Chopping up a Masterboard

... the mini masterboard I made the other day when I was playing with Lin Brown's new paints... went back to an old favourite technique in a journal page.

 this was the mini masterboard (with "old" JoFY stamps)

 I painted the journal page with the fabulous new Glass Blue Fresco - a stunning blue!  Stamped a couple of the stamps from Sara Naumann's ESN13 using black archival, overlapping randomly.

 I had chopped up the masterboard, in varying widths and lengths, and spent AGES arranging them on the pages, before sticking them down

and finally stamped three of the flowers from ELB16 on white smoothy paper and painting them with Banana Fresco, and adding shading with Tangerine Twist and a very light touch of watered down Bougainvillea, before cutting them out and sticking them to the page with matte medium, sealing on top as well to ensure they stuck fast!   Hope to get on to the "skinny houses" from Lin's set soon too!!

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

Masterboard 2 - getting in the groove!

So, whilst I was waiting for some Glossy Accents to dry on my tag for next week's TIO (what do you mean, last minute?!) I started another masterboard for some more Christmas cards...

I used more non traditional colours, Limelight and Turquoise again, with Chalk to tone it down, and some Prima Colour Bloom spray (glistening waves) - I used some Pressed Petal on the last lot but forgot to tell you)

stamps are from the Lin Brown Christmas set for Paperartsy
I cut these up smaller, so even more from the A3 sheet - got 12 in all
and yes, it won't rotate again - it's the right way round in the file on the computer!!

 finished  cards

close up.

Christmas cards - Masterboard Style!

Well, at long last, my card making for 2014 is kicking and screaming into being.... I decided I'd try some on a masterboard style, for speed of backgrounds.  Quite by chance my latest Craft Stamper arrived as I was mid-paint and Helen Chilton is doing a similar thing, although hers are very different in look.

Anyhow, I have some A3 copier/printer paper, which I decided to use to save even more time, even though it's quite thin. It also takes up most of my available space...

 I didn't work with it this way round, just can't persuade the photo to rotate back!  Used Plum, Turquoise and Chalk Frescos, directly dropping little blobs (not little enough in some spots) onto the paper, and brayering away.

 then took the 'eye chart' Merry Christmas from the new Paperartsy Hot Pick HPXM05, and stamped using Plum and Aquamarine archival inks, over the paper...

  cut it up to fit my card blanks (I used Craftwork Cards, the ones that are almost 6x6 inch) and as you can see, got 6 from my sheet of paper.

stamped the Tim Holtz deer (please don't ask why I didn't use the die, I only remembered about it when I had cut the 4th one out....) on Smoothy white card, in black archival; and the sentiment, which is from the same Paperartsy stamp plate.

Fought with the double sided tape to stick the backgrounds to the cards, and used a glue stick for everything else.

Craft Barn Q&L - 22 - Moon/Sensation

Afternoon, welcome back!  Been a bit of a crafting flurry here the last couple of days, finally got started on the Christmas cards! (scroll back to the previous two posts) and I have some more to share today. First, though, it's the Craft Barn Q&L challenge - Moon and/or Sensation

My first thought was "Moon River" from Breakfast at Tiffany's... then I googled for some quotes, and came across "Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star" attributed to W Clement Stone - and in various similarly worded versions, to several other people too.  I liked that, so decided to switch tacks.

After another masterboard's worth of Christmas cards, I settled down with my Brushos - well I had to play with new toys, right?!

 I worked on a piece of Paperartsy's Smoothy card, and used Ultramarine, Leaf Green and Emerald Brushos - a mixture of sprinkling the Brushos onto dry card and spritzing, and then more spritzing the page in the dry parts and dropped more Brushos into the water.  This is my first play with them (apart from a short play at Lin Brown's when some friends and I went for a workshop in August)

A long search ensued for a moon stamp - I still think I have a different one, but couldn't find it... this is part of a stamp that depicts "twinkle twinkle little star) but I just cut the moon out. Hence you can see the face under the Pewter paint (no silver!) (Fresco)

For the stars, I stencilled Pewter paint  through a stencil and cut out 3 stars










I wrote the quote on a spare scrap of card, and stuck it to the page.

Decided it needed somebody or someone to be aiming for the moon, so stamped the little people (Stampscapes) on another scrap of card and trimmed them and glued them to the foot of the page.

Quite pleased how this came out, entering the Craft Barn challenge here 

Oh, and the third masterboard Christmas cards? These are they!

 just used Cherry Red and Chalk Frescos, the tree is by Woodware and is just repeatedly stamped in Library Green archival, first and second generation stamping.

So that's another 12 from another sheet of paper, I'm well on the way now.

WOYWW 443 - more Christmas cards..

