so many of you, I have spent so much time (and money!) on 'systems' that did not work for me. One problem I had was with Nestabilities. I have been the whole route of CD cases, magnetic strips, plastic sleeves in folders, flip files, ice cream tubs (yes, you read correctly!) and probably a few more that did not even impress me enough to remember! Quite by chance I was standing next to a cupboard in my craft room, using my Cuttlebug and getting wound up about unpacking the Nesties etc. when I looked at the plastic shelf with hooks on, that my decorative scissors were hanging from, and thought, why not hang my nesties?? So DH wa summonsed to make hooks so that I could move my scissors up and I got out a pack of shower curtain hooks - actually had two different kinds, I knew I would find a good use for - and lo and behold my plan came together. The basic sets are hanging in their particular groups, which I have marked each one in some way, so that I know where they belong. Also, I can find the correct scallop size as it hangs with the straight edge. Whilst this works for the basic shapes, I found keeping the labels sets and impressabilities in their original wrapping and just grouping them to hang. I now have a 'Bugging Corner', with everything to hand and so much easier to work with. Below is a close up of the nesties in their groups.

I do hope this has helped someone with their storage problem - I works for me!
Needless to say, I did not get to bed before midnight that night - just had to get it sorted.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Birthday Catch Up

Hello all! I have had an enforced lay off from blogging, mostly because I was not feeling that great, then we went away for a few days - so nice to catch up with family - and then a major catch up with birthday cards for my RSA Group. I was way behind, but I fear I have sent some folks 2 cards for their birthday!! How lucky can you get??
Now that most of the cards have arrived at their destinations, I can blog them and thought I would start with this bright and cheery card. I used my Cuttlebug to emboss the diagonal stripes on half of the card, then embossed polka dots onto the green card stock and adhered it to the card. The flowers were stamped with a Hero arts set, coloured with Copics and finished off with a button and twine in the middle. I picked up a batch of white buttons on my travels and they colour beautifully with Copics. Does away with having to have a huge assortment in the different colours available. I raised the flowers with foam squares and cut stems and attached. The sentiment is also Hero Arts, cut out with Nesties, mounted on a contrast and attached. I enjoyed this card - it helped me find my missing Mojo!!
Thanks for popping in!