All aboard the Tulip Express!

All aboard the Tulip Express!

Hi there!
Happy Sunny Saturday,  and thanks for stopping by.
After yesterday’s fun in the Wendy House, 
I thought it was time to showcase a brand new stencil. 
This wonderful Tulip stencil was designed by our very own Amanda Branston, so let’s hear it for Mandy!
No sooner did I start using it, 
than I decided we needed a Vase stencil
“and we need the vase bits, too!” 
I called over to the stencil makers. 
Now we can begin.
Think of this step-by-step tutorial as a train, moving forward.
We will reach several stations, 
at which you are always welcome to get off.
I just kept on going until I got to where I wanted to be, but you may well prefer to cut loose earlier!
All aboard!!!!
Ok. So first we have to decide which vase we want to use, and isolate that one, masking off the others.
Attach the mask towards the centre bottom of a piece of A5 Theuva Card.
Use a make-up sponge to add depth.
Cut a curve and add some shadow at the neck of the vase.
When you’ve added shadow to the vase, lightly dust over the aperture with Cranberry.
Looks quite dimensional, eh.
Cover up the vase with a Post-It, cutting a curve in the mask.
Hold the Tulip Stencil and card up to a window for backlight, and position the tulip so that the leaves sit in the vases right.
Now it’s all about using stencil brushes and make-up sponges to colour in the flowers and leaves.
I used my fingers to cover up the stems and leaves; 
it was just easier! 
Leaves next. Meadow Adirondack,
followed by Willow Adirondack.
Very lovely blend.
So. We are approaching the first stop.
You may want to add a little more colour to the flowers…
and a table with a Post-It and Willow on a brush,
(oh, cover up the vase with the vase piece.)
but this is about it. 
Please alight on the lefthand side.
Or you can stay on the train with me?
Add a little shadow around the base of the vase,
Now at this point, I wished I had got off at the last station. 
You see, I wanted to add a little white, like light, 
so I just added a little water and blotted it, as you do.
But then, when it didn’t work, 
I remembered what Dee told me earlier in the week. 
Theuva Card is no good for that trick”, she said.
 Too late.
It blistered. So I lightly went over it with a colouring pencil to cover it up, and discovered quite a nice effect! 
The pencil colour clings to the roughed up card.
See the mark?
Then I thought, in for a penny, 
so I wet areas of the petals and leaves with water, too, 
and then lightly ran over the petals with a 
and the vase,
  
the whole thing got more interesting. Much happier.
Now the next stop is approaching, so don’t leave any belongings in the carriage, and please mind the gap as you get off.
If you want to stick with me, brace yourself, 
because there comes a point just around the bend, 
where you will think I am completely round the bend!
Even I really started feeling a bit nauseous. 
Decided it was still too tame, so grabbed the spritzer bottles and reinkers, and started spritzing the whole thing with various greens.
Yikes.
Then I remembered what Dee had said about spritzed work always looking better once it has dried.
So I waited….
Trimmed the artwork back, and sat back.
I don’t think there’s another stop for a while…
Decided to tackle the edges with a blending tool
and our Clarity Blending mat, to give it a darker edge.
Actually, that made a big difference. 
And Dee was right. When the spritzed ink dried, it looked super.
Even over the top of the flowers. It just took away that crispness, and made the whole piece look older.
 So if you are happy, we could get off now. 
But there is one more station…
There was room for the words, 
which are also included in the stencil.
So out with the Cranberry again.
 But as soon as I started thickening up the lines of the words,
a little voice started shouting 
STOP THE TRAIN!!!!
So I did. 
Fantastic Stencil Miss Branston.
And the vases are pretty good, too!
much love,

59 thoughts on “All aboard the Tulip Express!

  1. Bloody fantastic!!! Well Done to Mandy Branston on the design too!!! fantastic!!! Great art work Barbara -love the spritzing effect fantastic!!
    Im off to the web site right nowxxx

  2. Lovely tulips, well done Amanda! And great vases too. I saw these stencils on the website last night and thought how lovely they were. Great card and I really like the effect of the spritzed ink. x

  3. Stayed on till the end, and it looks great. The ink that you misted on really adds depth and it doesn't detract from the beautiful tulips. Oh and you're right the vase isn't bad either 😉

    Sorry couldn't comment yesterday but I love your new iron furniture, those cushions are so colourful. Glad it fitted. XX

