Crafting tricks and treats from Visible Image

Hi everyone today I am taking part in a "tricks and treats" feature over on the Visible Image blog. Myself and some of my fellow design team members are sharing lots of crafting "tricks" (hacks or tips) and some crafting "treats" with ideas to help you take your crafting to a different level. I came up with an idea of showing how an identical card design can look so different just using additional techniques. One card is a simple mixed media make, the second has a few more "treats" added. I even have a third card which uses the left overs. To make this post easy to refer to I have added all the "tricks" or "treats" in bold type as I take you through my step by step tutorial showing how all 3 cards were made

As it is autumn and nearly Halloween I kept to this theme when I chose my stamps and ink colours but you could use any stamp set and any colours. Below are the 3 cards I made, 2 with the identical leaf design and sentiment and a Halloween card I made with a leaf "left over".

The leaf friendship cards were made using the lovely Erika's Maple set

 with a sentiment from the Look forward with hope stamp set.

 The Halloween card was made using the awesome Happy Halloween set.

To make things simpler I have numbered the 2 leaf friendship cards,

Card 1

and Card 2 

This is how they came together;  

I used 300gsm Pink Frog smooth white card to make card 1 and Daylor Rowney 250gsm mixed media card for card 2. These are my personal preferences for stamping. 

Trick; You need to use smooth cardstock or the smoother side of mixed media card to get a clear stamped image. As long as your card can take water you can mix and match. You can use using thinner card but you need to try it out. Over the years I have found my own favourites and some are very cheap card. Don't be afraid to try different types and brands and find your own personal preferences. 

First I stamped my design onto each piece of card. I stamped 2 small leaves and the sentiment first. 

Trick; the ink you use for stamping is also important if you want a clear crisp impression. Pigment inks are best but take time to dry. My go to stamping ink is Versafine Clair. I used Nocturne for these cards. 

Treat; try clear heat embossing your stamped image. It provides a smooth shiny and clear surface which also resists any extra inks added. I would also recommend using super fine clear powder particularly for heat embossing sentiments. 

This is the stamped leaf design.

Tip; As I chose to  decoupage the middle leaf using a cut out one on top it does not matter if your stamping overlaps. This eliminates the need to mask, which personally, is a technique I rarely use.  

I then chose these 3 autumnal inspired distress ink colours.

For card one I pressed a little of each ink piece of acetate.

Tip; use the clear carrier sheet that your stamps are attached to. 

Spritz on a little water until droplets form.

Then press over several areas of the background. 

Trick; to avoid smudging the wet ink use a heat gun to carefully dry your background (or just leave to air dry).

Treat; there is a big difference between a heat tool and an embossing gun. If you want to take your crafting to the next level it is worth investing in both. Although both give out the same heat a heat gun diffuses its heat and does not move the inks. An embossing gun has a very concentrated point for heating, designed to melt embossing powders. If you use an embossing gun to dry inks over an area where an image has already been heat embossed you risk melting the existing embossing. 

Next I went through my stash of  backgrounds made using book pages and distress inks to find something suitable for "decoupaging" my large leaf. I chose these 2. I stamped a few of the large leaves and cut them out.

Trick; store any spares you don't use with the stamp set. They are then ready made for your next autumn leaves project.

Because I had already stamped the large leaf on the card I didn't need the stalk, so I cut them off. 

Trick; when fussy cutting try to move the card not the scissors. 

Trick; have a background making session occasionally so that you always have something ready for when you want to create. It is important that that inks are dry too so is this super useful and a time saver. 

Treat; I love using book pages to stamp on. They add a lovely extra "vintage" twist to mixed media makes.  But always ensure you read the text so that there is nothing embarrassing when you adhere them to your projects! I have an old copy of "The tale of 2 cities" my Hb gave me years ago. Sticking the pages onto thin paper also helps to give them some extra body.

 

I then adhered a leaf onto card 1.

and finished off with a few sequins.

Treat; adding a few sequins or gems are great finishing touches for your card making. Think about their placement before you stick them down. You might need to re arrange for the best effect

For card 2  I added the same 3 inks but used a circular blending tool for their application. 

Trick; the newer more domed blending tools make ink blending much easier. If you find using regular distress inks hard to blend (it does just take practice) try the oxide version, which are easier. However, personally, I like the vibrancy and translucency of regular distress inks. 

Treat; add a few spritzes  of water to the background and blot off with paper towel. It removes some of the ink and gives a very interesting bleached effect and also mixes the inks a little.

 1 added a large leaf over the stamped one in the same way as card 1. 

Treats; put a small piece of foam pad under the top of the leaf to raise it slightly and add some drops of glossy accents for some more finishing touches. These treats give more dimension to your card.

