Simon Says - Show us your Layers - with Chipped Enamel

I have had SO much fun this afternoon, playing!  It's a sunny Bank Holiday Monday here in the UK but I am staying inside because I wanted to do my favourite Monday challenges!  Simon Says, week 4 - is to use Layers - think I may have managed that - and Linda's Studio L3 for the Compendium Challenge is from page 44, chipped enamel.

Also, I've been watching 'An American in Paris' on tv with all that gorgeous Gershwin music - so think I've gone a bit romantic!

Anyhow, here is my entry for both these challenges:

(I am writing this whilst the camera battery recharges so I can take the last pics and upload them....not to mention drink the cup of tea before it gets cold like the last one did!)

I took a large chipboard arch tag (I got mine from Paperartsy - it's about 5 by 7 inches at it's largest) painted it with Trad Tan paint, inked it with crushed olive and forest moss DI's  then took a piece of paper (old letters) tore the edges and added that, distressed with some old paper DI,

before using Tim's flourish mask (wild honey) ferro paste in golden orange (bit bright, that....) tissue tape, grungeboard flourish covered in wild honey DI and orange distress stickles, some idea-ology with the chipped enamel technique applied.  The portrait is a Hero stamp, under a Maya Road frame covered with 3 layers (gesso, gold viva paint and rock candy distress paint) stuck to a large Petaloo flower coloured with more DI's (bundled sage, crushed olive, forest moss).   The 'dream is a wish stamp' is by Wendy stamped on a scrap, inked and sprayed and mounted with 3d foam.

I have lost count of the number of layers, but  it's quite a few.... and I thnk I've just about run out of room, so guess that is the time to stop. Thanks SSSS and Studio L3, for two more FAB challenges. It's been a blast. Go check them out, they both have some incredible prizes on offer again.

Do You Want to Know a Secret? - Sunday Stampers

Hels' has gone back to her favourite Beatles for this week's song title-theme, setting "secrets" for the Sunday Stampers challenge.

Now, she has done a fab little book with lots of little secret pockets and tabs, which would have been great - but I couldn't copy that. So..... spent all morning musing. My eye alighted on some Paperartsy stamps and an idea started sprouting.

Remember these? I got some of these fab hinged arch wooden pieces at the Craft Barn after watching the uber-talented Leandra work with them. And, to be honest, my piece for today is heavily influenced by that day...  so many thanks, Leandra!

I gave it a base coat of gesso and then used some eco-green paints, applying with cut'n'dry foam.  I took a Paperartsy stamps and stamped it on the front and back with forest moss DI.

I stamped one of the moths and the 'secret garden' stamp from the PA sets on metal and stuck them to the front.

Now for the inside - it's a secret what's inside.....

Oh, ok I'll show you then!

I mixed a pale blue eco-green paint with some black (Kaiser) and some Studio dark blue to make a dark sky colour and sponged this on the top half of the arches.  Stamped the same grassy/birds stamp as outside, before the finishing flourishes:

-  Welcome to my secret night garden!! 

Stamped a cloudy moon (stampscapes) in white stazon and made up the 'night garden' phrase by using the bottom half of the 'secret garden' stamp, the 'N' of the ' secret garden' and the 'ight' of the 'take flight' stamp from one of the PA sets (and a lot of fiddling (swearing) with post it notes.....) Stuck that on with matte medium.

(there is a children's tv programme here which apparently has cult following amongst little ones called 'in the night garden', which brought to mind the phrase). NOT that I've ever watched it, not having children. Honest.
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.

Finished Wedding Card

Truth to say, there wasn't much to finish since I showed you the peaks on Wednesday! I finished the heart/initials and attached them to the card.  Here it is:

The background paper is from a pack I bought years ago I cannot remember where - called 'soft expressions' . I've never used any of the (double sided) sheets before now...looking at the pattern on the back, that side would go perfectly with the Paperartsy hotpicks sets... ooh, don't let me forget that thought. It is 8x8 inches so exactly fits an 8x8 inch plain white card (Craftwork Cards).

Anyhow, I stamped the Judikins couple so many of you liked, in archival black ink on white card stock and embossed them, before cutting them out. I stood on the stamp to get good contact with the card (one advantage of working on the floor, that - I couldn't do it if I had a desk like most of you, now could I!!) I need to do that with this stamp cos the man's suit does NOT look good patchy - I should now, been there, done that....

