Blue Blossom Card

Hi, I thought I'd share a card I did for the "A Lovely Blossom & Butterfly" Set as a sample. I messed up the sentiment a bit ( oh well, maybe it adds a bit of rustic charm). ;) The image is coloured with pencils & OMS ( see below). Background is the satiny "wrong" side of some photo paper I have, with the "Lights" and Gold alcohol inks. The not-so-glossy surface gave the alcohol inks a less of a slick surface to slide around giving a more mottled watercolour appearance. I also embossed the background in the cuttlebug with the Leafy Branch folder.

The 3D'ed flower and leaves - it might look complicated but the 3d decoupage on the frame is not hard at all. I printed the blossom sheet and carefully placed the Spellbinders Labels Four die on the "leafy sprigs corner" so the stems were inside the corner of the die and just the outer leaves were cut through but still a bit of the outer leaves were inside the die-cut. I roughly coloured leaves and blossom as they are hiding, and nicely shaded the background. I properly coloured a second set of leaves and blossom and cut them out, moulded them a little with an embossing tool on a mousepad. I glued the leaves down with silicone glue and angled them in the glue for dimension. GLUE TIP: to get just a tiny ball of glue, just squeeze the tube slightly till it just rounds a bit at the end the opening and scrape it with a toothpick or skewer, I don't know if that is common decoupage knowledge, but that is how I get a bitty bump of glue LOL.

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Sadder News: My FIL passed away last Monday. It has been a hard time for the family but we know Don is in a great place now. The funeral was last Thursday and was an awesome testament to a great man. His 4 "kids" went up together and told some stories, escapades, and shared some if his great fatherly wisdom and walk with the Lord. They even sang some of his favourite hymns and old jolly songs from his childhood in England.

I am trying to regroup and I am back to working on the coloured blossoms set plus a few others. Sorry for the delay.

I am sponsoring the Digital Tuesday Challenge next week so please check it out :) There is currently a card on the go on my desk. They asked me if I would like to share a card along with their DT's. That is so nice of them heehee. And the theme is right up my alley but I can't tell you what it is ;)

Have a great day, I hope to be back with some goodies soon :D

:)* Fred

Background Stamp Tutorial and Word Art Freebie

Carol L. has a wonderful new tutorial up on her blog. She shows you how to add the Flutterby background images to a patterned paper in Word; it's a great way to make your own custom digi-papers to suit your papercrafting projects. Carol is also offering an awesome butterfly word art PNG digi-freebie. Please check it out :)

CAROL's Background Paper Tutorial in MS WORD

Everything is still up in the air here.... one day at a time. My husband's father has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. He is an awesome man and we all love him so much. The family is gathering in the area to visit and show him support and love. Saw him last night and he has been given drugs to help the pain, he is alot more comfortable now which is a blessing.

I have been cutting up paper and trying a new blossom decoupage design... it is quite pretty, but I am not sure if you decoupagers will love me or hate me... lots of tiny bits to cut LOL!

I'll try to get back to posting soon. Big hugs!

Fred.

Posting Hiatus

I am taking a hiatus in posting. I had wanted to get some projects out yesterday, but the Miller Family received bad news over the weekend and my muse has left the building. I am respecting my DH's wishes and am not going to discuss it for now. But, if you pray, please keep our family and a very well loved one in your prayers.

I have been painting bit by bit, and hope to get the coloured "A Lovely Blossom & Butterfly" set out as soon as I am able.


A sad Fred

Pet Portrait - Vega

Isn't he cute?! His name is Vega ( named after a star) and he's a Shih Tzu. This is what kept me from working on flowers last week LOL! I was commisioned this portrait by the highest bidders of a silent auction I donated the service to. The proceeds go to building an observatory at the local Outdoor Education Centre. It will be a great place for the children to check out the night skies! Vega was digitally painted in Corel Painter. I didn't know he was named after a star until after I presented the portrait. If I did, I might have painted a few constellations in the background ROFL! They loved it anyway ;)

:)* Fred

Distress Inked Flower Tutorial

Here is a an example of using Distress Inks to colour a flower. I used "A Lovely Blossom & Butterfly" set but used it as a template, I am colouring the other side of the paper after I cut them out. Another great thing about this, you don't have to be as careful cutting out the flower and leaves... I even exaggerated the jaggyness of the petals. For this card, I also used one of Donna's awesome papers from her Designer Extreme Vol. 2 CD ( Bearly Mine Designs). I used Ranger Distress Inks Dusty Concord and Antique Linen ( and Peeled Paint on green bit). I antiqued the gold dew drops by changing the tone with a peach BIC Mark It and then dabbed on some Platinum Stickles.

Here is another example. I used some leftover leaves from Fred's Flowers V1 . Distressed Inks: Scattered Straw and Worn Lipstick. Peeled Paint on leaves.


All the examples I edged the flowers and petals with pearlescent paints.

TUTORIAL!!!! :D

I want to show you how I distress inked the flowers.


