Group of Cardmakers - Acrylic Painting on Coloured Cardstock

Hi everyone, and here we are with the last post of 2025 and with a new year of fun creating to come!  This month the Group of Cardmakers are looking at Acrylic Painting on Coloured Card where you stamp, then completely cover the image with a single colour, or more if you fancy, using acrylic paints then re-stamp the outlines, and you do need to have a stamp positioner to do this.  I was lucky enough to win this lovely lily stamp as well as a cute dormouse one, both fronm Stamp Addicts, over at Allsorts and so these lilies are getting their first outing.  I also used a set of Royal and Langnickel acrylic paints and two dies from a set of Torn Edge Nestables from Creative Craft Products which I have had for a while, and are discontinued now I think.

I started with a piece of kraft card about 7" x 6" as I wasn't sure whether to go for a square or rectangle shape, and so I placed the image roughly in the middle.  I stamped it with Versafine Vintage Sepia and then using a set of Royal and Langnickel acrylic paints bought from a local store some time ago, I used a red, orange and a darker red to colour the flowers, and then a light and mid green for the stems and leaves.  I did use a small brush but still managed to go over the edges a bit in several places, but dampened the tip of a pokey tool and scraped carefully which removed most of it.  After it was dry I re-stamped it using Versafine Clair Nocturne ink which worked well.  It is best to try to keep the layer of paint as smooth as you can so that you get a good re-inked image.  

To finish the card I decided to make it square so I used the two Torn Edge dies to cut the kraft and the added black matted layer, and I then added the sentiment again using the Nocturne ink and heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder, and then layered it up on the 6" square card.

I did go for a more dramatic look using black for the matted layer and I'm not sure if it works or not..perhaps you can let me know what you think.  I hope you give this technique a try and there is a video you can look at on the Group of Cardmakers post and if you do make a card there is a Linky where we can all enjoy the different ways to use this technique.

Thank you for visiting me here today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

We Love Stamping Challenge - Dec. '25 Red and Green/Anything Goes.

Stamping Sensations Challenge - Dec. 25 Fantasy/Anything Goes.

Allsorts Challenge - No.839 Create A Scene/Anything Goes.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Add A Sentiment.

Beautiful Blossoms Challenge - Anything Florals Goes/Optional Mood Board No. 36.

Triple B Challenge - Dec. '25 Using one, two or all three of Birds, Butterflies or Blooms.

NBUS Challenge - No. 81 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

Beary Christmas

Hi everybody.  I am a bit late for Christmas with this one but it was a rather last minute...a card for hubby made on Christmas Eve..I was very behind, and I used this Pink Ink stamp which I've had for a while but have only just used here.

 

I started by stamping the polar bear using Versafine Smokey Gray ink onto a piece of white card and then cut it out as I wanted to added it over the top of the background.  I then coloured it with my Distress Inks and a water brush using Festive Berries, Scattered Straw Dried Marigold and Hickory Smoke, and not having much mojo as I think I am all Christmased out, I used the same colours as on the packing as a red Santa hat is the traditional colour, and I also used a black Micron Pen and a white Posca Pen.  I then  started on the background using a piece of white card cut to fit an 8" x 6" card..the stamp is large, about 6" x 51/2".  I smooshed Blueprint Sketch and Salty Ocean DI's over it and then I cut the white snow/ice and decided on the shape and depth and added this to the background, and then onto the card.  I added the bear and stamped the two sentiments top and bottom in opposite corners using the Salty Ocean DI, and also added just a little shading with a pencil beneath the skate.

Thank you for visiting my blog today and I would like to say a bit thank you to all who visit and leave lovely comments which is always appreciated and I hope that you have been having a good Christmas and I send you all my good wishes for 2026.

I am entering the following challenges:

Rudolph Days Challenge - Anything Goes (open from 25th to the end of the month).

We Love Stamping Challenge - Dec. '25 Red and Green/Anything Goes.

