Stamps Ahead

 Here is a layout I developed and created for a workshop I led yesterday. This layout was created with products available from Kaszazz: Watercolour Paper 12" x 12" 300gram SB Essentials Black cardstock 12" x 12" 1 sheet of Card Pack White A5 Watercolour Pans  Paint Brush - Art Brush Set (7 in pack - I used the widest brush) Ranger Texture Paste Chipboard Stars Mixed Media Powder - Lime Embellishment - Mixed Brads (20 in pack) Rubber Stamps - Moments into Words; Discover and Tech Report If you are interested in purchasing any of the items I have used, I do have a website you can visit and order them or any of the other great products available from Kaszazz                  www.kaszazz.com/cart?consid=110787 The photos are of my great nephew on a swing and he is urging me to go higher, higher!!! Thank you for looking, Margaret

Not quite a card (although) it has the same measurements as a card.  I have created a fridge magnet and will be making several more for a local fundraiser next weekend. It is a great way to use up bits and pieces you may have in your stash.  Thank you for looking, Margaret

Another layout I have completed today for a challenge over at Karen's Scrapping Challenge on Facebook. It was for her Load Mini 720 challenge - Scrap the Rainbow Spectrum. The challenge story was "When light passes through a prism we can see the entire spectrum of the rainbow. Scrapbook about something beautiful you may not see/notice at first." Technique was use a rainbow of colours on your layout. My story:   in May 2018 I was staying my friends down on their farm in Southern Missouri. This bird feeder is outside their front door and it always fascinating to watch the many birds (and squirrels) that feed here during the day.  I took this photo early morning and when I was looking at the photos on my digital camera after I saw that the camera had provided a prism of light onto the feeding Cardinal bird. Yes, truly beautiful. My technique: firstly I painted my background with watercolours onto white cardstock..  I remembered the old ROYGBIV chant from school days as ...

If you are a regular reader of my blog you will have noticed that I made two 90th birthday cards recently using the die set - Tim Holtz Wildflowers 1.   Here is another card I have made today: When I was making the earlier cards I had in mind that I would love to make a card that the ladies in my community card class would love - I have had to hold off on that idea due to coronavirus pandemic. But wait, the good news after the current New South Wales school holidays we will be resuming....albeit in a format that adheres to current guidelines and restrictions. As a result, I will be doing all stamping, die cutting, misting etc and making up a pack for each person to make in class, with photo and simple instructions to complete if appropriate.   For this card they will need to do watercolouring - lucky for me I have numerous media to use for watercolouring so that there will be no need to share.    I love the simplicity of this card with it's 'with love' die cut. ...

Continuing on from my last post I have made a card for my aunt for her 90th in July. But, something else happened that made me happy. First here is her card As I watercolouring this card I looked at the paper I was working on and loved the marks that my painting made.  Into my art journal it went, after a spray of the green glimmer mist I used on the card.   I had a few flowers left over, and as I was in 'art journal mode' added them to a previous page I had used whilst using my gel plate. Again a spray of green glimmer mist. I also used the negative of the die and using paint added the spray flowers.  Some Kaszazz sticker words added also. Here are the 2 side by side in my art journal.   I love these happy surprises and I hope you do also. Thank you for looking, Margaret Crafting in the time of coronavirus.

My neighbor (herself aged 94) asked me to make a card for a friend of hers who is turning 90 in July.  Here is the card I made: I recently purchased the Tim Holtz Sizzix Die set called Wildflower Stems #1 and decided to go with this set.  I also used a very old Stampin' Up! set called Number of Years and its corresponding die Large Numbers. My inspiration came from Ranger and a card by Bobbi Smith. I have used different supplies.  I watercoloured the flowers.  Thank you for the inspiration, I have left a comment on the blogpost.  Thank you for looking, Margaret Crafting in the time of coronavirus.

As I mentioned in previous posts I have been conscious of using up my stash during the coronavirus pandemic.  Today, I share with you a set of 6 small (3" x 3")  gift cards I have made: I have used a die set I purchased in the USA 2 years ago - Pink Fresh Floral Squares.  As you can see in the photo above here is what I did: Die cut the 6 dies in the set onto to white cardstock - see top left of photo. Coloured the die cuts with watercolour paint and water pen.  I purchased the paints also in USA in Walmart - very cheap and they are great vibrant colours. Any, watercolour paints would work. These were then placed on to black cardstock and attached with Nuvo glue (a favourite for sure) and the edges distressed. Then raided the paper stash of offcuts for to make the gift cards. Finally, into the stash for some old rhinestones. Following the same steps as above and this time using Kaszazz Alcohol Ink Markers I coloured the images.  Here are t...

A layout for 2nd challenge at Scrappingclearly Virtual Cyber Crop on this weekend: The challenge - Use paint, tissue paper, cotton thread, stamping and patterned paper on your project. This is what I did: Using Kaszazz watercolour paper 12" x 12" and some scraps and using watercolour paints (the round ones in those cute round towers) I created my background. with colours that I saw in the photo. The scraps I painted I used Sizzix Thinlet Poinsettia die to cut out flowers, leaves and flower centres. I took a piece of patterned paper from my stash that matched the colours and attach this to Tim Holtz Idea-ology plain tissue paper, sewn together with a black thread.   I fringed the tissue paper.  I did not want coloured or patterned tissue as I wanted the colours to remain in the tones selected.  Stamps are from an old Stampin' Up! set called Crazy about you. I used 1 strand of embroidery cotton  in each of the colours (or the nearest I had) and a little of th...

