Thursday Team Swap Share

Starting to share some cards made by some of my very talented and lovely friends and fellow demonstrators in our team... as from time to time... we create a set of cards and then swap with each other to provide each of us with samples to share featuring different products, projects and styles...

First up... a lovely scenic card by Julie Kettlewell at The Paper Haven using one of my favourite stamp sets in the Jan - June seasonal catalogue, called Oceanfront...

And an admittance as to why Oceanfront is one of my favourites!!? Well, I can't draw for toffee... not even pin men! But there has always been one beach side scene that I could sketch out... and guess what... it's covered in the Oceanfront elements!! So much so that I almost feel like I drew the images for this stamp set myself... LOL! 

About time I had a play me thinks... and I may even share a little sketch!! Always good for a laugh...

Click HERE for my Baby Wipe Swooshed Grassy Grove swap creation and the back story... 

Happy Fathers Day Dad!

My father loves his cars... particularly a convertible!

So it just had to be done... call it Geared Up Garage meets Sailing Home meets Waterfront!

Happy Fathers Day Dad!

Click here for how to produce the convertible car version...
Click here for the Bridge U Fold card tutorial...
Click here for the Waterfront Background Scene Tutorial...

And the yachts are stamped onto Window Sheets acetate with Staz On...

And stamped onto white card with Memento, then the sails and hulls coloured using Stampin Blends.... and just the sails and hulls quickly fussy cut

And then stuck onto the acetate version... and then die cut (or fussy cut)

And apologies to you eagle eyed viewers that have spotted my Very Vanilla lighthouse! But I had to finish this card off within minutes... and there just wasn't time for the production of a new lighthouse on white! And I know my Dad wont notice...

She sells... sea shells... on the sea shore...

So... out of interest... is this (title) a tongue twister used all over the world? Or is it a UK only thing!!?

Another quickie Narrow Note Card  from the By The Bay display... greeting from Home to Roost as it was out and it seemed more relevant to the little scene... 

Now... initially... this image had me stumped... and I definitely didn't see a sea shell... but more on that another day...

And this one does qualify for the Stampin' Up!  #simplestamping challenge... simple little Gray Granite stamping of the sea shell and greeting on Shimmery White card... Aqua Painter watercolouring of sand and sea using Sahara Sand and Pool Party

Simple... quick... but effective little card... 

Amanda's QuickLinks

If you are ordering today... do remember the Host Code to help support The Craft Spa... and earn yourself a gift at the same time...

And just click on the pictures below for more information...

Tuesday Tutorial - By The Bay card

So back to this card that I shared last Friday... and the Tutorial and a few pointers for you if you would like to create one yourself... 

First up...the card size is not the standard A6 card size... as the Rectangles Stitched dies are a different rectangular shape/dimensions... but not to worry if you are working with A4 card... just chop your 14.8cm finished/folded card blank height down to 14cm... or just follow the Recipe/Tutorial for a Tent Fold Card like mine

And you may spot that I produced a couple of variants whilst I was at it!

Craft Spa Recipe

A4 Sahara Sand 10.5 x 28cm ( 4 1/8” x 11”)

A4 Thin Whisper White 7 x 10.4cm (2 ¾” x 4 1/16”)

Watercolor Paper 7 x 10.4cm (2 ¾” x 4 1/16”)

Stamps – By The Bay, Home To Roost

Embossing Folder – Seaside

Tools – Aqua Painter, Big Shot, Rectangle Stitched dies

Ink pads – Sahara Sand, Gray Granite, Early Espresso, Pool Party, Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay

Marker Pen - Early Espresso

Craft Spa Tutorial

1.     Score Sahara Sand card panel LANDSCAPE at 14cm (5 ½”)

2.     Bone Fold to make card blank

3.     Die cut Watercolor Paper (4^th largest Rectangle Stitched die)

4.     Apply Temporary glue* to back of Watercolor Paper panel

5.     Stick to centre of card blank

6.     Wet top 2/3 of Watercolor Paper panel

7.     Apply Pool Party using AquaPainter

8.     Apply Coastal Cabana using AquaPainter to middle third

9.     Apply Bermuda Bay using AquaPainter to top and randomly!

10.   Leave to dry… or blast with Heat Gun

11.   Wet bottom 1/3^rd of panel

12.   Apply Sahara Sand using AquaPainter to all of bottom third

13.   Apply Gray Granite using AquaPainter to bottom half (of bottom 1/3rd!)

14.   Leave to dry… or blast with Heat Gun

15.   Ink up & stamp Gray Granite birds to LHS.. about a third of the way up…

16.   Ink up grasses stamp with Sahara Sand (pad) all over and using Early Espresso marker direct onto grass heads

17.   Stamp to bottom RHS

18.   Ink up grasses and repeat 2 more times… varying the height as you go…

19.   Ink up & Stamp Early Espresso greeting

20.  Emboss the watercoloured panel using the Seaside Embossing Folder & Big Shot

*Bonus Tip: You can use Tombow Multipurpose glue… apply and leave to dry/go clear… as it is then forms a temporary glue

And here is the other version for you… without the Seaside embossing step… as guess who forgot first time round! Oops!!

And finally... the more observant of you will have noticed... in the embossed version below... that the sea area is kind of off to the right hand side of the scene from about the half way point to the left... and that it also looks like it has rolling waves... so for those that like the detail... a couple more Bonus Tips for you...

So I didn't quite wet all the way across to the left when I wet the top 2/3 for the blues... and then I wet a bit up that left hand side when I wet the bottom 1/3 for the neutrals... 

