Stampscapes - Tri-fold Card - Lakeside View

This is a tri-fold shutter card that I made for my friend a while ago. The instructions for this style of card can be found on Splitcoaststampers or you tube. I decided to make a scene for this type of card using my stampscapes stamps. I cut all the pieces of white glossy cardstock to fit each space of the card and then I laid them down in place like a puzzle and stamped my scene using black archival ink. When the ink was dry, I then added colour using stipple brushes and dye inks.

Below is the card stretched out so that you can see the scene.

And below here is the card folded up and ready to go into an envelope.

These cards are intricate to do but look great when they are standing up in 3-D. Some people make the scene first and then cut it up into the correct size pieces. I chose to do it differently to make each element fit into each space.
Take care! :D

Stampscapes card - Hula Dancers #1

This is a stampscapes scene that I stamped on watercolour paper and painted with watercolours. The hula dancers are by Inkadinkado. I coloured the hula dancers with markers. I stamped three different scenes with the hula dancers so that is why this card is #1.
A Hawaiian vacations sounds like a great idea right now doesn't it? :D
Take care and do the hula!

Stampscapes Bookmarks

These are two bookmarks that I made creating the scenes with several stampscapes stamps. The images are stamped with black Archival ink and then the ink colours are applied with stipple brushes and markers.
I love to give bookmarks away and I love to have several for myself.
Happy stamping and reading! :D

Christmas Cards - Stampscapes

 

 

These are two Christmas cards that I made this year. I masked the area off with post-it notes and sponged colour onto the front of each card. I stamped my Stampscapes images in black. Then I dry embossed around the edges with my Scor-Buddy. I also made a fancy insert with masking for the insides. I used non-traditional colours for these cards and I'm pleased with the way they turned out.
I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas this year. :D

Stampscapes - Retirement Bliss

This is the card I made for a retirement-birthday party. The couple will be going to Florida for the winters now so I made the card with a tropical theme. The two chairs represent rest and relaxation.
I used stampscapes stamps for the scene and the chairs are a stamp by Rosewood Canada www.FrogsWhiskersink.com.  They are called Muskoka Chairs F727.
I used matte cardstock and inks and coloured pencil to add the colour to the scene.
Retirement is a wonderful thing! Make the best of it! Do what you love with passion! :D

Stampscapes - Dock of the Bay

I did this 8.5" x 11" Stampscapes scene when I was visiting my friend Pat in Green Bay, Wisconsin. I used a stipple brush to apply most of the ink and some markers for details. I used a torn paper for a mask to make the clouds in the sky.
Larger scenes like this are fun but take a bit more organizing than a smaller card sized scene. Give one a try!
Take care and keep creating! :D

Stampscapes - Tropical Sunset

I stamped this card at the Savanna Stamping Retreat in 2011. I added most of the colour when I was there with dye inks and stipple brushes. I finished it at home with more colour to frame it and then stamped the palm leaves and grasses.
I just love that sun stamp that I used at the retreat and now I'm going to have to order it. :D
Have a great day and I wish you all beautiful sunsets.

Savanna Stamping Retreat - Home on the Range

At the Savanna Stamping Retreat there were hundreds of stamps to use, mostly belonging to our hostess Karen Wallace. Everyone shared their stamps as well. Unfortunately, I don't know the companies that made these stamps. I just chose these to make the scene and didn't write down who made them. The bottom part of the scene was all one stamp and the mountain range was one stamped twice and the clouds and birds were two different stamps.
On this scene I used markers, stippling, and pencil crayons to add the colour.
I hope you have a creative day! :D

Savanna Stamping Retreat - Peaceful Meadow

I did this scene at the Savanna, Illinois Stamping Retreat. I was trying a new method of making the clouds that I had been thinking about for a while. I first stamped the images using Stampscapes stamps. Then I tore the sticky part of post-it notes into cloud shapes and adhered them onto the sky to mask the cloud shapes. I stippled dye inks with stipple brushes onto the sky and grassy area. I added colour to the trees with markers. Then I removed the cloud masks and added a little grey colour to the bottom of the clouds.
I had such a great time at the retreat!  :D

Stamping Retreat in Savanna, Illinois May 2012

Last week I attended a wonderful stamping retreat in Savanna, Illinois in the United States. The retreat was hosted by Karen Wallace and stampers from the Stampscapes Yahoo groups were invited. Kevin Nakagawa, the owner and creator of the Stampscapes line of stamps, also attended. It was so great to watch him create! His work is amazing!!!!
Here is a picture of Kevin and I at the retreat and another two showing Kevin at work.

We did mostly scenic stamping and as we finished a scene, we would put it on the piano for display. After several days we had more scenes and they were being displayed around the room.

This was the second year that I was able to go to this stamping retreat and I had a fabulous time! It was great to see friends I had met last year and meet some new ones this year.
Here is one of my scenes from the retreat called "Swans on the Pond".

