New Baby Girl

Afternoon guys! Hope you had a lovely bank holiday weekend! The Quixotic Design Team have got an exciting week in store for you this week with Quixotic's Birthday Celebrations kicking off! Keep your eyes peeled for lots of inspiring makes and spotlights!

Anyway I've popped on to show you this New Baby card that I've made with the stunning stamp by Whimsy designed by Crissy Armstrong called Proud Momma. It such a gorgeous image to colour and it's nice having something a bit different for a baby card I think! I used my copics to colour and also had a go with created a dotted background-good fun to do!

I've used the gorgeous Prima papers 'Melody' stack and used te same papers for the little flowers I punched out. I added some pearls to the centres using the Viva Decor pearl Pen in Ice White (re-stock coming soon).

That's it from me today! See you soon! Rowena

Customer Spotlight: Linda

The lovely Linda has created an equally lovely card using one of the Elisabeth Bell for SCACD Peeker images!

Love the little details, and of course the adorable Daydreaming Peeker.

Pop over to Linda's Blog and check out her other work, which includes some fab Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps creations!

Thank you for sharing, Linda! 

If you'd like to see your own cards (featuring focal products available at Quixotic Paperie) on this blog, contact us and send in your pics! We love to see what you've been up to.

Customer Spotlight - Debbie Dolphin

A little while ago I stumbled across a stunning card on Debbie Dolphin's blog...well, I stumbled across quite a few stunning cards over there, but this one stood out because it features one of my favourite Elisabeth Bell stamps!

Debbie used the gorgeous Elisabeth Bell for SCACD Stamps - Cherry Blossom. 

Love Debbie's style, and she showcased this image beautifully.

If you'd like to see your own cards (featuring focal products available at Quixotic Paperie) on this blog, contact us and send in your pics!  We love to see what you've been up to.

Shout Out for Kim Dellow!

Lovely DT member Kim Dellow has a fab watercolour marker technique article in the latest issue of Simply Cards and Papercraft magazine, featuring one of the awesome (and excellent value) Paper Makeup Stamps sets - Nature's Song.

Love the article, Kim - great way to show off these stamps!  Well done!

And Now For Something Completely Different...

I love finding the unexpected in the everyday so my new found love of altering sardine tins is just a perfect outlet for me! Here is my latest tin and I've called it 'In The Frame'.

The gent is from the Artistic Outpost Steampunk stamp set available from Quixotic Paperie.

If you are very sharp-eyed you might also spot the gears accessory stamp that comes with the Kraftin' Kimmies Stamps Lavina stamp.

Now there wasn't really a Steampunk theme running through my head when I made this, I was more focussed on the frame within the tin. But I have added a chain to the mica plate and rusted some of the Tim Holtz Idea-Ology Sprocket Gears for the counterpoint to the framed man so you can call it steampunk or vintage if you like! 

Have a fun Saturday and a great week.

Kim

Gorjuss - Little Foxes!

Firstly my apologies for not having anything new to share with you today. It has been a crazy busy week behind the scenes chez moi.

So I thought I would go throught some of the back catologues and find you a card I made a while back!

This stamp continues to be one of my favourite stamps! It is so versatile. You can colour it to make a winter card or a spring/summer card. This is a newly re-released Gorjuss stamp and is called 'Little Foxes'.  It now comes with a few additional extra stamps so you can make a wee scene with it! Bargain!

This card is coloured entirely with prisma pencil and I have embellished it with some Tim Holtz goodies and some of my favourite Kraft cardstock which is available right here at Quixotic Paperie

Thanks for popping by!

Have a great weekend one and all!

Judy x

Gathering love again

Hello, Mary J here to share with you my current faves over at Quixotic Paperie!  Did you see the SCACD blog hop last Friday showcasing the new Natural Beauty Collection release by Carmen Medlin?  Wow, every single one really is beautiful!  I made a rather hot card for the hop (see here) and I wanted to try a more muted one...

I don't normally do shabby chic/vintage but I'm really enjoying experimenting with this style!  This is Gathering Love and Elaine has a special offer ending 27 May - if you buy four or more from this new collection, she will throw in a free stamp!  She will even throw in a free stamp if you buy the full set at the current special price of £29.99 (that's 25% off if you buy all the stamps individually!).

So I matched up this beautify with gorgeous papers from the paper pack Pixie by Memory Box and the creamy rich lace by Alencon lace by Prima.  I did the stitching using the Zig Zag piercer head with my Sew Easy Tool.

I also used the lasercut chipboard by Make It Crafty -  I can't believe the level of detail of this chipboard!  I first gave the chipboard a rough cover of gesso, then dabbed Tim Holtz Distress Stain in Antique Linen over it and lastly rubbed on Viva Decor Glitter Liner in Gold with my finger.  I finished them off with 4mm iridescent pearls in Hyacinth Lilac - here's a close up...

I likey this style!  I'm going to be doing more of this in the future!  That's it from me today - thanks for visiting!

