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!

Fred's Freebie Challenge Winners!

HERE WE GO!!! :)

OK this was very hard, there were so many awesome cards! Thanks again to all those who entered. And thanks to the DT members who voted, I think I made them sweat LOL!

The juried winner of the challenge winning all the new releases and a $20 Gift Certificate to the Fred, She Said Store IS:

Carol H. !!!!!

And now the winners, picked from the bottom of my hat who will win their choice of 2 of the new releases, ARE:

Kathleen

&

Vicki

Congratulations! I'll be in touch with winners ASAP!

:)* Fred

Emailed Challenge Cards

Happy Friday everyone!

I will announce the winners shortly. I wanted to give a forum to the wonderful cards that were emailed to me so they can shine where they can be seen - outside my inbox ;). Thank you so much for entering and I feel honoured you would give my images a go; I loved seeing all the challenge cards; there were 40 in all. It made a very difficult job for the design team.

Here are the emailed cards:

Geert van Bruin


Glennis Farrell


Janet Kay ( bspruce )


Lorna May


Marie Bingaman


Marisa Goodwin


Sharon


Sue Slogrove


Vicki


Thanks again. The other entries can be found through the Mr. Linky on the original challenge post.

Card - Pink Blossom & Distress Ink Technique

Hi Everyone! I am still waiting on a few voters in the challenge so I have no news for you yet! I also want to remind you that there will also be 2 winners picked by random draw ( out of a hat.. don't like those random number generators.. not random enough for me LOL!).

I have a few cards I haven't posted yet. So I will close my eyes and pick one...

Oh yes... :O)

I love the background on this one. Here is what I did:

-I inked up my Sizzix Damask embossing folder with Worn Lipstick and Scattered Straw Distress inks randomly. ( on the debossed side)
-I embossed the folder in the CB with white cardstock.
-I spritzed the cardstock with water.
-dry with heat tool
- then I moistened the clean sponge on my blender tool and inked it with scattered straw and then rubbed it over the embossed areas of the cardstock.
- I probably spritzed the cardstock again.
- dry with heat tool. Isn't it cool?!

The frame is from the same Sizzix embossing set.. Medallions, Frame & Damask and was distressed with scattered straw and then cut out. The bird is a BossKut bird die inked with worn lipstick and I added Distress Stickles in the same colour all over it.

Flowers and leaves are from "A Lovely Blossom & Butterfly Set" and are coloured with pencils and OMS . The center of the flower is 2 small daisy punched flowers ( fiskars I think) coloured with streaks of yellow and green pencil. I snipped each petal to make "ruffly" and bent the center of each punched flower in with a rounded embossing tool on a mouse pad to get the petals to pop out, then I glued one daisy on top of the other. The very center is lime green stickles.

Have a great day!
:)* Fred

Little Miss Bitty Card & Freebies

This is the card I made on my newly cleaned off desk LOL ( actually not so clean anymore ;) )
I made the paper using a digi-stamp background paper tool (see below for details). I used Artweaver to open the background paper PNG ( white flowers on transparent background). I added a green floodfill to the bottom background layer and then I filled the flower-centers on the top flower layer with various colours here and there on the sheet. I realized I didn't have any red on the printed sheet so I coloured with poppy red pencil in some of the centers. I used my sakura quickie glue pen to outline the flowers, leaves, wings and hair and then sprinkled Glamour Dust on it. Quite sparkly! Image and flowers are coloured with pencils and OMS.

You can download the Bitty Flower Background paper Digi-Stamps HERE.



Here is the digi-paper I made and one in baby blue with random white flower centers you can colour in after printing. Click each image to enlarge then save to your hard drive.


You can change the colour of both in graphics software or even in Word by altering the hue. I also recommend Google's free Picasa; it has wizards that let you play with an image's colors in various ways. I hope to have more info or a tutorial on this later. Just remember to save your new papers with a different file name so you don't ruin your originals.

I have enjoyed all the entries in the FSS Freebie Challenge, thanks to all who entered! The contest ends tonight Midnight, and I will be back with the winners after the voting and deliberations. Have a great day!
:)* Fred

FRED's FREEBIE CHALLENGE

CHALLENGE IS NOW CLOSED, thanks for entering :) I'll be back with announcements soon.

I have a little bit of fun for you and a chance to win the new releases!
FRED's FREEBIE CHALLENGE:

To enter the challenge, use the Mr. Linky widget below and enter your name and the url of your card/project post (not directly to your blog).

Your project must use the Freebie image supplied on this post. ( ooooh I love this image, I almost couldn't give it up as a freebie LOL)

Here is the Freebie Image :)

Please click to enlarge then SAVE to your hard drive.

The deadline is next Monday July 27th Midnight ( EDT)

The winner will be picked by the FSS DT members and will be announced as soon as I get all the votes in and tally them.

The Prize:
All the new releases PLUS a $20 Gift Certificate to the Fred, She Said Store.

ALSO, I will pick 2 random winners who will receive their choice of 2 of the new releases :D

If Mr. Linky isn't working for you, use the comments to post the url to your challenge card post. If you do not have a blog, email me at fred.she.said@gmail.com with a photo of your challenge card attached and I will upload and show to the DT members for consideration.

