Playing with Brushos

Hi Everyone.
Today I am back with another Spotlight Feature over at the STAMPlorations Blog. My head was quite busy with lots of ideas, that's why I decided to keep things easy by creating some Brusho backgrounds and combining them with stamps from the The Birds And The Blooms, STAMPlorations' current Stamp Club set. Sometimes this can be a good way to clear your mind and ground your ideas.

As I am relatively new to using Brushos I thought it would be great to share my progress. The first time I used Brushos, I simply sprinkled them on damp card. This time 'round I sprinkled first and then spritzed with water ...

First up is a card using the daffodils and the black hooded oriole from the The Birds and The Blooms set ...

Just to recap: Generally speaking for the background, pick the Brusho colours you want to work with and sprinkle a little on a piece of white card, spritz with water and allow to dry. I made my two backgrounds together and tiny particles of turquoise ended up on my Brilliant Red/Cardinal background adding a little more interest.

I decided I wanted to add a little something and spritzed with gold Artiste ink too after the Brusho splatters had dried of course. Once dry I stamped the daffodils in matching red and the oriole in black before colouring my bird with Promarkers. To finish off I stamped my sentiment, layered on my base card and added some tiny pearls.

I am entering my card at:

Addicted to Stamps and More - Make your Mark

Time Out - Nature with an optional twist of animals

Inkspirational - Grunge

Just us Girls - Word

My next card is even easier to make.

 I created my background as above using Turquoise and Ultra Marine. Again I spritzed with gold. This time I wanted to do something a little different and simply stamped the cardinal on a die cut square. The cardinal, like all the other stamps in the set, is so beautifully drawn, it can very well hold the space and be the center piece without needing to be coloured. I layered everything up as seen and finished  by adding some twine and a charm.

TIP!: With Brushos you never quite know what your background will look like. Make several and use the one that best fits the stamps you want to work with. Leave the others for another time or to be altered and added to.

As always there is a craft along video for you featuring how I used the Brushos and how I made the first of my cards.

That's it from me for today. Here is another quick look at the finished cards.

Hope you feel inspired trying out and playing with a different medium, I would love to see what you come up with. Pop over to the STAMPlorations Blog to link up any of your CASEd cards, to check out other Spotlight Features, all of which are tutorials introducing new and re-visiting favourite techniques. Feel free to leave a comment to be entered in our monthly prize draw.
I shall be back again tomorrow with a project featuring the yellow background from my video. Until then ...
Have a lovely day!
hugs
Monika xxx

 

Flowers Whisper

Hi All,
another quick post from me. This time I worked with the Blooming Buds set designed by Deepti (Dee's Artsy Impressions). It is the first card I made using this set of beautifully drawn blooms. I decided to keep it CAS and use my at present favourite colour Bermuda Bay.

I stamped my image using archival ink and watercoloured it using Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry and a touch of Always Artichoke inks before stamping my sentiment and adding a little spritzing in gold Artiste Ink for added interest and shimmer. Once dry I layered on my base card, Bermuda Bay of course, and my card was finished.

I am entering at:
Addicted to CAS - Splash
Addicted to Stamps and More - Photo Inspiration


Next up just a quick reminder ...



... details about the birthday bash can be found here.

As always there is fun to be had before that too, you can CASE any of my/our cards and link up at the Inspiration CASE Playground, short playground, to share your creation with us, enter in the blog challenges, comment on Spotlight Projects and more is already happening over at the STAMPlorations Blog.

GIVE AWAY reminder: I will email a copy of my digi stamp, the sentiment of the butterfly card here, to every new follower of my blog. Anyone who joins between now and 10th July 2015 will get one. Remember to click on the small green/blue squares to the right of the 'join this site' button to join. To claim your free stamp email me at tinkercardsATgmail.com, please replace AT with @.


That's it from me for today. Back soon.
Have a lovely week!


hugs
Monika xxx


the set from STAMPlorations I used, link is in the text above:

Bermuda Bay ink and card stock, Crushed Curry and Always Artichoke inks by Stampin'Up!

Gold Artiste Spritzing ink by docrafts

Happy Thoughts

Hi Everybody,
Today I got three projects I want to share with you, all of which form part of the Inspiration Round Up Post over at the STAMPlorations Blog. As you've probably noticed for one reason or another I didn't have much time this month to craft. Yesterday was the first day I could really sit down and indulge myself ...
With Spring having officially started, I thought the SKETCHED: Tulips would be the perfect stamp to work with. As always I had a vague idea of what I wanted to do which was that I wanted my tulips to be yellow with a hint of orange ... off I went to colour some using Promarkers and watercolour pencils.
Here is my first card using the fuzzy cut Promarker coloured image ...

