Lavinia Zemira Mixed Media Birthday Card

 

Hi blogging friends,

Today I am sharing a Birthday Card that I made for an acquaintance using lots of Lavinia stamps:

Challenges

This is my card for the following challenges - click on the underlined link to take you to the challenge:

• Splitcoaststampers - Free for All Friday F4A866 - Squares. Make a square card or feature a square element

• Creative Artiste Mixed Media - #131 - Anything Mixed Media 

• Creative Crafters - #104 - Anything Goes

I used a Lavinia Scene Scapes called Live the Dream for the background.  I love using Scene Scapes because it makes the whole process a bit quicker.  I did trim it down slightly as it is 6 x 6 inches and I wanted to be able to add some cardstock layers and still have it fit into the envelope that I use for 6 x 6 inch cards.

The main image is called Zemira and was first released in 2019 and is still readily available worlwide including on the Lavinia Stamps website.  That's what I love about Lavinia Stamps - they don't automatically retire their stamps just because they release new ones.  Tracey who designs her stamps frequently uses older stamps in her You-Tube videos - and sometimes a mix of old and new.  

Where is my creative heart at lately?

• Loving what I have:  I don't care if a product is old or retired—if it sparks joy, it's going on my desk.
• Finding inspiration at home:  I get way more excited 'shopping my stash' these days than browsing new catalogues.
• Focusing on the process:  Creativity for me is about the making, not the buying.

Please note, I have no connection to Lavinia Stamps other than just being a very happy long-term customer.

I stamped Zemira and the Fairy Orb that Zemira is holding using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink.  The trees on the LHS & RHS are called Woodland which are bare trees which I love because you can add the foliage that you want or just leave them bare if you prefer.  I used the Maple Leaf Stamp for the foliage and stamped it using Nocturne Ink + Shady Lane.  Some are first generation and others second generation to add some depth.  I also added some Wild Foliage stamped in Shady Lane Ink.

The garden along the bottom is Slender Mushrooms Mini, Wild Foliage and Lavender.  I stamped the mushrooms with Fallen Leaves Ink.  I know you can't necessarily see them all that well but they are mostly to the left and right of the tree trunks and they are really there to just fill the space.

The Lavender was stamped using Nocturne Ink plus Warm Breeze and Twilight using first and second generation to add depth.  The Wild Foliage was stamped using Shady Lane.

Note that at every step, I heat-set my images because Scene Scapes are coated papers and it takes a while for everything to dry and I was afraid of smearing the ink.

I used my Ink Blending Tool fitted with a Domed Pad to ink around the edges using Warm Breeze then Nocturne.  I tore a sheet of scrap paper so I had an edge to ink blend against to ground Zemira and the Trees using Nocturne Ink.

I put some JoSonja White Acrylic Gouache onto a stamp block and watered it down a little, then picked up the paint using a #000 Round Paintbrush to add some highlights to Zemira's hair as well as on her dress.

I used Titanium White Pan Pastel to add soft highlights to the areas where Zemira is facing the light plus the edges of the tree trunks.

The gold dots on the Fairy Orb and flowing down to the ground were done using a Crayola Signature Gold Pen.

The aqua dots were made using a Artistro Aqua 0.7mm Glitter Marker.

I added some dots of glue using a Uniquely Creative Fine Glue Pen then added Glitzee Aqua Glitter, then added more dots of glue and added Celebrations Australia Gold Glitter.  It's a shame you can't see the sparkliness of the card from the photo - but it really brings some magic to the scene.

Once I had finished my scene, I layered it onto Gold Metallic Paper which I originally bought from KMart (Australia) but is no longer available.  I then layered this onto Colormates Deep Terrific Teal Cardstock, then Portacraft Black Cardstock - all with a 1/16" border which was done using my We R Memory Keepers Perfect Layers Guides.  Now that I had finished my card front, I glued it to a White Cardstock Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.