Have fun!!! :)* Fred


EDIT: To see everyone's entries, click on the Mister Linky which takes you to another page to see everyone's links :) There also might be some in the comments.

CHALLENGE IS NOW CLOSED, thanks for entering :) I'll be back with announcements soon.

Stamp Something Challenge Blog

If you are looking for another challenge to win "some Fred" ( grin ) please check out the Stamp Something Challenge Blog today!!!! I am so honoured to be a sponsor for this awesome blog! Check it out... right now! ;)



ohhhh, I see their DT team made some awesome cards!

I reserve the right to add a card to this post. In keeping with the awesome theme they have going on there.... now if I can only find my desk to work on; it's under this mess somewhere LOL!

:)* Fred

A Lovely Blossom & Butterfly Card

I used "A Lovely Blossom & Butterfly" Flowers Set and the "Flutterbies for Your Flowers 1". I made the background paper in the last post. The blossoms and leaves were coloured with pencils and OMS and adhered with much silicone glue. The foliage is 3 leaf sprigs cut-up and placed here and there. I am in love with the new Spellbinder Nesties Pendant Dies'this one is Lattice. I had to support my local LSS and got the Fiskars Apron Lace Punch a few days ago... ok I really like it :) I used Gold Ice Stickles here and there and gold dewdrops.

I am showing a side-view to show how I bent and moulded each petal; I used a shaping tool to get the leaves to curl up.


I hope you check out the Freebie Challenge going on at my blog, or just nab a freebie and say Hi! But hey we will have 3 winners who will win pretties. Why not give it a go? ( Monday July 27th midnight deadline ). The DT's been busy too, please check them out for some awesome eye candy :)

:)* Fred

Flutterby paper, Distress Inks and the Flowerpot Freebie

Ranger should soooo hire me ROFL! I am in love with distress inks, and the blender tool, and the stickles, and the alcoholic inks... they are all just FAB. I wanted to show you some sample papers I made using the Flutterbies for your Flowers 1 background paper tool or digi-stamp or whatever you want to call it. To the very left is the paper, ( black butterflies on white) straight out of the printer and cut.

The next from left was made with the same paper by blending distress inks with the blending tool on a non-stick craft sheet - a highly recommended tool. (Spiced Marmalade, Antique Linen and Walnut Stain) Timmeh has an awesome video on this technique ( about 4:00 into the video)

Tim Holtz "Ranger Distress Ink Techniques"

THEN I embossed the distressed paper with a Sizzix embossing Folder (Medallions, Frame & Damask) and then picked up some more distress ink ( walnut stain) and lightly blended over the embossing... so cool!

The middle paper is the butterfly paper where I changed the colour from black to a teal blue. I plan to show you how with Artweaver by the end of the week. It is very easy. I blended Scattered Straw and Broken China distress inks then added Gold Ice Stickles to the butterflies.
The blue and white paper was made digitally by putting the White Flutterby paper( on transparent background) PNG over a light blue"sheet"... kind of like "stamping" with white ink ;) The possibilities are almost endless with the background paper tools.

Here is my go at the Flower pot Digi-Freebie. Tip: I know it is bad to hoard, but the little blue butterflies were punched from a scrap of leftover blue paper I had printed, you never know when a scrap bit of paper could come in handy LOL! Another Tip: my gold paper is CS sprayed with gold paint ;). I edged the image and butterflies with gold Lumiere paint and added dots to the flowers by dipping the end of my brush into the paint. The image is coloured with Pencils and OMS.



Don't forget to try out the Freebie Challenge ;) I have another freebie for you later but I am not tellin'!

:)*

NEW RELEASES

Hi peeps! It's Happy Multi-Posting Day for little ol' me! First things first, I have FOUR new releases for you!

Some "Dancing Daises" ( one will be familiar to some of you ;) but it needed a home and had to complete this set:


Some " Flutterbies for Your Flowers":

Here is a sample:

This one introduces a new background paper stamp tool I will be showing you how to use soon.

New Fred's Flowers: "A Lovely Blossom & Butterfly":

These are so beautiful, I have more planned for these and have a few DT's jumping at the bit to show it to you LOL!

And last but not least is "Little Miss Bitty"!

Oh she is so cute, I just wanna eat her up! There are 14 versions of Miss Bitty, some as a bug, some as a fairy and some as a sweet girl. I call her "quick change" Bitty LOL!

**All the releases have single PNG stamps and ready-to-print sheets so you can get rolling right away.

**In the flower and butterfly products, I've been messing with different PNG versions so, for some, you can layer them on coloured backgrounds while the image stays white for colouring later.

I recruited the DT's to show us some eye candy using the new designs. I let them choose what they wanted to use so I have no idea what they have up their talented sleeves, let's see shall we?! We'd be oh so happy if you would check them out:

Donna
Erin
Jen
Lora
Lisa C.
Maria
Michelle
True
Carol L.

Please check out the next posting, Fred's Freebie Challenge for a fun challenge, a digi-freebie, and prizes!!!! woohoo.

