Paperartsy - France - Key Spools

This week, the oh so talented France is the Guest Designer at Paperartsy and today she has made some key spools - after much rummaging and fiddling, I found a spool that I could use.

 The spool I found that fit the swivel clasp didn't have a hole that went all the way through, so I had to find something sharp that I could poke through and force the centre out!

I followed France's video (see the Paperartsy blog, and do watch it, it is fabulous!) for instructions..

I also had to cheat with a stamp that I could use round the middle of the spool, the only one I could find that fit was a Tim Holtz one.

I coloured my crinkle ribbon with watered down Beach Hut fresco and added some other fibres

and a little silver lock from my stash, the cord round the top of the spool is in fact some picture hanging cord, coloured with walnut stain distress ink.

it looks as if the ends of the picture cord trim are going to fray - I may have to remedy this tomorrow!

I didn't manage to make a shrink plastic image to hang off the bottom of the spool as well (I have a hate-hate relationship with shrink, and it is in one of the boxes at the bottom of my stash supplies...)

**EDITED**  as requested, Leandra - with shrink addition..

I still hate shrink... you should see the reject piece!

Celebration Time with Crafty Boots

The latest fortnightly challenge for Crafty Boots is set by Dionne.  We are celebrating - be it birthday, wedding, anniversary, whatever...

I made an anniversary card and went all pretty pretty (for a change!)

I took a 6x6 card blank and covered it with some pearlescent dotty paper (Craftwork Cards, old old pack from my stash!) The paper is a pale pinky lilac colour IRL Then I stuck some matching ribbon to some double sided tape and made a border on the paper.

Then it was time to play - lots of pretty Prima flowers... and I stuck some diddly little pink gems into the middle of the middle sized flowers.

Hope you find time to check out the rest of the DT entries, and have a go yourself.

Craft Barn Alpha challenge - K - the Key to my heart?

The latest letter was posted this morning for the Craft Barn Alpha Challenge - and it was a challenge - K.

There aren't many pages in my dictionary for K so my choice was severely limited; but I chose Key.

I started by stencilling my hitherto unused mini Antiquities stencil (crafters workshop) with walnut stain distress ink on the background of the dictionary.

I found a key stamp (Paperartsy, crown and castles series) stamped it in coffee archival.

I took two Bazzill Chips keys from my stash and coloured them first with vermillion, then olive, archival ink, drying in between, to get a dark nearly rusty look.. I then double embossed them, using clear embossing ink to re-moisten the ink.

Embrace Possibility...

...which is one of the stamps in my recently received Donna Downey stamps (from Art and Possibility, available here in the UK)

I have been messing about in what I've been calling my moleskin journal although I don't think now it is a moleskin. anyhow.....

 I started by spritzing some watered down fresco paint (claret, and little black dress) and then stencilling (mini vine) using victorian velvet and tumbled glass distress inks alternately.

I took Paperartsy minis 22 and 24 and archival inks magenta hue and aquamarine and randomly stamped the images round the pages.

I spritzed some more of the same paints as on the background, on some white card, and stamped Lonely Girl by Dina Wakley, tearing her out, edged with aquamarine archival and sticking her to the journal.

Taking the Donna Downey stamps, I used several and taking my olive archival ink, stamped them on some of the leftover card, cutting them out and sticking to the journal.

Artful Blooms

So, yesterday, Sue shared another beauty with us - a papier mache style hanging piece. (see here) using grunge paste, frescos and Lin Brown's gorgeous stamps.

Here is my version

 I had trouble with the photos - used a combination of normal electric light, daylight bulb and with and without flash...

This is the finished piece.

Instructions are more or less as Sue did.

 base - cut the diamonds from a cardboard box, tore some of the top layer back, added grunge paste.  Painted it all white, then ice blue then a watered down bora bora, wiping it back a bit with a babywipe to remove some colour and give a patchy look.

 Stencilled (bingo) in mud splat and slight bumping with nougat

 had a spray of claret mixed up.... it went everywhere except where I wanted... think it's a slightly dodgy nozzle on this bottle!!

the flowers are Lin Brown's - I meant to write down what I used...I think it was stone (if not, nougat) smoked paprika and squid ink applied to  the stamp with cut and dry foam.

For the leaves (these are my second attempt, I originally did them on white card with distress ink but it was SOOO the wrong green!!!) I used a mixture of sage and holly for the small leaves, and sage and south pacific for the big ones. These contrasted with the background much better, rather than clashing!!

I didn't want to copy the shape Sue used for her petals (though I loved her idea!) so I cut into each petal about 3 times to give frilly petals.  Bent them to provide some texture.

The Artful Blooms was stamped on a scrap of metal on card (really MUST remember to buy some more of this) and I swiped some paint (claret and south pacific) with my finger, wiping most of it off.

Grungy canvas gardens

After the 3UP fun, this week, the new Paperartsy Guest Designers - well the first one - start their term in office. The first designer is the lovely, talented Sue Carrington and she has made a beautiful canvas, do check it out if you haven't seen it

This is my 'inspired by', version.

 I used  a 5x7 canvas frame, and more or less followed the same method as Sue did, with different stencils and stamps along the way, apart from the tulip as my main image. I die cut the tulip from some black card painted with blood orange fresco paint, and then over-stamping with the tulip stamp. The leave is cut from card treated in the same way, painted with tinned peas. (this isn't a die)

I haven't photographed the sides, but I can report that it was very fiddly getting the grunge paste through the wall stencil!!!

The paints I used were Nougat, Brown Shed, Irish Cream, Stone  and then Bora Bora /Stone for my bumping. (as far as I can remember... I did this yesterday before craft club!)

The stencilling of the leafy vine was Hyde Park.

Tim's Tag - May

I think this is the first tag I've been able to join in with - due to some hurried purchasing of the remnants rub ons - boy are they COOL!!   Tim's gorgeous tag is here 

Here is my version

 I remember something similar from my childhood - oh wonderful fun!!

 Used distress stains crushed olive, spiced marmalade and scattered straw, and broken china and mustard seed inks round the edges.

 Added random Tim stamps

I don't have the enamel button that Tim used, so I coloured a fragment with pewter distress stain and added some alcohol inks.

The rest of the tag is done as in Tim's directions.

I had loads of fun doing this, thanks Tim!!