Christmas Flora

Christmas Flora

Hallo Everyone!

So, here comes our second

dip into the realms of Flora to

be found at Christmas time

Craftyfield is centre stage

today:

"Sometimes I need to wrap a present 

and find myself without the right paper.

I don't know about you but I wrap a lot

 of CD and video/games cases and I hate cutting

 a small shape in a large roll, so much waste... 

Also, with wrapping paper the shape gives 

the game away immediately so I like

 to use bags for those gifts.

How about some options to create your own, 

quickly and easily, with supplies you 

already have ....

My first option is to transform envelopes

 into bags. A C5 envelope works well for 

CDs and a C4 (letter size) for video cases.

First decide on the depth of your bag and

 score the envelope on 3 sides at half the 

depth you require. 

My large envelope has been scored at 

2cms to give me a depth of 4cms in the 

finished bag, which can easily accommodate 

2 video cases.

Before the next step in the construction 

of the bag, it is time to decorate 

whilst still flat... 

Here I chose to create a Gelli print with 

stencils (I used Andy Skinner's Sunburst and 

Imagination Crafts Drop Screen)

 Adding the large Woodware snowflake

 twice embossed. First with white and 

on a whim I re-stamped (thanks to the Stamping

 platform) and sprinkled a mix of clear and 

Sea Turtle powders.

I couldn't resist and added the small stamps

 from the same Woodware set in

 Brilliance Starlight silver ink, all over the bag.

For the small bag, I stamped directly on the 

envelope with Versamark and embossed with

 Cosmic Shimmer Brilliant Sparkle Embossing 

Powder in Gold .

 I added the smaller snowflakes 

with gold ink.

For good measure I added both sentiments 

from the stamp set in black ink!

With the bags decorated, onto the construction...

To finish the opening there are many options, 

from a straight cut as I did on the small bag

or more elaborate using border punches, dies, 

adding handles with ribbon or twine etc...

For my large envelope, after cutting off the 

sticky flap I folded about an inch to the inside 

to get a more sturdy base for my 

twine handles.

Form the shape of the bag by pushing open 

along the score lines with your hand inside 

the envelope.

The photo shows a side view of the bag 

with the formed triangular flaps to be

 stuck under.

The bottom of the bag should look like this

 and double sided tape is applied on the small 

triangles and stuck down to the bottom 

of the bag.

 If you don't have envelopes or don't

 fancy using them, how about designer papers?

 Bo Bunny and Kaisercraft have gorgeous

 designs and the paper is of a decent weight 

for the purpose. 

You can also use your Gelli prints...

Or you can use cardstock, from the standard 

card to Mirri and of course Glitter card

 (if you're like me and hate being covered

 in glitter, go for non shedding).

I created this simple template above for

 a bag to be cut out of a standard A4

 sheet with the least waste. 

If using 12"x12" it is easy to adapt the design 

by extending the drawing. Just remember to use

 the same measurements for the bottom flap 

and the right hand flap as this is what decides

 the depth of your bag.

 Here's my 2 A4 pages cut and scored. 

One option is to add scoring lines at the 

top and fold the top closed in a box shape

I went for the bag look and added handles

 by die-cutting them with a rectangle shape. 

I can thread a ribbon through it to keep 

the bag closed to thwart the curious...

That large snowflake stands on its own

 perfectly as a center piece and I embossed 

it using that gorgeous Frantage embossing

 powder in Shabby Rose.

To make up the bag use double sided 

tape on both tabs (the 1cm wide seen 

on the left on this photo), both side flaps and

 one of the large flap which will be at the 

bottom of the bag. 

This bag is the perfect size, and sturdy 

enough, for a (thick) paperback.

Just for you a close up of the shiny bits..."

Supplies:

Christmas Woodware stamps:
Embossing powders:
Inks:
Gelli plate:
Fresco Paints:
Stencils : 
Christmas Papers & cards:
Double sided tape: 

Great idea there with the

envelopes Craftyfield.......not

to mention what you have

put in them....

That's my present list sorted

and wrapped!  

'Till tomorrow

Mickie xx

Christmas Flora

Christmas Flora

Hi There!

It's nearly here..... that most

wonderful time of the year, as

the song goes.

Thought we'd take a look at

some Christmas images from

the natural world.........

So to start off on our quest

for Christmas Flora, here is

Jane Castle:

"For my project this week I've chosen 'Holly & Ivy' 

as I love cutting these from the garden and 

decorating the house over the Christmas holidays. 