Stamping Sensations Challenge - Dec. '25 Fantasy/Anything Goes.

Allsorts Challenge - No. 839 Create a Scene/Anything Goes.

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge - No. 507 Christmas.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Add A Sentiment.

Christmas Kickstart Challenge - No. 105 If It's Christmasy Link It Up.

Peace On Earth Christmas Challenge - No. 102 Anything Goes.

NBUS Challenge - No. 81 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

Snowy Fun

Hi everybody.  I have these fun snowmen today which I spied over at Loll's blog here, so thank you Loll...I just couldn't resist them, and being used for the first time today.

I started with a snippet of white card and used some Distress Ink pads just brushed across the card in several shades of brown..from memory I think they were Tea Dye, Brushed Corduroy, and also Ground Espresso which I dragged down using the edge of the pad to make it look like planks.  I then used more snippets of white for the three snowmen and little birds and coloured them using my alcohol pens, and I then found another larger snippet of white for the background sky and used well watered down Salty Ocean DI and added a bit of the brown ink which I still had out to give the sky more the look of a snowy winter's day without it being too dark a background.  I also splattered some white paint for some snow.  I then put the scene together minus the snowmens' noses and mittens and added the snow on the top and bottom of the fence very generously with a white Posca Pen...it does look a bit brown and unfortunately picked up a bit of the brown ink from underneath, and I did try going over it again when dry to try to whiten it but it still looks off-white.  I then added the noses and mittens over the top, before finally adding it onto a 5" x 7" card but cut down about 1/2" to make the proportions better.  I then found another white snippet and cut the sentiment and added it at the top of the scene.

Thank you for visiting me here today and I'll see you again soon. 

I am entering the following challenges:

Snippets Playground Challenge - No. 521 - Where we use our snippets of card or paper etc.

Allsorts Challenge - No. 839 Create a Scene/Anything Goes.

Christmas Kickstart Challenge - No. 105 - If It's Christmassy Link it Up.

NBUS Challenge - No. 81 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

Crafty Calendar Challenge - Dec. '25 Winter/Christmas.

Simon Says Monday Challenge - Anything Christmas/Holidays.

Birthday Dahlias

Hi all.  I have a birthday today featuring a fairly recent Lisa Horton Magazine which had some stamps, a stencil and a few dies to cut out some of the stamps with, and also a 3D Embossing Folder used here for the first time, and I added an extra layer to the flower using a die which can be used in it's own right or as a layer to add onto the large flower on the EF.  I also used a set of dies from Crafter's Companion bought a while ago which cuts these rectangular inverted scallops and you then use a die to cut it to whatever size you wish, but I cut it to fit a 5" x 7" card.  These dies are being used for the first time too.

I embossed the EF onto a piece of white card cut to fit the 5" x 7" card and then used my Distress Ink Pads to rub over the raised areas in Spiced Marmalade, Ripe Persimmon, Crushed Olive and Mowed Lawn using a blending tool.  I die cut the extra small flower which I found didn't quite fit over the centre of the flower and the few petals it included, so I fussy cut it where it didn't match and added it using some silicone glue, and I added the sentiment using Versafine Olympia Green ink heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  I then put the card together adding first the embossed piece and added the frame having cut the edges of it to fit over this and leave a nice equal sized edge on the base card.  

Thank you for visiting my blog today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - No. 838 New/Anything Goes.

Can You Handle The Pressure Challenge - Anything Goes/Card of Thanks.

Gem of a Challenge - No. 12 Anything Goes.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Use Dies.

Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday Challenge - Nov '25 Anything Goes.

Group of Cardmakers - Stencilling with Mica Powders

Hi everybody.  I'm back again with this month's technique over at the Group of Cardmakers, and this time it is using Mica Powders with Stencils.  For this card I have used one of a set of mica powders which I bought recently, and a set of stamps, stencils and a die from a recent Indigoblu magazine called Mixed Media Special 10.  I used one of the four stencils that came with it and also a snowflake corner stamp, and a large sentiment die, all being used for the first time.  

