Tutorial for Shelly

I thought I would show you how to combine a stamp - ink a background - and use digis with it all - to create a really effective scene.

I love trees - and I used Shelly's set for the trees - that's the beauty of sets - loads of choice.  I wanted to make a scene with a stamp that came free with a magazine - but is cute - but a bit small.

 

First - stamp your image roughly where you want it on to a piece of card bigger than you what.  The reason you use a big base piece is to give you space to work in.  Then stamp the image again on a scrap piece.  Cut out the image on your scrap piece out very closely.  You will use it to cover the image stamped on your card.

 You can do just the same thing with a digi image - just print it in a space - and print another the same size in the corner or on another sheet

  

Second - take some sticky notes / post-it notes, and place them so that they cover the area that will be your 'ground' and holds the loose masking image in place

I used 2 blues and a pale brown to create the sky colours.  You can use an odd scrap of sponge, the Tim Holtz applicator, a foam block or a finger dabber to apply the ink.  don't use cotton wool - all it does is soak up the ink, leave streaky patches and uneven fluff everywhere.

Leave it a few minutes to dry 

Next - move the post-it notes so that you are covering the sky you have just created (still keeping the loose image mask in place) so that you can work on the 'ground'.  I used 2 pink colours and a yellow - going for a warm ice look.   Leave for a few minutes to dry

When you take all the post-it notes off and remove the loose mask from the image it leaves you a clean, clear, crisp look

 

Cut the picture you have created to the size you want it and mat it to match.

Use the digi trees at different sizes to create the final scheme - cut them out close and add a tiny bit of green and glitter.

Raise them on foam pads to get the depth - and spread them over your scene.

And there you go - a great versatile way to combine digis with other elements

The quote on my card is from Peter Pan - it is the directions on how to get to Never Never Land

 

Yours

kitten xx

www.princesskitten.co.uk

Day off

Monday is kitten's day off

Yours

kitten xx

www.princesskitten.co.uk

Erica Martyn

This month's free digi from Erica is a darling set of owls - seems to be a growing trend for the spring lately - and it is just perfect for all the wonderful spring colours about at the moment.  Isn't it great to be officially into spring now?

I made a really pretty spring card with the image - do pop over and colect yours.

Yours

kitten xx

www.princesskitten.co.uk

Life

Gosh I have had a week and a half here!!!

I am madly painting shop display, chasing contacts and ordering stock.  We have Devine Twine (in stock Now) - Twinkling H2Os (on the way) - Maya Road are going to let us buy direct - how cool is that?  you can't get the whole range of their chipboard albums and coasters anywhere else in the UK

As I was passing through the shopping centre the other day - our Bon Marche is closing down - shop fittings for sale.  I picked up a huge section of slatwall for £20.  I have been dying to get my hands on some slatwall for ages now - but unless you can grab a shop that is closing to get some the delivery costs are insane.  Picked up 100 small hooks for it on Ebay for £12 - so I am all set with something to display things hanging up.

I also had a workshop with Ester Gundry.  She came up on the train (2 hours) from Warrington - just to take a class for us.  I love her style and I am booked on the next one she is doing.

We used the Grand Caliber to cut the basic card shape - and loads of inking!

Then we made this easel card

 

All the details are cut out on the caliber - loads of lace and inking

Yours

kitten xx

www.princesskitten.co.uk

Shelly's Images - Giraffe - Spots and dots

Shelly's Blog - HERE
Shelly's Images shop - HERE

Fab giraffe image to work with this week - super cool.  Everyone loves a giraffe - they are just so elegant aren't they - I can't be elegant this close to the ground - goodness knows what I would be like 'up there'.

Did you know that they still have the same number of bones in their necks as us?  Incredible.

I just happened to have this amazing animal print mulberry paper in a dark corner of the office.  I wanted a change from cards - need to get out more!  So I picked on this really versatile pizza box pattern that I have - thought it would be fun for a lad as well as a girl.

Do join us with this weeks challenge on the BLOG

Yours

kitten xx

www.princesskitten.co.uk

Do You Stack Up? #61 - Things with wings

Welcome back for another round of fun! Did you check if you were one of our lucky winners this week? We had so many amazing entries, and we enjoyed every one of them. It is truly a grueling task for the DT to pick just three outstanding projects, so I hope if you weren't pick that you will still enter. Maybe you'll be a lucky prize winner or Top Three soon... This week.

