Watercolour Wednesday Cheerful Daisies

 Did you know that 2 step stamping is great fun especially if you're not keen on colouring in? Well the Cheerful Daisies is a 2 step stamping set and works wonders for those of us who like quick and easy colouring. But did you know that they can also be used to create watercolour images too?

Well all you need is watercolour paper , the stamps , ink and a spritzer filled with water. Start by inking the infill stamp in your chosen waterbased ink . Then gently mist the stamp with water and stamp onto the watercolour paper. Leave the stamp on the paper for the count of 3 and repeat as often as you want.

Once the ink is fully dry take the outline  stamp and ink it up in the same colour ink and stamp over the infill stamp images. Once all areas are stamped as desired complete the image with any other images you may like such as the stems and leaves.

The colour palette for my panel is a shade of red called poppy parade and a deeper shade of yellow called crushed curry with pops of black. Doesn't it have a retro vibe?

The Cheerful Daisies stamp set is just so versatile! 

Tips tricks and techniques Tuesday Cheerful Daisies

 Recently Gill and I went to a fantastic Stampin' Up! Event called OnStage live in Rotterdam.  These events are always full of inspiration in so many forms from swaps to presentations to make and takes. One of the presentations we saw was given by a UK demo called Mikaela Titheridge. And she shared how to make today's card. I loved it so much that I just had to have a go using the Cheerful Daisies stamps.

It starts life as a piece of cardstock measuring 21cm x 20.8cm. Score at 1cm and 10.9cm. Next adhere a piece of patterned paper measuring 20.5cm x 9.4cm on to the first large panel. Now mark 2.5cm in and 2.5cm up from the 1cm score line on both ends of the pattern paper panel.  Now cut a slit between these 2 marks. 

You will then need a stip of cardstock measuring 2cm x 8.5cm and your decorated panel.  You'll also need the inside panel that needs to measure 20.5cm x 9.4cm. Place this panel behind the front panel. Then slip the cardstock strip from the inside through the long slit. Adhere the bottom of the strip to the bottom edge of the inside panel. Now using the 1cm panel close the card . I suggest using strong tape for this closure.

Now attach your decorated panel to the narrow strip of cardstock using 3d foam. Use a small circle punch cut a semicircle in the middle of the right-hand front panel so that you can pull the inner panel along. Below is a little clip of the card in action.

I do suggest creating your inside panel and from decorated panel first before putting the card together.

The Daisy paper is from a pack called Delightfully Eclectic and is just perfect for the Cheerful Daisies bundle of stamps and dies 

Don't you just love an interactive card? You could slip a gift card onto the inner panel as a hidden surprise too! So much fun 😀

Make it Simple Monday Cheerful Daisies

 Hello and welcome 😃 This week I'm sharing inspiration using the fantastic Cheerful Daisies stamps. Now you'd think I'd be bored with using these stamps. Why? Well we hosted and all day crafting event on the Saturday just gone where I share over 20 , yes 20 , different samples using this stamp set! Yet here I am about to share another week's worth of inspiration that are compldifferent again! So yes the  Cheerful Daisies stamps are a great investment for your stash!

Now this is a 2 step photopolymer stamp set. What is 2 step stamping?  Well it's a very versatile style of stamp set. There are out line stamps that work alone. But there are also what I call infill stamps which add colour to the out line stamped image, but they also work well on their own too! So you can layer them up or use them separately giving you more bang for your buck. Being photopolymer they are easy to line up as they are see-through so great for those who are just starting their stamping journey. 

So with all that in mind here are 2 versions of the same card made using the large daisy from the set as well as the stem and leaves and sentiment.

The difference is that version one is using several colours of ink pads. 

The colours used are a bright and cheerful yellow and a breezy green that remind you of spring.

Version two is created using just one ink pad.

The bright cheerful blue is a reminder of sunny days to come . To create a lighter shade for the infill of the flower all you need to do is ink up the stamp then stamp onto a piece of scrap paper then, without reinking the stamp, stamp the image. This is a very simple technique called generational stamping. 

#simplestamping is perfect for so many reasons, speed, just starting out, for those with a very small stash... the list goes on! But one thing it's not is boring! 

Fun Fold Friday - Botanical Layers and Botanical Beauty

 Hello again. As today is my last day for a week, I have gone to town! Using the Botanical Layers stamps, I stamped the four, large floral images several times in; Lemon Lolly, Calypso Coral, Berry Burst, Granny Apple Green and Bubble Bath! It took a LOT of fussy cutting out! I need a break from fussy cutting now!! :) Using the Botanical Beauty stamp, I stamped onto a white mat in a Boho Blue Ink pad. I also cut and embossed a white mat for the centre 2 half panels and the front.. The blue, I cut in half lengthwise and added to the inside of the card on the outer 2 edges and filled in with a piece of the embossed paper in the centres. I took 2 more pieces of Boho Blue card and cut them to 21 cm wide. 1 piece is 6.5 cm high and the other 10 cm high. The latter of which was cut to 10 cm wide. I added an extra 1 cm to each side for the ahesive to go on before cutting. 

