Autumn Butterfly

 

     This months challenge at The Paper Funday is Anything Goes with an optional twist of Autumn Colours. I love the colours of Autumn so I chose to use them on a butterfly.

     The butterfly was stamped using a John Next Door media plate and a selection of dye based inks, the main body of the silhouette being in yellows with a touch of rusty orange around the outside.

     To get the shimmering flowers the inked image had to completely dry then using the same media plate a stencil was laid on top and a generous layer of Versamark was added to the media plate. This was then stamped on top of the coloured shape and dusted with pearl mica powder. A very light spray of an in-expensive hairspray was used to fix the mica.

     To finish of the image panel some silhouette stamps were used with Versafine black ink and then the sentiment was added.

     To get the same shade of orange as a mat layer a plain white layer was coloured but only around the edge that would be seen, then a black mat layer before going onto a white card blank.

     You will see that the card changes with the angel of view, the mica is always there but when it catches the light it really shines.

     Come along and join us at The Paper Funday with your creations this month, we have lots of inspiration to help get you started.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Try It On Tuesday - Sparkle and Shine

Sunday Stamps - SSC295 Autumn Bounty     (Top Cup)

Art Impressions - #339 Stencil or Mask

Say Hello To The Wallace Family

 

     This month's optional twist at The Paper Funday is 'Family', this is the Wallace Family by Lavinia Stamps. Did you know a group of hedgehogs is called an 'array'?

     The main image panel was started with a leaf print taken from a media plate onto water colour card. I like smooth card but there is less buckling with watercolour card when using paint or fluid ink.

     Using a stamp press the Wallace family were stamped with Versafine ink three times to get a good coverage.

      A little black pencil under each hog grounds them before a light dusting of Distress Ink across the bottom of the panel adds a hint of green. There is a narrow black mat layer to make the hogs pop but when put over a plain white card blank it didn't look right, so using the same Distress Ink I stamped around the edge of the card blank and blended the edges too.

     The image panel was then put on foam tape before being added to the lightly decorated card blank. A greeting was needed but it had to be something simple. A single layer die cut looked alright but I wanted it raised, this one has no room to add foam pads so I cut it out four times and glued the layers together to form a 'chipboard' like greeting.

     The Paper Funday is an anything goes challenge but we always have an optional twist, this month it's 'family', so pop over and join us with your papercraft creations whether they're family or not.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Dream Valley - #269 Four Legged Friends

Simon Says Stamp - Masculine

Critter Crazy - #62 Anything Goes with a Featured Critter

Stamping Sensations - Anything Stamped/option Flora or Fauna

Mandala Media Mashup

     Three cards from one use of the media plate makes best use of time and ink. John Next Door has some new dies coming out this week, I have used the mandala die, a media plate and some Craft Artist inks for these.

     To start I die cut a mandala from thin card to use as a stencil, you can cut out the layers of this mandala but I chose to skip the inner solid dies for a 'doily' effect.

     Using the circular media plate I placed the stencil on the plate and added ink using a hard brayer. I closed the stamp press upside down so the stencil didn't fall off, then turned it over and pressed gently over the plate. The first impression was patchy but once stamped again without the stencil in place it fills in the missing areas and looks much better.

    

     I used the media plate twice to make two images, one for this post and one for John to use on Hochanda.

     So then I had two circular images, an inked mandala and a brayer clean off scrap. This is something I probably wouldn't have thought of without both John and Eileen mentioning how useful your run off scraps can be.

    

     For this one I used the same inks and a blending brush to add colour to the edge of the image panel. I then stamped an old Woodware seed head in black, along with a simple birthday greeting.

     To pick out the black and ground the seed heads I matted with a thin black layer before going on a white 6x6 card blank.

     

     This one was a small piece of white card that I pressed the stencil on to to get the ink off, then I cut up the stencil and glued it on to the corners of the white square.

     Just the word 'smile' in black was enough for this one, a thin black mat to frame it and then on to a 4x4 card blank.