Welcome back for another Wednesday round up at WOYWW - who stole November?  Cannot quite believe that it's December on Friday!! 

I am still slowly slowly making Christmas cards... so many still to do. 
I took them down to count them up this morning and check the list... I've booked a few days off work at the start of next week to try and get them finished!! 

the pile may look large but there are only about 32 there...   and I have half a tissue masterboard I've been using for some backgrounds

I was looking for a snowflake stencil to add another layer to the masterboard.. but the one I have (the original Dylusions snowflake stencil) has all different sizes and they're all too big... I have like a gazillion stencils and you never have the one you want!!  (I have ordered another one now!)

I've done a mixture of designs - I get bored doing the same ones over and over - but I am still loving the grumpy penguins I got last year so have been doing quite a few with them.

Hopefully by next week they'll all be done... then comes the "fun" bit of writing them!!  Have to admit that is not my favourite bit...
Till then, happy desk hopping. 

Craft Barn Extravaganza - earlier today

Hi, I've just got home from the Craft Barn, where they were holding their weekend Extravaganza, demonstrations under canvas...it's the first time I've been since they moved from their previous premises and the demo area was much nicer. Hold on, there are lots of photos!!

Lin was right by the tent entrance when we went in...

 Grunge paste, her stamps and stencils and fabulous things going on...

Leandra was also in full flow, at the opposite end of the tent!  it was like they'd been separated to keep them apart in class!!

 Lin, Lucy and Julie Ann, having a good chat..

 it was soon time for a cuppa and late morning piece of cake - as you can see, baking hot conditions!  I can recommend the lemon drizzle cake!

 Back to the tent.. Neil Walker doing great things with a gelli plate and Fresco's.

 Leandra was busy doing masterboard backgrounds..

looking gorgeous (and the backgrounds!)

a quick look behind me to see what else was happening... Alison having a good chat again...

 Leandra's background coming on nicely...

 Then she let me and Alison have a go...and I gave my camera to Lin, to record the event, and so I can remember what to do...  corner, corner side!!

 just keep adding layers of colours!

 yum!!

 

 love the finished piece, not sure about the expression on my face!!

 Alison's was more pinky - love how different our pieces are!
Thanks, Leandra, for letting us play!

and a bit of shopping, with my masterboard in the background!

WOYWW 519

And in the blink of an eye, it's another Wednesday gathering for WOYWW  at Julia's Stamping-Ground

 On Sunday afternoon, whilst waiting for kick off on the last Premier League game of the season, in an attempt to steady the nerves, I went back and finished this journal page from a few weeks ago.  I could only take 5 minutes though!

Didn't help, as Liverpool still finished second (so close, so close...and it was always going to end up that way)  but what a season!  (trying to convince myself here!)

haven't done any more to this journal page, and the pile of now assembled but not quite sure if they're ready, 10th anniversary atcs are sat on top (so I don't lose them)

carefully hidden by a pile of spare bits so you STILL can't see them!!

I also made a birthday card for my cousin using die-cut flowers and distress oxide brayered card base.

stamping on the base for another layer of interest



there would be new stash but it hasn't arrived yet.. ordered a couple of dies (blaming Angela totally for the TH flowers she used on her Masterboard Monday post - so hopefully that means they'll be here to play a starring role in next week's anniversary edition - seems fitting somehow - Helen, with new goodies!

I just read Julia's reminder post about the WOYWW crop on 1 June (here )  I will be begging Margaret, who I am staying with, to not throw me out if I listen to Liverpool  in the Champions League final on the Saturday night, on the radio.  They are my first love, Liverpool, before crafting even entered my head... so it will have to be done!!

last week's Kew visit can be seen here... my floral loves (alliums) are in abundance now!  I'll risk sneaking one in to tempt you over.

Catch you at a desk near here very soon.

WOYWW 548

Well here we are again Wednesday  - December (yikes)  so it must be What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday... again!  Queen Julia has all the details..
I still haven't written out my Christmas cards - will have to wait for the weekend now as Thursday is our office party (half the office are struggling with colds/flu/sickness so it'll be a fun night........)  and I still don't know exactly what I'm wearing; so tonight I'll be getting ready!

Anyhow,  has there been arting here?  Sort of...

I started to get some ideas ready for my "special" Christmas cards..

not sure if this masterboard/background will make the grade yet.


Distress Oxide sprays of course...


Watch, as they say, this space!




There was a beautiful sky as I was walking to the bus stop on Tuesday morning

 glimpsed between buildings.

and a great reflection in the finished,  mostly glass, building, of the sky and the new building still going up



Last Saturday at Kew was equally beautiful,  the weather was gorgeous - pics here 


Hopefully next week I'll have something more interesting to share (not least because Susan at Country View Crafts is once again, doing her Christmas Advent specials.... oops!