This time I've decided to move away from 

the traditional greens and use various blue hues 

with some added sparkle.

To begin with I coloured some white card 

with Distress inks, stains and PA Infusions.

This was then stamped and heat embossed

 for my ivy leaves and also die cut for my 

holly borders.

Next I stencilled the top left-hand corner 

and the bottom right-hand corner of my card blank 

using Iced Spruce and an Imagination Crafts stencil.

Grunge paste was then applied through my

 Tim Holtz stencil.

 I masked off areas around the word Christmas

 so as not to end up with any unwanted splodges! 

( so easily done)

The stencil was removed, cleaned and replaced 

to add Merry above as I found it easier 

to centralise the longer word first.

The Grunge paste was then covered in 

glitter whilst still wet.

The holly border was trimmed to size,

 dots of Liquid Pearls in Pewter were added

 for the holly berries and finally the ivy leaves 

were shaped and stuck in place.

Then looking at the stencils I'd used I thought

 of other ways of using everything previously 

prepared for the card. 

I cut some large white card tags and 

came up with the following:

This had the addition of a couple of 

self adhesive gems.

This one had Ranger Perfect Pearls brushed

 onto the stars and I used another die from

 the same set.

The holly border was trimmed using the 

corners rather than the long sides.

And finally on this one I applied the 

grunge paste through the other stencil

 creating a completely different effect.

I could have done many more variations 

and all of these could easily be adapted 

for cards.

So for just under £25 for the 2 stencils, 

the die set and the mini stamp I could

 make all of this years christmas cards and 

tags without getting much more out on 

my bench ---- that's got to be good value!

I have now decided to make several 

batches of the large tags in different 

colours, place 4 different ones in a cellophane 

bag and give them to my Mum's care home 

to sell at their Christmas Fete."

Items Used 

Imagination Crafts Stencil

Tim Holtz stencil collection

Find-It Media Dies

PA Grunge Paste

Jofy Mini stamps

Ranger Liquid Pearls

Ranger Perfect Pearls

Distress Inks

Distress Stains

PA Infusions

Self Adhesive Gems

Glitter

You have certainly started

us off on the right track

Jane.  Thank you for a

lovely idea too - those sets

should sell very well at

the Christmas Fete

'Till Tomorrow

Mickie xx

New in Stock

New in Stock

Happy Sunday Everyone!

A little on the late side - was

going to leave you all in peace

today but when this wonderful

article by our very own

Craftyfield popped into my

in box I just had to share it

with you.  I would suggest

you make yourselves a nice

cuppa and perhaps help

yourselves to some cake 

or a biscuit or two and

settle down with your feet

up to read on.....

Craftyfield has taken the new

Versafine Clair Inks and put

them through their paces.

Here is what she found:

"Tsukineko VersaFine Clair ink is a fast drying,

 oil based pigment ink. Like the old Versafine, 

the raised inkpad, allows direct to paper

 inking, as well as inking stamps. 

The cases have been redesigned and are now 

air tight and therefore should last even 

longer than the already long lasting Versafine. 

This new line of VersaFine inks is available in

 great vintage and bright colours, 24 colours in total,

 so you should find the exact shades you need!

The first thing I noticed when inking stamps

 is how thick the layer of ink is on 

top of the stamp, allowing for a deep colour. 

I had forgotten how juicy the old Versafine pads 

were as, one of mine is nearly completely dry 

and the other half way there. 

Still, I have had the first one for over 10 years…

Compared to the old Versafine inkpads, 

the new ones have lost their hinged lid, 

have a shorter depth, 1cm less for the same width. 

The inkpad is raised a little more than

 the old ones too, so it is easier to do direct to

 paper inking. 

The cases stack very well, with more of

 a snug fit than the old ones.

 First I tested the ink on different surfaces, 

comparing the Versafine Clair

with appropriate inks for the substrate.

On card, the Versafine Clair dries quickly and

the image is more solid than with Memento.

On glossy cardstock the Versafine Clair image 

is much brighter, and the ink appears to stay on

 top unlike the Memento, which sinks in. 

It does however dry very slowly and it is 

possible to smear a little, even after

 drying for 24 hours. 

I tried heat setting too, to no avail so if you

 must stamp on glossy with Versafine Clair

you will need to emboss.

On fabric, whilst the Versafine Clair stamps well,

 the details are blurred a little as the ink sinks in 

the material and the Archival gives the best results.