Alice

Good morning! Hope your week is off to a good start! Popped along to show you a make made with the gorgeous new Stamping Bella-Christy Croll image Alice (just been re-stocked too!). I really love her style of images so just had to have a play with this one! She has been coloured with copics.

I decided instead of going down the traditional route of turning her into quite a girly Alice I'd go a bit dark;) so out came the Graphic 45 Halloween in Wonderland papers (LOVE these!). I cut up the playing cards to make them into an embellishment which are the Graphic 45 Halloween in Wonderland pack.

That's it from me today! See you again next week! Rowena

How To Make A Distressed, Vintage Style Card

Hi Guys, hope you enjoyed the new Natural Beauty Stamps illustrated by Carmen Medlin for SCACD blog hop yesterday. If you are interested here is how I made the card from my Blog hop make.

Materials:

Stamp - Carmen Medlin SCACD Naturally Styled

Papers - Prima Melody; Kraft Card; Book page; Vellum or Tracing paper

Inks - Archival Jet Black; Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Inks Vintage Page

Colouring - Caran d'Ache

Usual Suspects - Glue; Double-sided tape

Tools - WRMK Sew-Easy;  WRMK Sew Easy Piercing Mat; Brayer; Paint brush; Heat tool; Paper piercer

Other - Make It Crafty Lasercut chipboard Filigree Jewels; Calico Fabric; Thread; Gesso; Scotch tape; nail file; Perfect Pearls; Golden Gel Medium

Making The Image Background

I started by glueing a book page to a Kraft card support and brayered it down for a to get rid of any winkles then set it aside to dry.

I then covered the old book page with some diluted Gesso, dried it with the heat tool (too impatient to wait!) and added another layer of Gesso.

Stamp Out The Image

I then used Archival ink to stamp out the Carmen Medlin SCACD stamp onto the book page and on a piece of vellum, but I didn't have any vellum so I've actually used tracing paper. Allow the ink to dry then line up the two images and tear to the size you want the image to be on the card. Also tear the edges of the Kraft card blank.

TIP - Be very careful not to move the stamp on the vellum / tracing paper otherwise it will smear and smudge.

TIP 2 - When using unmounted rubber stamps use a little bit of glue stick to stick the back of the stamp to the acrylic block, you can use other products such as Tack n' Peel, or sticky sprays instead, but glue sticks work just as well and wash off easily. I then use a foam mat under the item to be stamped to get a good image. Practice on spare paper first to find out how hard you need to press to get a clear image.

Colouring On Vellum / Tracing Paper

I then used coloured pencils to colour the stamped image on the tracing paper, pressing lightly and building up the colour in layers.

Distress The Designer Paper

Next might not be for everyone, I know many of you might feel it a bit of a crime to distress those lovely designer papers, but sometimes a girl has got to do what a girl has got to do! Don't judge me too harshly!

So a bit of paper distressing. First get those rips in the surface using Scotch tape, torn in thin strips, burnished onto the paper with my nail and pulled up, practice on a spare piece or in a place that wont show to see how hard you have to burnish and pull to get the effect you want.

I topped this off with some sandpaper distressing and then lightly inked with the Distress ink and added a touch of Perfect Pearls. Also use the Distress ink on the edge of the book page, Kraft Card blank and a small torn strip of spare book page.

Prep The Papers For Sewing

Using the WRMK Sew-Easy tool pierce some sewing holes in the small strip of spare book page. Tear a piece of fabric and layer them on the distressed designer paper and stitch them in place. 

Stick the book page image to the designer paper with double-sided tape. Carefully line up the two stamped images and prick holes to stitch the image down.

Finish With Embellishments

I added a bit of Distress ink to the Make It Crafty lasercut chipboard then brushed with Perfect Pearls and used Golden Gel Medium to stick the embellishments down.

There you go, all distressed and vintage-fied! 

Enjoy.

Kimx

The Natural Beauty Collection IN STOCK

Happy Friday everyone!

The stunning new collection by Carmen Medlin for SCACD Stamps is now IN STOCK at Quixotic Paperie!

There are SEVEN beautifully illustrated new stamps, which are available individually or as a discounted full sheet!

PLUS you can enjoy a blog hop packed with inspiration!  Get started by visiting ELAINE'S BLOG.

US readers can find the new release at Susana's Custom Art & Card Design.

Ruby , Ruby, Ruby......

Morning all!

Hope you are all well this fine morning!  I have a 'Gorjuss' new image 'Ruby' to share with you that you can get right here at Quixotic Paperie. Isn't she lovely? 

She is coloured with copics and I have used prisma pencils to create the background around her. The camera seems to have washed that out quite a lot. It is a little less subtle in real life!

The papers I have used are Echo Park 'For The Record'. I have punched out a few flowers above her swing and then added an big adhesive flourish to bling it up!

The black flowers are a first for me and are made out of metal.
I bought a black metal sheet as I was hoping to make some grungy stuff but instead I used it to make some pretty flowers! They are punched out and then run thorough a spotty embossing floder. I then sanded them down so you would see the silver coming though. Then the metal is such a doddle to shape and bend! A new thing to my reptoire that I love :)

Watch this space for more metal flowers ....