I made the date banner thing, using a (never opened) Magenta calendar pack.... the numbers don't match the set because the numbers with the set were too small....  Maybe now the pack is open, then I WILL make a desk calendar for 2011.... maybe!
I swooshed an ink blender over the date scrap with a blue DI (stormy sky, I think...) trying to replicate the sort of swirly pattern on the paper.

Took most of my close up pics before adding the bling to the banner....

The flowers are Prima (the coloured ones) and Petaloo (the big white one) Scribbled on the leaves with a quickie glue pen and threw some fine glitter on them. They are held together with a blue brad.

For those of you around on Wednesday, you saw this bit in prep! The initials are Maya Road chip, inked blue and then glittered - the faded jeans distress didn't show up too much, so I used an ordinary stickles called black diamond which came out quite blue....hmm.... The heart, as you know is the small Tim H heart (from Urban Chic) cut out, glossy accented and glittered whilst the glue was drying.

As you can see, the wedding is on Monday week - in Italy - it's the bride's last day at work on Tuesday, so had to make sure I got it finished this weekend!  Congratulations, much love and good luck, M & M....

I have done nothing at all today - craftywise anyhow - been very lazy - though the postman brought me some goodies.... and the new Craft Stamper and Take Ten - so lots of lazing on the sofa, sport on TV (you know me!) and reading (and snoozing, too....) Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

SSSS - Anything Tim Holtz Inspired (2)

After the tag I did yesterday, I had some bits left over that I originally rejected - or at least didn't fit the theme I ended up with. So tonight I made another tag. Not sure if I can enter the SSSS challenge twice, but I hope it's ok!

This time, I used a square tag, inked with brushed corduroy and rusty hinge, die cut the 'hanging sign' on grunge paper and inked them - I think I used brushed corduroy again.  For the hangy bit of the die cut I distress embossed it with vintage photo EP.

I used the Tim barbed wire mask on the tag before assembling with some idea-ology bits and a grungeboard skull which I covered with inka gold "gloop" to use Lin and Leandra's term - in haematite - which is a lovely sort of steel blue-grey colour. I used some black rainbow drops for eyes.

Take a tag and....

enter two challenges! Simon Says Stamp and Show (SSSS) this week challenged us to do "anything Tim Holtz inspired" and Tag Tuesday to "scrap a tag".  Now, I have (as you will see...) NEVER scrapped in my life so this really was a challenge!   Indeed, it was only as I was photographing the tag for SSSS that it occurred to me that it may fit Tag Tuesday too. Hope you don't mind... time is short this week!

Anyhow, here's what I did.  I inked a tag with wild honey, bundled sage and crushed olive. I stamped the smaller of the numbers (all stamps except the car are Tim's) and distress embossed them in vintage photo. Had a bit of a mare because I obviously didn't heat the powder enough all the way down because when it was cold and I was rubbing the crystals off, I rubbed off all the powder. Hence the strategic placing of the Eiffel Tower stamp......

I then clear embossed the 'carte postale' stamp over the tag  - this is a large wooden Timmy stamp.  So nice to use wood.... anyhow,I digress.  And the small version of the same stamp in bundled sage at the top. Had a scrap of sticky back canvas stuck on a piece of metal, thought (very briefly) about stamping the car on the metal side but changed my mind! Added some walnut stain ink with a piece of cut'n'dry foam before cutting it out and sticking with matte medium. 

Opened a pack of ornate plates - never used them - never opened the pack - just been looking at them lovingly ..... heck, you can't take it with you - decided to use one..... over an adage ticket (love, because Paris is the city of love, ok, are you with me?!) Sanded the plate to reveal a fab colour underneath... who would have thunk it!! (apart from Tim, obviously) and finally (hurrah,you think) the back of another adage ticket with 'enjoy the journey' just about fitting on it attached with a jump ring over a hitch fastener. Phew!!!

Took loads of pics tyring to get some close ups but it's too dark (how early is it getting dark already!! It's only August... admittedly, late August...) sorry, it's too dark to work without flash so the flash has bleached out the tag close up...

Oh, and I've finished the wedding card, but I'll put that in another post.

WOYWW - 25.8.10

Hello again, everyone! Hope you all had a good week. Here we are again, all round Julia's for another 'snoop' round desks/tables/whatever vaguely flat surface you can find to craft at.

There isn't too much new happening here, so no drawers or heaps of stash to show.  I've been busy making (tags again, mainly) challenge entries. (am loving Simon Says Stamp and Show!)  For once, no new stash purchases at all. (Got to save up for Ally Pally at the end of September! (plus Worthing if I can fit it in..  and I haven't used all the Stevenage stash yet!)

