Yep, that is what I did here. I got a wonderful skeleton stamp from Lost Coast Designs. I mounted all of the pieces on cling foam and placed them randomly on a clear block and inked it with clear embossing ink then set it aside. I was setting the stage for what was to be some highly successful soot stamping (mind you I have NEVER tried it in my life but the tutorials looked easy enough-famous last words.) So, I lit a candle and held my glossy cardstock face down over it….hmmm, not much happening…well, maybe if I get the paper a little closer to the flame…!!!, oh no paper is on fire, dunk the paper in my painting rinse water and try again. OK second try, easy does it, OK I am seeing some ghostly smoke on the paper, nice! Oh @%*#! the *!@$%&# paper is aflame again! Well, 3rd time is a charm right? Nope, it really wasn’t. Let’s not go there. So, I stamped the image on the remaining panel of glossy cardstock, grabbed a cotton ball and rubbed some black chalk over the panel, it’s not soot stamping but it’s not a fire hazard either.
In case you were wondering what was supposed to happen with the soot stamping I’ll tell you. The candle would cover the paper in a fine layer of black soot. You would then ink up a stamp with clear ink and stamp on the paper to lift up the soot and have a white image. The object is not to catch the paper on fire. It turns out that NOT catching a piece of paper on fire is harder than it seems.
Of course the card is a nod to my favorite TV show BBC’s Sherlock, can’t wait for the next season…well I guess I will have to won’t I 🙂 In the meantime I realized that I can stream BBC radio4 on my computer and I love the radio shows they have! They even have a Doctor Who radio show and just about the funniest thing I have ever heard, a show called Cabin Pressure and you can listen to the most recent episode on demand. It stars Benedict Cumberbatch (the dude who plays Sherlock) as a pilot and sometime Anthony Head guest stars (He was Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer as well as the Taster’s Choice guy from the 90’s-great voice!) And the actor who plays Douglas has a voice like honey, the woman who plays Caroline is also top notch, the casting is perfect! The writing is by John Finnemore who also plays a hilarious part in the show (Caroline’s inept but lovable son Arthur) it is really worth a listen! And while I was listing to the live streaming I heard that John Finnemore has a sketch comedy show too! Ahhh, all for my listing while crafting enjoyment! Why don’t we have anything like this in America? Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
LOL! What a riot and sounds just like my one and only attempt at soot stamping! You got much better results than I did. Instead of turning it into something cool, I just wadded up the whole mess and moved on to a whole different idea. Love your results!
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What a hoot- love reading your blog and this technique turned out very neat!
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Hi Lindsay! Wow, the BBC radio shows sound great, and I wish I could get them on my computer.. But when I went to the link you mentioned, it appeared my computer is too outdated to install/support it. The last radio show I remember at all, was one called “Mystery Theater”. Do you remember that? When I was just a kid, I loved it! No one else in my family seemed to give a hoot about it, but I would always tune in to hear it! (If you ARE familiar with the show, remember the creaky door at the beginning of every episode?)… As for Sherlock, on PBS television, I only caught glimpse of the the last couple of episodes of whatever season, and I LOVED it, but it was over just that quickly! So I asked a friend about it, and she was under the impression, that THAT was IT. It was just a one time series, and that it wasn’t coming back again. Are YOU saying it IS coming back again?.. Because I’m excited if it IS, and I’ll start watching for program schedules on when it will air again!… Love your skeleton card!… and have a great weekend!
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Sherlock will be back on PBS this fall. You can watch the first 2 seasons (6 hour-and-a-half episodes on Netfilx) have fun catching up!
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Great card and I like your technique a lot better too!
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Great job and sorry it didn’t work out for you. But as I say better to have tried than sit there and say “I can’t do that” for your entire life. I just went back and read the file I have on it and can’t see where you or what you might have done wrong.
I’ve seen it suggested to use cheap candles that don’t drip. And maybe the flame is too high as the wick is getting long, as this process does take a while to complete. Maybe after so many passes, if the wick is long, try trimming it down.
Your card turned out great.
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I can’t even begin to tell you how much I was cracking up reading your post. But like the champ you are, you found a way to make it work! I, too, am a real anglophile. LOVE “Sherlock”, love BBC. I’m in real trouble because I just discovered “digitaltheatre” which gives access to HD recordings of plays put on in London’s West End. Oh Heaven save me. This is one addiction that could break the bank, like I wasn’t already in danger from my crafting bug. I think the secret is just to ride the wave of wonderful and crazy and let someone else find the sense! Hugs to you and thanks again for another great project.
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Hi Lindsay, I must give you a lesson in soot stamping. I have had a lot of success with this medium. First use a cheap emergency candle and very glossy c/s (no semi gloss). Use a larger piece than you want your project to be and keep your flame away from the edges of the c/s. I have found that if you do burn the edges, it can be nice addition for effect on some cards, i.e., Valentines….”You set my a heart on fire…blah, blah, blah. Use a light touch over your flame, back & forth until you get the desired look. After stamping, spray a fixative over your image, so that it won’t rub off (do this in a well ventilated area….outside is best, as it is very toxic until dry). One suggestion is that if you only get part of it and can still stamp, once you have a dry image from fixative (Can buy at walmart in paint dept.), you can cut your image out with a die or punch for a beautiful affect. I will try to get a card completed and share with you! I do love the way your card turned out though. Good save!
Hugs Lori
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sounds a little dangerous LOL I watch Downton Abbey and Dr. Who and Dr. Martin. Not into Sherlock yet.
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Love your technique! My husband is a big fan of Sherlock. Years ago was a wonderful series with great locals and wonderful costumes and great photography. We lived in New York then.
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I saw Gina K do that technique and I tried it but my paper just burned too.
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Oh Lindsay, be glad you didn’t set the house on fire, or worse yet, you could have burned your hand off LOL!!
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haha, that is my crafting motto! “Don’t burn your hands off!” LOL!
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Ok all I could think of while reading this was…. Where is the video???? Not of what you finally did but all of the little oopsies. I mean why were you not taping that??????? I know it’s funny till someone gets hurt then it’s hysterical I admit I have warped sense of humor I scrolled went online reloaded just to find where you put the video!!!!!! We all know your videos are raw with all the bloops and blunders that go with being creative
Don’t worry ive watched so many of your videos my imagination was allowing me to a nice hard laugh just the same – well maybe not as good as seeing it lol. I will admit I’m terrified to try that technique. Why???? I’m so clumsy I’d burn house down and insurance company would never replace all my craft stuff ESP since I never admit how much I really have invested in it HAHAHA
Have great night
Jackie P
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I love this card! Can I buy it?
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