I really enjoyed making this card.  It was just lovely to be in my happy place looking outside at the pouring rain through my craft room window and lose all track of time as I created the scene.   It hasn't rained all day for some time and September's rainfall was way below average.  We ended up with 67mm of rain which is a bit over 2-1/2 inches - so it was very welcome and the garden is happy again 😊 

Of course, the great thing about the card is that is flat so can go through the mail without extra postage.

Finished size is 6 x 6 inches.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Lavinia Maple Leaf LAV039, Wild Foliage LAV980, Slender Mushrooms Mini LAV151, Lavender LAV093, Woodland LAV456, Fairy Orbs LAV377, Zemira LAV554

Designer Paper:  Lavinia Scene Scapes Live the Dream LAV-SS-LIVEDRM

Ink:  Versafine Clair - Nocturne, Shady Lane, Fallen Leaves, Warm Breeze & Twilight

Accessories:  WRMK Perfect Layers Guides, Stamp Positioner, Heat-gun, Ink Blending Tool with Domed Pad, Crayola Signature Gold Pen, JoSonja Titanium White Acrylic Gouache, Artistro Aqua Glitter Marker 0.7mm , #000 Round Paintbrush, Titanium White Pan Pastel + Applicator, Uniquely Creative Fine Glue Pen, Tombow Mono Multi Glue,  Glitzee Aqua Glitter, Celebrations Australia Gold Glitter, Cardstock - Colormates Deep Terrific Teal + Portacraft (Australia) Black, White Card Base, Anko Gold Metallic Paper (KMart)

Impression Obsession Halloween Hill Mixed Media Card

Hi everyone 😊

Today I am sharing a Halloween Card:

ETA:  I just learned that I made the top 3 over at Craftycatz!  Woo hoo!

I really enjoy making Halloween Cards because it gives me the perfect excuse to play with inky backgrounds to create atmosphere for that type of card.

This is also my card for the following Challenges:

• Crafty Catz Challenge #703 - Anything Goes with Optional Twist of Halloween

• C.R.A.F.T. Challenge #766 - Halloween/Anything Goes

I love to blend inks on Bristol Smooth White Cardstock because they just blend like a dream.  First up, I created a mask for the moon from Mylar Film by diecutting a circle from it.  Mylar Film is what some stencils are made from and I bought a pack of sheets on EBay.  You can buy different weights and the one I bought was 190 micron.  I attached it to my cardstock using Repositionable Adhesive.  The good thing about the Mylar Film is that you can wipe off the ink and reuse it.   

The Ranger Distress Inks that I used are:  Dried Marigold, Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Rusty Hinge, Seedless Preserves, Hickory Smoke and Black Soot - making sure that the RHS was lighter where the moon was.  I removed the mask and used a Tim Holtz Layering Moon Mask and Hickory Smoke Ink to add some detail on the moon - then inked over it very lightly with Mustard Seed Ink.  I used my Heat-Gun to dry off the panel.

The back diecut is an old die by Impression Obsession called Halloween Hill.  I have had this die for many years and it has always been a favourite of mine.  I used Anko Black Cardstock which I bought in a pad of neutral tones from KMart (Australia).  I inked up some scrap white cardstock with Mustard Seed and added that to the windows of the house - then used Wild Honey for the pumpkin face. 

The front diecut is by Memory Box - Graveyard Landscape which dates back to 2012.  I popped the diecut up on several layers of scrap black cardstock so that it gave the illusion of depth.

The white ghosts are another die by Memory Box - Ghastly Ghosts - from 2013.  It's a really fun die because it diecuts 5 different sized ghosts.

The sentiment is by Hero Arts - Happy Halloween - and is from 2012.  I stamped it using Versamark Watermark Ink and heat-set it using Stampin' Up White Embossing Powder.  I used a Powder Tool on the Black Cardstock before stamping so that I didn't get any stray dots of embossing powder.  I popped the sentiment up on Stampin' Up Black Dimensionals.  These black dimensionals are so handy for adding underneath dark cardstock.  I added a tiny self-adhesive Pale Orange Molossi Rhinestone either side of the sentiment but added a dot of Art Glitter Glue to the rhinestone because this pack is old and the glue dot isn't all that sticky.