Initially I thought I'd add some splashes or dotty patterned paper to my background, but after trying out various options, I decided that I wanted to keep this card crisp and clean ... and the dotty paper morphed into a dotty embossed piece of white card and a strip of dotty ribbon. Once layered, I simply added a framed sentiment from the Blossom Overture stamp set, our current STAMP CLUB set, a punched butterfly and gems to finish.
My watercoloured Tulip image is next and I went all out grungy for a floral birthday card ...

The style of this one and my third card was inspired by the sprayed backgrounds I made a while ago when trying out my Artiste Spirtzing Inks (docrafts) on lining paper. Lining paper is great as it drys flat after being wet. With it being cream which mutes the colours somewhat, it is also ideal to create a grunge or vintage look for your card. This card simply developed as I went along. First I stamped the Chevrons and Arrows in apricot pigment ink (ColorBox), next I spritzed some brown and peach splashes, then I added the stitching (PATCHWORK FRENZY: Graphic Squares) to two of the corners and stamped the rings and circles using the ring stamp and its reverse from the Newlyweds Extras set (The Bees Knees by STAMPlorations). It is great for almost bubble like stamping. I layered it all up, added my white embossed sentiment (VIGNETTE: Chevron & Arrows) and finished off by adding a few green metal embellies.
Next up is another Grunge Card ...

I started off by stenciling the word HUGS from the ARTplorations Stencils: Hello & Company in red over my sprayed background. To add dimension I first drew the outline of the word in a darker red and added some partial white outline using my chalk marker. I then added some more stenciling using the ARTplorations Stencils: Hearts All Over around the outside allowing it to fade towards the center. I then added some splashes and rings from the Holiday Artsy set before rounding three corners, layering on my light cream base card, attaching my sentiment banner (VIGNETTE: Chevron & Arrows) and finishing off with a tiny punched heart. I did contemplate adding some bling, but decided against it given that the spritzing ink is already pearlescent and that it would make a good masculine birthday card as it stands.

Hope you enjoyed my little offering today.
Back soon with more inspiration ...
Have a lovely day!

Hugs
Monika xxx


What I used from STAMPlorations:
      

from Stampin'Up!
early espresso, bravo burgundy, riding hood red, pumpkin pie, rich razzleberry inks; chalk marker; early espresso and rich razzleberry card; owl builder (tiny heart) and small butterfly punches

ribbon - Fantastic Ribbons

gems and other card from stash

Sketch 26 at STAMPlorations

Hi Everybody,
As promised, I'm back today with another piece of inspiration for you. It is time for another sketch challenge at STAMPlorations. This is what I came up with:

My inspiration cam from a client who asked me if I already had any Mother's Day cards. This prompted me to dig a little deeper into my stamp supplies and bring out some golden oldies, apart frommit getting towards that time of year anyway. This card could be used any time of year, just to say thank you for being there.
I used Trendy Butterflies, Trendy Leaves, SB Thank You and MOM SAB #3 - Quiet Strength. To start with, I blended some inks (yellow, orange and pink) and stamped the SAB in orange to create my background, rotating it as I went along. It is a technique Shery has used a lot, and I thought I'd give it a go. ☺
I blended some more inks, cut my banner, upside down tag, and stamped my leaf and butterfly before liberally spritzing it all with golden ink. Once dry I over-stamped my butterfly with clear pigment ink and clear embossed it to give the color more strength before fuzzy cutting leaf and butterfly. I gold embossed my sentiment, layered my elements as shown and finished off by adding a few sequins, pearl and gems.
Here are another couple of pictures capturing the subtle golden shimmer.

Now back to the challenge. This is the sketch to take your inspiration from, and as always there is lots of scope.

Our Guest Designer Maria and my teamies created some stunning cards to showcase over at the STAMPlorations blog. The challenge will end 30th January and the winner will be announced 6th February. As always there are lots of prizes to be won including some guest designer spots. Pop over to the STAMPlorations blog for the full details and to enter your project.
Back soon with more inspiration. Have a lovely day!
Hugs
Monika xxx