On acetate, no surprise there, Tsukineko do 

not recommended Versafine Clair for stamping 

on non absorbent surfaces and acetate is 

not absorbent at all. 

Overlooking the bad stamping (user error!), 

even Archival has trouble with such a slick 

surface but at least does dry, albeit slowly, 

and can be heat set. 

For acetate, there is only one ink that does the 

job reliably in my view and that is Staz on. 

On watercolour, the Versafine Clair impression 

is that little bit more solid, compared to 

the dye ink. Most of the texture you

 see in the photo is from the paper’s cold

 pressed grain. 

[I re stamped a small portion in the blue inks 

I used for the card and glossy samples

 to check whether the difference in colour

 was due in part to the shade chosen, and it is].

Versafine Clair is recommended for use with 

watercolours and I applied a wash of yellow 

ochre without any problems.

On acrylic paints, like acetate, the surface 

is non absorbent and the ink will not dry and 

needs to be embossed. 

This is also true for Gesso, as you

 can see in the photo on the right,  the ink 

has spread and the image has lost a lot of detail.

Use Versafine Clair on all absorbent surfaces 

(non coated cardstock, wood, fabric etc..) 

and avoid on slick/non absorbent surfaces 

such as glass, plastics and coated papers, 

unless you are embossing the ink.

Versafine Clair ink embosses well on both 

Glossy and standard card. 

The colour is deeper on card, because 

of its absorbency, and you must work quickly

 to get a good result.

 In the perfect stamping equation, 

in addition to the ink and the surface, 

there is one other variable, 

the stamp itself. 

Rubber isn't problematic but

 clear stamps can be...

First up I tested a polymer stamp, and 

clearly Versafine Clair comes on top, 

with a smooth and deep colour compared

 to the patchy impression of the dye inks 

(Distress and Memento) 

and weak colours of the pigment ink 

(Versacolor).

On acrylic stamps, the ink tends to 

bead up on them and produce even more 

patchy results than with polymer stamps. 

Compare the look of the Memento ink above 

to the thick layer of Versafine Clair shown earlier, 

the difference is striking!

With Versafine Clair the print is solid and 

perfectly detailed.

Unless you are prepared to take your 

sanding block to the acrylic stamp, 

Versafine Clair should be your first choice 

of ink, unless you are stamping on 

non absorbent surfaces!

 Now for the litmus test! 

I have pulled out my most detailed photographic

 stamp, which is very difficult to ink as it 

hasn't got any deeply etched lines (the 

image is formed of half tone-like minute dots). 

It is easy to see already from the inked 

stamp that the Versafine Clair is performing 

much better than the Memento and the

difference in the stamped image is convincing. 

The new inks passed the test with flying

 colours and I, for one is a happy bunny! 

Like the old Versafine, the Versafine Clair is 

made for detailed stamps and superior 

to all other inks I've ever tried.

On to colours. 

Colour is a personal choice, if you stamp

 lots of florals you will get some pinks, blues

 and green, whilst if you are into Vintage 

images you will choose from the darker

 colours and browns. 

To help you choose I photographed 

the 6 colours I had to test next to 

their respective lids and can confirm

 the lid images are true to the ink colours.

Personally, I'd like to get 3 shades (light,

 medium, dark) in the greens, blues and

 pink/reds, to use on layered flower stamps 

(multi-step stamps) and a brown, black, grey... 

Well, space allowing I'd have them all 

but if not, you can (preferably with a stamping

 platform) overstamp one colour with another

 to get a 3rd shade. 

I tested how the ink layers on itself by 

stamping the pink on top of the yellow 

to get the orange you see in the upper 

left corner.

Finally, as to colouring mediums you can use 

on top of Versafine Clair, both alcohol and 

water based media, can be used like the

 old Versafine. 

If using coloured pencils, refrain from using

 a solvent to blend the colours as this will 

interact with the oil in the ink.

In conclusion, although there isn’t a holy grail

 of ink able to handle all surfaces, stamps and 

colouring mediums - trust me I've been on

 that quest and gave up a long time ago - 

Versafine Clair is a pretty good all rounder,

 a beautiful ink for detail and strength of colour.

It's an emphatic YES from me!"

xXx

Thank you for such a super in-depth

look at the product Craftyfield.

I had wondered if I really need yet

another set of inks and now that

I've read the results of your

researches I clearly do need yet

another set of inks.......................!

Are you there Santa?  Are you

listening?!!

'Till tomorrow

Mickie xx