To add more atmosphere to my card, I used some White Cobweb to the sky and gravestones adding tiny dots here and there with my Art Glitter Glue to stick it down.  This glue dries clear so is perfect for when you use it for something that would otherwise be glaringly obvious!  I bought the White Cobweb from my local supermarket.

I used a White Pastel Pencil to add some white highlights to the bottom of the moon and on the black diecuts.

As final touches, I added some sparkle to the pumpkin, house and moon using a Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Brush, adding several layers for extra-sparkle.

I layered the scene onto Colormates Dark Terracotta Cardstock then onto Anko Black Cardstock - then glued my card front onto a Kaisercraft White Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.

Finished size is 5-5/16" x 4-1/4" or 151mm x 108mm

Hope you like my card!  I had so much fun creating it 😀

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Hero Arts Happy Halloween CL353 (2012-retired)

Ink:  Versamark Watermark, Ranger Distress - Dried Marigold, Fossilized Amber, Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Rusty Hinge, Hickory Smoke, Black Soot

Accessories:  Big Shot, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Art Glitter Glue, Repositionable Adhesive Tape, Stampin' Up Black Dimensionals, White Cobweb (Woolworths), Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Brush, Mylar Film - 190 micron, Blending Tools + Foam Pads, White Pastel Pencil, Molossi Pale Orange Rhinestones, Heat-Gun, Powder Tool, Stampin' Up White Embossing Powder, Cardstock - Bristol Smooth White 250gsm/110lb + Colormates Dark Terracotta + Anko Black/White, Kaisercraft White Card Base

Stencils:  Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Layering Moon Mask THMSK01

Dies:  Impression Obsession Halloween Hill DIE029-P (retired), Memory Box Graveyard Landscape #98375 (2012-retired), Memory Box Ghastly Ghosts #98701 (2013-retired), Lifestyle Nesting Circles (retired)

Lavinia Stamps Druid's Inn Welcome to your New Home Card

 

Hi everyone 😀

Today I am sharing a mixed media Welcome to your New Home Card that I made for my niece and her partner who have moved into a new home and were having a Housewarming Get-together to celebrate.  

This is also my card for the following Challenge:

• Crafty Catz Challenge #694 - Anything Goes with Optional Twist of Make Us Smile.  My card did make the recipients smile so I hope this qualifies for that part of the Challenge.  Click on the underlined link to take you to the Challenge.

Anyway, into my card:  I looked in my stash for anything that I could use.   I don't think I have ever made a Housewarming Card and I was quite stumped 😐  The only house types of stamps that I had were really only suited to someone who was retiring to the country and they looked too old-fashioned for people in their 20s.  And then it hit me:  I had a Lavinia stamp called Druid's Inn which had a door on it so I decided I could make a whimsical scene instead.  I can honestly say that this is one of the HARDEST cards I have ever made because it was really taking me out of my comfort-zone and using products that I have never used before.  However, as my year is all about challenging myself with new techniques and styles of card, I was up for the challenge and was very determined to keep going despite nearly binning it at one stage. 

I have a pad of 8" x 8" Lavinia Dreamscape Papers and picked one of the sheets that was quite light as I knew I wanted to able to have a moon in the scene.

Firstly, I stamped The Druid's Inn using Versafine Clair Fallen Leaves which is a lovely brown ink.  I stamped the two hares using Versafine Clair Nocturne then left the paper to sit overnight so the images dried and didn't smear once I started adding my colouring mediums.

I have never coloured on these Dreamscape Papers before and it isn't watercolour paper so I had to be super-careful with how much water I added.  For the Druid's Inn:  I coloured it using multiple products:  Faber-Castell Watercolour Pencils in brown tones + black, an Albrecht-Durer Watercolour Pencil in the colour Indian Red, Kuretake Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers in the colours Mid-Brown 065 + Dark Oatmeal 066 + Red Ochre 604.  I added white highlights using a White Gel Pen and Titanium White Pan Pastel.  This is my first time using Pan Pastels.

