Oriental Style All Occasion Card with Mike Deakin

Hi Guys,

It's my turn to share a quick card project with you today, so I've created an oriental style 6x6 all occasion card using a few IndigoBlu products as follows:

Watercolour Cardstock

Marigold & Peony Stamp Set

Mulberry Bush Acrylic Paint

Goldfinger Metallic Acrylic Paint

Damaged Damask Stencil

Phat Foam

I made a quick video of the process from start to finish so you could see exactly how I made the card and stamped the peony image using the Goldfinger paint. Click below to watch.

Don't forget to like and subscribe to the IndigoBlu YouTube channel for more video projects from the other members of the Design Team.

Christmas Wreath 6x6 Greetings Card

Hi everyone - Mike here!

So the snow has started to fall here in the UK and I thought I'd get even more into the festive mood by creating a 6x6 Christmas wreath greeting card using the IndigoBlu stamp set of the same name.

IndigoBlu products I've used in this project are:

Postbox Red Damaged Damask 12 x12 paper

Ruby Slipper Metallic Acrylic Paint

Emerald Slippers Metallic Acrylic Paint

Goldfinger Metallic Acrylic Paint

Stars Stencil

Christmas Wreath Stamp Set

If you'd like to watch how I created the card from start to finish in real time, then please click the YouTube link below to watch the creation process from beginning to end!

Don't forget to subscribe to the IndigoBlu YouTube channel for future project videos from me and others on the design team!

Cracked Glass Mixed Media Butterfly

Hi friends!  Autumn Clark of SewPaperPaint with you today for a guest post.  Today I'm sharing a second variation of the crackle project I first posted HERE.  

I was in the mood to make some grungy mixed media and pooled together my all time favorite IndigoBlu stamps for this project.

First I painted a piece of mat board with Goldfinger metallic paint.  I distressed the edges of the painted panel, then sponged with sepia archival ink.

My panel was cut double the size of the Crackleglaze stamp.  I applied Super Thick Slap It On with a palette knife then pressed the image into the wet paste two times for complete coverage.  It is important to quickly wash your stamp with a brush afterwards.

I dried my panel with a hair dryer on the coolest setting.  Once it was mostly dry I quickly wiped on black GeeSso Good and then wiped away most of the gesso with a wet cloth.

It helped to spritz with water before wiping.  I had forgotten how I made the first crackle panel with a Distress Crayon, but in the end really liked the effect of the black GeeSso Good.

The finished result resembles cracked glass with the Goldfinger paint beneath.  I sponged the edges with sepia archival ink for a little depth.

I stamped the Numbers Collectors Edition stamp in gold on a black panel for a mat.  I would like to turn this into a handmade journal cover, but for now it is a card.

For my focal image I embossed in black the Flutterby Dinkie onto leftover inky card.  I fussy cut it and layered over a bundle of string and an oval stamped with the larger numbers from the Shine Bright set.  I used the paint as ink this time.  I love the uneven effect it gives.

Finally I partially stamped pieces of the sentiment from the Shine Bright set and cut them out to make a different wording.  I added a key charm to complete the look.

I can't tell you how much fun I had making this panel and playing with these stamps!  I hope you will give these techniques a try.  Thanks for having me join you again, Autumn

No Limits Art Journal Page

Hi everyone,

It's Mike here with an oriental colour themed art journal page in my Junk & Disorderly art journal. I know it's October and normally would go for a fall or Halloween themed project, however, I love the subtle colours used in oriental and Japanese imagery and wanted to create a sedate and calming art journal page using the A6 Peony stamp set instead of a seasonal page.

This art journal page design could easily be adapted for an A5, 6x6 or 8x8 greetings card too!

I also used Townhouse Teal acrylic paint, Fair Portrait acrylic paint & Apricot Blush Portrait acrylic paint & Goldfinger Metallic acrylic paint, plus the collectors stamps Bubbles (No1) and Crosshatch (No3). The sentiment is taken from the Mindfulness #1 stamp set.

