Jo meets Brenda... Paperartsy inspiration

Hi, with time running out on me this week (it's been busy busy at work) I have kind of combined ideas from two of the fabulous guest designers at Paperartsy this week, firstly Jo Myhill's gorgeous black tulips here and Brenda's gorgeous botanical tag here 

I started by making my tulips - I followed Jo's instructions and even though she'd written she wished she'd painted her tulips before cutting them, I did the exact same thing - messy indeed, Jo!

I used platinum embossing powder as that's what came out of the drawer first (it's under my computer table and I can't actually see the contents, I have to do it by feel...

 Then on to Brenda's tag... more or less followed what Brenda did here..

 couple of layers of tissue wrap as the first colours looked a bit - dingy - and some Dolly Mix and Chalk mixed for the top layer, before stamping the script harlequin in Snowflake

Edged the tag with Aged Mahogany distress ink

 mounted the tag on the remaining piece of the paper from the tulips and stamped the saying on a scrap left from round the die cuts

stamped on the tag with the stamp from ESN07

 faffed about positioning the tulips before fixing them with a combination of pop dots and structure gel, to the tag

 close up - bit of a stray stem going on on the right...

Thanks to both Jo and Brenda for this week - and Pam too for her fabulous scrap layouts, which I didn't have time (or a sewing machine) to attempt.

Entering this to the Paperartsy challenge here 

Dragons Dream - TIO - Z - face

Hello, and welcome back to the Dragons Dream TIO challenge - this fortnight, Silvia wants us to use a face, and the letter Z..  As soon as I saw this theme set, I knew I had to go for Zentangle - even though I'm not very good!! But I do enjoy a good doodle.

I started by painting my tag with Snowflake Fresco paint (actually, I didn't I stamped the face first and then had to paint over it as I knew I wanted a white background so gave the tag 2 coats and then stamped the face again)

 The stamp is by a company called Ducks in a Row, and I've had it ages, not used it for ages either, but I had this idea I could stamp it and then doodle  zentangle round it...

I used a set of Pitt artist pens for the zentangling, some of which worked better than others!!

  I decided on a pop of colour for the lips and flower (part of the stamp, I can't draw!!) and a matching ribbon.

Hope you'll play along with us again, we love seeing what you choose for the recipes.  Don't forget to use at least one stamp on your tag.

WOYWW - 26th March - week 251

Hello and happy Wednesday to you all - time, already, for another desk - fest! Head to Julia's for all the info and wheres-and-why-fors here 

Now, you will all be very very surprised, but there's nothing new on show here today!! (mainly because the post didn't arrive in time, hahaha!)

 if you're still here, despite the disappointment at my failure (!) this is my "desk" today... a birthday card made from part of the Paperartsy Masterboard challenge (see here) which is for a girl at work next week, and the usual detritus - including last week's shopping which hasn't moved far, let alone been used....

it occurred to me that I haven't "swung left" for a while - the pile of completed projects (foreground) is growing ever higher - most of these have been blogged previously and you may spot a sneak peak of a tag for later today (check out the DragonsDream post this afternoon, see if you guessed right....!)

This time next week (the time you're reading this not me writing this!) I'll be preparing for a little trip - can't say too much just yet   - but I am very excited... and it involves a passport.... will tell you more soon!
Till then, have a cracking week, don't forget to change the clocks at the weekend (UK readers, as my US friends have already done so) and I'll catch you very soon...

Craft Barn - Q&L 6 - Travel/Flowers

Back for a second post today, this time with the Craft Barn Quotes and Lyrics challenge - where as you see, the theme for your quote or lyrics, is Travel and/or Flower... I chose the latter and a quote by Henri Matisse (which I also happen to have on a stamp!)

started by painting the paper with Chalk Fresco, then sponging distress ink through the Prima stencil (Donna Downey) using shaded lilac, so it would hide in the page - making you look for the flowers, like the quote will say...

Used a selection of Jo Firth-Young Paperarsty flowers

and my stamp which is from one of the new Lin Brown sets.

in with colours - Fresco paints apart from for the grass, which was a green water colour pencil, then used the edge of a wet, flat paintbrush to create the grass.

added shading by using two shades of paint, or two layers of the same colour for depth.