     

     The run off card I used was from a small stash of scraps, I cut a 3inch square from it. It looked like a snow scene so I stamped it with some trees and a few deer in black, then flicked a white Posca pen over it for light snowfall.

     Again I have used a black mat layer to frame the image before gluing it to another 4x4 card blank.

     Now I have a birthday card, a general use card and a Christmas card all from one session with the media plate. I also have a whole bundle of run off scraps from the printing plate comparisons made in the previous post, so there will be lots of small cards in my stash this year.

I would like to enter these cards in the following challenges:

AAA Birthday - Use A Stencil

Simon Says Stamp Weds - Make Your Own Background

Happy Little Stampers Stencil - Anything Using A Stencil

Love To Craft - Anything Goes

Sweet Stampers -#52 Snow / Winter

Addicted To Stamps and More - Christmas

The Holly and Ivy - Anything Christmas     Top 5

A Bit More Time To Craft - Anything Goes

Printing Plate Comparisons

     This comparison is purely my findings, it is not a definitive guide, my skill level is very much 'still learning' so please try these for yourselves. It was inspired by watching some very talented people using a Gel Plate, I wondered if I could use what I already had to get a similar effect.

     I have used four different printing plates, there are many other brands available. Three of these will fit in my stamp platform, making them very easy to use and build multiple layers, without re-aligning, if desired. Thickness ranges from 2.5mm to 3.25mm. The Gel Press is too thick for my press at 8.5mm, so this was used on a craft mat, laying the card on top to get an image making multiple layers more difficult, but not impossible.

     All these samples have been stamped on to the same type of card - Limetree 250sgm Silky Smooth. I've also used similar colours to make comparison easier.

    

     Plate - John Next Door Media Plate

     Ink - Izink Dye inks     Mer Du Sud / Nuit / Encre

     Brusho mixed to paint - Ultra Marine / Purple

     Method: ink plate, brayer, daub edges with ink, flick water on plate, flick Brusho paint on plate and stamp.

     Plate - Inkylicious Mini Splatter Circle

     Ink - Izink Dye inks     Mer Du Sud / Nuit / Encre

     Brusho mixed to paint - Ultra Marine / Purple

     Method: ink plate, brayer, flick water on plate, flick Brusho paint on plate and stamp.

     Plate - Crafty Roo Poly Plate

     Ink - Izink Dye inks     Mer Du Sud / Nuit / Encre

     Brusho mixed to paint - Ultra Marine / Purple

     Method: ink plate, brayer, flick water on plate, flick Brusho paint on plate and stamp.

     Plate - Gel Press

      Ink - Izink Dye inks     Mer Du Sud / Nuit / Encre

     Brusho mixed to paint - Ultra Marine / Purple

     Method: ink plate, brayer, flick water on plate, flick Brusho paint on plate, spritz with water and stamp.

     Plate - John Next Door Media Plate

     Ink - Izink Pigment inks     Sky Blue / Aqua / Light Blue / Violet

     Brusho mixed to paint - Ultra Marine / Purple

     Method: ink plate, brayer, daub edges with ink, flick water on plate, flick Brusho paint on plate and stamp.

     Plate - Inkylicious Mini Splatter Circle

     Ink - Izink Pigment inks     Sky Blue / Aqua / Light Blue / Violet

     Brusho mixed to paint - Ultra Marine / Purple

     Method: ink plate, brayer, flick water on plate, flick Brusho paint on plate and stamp.

     Plate - Crafty Roo Poly Plate

     Ink - Izink Pigment inks     Sky Blue / Aqua / Light Blue / Violet

     Brusho mixed to paint - Ultra Marine / Purple

     Method: ink plate, brayer, flick water on plate, flick Brusho paint on plate and stamp.

      Plate - Gel Press

      Ink - Izink Pigment inks     Sky Blue / Aqua / Light Blue / Violet

     Brusho mixed to paint - Ultra Marine / Purple

     Method: ink plate, brayer, flick water on plate, flick Brusho paint on plate and stamp.

