Third post of the day - it's Paperartsy's fault!

Time for another piece inspired by Linda Cain over at Paperartsy.... check her version out here (but come back!)

I started this yesterday but have been a-faffing and a-fiddling ever since.   Here is mine...

cover a tag (size 8) in grunge paste. I patted the surface to raise it and create extra texture.  Take two stamps (mini's from Paperartsy) spritz them, stamp into grunge paste.  Dry thoroughly.

 add colour. Like Linda, I used Eggplant and South Pacific.

 Assembly time - forgot to take photos step by step, by now!!!   The green background is a piece of grey chipboard, like Linda I used Guacamole and Limelight. Stamped various timepiece and background stamps over the painted surface.

Thanks to Gillian for the idea to use the cabinet die  for the top/bottom pieces as I don't have the die Linda used.  Had some problems painting it - it's on a metal/card sandwich as I've run out of the Paperartsy metal card which takes paint much much better than this copper sheet I used... lots of layers of paint/sanded back/paint to get some decent coverage.  Stamped some clocks into the wet top layer of paint - didn't show up at all, so stamped again using Vanilla paint before black stamping a script stamp over the top.
The gentleman is made much the same way Linda has. Used some Tombow markers to colour him, luckily they aren't dried up, can't remember when I last used them....

To finish, added some black pearls in rows at the top and bottom corners.

Don't have the plaquette (tim holtz line) so left it out.

This was a lot of fun...


then I had to find my daylight bulb OTT light as by this time (finished it 10 mins ago) it's pitch dark and the living room light bulb must be on the way out, the light is awful.... look what I do for you!!

OTT light clipped to the side of the TV table, cables trailing everywhere... lol!

TIO - DragonsDream #139 - pink, fabric & a face

Welcome back to the Dragons Dream Tag It On challenge - this fortnight we'd like you to make a tag, including pink, fabric and a face... don't forget also to use one real stamp on your tag.

I decided to use some of the cotton canvas I bought at the Creative Stitches and Hobby Craft show I went to recently at the London Excel centre....

 I die cut a tag shape with my Tim Holtz large tag die, and spritzed it with water before using Bubblegum Pink and White Linen Dylusion sprays.

 Then stamped this face (Wendy Vecchi) onto the tag, and the sentiment (also Wendy Vecchi) on a scrap piece of the canvas from the die cut surround.. and yes, that is a needle and cotton - ME - sewing, lol!!

I added a little rough and ready running back stitch (I think, lol!) to sew the sentiment to the tag base (after gluing it to hold it in place while I sewed...)

Stuck the canvas tag onto black card and cut to tag shape









Added a piece of satin ribbon which I sponged with the Picked Raspberry distress ink, and some little flowers that I sprayed with bubblegum pink and some Perfect Pearls mist.  Drew some white stitches round the black card.

Do stop by the Dragons Dream blog to see my team mates gorgeous tags, and we hope to see you join in with us!

WOYWW 202

Morning Everyone!! Welcome to a picture heavy post (sorry Julia...) for WOYWW this week. (If you don't know what that is, check here for all the details)

Last Saturday I went to the half-yearly Big Stamp and Scrapbooking Show at Alexandra Palace, or Ally Pally as it's known. I met up with loads of blog/twitter friends (well now I've met them they ARE friends..) and a great time was had by all... and some serious shopping.  The post with all the pics of who I met is here (except,sorry Dolores for some reason I failed to seize the photo opportunity!, it was great to see you again too!)

Where's the craft space gone??? This was after I'd laid it all out to share it on twitter... the pile it high tidy up method (it's been put "away" now ... this is what it looked like all spread out -

I've had to reorganise my Paperartsy Fresco paints - and move my distress inks... look!

 They are no longer within arm reach of me on the floor, so i don't think they can stay here long term..

but I needed more space for the paints!! I have quite a few now... very nearly the whole set!


ok, I'd better let you go, and blogger is playing up, I want to get this saved and scheduled before it crashes on me again!!   Come back this afternoon for a new Dragons Dream Tag it On challenge!!

Craft Barn Alpha Challenge - W (and circles)

The latest Craft Barn Alpha Challenge has us turning to the W page of our dictionaries... but we also have to use circles in our background... Hmmm.

My first thought was 'wheels' with the children's song 'the wheels on the bus go round and round' but someone else has done that, so I went back to the drawing board...