One of our sponsors Digi Darla has a lovely treat for us: everyone that enters will receive a code that will allow everyone to redeem a free digi at the store. How is that for incentive to throw in a card? Thanks, Digi Darla!

Winner's Choice of 6 Digital Images

6 copic ciao marker (North/South America)

Martha Stewart punch (rest of the world)

A FEW RULES

• Our DT would love to leave comments on your blogs, please remove word verification to make this process easier (see right side bar for a how-to guide).
• Only 3 entries per person per Challenge.
• Make sure to link back to this challenge and mention it on your blog in your blog post.
• No back linking.
• Entries that do not fit the requirements will not be eligible for Winner or Top 3.
• Mr. Linky closes at 2pm on Wednesdays.

I had this cute unicorn from Copic Marker Scrapbooking - HERE.  Just tell me he isn't just the most darling little thing you have ever seen?  He is coloured with BV Copics - dreaming of growing into a great big beautiful Pegasus - and the large shadow is shaded in the BV0000, with a touch of BV000 and BV00.  I am amazed just how much I use all the extra '0' numbers.  Never thought I would because I love such strong colours - but it's amazing what y ou can do with them

Yours

kitten xx

www.princesskitten.co.uk

Leap Wednesday - Scrapper's Delights

Scrapper's delights - SHOP
Scrapper's Delights - BLOG

With our darling Draco - you also get several word digis to add into the space in the heart.  But - you know me - way to simple an option.  Now, because of the format the digi files are made in - you can just make them bigger.  So instead of adding the sentiment into the centre of the heart - or under the image - or what ever - why not make it L-A-R-G-E and use it as the focus for the card.


I have tried to keep this simple so it would do for a chap as well - the colouring is just Starlight gel pen.  I have recently gone back to using the Gelly Roll pens - it's no good - they are just the best!  I found everything else drys out very quickly - even the Copic one are not as jucey - you just have to make sure you wait for it to dry and not smudge it ;-)

Yours

kitten xx

www.princesskitten.co.uk

Shop talk

Shopping on a budget?

Need a quick pick-me-up just 'because'?

Check out the Stamps listed in the crafters section

All these stamps have been in my personal stash (stream lining and re-organising ahead of a move to bigger premmises).

Most have only been used once or twice - not a big stammper - some have not been used at all - each description for the stamp listing will tell you that - as well as the size of the stamp.

Some of these have come from America and are not seen here.

There are loads of theme - a few spring / Easter ones too so that's handy.

Further  done the same listing are several ready coloured toppers that you can add to your project for a quick and easy card.

Waiting to add later this week are grab bags of un-coloured mixed images ready for you to colour your elves.

So have a nosey round the stamping section of the shop

Yours

kitten xx

www.princesskitten.co.uk

Day off

Monday is kitten's day off

Yours

kitten xx

www.princesskitten.co.uk

goin' back to ma roots!

In my travels I have at last found some one that is still supplying A5 lenghways envelopes.  Probably not the best description - but you fold A5 on the long side - gives you a tall slim card.  I love the shape - but could not find anyone thst was still making the envelopes - and I did a couple of weeks back - so this size is back on the drawing board.

New range - single word cards - all hand drawn.  I love getting back to pure lettering

Yours

kitten xx

www.princesskitten.co.uk

Saturday

Ok - I am going to come clean - I keep dropping hints.  Since the beginning of January we have been negotiating for a tiny little shop in the heart of Kendal.  It has not been a secret (and some of you will already know) - but I have not announced it publicly yet.  It should all come together in the next couple of weeks and I have been busy painting display stuff and finding suppliers.

I picked up this wonderful book shelf in the Age Concern warehouse for just £20 - bargain - but looks bit uck.

All the background stuff is going to be a soft dove grey - and I am painting baskets and odd bits in a selection of highlight colours.  So the overall effect should be on the lines of :-



It's a tiny little shop so the decor needs to be light and airy - I think it will look pretty.




Chairs to match


I hope they hurry up and let us get going - I am tripping over furniture and boxes everywhere

Yours

kitten xx

www.princesskitten.co.uk

Shelly's images - The Good Ole Days - Triple it up

Shelly's Blog - HERE
Shelly's Images shop - HERE

Brand new idea from Shelly this week.  The truck is available wit or with out people in it - I chose to use the empty one





I have to hold my hands up here - trucks like htis are not part of the UK life style.  We live in the heart of the Lake District and all the farmers drive jeeps or 4x4 - so I did struggle for a theme - until I remembered a wonderful reproduction map that I had already stared to cut up.  The 3 stripes are actually a bark pattern paper - but I tell myself that they look like a rockscape.