Since I saw the theme this morning, the link has disappeared at the blog site, and I also hope I'll be allowed to enter with my plural 'flowers' not flower, I wrote it down incorrectly... still, as one of the DT has used it in the plural, I hope that's ok! (I've been back to check the rules, and plurals are allowed!)

a JoFY-inspired Masterboard - Paperartsy playtime! -

Hi, I thought I was going to run out of time this week to get something done for the Paperartsy blog challenge - we've had fabulous videos from Ellen with gorgeous journal pages, and recycling projects from Jules. but I was able to complete a masterboard with Jo Firth-Young stamps - hers is here 

I used some of the same stamps but don't have all the sets, so used what I had and what grabbed my fancy!
I used a three-quarter sized piece of Heavy Smoothy Card, and went in with my black archival ink...

filling the card with images.

 time for colouring! I used mainly my Inktense water colours but did use one lilac-y one from the Smiths cheapo set!

 sat with the card on top of a journal on my lap - much easier on the knees, but I did have to resort to wearing my reading glasses!!

 added shading

and the finished thing.  Not sure what I'll use it for yet - I was going to turn it into a birthday card for one of the girls at work, but may use it for something else ....
Jo, this was a fabulous challenge, and great fun to do.  Entering it to the Paperartsy challenge here

WOYWW 250 - will she have more new things?

Hello, welcome to another round of desk-hopping hosted by Julia at the Stamping Ground - can you believe we've been collecting here for this long... so looking forward to the Crop at the end of May (even though I'm now invited somewhere else on the day, I'm still attending!)

But to answer the question in the blog title....
 well of course I have... the trouble with following lots of fabulous people's blogs, is that they give you links to places you just have to visit for crafty goodies... this week I blame the uber-talented Alison Bomber of Words and Pictures  and her project for Calico Crafts where she's on the DT.  well I fell in love with lots of their stuff, and some just happened to fall into my basket on Sunday... 2 days later:

 hmmm what's this?

 wood chip corners and flourishes... metal hearts and a bit of fishing net (sure it will be useful for something) and some rope... there was so much more I wanted, so I think I was quite restrained!

in answer to someone's comment last week, yes I do know what's in which drawer, just about.. the cardboard ones hold inks while the boxes hold ribbons (on top of the stamp drawers) and in the foreground on the lower level, tags, papers (small pads the big ones are the other side of the room) and pieces waiting altering

Hope you all have a great week, and find some fantastic desks to snoop through - I'm off round the list now!

Live, Love, Laugh..

This is a new stencil I bought recently and I used part of it to finish off a journal page - I had been itching to ink up the Donna Downey poppy stamp I also bought recently (!) ...

 the journal page was mostly covered with leftover Vintage LaceFresco.  I then covered that with London Bus, that yummy translucent red..
Stamped Donna's poppies on two pieces of my hoarded, sadly discontinued, Crackly tissue paper by Paperartsy.. in black archival and cut out fairly closely, before sticking to the page with multi matt medium. I blended the edges with more London Bus.

 then the stencil came in - I used a mixture of Claret and Blood Orange and just stencilled the words (there is a gorgeous flower on this stencil too), before deciding that there needed a "pop"... out came the white Sharpie, to outline the larger words

 and some teeny butterflies (these are from a QVC set that Tim had a few years ago when he came over to the UK) Stamped them in Snowflake Fresco.

Have a good day, even if it is Monday!!

If at first you don't succeed...

... keep going!  I was hating this canvas half way through.... but let's start at the beginning!  The lovely Alison Bomber (and I've met her, she is!) made a Lynne Perrella-style canvas this week at Paperartsy - you can see it here  and I was up really early this morning to watch the first Grand Prix of the new season, so after it ended I had lots of time still to play...

My lovely friend Lin recently sent me 3 of these hearts and I decided to use one on this project. Gave it a coat of Snowflake (it was pink underneath) then Spanish Mulberry, pouncing the brush to get the marks you see here.   Added a layer of Crackle Glaze and left it to dry...

The canvas didn't go well (to start with)  - I stencilled Grunge Paste through the mini Harlequin stencil and dried it... painted it with Eggplant.  Too dark, didn't like it.   Added some Dolly Mix, spritzed with water and mooshed it around... still yuck!  Kept going - added some more Grunge Paste in the corners, and let it dry... The heart got a top layer of Vintage Lace, and the crackle magic happened.

Once the extra layer of GP was dry, added more Eggplant and kept on smooshing - bit of French Roast right in the corners... hmmmm.   Stamped the "we do not remember days" from ELB05 in Watering Can archival on the canvas as seen here, and used the same ink for the LP image on the heart (from LPC006)
Still not liking the canvas till I attacked it with White Fire Treasure Gold - BINGO!!

 Tied some purple fabric through the holes in the heart (a gift from another friend Sam) and fixed the heart to the canvas with Structure Gel..  NOW I like it!!

