Saturday, March 01, 2014

Fantasy Castle

Hello everyone, I hope you are having a great weekend.  It's still very cold with piles of snow here in Ontario, Canada.  We are looking forward to Spring, it's been a very long, cold winter, the toughest that I can remember.    However the sun has been shining a lot in the last month which always feels good. 

Chocolate Baroque has just launched gorgeous new stamp sets for March:   Fantasy Castles, Magical Landscapes and a Spring Fairy Collection.

I have a design today featuring a castle and clouds from the gorgeous new Fantasy Castles.   I love the details in all the new designs they are quite beautiful.  I wanted to create a true fantasy with a castle in the sky surrounded by clouds.  


I used Teal & Cut Grass Dylusions Inks to create the smaller background.   Next I stamped the castle and clouds with Cobalt Archival Ink.    I bleached the ink away from the clouds and painted them with Midnight Dylusions Ink (using my craft mat, water & brush).   I coloured the castle with Prisma pencils and added glitter to highlight some areas.  

The larger background was created with Peacock Feathers Distress Ink using an acrylic block.   I stamped with a decorative textile stamp from Indian Textiles using Shaded Lilac Distress Ink. 

I distressed all the edges and added a little Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink.   I added a strip of background between the layers that I had cut away from the smaller background.

Here is a look at the new Castle stamp collection on special this month.   They are available individually or as a set:


If you have a chance, please drop by Chocolate Baroque's Design Team Blog to see what my talented teammates have created.

Thanks for your visit and have a great day,
Shirley

32 comments:

Valerie-Jael said...

This is soooo beautiful, a dreamy card! Hugs, Valerie

chrissie said...

Amazing use of colour on this Shirley and as always you made the stamps look wonderful with your colouring.

Love Chrissie x

Annie said...

Absolutely beautiful Shirley x love the main image and the fabulous colour palette.

TFS and have a lovely weekend x

Gerrina said...

Wow, a card that looks as if it comes straight out of a book!! Love the colours and the dreamy look! Have a creative weekend, Gerrina

Irish Cherokee said...

At first glance this could almost pass as a stained glass window. REALLY great coloring. Extra fine and fun.

Astrid Maclean said...

Wow, this looks like another amazing collection of stamps! The card you created looks fantastic, it looks like something from a fairytale book, this would be great for a card for a child, truly magical! Love the wonderful background you created for the front panel too, it looks stunning!!

maria's knutselplezier said...

Wooow, Shirley this is sooo gorgious!!!Like in a dream, what a beautiful ART work, your background is really amazing, I love it a lot!!!

Greetings
Maria

Unknown said...

Brilliant again Shirley, I just love visiting your work and your colours are amazing...I did try and experiment today but a disaster so it's in the bin...will try again tomorrow...xxx

Paula (PEP) said...

It really looks like you built a castle in the air with this one! Those clouds are so effective & your matting provides a perfect foil to showcase the image & background. The way you used the Indian Textiles stamp is a lovely touch for it really brings out the crenellated balustrades by echoing it with the rope work pattern, & of course those lovely bulbous roofs have their counterparts in the Indian pattern too. Those pearls really draw the eyes inwards with their diminishing sizes starting from the diagonally opposite corners. A lot of design features hidden in this one.
Enjoy the sunshine.
Paula (PEP)

Alie Hoogenboezem-de Vries said...

What a great fantasy world in fantasy colours Shirley...such a clever and creative make!

sheila 77 said...

This is delightful, Shirley, a really wonderful Fantasy Scene. I was fascinated by all the techniques and materials you used here, so much inspiration. That is a superb border you've created and the coloured strip emphasises it. I love it.

Annemie said...

Gorgeous Shirley! And the colours are so beautiful...

Have a great weekend,
Annemie

Donna Ellis said...

Fantasy castle for sure! I'd want to be up in the clouds like that, too, if all that snow was around me for any given time LOL - Shirley, this is beautiful, and fills my heart with colorful ideas and happiness! So pretty! hugs, de

Anneke said...

Wonderful colors together. A piece of ART.
Thanks for your explanation. Anneke.

Wendy said...

Beautiful magical castle! I'm enjoying water colouring too (although I'm nowhere near up to your standard!) I love the soft effects in the clouds. Xxx

friemelchen said...

Das ist so herrlich schön mit den Wolken und die tollen Farben, fantastisch gemacht!

Shona said...

Unbelievable!! You just keep amazing me with your beautiful works of art. There's no way you can just call this a card, it needs to be framed and hung on a wall!!

Anonymous said...

This is such a sensational card, in fact saying card doesn't do justice as this is art.
Gorgeous dreamy feel you created.
A WOW from me.
Wishes
Lynne

Anonymous said...

Did my comment come through?
Wishes
Lynne

MaryH said...

When I got the email about these stamps, my 1s thought was looking forward to seeing what you did with them. AH-mazing! Bleaching the clouds created a sensational stormy look to your fantasy castle. Haven't gotten brave enough to try painting with the inks - but I have been collecting the tiny brush tips on the w/c pens! One day...This is stunning. You lived up to my expectations! TFS & Hugs

Darnell said...

Your beautiful card turns your readers into young girls who long to be princesses so they can live in one of your castles in the sky!! Really stunning, Shirley!! Glad to hear that the sun is shining more often than not - that has to be a hopeful sign that winter won't last forever! We feel feel so fortunate in my neck of the woods to be getting a bit more rain. Hugs, Darnell

Annette P.-L. said...

So wonderful card with this lovely castle! Great colours, too!
Have a wonderful sunday!

Crafting Queen said...

Stunning card, your background is amazing as every. Hope Spring arrives soon. Skipper sends purrs to Archie and Sheena.

Karin said...

beautiful card, love the depth and the colors!
Groetjes Karin x

Anonymous said...

Hi Shirley, beautiful card as always. Chocolate Baroque is an amazing stamp company. Thanks for your comment on my blog. I would like to be on a design team someday - any advice about how to get there? :)

Unknown said...

this is stunning such beautiful stamps, now your newest follower xxx

Margik said...

Love the colors combination and the fabulous stamps. Your technique is genial!

Little Artbee said...

Ein Traumschloß ist das liebe Shirley, deine Farbwahl finde ich so frisch und fröhlich, da passen die dunkel blauen Ränder prima dazu. Die Kartengestaltung finde ich sehr gelungen.
Liebe Grüße
Sabine

Janny's Cards Creations said...

Beautiful colors combination and I like the stamp. Janny

Bonnie said...

Oh, Shirley, this is magical indeed!

Anonymous said...

gorgeous! looks like a lot of fun to make and this is another of your creations that should bee framed.

Sandy said...

I am going to have to get this castle - it reminds me of St Basil's in Moscow. Beautiful, beautiful colors.
Sandy xx