Cleverprints Inspiration Week - Follow Your Dreams

Hello

Welcome to my blog, you will see that I only blog here sporadically you will find many more of my creations on Instagram @handmade_by_hamill I would love to be able to keep my blog more up to date but the reality is there’s just not enough hours in the day when you have a full time job, a family and are also a carer.  Hence crafting amongst the chaos!  Crafting is my creative release though and that won’t change in a hurry!  Ok I’ve set the scene for any newcomers to my blog so let’s get on with the content!

I’m really lucky to be on The Cleverprints Ltd Design Team, I love their designs, they’re often a bit quirky and that definitely matches my own style and taste in crafting.  Today I’m sharing a step by step guide to making a mixed media card using one of the stamp sets from the latest collection - Follow Your Dreams.

Materials used:

Hero Arts Hero Hues inkpad in Unicorn

Memento inkpad in Tuxedo Black

Cleverprints Ltd As You Are stamp set

Black, dark orange, bright pink & mid pink alcohol markers

Dolly Dimples Mixed Media cardstock

Spiced Marmalade, Abandoned Coral, Kitsch Flamingo & Picked Raspberry Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inkpads

Artiste spritzing ink in gold

Clear embossing powder

Cleverprints Ltd Mandala Allsorts stencil

Collall Multi Purpose glue

6x6 white card blank

Fine water spray

Heat tool

Step 1

Cut a piece of mixed media card to 14.5x14.5 cm and completeley cover with the different distress oxides, I used oval blending brushes in a circular motion to build up the colour

Step 2

Spritz over with a fine water spray.  How light and how much you spray is personal preference but obviously the wetter it is the more colour will lift.  Leave to dry, you can use a heat tool but that can move the colour a bit too much

Step 3

Spritz with the gold spray.  I'm not sure if Artiste sprintzing ink is still widely available but if not Tim Holtz does similar products or one of the Dylusions metallics would be ideal.  Again, leave to dry naturally or help along with the heat tool

Step 4

Using the stencil and Abandoned Coral oxide add part of the mandala design to the top right corner then using Picked Raspberry add some of the hearts design to the bottom left

Step 5 

Ink the large stamp from the set with the white ink pad and stamp centrally on the background, while still wet coat the image with embossing powder and set using the heat tool

Step 6

Colour the image using the alcohol markers, the result will be quite transparent and the metallic background will still shine through

Step 7

Stamp the sentiment from the set onto a piece of white cardstock using the Memento inkpad and trim to fit.  Edge the sentiment strip using a black alcohol marker

Step 8

I finished off the card by stamping the frond element from the set in black randomly around the sedges to frame the main image then added a black outline, again, using a black alcohol marker.  I then glued the finished piece on to my card blank.

Hope you've found this step by step guide useful.  Remember to check out the Create With Cleverprints Facebook Group for lots more inspiration from the Design Team and group members.

Best wishes,

Shona xx