Lovely as a tree brayering

A friend of mine has recently got the brayering bug and she's got me all inspired too! I got my brayer out over the weekend to have a go at the brayer/resist technique and came up with this birthday card for today's Masculine Monday post:

The brayer gives a real intensity of colour and a wonderful airbrushed quality that I love and if you're thinking of buying one, I can highly recommend the Stampin' Up one with its soft rubber. I started by stamping the oak leaves from Lovely as a Tree and colouring them with a blender pen and ink. The leaves are then covered with versamark - this is easy with a versamark pen - and heat embossed using clear embossing powder. That makes them waterproof so they resist the ink when you brayer over them. I used Bashful Blue and sponged the edges with Marina Mist.

I have several leaf stamp sets and love combining them. This oak leaf from Autumn Splendor, is a completely different style to the one from Lovely as a Tree but works really well as an embellishment. I've used the acorns from the set too and added a knot of linen thread for extra interest.

I always think it's a great idea to build up a diverse collection of sentiments. This one is from a retired hostess set and it has definitely earned its place amongst my favourites. I chose to stamp it in Cajun Craze which really 'sings' against the blue sky but fits in nicely with the natural theme.

Supplies needed for this card:

Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, Autumn Splendor, Afterthoughts (retired hostess set)

Ink: Always Artichoke, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue, Marina Mist, Cajun Craze

Card stock: Naturals Ivory, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White

Other: Markers, stamp-a-majig, clear embossing powder, versamark pen, heat tool, brayer, linen thread

I'd be delighted to order any of these supplies for you and can have them delivered to your address in the UK. I am committed to providing excellent customer service and am always happy to help and advise. Just send me an email or give me a call on 01280 820593.

Click here to see all the free Sale-a-bration sets and don't forget to let me know which ones you'd like - remember, you get one free item for EVERY £45 spent!

I hope you had a good weekend. It rained here all day yesterday and my youngest son and I curled up and watched a lovely film called 'Black Stallion' about a boy and his horse. Halfway through the film, my husband came in and hovered about for a while a puzzled look on his face. Eventually he said: "So how is this about pirates?" I shook my head sadly. "It's called Black Stallion," I told him. "Not Black Galleon!"

I'll be back tomorrow with some elegant designer paper creations. Enjoy your Monday!