Tonic | Blooms Card

Last few weeks, I have been making more cards using Tonic Studios dies for the shows on  Create and Craft USA, this time featuring the gorgeous Beautiful Blooms (USA | UK). This is one of the cards.

I used my favourite flowers from the set, the gorgeous Sunburst Gazania (UK) and the scroll which is from the Magnolia Flora (UK).

The panel on the back is die cut using the Simply Screen Honeycomb ( USA | UK).

As the flowers and fern are verso, it means that you can die cut the flower as a solid die cut or the intricate aperture cutting into the flowers. I love the Verso dies!
I die cut all the elements using papers fro Simple Stories (I am collection), and layered them up.

I like a bit of mirri card, just poking out. And of course I finished the card with some gorgeous Nuvo Crystal Drops in Ivory Seashell  (USA | UK) and Liquid Mercury (USA | UK).

This is as elaborate as I go for cards. Loads of different elements layered in one part of the card. Cant stop using this flower dies!

Tonic Studios | Candle Card

I have been making more cards using Tonic Studios dies for Create and Craft USA. This candle is brilliant. Its quite large so perfect for a central point, and will make a fabulous Christmas card as well.

I used two dies for this card:

Faith Rococo Range – Decorate Candle – 1282E

Faith Range – Sun Ray Scene 

(USA version from Create and Craft USA)

or

Faith Range – Sun Ray Scene – 1275E

 (European version)

Using Distress Inks (Gathered Twigs) and a soft powder make up brush, I lightly coloured in the background.

Then I created a template. I die cut the Sun ray window out of thick paper - the best for this is YUPO paper, which is a synthetic paper that allows for blending inks and it die cuts nicely! Then I placed it as a template over the front of the card and using Distress Inks (Grounded Expresso) dusted the ink with a soft make up brush, as it gives a softer airbrushed effect which is quite subtle compared to using foam, which I love as well, its just a different effect.

I cut the candle out from the centre of the card, placed a vellum insert on the card and glue it to the front of the card. 

I coloured it using a Distress Inks Grounded Expresso and a foam pad with applicator. (As you can see the intensity of the colour is much stronger than using the brush.) I glued it to the vellum through the apertured created and then I added a bit of cord.

I cut a second candle using a spare piece of card, and I coloured in the flame using three Nuvo markers, an orange for the outer edge and two yellows for the inside leaving white the very centre. Then I trimmed just the flame and glue to the front. Then I glue the rest of the candle and attached it on the inside so it covers the glue bits from the front candle.

I just love the soft effect of the background, the vellum and the cord. I hope you do too!

Tonic Studios | Baptism Font card

Another religious card I made for the Tonic Studios on Create and Craft USA. 

It fits on an A6 envelope, so it is small, but pretty!

For this card I used:

Elegant Font

Royal Fern

Ornate Frame Large Layering

Miniature Moments Die – Celebrate

To create the font I die cut it first using silver mirri card. Before lifting it from the die (once die cut through the machine) I place on the back washi tape all over so that all the bits would stay in. Then I die cut the font again using light kraft card, this time letting all the intricate bits fall off, and glue them both together. I used Ivory Seashell Nuvo Crystal Drop to add pearl details.

To colour in the light kraft card, I use Distress inks (Broken China, Gathered Twigs, Peeled Paint) and apply it with soft cheap powder make up brushes which gives a much softer, air brushed effect than using the cut and dry foam or foam applicators.

In the inside, I simply attached the die cut element. You can see some of the colour thorugh from the distressing on the front. I like that subtle look, I hope you like it too!

Tonic Studios | Purple Cross

I don't usually do religious cards - aside from Christmas - but since I got the faith dies from Tonic Studios I am in a religious crafting mode.

This Cross is one of my favourites as it is Verso and a very good size for both small cards such as A6 folded or larger ones.

I used the Tonic Studios Religious New Life Cross and the Mixed Oval Layering set.

I chose this colour scheme inspired by the colour of easter in Seville.