Then it was a case of adding the leaves and flowers all over the stands. By making a fold in the centre of each of the stands It will make it stand and fold into the centre easily. Now bear in mind this will not go as standard mail. It will have to large size letter of even hand delivered. Which I always prefer anyway. That was it basically. A simple sentiment on the front and the back completes my cards for this week. 

 

 

A very plain and simple front opening onto a very busy inside. 

 

I hope that you have found some ideas to hopefully inspire you to make your own cards this week. Cary will return on Monday with some more of her designs to share with you.

Until the following week when I return again, please take care, stay safe and 

KEEP ON CRAFTING 

xxx 😍😍  Gill  😍😍 xx

This or That Thursday - Botanical Beauty and Botanical Layers

 Hello on this lovely Thursday. For my cards today using the Botanical Beauty stamp set, I coordinated it along with the Botanical Layers. My first card is obviously THIS...I started with one of Cary's favourite card folds, a tent fold card. I chopped a lump from the front of it and then another piece too! I cut and added some DSP from the Softly Stippled papers. Love them!

 Stamping the image onto white card, I used Calypso Coral. This gorgeous colour is so warm and inviting and made for this card! I cut a small piece of white from the piece that I had stamped out and adhered it to another piece of Calypso Coral leaving a small border. A stamped and fussy cut flower stalk onto the front and one onto the DSP for the inside.and that finished this card.

THIS

THAT

This time for my That card, I have used the beautiful Berry Burst. Now many of you will have remembered that this was a colour from many years ago. In fact it was an In Colour.  Now I knew that I loved the colour of this when it first came out...I still do. I am so glad it has been brought back as it's great!! This time, a standard card shape in C6 or A6 whichever you like to call it. This time after stamping the image onto a C6 piece of white card, I cut it into 2 pieces diagonally. I matched it up with another piece of white and added them to the front and the inside. A lovely sentiment from another of my favourites, Go To Greetings, a few of the stamped and fussy cut leaves and flowers, then my card is complete. 

It's now down to you to decide which is your favourite card. Please let us know?

Watercolour Wednesday - Botanical Beauty

 Hello and thank you for stopping by. Today, using the gorgeous stamp set Botanical Beauty, I really went to watercolour heaven! I stamped the image in Lemon Lolly, one of the last years new colours. It is soft and subtle but can be bright too. I lightly stamped it onto White card and then I started with many of the green inks from Stampin' Up! I used  Shaded Spruce, Granny Apple Green, Pretty Peacock and a touch of Old Olive. I stamped an acrylic block onto the ink pad and using my fine water brush, started to colour in the leaves and ferns in different ways. I repeated this with all of the colours until I was happy with the depth of each colour. I went on to cut the white stamped mat down to 9.4 cm I left the width at 10.5 cm. 

I then chopped it up randomly from top to bottom at different angles. I added the pieces onto a mat of the Lemon Lolly card. Once the last piece was ready to go I was able to trim the width down to fit my card base. I adhered the mat to a black mat a few mm larger than the yellow which I think has made the colours stand out so well. I mounted it using Dimensionals on the back and added a piece of yellow ribbon from the Sheer Ribbon Combo pack. 3 gorgeous colours in the pack, Lemon Lolly, pink of Bubble Bath  and the bright blue of Azure Afternoon. A sentiment inside and a few extra leaves etc. and I was finished.

Tips, Tricks and Techniques Tuesday - Botanical Beauty and Botanical Layers

 Hello and thank you for stopping by. Today's card is one that I had in my mind last week when it wasn't my turn for the blog but here it is. Another very easy card if you don't mind some fussy cutting! As many of you know...I LOVE it! I started by stamping the Botanical Beauty onto a white mat in lovely shed of green called Shaded Spruce. Then using my trimmer I gutted the centre out of the card and kept it to the side. I left 2cm all around the outer edge and then mounted the paper onto a piece of the gorgeous blueish green of Lost Lagoon which I had first embossed using the lovely Fern embossing folder. 

I stamped the Botanical Layers onto another piece of white card and fussy cut them out. Sadly there are no dies! They were added onto the Lost Lagoon mat over the stamped border. I then adhered all of them to the Shaded Spruce card base.