A FAIRY CAKE


This tag was made up from a stamp collection called FAIRY SWEETS from OXFORD IMPRESSIONS. The tag is one that i designed myself it is approx. 8 inches tall and just  4 inches wide, made from cream card stock. The lettering is from a font stamp design from KAISERCRAFT called GRUNGE FONT. The Fairy Sweets stamp set is available from THATS CRAFY ON LINE STORE. While they don't have the Grunge Font at this moment there is a nice collection of font stamps available. Other materials used on this project are available from the store if they are in stock, so its always worth re-visiting the store to see what deals and new stock they are carrying.

MATERIALS USED:
A4 Cream Card Stock.
A4 White Stamping Card.
Post-it Notes.
Sharp Tipped Scissors.
Archival Black Ink Pad.
Selection of Black Fine Nibbed Pens.
Selection of Water Based Pens such as Aqua Markers*Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pens* Zig Pens.
EcoGreen Crafts Acrylic Paint: Aged Gold*Pure Copper*Bronze.
Crafters Acrylic Orange Neon Paint.
Splatular.
Spectrum Noir Pens EB4*DR7.
Collection of Glitter Gelly Roll or Sakura Stardust Pens.
Craft Mat.
Adirondack Cranberry Ink Pad
Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pads: Rusty Hinge*Dried Marigold*Aged Mahogany*Vintage Photo.
Inkassentials Blending Tool and Pads.
Dylusions Ink Sprays: Lemon Zest*Postbox Red.
That Special Touch A4 Mask - Autumn Leaves.
Clear Embossing Powder.
Heat Gun.
Aqua-Flo Brush Set.
Fine Tipped Brush.
Woodware Clip It Tools for Heat Embossing [must have tool!].
Woodware Acid Free Silicone Adhesive.
Daler Rowney 578 Flesh Tint Paint.
Ruler.

LETS MAKE A TAG!:

Before we start with this project there is something i would like to share with you all.
This project was very hard for me to do. Not because of what was involved as i had done the techniques hundreds of times before. The reason for the difficulty was MY CRAFTING MOJO HAD BOOKED A FLIGHT SOME WHERE AND WENT ON HOLIDAY!. I have spent the last week or so flitting from one project to another, not able to feel what i was doing. As crafters non crafters don't understand that we feel what we are doing. its never a case of 'Just cutting something out and then gluing it onto some card!'. i was just not able to put my efforts into one project, as i look round the crafting space there are about 5 possibly 6 different projects that had been started. i have also rearranged the boxes that contained buttons, stamps etc. i did almost everything apart from concentrating on what i wanted to do and that was to be creative. The boxes were perfect where they were, i was just task evasion as they say.
i wanted to let you all know about this state of mind as WE ALL GO THROUGH IT. i wanted new crafters who have never experience this that they must not question their abilities, its something that just happens. Then just as quickly as it went it will be back with you and your going to be able to do what we all love doing and thats being creative.

Well my mojo is back with me and i started to finish a project i started. With all this baking going on i wanted to have a 'Play on Words' project so this is what i came up with. it contains several techniques that are not difficult if we take our time, relax and break it down into small parts.
This project is broken down into 2 or possibly 3 different parts, we have the Tag, the main Image and then the Wording. if we start to do each part singularity then we can bring them all together at the last stage.
i have tried to do as many photos as possible along with a few photos that are included to show a few tips.

PART 1: The Tag [Part 1]


 Place the template we have selected onto the tag then spray lightly with each colour so that we can build up the level of hue that we want to have. Don't 'over saturate' the tag as that will cause the ink to bleed under the stencil. It will bleed naturally as we have not secured the template onto the tag with a light layer of glue.



After the template had been lifted of the tag [with GREAT CARE] so that we don't leave droplets of ink from the surface of the tag. The outline needs to be enhanced  i am going to use distressing inks later to colour the tag, so i felt that the cream left from the template needs to be given an anchor. i could go round using a darker colour pen, this to me would overpower the colours of the ink sprays we have used. i decided that if l laided the template back over onto the tag [after i had heat sealed it using the heat gun] using the edge's of the mask i was able to follow around as if i was embossing. i used several colours as no matter how careful i am i can never leave a clean line round! So by using several colours it looks as if it is meant.

After the lines had been inked all that was left to do was to use the distressing inks to colour the tag. Starting light then going to the mid tone followed by the darkest hue. This will give depth. it is a lot easier to ADD colour than it is to take it away.





The finished tag. i had also cut out a hole protector in a darker brown. Using the clear adhesive just a small dot as this glue will bond and hold very well.

We will finish the tag later after we have finished the fairy.






THE FAIRY:

This is the stamp set we are going to be using when constructing the fairy and cake image.










Taking the white stamping paper stamp out one good clean image. Without re-inking stamp onto a large Post-it note. This will become our mask when we are going to stamp the cake below. Using the sharp tipped scissors carefully cut around the black outline. Try to leave as much of the 'sticky' strip as you can, this will help when it comes to placing the mask and stamping over.