I've also been making a wedding card for a friend at work who is getting married soon in Italy. It's still a work in progress but here's some sneaks!  Love this Judikins stamp!

I wanted to put their initals round a heart - ideally twisted through a heart - but do you think I could find an outline heart stamp? No, course not.... Have I got a heart die? No, nor could I find a grunge one (apart from a very small, solid one)

So at the moment I am using the Tim heart cut out and 'filled' with glossy accents and some glitter chucked in (it's still drying.....)  I'll blog the finished card when it is, erm,  finished, funnily enough!!




If you don't know what this WOYWW is all about (and if not, WHERE have you been?) check out Julia's blog for all the info and links to the desks of the world. Have a great week, everyone.

CCC 11 - Batik

Linda has us working on page 36 this week for the Compendium challenge.

This is a technique I haven't tried before and it didn't help that I didn't read the instructions properly.... nor do I have the right equipment (as it were) but I did remember to turn the steam setting off before I used my domestic iron.... Intrigued? You need to check the book!!

Anyhow, here is my tag. Base colour is wild honey, top colour chipped sapphire and stamps are by Tim, of course!   Sorry it's a bit wonky, blame the scanner (couldn't be my fault, obviously!)

I'm not overly happy with the finished tag, but for a first go at this page I suppose it's ok, and I quite enjoyed trying the technique, I am sure I will give it another go.

There are some great prizes on offer again, so pop over to Linda's for the details.

Thanks for looking.

Ribbling 2 (or crimping if your prefer!)

When I was trying to get yesterday's tag through the ribbler, I did a second one.  I also put this one through at an angle too; mainly because I had such trouble with the machine I had a gap in the middle and I thought the angled ribbles might disguise it!

I used Paperartsy stamps on a piece of white card which I coloured in the same inks as the ribbled tag - tumbled sage, wild honey and a little walnut stain round the edges - and stamped the dragonfly and sanctuary parts of the stamp on metal for accents.

The colours aren't very true as I had to try photographing it without flash to avoid the glare on the metal.

This is the result with flash!

This one is a little better, though I had to take it further away.

Sunday Stamper - You Don't Bring Me Flowers

This week's Sunday Stamper theme is "flowers" so I thought I'd go back to grungepaper!!

It's been a while since I made some grungepaper roses and I had to check the tutorials!!

I used as a base, the CD I'd started to alter on Friday - this was already gesso'd, inked (wild honey) and then I used the crafters workshop flower template although you can't make that out now!  I stamped the Paperartsy single flower again (see Friday's tag) and then out came the grunge!!

I made two grunge roses with Wendy's roses - the two smaller sizes - and one using Tim's tattered floral die (I only had two die cut, but still had the "space" from which one was cut, so used that to trace on another piece of grunge, to make the 3rd leaf. That worked OK!

The two Wendy roses I inked and stamped with Wendy backgrounds, and added distress stickles the tattered one I left plain ink, but sprayed with some reinker/pearl mix.  Then I cut out some rose petals and the yummy already patterned flower from Be Inspired - Make Art - I think this is one of my FAVE Wendy stamps (though I have a few..) I had some trouble sticking the roses to the CD base, and things keep popping off or lifting up!!
Used a philosophy tag in the centre and some distress stickles on the leaves. It's still drying in the photos....

 I couldn't get any decent close-ups, sorry.

Get out that ribbler!

Last week at Stevenage, Lin from LB Crafts was demonstrating a cool technique with distress ink, tags and a ribbler. You can catch her step by step demo here and today I dug out my ribbler to have a go.

I had some considerable trouble getting the tag to go through the ribbler; don't know if I am not strong enough or there is something wrong with the ribbler, (that's why I stopped using it all those years ago!) but eventually, after I found I could still ribble without fully closing it over the tag, I sort of got the result I wanted!!

As Lin has the details on her blog, I won't repeat them here.
I took the opportunity to try out some more of the new Paperartsy grungeflower stamps to adorn the ribbled tag!

I also had a play with a little chipboard arch that I had painted last weekend, with some of the eco green paints (seriously scrummy!) and the matte white craftynotions colour spray. My inital spraying with the white, was too "blobby" and after drying it with my heat gun fully (or so I thought!) I decided I didn't like it and sprayed some water over it with a view to wiping it off. it blended it in really well......