To make the moon, I diecut a circle from acetate in the size I wanted using my Big Shot and Lifestyle Nesting Circles Dies - then placed that where the moon was going to be and lightly sponged around the edge with my Ink Blending Tool using Weathered Wood Ranger Distress Ink.

I sponged underneath the hares to ground them using the Weathered Wood Ink then added some shadow behind them where they would be casting a shadow from the light of the moon.  I used a White Gel Pen to add highlights to the hares but smeared it with my finger to make it look more natural.

I used ALOT of stamps to add the foliage and mushrooms.  Some were stamped with Versafine Clair Twilight - others with Rainforest and Fallen Leaves.  Some are 1st generation - some are 2nd or 3rd generation.  I again used my White Gel Pen to add some highlights to the mushrooms smearing them to again make them look more natural.

I stamped some text on the LHS and RHS using Versafine Clair Twilight Ink in 1st and 2nd generation then went around the edges of the card with the same ink.  I darkened the edges a little more with Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink.

To brighten the moon, I added Mont Marte Lemon Yellow Pastel Pencil and Titanium White Pan Pastel.  This was also my first time using a Pastel Pencil.

I used a Sunshine Yellow Posca Paint Pen to add yellow to the window so it looked like the lights were on and casting light on the vines of the tree and on the stones below it.  I added dots here and there around the images using other Posca Pens in the colours Light Pink, Metallic Pink, Apricot and White.

I drew a red heart between the hares using a Red Fine-Point Sharpie then added Candy Cane Stickles to make it sparkle.

Of course, the card needed MORE glitter and it's amazing how much it brightens your card and makes it more special; it just seems to come alive somehow.  I added dots of glue using my Quickie Glue Pen around the moon then just added dots here and there around the scene - then sprinkled on some Bellbird PaperArts Diamond Glitter.  It's just a shame that you can't see it on my photo but it does look lovely. 

Once I had finished the scene, I ran it through my Big Shot with fresh plates and a couple of shims to flatten it which worked surprisingly well.

I added some coloured cardstock layers to the scene using Kaisercraft Ivory, Forest and Cinnamon and trimmed the ivory to 1/16" and the others to 1/8" using my WRMK Perfect Layers Guides.  I then glued it to a White Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.

Finished size is 5-7/8" x 5-7/8" or 149mm x 149mm.

Phew, that was a marathon!  Thanks for sticking with me if you got this far - and for visiting my blog today!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Lavinia - Leaf Creeper LAV742, Slender Mushrooms Mini LAV151, Quirky Mushrooms LAV413, Forest Mushrooms Mini LAV564, Berry Leaves LAV577, Druid's Inn LAV572, Wild Hares Set Small LAV614, Uniquely Creative Longhand UC1832

Ink:  Versafine Clair - Fallen Leaves, Twilight, Rainforest and Nocturne + Ranger Distress Weathered Wood

Designer Paper:  Lavinia Dreamscape - Colourburst Collection 8" x 8"

Accessories:  Big Shot, Acetate, #4 Round Paintbrush, Pan Pastel - Titanium White, Mont Marte Lemon Yellow Pastel Pencil, Faber-Castell Watercolour Pencils - Brown Tones + Black, Albrecht-Durer Indian Red Watercolour Pencil, Kuretake Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers - 065 Mid Brown + 066 Dark Oatmeal + 604 Red Ochre, Posca Paint Pens - White + Sunshine Yellow + Metallic Pink + Apricot, Red Fine-point Sharpie, Candy Cane Stickles, White Uniball Signo Gel Pen, Quickie Glue Pen, Bellbird PaperArts Diamond Glitter, Ink Blending Tool + Domed Pad, Square White Card Base, Kaisercraft Cardstock - Ivory + Forest + Cinnamon

Dies:  Lifestyle Nesting Circles (retired)