New Cutting Dies

New cutting dies to coordinate

with some of our old favourites!

Available through our Beccy's Place stockists.

Remember, if you can't find what you're looking for, just send an email

to one of the listed retailers requesting the items you want.

New Stamps and Dies

We've added some fabulous new clear stamps to our collection, as well as three cutting dies that match some of our old favourites! These items are available from our wonderful stockists... but if you can't find what you're looking for, please send them an email requesting the items you'd like.

Beccy's Place Stockists

Tutorial - Star Effect Cards

This fabulous project is called a Star Effect card, for obvious reasons. It's an awesome display card that I think would look particularly good at Christmastime, and has the added benefit of disassembling for postage. There aren't a lot of complicated measurements either so it would be relatively easy to adjust the size if you were after something larger.

1. You'll need a piece of card stock measuring 5" wide x 6" high and a piece of patterned paper that also measures 5" wide x 6" high.

2. Place the card stock vertically on your score board and score at 21/2", which is the centre line. Fold your card in half.

3. Using a trimmer or craft knife and ruler, cut from the top of the score line to the bottom corner of each side of the card stock. You'll end up with three triangles, as shown in the photo below. Set aside.

4. Measure and mark the centre of the patterned paper and cut in half vertically. You should have two pieces of patterned paper measuring 21/2" wide x 6" high.

5. Cut each piece of patterned paper on the diagonal so that you have four triangles.

6. Trim a small piece (a little less than 1/4") from the bottom and side of each triangle, if desired. This will give you a small border around each piece of patterned paper. Since I'm using double sided paper, I'm going to flip two of the triangles over for some variety.

6. Use glue or tape to attach the patterned paper to the card stock.

7. Working with just the large triangle, fold it in half along the score line with the patterned paper on the inside.

8. Line the triangle up with the lines on your cutting mat. Using a craft knife and ruler, cut a 1" vertical slit on the long, diagonal side of the triangle about 1" from the bottom left point. Refer to the photo below. Ensure that you have cut through both layers of card stock and patterned paper.

9. Layer the two other triangles one on top of the other and secure with glue or tape. It doesn't matter what angle you place the triangles on or even how straight they are in comparison to each other. Altering the angles and positions will give you a slightly different look to each card.

10. Slot the triangles in to the slit you made in step 8 and your base card is done. All that's left is to decorate your card for whatever occasion you like.

Stamps:

No Line Colouring

If you haven't already tried no-line colouring, I highly recommend having a go. You end up with a fabulous image that looks like it's been hand drawn rather than stamped. It works with both digital and traditional stamping as well as any type of colouring medium.

Stamps:

Waratah clear stamp set

Waratah digital stamp set

A Wonderful Friend

A couple of days ago I shared a technique for colouring the waratah flower, which ended up gracing the front of this card. I added a little bit of white pencil around the outside of the flower, just to give it an extra lift, then mounted the panel on a piece of black card and teamed it up with some patterned paper and twine for a fairly simple design.

Colouring the Waratah

Today I want to share my technique for colouring the waratah flower head with Prismacolor pencils. I'm using kraft card stock as my base, but you can substitute white or any other light coloured card if you prefer, and whichever pencils you have in your collection.

I start by laying down a light layer of my mid colour, in this case Poppy Red (PC922). Take care not to press too hard with your pencil, you want a light coat that allows you to add more pigment over the top.

The second layer uses the same pencil with a slightly heavier pressure. The colour is the same, but the intensity is increased in the areas around the base of the large petals and the bowl of the flower. Again, take care not to press too hard with your pencil. 

I'm adding Tuscan Red (PC937) to deepen the image and help shape the petals. Dark colours recede while light colours come forward helping to give the appearance of dimension.

I applied the Tuscan Red to the bottom of each large petal and 2/3 of the way up the bowl of the flower. Then I added more Tuscan Red between the individual florets in the top 1/3. You want to keep the lighter colour visible at the top of the flower where it would naturally be hit with more sunlight.

At this point I like to add in a little highlight colour, which is Pale Vermillion (PC921). I find it easier to switch between the shadows and highlights to give a more balanced look to my overall design.

I keep the highlights to the tips of the large petals and the top 1/3 of the florets. Again I'm thinking of where the light would hit if the flower was out in the garden.

In the two photos above, I've tried to illustrate the benefits of deepening the shadows and adding brighter highlights to help give your image more depth. I've added Black (PC935) for deep shadows and Canary Yellow (PC916) for the top highlights on just the right hand side of the flower so you can compare.

My flower head is now completely coloured. You can see how the contrast between the lightest and darkest areas of the flower help to "trick" your eye into believing there is shape... which, to me, is one of the main reasons why we colour.

The stem has been coloured in a similar manner to the flower head. I've kept the highlight down the centre of the stem to give the illusion that it's rounded. Remember, darker colours recede, so when applied to the sides of the stem it gives the impression that they are curving away from the viewer.

As always, the best way to improve your colouring is to play and practice. Try a range of different colouring techniques and styles without worrying too much about the end result. There are lots of tutorials on the internet with different techniques for adding colour... it's just a matter of finding the one that works best for you.

Stamps:

Waratah clear stamps

Waratah digital stamps

Photos and written instructions are copyright Beccy Muir.

All rights reserved.

A Colouring Project

I've used the last four frames from my stash for a seaside grouping. The top two images are from the Smooth Seas clear stamp set and the bottom two are from the new By The Seaside set. These frames, along with the flowers I did earlier, will hang in my booth at the next craft fair.

Smooth Seas and By The Seaside

Lovely Lilies (August release)

Spring Tulips

Waratah

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