Today, I stamped some Paperartsy stamps (there's a theme here, right?! Promise I'm not on commission...)  on the chip.
I had some leftover metal mounted on sticky back canvas from round a tattered floral die, that just had room for the Paperartsy moth - stamped on the canvas side, sprayed with a DI reinker/perfect pearl mix and heat gun dried.  As the ribbler was still out, I thought -- ooh, more texture and whacked it through.  It scrunched it up a bit, but I was able to flatten it out back to moth shape and Bob's your uncle
This is a really fuzzy pic, let's try another one!!

Playing with new stamps!

Tonight I've had a play with one of the new Paperartsy Hotpicks sets I got at Stevenage.

The tag was actually created from a failed attempt at something else.  I was using my crafters workshop flower template and attempting to spray through it onto a CD.  However,that didn't really work so I pressed the tag onto the template to soak up the glimmer spray.  I coloured the ends of the tag in mustard seed DI.

I stamped the Paperartsy flower twice on the tag in black. The set also contains a single flower which I stamped twice on scrap card and mounted with 3d foam onto the tag.  Used the 'Life is a garden' stamp from the same set, on another scrap of card, cooured with mustard seed again, edged in walnut stain.

Last time I was down at my mum's, my brother and I were rummaging in dad's garage/shed/dumping ground and I found a coil of copper wire which I 'borrowed' and used some to wrap round the card before attaching it to the tag.  Added a piece from the foliage idea-ology set and added some distress stickles to it.

Hope to play with some more of my new stash tomorrow - think the weather forecast is not good, so I shall stay in and play!!

Tag Tuesday - not on paper

This week's Tag Tuesday challenge from Kard Krazy, is to make a tag  - open theme - as long as the tag isn't on paper. There have already been some very clever entries.

Easy you might think.... hmmm.  
I found a Maya Road chipboard tag in my stash. I painted it with gesso and then applied adriondack dye ink in denim.

I layered up some images - a die cut flower (tattered florals) cut on a copy of a piece of old newspaper and a metal flower (same die) mounted on sticky back canvas and decorated with a TSS wheel. I used up a few scraps of Lost and Found paper from a previous challenge and some tissue tape.  The "collage" stamp is by Paperartsy and stamped on a journalling ticket. Finally I added some fibres.

Huh? Wednesday? Then it must be...

..... what's on your workdesk Wednesday already!  Pop over to Julia's to see how many other like-minded  mad  nosey  people there are taking part this week!

Well, since we last congregated, I have as promised, been stash shopping!! I had a very enjoyable  morning at the Stamperama show in Stevenage on Sunday (before rushing home for the football, and yes, I made it in time.  Shame Liverpool threw away .... oh never mind, you don't care!)

So, stash.  Here's another quick pick of what I bought (and I have already used some of it!!) in case you missed Sunday's post.  Not as much as sometimes (well, there is Ally Pally at the end of September when I always spend LOADS.... and Worthing in a couple of weeks when I try hard not to.
I could have stood and watched Lin demo'ing all day at LB Crafts, (but had to do Hels' make and take, lol, so tore myself away).

LOVE those Paperartsy stamps - brand brand new, only pressed by Leandra on Saturday...... WOW!!!

Not done any more reorganising since last time, but will need to, because I had to buy some new Idea-ology bits and the drawers are already full.....
I am looking forward to having a go with the spools kit (check out this link, there is a video linked in Julie van Oosten's sidebar that shows you some ideas- it looks great!)

As for what's actually ON my workdesk (floor space) - it's my entry for Simon Says Stamp and Show - have you checked this new challenge site out?  "Our" Linda E is in charge!
Ok, well, I had better stop here, meant to be keeping it brief - have a great day/week bloghopping round the desks of the world!  See you next week.

SSSS 2 - Wendy Vecchi Style

It's time for Simon Says again . Well, this week's theme is right up my alley!  Those of you who know my blog, know that I have (one or two!) WendyVecchi stamps.....

I started by die cutting a piece of grungepaper with one of Tim's dies and colouring it with - for a change - and I can't believe I've never tried this ink on grungepaper before - ginger and butterscotch adirondack dye inks.  (I think it was Lori who wrote recently about how fab this effect is (and of course it's in Wendy's books!)


I stamped the face from 'its face art' on a tag I'd coloured with scattered straw DI and added some "make up" in various pinky DI's.