  4. Hi barb,
    Gorgeous stencils and really useful too. Glad I stated with you till the end of the line! Finished artwork is lovely.any chance of you doing a blue tit stencil to go with the fabulous stamp you have? Have a lovely day – hope the weather is not too bad! Love Alison xxx

  5. Wow what a great card and Amanda what a fabulous stencil. It's wonderful that you cut them in house Barbara so you can get exactly what you need without waiting too long ( I bet they love you sometimes though and mutter watch out here she goes again!). I'm glad I stayed on the train although I would probably have cried if the paper went all wrinkly with the water and would have started again! Have a great weekend filming your blog would love to see some out takes one day! Love Diane xxx

  6. Hi Barbara. I am so glad that I stayed on the train until the end otherwise I would have missed seeing the beautiful finished piece. I love Mandys tulips, simply gorgeous. I might have got off the train when the card blistered but you proved that you can carry on and get great effects. I love the finished look of it all. I hope you get on well making the videos, have a good day. Take care.

  7. Beautiful stencil Amanda and I love what you've created with it too, Barbara. The spritzing really finished it off. Glad I stayed on til the end if the ride. Thanks for a first class journey. Next stop, Clarity website – stencil deept!
    Enjoy filming the next You-Tube installments
    Jeanette xx

  8. Great tulips Amanda. Love the vases too and what you came up with today Barbara. I'm so glad I stayed on the train to the end, though it was a bit hairy towards the end. The finished image is beautiful. xx

  9. Great train ride Barbara, even if it was scary the nearer we got to your destination. I don't think I would have been brave enough to try the spritzing somehow, but you made it work beautifully.

  10. wow – this is awesome – love how you got the 3d into the pieces with the shadows – fantastic!!! brilliant – I love it! Just opened my stencil club membership today which is a pressie from my husband – I love it! Thankyou for doing the stencil club xx

  11. Amanda very well done I love the tulips and Barb I agree they need their vases, fab idea, you have a fabulous team x

    I love this and I am always on the train to the last stop or sometimes miss mine oops and then I have to start again he he, it is always fun though and I learn loads from it.

    Thank you for your fabulous Blog I love love love it.

    Denise xx

  12. Hello Barb,
    This looks fantastic. I reminds me of an old tile in, maybe, a Roman Bath House. It's too distressed to be a Victorian tile. You are so clever and innovative.
    I agree with Denise, I too always get on the train, leave at a station, then get back on because I realise the terminus is amazing!!
    Love and thanks xx

  13. Amazing stencil design Mandy and a fantastic piece of art Barbara! We all need a little voice in our head sometimes, either to keep us on track or to tell us when to stop!!! Thanks for sharing, Susan x

  14. So lovely Barbara, had me laughing with that train journey, we must have been travelling over the mountains. Mandy fantastic stencil, thanks you and congratulations.xxx

  15. Wonderful beautiful tulips. Definitely needed the vases. Bet you going to do some more flower stencils so we will have a bouquet soon. Love the way you have coloured it all in, think I might have been off at the second stop. Well done to Amanda but to you as well for all the wonderful inspiration that you give us. xx

  16. These tulips are lovely and what a super stencil Mandy has come up with, so stylish, and the vases will go with any other similar stencils. I love your analogy of the the train journey, and about getting off at an appropriate place according to what you want to do with it, I have to say staying on until the end was certainly worth while as the whole thing with those arty extra bits works a treat. Thank you for this. x

  17. Hi Barbara, great card, I'm glad I stayed on the train…I was going to get off half way!

    Amanda, love the stencil, great job, hope there's more like it on the way, freesias' perhaps?

  18. Stunning wow what a ending to your train journey glad to go all the way what a result ,fantastic stencils a freesias would be wonderful my favourite flower xxx

  19. Fantastic tutorial Barbara. I stayed on to the end, thought it was really brilliant. Loving the stencils. And yes I will be buying them too. You do realise that we are ALL going to need bigger craft rooms to fit all your wonderful products in. Hugs x

  20. well done Amanda!. lovely stencils. yes i think you will have to sell craft rooms soon……. brilliant tutorial and yes i have discovered at my own expense that theuva card is no good for water flicking. hugs xx

  21. Brilliant train journey Barbara, and what a stunning result. Mandy your stencil design is fantastic and I can't wait to get my hands on one. What a team…..hugs to you both….x x

  22. Fabulous tutorial, loving the new stencils, well done Mandy. Sorry you won't be Doncaster Barbara but totally understand, looking forward to seeing the rest of the fab Clarity team members x x

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