Stampin' it up with Belinda: from the Herd

I had to make a birthday card for my sons friend Lusanda, & decided to do a gift card holder for the gift card we'd bought him, but I wasn't sure how to decorate it... Then I remembered the weekly email from splitcoaststampers & the Bokeh technique.

For more on other gift card holders & links click here.

Stamp Sets: Adventure Awaits & From the Herd
Card Stock: Tempting Turquoise, Basic Gray,Water colour
Ink: Basic Gray, Tempting Turquoise, Pacific Point, Bermuda Bay & Craft White
Extras: Envelope Punch Board, Mini Brads, Ribbon & Smoky Slate Blendabilities.

Inside the gift card holder I stamped the balloons in Basic Gray ink & water coloured with all the blues from the bokeh & added white chalk pen.

The gift card happened to be dark grey which is why I used Basic Gray in the colour scheme. Although the ribbon I had wasn't the right colour, so I used the medium Smoky Slate Blendabilities to colour it in, even though this left the ribbon a bit stiff, it turned out the perfect colour.

The Bokeh technique is quite fun & worth a try.
You need to wet the water colour paper with the aqua painter, then add watered down ink (approx 10 drops water to 3-4 drops ink) with the aqua painter, keep adding the colours randomly until all the paper is full. Allow to dry or use the heat tool to sped things up. Once dry add some white circles with a sponge dauber, white craft ink & some circle stencils or masks.
Splitcoaststampers Watercolour Bokeh tutorial

It was my partner Pete's 40th just recently, so this was the card I made for him, not much to do with 40 I know... but I just love this stamp from the herd. I think it looks funny on every card I see it on.

Stamp Sets: From the Herd, Just Sayin' & Hardwood
Card Stock: Crumb Cake
Ink: Versa Mark & Crumb Cake
Stampin' Write Markers: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Smoky Slate, So Saffron, Blushing Bride, Pumpkin pie, Old Olive, Tempting Turquoise, Real Red & White Chalk Pen
Extras: Black Embossing Powder, Word Bubbles Framelits, Burlap & Aqua Painter

I used the aqua painter to wet the images before adding the colour with the markers, then spread the colour around with the aqua painter. More on this colouring technique

I asked Pete what kind of cake he would like for his birthday & he said cheesecake, so I made him Turkish Delight cheesecake! I basically just used the Toblerone cheesecake recipe, replaced the Toblerones with white chocolate, omitted the coffee & added a little bit of Rosewater essence & musk flavour + pink colour.

Once the base is done they just needed to be filled with the cheesecake filling & topped with a swirl of whipped cream & an extra piece of Turkish Delight on top...Yum!

I only made little ones so they would set in time for dessert.

Wow! It's been and gone now, I can't believe how nervous I was...This was the first time I've presented on stage, and I tell what... sometimes I can get nervous with only 6-12 people, but there was 100 people at the Warragul Stampin' Up! Party Time Event, so yeah... just a few butterflies for most of the day. : p

Everyone had to make their own name tag, you can see mine below. However this was not the first one I had made. The first one I made was very basic; a small oval with a sponged sunset, some silhouette flowers stamped in black & my name. I looked at it and thought... I can do better than that... and would you believe it... I won! There was another lady who also won, but silly me didn't get a photo of her name tag.

The other cute little tag was made by one of the demonstrator helpers. All helpers wore one on the day (including Aaron & Amanda).

Stamp sets: Back to Basics Alphabet & From the Herd - Cheerful Critters

Card stock: Pool Party & Whisper White - Tangelo Twist, Hello Honey, Island Indigo & Whisper White

Ink: So Saffron, Pool Party & Memento Black - Black

Blendabilities: Crumb Cake, Ivory, Blush, Nude, Smoky Slate, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie & Coastal Cabana - Daffodil Delight & Blush

Tools: Oval Framelits - Word Window Punch

This was the prize I received for being one of the winners in the name tag challenge.
Plus the goodies inside the bag, (which I forgot to take a photo of) that consisted of ribbons & pegs & things.

My display board
Yeah, I know the card at the bottom is crooked -but it wouldn't fit in the bag.

My presentation was about sponging. So I was going to show everything I could think of that you can do with a sponge and card stock, but I only had 5 minutes. How much sponging do you think I could fit into 5 minutes? Not nearly as much as I thought... after my first practice run I couldn't even get the scene finished : (

So then we just started eliminating as much as possible, and stuck with three main things; Sponging the scene, Two Tone Stamping (I don't even know if that's what it's really called ) and the Block Background.

