Digital Stamping

Have you ever used digital stamps?

I have bought a lot of them over the years, but never seem to know how to use them. I have printed them out and have them lying around on my craft desk in piles waiting for that moment of inspiration on where to use them.

After moving the pile for the upteenth time, I decided that last week was the time to have another closer look at them. I chose a lovely little stamp of a mouse in a cocktail glass. For the life of me I don't even know which company this comes from any more! I used him/her on a birthday card for a friend that has a celebration coming up later this week. Colouring in with copic markers and then using glossy accents to make the glass look realistic, I mounted the cut out image on a background that I had water-coloured after heat embossing an image of cracked glass. Adding a sentiment to the bottom of the card completed the picture and here is the card:

I might need to play around a little more, but it was a bit of fun and something to not feel frightened about using. Digital stamps are now on my 'use list' which opens up a whole new world of stamping. If you haven't given it a go, then bite the bullet and have a go, you never know where it might lead you.

I hope you are having a creative day,

xx Liz

Creative Friday

Today, I have enjoyed a wonderful day of card making in my Craft Haven. This is the name that a dear friend of mine named her craft space the other day and I have adopted it!

The card I have made, is using the terrific stamp set from Art Impression called 'Celeste'. She is a beauty, and oh so right for our stage in life. I can see me making lots of cards for my friends using this delightful stamp. So, without keeping you in suspense any longer, here is my creation.

I have coloured her in using Copic markers in various colours. The floor is stamped with Darkroom Door 'Woodgrain' background stamp.  The couch stamped with Impression Obsession 'Distressed Corduroy' after I masked 'Celeste'. I have distressed the edges of the card with Vintage Photo distress ink and a blending tool.

                      

 I hope you are having a creative day,

xx Liz

Spring Has Arrived

Here is Sydney, Spring has arrived. The weather for the past two days has been amazing. It has been hard to be inside my craft room to be creative.

However, I have a special card today. I work 2 nights a week as a midwife and have a colleague who is just the best. When I get snowed under attending to patients, she just quietly gets all the necessary stuff done. I would be lost without her as my right hand man!

 Don't we often forget to thank those kind of people. Well today, I decided to let her know how much I appreciate all that she does. Here is the card that I will be giving her tonight.

I have used Memento Tuxedo Black to stamp the light image from Kaisercraft. The background is then coloured using Distress Inks in Mustard Seed, Dried Marigold, Dusty Concord and Peeled Paint. The 'Thanks' is cut using a Silhouette Cameo and then inked and raised up on tiny pieces of clear foam tape. The lace is just a piece that I had lying around my stash.

I hope you are having a creative day,

xx Liz

IBSIC # 85

I haven't been over to Inspired by Stamping for some time, but today I decided it was about time to enter into one of their challenges. If you wish to have a look then here is the link:Inspired by Stamping IBSIC#85.

 I am doing the colour challenge and here is my entry using all IBS stamps sets. Guitars and Petite Banners.

Hope you are having a creative day,

xx  Liz

Online Stamp Classes

For the past 2 weeks I have been 'attending' an online stamp class. The tutors are fantastic, and you get access for ever so you can watch the videos over and over till you get the hang of the techniques. BONUS!!

Can't we all do with a little help getting more from our stamps.
 I have created two cards from some of the techniques that I have learnt, so I thought I would share them with you.

My first card is using a background stamp that I white  heat embossed onto water colour paper and then painted an ombre effect over the embossed image with pink- red water colour paints. I only used a small part of the panel that I made, to place down the side of the card. The sentiment is from Simon Says Stamps 'Sending Happy Thoughts'. The heat embossed hearts come from a lovely set of patterned hearts which have coordinating dies too. The set is called  'Bottom of my Heart' created by Sweet and Sassy Stamps

This second card is using a background stencil that I cut using my Silhouette cameo and sponging with Pistachio ink made by Memento. I had the perfect stamps to complete this card from Clearly Besotted Stamps "Honeycomb" with also comes with a matching die. I used different inks to make the focals and popped them up with foam dots to give dimension. The sentiment came from 'Blue Skies Ahead' a My Favourite Things set.

I hope you are having a creative Day

xx Liz

A Birthday Card for Amy

Winter has not been kind to me this year and I have been struggling to keep up with life so my blog has been suffering. I hope to rectify that in the next few weeks and catch up with challenges and keeping you posted.

 Today, we celebrate my husband's youngest daughter's birthday. Amy is turning 23 and I made her a card that suits her to a tee. She is classy and fabulous and uses the saying from Coco Chanel,frequently on her facebook page. I found the saying on a lovely set of stamps by Graphic 45. The doll stamps by Julie Nutting for Prima had to be the focus on her card so I paper pieced the clothing and stamped the image onto background tag.

Tag Pad

I love how it all came together and I think she did too. We had a lovely dinner in the oldest Italian restaurant in Sydney, which is near her new home in the city last night to celebrate the occasion. What a lovely night. Well, that's all from me today and I will catch you all later.

Hope you have a creative day,

XX Liz

Creative Time

Winter hit Sydney on the 1st June with icy winds and a drastic drop in temperature. The days are shorter and that means I feel like staying in and playing. I have been creative in a good way but have not been posting my creativity, which is a bad thing.

   I have added some more layers to a quilt I am hand piecing. I started this project on my cruise to New Zealand back in March. The quilt is called Lady Marmalade and is designed by Sarah Fielke. This means that I have come about half way now into the over all finished quilt. Am I sick of circles? Not on your life!!   I have have just done another 28 for the next round.

I am determined to keep going whilst I am still enjoying it, which I am.

Hope you are having a creative day,

XX Liz