Now I love this girl so much that I decided to frame her! I made her into a piece of art that will match the card and hopefully make someone a lovely gift !

So here they are both together :) Sorry the frame is so blurry...makes it look arty though eh???

A wee heads up for tomorrow that you don't want to miss...there is going to be a fab blog hop and stamp release from Carmen Medillin. 

Have a great day!

Judy x

You might also like:

Mary J here and it's my day to share with you some of the yummy goodies I've used over at Quixotic Paperie and because I've had a lot of questions about how I photograph my cards, I thought I'd share how I do that by using a light box.  You can see my post here on the software I use to further improve my photos.

But first, here are two teenage girl birthday cards I made using the Creeper Crew set by The Greeting Farm...

I used Bazzill Kraft cardstock for the card base, the BasicGrey Curio paper pad and the sentiments are from the Whimsy Party Mini Letter Seals.  I used my Sew Easy Tool for quick hole making for the stitching - love this tool!  I inked the edges with my Ranger Archival Inkpad in jet black.

So on to how I use my light box.  These following pictures show you the difference between using a light box (first photo) and simply photographing on the sidetable in my dining room (second photo) and I haven't used any software on them at this stage...

Both pictures were taken at night.  The first photo that uses the light box is truer to colour in real life and the lighting is more even.  The second photo is far more yellow (because of the light bulbs of course) and you can see the shadowing on the wall.

As I'm not a good photographer (believe me, I'm rubbish!) I'm reluctant to spend money on expensive equipment.  Originally I was going to make my own light box using this tutorial here by Digital Photography School, but I came across a very cheap light box by Maplin that costs £14.99 that you can find here.  In addition to my light box, I bought a couple of work lamps and I buy the daylight bulbs from the internet as I can't find them in the shops.

Maplins now sell a studio kit for £39.99 which is basically the light box plus two table lights and a camera stand - you can find it here.  Maplins is a UK site - I'm not aware if they sell internationally, sorry!  I would have bought the studio kit if they sold it at the time but, hey ho, we move on and here is my set up in my craft room...

Please excuse the mess.  If you look closely, you can see some of the gorgeous cards on the windowsill some of my wonderful blogging mates have sent me - they give me nice warm feelings!  Anyway, back to photographs!  As you can see, I use co-ordinating cardstock for the backgrounds - I've seen others use co-ordinating paper but I'm too lazy to do this!

And here are the pictures after they have both been improved using Picasa 3 software....

I think it now comes down to personal preference.  I still prefer the first photo that uses the light box as I think it looks more professional, but which one do you prefer?

So that is how I photograph my cards for my posts - thanks for bearing with me to explain it all! I hope you found that useful.  If you have any specific questions leave a comment and I'll get back to you!  See you for now!

Good Times!!!

Hello Kim here, I created a fun shaped little project today,

I fancied created a shaped easel card, I've used one of those sassy Kenny K images.

Whimsy Stamps - Kenny K - Movie Star

then paired her with some Fancy Pants - 6x6 Pad - It's The Little Things

The Whimsy Ticket Sentiments Set is fantastic for all sorts of sentiments.

I've added a bit of spica glitter to give her movie star Hair!

These are the copic colours,

Thank you so much for stopping by hope it inspires, have a wonderfully creative time.

BiG HuGs Kim :)

Whimsy Stamps May Release IN STOCK

The brand new and biggest ever release from WHIMSY STAMPS is here and IN STOCK at Quixotic Paperie!

There are some brand new coordinating sentiments and dies, plus more fantastic images from artists Crissy Armstrong, MelJen and Kenny K!

And if you pop over to Elaine's Blog at 5pm UK Time you can join in the release hop and check out one of Crissy Armstrong's fantastic images!

Carmen Medlin for SCACD Stamps - Previews!

Pop on over to ELAINE'S BLOG today to check out a preview of the upcoming Carmen Medlin for SCACD Stamps release.  The new stamps are STUNNING, and there is a prize up for grabs!

Happy Sunday!

Something ODD Has Arrived!

Just a quick post to let you know that the fantastic new high quality clear photopolymer stamps from SOME ODD GIRL are now IN STOCK at Quixotic Paperie!

Whoo!
You can check out all the latest arrivals under "New Products", and don't forget to have a browse around the Sale Section for some bargains!

Victoria Bonita

I've used all sorts of distressing for my card. I've distressed the gorgeous Pink Paislee Sweetness and Old School papers available over at Quixotic Paperie with Tim Holtz Ranger Distress inks, added a bit of sparkle with the Prima Marketing flower centres.

The image is from the SCACD Victoria Case Bonita Collection - She is Victoria Bonita. 

I've used one of the Artistic Outposts Ephemeral Background stamps to add a bit of a background to the distressed image and I've added more distressing with the new The Greeting Farm Splotchy background stamp with Wild Honey Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Stain.

The sentiment is from the Artistic Outpost Windows and Doors Stamp set. Think that about covers it for this week!

Happy Crafting

Kim