To watch how I created the page from start to finish click the YouTube image below to visit the IndigoBlu YouTube channel and see how the page was created step by step in real time.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed creating the page. Don't forget to give it a thumbs up, share with your friends and subscribe to the IndigoBlu YouTube channel for more videos from the Design Team.

Introducing Guest Designer and our new Brand Ambassador Linda Simpson

It's "Time" to introduce a Guest Designer and new Indigoblu Brand Ambassador Linda Simpson.

Linda is based in the UK and loves all types of crafting from crochet to mixed media and steampunk. Today she is sharing a project using one of the IndigoBlu Small Clock Kits.

Using the small Clock kit and an MDF fob watch I painted a coat of Gesso over them both.  Once this was dry I mixed IndigoBlu acrylic paint Hot Cocoa with Gesso and again covered both MDF pieces.

 

 

Using one of the papers from the clock kit I adhered to the clock face and covered with a coat of Mod Podge. I stamped IndigoBlu Mechanics with Versafine vintage sepia.  Once this was dry I then dusted Luscious Powder Orange which adhered to the stamped image.

The fob watch outline I covered with a combination of Lemon Meringue and Burning Bonfire Acrylic Paint with a baby wipe as this gave it some texture.  To give it a rustic feel I then dabbed on with again a baby wipe metallic acrylic paint Pheasant Bronze.

Once the paint was dry I then added FlitterGlu to a foam pad and dabbed around the edge of the fob watch.  I then stamped the Mechanics stamp around the edge with Stazon.

 

Next was to add the numbers to the clock face. I did this by using the stencil which came with the kit, I mixed Super Thick Slap it on and Acrylic Metallic Paint Goldfinger.

Once everything was dry on both pieces I then adhered the clock face to the front of the fob watch outline.

 

 

The last item to attach to the project was the clock hands which came with the kit.  

 

 

Happy Crafting

Linda x

An Autumn Canvas

Hello,   Welcome to the IndigoBlu Blog,  Kay M today and I would like to share an Autumnal canvas.  I've combined lots of textures with the Indigoblu English Cottage Artist'sAcrylic Paint colours of the season.
 

I began by covering an A4 sized canvas with skeletal leaves using Slap-it-On Matt and added dimensional paste butterflies through the Floral Fantasy stencil.  Cocktail and bamboo sticks were dipped into fine and coarse pastes and then glued in place.  Die cut leaves were crushed then scattered and adhered were they landed, the canvas was left the dry.   The entire canvas was then painted with Gee-Sso-Good white, a wash of BurningBonfire and two further washes of  Gee-Sso-Good white dabbed with Goldfinger, ensuring each layer was dried before adding the next.
    

Five chipboard leaves were covered with coarse paste and left to dry.  Ruby Slippers, Burning Bonfire and Emerald City mixed with PheasantBronze  then  painted onto all the leaves.  Gold Luscious mixed with water was applied to highlight the paste butterflies. 
   

Images and the sentiment from Nature II were stamped, painted and shaped where necessary.    The tree stump and ferns, stamped onto tissue paper and applied with Slap It On Matte, all the other elements secured with silicon glue as shown.  

To finish a little brown Distress Ink was sponged around the canvas edge.

I do hope you enjoyed my autumn canvas.

Take care,  Kay M

I Believe in You Card

Hello Everyone!

Zoey here today to show you the last card I made using IndigoBlu products! I had fun playing with the new Cartography Mixed Media Card Stack and Mega Flakes! The card collection is awesome and the Mega Flakes are just the best thing ever! Perfect to add just the right shine to all your projects!

I choose one patterned paper from the Mixed Media Paper Pad 6x6 Cartography and covered the sides with tape and then IndigoBlu Gee-Sso Good - White to tie everything together. I let it dry and mixed in a bit of IndigoBlu English Cottage Artist's Acrylic Paint Goldfinger and IndigoBlu English Cottage Artist's Acrylic Paint Postbox Red.

To add some more interest to the background I stamped here and there with StazOn Mini Jet Black and Indigoblu Grand Tour I.