And the rolling waves... just appeared! A bit after drying... and then more after embossing... Now whether I could repeat this feature... only time (and another make) would tell!!

PS The tech eluded to in the last post will have to wait for another day... it didn't work - or not work- I just didn't get the chance to try it out - as the window went! - and it it may be a while before I get another one to try things out...

If you are ordering today... do remember the Host Code to earn yourself a gift ... and help support The Craft Spa at the same time...

And just click on the pictures below for more information...

By The Bay...

Sticking with this set for another day...

So the stamp set is By The Bay... it can be yours for free with any £45 order... as it is a promotional free & exclusive Sale A Bration product...

So this card was inspired by this stunning card in the Sale A Bration brochure... as the layout was kinda already in my head!... and I loved the fact that it was only partially coloured...

I just changed the colours ... and used a Shimmery White card panel behind a Whisper White Rectangle Stitched die cut frame... so as to improve the quality of my water colouring with my Aqua Painter..

And I can think of infinite possibilities for that sky... for every season of the year! And for every part of the day!

Oh and did I say! Definitely loving this stamp set!!! Could be a keeper... 

Ordering today... do remember the Host Code to help support The Craft Spa... and earn yourself a gift at the same time...

And just click on the pictures below for more information...

Global Stamping Friends Blog Hop showcasing new products...

Hello and welcome to The Craft Spa blog with Amanda Bates in the UK...  and a very Happy New Year to you!

Gosh it has been a long while (July last year) since I joined my Global Stamping Friends to hop  around the world... and I am very happy to be back! 2019 is going to be a good year!

This month's Blog Hop brief is a simple one... all of us getting together to showcase products from the NEW Spring Summer (aka Occasions) catalogue and/or the Sale A Bration promotion...

And I couldn't help but CASE ... well myself!

When I saw the Sale A Bration free promotional By The Bay and Home to Roost products I immediately thought of the Wetlands card in my 2nd most visited blog post ever...

A card that has been pinned beyond all imagination... and much CASED around the world ever since... but Wetlands is now long retired... so I thought it high time the basic design was updated for 2019... but I do REALLY secretly wish we still had that  Serene Scenery paper pattern we had back then!! Though luckily we do still have the fabulous Seaside embossing folder...

But we don't have those papers anymore... so after a bit of wet on wet watercolouring with inks on a piece of  Watercolor Paper die cut with the NEW and wonderful Rectangle Stitched Framelits dies (my favourite new product!) ...

... I had a similar seaside scene that I then embossed with the Seaside embossing folder... colours as shown below...

Too much fun!

Come back on Tuesday for tips and tricks and a full tutorial for this new version (with a tutorial that may surprise you if the new tech works out!!) ... and a couple of other cards for a bit of variety!

But in the meantime... here is my original card that I CASED... just click on it's photo to go to the original post with instructions... though ignore the initial patterned paper cutting bit! And the card is a slightly different size to the norm... but more of that on Tuesday...

And now it is time to pass you onto the lovely Lisa in Ontario, Canada... Just click on the big arrow!

And here is the Roll Call of my lovely Global Stamping Friends around the world that have something to share with you today... please feel free to hop using the NEXT icons... or click around this list if that's the way you prefer...

1. Blog Hop Participants
   1. Libby Dyson
   2. Tricia Butts
   3. Karie Beglau
   4. Sharon Dalton
   5. Vicky Wright  
   6. Angélique Stempelkeuken
   7. Narelle Fasulo 
   8. Amanda Farlinger
   9. Kimberley Anne Morris
   10. Amanda Bates
   11. Lisa Henderson
   12.  Marieke Bar
   13. Jan Musselman
   14. Anja Reuss
   15.  Rachel Macleod
   16.  Lisa Ann Bernard
   17.  June Olsen
   18. Sarah Mcdermott

Waterfront on Wednesday...

A quickie but a goodie! Clean & Simple as it should be...

Using my beloved new Waterfront! The best Faux Watercolouring stamp set I think you will ever see....

Oh such a simple little scene... in minutes from start to finish...

In fact here is a very quick step by step!!

(1) Stamp sea "squiggle" in Pool Party... about half way down...
(2) Stamp sea "squiggle" upside down in stamped off Soft Sky
(3) Stamp sun "blob" in Soft Saffron
(4) Stamp mountains "shape" in Wisteria Wonder... then secondary-stamped (without re-inking) again slightly above and to left...
(5) Stamp Tranquil Tide inked trees on horizon to right hand side... not that the trees are only partially inked up... no tree trunks wanted here!
(6) Stamp Tranquil Tide Thanks greeting...

All on a 8.5cm white mat (US 3 3/8") ...9cm Tranquil Tide mat (US 3 5/8") ... 10.5cm Small Square card blank...(US 4 1/4") 

So much creative fun in a set... tomorrow's share certainly looks different!

And who noticed my little slip in yesterdays post!

I have to admit that I kind of got ahead a day this week getting son and heir ready to go back to university... amongst trying to balance a very busy start to January on the Stampin' Up! front....so I did think I was posting on a Wednesday!! Bear with me... normal service is about to resume!!

Happy Home Clean & Simple Trio

And so the final card in my Clean & Simple Happy Home trio and a round up picture...

Again a simple standard card with a single white Hearth & Home die cut window... plus a simple single scored skirting board panel at the bottom... which was CASEd from the very talented fellow Jem, Allie Joliffe's Team Training swap card...

Again a kite flying from the beach scene... with a watercoloured and Wink of Stella'd sea ... look at that shimmer....

With 3 little birds in the sky care of my black marker and 3 ticks...

And here are all 3 together again...