     Plate - John Next Door Media Plate

     Ink - Distress Oxide  Tumbled Glass / Broken China / Faded Jeans / Wilted Violet

     Brusho mixed to paint - Ultra Marine / Purple

     Method: ink plate, brayer, flick water on plate, flick Brusho paint on plate and stamp.

     Plate - Inkylicious Mini Splatter Circle

     Ink - Distress Oxide  Tumbled Glass / Broken China / Faded Jeans / Wilted Violet

     Brusho mixed to paint - Ultra Marine / Purple

     Method: ink plate, brayer, spritz with water and tip to mix inks, stamp, flick water on plate, flick Brusho paint on plate and stamp again.

     Plate - Crafty Roo Poly Plate

     Ink - Distress Oxide  Tumbled Glass / Broken China / Faded Jeans / Wilted Violet

     Brusho mixed to paint - Ultra Marine / Purple

     Method: ink plate, brayer, flick water on plate, flick Brusho paint on plate and stamp.

     Plate - Gel Press

      Ink - Distress Oxide  Tumbled Glass / Broken China / Faded Jeans / Wilted Violet

     Brusho mixed to paint - Ultra Marine / Purple

     Method: ink plate, brayer, flick water on plate, flick Brusho paint on plate, spritz with water and stamp.

Conclusions and discoveries

Conclusions - I need LOTS more practice, especially with the Gel Press.

                      If I get this messy with just inks maybe paint would be a bad idea! But I did enjoy it.

Discoveries - Each plate reacts differently with the inks because they are made with a slightly different material. Some with 'bead' on the surface, others don't.

                      Cover your card when flicking Brusho on the plate to keep it clean - unless of course you want the splattered look. It's also a good idea to cover your work area, use copy paper for future backgrounds.

                      Do not clean your plates once used - just wipe with a damp cloth to save colour contamination - they need to be 'dirty' to work well. If your plate stops sticking to your platform just give it a gentle wash to restore the tack.

                      Brusho may stain your plates. Some inks may stain them too but they will still work.

                       Clean your brayer off on spare card for future use - the odd marks you may get are from the edges of the plates or bumps under your card but they add character so don't worry.

      Printing plates can also be used with paint, alcohol inks and probably much more. There is a wealth of talent out there in blogland, You Tube and on Facebook so go and take a look. Don't be afraid to play, just remember no sharp objects - they can damage your plate and be careful with heat and sunlight for the same reason.

      To say it's only card is all very well but card costs money, as do inks. Playing is a great way to find out what you can achieve, so I would suggest working on smaller, say A6 or ATC size, pieces of card. Some of these experiments will turn out to be amazing, great for smaller greeting cards and some will be for recycle but with lessons learnt. For this experiment I have used A6 for the plates and some 6x3 strips of card I have had lurking around for a while for the brayer run off.

     

Heartfelt Thanks

 

      A new challenge starts today over at Not Just Cards. I have used a brand new stamp and embossing folder set from John Next Door.

     I love the media plates so I decided to use the heart on this card. I used some of the new I-zink Pigment Petals on the media plate and a hard brayer to smooth the ink.

     The stamp that comes with the folder is designed to be 'backwards', this is so that when you stamp inside the folder and then emboss the writing will come out the right way round. This backwards writing makes it perfect to use on a media plate too, so that's what I did. In darkish blue ink I stamped the media plate so the writing would only be within the heart.

     

     I then used the folder to emboss the large words across the heart, with a small stamp from stash that just seemed perfect for this, I'm sorry but I have no idea what brand it is.   

     To get a mat layer that co-ordinated with the soft colours on the heart I decided to use a piece of white card and the same inks to make my own. No matter how many sheets of coloured card I have, I never seem to have the perfect shade.

      There are lots of inspirational projects over on Not Just Cards so please pop over and take a look, why not join us with your project, we'd love to see what you've made.