I started with the snowflake stencil and with the intention of using a 5" x 7" card I made it just a little bit smaller..in the end I decided to do a 6" square card instead so cut it down.  I had to use the stencil twice as they are quite small stencils, and I chose a light blue mica powder.  The snowflakes on the stencil are fairly small and I had a bit of trouble getting a good coverage with the Versamark Pad that I have, so in the end I used my Versamark Pen and just rather laboriously went over at one to get a good impression.  It did work better and I was fairly pleased with the result.  I brushed on the mica quite carefully so as not to smudge the image, but it did smudge a bit but not too badly.  I did think that these would not work with a spritz of water to set them as I assumed they would not have the binding agent but it did seem to work and when putting the card together and handling the piece quite a lot it didn't seem to transfer onto my hands or the card so that's good.

I continued with the stamping onto the white base card using the corner snowflake stamp and heat embossed it with WOW Metallic Silver Embossing Powder using my stamp positioner by twisting the card to get the same position in each of the corners.  On the second corner I had a bit of a problem in that when I heat embossed I must have overheated the powder and it went dull.  I decided to ink and heat over the top for a second time and it worked well, so on the first and then the subsequent other two corners I did the process twice to match...a bit laborious but it worked.

I then cut a silver mat to place beneath the snowflakes, and I cut the sentiment from the silver too and I put the card together.  I did wish that I had used a darker blue as I think it would have had more impact but never mind it does look quite pretty if a little pale, but not as pale as it looks in the photo..the light was very poor when I took it.

This second card I feel has been more successful and I used darker shades for a more colourful look using a set of stencils from Crafter's Companion called Love Hearts which has three stencils..a background heart covered stencil, a border and a heart filled heart.  I also used a new unbranded set of stemmed hearts and a new sentiment.  Everything on the card is being used for the first time.

I cut a scallop edged heart using a snippet of white card, with a set by Nellie Snellen..absolutely ancient but I still love it, and it was a bit larger than the heart stencil that I used so left a white border.  My first go was not successful leaving the stencil in place when adding the mica powders as when I removed it it was a bit smudgy so obviously there had been some creeping of the powders under the stencil.  I decided to cut away the scalloped edge and turn the heart over.  I also used a ball tool to round the more blunt edges on the reverse.  This time when I had added the Versamark I lift the stencil away all went well.  I decided on this one to add some WOW Clear Gloss EP over the top and heat set it which worked well.. I did use a softer brush to add the powders which helped I think to stop any movement of the Versamark and gave it a crisper look.  I cut the stemmed hearts and the sentiment from snippets of white card and decided to cut an extra white sentiment so I could double it up to give it more substance.  

To finish I used a 5" x 7" white card and I embossed the heart border down the centre of the card and then put the stencil in place and added colour using first Picked Raspberry DI and then to make them a little redder I used Candied Apple DI.  I then fixed the heart with the stemmed hearts attached behind it at an angle over the border stencilling, and then added the sentiment over the bottom of the heart, and to make it stand out more I added some Wink of Stella.

I am entering this anniversary card into the following challenges:

Stencil Fun Challenge - Nov. '25 Anything Goes/Golden Days.

Snippets Playground Challenge - No. 520 Where we use up our snippets of paper and card etc.

Allsorts Challenge - No. 837 Focal Sentiment/Anything Goes.

NBUS Challenge - No. 80 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

I do hope you will visit us over at the Group of Cardmakers and we do have Robyn as a guest this time and you will be able to see the beautiful cards made by her and the rest of the team.  We do also have a Linky so if you make any cards you can display them there so we can all enjoy seeing what you've made.  There are also a couple of videos to watch too.  Thank you for visiting me here today and I'll see you again soon. 