Entering it to the Paperartsy challenge here 

Now, to finish my weekend on a high, if Liverpool would kindly beat Man U at lunchtime, I'll be really happy!!

I am also entering this for Hels' Sheridan's Sunday Stamper which I haven't entered for yonks, because the theme is "happy" and it does now, make me happy!

It doesn't have to be flowers....

When I was splurging on stash recently, I bought the Tim Holtz Petal Drop die... wasn't really sure what I was going to do with it, to be honest.... but after die-cutting a whole heap of them in different coloured papers from my rather large pile of cardstock, I sat and had a play....

As usual I had some dibs and dabs of leftover paint on a journal spread... dusty teal. tinned peas mainly, leftover from the Green Man canvas t'other day.

 I added some grunge paste, stencilled through the "art is" stencil.  I wanted to highlight this with some colour, as it wasn't showing up sufficiently.  I wanted a contrast, and eventually settled for Tango Fresco, but it didn't look quite right so added Hyde Park with a dry brush.  Carried the Tango idea through again with a dry brush, randomly over the spread. Also added a little Antarctic,just to lighten it a tad.

 The petal points were decorated together,  I stencilled Dusty Teal through Lin's fabulous stencil (I think this is my favourite!!) and then added some Black Soot DI with the mini Sketch Grid stencil by Rebekah Meier for Crafters Workshop and then edged the petal drops with Black Soot. I had one that had a flat bottom where it was slightly short cut but perfect for putting against the edge of the journal, cut in two so I could glue it in place.

 the text is a Donna Downey stamp, used a bit of the same cardstock as for the die, and edged in black again.

All in all, this page makes me happy!!

The Green Man - inspired by Julie Ann at Paperartsy

Earlier this week, Julie Ann shared three gorgeous canvases using ceramic masks, beautifully decorated - see them here 
I didn't have any ceramic masks nor time or patience to wait to find one so had to think outside the box.. I settled for this:

 the stamp is by Judikins and I rarely use it... I stamped it on Clearly for Art, Wendy Vecchi's moldable modelling film.

 Painted a canvas with lots of different green Fresco's.

 Die cut a load of leaves on Smoothy paper that I'd painted with lots of green Frescos.  Stamped on some of them (though after I'd taken this photo, lol) I painted the face with more green Frescos, after heating the Clearly for Art and making it face-shaped.

 and started to assemble the canvas...I added some texture to the canvas with grunge paste through a stencil and splodged some Chartreuse and French Roast Frescos over the paste.  I've largely hidden it though... Also used some broken twigs round where the mask would go

 It's looking a bit shiny from the flash... not to mention the wet heavy structure gel I used to glue the mask and the twigs in place and was too impatient to let dry...

then stuck the die cut leaves to the canvas.

Thank you, Julie Ann, I really enjoyed this one!
Entering it to the Paperartsy challenge here and also to the Stampotique Designers Challenge #138 which is "green"

Dragons Dream - TIO - C - and use metal

Hi, and welcome to my choice of theme for the latest alphabet challenge at Dragons Dream.  My letter is C, and you need to use metal (along with one real stamp, on your tag...)  Thanks to all of you who took the non traditional tag shape to your hearts and made some fabulous entries.

I chose C because at the time I had recently bought the fabulous stencil by Lin Brown for Paperartsy - bubbles, or in my language, Circles!! I knew I wanted to use it - here's my tag.

and here's what I did...

I took a Jumbo (size 10) tag and painted it with Ice Blue Fresco paint.
Took the stencil and used Pewter Fresco metallic paint (see what I did there...?)

 With the stencil back in place once the Pewter paint was dry, I applied a thin layer of Crackle Glaze to some of the larger circles and let it dry.  Then went back in with Space Cadet Fresco.  It didn't crackle as well as I'd have liked but this one looks ok!!

 this is the stencil, in case you "need" it... (you do!) and the stamp I used next..

 Using Space Cadet again, I applied some paint to the stamp from Ellen Vargo's set in the pic above and stamped it randomly over the tag.

Now for the proper metal!!  I stamped 3 of Lin Brown's flowers from ELB01 for Paperartsy, using the translucent Peacoat and also Space Cadet, onto metal card.  Dried the paint, cut the flowers out, snipping between the petals.

the sentiment is by Kaisercraft, stamped in black archival on white card and edged with paint left on my cut 'n'dry foam... Finally a ribbon with spots (more circles!)

Hope you enjoy this challenge, please visit DragonsDream TIO to see what my talented team-mates have done.