Materials List
PCD303 - Embossing Folder with Clear stamp - Thank You
CAT054 - Pigment Ink Petal - Winter Colours
JLGP006 - Media Plate - Heart

S57410 - Finger Daubers
S57262 - 3D PVA Glue

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Aud Sentiments - Anything Goes with A Sentiment

DL Art Thankful Thursday - #267 Thankful

Lemon Shortbread - #128 Anything Goes

Tuesday Throwdown - Anything Goes

Dream Valley - #232 Embossing Wet or Dry

Craft Artist Autumn Pigment Petals

     This card is another of the samples made for John Next Door and his new Craft Artist Pigment Petal ink pads. I love using the media plates and these inks work well on them.

      Using the Autumn set of inks I inked up the media plate with a graduating colour change, then with a hard brayer smoothed it out across the plate. This was then stamped on to white card, it was paler than I wanted so I inked the plate again, brayered and stamped a second time.
      Using a stencil and the gorgeous new blending brushes, I inked the media plate through the stencil. Then with stencil removed I stamped the card again, this gave me a subtle pattern across my background. I didn't think that I needed any more brushes, sponges or pads for blending but these brushes are so very soft and this is what makes them a real must for stencils, I'm hooked.

      With all the work on the media plate finished I moved on to stamping a single flower, from an old Woodware set, in brown. I didn't add a greeting as I did't think it needed it.
      I added a dark brown mat layer to the image panel and started to look for a suitable coloured layer, nothing in the stash stood out so it was on to making one. Using some basic white card I cut the right size layer and then used the inks and a synthetic sponge to colour it. This is a better way to work really as it gives you a perfect colour match to your image.
      With all the layers added it was then onto a white card blank. To add that little point of interest, I die cut one of John's butterflies in the same brown card as the surround and stuck it near the edge of the oval.
      There is always a need for a few simple, blank cards in your stash and this is a great way to make them while experimenting with media plate techniques.


Materials List    Available from your local craft shop
CAT053 - Craft Artist Pigment Petal - Autumn
CAT013 - Craft Artist Blending Brushes 
JLGP004 - Media Plate set of 4
JNDAD008 - Small Butterflies
S57262 3D PVA Glue by Stix2

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Colour Crazy Craft - Anything Colouring Goes

As You Like It - Summer or Autumn  Autumn for the gorgeous colours

The Sisterhood Of Crafters - Ink It Up

Inkspirational - Painting or Colouring

Allsorts - Flowers All Over

Craft Artist Pigment Petals

     Today sees the release of the new Craft Artist Pigment Ink Petal sets, there are five in total, this card was made using the Autumn set.

     This card began as a white A6 piece of card which was put in the Press To Impress stamp platform, then it was stamped with one of the recent Two Jays stamps in brown ink. I then stamped again onto some Stix2 masking sheet and cut it out to cover the first image.
     Once the main image was covered I inked up the round Media Plate and stamped it onto the card. One of the other new products is a set of amazing little brushes which I sued to blend the ink around the edges of the plate.

     I left this to dry for a few hours, checked it and decided to finish it off with the low heat setting on my heat gun. I wanted this to be completely dry because I was going to use mica powder and that will stick to anything damp or sticky. Using a stencil and Versamark I inked up the Media Plate, this way the mica should only be on the circle and the beauty of a stampplatform is if you missed a bit you can go back and do it again knowing it will be in the same place.
     I dusted the image with an anti-static bag, stamped the image and then dusted with pearl mica. I used a dry paintbrush to remove any stray mica before giving it a quick spray with cheap hairspray, it needs to be cheap because you don't really want added conditioner.

     After all this it was time to remove the mask, the image was completely clean, this masking sheet is sticky all over so it sits down perfectly covering everything, it can be reused several times too. The image looked rather pale so with a water brush I coloured in the rocks by stamping on my craft mat and using it as a palette.
     When it came to mats and layers I found some card colours that I liked but one of them wasn't big enough to use, thinking cap on....blend a few ink colours together on beige card to make the shade I needed.
     A small wording embossed in gold tucked up in the corner was all that was needed to finish this card off. When the light catches the mica the lighthouse really shines out across the sky.


