Katy Fox - April Guest Designer

We had so many wonderful submissions for the 2010 Banana Frog design team that in addition to our amazing design team, each month we will have a guest designer showing you fantastic creations. The guest designer will have two days to show their lovely projects, 1st and 20th of the month.

The first guest designer for 2010 is the lovely Katy Fox. Many of you may know Katy as the editor of Craft Stamper (so clearly she is addicted to stamps!) and she also has a blog. Over to you Katy...

 
 

I was so excited to be asked by Bev to be a guest designer for Banana Frog; and then a bit scared when she told me I was first up! No pressure then!

Bev sent me four lovely froggie sets to play with – Fairytale Princess; Fireworks; Butterflies & Swirls and Willing Race alphabet. My favourite set was definitely the Fireworks set, it’s incredibly versatile and I can see me using it a lot in future. I am also a bit of a font junkie so I loved the alphabet stamps. I guess at first glance these are the two less exciting looking sets, but I love stamps that I can use over and over, are equally good for cards and scrapbooking, and don’t have a really specific occasion or focus. I’ve also used two other sets of stamps I already had – Super Dreamy and Tiny Teen alphabet.

I do love a challenge and I hope you enjoy the things I have created to share with you this month.

 

Just So Cute Layout

On this layout I’ve used stamps in various ways. I’ve created my own patterned background cardstock, I’ve made little letters that are kind of similar to the teeny letters that are popular in scrapbooking at the moment (and you’ll never run out of vowels!), and I’ve embossed Thickers foam alphabet stickers using stamps.

Stamps used… Banana Frog Swirls & Butterflies; Super Dreamy; Fireworks; Tiny Teen alphabet

1 Using four different colours of Versamagic Ink, stamp the chunkier Fireworks images (all four sizes) onto white cardstock, overlapping the images as shown. Add black pearls to the centre of each to add definition.

2 Trim cardstock and punch holes all around using a Crop-A-Dile. Join the holes with wobbly doodled lines.

3 Mark the position of the left-hand edge of the photo with pencil and stamp the border from Super Dreamy over the line (you may need to stamp twice depending on the size of your photo). Rub out the pencil line once dry. Colour the circles using the same inks as used to stamp the Fireworks images, applied with a water brush.

 

4 To make the small letters, stamp the words ‘just so’ with Tiny Teen stamps onto white card using black ink. Cut each letter out into a rectangle and doodle a border round with fine black pen.

5 Place the foam Thickers stickers to spell ‘cute’ on a heat proof craft mat and gently heat up using a heat gun. You only need to heat for a few seconds. Firmly press the un-inked Fireworks stamp into the foam, keeping the pressure applied for around 10 seconds. Lift to reveal the embossed letter. If you don’t like how it turned out, reheat to remove the embossing.

6 Stamp the bracket shaped box from Butterflies & Swirls set and add the date with the Tiny Teen stamps. Cut out. Assemble the layout as shown using Basic Grey Ambrosia papers to complement the stamping.

 

Sunny Birthday

I thought the Fireworks stamps would lend themselves to making cards more suitable for a male recipient. I combined them with alphabets to create a bespoke greeting. The card is entirely made with inkpads and stamps.

Stamps used… Fireworks; Willing Race alphabet; Tiny Teen alphabet

1 Repeatedly stamp each of the thinner Fireworks images in Versamark on white card. Emboss with clear detail powder to create a resist.

2 Blend Distress Inks (Mustard Seed; Dried Marigold; Spiced Marmalade; Fired Brick) over the background with Cut-n-Dry foam. Wipe over with a tissue to remove excess ink from the embossed areas.

3 Stamp the largest chunkier Firework image in Fired Brick ink and emboss with clear powder. Cut out in a circle. Blend coloured inks (the same Distress Inks as before) over the top blending from the lightest to the darkest in concentric circles.

4 Stamp the word ‘birthday’ using the Willing Race alphabet, and ‘happy’ using Tiny Teen onto white card. Gently blend Dried Marigold ink around the edges of the panel. Mat onto black cardstock and add brads in the corners.

5 Glue the circle behind the greeting and add to the background panel with 3D foam. Mat the whole thing onto a black A6 card blank.

 

Fireworks Flowers

Stamps used… Banana Frog Fireworks; Butterflies & Swirls; Willing Race alphabet

Stamp the chunkier Fireworks images in pink and purple Brilliance Inks. Cut out and layer as shown to make ‘flowers’ (I cut the outer ring from the largest image to make the ‘flowers’ more balanced). Add a pearl brad to the centre of each. Stamp a piece of purple paper with the large swirl from Butterflies & Swirls using dark purple ink so the background stamping is quite subtle.

Stamp a green piece of paper with the Fireworks, again using a tonal ink so the effect is a background rather than bold images.

Finally stamp ‘hi’ onto the purple background paper using the alphabet set and emboss it with white powder. Assemble elements on a card blank as shown.

Thank you Katy for these lovely projects. Check back on the 20th for some more (there are princesses and butterflies!)

Comments

[Helen]

hello! love your doggy LO!! pretty cards, the cards are great, brilliant idea to cut the stamped fireworks into flowers, must try that!

[{vicki}]

Thanks for sharing this! Love everything---

[Beki]

Love what you've done Katy, especially with those Thickers. The Fireworks are my all time fave BF stamps too. You did a great job being first up and I am even more excited about my GDT spot now! xxx

[Mustavcoffee]

Wow a lovely selection, I like your firework flowers they are brilliant, Thanks x

[michelle]

WTG Katy LOVE the projects and LOVE the colours!!! Gret to see you here :) M x

[Lousette]

Fabulous - I love your layout and may need to get a set of those fireworks stamps now!

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