Watercoloured Background and Stampscape Stamps

Hi all.  I made this masculine card using a watercolour set by Koh-i-Nor which are nice and compact and have the paints in circular layers which screw together and have a screw on lid on the top and are great to travel with and fit easily in a small bag.  I also invested in a set of mop type brushes which I got on-line and which come to a lovely point, and I have to say they are great and at a good price too.  I decided to use a 5" x 7" card so cut the piece of card a little smaller thinking to use it as a portrait shape but it didn't quite work out that way as the top half went a bit wrong so I cut it down and it has ended up as a landscape card.

I started with a green mixed with some grey to darken it and I first spritzed the card at the bottom and added the paint, moving the wet paint around a bit and mopping it up where it ran too much.  I wanted to try and get a misty look, and after fiddling with it a bit more and adding an even darker green at the bottom I was pleased with the look.  I got out some Stampscape trees which came in a set with a larger tree and a group of smaller distant trees, a cabin with trees and some foreground rocks and reeds and also a dappled water stamp.  I only used the large tree stamp varying the height of each tree and taking it down beyond the bottom of the background so that they didn't end up too large, and I also added a group of three ducks which were bought separately but make a change from flying birds.  I used a Versafine Olympia Green for the stamping including the sentiment which I heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  I did add some blue at the top, well watered down and in the end after cutting it down a lot I added a bit more green which was left on the brush just to blend it all in. 

At one point I nearly ditched it but once cut down and added to the card with the layers I think it looks OK, and I think to a certain extent I did manage to get the misty look.  Thank you for joining me here today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

We Love Stamping Challenge - Nov. '25 Anything Christmas/Anything Goes.

Stamping Sensations Challenge - Nov. '25 Christmas/Anything Goes.

Allsorts Challenge - No. 836 Christmas Cards/Anything Goes.

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge - No. 506 Make Your Mark.

Simply Clean & Simple Challenge - Nov. '25 Anything Goes/Holidays/Winter.

Mixed Media Birthday

Hi everybody.  I have a feminine card today featuring a bit of mixed media using another piece of the napkin I used for this card here, and also using a heart stencil with texture paste, and some stamps from a set which came with a Phil Martin Box Kit 12 which came out a while ago but which I am only just using for the first time.  I also used three Distress Inks - Blueprint Sketch, Worn Lipstick and Hickory Smoke.

I started by laying some pink ink down onto a piece of acrylic and spritzed it with water before pressing it onto the card in the areas where I wanted it in a sort of triangle over the righthand corner of a piece of white card cut to fit a 6" square card.  I did this several times and then I cut a piece of the napkin which has the flowers in a border using just one quarter of it so it fitted into the same corner, and actually it was a bit too long and I cut the extreme left flower off and added it in towards the top righthand side as that area was a bit thinner and adding it there filled it out a bit.  I used some Mod Podge glue on the back of the piece and then more over the front to make sure the edges were firmly glued down.  I perhaps went rather mad and used more glue than necessary to take it over the edges, and in a certain light you can see it even though it has a matte finish.  I then decided to use the little heart stencil bought from The Range a long while ago, and which came in a pack with several other heart patterned stencils.  I spread the Titanium coloured paste over the area covered by the napkin and after it was dry I got out the Phil Martin stamps featuring postmarks, a couple of different splatts and a piece of music using the three colours mentioned above.  The Worn Lipstick is a cube and is beginning to dry up, and the Hickory Smoke is rather a pale grey so that doesn't show all that much but I did it in my stamp positioner and inked and stamped several times, but I think maybe it could have been a little bit darker.  I decided to add the two butterfly images which were on the napkin too and then finished by adding a sentiment using the blue ink and heat embossed it with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.

Thank you for dropping by to see me today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - No 836 Christmas Cards/Anything Goes.

Stencil Fun Challenge - Nov. '25 Anything Goes/Golden Days.

WeLove2Create Challenge - No. 11 Anything Goes.

Triple B Challenge - Nov. '25 Using one, two or all three of Birds, Butterflies or Blooms.

NBUS Challenge - No. 80 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.