I used satin ribbon, and secure it first on the front with a foam pad under and then either side on the back.

It brings memories from my favourite Easter back in Seville. It was such an experience!

Tonic Studios | Thinking of You Card

I have been making more cards using Tonic Studios dies for Create and Craft USA. This time using their brand new Faith range which is beautiful imagery that is perfect for any religious occasions as well as other secular ones.

I have used: the beautiful Intricate Window die, the Thinking of You (Miniature Moments) sentiment die and as a base the Deco Trellis base die set.

Like I usually do for a shaped card, I die cut two identical pieces, and on just one I score it on the left edge at about 2cm or just under 1". Then I glue that tab to the other piece to create a single folded card that has an edge all around.

I then die cut the same shape but this time I use the inside die that cuts all the intricate squares inside the card and gently coloured it with distress brown ink.

The main event is the window, and here I did a bit of paper piecing. The best way to do this for me is to die cut each colour at a time, then before even lifting the excess paper around the die cut, I use Washi tape to keep all the small pieces in place. Then one by one I created the coloured window. I love this technique, its very therapeutic. 

Finally I added the sentiment.

I hope you like it!

Blog Hop | Color Life by Quim Diaz from Coses d'Scrap

Today I am super excited to be able to participate in a very special Blog Hop to celebrate the wonderful new products designed by my friend Quim Díaz from Coses d'Scrap alongside some of my crafty friends including Alberto, Quim, Elena, Gerry...

This is the card I made. I wanted to go colouring, cardmaking and with my minimalist style to showcase the versatility of this collection.

I will let you in to a little secret. I love colouring, but I always find it a challenge to find easy to colour images and many times I don't get a perfect impression when I stamp on watercolour card. 

So these bold printed watercolour papers ready to colour are perfect for me!

I selected the Nature Life pack of 12 x 12 papers printed on watercolour thick paper.

You can learn more about the whole the products from Colorlife here.

I love that the papers are designed so that there are a lot of elements in them, perfect to trim them to create smaller pieces as well as leaving them all in the 12 x 12 paper. I trimmed the that sakura branch and trimmed to fit inside the frame, but then I changed my mind and did not use the frame but layered in to a card. Typical!

I just love the poppies in the bottom as well, so it was a tough choice between them all.

I was lucky enough to be gifted in February the whole set of Distress Markers and I hadn't had a change to use them for a project, so this was the perfect occasion to use them.

As I used Spun Sugar which is already a very light colour, with water even more so, I used the soft felt brush nib directly to the paper.

Then I blended the colour using a water brush. I recommend strongly to get the best quality water brushes you can afford, as there is a huge difference between the cheaper and more expensive ones. I kept an acrylic block near by to use as a palette, scribbled some ink with the marker

Using the fine nib, I added little dots where the shadows should be inspired by the real flowers, like almond tree blossom, that have that sort of dots on them.

To add even more darker dots I used the Fired Mahogany marker. Because the paper is still very damped, the dots bleed slightly so the effect is quite beautiful and random.

Then, I coloured the branch using Antique Linen and Frayed Burlap (just for the accent dots).

For the leaves I used Shabby Shutters marker, though I did not used it direct. I scribbled it on to the acrylic block and with the watercolour marker I coloured it pcking each time the colour form the block.

For the dots effect I used Crushed Olive Distress marker.

Then, I used Tonic Studios Nuvo Glue Pen, which is a dual glue as it dries to a clear tacky finish which is perfect for the next step.

Of course, gilding flakes! I love them! Once the glue was tacky, I placed with my fingers the Nuvo Gilding Flakes, press down to make sure there was contact, and then rub off the excess with a stencil brush.

To add a sentiment, I used one of my sentiments of the Big Sentiments set with Versafine Black ink pad.

Then I attached it to card and added a little bow butterfly using grey bakers twine on the top right corner.

I just love the dot effect! And those flowers are so pretty.

I hope you like it!

Be sure to visit all the bloggers in the blog hop!