In the end I decided on "world" as I have a Paper Inspiration stamp of a world map.

I forgot to take many photos along the way this time!

I painted the double spread page with paint - I used Lake Kaisercolor and also some Sky Fresco over the top, before blending a bit more Lake over that...

 I stamped the world map once on each page, in Cobalt archival ink

Now for the circles... I went for some circles stencilled using Fresco paint, (Squid Ink, what a lush colour!) and "bumped" with Snowflake.

I took "the journey awakens the soul" (Tim Holtz) and stamped in black archival.


I masked my dictionary definition and sprayed some blue patina perfect pearls spray over the whole page to blend in the stencilling a little, and also gives a nice shimmer in real life.

Finally I wrote "we may be worlds apart but" over the spread, as I wanted something else on the page. I think it "goes" with the stamped sentiment...

A Crackling Tulip Tag

I just love Lin Brown's stamps she's designed for Paperartsy (available here) and especially the big tulip... When I was at Ally Pally on Saturday I grabbed the matching die to go with the stamp. (well, I paid for it obviously, I didn't just grab it off the shelf...)

This is what I've done.. the tag is one of the big, size 10 tags. (which makes it hard to photograph!)

 Step one - paint the tag with the FAB sage Fresco paint (new from Saturday)  What a gorgeous colour......  overstamped with one of the Sara Naumann stamps -  from ESN06 (also new.. ) I used Versamagic chalk finish archival ink in oasis green because I wanted it to blend into the background. which it did. more or less completely. so I used ocean depth as well.

the numbers are one of the new Paperartsy minis (new... you get the drift!)  stamped using Tinned Peas Fresco.. the 'reflections's is another Sara Naumann.. used a Brilliance ink in green..(those of you listening to me ramble on twitter, this is why I needed green archival...

The tulip - I die cut the tulip from black card stock. The die comes in three parts so you can layer it.  I wanted to use the Fresco Crackle Glaze so pained a base layer of Blood Orange (new... am saying nothing!) then applied as thin a layer of crackle glaze as i could get, and when that is dry, added Vanilla Fresco. you then just watch the crackles appear...

I had stamped the tulip and it's stem twice directly onto the tag, used another Versamagic for the tulip (pumpkin spice) and a green pigment ink for the stem.  I added some watercolour pencil marks for the shading on the tulip that wouldn't have the die cut over it (and this is what, twitter folk, I thought distress markers would be good for...) but pencils worked just fine.

All this to show you the crackle on my tulip....

Recycling for Crafty Boots

Happy Monday to you... It's time for another Crafty Boots challenge, with the theme of "recycle" chosen by the lovely Gabrielle.

You can recycle anything - re-use something from your stash, use something you would have otherwise thrown away, as you choose.  I decided to recycle a little box I'd previously altered - from this...

 I'd already ripped a metal flower off the lid !

 out came the Paperartsy Fresco paints (stone and eggplant)

Some stencilling on the lid with paint

and Paperartsy Grunge Paste on the sides...(this was PROPER FIDDLY!)

 and a flower (Lin Brown for Paperartsy) stamped with Fresco's in Squid Ink and Zesty Zing onto black card

Sorry I had such trouble photographing it, maybe the girls (Emma and Gabrielle specially) were right at Ally Pally on Saturday.. I do need a better camera for this lark!!

Ally Pally - a grand day out indeed

So today was finally time for the Ally Pally show - and a whole load of us from blog and twitter land were going and arranged to meet up, some I have met before and others would be meeting for the first time.

I apologise that my photos aren't very good... apparently I need a better camera!! They're not in order either..

Michelle, Leandra and Darcy

 Gabrielle, Emma, Lily, Nicky

 Sam and Emma

 Michelle and Darcy, demo'ing to give Leandra and Lin a break

 Fab work from Darcy

Michelle

 Michelle and Darcy

 The after show Twit Party! far end of table, Lin, Karen, Sam, Penny, Carol

Leandra and Lin

Anna, Rachel and Kirsten

and a little bit of shopping... lol!!

Met so many lovely people today, blogging and tweeting is such fun, you feel as though you've already made friends so when you finally meet, it's not like meeting "strangers" at all...

Had such a great day, thank you all....

edit...somehow this one got missed..
Hzel, Alison, Nicky, Gillian, Emma, Leandra, Millie,
Lin, Karen (and with backs to camera, Penny, Carol)