DARKROOM DOOR Crackle

I was so excited to receive the new crackle background stamp from Darkroom Door! The vintage style is right up my alley and this stamp fits that theme to a tee. I've made two cards to share with you: the first is heavy on the romance and would be great for a wedding, engagement or anniversary. The second card is travel related which would be great for a man's birthday or to wish someone special a bon voyage!

Darkroom Door products - #DDBS031 Crackle background stamp, #DDFR002 Window frame stamp, Love Letters photochips, Love Letters wordstrips
Ink - StazOn timber brown, Brilliance graphite black
Paper - Blue Cardigan, K&Company
Card - Bazzill
Embellishments - mulberry paper roses
Other - acetate, sandpaper, craft knife, glue, mounting foam


Method

1. Stamp the crackle background on acetate using brown ink.
2. Stamp the window frame on cream card using black ink. Use a craft knife to cut out the individual panes and affix the stamped acetate behind the window. Tear a few holes in the acetate "glass".
3. Adhere a Love Letters photochip behind the window frame and then attach it to torn patterned paper using mounting foam. Glue flowers along the window sill and add the Love Letters wordstrips.
4. Finish by layering on a second piece of patterned paper and then on the green card front.

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Darkroom Door products - #DDBS031 Crackle background stamp, Paris photochips, Paris wordstrips
Ink - Versa Mark
Paper - GCD Studios
Card - Bazzill
Embellishments - K&Company copper brad, Cristina Re pearl brad, lace, ribbon
Other - verdigris embossing powder, heat tool


Method

1. Stamp the crackle background on brown card using watermark ink. Sprinkle the wet ink with embossing powder and heat set.
2. Crumple a Paris photochip into a ball, smooth it out flat, and affix it to the embossed card.
3. Attach the card to torn patterned paper. Embellish with ribbon, lace, brads, and a Paris wordstrip.
4. Affix to card front.

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Friend

Do you have a collection of special little objects you've been saving for a rainy day? I found this old skeleton key on the footpath when I was out walking one afternoon. I loved the shape of it, the rust, and the hint of white paint on the barrel. I carried my find home and tucked it safely away, knowing I'd find the perfect use for it. And here it is! A vintage-style friendship card which wasn't quite finished until I added the rusty old key. Funny, that :-)

Paper - Basic Grey
Card - Bazzill 
Embellishments - Collections rusty number tiles, Collections word, Kaisercraft rhinestones, found key, ribbon

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DARKROOM DOOR Thanks For Being You

Hello April! Oh how the months are flying by. It will soon be Christmas (in July!) But first, Mother's Day....... I'm a big fan of the faux watercolour technique, and I had an idea to use butterfly stamps to make a watery, confetti-like background. I created the usual mess of ink and water but the result was well worth it because I love my butterfly paper! From there it was simply a matter of dressing my card with ribbon, tape and a couple of buttons. Give this technique a go.... think outside the box and experiment with your stamp collection. Bold designs work best!

Darkroom Door products - DDRS025 Butterflies stamp set
Ink - Distress
Card - Bazzill
Paper - orange mulberry
Embellishments - Typo blue gingham tape, ribbon, buttons
Other - Dymo label maker and tape, gold glitter glue, sewing needle, embroidery thread, water mister bottle

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DARKROOM DOOR Australian Animals Vol.2

I had the most amazing idea for this stamp set when I was lying in bed one night thinking about what I was going to create. Out of nowhere, an idea started to take shape. Animals...... road signs...... black and orange = road sign cards! And so I set to work the next day making these cards and tags. If you look closely you'll notice I stamped the cards with the chevron background. I wanted to emphasise the road theme without being ghoulish, so I used watermark ink instead of black. For a pop of colour I made some flowers out of mulberry paper and used circles punched from the wilderness montage as the centres. I think these road sign cards would be fun for those hard-to-make-for boys...... of all ages!

Darkroom Door products - DDRS110 Australian Amimals Vol.2 stamp set, DDBS020 Chevron background stamp, Wilderness montage
Ink - Brilliance graphite black, Versa Mark
Paper - orange mulberry
Card - Bazzill, kraft
Embellishments - ribbon, rhinestones
Other - hole punch, circle punch


Method  (cards)

1. Cut two diamond shapes from orange card and round the corners. Stamp the lizard and koala using black ink.
2. Punch two small holes through each corner and thread with ribbon to make a border. Tie the ends in a bow.
3. Tear circles from the mulberry paper and stack them together to form flowers. Punch circles from the wilderness montage sheet and affix to the flowers with tape.
4. Stamp kraft card with the chevron stamp using watermark ink.
5. Assemble the cards as shown.