Many thanks to Karen for all her work and to everyone for such a fun time! I hope to see you all again.
Happy stamping!!!!  :D

Art Journal - Eagles' Nest

I stamped this page with images from Sutter and Stampscapes while I was at a retreat in May 2011 in Savanna, Illinois. I coloured the scene with coloured pencil crayons and blended them with odorless mineral spirits and a paper stump.
This is the time of year that I like to watch the live webcams that show the eagles laying their eggs and carefully sitting on them for weeks until the babies hatch. The webcams stay until the babies are grown and have left the nest. It is amazing to watch! There are several webcams that do this and I like the one from Decorah, Iowa. Check it out!
Happy eagle watching! :D

Stampscapes - Brayered Bookmarks

I taught a class about brayering the background for Stampscapes scenes. I decided to make bookmarks for the class. I showed three different brayering techniques.
For this bookmark I used a mask made from a torn post-it note to mask the ground and brayered the colour onto the sky. I also used a mask to sponge on the colour for the snow drifts. The scene was stamped in Black Archival ink. The big snowflakes were heat embossed before the sky was brayered. The smaller snowflakes were added with a white gel pen after the scene was complete.

I brayered shades of saffron on the top of this bookmark and shades of blue on the bottom. Other colours were added with stipple brushes and highlights were added with a white gel pen.

For this bookmark, I brayered the background using a multi-coloured ink pad called Kaleidacolor Baby Powder. Again I added extra colour with a stipple brush and markers after the scene was stamped.

We had a great time in this class making these bookmarks. The ladies did an awesome job! And hopefully when you give these bookmarks to someone, they will use them and keep your artwork. I'm always worried that sometimes cards are just thrown out! Yikes!

Tree Art Journal - Pencil Sketch and Stamps

This is a multi-media scene I did in my tree art journal. First I sketched the large tree with a regular pencil. Then I coloured it with prismacolor pencil crayons and blended the colour with OMS (odorless mineral spirits).  Then I masked the tree with post-it notes and I stamped the background elements with stamps and ink and drew in the horizon and landscape lines. I coloured much of the background with chalks and pencil crayons.
I'm looking forward to seeing the trees with leaves on them again. Come on spring!

Sympathy Card

This is a sympathy card that a friend asked me to make. She wanted a card with a sun on it as the friend that had passed away always had a sunny smile. What a wonderful memory.
I used the direct-to-paper technique for the colour on the blue cardstock. That is when you take your ink pad and drag it directly onto the cardstock. I like to use the small stampin' spots inkpads from Stampin' Up when I do the direct-to-paper technique because it gives me more control than a bigger ink pad.
I used the direct-to-paper technique for making the distant mountains on the scene as well. I punched a circle from a post-it note to use as a mask for the sun and then sponged colour over it for the sky. When I removed the mask, I lightly sponged some colour on the sun. Ink was sponged on for the water. Then I stamped the images in black ink and used a white gel pen to add higlights to the water and images.
I tried to make it look like a setting sun.
May your smile always be sunny too.  :D

Stampscapes - Wintery Mountain Cabin

I made this scene on glossy cardstock cut with the Sizzix Bigz Top Note die. I coloured by stippling dye inks onto the scene which was stamped with Archival Black. I used some markers for some of the colouring too. I think this scene has a chilly winter look to it without snow.
What do you think?
Have a fabulous day!  :D

Stampscapes - Tropical Tri Fold Shutter Card

To make this tri fold card I first made the black cardstock base and then cut out all the pieces of white glossy cardstock to fit each section. Then I stamped the scene with the pieces of white glossy cardstock laid out in the formation they would be on the card. I added the colour with stipple brushes and dye inks. I added highlights with a white gel pen.
Click on the photo to see a bigger picture.
Happy Stamping!

Probus Art Show

The program for our Probus group in August was an Art Show. We were asked to show the members what we create. The following photos show my table all set up for the show at the Brantford Golf and Country Club. I showed my Stampscapes scenic art, my Zentangle art and my Art Journals. It was fun to get to tell about my art and  listen to all the reactions and interest.

I'd love to know what you create. Leave me a message and tell me about your artistic adventures!

Stampscapes - Northern Lights

I did most of this scene when I went to Green Bay, Wisconsin where we have family and my great stamping friend Pat A. I loved one of her scenes that showed the northern lights and I wanted to give it a try. This was done on glossy cardstock and stippled with dye inks. Highlights were added with gel pens. What a fun time I always have with Pat! It is great to get together with stamping friends and play.
Enjoy your day! :D

Stampscapes - Forest Falls

This scene, measuring 8.5"x11", is much bigger than my card sized scenes. For this scene I followed a tutorial by Kevin Nakagawa on the Stampscapes website. I didn't have all of the same stamps that he used so I had to use what I had for my version of his scene. To make all the elements of the composition I had to use a  lot of masking to get images to look like they were behind other images.
It was fun to try such a big project. My friend Linda and I each did this scene at her house one day last spring. I had most of it stamped and inked with colour, but got it back out recently to finish it to display at an art show in which I participated.
Did you get creative lately? It's good to stretch your abilities with something out of your comfort range now and again.
I'd love to hear from you. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

Art Journal - Searching

This journal page was made using the Symmetry (Fish Heads) Sheet #5 from Stampscapes.  I stamped the images on the right hand side page and then drew the extended lines for the left side page. I drew in the rest of the scene and then coloured it in with oil pastels. I wrote the journaling using a sharpie marker. The fish looked to me like they were searching and it made me think that we spend much of our time searching in our lives too.
I love the freedon of creating anything you want in an art journal.
Take care and happy creating!