Here's my supplies:
-Scor-mat or craft sheet
-Some cut flowers and leaves - I am using a 27 lb paper, if ink shows through on other side, try draft mode on your printer.
-Distress Inks: Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint, Broken China, Faded Jeans
-Blending Tools and a foam pad ( or use cosmetic sponges )
-Water brush ( only used to darken the leaves ) OPTIONAL
-fantastix or style stix or a small eye makeup applicator, q-tip might work.
-Large embossing stylus( or something round like a pencil eraser), Small stylus or a skinny crochet hook or something similar.
-Foam pad or mouse pad

Please excuse the grossness of my mouse pad. ick shudder... just don't look too close. LOL


Draw/Emboss multiple lines on petals - BOTH sides.

Like so...



Dab blender tool into Shabby Shutters pad. Swirl on craft sheet or scor-mat ( shiny side) to blend into foam then apply to petals from center out - repeat to build up colour.. you may need to pick up more ink. This layer I make sure there is still white showing. Notice how the embossed lines take the ink.



NOTE: Now for the peach flower, I went over the petals the same way with another colour ( first Scattered Straw then Worn Lipstick). You can apply another color the same way. Instead, I wanted a more streaky flower so....


I have these cool foam brushes called Style Stix. I dabbed it into Broken China.


I blended off on the scor-mat then started making streaks on the petals - center out, going back over areas until the I got the look I wanted. I didn't show you but I repeated colouring the flower with the style stix using Faded Jeans.




I used the large stylus to push the center in to make the petals pop up.


I like to use my fingers to bend and pinch the petals, they are your best tool ;)



Here is one layer of the flower. You can arrange flowers however you like, just one layer, try multiple sizes and layers.


NOW ON TO the LEAVES:

I embossed the vein lines and creased down the center and bent & moulded using my fingers.




I inked with Shabby Shutters, another good colour is Peeled Paint.



I shaded the center using a darker ink... Peeled Paint.






The END.

I hope I inspired you! You could easily vary this using watercolour paints, acrylics, other inks, twinkling H2O's, the skies the limit. Have fun and .... Have a great day!

:)* Fred

Blue Painted Flower & Digi-Freebie

Here is a little experiment using the "A Lovely Blossom & Butterfly Set". I took a blossom flower PNG and used it as a stencil in Corel Painter so the only area that I could paint on was the flower and not the background. I started painting different colours on the petals, I painted in centers with cream and some multi-coloured dots. After printing out, I cut out 3 different sizes and shades of flowers. I laid each flower on a foam mouse pad and embossed multiple vertical lines over each petal, turned over, and repeated to give the petals a variegated texture.



I edged the petals with an iridescent blue watercolor paint and a liner brush, the close-up shows a little clearer how I brushed the paint on. I added some little streaks of olive green metallic watercolor and gold liquid pearls to the center of the flower. The petals were bent by moulding the petals with my fingers and then I glued the flowers together. The various pieces of CS and the leaves ( the backs of printed leaves that were embossed with a stylus tool) were coloured with distress inks and a blending tool. I darkened the centers of the leaves a bit with with some darker ink and a water brush. I edged the leaves and lined the veins with some green iridescent paint.

These flowers are like a first draft... I am experimenting with different colours and brushstrokes, some with plain centers for more versatility. This is about 2 projects down on my to do list. I thought I would give you a freebie to see if you like them.

Please download the Blue Painted Flower Sheet HERE.

I am bursting with ideas - like this could be done with regular paints or inks! Add the variegated embossing to the flower petals and brush paints/twinkling H2O's/inks on the back side of the petals. I have made one with distress inks that I will show you tomorrow.

Have a great day!
:)* Fred

Purple Blossom Card

Here in Canucky Land, today is a civic holiday, I think that means the people who are civil get a day off. Us other mean folk have to work. But for me in the summer everyday is a holiday and a workday take my pick. heehee.

Pulling another card out of my box,



Deets:
-Background: CB Embossed and Distress ink using blending tool ( one of the purples and a bit of antique linen ) and a bit of chalk on the leafy parts.
-Oval Nestabilities and Shapeabilities - Floral Accent that I distressed with antique linen and a purple and added matching distress stickles.
-Digital set used: A Lovely Blossom & Butterfly
-Flowers coloured with pencils and OMS and glitter glue dotted in the center. - on the leaves, you can really see the sheen the pencil gives your paper... if you lightly rub your pencilled areas with a tissue, it buffs and evens the sheen. I personally like the shine.

Off to do something with my children, they have been with the grandfolk last week. I think I missed them more than they missed me LOL!

Have a great day!
:)* Fred

Altering paper colours & new DT member

Hi all!

Please welcome Carol L. as a full time DT member! I will have her bio up shortly in the DT section. She is a valuable and permanent fixture at Circle of Crafters and has her own online business selling craft patterns and digital designs.

Carol loves working with images on her computer and has been experimenting with playing with the colour of digital papers using different software. She has a tutorial right now on her blog, please check it out :)

Bonnie has stepped down and I thank her for wonderful contributions while being a DT here. She is going on an awesome holiday and we wish her all the best and hope she and her family have some great fun in the sun!

Just a reminder, if you would like a quick link to see what the awesome FSS design team have been up to please go here for updates.

I will have another post with a card to share later. Have a great day!