For both cards I matted onto black card and then a white card blank.

Trick; using a black card matt makes the cards "pop". (Dark red and dark colours will also work well). Inking the edges with a dark ink and even distressing (see card 2) using a distress tool or blade of your scissors all add extra interest and texture.

Treat; try to be accurate when you mat and mount your cards. Cards which are "wonky" detract from all your hard work. Use premium card blanks too if you would like to "elevate" your card making. Flimsy cards fall over and bend. 

Here are both finished cards together.

So what did I do with one of the spare leaves...well of course I had to make a quick and simple Trick or Treat card didn't I!

I used black card for the background. I cut the leaf out with its stalk intact this time.

I found a ready made pumpkin left over from a previous project and simply stuck him under the edge of the leaf, added some white dots using the stamp in the set and picket fence distress ink. I then stamped and heat embossed  the sentiment using sparkly white embossing powder.

And in a few minutes I had an extra card....

Trick; use an antistatic bag if you are using glittery embossing powders on black card. It stops all those stray flecks of powder sticking, which can spoil a finished card. 

I really hope you enjoyed my crafting tricks and treats in this post. I am hoping that, particularly for new paper crafters, they might encourage you to try some new techniques. For those seasoned card makers  out there I hope you might also have enjoyed a few treats here today.  

If you have any crafting questions that you would find useful to be answered in similar posts please let us know. 

Enjoy your Halloween....and make sure you have enough treats for the Trick or Treaters...boo to you!!

I will be back with my "usual" design team post on 4th November. It's a children theme and I have something very different to share.

Bye for now,

Jane x

It's spooky season at Country View Challenges

 Hello everyone, it's time for my first blogged design team make for our October Country View Crafts challenge hosted over on Facebook. You don't need a blog or an Instagram account, just head over to the group and join in with the fun! The link is Here and if you are not already a member just request to join and we will warmly welcome you. It is also be a place you can be the first to hear about workshops, the latest releases etc etc. We have a happy membership of over 350 crafters and we are growing every day. You can enter the challenges up to 5 times as you like as long as you use products or brands which are stocked on the Country View Website.

The theme for October is "Halloween" so we would like to see all your spooky makes. I love Halloween crafting and each year make 6 Halloween tags to add to the little Halloween gifts I give to my kids and grandkids.

Obviously my go to products to reach for are from my Tim Holtz stash. This man has so many amazing products to choose from and CVC stocks loads.

This is my first tag

and this is how it came together.

I used my fab Tim Holtz 3D wings Impresslit to create some spooky wings for one of my Paper dolls. I used black card and added some distress crayons . My paper doll  from an old pack but there are plenty of solo Paper dolls available on the CVC website here. 

I made my background using the Acorns texture fade. Again I used black card and distress crayons then I splattered on some distress mica sprays for some added bling and interest.

I also stamped out a pumpkin, a sentiment and an old Tim spider die cut and put everything together, Here is my finished tag again. 

with a couple of close ups 

and 1 final shot.

I hope I might have inspired you to give our October "Halloween" challenge a go. There is a fab prize up for grabs too for one randomly selected and you can enter up to 5 times!

Remember you can find me most days over on Instagram Here @jane.tyrrell where I share many, many more makes then I have the time to blog.

I will be back to share my 2nd design team make for the challenge on Saturday 26th October. 

I would also like to give you a heads up that my 2024 Inky cardmaking Christmas workshop at Dotty's Teahouse in Carshalton, Surrey will be held on 2 dates this year; Thursday 21st and repeated on 28th November, 7.30-10pm. The cost is £30 which includes my tuition, workshop notes, all materials, a take home bag and a hot drink and festive bake. Bookings are open NOW. 

 Just telephone 020 3754 4613    This is the link to Dotty's website. This is the 3rd year I have hosted  these workshops, they are such festive fun! Please feel free to contact me via Instagram messenger. 

Bye for now,

Jane x

Getting my spook on for Visible Image

 Hello everyone it's time for my fortnightly blogged design team post for Visible Image. 

We are just 10 days away from the start of autumn and of course that also means that the "Spooky Season" is coming soon  My grandchildren have turned me from someone who hid on Halloween from the Trick or Treaters to someone who decorates the porch, lights a pumpkin and greats them now with sweets and a huge smile. I honestly love Halloween and last year ran out of sweets as we had some many callers at our door.

So I thought today would be a good time to get you thinking about some fun Halloween makes. 

Boo!

I used the following products;

skull shadow stencil

with one of the fun sentiments from  Happy Halloween

This is how I made my card.

I used a piece of inked card from my stash.

