Inspiration {W}

For the Inspiration {W} I've chosen to do Watercolour pencils. I find them so versatile and in the right hands (not mine of course!) the results can be fantastic!!!

You don't have to spend a fortune on buying them, one set of mine came from WH Smith. You need a few brushes of different thicknesses - I have three; fine, medium and broad. I tend to use waterbrushes (the type that has a water chamber for the handle) but often use them simply with a pot of water. I say a pot but I keep two by my side; one for wetting the brush and the other for cleaning, that way you don't get any interference of colours.

Remember that water and paper/card does not normally mix too well, so remember to be sparing with the amount of water that you apply. You can always add a little more to blend your colours but you can't take it away very easily and still achieve a nice finish.

You can watercolour stamped images, backgrounds or even peel offs if you wanted to. I'm going to show you a few photos of how I've coloured in some stamped images. I've used Stazon ink as it's quick drying and not water based so won't run into your pattern.




Using your lightest colour first, colour in your image, gradually changing pencils and colours until your image is complete and the darker colours provide your shadows. You don't have to make sure that you colour every little bit of your paper as that's what the water will do for you.



Once you're happy with your colouring, wet your brush with CLEAN water and wipe against the edge of the water pot to remove most of the water from it. Starting with the lightest colour, gradually move the brush around the pencilled area until it's covered. I then move to the shaded area I'm working in as it normally contains colours that I need to blend together and the brush doesn't have to be cleaned. Colour the darkest area first, gradually moving the brush into the lighter area to blend the two colours. Remember not to make an obvious line but to keep the movement 'fluid' between the areas.



If you're then transferring to a different area and colour, remember to clean your brush. Repeat the above process until your image is complete, then allow to dry thoroughly.





You can use Twinkling H2O paints much the same way. As these are a cake of paint, I find you need to add quite a lot of water to start off with and let them stand for a few seconds to soften the surface. The more water used on H20's the more translucent the image, the less water the darker and more intense the colour.

Christmas {W}

Winter is my favourite season and it just so happens that it has Christmas and New year in it!
I have used a pattered paper and made 2 pockets with 2 extra pieces cut at different hieghts. Using my sewing machine I fixed the W onto the first pocket front before sewing on both pockets. The lettering was stamped on and I added some bling to the W.


I added winter photos and journalling to 2 pieces of card and inked the edges with white. Doodling was done using stencils.

Inspiration {V}

I have chosen vellum for {V}.

Vellum is a versatile paper product that has a transparent/ translucent quality that makes it ideal for papercrafts. There are many different qualities/ thicknesses and finishes to vellum.
I tend to use a variety of white vellums,
although there are also choices of coloured
and pre-printed versions

Ways in which vellums are mostly used are;
for parchment craft
dry embossing
overlaying
wraparounds on cards
and also card inserts.

Here are a few examples of how I use vellum; Embossing
And overlaying.

We would love you to share any of your ideas with us!

Christmas {V}

For my Christmas V I have used the word Victorian.

I wanted to include some facts about how Christmas was celebrated in Victorian times so I made a simple layout and used pockets and mini books.

The finished pages look like this:































And here is the slide show. Hold the mouse over the pictures for instructions.

Inspiration {U} - UTEE

For {U} I've chosen UTEE or, to give it it's full name, Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel.

This is such a versatile product to use, and it's not fussy what you use it on.... chipboard, metal brads and other objects.

To use it you'll need to have a heat embossing gun and an inkpad like a Versamark or other pad that stays sticky for a while. I use a cheap non-stick baking tray to put my item into to heat up my powders so that the end product doesn't stick to it. You use it pretty much the same way as you would embossing powder but it's a bit thicker and can provide the most wonderfully thick, glossy finish.



I've added a few photos to show you how it can be used.

I die cut a flower from some chipboard and painted it with gold acrylic paint. I then inked it and coated it in UTEE before melting the first layer. You can (if you're quick) pour some more UTEE on top of that layer, but as I've been burnt in the past by picking it up (and it is VERY hot!) I let it cool for a few seconds before re-inking and coating it again. The first layer tends to give an 'orange peel' kind of texture, becoming smoother the more layers you add. I find that 3 layers are adequate for a smooth, glossy finish.



On this one, I added some beads between the second and the final layer for a bit of colour and added texture.



This is simply a brad which has been triple embossed with UTEE to give a raised 'wet' look to it. Mind your fingers when heating metal - use long nosed tweezers.



It would be lovely for you to show us what you have made with UTEE. Why not post them over on the gallery {here}

Christmas {U}

For the letter {U} I have had some fun by making a waterfall page about when Santa got stuck Up the chimney!




I love this song and have so much fun singing it with the children at work Instructions to make a waterfall card/ page are on this link HERE

Inspiration {T}

For Inspiration T I was going to do a bit about Templates and how to use them.

Instead though I am going to provide you with a link which says it all really. It shows how templates can be used and with a little creative imagination they can be an invaluable asset to your craft stash....

Click {here} .........