Tangling Christmas

Zentangle Inspired Christmas Cards on my PEP tangles blog.

Purple Poppies

Thank you for all your kind wishes & understanding - they are much appreciated. I am much improved & now have good movement with both the arms.

I've been wanting to experiment further with watercolouring using inks  & especially what effects can be achieved using just the one inkpad - in this case Nick Bantock's Damson Plum. Nick Bantock's inkpads are dye based & behave similarly to Distress Inks in that they react with water giving further interesting nuances of colour. Like Distress Inks the effects achieved  also vary in accordance with the type of paper they are applied to. The paper I used here - Winsor & Newton Cotman 190gsm Cold Pressed/NOT Grain Fin Watercolour Paper - is one I come back to time & again with these inks for being 190gsm it allows me to fussy cut without wrecking my scissors.

front of card

close-up of water coloured poppy image
contrasting with patterned paper

Close-up showing gem & sequin
butterflies embellishing plus tone-on-tone
stamping with patterned paper background 

close-up showing brad with leaf sequins
& ribbon embellishing over
 tone-on-tone stamped background

inside of card showing stamped images
& pearlescent matting layer

NB
The photographs show some of the white or cream areas as tinged with green - especially apparent in my second photograph above: there seems to be some kind of reaction when photographing whites/creams & purples together.  I tried various photo editing options to no avail & this is the best I could get it.


The poppies were repeatedly stamped in Nick Bantock Damson Plum & then watercoloured using ink from the same inkpad. Once dry a strip of the images was cut off so as to leave some parts of the flowers & leaves extending outside the cut edge to be fussy cut individually (see above close-up photo of watercoloured poppy).

Supplies
Stamps Chocolate Baroque UDLSP0320 Fresh Florals (poppies on front), UA6SP0272 Abstract Flowers (tone on tone background) & UA4SP0151 Flora & Fauna (inside card).
Inks Nick Bantock Damson Plum (poppies on front & inside, edging purple panel inside card); Dusty Concord Distress Ink (edging patterned paper); Emboss Tinted Stamp Pad (tone on tone background).
Cardstock White plus assorted purples in various finishes from stash.
Paper Winsor & Newton Cotman 190gsm Cold Pressed/NOT Grain Fin Watercolour Paper; Graphicus Guild Membership Pack (patterned paper).
The gems are Anita's whereas the sequins, brad & ribbon are from stash.

I also have a Zentangle post today HERE.

Commenting Interlude

Thank you everyone for your continued comments, both here & on PEP tangles. Unfortunately I have acquired Painful Arc/Rotator Cuff Syndrome in my left shoulder & coupled with a long standing De Quervain Syndrome in my right thumb I'm having to limit time spent typing. Though I'm hoping to maintain artwork & blog posts I'm going to have to limit commenting in my normal fashion.

Thank You & PEP tangles Post

Thank you for all your kind comments on my previous post - though it's early days with different medication I'm greatly improved.

I have a new post on PEP tangles HERE.

Perhaps an Interlude.......

Having trouble with migraine medication for the moment.

Out of action for a while. 

PEP tangles

Organic Chocolate Baroque in a Zendala Dare HERE

Colour Challenge with Penny Black

Trying to keep my craft room & the whole property tidy for potential buyers to view means that I'm scraping in at the last moment with my creation for one of the Penny Black colour challenges (Day 5).

front of card 

close-up showing fussy cutting detail  plus
 sparkle of glittered flower-centre

close-up showing Distress Inks
watercolouring 

 inside of card 

close-up showing tone-on-tone stamping &
inked edges of message panel

The poinsettia images were stamped twice in Distress Ink using the masking technique & watercoloured using a combination of Distress Stain & Marker. These were then cut out & mounted onto the background which had been stamped with the same image. Gold Ice Ice Stickles was mixed with Golden Rod Stickles to create the flower-centre as the Golden Rod by itself proved rather brassy.

Recipe

Stamps Penny Black 40-075 christmas pride (front of card) & 30-057 winter whites & green (message panel images).

Inks VersaFine Onyx Black (tone on tone background) & Vintage Sepia (message panel images); Barn Door Distress Ink & Stain (poinsettia image); Vintage Photo Distress Ink (edging message panel).

Pencils/Markers etc... Barn Door Distress Marker; Ice Stickles Glitter Glue (Gold Ice) & Stickles Glitter Glue (Golden Rod). 

Cardstock Winsor & Newton Cotman 190gsm Cold Pressed/NOT Grain Fin Watercolour Paper; white, kraft & brown cardstock from stash.