I stamped the flower twice on grungepaper and inked it with denim adirondack, layering it with some scraps of grunge to lift the top layer, then adding some rock candy distress stickles to the middle.

I happened to have a blue butterfly hanging around and at the last minute added some ricrac (or is it rickrack?) to the top of the face. Most of the photos I'd already taken without it!

I had so much fun with this week's challenge - thanks to Linda and her gang!

Compendium Challenge - Week 10 - Distress Stickles

Don't think it will be giving too much away this week! Linda has chosen page 46, distress stickles for this week's challenge at Studio L3 - and is again sponsored by Simon Says Stamp.

Now, I love distress stickles but for some reason I didn't have a CLUE what to do for the challenge!

So I started by cutting some flowers with Tim's tattered florals die, using a corner of a sheet of the Lost and Found stack. (I still find it so hard to USE this paper!!)

I apologise for the photos - and I couldn't get a close up without glare from the flash and it's too dark to do without flash. I don't think you can see the stickles at all. Trust me, they are there!!

I coloured a square tag with milled lavendar, a touch of victorian velvet and a smidge of dusty concord at the edges.  A spritz of a dusty concord/pearl reinker mix for a bit of shimmer.

Then I had to decide what to do with the stickles!! I stuck a grunge floral behind the paper version and used rock candy distress over the lot.    For the smaller flower I attached a couple of the florals, using the back of the bottle cap sheet which is a mauvey colour (hence my choice of ink for the tag) and used amix of rock candy/milled lavendar stickles.  I made a partial rosette using some tissue tape to add a bit of interest at the top of the flowers.

Did some stamping and made a paper clip chain and finally a couple of pieces from the foliage set, and some more distress stickles (broken china).

Sorry about the angles of the photos - because of the bad light in my living room, I had to stand out of the way of the viewfinder so I could attempt to see what I was doing...

Not totally sure about this, may try another one later in the week if time allows!

Sunday Stampers - Whiskey in the Jar

Well, not whiskey, maybe! Ever since I got this bottle stamp from Wendy V, I have wanted to do this!!  It took until I got a pack of the Hallowe'en in Wonderland paper from Graphic 45. I don't have any Alice stamps so this is the next best option.
Hels' theme for this week's Sunday Stampers challenge is bottles/jars/booze.

I used a mixture of forest green, crushed olive and wild honey DI's on the tag, cut an Alice image from the Graphic 45 pad and made the bottle - I stamped it twice, once on acetate again, and once on grungepaper.

I coloured the grungepaper with blue DI (can't remember which one now!) and added a layer of rock candy distress paint.  When that had crackled I stuck the acetate bottle on top with glossy accents and made a label with a tiny tag I bought from a stationer's shop.

Added a few bits of new tissue tape from my purchases (scroll down for everything I bought) today at Stevenage and stamped 'wish' 3 times on a scrap before inking it and fixing it to the tag.

A bit of a rushed job tonight, as I know I will be busy doing other challenges tomorrow and I don't want to get behind with my homework!!!

A Grand Day Out!

Well, I managed to add to my stash stack at Stevenage today (as if you thought I wouldn't!)

Hmmmm. Just a bit then! All 3 new Hotpicks sets from Paperartsy. Couple more Paperartsy dies, some more "goop" (Inka gold paint) some boxes and things to alter, the spools kit I really wanted (I nearly forgot to pick this up, lol!) 

A closer look at the "altering" things - a great little canvas, a gorgeous wooden box with a loose lid (IF I was clever enough, I could probably make this hinge-able but I'm not, so loose lidded it will stay!) The white boxes are stacked - like those Russian dolls (I always wanted some of them when I was little!) so there are ever smaller ones inside, and some corrugated cardboard.

A better look at the stamps'n'stuff!

Lin was doing some fabulous work - and giving it away! Here is the one she made me - and below is my version that I made when I got home.

You can't see the middle flower on mine so well, but it's done with one of the new Paperartsy grunge flower stamps!   

The flower shows up better here but the rest of it's bleached out - you can't win!

I also realised I need some more of the Ten Second Studio moulds with some different patterns as this one isn't right but it was the best I had!  Oh well, it's Ally Pally soon (already got my ticket....)

 

 I was also VERY lucky to swap an ATC with Hels' (she definately got the short end of the straw with mine though, how FAB is this ATC?)

and Linda E was there too - and had this belated beer mat instead of a birthday card for me!

Thanks to you all, I am so happy with all of these pieces!