Materials List    Available from your local craft shop
CTJJ133 - Lighthouse by Two Jays
CAT053 - Craft Artist Pigment Petal - Autumn
CAT013 - Craft Artist Blending Brushes 
JLGP004 - Media Plate set of 4
S57268 - Masking Sheet
S57262 3D PVA Glue by Stix2

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Challenge Up Your Life - Vacation Mood

Craft Rocket -For Men/Boys

Moving Along With The Times - At The Beach

Creative Fingers - Anything Goes

Media Plate Meets Two Jays

      This is one of the samples made for John Next Door using Two Jays new stamps, this stamp is called Flax. The new stamps are taken from vintage wood blocks so the flowers are as they used to be many years ago, some look very different now.

      I have to confess I have a small stack of media plate backgrounds already made, it's easy to make a few extra when everything is set up. The colours on this one seemed just right for the image when stamped in black.
      I trimmed the image panel and used a corner punch to add a little detail, this was also done to the black mat layer. The corners looked a little empty and knowing that if I stamped the corner detail three would be perfect but the last one would not, I resorted to using peel offs. Only having this style in silver meant I needed to get creative with my Sharpie pens, there is still a hint of silver visible but I think that adds to the classic style that started with the image.
      The centre of the flower has a small dazzler style embellishment, again coloured black with a Sharpie, alcohol ink markers work well on gems and peel offs but a Sharpie seems to be just a tad more solid in colour. Mounted on a 7x5 white card blank finished it off, I didn't add a greeting on the outside as I feel it is fine as it is.


Materials List    Available from your local craft shop
JLGP006 Media Plate - Oval
CTJJ123 Flax - Two Jays clear stamp
Pigment Inks
Versafine Black
Stamp Press
Hard Brayer

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

A Gem Of A Challenge - Anything Goes

Southern Girls - Anything Goes

The Paper Funday - Anything Goes/ optional St.Patricks Day

Blossom Heart

     With several anniversaries this month I made another card using the heart shaped Media Plate from John Next Door. This time I used John's idea with the Blossom flowers, it came out better then I expected.

     Using my stamp press I loaded it with a piece of white card, covered the card with the acetate grid sheet (to keep the card clean) and positioned the media plate on top and closed the lid to pick up the media plate. I then positioned the die cut flowers across where the heart shape would print.
      Using two shades of red pigment Izink I inked up the media plate and used a brayer to blend them on the plate. I closed the stamp press and printed the heart over the flowers, then opened it up, removed the flowers and without re-inking closed the stamp press and stamped again to get more definition around the flowers.

     I used the ink pads and a finger dauber to go around the edge of the media plate and stamped it again, this adds an edge to the shape and gives the appearance of dimension.
     I also added a tiny butterfly shadow using a stencil made from a die cut, Versamark and pearl mica powder.
     To get a matching mat layer I used the red inks to colour around the edge of a white mat. Once dry I layered up the heart panel on the mat and then onto the white card blank.
     I added the die cut flowers to the heart panel and stuck a tiny gem in each flower, red on the white flowers and white on the red ones. All that was left to add was a tiny black die cut butterfly and stamp in black the words 'Love is...'.
     I like this technique, John said it was easy and he's right, it also adds something a little different to using a media plate.


Materials List    Available from your local craft shop
JLGP006 Media Plate - Heart
JND113 Blossom Die
JND0013 Everyday Sentiments
Pigment Inks
Versafine Black
Versamark
Pearl Mica Powder
Stamp Press

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Creative Knockouts - Dis Cuts/Punches

A Perfect Time To Craft - Anything Goes

Creations In Pink - Anything Goes In Mainly Pink

     Die Cut Divas - Anything With A Die Cut

Love is....

