Monday 14 March 2016

Clarity Stamp Challenge 37 Mid-month 'It's All About the Girls!'



Clarity Challenge 37 Mid-month
‘It’s All About the Girls'
'Masque'

Hello and welcome back to Shelagh-land (The Making Lady) and many thanks for your visit. There are quite a few birthdays to be recognised around this time, so I have combined this reason with my Clarity Challenge Mid-month submission. I love 3D work and although I've haven't possessed this stamp for long, the shape shouted 'Masqued Ball' to me. I hope you like how I've used it. Most of the components are available from the Clarity Stamp website with a few additions from my stash.

Apologies for the lack of step-by-step photos but there is work going on in the house - right next to my craft room and presently the area is a 'No-Go' zone! 



Materials:-
·         Stamps:- Filigraphy Leaves 1
·         Stencil:- Tree of Life
·         Cardstock:- Clarity Stencil Card 7x7, mirri card from stash, 8x8 white card
·         Panpastels:- Gold
·         Inkpads:- Versamark
·         Ranger Mini Blending Tool and sponges
·         Embossing Powder:-   Gold Detail, two shades of red/gold and orange/gold from stash
·         Feathers:- coloured marabou from stash
(N.B. All items listed apart from ‘stash stuff’ are available from Clarity Stamps website.)


Instructions:-
1.       Cover entire branch area of tree of life with masking tape or post-it notes, leaving only the intricate root area, complete with Celtic symbol open. Tape in place over one corner of 7x7 card and sponge over Versamark. (I used a Ranger mini blending tool and sponge.) Remove stencil.
2.       Over the Versamark stencilled outline, apply gold Panpastels, gently building up the depth of colour.
3.       Repeat these two steps on each remaining corner, working in a clockwise direction.
4.        Add red liner tape around each card edge, sprinkle on a mixture of embossing powders as detailed in (5) and gently heat emboss. (I started from the reverse of the card to stop the powder flying onto the stencilled image.) Set aside.
(N.B. I tried stencilling all the areas before adding the Panpastels but the final image was not as sharp.)
5.       Stamp the Filigraphy Leaves onto post-its and cut out a mask. Set aside.
6.       Again using Versamark, stamp the Filigraphy Leaves stamp onto another sheet of the 7x7 card. Sprinkle pinches of gold and the other two colours over the stamped image then heat emboss.
7.       Mask this image then turn the stamp to face the other way and stamp and emboss again as in (5.) Cut out the complete image, leaving a fraction of a white border. Cut out the central leaf on each side.
8.       Stamp another four leaf images and emboss as in (5.) On two images, cut into the shape, to leave the inside rim of leaves. Shape the card, gently rounding the leaves and glue into place over main piece.
9.       From the remaining two images, cut single leaves to suit and glue in place.
10.   Mat stencilled image onto white card, followed by gold mirri then black card.
Et voila! Another card suitable ‘For the Girls!’
 Although it’s not shown here, this was then mounted onto an 8x8 card for my sister’s birthday – Happy Birthday, Kay!





Here is another variation on the theme:-


Barbara’s Birthday Card!
Materials:-
·         Stamps:- Filigraphy Leaves1, Small Leafy Swirl, ‘Celebrate’ – Word Chain 3
·         Cardstock:- Clarity Stencil card 7x7, toning mirri card, 8x8 card
·         Stencil:- Tree of Life
·         Inkpads:- Versamark, Peacock Feathers
·         Embossing Powders:- Wow Gold Twinkle, Gold Detail two colours of turquoise from stash
·         Clarity Brushes
·         Feathers, Filigree Leaves from stash
·         Perfect Pearls:- gold, blue, turquoise, green


Instructions:-
1.       Tree of Life stencil prepared and used as above in (1,) (2) and (3.)
2.       Load Clarity brush with Peacock Feathers ink then brush most off onto copy paper before brushing over stencilled card.
3.       Run red liner tape around each edge and gently brush on a selection of toning Perfect Pearls. Set aside.
4.       Stamp Filigraphy Leaf 1 using Versamark as in (6) but heat emboss as before with pinches of  sparkling gold and different turquoise and blue embossing powders.
5.       Repeat (7,) (8) and (9) with these colours and assemble as before.
6.       Ink the small Leafy Swirl with Versamark and stamp onto feathers and filigree leaves. Add gold detail powder and heat emboss. (N.B. I tried this with a marabou feather from the card above and it ‘withered’ with the heat – so in this case, the cheaper the feathers, all the better!)
7.       Glue the decorated leaves and feathers behind the mask to suit.
8.       Stamp ‘Celebrate’ using glittery gold embossing powder and heat-set.
9.       The card was completed by matting onto white, then toning mirri then onto 8x8 card.
Et voila! 

Bon anniversaire, Barbara!

      


Tuesday 1 March 2016

Clarity Challenge 37 'It's All About the Girls!'

Clarity Challenge 37
‘It’s All About the Girls!’
'On the Catwalk!'
Hi and welcome once again to Shelagh-land and the 'Making Lady's' blog. From the outset, well in my mind anyway, my take on this month's challenge was a 'no-brainer' and there is a little story to go along with it. 
A few days before I had the pleasure of attending the Clarity Retreat last year, I lost a very dear friend of thirty plus years from my Brunei days. As I was travelling out to Kuwait a few days after the Retreat, I was unable to attend her funeral but her family very kindly sent on the order of service along with a photo, black and white of course, of this dear lady taking part in an Expat fashion show in Sabah, Borneo in the 1950's (and this was awaiting me at home when I returned six weeks later.) To explain further, she was photographed walking along a stage and dressed very similarly to the lady with the handbag on the right-hand side of my card. So my dear, dear Michal, this is for you!

Materials:-
·          Cardstock:- Clarity card ‘Theuva’ 7x7; backing card mats
·         Stencils:- Stripes, Elegant Ladies Set x4, Town &Texture, Stage stencil
·         Book pages
·         Inkpads:- Distress Inks – Stormy Sky, Chipped Sapphire, Cracked Pistachio Walnut Stain; Adirondack:- Mountain Rose; Memento:- Cloudy Sky
·         Coloured Pencils:- Polychromos  or Spectrum Noir
·         Clarity stencil brushes

Instructions:-
1.       Place chosen ‘Elegant Lady’ outer stencil in centre of 7x7 card; brush over lightly with Mountain Rose. Mask figure with inner stencil, place two other ‘Elegant Lady’ outer stencils to suit and brush through with Mountain Rose.
2.       Place all three outer stencils over book pages and brush through with Cracked Pistachio and a touch of Mermaid Lagoon. Cut out each image. Colour and shade dress images using Polychromos, cut out and reserve.

3.       Ensure all three lady images on the main card are masked with the ‘inners.’ Place the ‘Curtains’ stencil from the ‘Marionettes’ stamp set over the scene to suit and brush through Chipped Sapphire.
4.       Leave the ‘Curtains’ stencil in place then place the ‘Stripes’ stencil over the scene and mask off areas as shown. Drag through Chipped Sapphire.
5.       Place Texture stencil over and cover open areas with White opaque ink.
6.       Adhere each stamped ‘book-page’ image over silhouettes and once in place, shade with pencils to suit.
7.   Mount onto white then toning card.

Et Voila – ‘On the Catwalk!’


There are also a number of examples below - slight variations on the theme - and one is off to my friend's family; I wonder if you can guess which? 
As a final note there was a quote at the foot of the photo mentioned above which I'd like to share with you all:-

'It's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years.'



Looking forward to your creative examples.

Much love,

Shelagh.
(The Making Lady)