Below is a finished sample of the scene I demonstrated (not the one I sponged on stage, but showed).

Stamp Set: Wetlands

Card stock: Whisper White & Lost Lagoon

Ink: So Saffron, Daffodil Delight, Marina Mist, Pacific Point, Lost Lagoon, Island Indigo, Mossy Meadow & Memento Black

Blendabilities: Bermuda Bay, Pumpkin Pie, Crumb Cake, Ivory & Colour Lifter

Extras: White Chalk Pen

Techniques: Sponging & Masking (post-it notes & circle Punch)

There were a few people who missed my presentation, & others who wanted to know if I had a tutorial for it. Well I do now.

Ink colours used for sponging: So Saffron Daffodil Delight, Marina Mist, Pacific Point, Mossy Meadow, Lost Lagoon & Island Indigo.

This video is "sponging the scene".

This is the sample from the video, as you can see it's a bit different to the card above, but no two sponged scenes will look the same, they'll all be a little bit different.

This video shows the duck being coloured with blendabilites

This is a video of stamping the reflection

Stamp Set: Wetlands

Card stock: Very Vanilla, Pacific Point & Mossy Meadow

Ink: So Saffron, Daffodil Delight, Soft Sky, Marina Mist, Pacific Point, Island Indigo, Mossy Meadow, Craft White & Memento BlackExtras: White Chalk Pen
Techniques: Sponging & Masking (post-it notes & circle Punch)

Framelits: Four Feathers

Stamp Sets: Lovely as a tree & Back to Basics Alphabet

Card stock: Whisper White, Night of Navy & Naturals White

Ink: Daffodil Delight, Night of Navy & Craft White

Tools: Circle Punch Woodgrain Embossing Folder & Labels Collection Framelits

Techniques: Embossing, Sponging & masking

Stamp Set: Lovely as a Tree & Moon Lake

Card stock: Whisper White, Marina Mist & Crumb Cake

Ink: So Saffron, Crushed Curry, Marina Mist, Soft Sky, Mossy Meadow & Memento Black

Blendabilities: Old Olive & Wild Wasabi

Extras: White Chalk Pen & Natural Chevron Ribbon

Techniques: Reflection, Sponging & Masking

This next card was one of my favourites, though I did try it a couple of different ways before hand (stormy, gray & cloudy), but this one turned out the best. How could I resist sponging a moon over the lake when the stamp set is called "Moon Lake".

Stamp Set: Moon Lake

Card stock: Whisper White, Backed Brown sugar, Adventure Bound dsp & Night of Navy

Ink: So Saffron, Marina Mist, Pacific Point, Night of Navy, Old Olive & Memento Black

Blendabilities: Old Olive, Wild Wasabi, Crumb Cake, Smoky Slate, Night of Navy & Colour Lifter

Extras: White Chalk Pen & Linen Thread

Techniques: Piercing Sponging & Masking

Stamp set: From the Herd

Card stock: Whisper White & Sahara Sand

Ink: Old Olive, So Saffron, Daffodil Delight, Pool Party, Bermuda Bay, Sahara Sand & Memento Black

Beldabilities: Crumb Cake, Ivory, Nude, Natural, Blush, Pink Pirouette, Basic Gray, Soft Sky, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie & Colour Lifter

Stamp set: From the Herd & Just Sayin'

Card stock: Whisper White, Basic Black & Adventure Bound -dsp

Ink: Old Olive, Soft Sky Tempting Turquoise, Pool Party, & Memento Black

Beldabilities: Crumb Cake, Mocha, Bronze, Ivory, Nude, Natural, Blush, Pink Pirouette, Basic Gray, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie Coastal Cabana & Colour Lifter

Stamp Sets: Moon Lake & Apothecary Accents

Card stock: Very Vanilla, Naturals Ivory & Soft Suede

Ink: Old Olive, Crisp Cantaloupe, So Saffron, Pool Party, Soft Suede, Early Espresso & Memento Black

Blendabilities: Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Wild Wasabi, Bermuda Bay Calypso Coral, Wisteria wonder

Extras: Oval Framelits, Embossing Powder & Venetian Crochet Trim

Techniques: Sponging & Cracked Glass

Stamp Sets: Serene Silhouettes & Moon Lake

Card Stock: Basic Black, Whisper White & Adventure Bound dsp

Ink: Memento Black, So Saffron, Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie, Calypso Coral & Rose Red