     .....not just for Valentine's, this would make a good anniversary card too. Not Just Cards have a new challenge starting today, I'm sure you'll find some inspiration over there if you haven't already looked.
     I don't have run through pictures for this one as I got carried away and forgot all about the camera! It started with a heart shaped Media Plate, three shades of red/pink inks and a hard brayer. Starting with the palest ink at the top I inked up the heart with all three shades and then used the brayer to blend them on the plate. Stamping the plate onto white card left me with a gorgeous pinky shape, I then used a stencil on the plate and inked the middle tone ink through it, removed the stencil (actually forgot to do this once!) and stamped the image over the pinky heart.
     To get the gorgeous shine I thoroughly dried the heart shape, cleaned off the plate a little and then used the same stencil, but in a different position, with Versamark. Again removing the stencil, stamping the image onto the card but this time dusted the heart with pearl mica powder.
     The two birds stamp is from stash, I can't remember where it came from, stamped in Versafine black. Using a stamp press makes life so much easier when stamping silhouettes as you can stamp the image a couple of times to get a really solid image.
     The little sentiment is one of John Next Door's stamps, again in black and tucked away in the corner. There is a thin black mat layer to set off the black on the image panel, followed by another thin layer, this time in pearl pink.
     The photo below shows how the card looks when the light doesn't catch the mica shine, the pattern still shows but muted.

   

Materials List    Available from your local craft shop
JLGP006 Medai Plate - Heart
JND0013 Everyday Sentiments
Pigment Inks
Versafine Black
Versamark
Pearl Mica Powder
Stamp Press

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Allsorts - Add A Heart

Sweet Stampin' - All You Need Is Love

CAS On Friday - Love

Always Fun - Love/Valentines

Crafty Cardmakers - Love Is All You Need
Dream Valley - Love
Make My Monday - I Heart You

Dragonfly Slide With Brayer Bonus

     Another slide card using John Next Door's die set, this time with a little Media Plate magic too. The dragonfly media plate, stamp and die fit rather well on this card, along with a few tiny dragonflies from the Gerbera Daisy stamp set.

      To begin this card I cut the two panels required for the basic card. There is a video by John giving assembly instructions on YouTube, some of you have found it difficult to see the link on the last post so it is HERE. Once you watch John in action it all becomes clear, much clearer than my description would be.
      Before any assembly I decorated the card with Distress Inks, stencils and a pigment I-Zink white ink pad. Using the media plate I stamped the dragonfly on the front before cutting the window.
      The greeting that shows when the card is closed is embossed in silver and coloured with the same inks through the same stencil to maintain continuity. I have left the surprise greeting on a white background to give it more impact when the card is opened.
     There are a few tiny dragonflies dotted around the card both inside and out, again using the same ink colours

      I stamped in white pigment I-Zink on vellum and coloured the back with more pigment inks in colours as close to the Distress Inks as I could find. Pigment inks gave me a better coverage in stronger colour to show through the vellum.
     I die cut the dragonfly and then glued just the body to the card, directly over the media plate stamped version. It will sit flat for postage and I was careful to make sure it's tail didn't stick out past the edge of the card.

Now for the frugal bit, crafters never waste anything.

   

      When using a brayer you end up with some ink left on the roller and John always says 'don't waste it', so I did as he suggests and ran it off on a spare piece of card. This gave me a lovely mottled band of colour that I trimmed and mounted on silver mirri, then stuck it onto a small white card blank.

     The beauty of decorating my slide card before cutting the windows meant I had two decorated circles left over, perfect for this little card.
     A stamped and silver embossed greeting, mounted on silver miri and set off centre gives me a small card that could be used as a tag for the gift to go with the slide card, or just a neat little card for to tuck away in my stash until needed.



Materials List    Available from your local craft shop
JND099 Slide Card die set
JND150 Loving Sentiments stamp set
JND5001 Gerbera Daisy  stamp set
JLMP001 Dragonfly Media Plate
JND112A  Bold Dragonfly Stamp
JND109    Butterfly and Dragonfly die set
Hard Brayer
I-Zink pigment inks
Distress Inks
Stix2 3D PVA Glue
Silver Embossing Powder

I would like to enter these cards in the following challenges:

Addicted To Stamps - Make Your Mark

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - Use A Stencil

Crafty Card Makers - Anything Goes