 This one was made using lumberjack plaid, scorched timber and lost shadow distress inks. I pressed them onto my craft sheet, added water and dipped in my card. By drying between the layers I was able to achieve this look. I then blended on a little extra scorched timber to add some spooky dark  areas.

 I placed the skull shadow stencil near the top and blended black soot distress ink through the eyes and mouth and a little way around the skull.

I stamped the Trick or treat sentiment from Happy Halloween onto scraps of white card in black ink and distressed the edges with a distressing tool. I did the same to the edges of the card. I edged the sentiments with candied apple distress ink allowing it to get messy with my fingerprints as this all adds to the fun Halloween look. 

I stuck the sentiments in place. Next I used a pipette and sucked up some ink from a bottle of candied apple spray stain. I then applied the ink as dripping "blood" from the underside of the sentiments and around the skull. 

I left the stain to dry overnight and then cut  my card down to 4 1/2 by 6 1/2" . I matted it onto red glitter paper and then onto a black card blank.

Here it is again

with a close up

and I final photo.

I hope my card wasn't too ghoulish for you. You can obviously leave the dripping blood off if you prefer but for me the more Hammer Horror the better! 

All the Visible Image links are listed below;

 Our kind, friendly and supportive customer Facebook Group is here ...it would be lovely to see you join us.  You will be warmly welcomed and see lots of inspiration from the DT and customers to inspire your own creativity. 

 I also organize a monthly artist trading card swap in the group. Whether you are a new stamper or a seasoned one you are most welcome to join us. Over 150 members, worldwide, have taken part since it started over 3 years ago. It's been such fun and it's so lovely to receive a unique piece of art from your partner in the post. The details and sign up for each swap are posted in the group on the 23rd of the month. So the August sign up will be in the group next week on 23rd August. There is no "monthly" commitment, just join in when you have the time and if you live in the UK can you choose to post to the UK only if that suits you best.

The main Visible Image Facebook business page is here

Visible Image also has its own You Tube channel here where you can see videos and Lives to give you lots of inspiration and ideas. 

Their Instagram page can be found here 

Pinterest here

and their website is here 

You will also find me on Instagram here; @jane.https://www.instagram.com/jane.tyrrell?igsh=dzJsbnFoYnR5dzV5tyrrell most days, where I share many, many more makes than I have the time to blog. 

Bye for now.

Jane x

Visible Image Halloween inspiration

Good morning. Another fortnight has flown by and it's time for my next design team inspiration make for Visible Image.  The September release went live on Friday and is available to buy here on the website or from you favourite stockists worldwide.

 As we are approaching the "Spooky month" I am sharing a Halloween inspired make using the very suave Forever Edward stamp set. He has some awesome accessory stamps in the set too. 

I also used the coordinating dies which make layering up a dream and no need for fussy cutting if that's not your thing.

I absolutely love the fun bats in this sets and have die cut so many! 

This is what I got up to;

I used one of my alcohol ink on Yupo backgrounds from my stash made using Ranger alcohol inks. I added some background stamping using the text and flight of bats stamps and Archival ink. 

 I stamped and die cut Edward, the moon and 7 bats. I coloured the images using distress pencils.

I  stamped some of the small bats on the moon and then started to stick everything in place.

I stamped the main sentiment onto a die cut oval. My idea was the the bats were flying Edward from the moon through the starry night sky to Isabella! Yes my mind works in those ways.

Finally I matted this onto black card and adhered it to a 5" X 7" white card blank,

Here is my finished card

with a close up 

and 1 final shot;

 If you have missed the September release here they are

 

As always there is something for everyone! They are available to buy on the web site here 

 All the Visible Image links are listed below;

 Our kind, friendly and supportive customer Facebook Group is here ...it would be lovely to see you join us.  You will be warmly welcomed and see lots of inspiration from the DT and customers to inspire your own creativity. 

 I also organize a monthly artist trading card swap in the group.  We celebrated 2 years of swapping in May. Whether you are a new stamper or a seasoned one you are most welcome to join us. Over 150 members, worldwide, have taken part since it started. It's been such fun and it's so lovely to receive a unique piece of art from your partner in the post. The details and sign up for each swap are posted in the group on the 23rd of the month. If you are quick, the current swap "Halloween colours" sign up is open until 3pm today.  Otherwise the next sign up opens on 23rd November if you would like to join us.  There is no "monthly" commitment, just join in when you have the time and if you live in the UK can you choose to post to the UK only if that suits you best.

The main Visible Image Facebook business page is here

Visible Image also has its own You Tube channel here where you can see videos and Lives to give you lots of inspiration and ideas. 

Their Instagram page can be found here 

Pinterest here

and their website is here. 

 You will also find me on Instagram here; @jane.tyrrell where I share many more samples than I have the time to blog. 

Back soon, 

Bye for now

Jane x