:)* Fred

Check out Stampin' For The Weekend & News!

Tomorrow, I am sponsoring the July 17th edition of the Stampin' For the Weekend Challenge Blog. The prize will be a $25 Gift Certificate to the FSS Store. The challenge sounds fun but I won't tell you what it is, you will have to check tomorrow! (grin )



PLEASE CHECK OUT STAMPIN' FOR THE WEEKEND JULY 17 !!! :) !!!

*******************************

woo hoo woo hoo woo hoo!

Guess what? I have some new releases coming your way!!!!! Please check the blog on MONDAY for info, fun & mayhem... and a freebie challenge! :)

Here are some sneeker peekers:

Good Luck Robin

Robin W. on our Design Team has had to resign but I can fully understand why. She has a new full time job keeping her quite busy; congratulations Robin! We will miss you and will continue to see what wonderful crafty projects you come up with in your free time :)

:)*
Fred

Saving INK using MS Paint

Hi everyone!

Please meet Carol Lepard! I have recruited her as a guest DT to help introduce ideas to help you get more out of using your digital designs.

"Let's Get Digital" people! LOL This week Carol would like to introduce a simple way of saving your precious inkjet ink ;) She has decided to use MS Paint ( that poor neglected app that came with your Windows operating system).

CAROL's TUTORIAL

But you can use this technique with just about any graphics editing software. Mac users, feel free to chime in on what you use, is there something free that came with your Mac?

Next time, in two weeks, I would like to show you how to save PAPER. Only want to print a few flowers, or put images from different products on one sheet to print? Hopefully I can take care of that!

Have a great day!

:)* Fred

Red Polka Dotty Flower Card & Digi-Freebie

Here is a card I made for my BFF. I used the Polka Dotty Flowers Set, in red. The leaves are from the set, but ( HERE's a TIP :) ) I coloured over them with prismacolor pencils ( kelp green and sage green) to deepen the colours. I actually blended with the sage green pushing it back and forth into the darker colour. So if you want your leaves ( you will always have extra leaves from the sheets ;) ) to match or work better with what you are doing, try colouring over them, with pencils or copics or whatever! The ribbon stems is May Arts 3/16 stitched ribbon I got from Pink Hedgehog Paper Crafts. I also used black dew drops for the flower centers.

I am adding the digi paper I used here as a freebie. I love this one as it goes with everything, especially the coloured flowers :) Please click the sheet below to enlarge then right-click and save to your hard drive ( I meant it to be 5"x7" at 200 ppi but you can resize larger if needed).


:)* Fred

Emma the Mermaid Coloured Set

After a few more gray hairs and panic attacks, I have finally finished Emma the Mermaid & Friends in all their technocolour glory! I am so sorry for the delay ( like really sorry!)... I will just say this, this one was a struggle for me but I think it all came together in the end so nicely :)

You can find them HERE.

Now I am working on more flowery and fluttery things and a couple of sets I am long overdue in completing.

:)* Fred

Goodie Bags on the Cheap

Hi Everyone! I thought I'd post so you would know I am still alive and kicking LOL. Actually I hope this is a multi-posting day heehee!

Here is a quick project I resorted to at 9 PM the eve before dear Emma's 7th birthday. I didn't have time to head to the "big city" to grab supplies so I did my shopping locally and usually that means, you don't find what you want or at the price you want. I overpaid on most of the goodies to put in the goody bags ( but I don't mind, God bless the store owners as I know the taxes and rents they pay in our small town - yikes). ... and I couldn't find any decent gift bags that were cheap. And, come on, these little princesses are 6 & 7 LOL, they care more about the goodies inside ;) Well I thought I'd try to make quick toppers to put on brown lunch bags. They were a hit! I had a few extra cut-out FLOWERS in my to do box ( who am I kidding... a ton of extra flowers LOL). I scored and bent them, added some Stickles to the centers. While they were drying, I made thin strips of coloured copy paper and curled them with the edge of my scissors. I punched out a few branches with a MS punch, and used a Martha embossing border punch on some white paper. After assembling, I stapled the bags shut and added the toppers with some double sided adhesive.



Here's Emma with some new adoptees! Have a great day!

:)* Fred

Busy Design Team!

I must say, the Fred, She Said Design Team has been churning out beautiful project after beautiful project. I have put together a listing ( Shared Items Listing in my blog side bar) with the DT's posts. Please check it out :)

Also, if you go here, you can view the listing as a new web page, complete with pictures :)

Edited for correct link:
FSS-DT-TEAM Projects Listing


Also, if you have recently made a project with my designs and you have posted it on your blog, please let me know and I will feature it in a new reader listing!


I have spinned the "project-o-matic" ( LOL) and am bringing you this lovely take-out box from Sonya ! All I can say, is Oh My Goodness!



I hope to get back to the regular grind starting this week! I've missed you :) It has been crazy here, but know I have been at my drawing board and I hope to have some new stuff to play with soon. I have also promised some readers a precoloured Mermaid set. I hope to have it up by Friday/Saturday.

Have a wonderful day!

:)* Fred