Do join us with this weeks challenge on the BLOG

Yours

kitten xx

www.princesskitten.co.uk

Do You Stack Up #60 - Distress

Loved all your layers last week - way to go.  This week we are getting distressed - arrrrrrh

For this week we have two great sponsors:

Winner's Choice of 7 Digital Images

Winner's Choice of 5 Digital Images

• Our DT would love to leave comments on your blogs, please remove word verification to make this process easier (see right side bar for a how-to guide).
• Only 3 entries per person per Challenge.
• Make sure to link back to this challenge and mention it on your blog in your blog post.
• No back linking.
• Entries that do not fit the requirements will not be eligible for Winner or Top 3.
• Mr. Linky closes at 2pm on Wednesdays.

Distress? - as far as I am concerned - anything to do with houework is distressing - look at her face - that's distress enough for any one!

This image is from Bugaboo - from the Crabby Cathy range.  Loads of layering - and faux stitching

Yours

kitten xx

www.princesskitten.co.uk

Scrapper's Delights

Scrapper's delights - SHOP
Scrapper's Delights - BLOG

Here is my dear little Draco getting all soppy - awwww


I have left him fairly plain - the background retail is amaxing it must have taken ages.  The heart is dark red and covered with 3D glaze - I have added a bit of shading and his pink embarresed cheeks - oh and his baby blue eyes

He is cut out close and raised on the papers

Yours

kitten xx

www.princesskitten.co.uk

Shop talk

The BIG news this week is that I have been accepted by Whisker graphics to import their very popular Devine Twine.  HUGE parcel (2rolls of everything!!!) is now on its way here - you are gonna love it.

Mean while - -

Fab little wooden easel to alter and display your work.  I chose these litle gems because they really are wood - not plastic - not card hinges - really real wood - and only £1.50 - BUY ONE

Very limited - sample packs of hot - hot - summer theme paperscome on - we have had enough of snow - ice - rain and cold - bring on the sun!
In the SHOP HERE


Yours

kitten xx

www.princesskitten.co.uk

Day off

Monday is kitten's day off

 

Yours

kitten xx

www.princesskitten.co.uk

Erica's new range

This has taken me weeks to get to - I kept printing out the digi and losing on my desk.  There are 4 or 5 kicking about somewhere in the office - sorry Erica.

This lovely little chappie is from Erica's new range - Lillianna & Pickallie.  He comes uncoloured so you can create your own colour scheme for him.  It is still very early days for this pair - so if you like them do drop over and support her work.

 

This is the multi-fold card that is doing the rounds at the moment -see below for template.  I use some beautiful pearly looking textured card that I have had for ages.

It opens out

It would make a really different shaped album - needs tinkering with to get wider hinge space to allow for extra layers - and would need a ribbon to close

Can't find the original blog I got the pattern from so you will have to cope with just my notes - sorry

Yours

kitten xx

www.princesskitten.co.uk

Messing with paint

I am starting to repaint all the shop display stuff.  For reasons which will be come clear (hopefully next week!) we are going for a more of a 'grown-up', modern corporate look - aiming for less of a cutsy, girly feel.  I have had the same colour scheme for 5 yers now - and I feel it's getting a bit tired and dated.

I am painting everything a soft dove grey - and adding highlights of zingy colours in orange - lime - blue - yellow - pink etc.  Found a super range of colours that suits - the Dulux Feature Wall range - it's 3 for 2 at Homebase at the monsnt + 15% off.

So here is my tall, narrow A board

And I found this old shelving unit in the shed (don't tell the old goat I knicked it!!).  It was blue because it used to be in my summer house years ago

Now it's grey - it will look really pretty with some bright colour baskets on it

Now - where is the big back A board?

Yours

kitten xx

www.princesskitten.co.uk

Shelly's Images - Seashell - Show us what you got

Shelly's Blog - HERE
Shelly's Images shop - HERE

This is a wonderful image - I love seaside things.

TIP - the image is coloured FROM THE BACK with copic inks.  If you colour from the back you get a soft 'under the skin' look that just adds a tonal hue - rather than the strong colour we are used to with Copics.  Then I added gold sparkle gel pen highlights over the front
 

The oval that the seashell is sitting on is the most amazing glitter card - it is absolutly beautiful (must find out where is cane from!)
Do join us with this weeks challenge on the BLOG

Yours

kitten xx

www.princesskitten.co.uk