Method  (tags)

1. Cut two diamond shapes from orange card and round the corners. Stamp the platypus and echidna using black ink.
2. Adhere to black card and embellish with square-cut rhinestones.
3. Punch holes through the tops of the tags and tie with ribbon.

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Cardmaking on a Budget

In January I made a set of cards for Cardmaking, Stamping & Papercraft's cardmaking on a budget feature. I had the idea to use leaves as stamps, so I set about collecting leaves of all different shapes and sizes from my garden (and next door's garden!). I "inked" them with paint and pressed them onto kraft card to make a masterboard, which I later cut up and turned into cards. The embellishments are simple and in keeping with with the budget theme - a few sticks from the garden, tape, rhinestones. The wilderness images and quotes are cut from large sheets; you could easily make up to a dozen cards with the left-overs.....

Have a wonderfully creative weekend!

Paper - Graphic 45
Card - Bazzill, kraft
Embellishments - Darkroom Door wildnerness montage, Kaisercraft rhinestones, Heidi Swapp tape
Other - assorted leaves and sticks, embroidery thread, sewing needle, green wire, acrylic paint, paintbrush, sandpaper

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Home Sweet Home

Here's another card you might have seen in Cardmaking, Stamping & Papercraft magazine. The theme this time 'round was woodgrain, which sent me running to the nearest scrapbooking store for supplies! I found this sweet double-sided paper which I used for the tree trunk and for the flowers clustered around the base of the tree. I enameled the owl with Opals and added a pair of wings, and scrunched up green cardstock for the canopy. I had fun making this card and will find it difficult to part with, though I do have someone in mind...... :-)

Ink - Versa Mark, Brilliance moonlight white
Paper - Prima
Card - Bazzill
Embellishments - Collections text, Collections chipboard owl, Kaisercraft rhinestones, white satin wings
Other - Opals embossing enamels, heat tool, gold glitter glue

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Happy Birthday

I'm soooooo behind posting about the work I've been lucky enough to have published this year. But I'm making up for it, starting now! This card was made for a sketch challenge in Cardmaking, Stamping & Papercraft. I wanted to make a man's card (I'm running low on those) but I didn't have any suitable patterned paper, so I used playing cards. In keeping with the gaming theme I added some poker chips and bingo numbers, green bunting, and patterned ribbon. I was so pleased with the effect; this one will definitely be saved for someone special :-)

Stamp - Darkroom Door
Ink - Brilliance graphite black
Card - Bazzill
Embellishments - playing cards, wooden bingo numbers, poker chips, ribbon, braid
Other - circle punch

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DARKROOM DOOR Sydney Vol.2

I had a great time playing with the new Sydney stamps from Darkroom Door. I was determined to create a bright, fun, colourful set of cards to share with you all, and to use every stamp in the set, which I did - yay! I started by painting the backgrounds using one of my favourite techniques (credit-card, see below) and then building the layers and textures from there. I was sure to use some of the Sydney paper products which were left-over from my tag project, too :-)

Have fun with these!

Darkroom Door products - DDRS106 Sydney Vol.2 stamp set, Sydney montage, Sydney photochips, Sydney filmstrips, Sydney wordstrips
Ink - Brilliance graphite black, Brilliance moonlight white
Card - Bazzill, kraft
Paper - assorted
Embellishments - Typo on a roll tape, ticket stub, ribbon, buttons
Other - stapler, black staples, acrylic paint (red, white, yellow), old credit card, water mister


Method (cards 1 & 3)

1. Apply acrylic paint to cardstock using an old credit card. Lightly mist with water, wait a few seconds and scrape again with the card. Allow to dry before adhering to folded card fronts.
2. Stamp the Harbour Bridge postcard, Opera House, and postage marks on kraft card. Affix to cards using staples and decorative tape.
3. Affix images from the filmstrips and montage sheet as shown.
3. Embellish with a ribbon bow and ticket stub.

Method (cards 2 & 4)

1. See above step 1
2. Stamp postmarks and text from the Sydney stamp set directly onto the painted backgrounds.
3. Affix a Sydney photochip and wordstrip to each card.
3. Embellish with bunting and buttons.

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