Yesterday, at my class at a local community group the ladies had a go at using watercolour techniques for cards.  Here are my examples: The 2 cards on the left were made by first lightly misting the watercolour card with water, 'pooling' up the colour and then placing onto the wet card then blowing through a straw to get the pattern.  I first checked if anyone had breathing problems! The 2 cards on the right were made by again lightly misting the card, however this time only top right, apply paint, as before and this time apply more mist to enable to colours to mix and run. Once the ladies had made their fronts the choices were then made as to what colour card and embellishments to add. The ladies made 3 cards with these techniques and I must say the results were fantastic. I want to thank Melissa Frances for the inspiration for these cards as I did a workshop with her when I attended the Great Lakes Mega Meet, Novi, MI in May.  The little boy holding the cake ...

Today I created another layout from our cruise in April.  Here my sister and I are dressed for a cocktail party that our group had on our final evening of cruising.   I was inspired by a 2013 layout by Marie-Pierre Capistran   that I found whilst web surfing. Thank you for your inspiration and I have left her some thanks on her blog. Using Distress Stains I diluted them and applied to paper with brush in long random strokes.  A Mason Jar Stamp by Heartfelt Creations was then added when the ink had dried.  At the same time as painting I also painted onto a scrap of paper to use for embellishments.   Splotches of the paint were added randomly. I do not usually work in pastel colours and overall I love the result.  I just need to add some journaling. Thank you for looking, Margaret :)

Below is a layout I have created for ARTastic Challenge Blog - Inspiration photo for this months challenge follows: This photo of me was taken on 2 November, 1990 when I was on a 35 day coach tour of Europe. I am wearing my Ken Done top purchased at his shop down in The Rocks area of Sydney.  Boy, did I feel special wearing it, and also showing off  an Australian artist at the same time.  If I remember correctly I got lots of comments from people I met. Here is the inspiration photo from ARTastic for this month - Ken Done's Sydney night.  The criteria was a city theme.  Now, technically Boppard is a town and municipality on the Rhine River in Germany not a city BUT I had the photograph above sitting around just waiting to be rehoused (it was previously in a very old non acid free album) so it seemed appropriate for this challenge.  Ken Done's first solo exhibition was held in Sydney in 1980. Since then, he has held over 50 one-man shows, inc...

Here are two cards I have made recently.                                        This first card uses product from many different sources and I like how they have all come together to a fun masculine card. The greeting from Abraham Lincoln in the middle of the card.   This card uses watercolour paints applied to the background.  Clean and simple.  The top and bottom were masked off.  After drying a stamp was applied and the flowers coloured with markers. Thank you for looking,  Margaret :)

For quite awhile I have been getting emails from Splitcoast Stampers (SS), I must admit that I usually just quickly peruse and think 'one day'.   Well, that day has come.  They are currently have some challenges running and this card is for one of them - Watercolour technique must use gold on your card.  Here is my card. It is similar to the one I posted earlier today - of course it is.  I made that card for SS challenge only to realise when I went to upload it to their blog I HAD NOT USED GOLD.   Okay, back to the paint and brush I went.  This time I have used gold embossing - challenge met (tick). It is wet here today so a great day to spend indoors creating cards and scrapbook pages. Thank you for looking, Margaret :)

I have decided to play along with a challenge over at Pixels and Paper challenge blog  - here is my layout.  The challenge was to use distressing in some form on your layout. On the recent long weekend I travelled up to Brisbane to Scrapbook and Paper Expo and one of the classes I did with Beck Beattie was playing with all different backgrounds using watercolour paints. This background was made by sweeping 3 colours from a palette of watercolour paints across the white background. See photo below for what I mean by a palette.  I think I got these many years ago in America and have never used them.....until today. The photo is of Beck Beattie and I taken on the weekend. I then coloured some whitecard stock with the colours I used for background and a green to make the flowers and leaves and to embellish the title "Make Amazing Happen".  I used my scissors to distress the edges, then scrunched them up, then sprayed with water and allowed to dry. Some rand...

This past weekend in Australia was a long one - Queen's Birthday - and I decided at relatively the last minute to go to Scrapbook and Paper Expo in Brisbane, Queensland.  I took the train on Friday - it left Gosford at 4pm and got into Brisbane at 5.30am.  A taxi to my accommodation in South Brisbane, a quick nap, shower and some breakfast I was off to the Convention Centre.  I had booked into several classes and here is some of what I created: I did a class with the fabulous Fiona Paltridge "All my heart" - here is my heart. Great techniques and lots of layering,, gessoing (if there is such a word), spraying, etc - so many techniques thank you Fiona.    Layout created with Colour Blast product.   I need to add a photo and a title. Close up of the cheesecloth that we coloured with Colour Blast Spray - I love how you can see the layers underneath the fabric it really 'popped' the colour. I did two classes with the equally ...

Earlier this month I completed the sale of my home and the purchase of a new one.  I have settled in now and have just about unpacked all my cardmaking/scrapbooking supplies. Today, I taught a cardmaking class at a local craft group and here are the cards I designed especially for the class. Whilst waiting for all attendees to get to the class, I like to get students to make a gift card of some sort.  This week it was a 3" x 3" card. They made only one card.   The butterfly stamp is from Penny Black and the flower card is Stampin' Up! (r) (SU) Elements of Style set.  You stamp across the card, fold, add a bit of bling and a greeting - a quick and easy card. The next card, of which there are many variations around in blog land, uses punched edges (or decorative scissors) to create a ruffled look to the card.   This design could be used for birthday, wedding or thank you cards.  It is a simple card but it does take a little time to punch all the edges....