I stamped IndigoBlu Flutterby Dinkie with StazOn Mini Jet Black over a piece of card stock and then I used Indigoblu FlitterGlu to stamp again the IndigoBlu Flutterby Dinkie. I covered it with Indigoblu Mega Flakes Lancashire Rose and removed the excess. LOVE the result!

I stamped the sentiment over another piece of card stock always using StazOn Mini Jet Black and a text from IndigoBlu Boadicea. I love to be able to stretch stamps to get the sentiment I want!

Finally I glued the sentiment, stitched around the sides and attach my background to the card base.
And here's the final result!

Stay happy stay creative, till next time!
Ciao, Zoey


Products Used :

• IndigoBlu Flutterby Dinkie
• IndigoBlu Grand Tour I
• IndigoBlu Boadicea
• IndigoBlu FlitterGlu
• IndigoBlu Megaflake Lancashire Rose
• IndigoBlu English Cottage Artist's Acrylic Paint Goldfinger
• IndigoBlu English Cottage Artist's Acrylic Paint Postbox Red
• IndigoBlu Gee-Sso Good - White
• StazOn Mini Jet Black
• Cartography Collection Mixed Media 6x6 Paper Pad

Big News for IndigoBlu and a Canal Grande Canvas

Hi everyone and welcome! I've got a new mixed media canvas to share with you but before that some big news...

Until now the IndigoBlu International Design Team have posted their amazing pieces of inspiration and sneak peeks of new product on the IndigoBlu blog and the fabulous Challenge Design Team have shared their beautiful work alongside our winners and guests here on the IndigoBlu Challenge blog. So you've had to make the journey to two places for your 'fix' of IndigoBlu inspiration. Well not any more...

From today you'll find both teams, the inspiration, the challenges, the news, the winners, the prizes, the offers and all those sneak peeks in one place - here at the revamped IndigoBlu Blog. You'll be able to follow us easily and see the latest posts coming up straight away - just make sure you become a follower!!! We look forward to seeing you here...

More news? OK then. Back by popular demand, Kay Halliwell-sutton will be on your screens again this weekend with some fabulous shows on Hochanda. See her there on Saturday 12th Dec 2015 - 8pm, and Sunday 13th Dec 2015 - 7am, 9am, 12pm, 4pm and 7pm.

Now for that canvas. Anyone who's followed me on my blog over the past few months knows I finally got to add a big tick to my 'bucket list' by taking a romantic trip to Venice with my wonderful hubby. Talk about inspiring (Venice I mean, not hubby bless him - although he's special in his own way!) I took hundreds of photos and got lost in the magic of that incredible city. So when we were given some new 'European Grand Tour' Mixed Media Papers to play with I was beside myself with one particular design - a view of the Canal Grande looking down towards the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute. I added it to a canvas board and then the fun began!

It really didn't need much to enhance this beautiful paper; I scratched at the edges to distress the canvas, added an initial layer of dilute Gee-Sso Good! gesso in places, spritzed some dilute Goldfinger Metallic paint to add to the warmth, stamped some messy black areas using the 'Tasty Textures' stamp set and used clear texture paste through the coordinating 'Texture' stencil as a base for more embellishments. Having worked out where I would put one of my many photos, I added some pieces of lace, a few beads and pearls, some brass buttons and trinkets, moulded elements (including the frame) and metallic threads. Some more dabs of gesso helped make the Lindy's Stamp Gang Starburst Mists work well to colour these textures. The sentiment comes from the Grand Tour I stamp set - it seemed utterly appropriate! Now for some close ups...

Now I've gone to town a bit on this and enjoyed every minute of it, but I'm sure you'll agree the paper does most of the hard work on this canvas. Want it? Need it? Start bugging your retailers for European Grand Tour Mixed Media Papers as they'll be released to the trade in January along with the Tasty Textures stamps and Textures stencil.

That's it for now. Don't forget, you'll find everything IndigoBlu including more new releases here at the IndigoBlu Blog now so make sure you're a follower. And tune in to see Kay this weekend!

Have a great weekend, and whatever you're up to take care of yourselves.

Jenny xxx