Extras: Oval Framelits & White Jute Ribbon

Techniques: Piercing, Sponging & Masking

Stamp Sets: The Open Sea & Itty Bitty Banners

Card Stock: Whisper White & Baked Brown Sugar

Ink: Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Basic Gray, Marina Mist, Pacific Point, Night of Navy, So Saffron, Crisp Cantaloupe, Tangelo Twist, Calypso Coral, Melon Mambo, Wisteria Wonder & Memento Black

Blendabilities: Smoky slate, Night of navy

Framelits: Circles & Itty Bitty Banners

Extras: Bakers Tine & Mini Brads
Techniques: Sponging & Masking

I Think I had mother's Day in mind when I made the card below. I was thinking of a feminine tattoo collage... not sure if that's what it looks like to anyone else though.

Stamp sets: Back to Basics Alphabet, Perfect Peacock, Blended Bloom, Everything Eleanor & Papillon Potpourri

Card Stock: Very Vanilla, Whisper White & Basic Black

Ink: Crumb Cake, Island Indigo, Memento Black, Real Red, Calypso coral & Blushing Bride

Blendabilities: Coastal Cabana, Night of Navy, Daffodil Delight, Cherry Cobbler, Pumpkin Pie, Calypso Coral, Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry & Wisteria Wonder

Framelits: Hearts

Technique: Sponging

Stamp Sets: Everything Eleanor & Apothecary Accents

Card stock: Basic Black & Whisper White

Ink: Craft White, Memento Black, Rose Red, Melon Mambo & Pink Pirouette

Extras: Heart Framelits, Rhinestone Jewels, Crystal Effects & Dazzling Diamonds
Technique: Sponging

Stamp Sets: Everything Eleanor, Itty Bitty Banners & Woodgrain
Card stock: Very Vanilla & Crumb Cake

Ink: Memento Black, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Real Red, Calypso Coral & Blushing Bride

Framelits: Heart & Itty Bitty Banners,

Ribbon: Burlap, Venetian Crochet Trim & Linen Thread

Technique: Sponging

Stamp set: Just Sayin'

Card stock: Whisper White, Pool Party & Island Indigo + Silver Glimmer paper

Ink: Pool Party & Island Indigo

Extras: Word Bubbles Framelits, Silver Glitter Washi Tape & Decorative Mask -Stars

Techniques: Masking & Sponging (Duabers)

Stamp Set: A Happy Thing

Card Stock: Whisper White, Early Espresso & Naturals White

Ink: Early Espresso

Blendabilities: Crumb Cake, Ivory, Colour lifter, Old Olive & Daffodil Delight

Extras: Circle Punches & Espresso Ribbon

Stamp Sets: A Happy Thing & From The Herd

Card stock: Crumb Cake & Whisper White

Ink: Pool Party, Soft Sky, Daffodil Delight, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake & Memento Black

Blendabilities: Crumb Cake, Ivory, Colour lifter, Old Olive & Daffodil Delight

Framelits: Circles

Robbon: Natural Chevron & Linen Thread

Stamp Set: Adventure Awaits

Card stock: Naturals White, Whisper White & Adventure Bound dsp

Ink: Craft White

Embossing Powder: White

Extras: Circle Framelits & Bakers Twine

Stamp Sets: Perfect Peacock, Blended Bloom & Itty Bitty Banners

Card Stock: Whisper White & Basic Black

Ink: Memento Balck & Melon Mambo

Blendabilities: Coastal Cabana, Night of Navy, Wisteria Wonder, Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie & Old Olive

Framelits: Itty Bitty Banners

The next two samples are using a technique I demonstrated in my presentation, I'm not sure what else to call it, I've just called it "block background", maybe "multi coloured block background" might be more accurate.
I had seen a U-tube video of a very similar thing by Lyn Faye ( I think), though she had used ink pads, markers & ink refills, everything but sponges & daubers... which was my topic, so that's how this happened.
I will attempt to do a tutorial for technique soon... so hang in there!

Stamp Sets: By the Tide & From the Herd
Card Stock: Naturals White, Lost Lagoon, Pool Party & Whisper white
Ink: Pool Party, Coastal Cabana, Island Indigo, Lost Lagoon & Mossy Meadow
Extras: White Jute Ribbon
Techniques: Tearing, Masking, sponging & Block Background

For more on the acrylic block background technique.