Speaking of Masks, here is a tip. i buy Spellbinders when i see something i like. By just opening the plastic outer by cutting along the top edge, it leaves a perfect case to put your masks in. I could use cd cases etc. however now a days we don't seem to use them as much as we did 5 or 6 years ago. i also cut the plastic covers down to hold a collection of stamps. The plastic is perfect as its strong clear and is just the right size to fit into my stamping box. 


The next step as show above is to place the mask into position and then over stamp with the cake stamp.

If you have miss stamped your images don't worry. in my craft pens collection i have added a selection of Black Fine Nibbed Pens. To me these are just as important as the Aqua Markers, Pro-Markers, Spectrum Noirs etc. We do tend to stamp using a black 9/10 so by having a collection of different nibbed black pens we can fill in the places that we have missed. You don't have to throw it away as you have missed a overstamping by a few millimeters.

Now the fun part. As i have used the Archival Black ink this gives me the opportunity to work with water based pens. Lets colour and build up an image. i have to hold my hand up and say i have never found a skin colour that i like in watercolour. So i invested in a tube of paint that will help fix this issue and the tube will last a VERY VERY long time.


EcoGreen produce a nice collection of colours. They are so rich, creamy and easy to use. They also contain no harmful odors, Low or NO VOC's. Perfect for those crafters who do suffer from skin allergies when it comes to painting. Here i have used the Gold to give a rich and interesting wrapper. i wanted it to look metalic, this paint gives me that look so easy.

i wanted to place glitter on the wings and onto the fairies top. Glitter pens can overpower a colour when its used in a small space.
There is a way round this as l will show. i uses a dedicated Glitter Gelly Roll pen over the wings. i just went over the 'painted' areas. This helped seal the paint work, but as i didn't go over the black stamped part it was not swamped.

Now then the fairies top. taking something like a white tile [these are so cheap if you go to the tile shop and look for 'cast-off's' a white tile is a must have in a crafters box as it helps mixing colours as you can see what your doing.The hue is not overpowered by the base of a 'Craft mat'. Taking the chosen glitter pen just make a few dots onto the tile. Then when you introduce a drop of water from a water brush it will blend in giving you a very watery glitter wash thats just perfect for going over an image.

i have tried to take a photograph showing how the watered down glitter pen looks when you add it as a wash.









THE TAG [Part 2]

For the next part of the tag we have to select several colours that will work together. i decided to thrown in the orange as a last minute thing. i felt that the tag needed a bright colour to match what ink pads we have used so far. it was not going to be a focal point but just a 'hint' in the background.

By using the spatular as a knife and as if we are buttering some bread [this is the 2nd time i have used this technique. i just love it at this moment in time. Next week could be so different. After the colours had all been dripped i wanted to distress the edges, taking my scissors i just ran round the edges and used a Spectrum Noir to edge it where i had distressed the card. 

i have missed out a photo here so its a case of writing  however if you look closely at the finished project you will be able to see what i mean. So that the drips stood out i took a black marker pen and decided where the drips would have a shadow. This was done so that it made the paint drips stand out. So pick one side draw around and then when you get to the base [this also applies to the top] just go round half way. Shadows dont stop all the way round they finish half way.

WORDING:

After selecting the type face you want as well as a complimentary colour stamp out the words you want to use.






Draw a frame around the wording so that it makes a box. Then take your scissors and cut around the box just leaving a small margin.





After the wording had been cut out, the next step is to place colour onto the white card. Here all i have done is ink my pad stamp onto a crafting mat and then onto the card. i wanted to have a mottled effect. if i have placed the pad straight onto the card from the ink pad it would leave blocks of colour and edges where the pad had been pounded onto the card.

The final thing we need to do before we start to construct is to give the words that glass look. This was done by doing a 3 layer fine clear embossing powder layers. The final layer was headed from beneath the card and not from above. When embossing small items like this the embossing powder will melt a lot flatter giving a glass look. There is a big difference between heating from below and above. Try it and see how it does look especially when you're doing several layers of embossing powders.

All thats left to do is to construct the card. By using the silicone glue you can give depth to the items. i had eased the fairy into a slight curve. Also the wings were run over a biro to give some definition  its these small things when your making the main image ready to be secured into place. Look at it and see where you can give depth just by manipulating the card over a pen. it will be worth it when the project is given to that special person.

Hope that this project will inspire you to have a look at your stamps and start to build up an image using 2 or 3 stamps from a stamp set or even different stamps nothing is written where it says you cant use stamps from different makers. All you have to look at is the way that the stamps have been drawn, some have bolder lines, so are older in style some are modern. Just look and to make double sure just get some scrap paper and do a tester.

Any questions about what you may have read or seen on this blog site then please send me a message and i will get back to you a.s.a.p.














Comments

  1. Hallo Alan..I visit your blog throug CARDS FOR MEN..and I love all your explanation..it is clear and everybody can follow it....love this Background paper you have created...so very artistic...I hope we can be friend..I am not a complicated card maker because I have two little son...it needs also time..also I try to make a simple but sweet card...but I love to see whole your explanation..now I am in the office..after I arrive at home..I will see more of your work...nice to see your creativity....

    Best regards from Germany
    Monika

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