- Annika Flebbe

- Alberto Juárez

- Elena Roche

- Gerry Van Gent

- Karine Cazenave

- Paula Pascual ( That's me!)

- Quim Díaz

- Silvia Curti

Thanks Quim for letting me play with your fabulous new collection!

Paperartsy | Guest post

You know I love Paperartsy products so its always a joy to be asked to do a Guest Blog Post for them. This time the them was resists!

Click here to see the full post at their blog with detailed instructions.

I hope you like it.

Tonic Studios | Electric guitar card with Nuvo drops

Today I am back with another card that features the Nuvo Crystal Drops from Tonic, this time I wanted to create a masculine card using also a die from the Musical collection from Tonic, called Electric Guitar.

For the background I used the Sew Pretty Pinhole Nesting Layering Circle die set. All of them, but not at once! I did a couple of dies at the time, making sure to attach them securely on to the card with low tack tape (using two pieces of tape at two opposite ends of the die).

That created an interesting texture as well as provided me with a good guideline for the Nuvo Drops, which in this case are done with the Liquid Mercury drops.

I did a bit of paper piecing for the guitar, but left those two lines so that you could see the red coming through. I inked the background using colour sprays, Dylusions and Tim Holtz Distress. 

The message is from my Everyday Tab Messages stamps set (available from Craftie Charlie here).

Tonic Studios | Nuvo Crystals drops used as stencil paint

Today just a quick and simple card that I made for the New Nuvo Crystals shows for Tonic Studios  at Create and Craft USA.

I die cut one of the Simply Screens Clematis Vine out of thick paper and then used it as a stencil for the colouring. To colour it in, I used two colours of the New Nuvo Crystal Drops, English Mustard and Rhubarb Crumble.

I put some of the drops on a piece of acetate to use as a palette, and then I used a soft make up sponge to dabb small amounts of the the Drops through the stencil created into the card. I make sure to blend in the colours both in the make do palette and on the card.

Once I lifted the stencil I added the drops in the centre, dropping first a drop of the Rhubarb Crumble and then a tiny one of the Mustard one.

Then I die cut the message - from the Have a Beautiful Day Circle Frame - out of white card and then coloured it using the make up sponge and just Rhubarb Crumble.

I hope you have a beautiful day!

Tonic Studios | Floral card using Nuvo Crystal drops and floral dies

Last week I had the chance to play with the Nuvo Crystal Drops from Tonic in preparation for the shows at Create and Craft USA. And I will be honest, I was truly surprised at how good and versatile these are. You see, I have used some similar products in the past, but I have never achieved a good result. With these, straight out of the bottle, bam, perfect 3d dome effects every time!

But making beautifully domed embellishments is not the only thing you can make with them, you can actually use them as paints. In fact all the colour elements of this card have had the Nuvo drops treatment over them.

The obvious use for the Nuvo Crystal drops is to add three dimensional dome like dots, perfect for the centres of the flowers. Here I used Ivory Seashell that creates perfect pearls of practically any size you would want! (I would say that 1cm or 1/2" in diameter is about as big as I would go.)

But I also used the Nuvo Drops to colour in the die cut flowers, which were die cut out of plain white card using the Entwining Trellis Buttercup and Daisy set. I used Violet Galaxy for the flowers and Bottle Green for the inside bits. I used a make up sponge I dabb small amounts of the Bottle Green Nuvo Drop making sure that I blended it nicely all over the card.

The green circle was die cut out of a green card, but the shade was wrong for the green on the flowers that I already done. Using the Bottle Green Nuvo Drop i covered the whole area.

You can see the beautiful pearlescent sheen through out, thanks to the fact that both the Violet and the Green are pearlescent drops.

The Cherish the moment is part of the Sew Pretty  Cherish the Moment Rectangle Frame

 and the circle of the Have a Beautiful Day Circle Sew pretty set.

If you like to put pearls and enamel stickers, you should give the Nuvo Drops a try!