All that glitters....

I may have mentioned before that I like a bit of sparkle and shine, and today its all about the SHINE!

I made several cards featuring the seedhead silhouette from JOFY63.  They are the same but different - on each card I used simple clean and simple layouts and the same embossing powder which was WOW's Metallic Gold Rich Super Fine - very lovely & great at keeping the delicate detailed line of image.

I think I like kraft as much (probably more) than I like shine! I like to team them up & I was keen to use the silhouette stamp solo on a card :

The second card I made teamed the silhouette seedhead with the original line drawing from JOFY38 on a white background. 
Very happy with how they look together! :o)  (its like I plan these things! lol)

This is my favourite of the three cards.
I painted an ombre background using Infusions (A Bit Jaded) on a wet Fresco Finish (Mermaid) base and brushed it in - how GORGEOUS is that background!  even before the seedheads were stamped and embossed on top! swoon!  I really like how the different colours in the Infusions become lines across the panel - especially the dark slashes which are the walnut stain powders.

Here are the cards together - great to see how they are the same but different... I would happily frame the Infusions one and put it on the wall!

Thanks for visiting!

Demo Day at Birds in the Barn....

Finally getting back to the blog! ... here are the cards/samples I created for a demo day at Birds in the Barn (Marks Tey, Essex) earlier in the month.  I really enjoyed using Kim Dellow and Zinski Art's stamps and stencils/masks to create masterboards, cards and panels.

 Lots of cutting out, paper piecing and layering up the flowers...

It was nice to use embossing powders again - the white embossing gives the masterboard a lovely delicate fresh look.

Stamp sets used were PaperArtsy EKD05, EKD06 and ZA08

#365Challenge.... January: Part 3

Well, that's January done and dusted - it went by in a flash didn't it!!

Here is the last batch of January's pages... I'm really enjoying the process (challenge) of making a page a day, answering the questions posed in the Flow Magazine calendar... I'm starting to think that these pages would maybe be more interesting for you if you knew what the questions were and the pages would make more sense wouldn't they?? Sometimes I put the questions on my Instagram comment against the photo but if you're not on Instagram you're a bit in the dark aren't you! sorry about that!

I recommend Instagram - its like Twitter but more visual, less chatty and you get more than 140 characters to play with in your description! win win in my book! hhhmm Instagram: imagine Twitter meets Pinterest and you'll get the idea...

aaaanyhoo.. the pages.. with questions/answers were relevant...

Day 20: Do I always want to win?  Depends very much on the game or argument and who its with! lol

Day 21: Do I always celebrate my birthday? Definitely!
Day22: What's your favourite room in your house?  Couldn't decide, so I made a page out of a panel I'd torn up.. but I didn't want to disguise the tears so, inspired by the Japanese art of Kintsugi (mending breaks in porcelain with resin and gold) I embossed the cracks with gold embossing powder... really like this effect.

Day 23: How do you cheer yourself up after a bad day?
Day 24: When are you at your best?  definitely not in the morning! lol

Day 26: What book made a great impression on you?  'The life changing magic of tidying' (read it you will not be able to resist a good declutter!)

Day 27: What kind of movies would you rather see at home than in the cinema?  Horror! so I can leave the room if it gets too scary! lol

Day 29: Do you believe in life after death?  oh we're onto the deep questions now!

Day 31: Have you become what you wanted to be as a kid?   Not entirely (Harriet the Spy, apparently was not a proper job.  I was 'too noisy' to be a librarian, and my accent was too 'Essex' to be a speech therapist*!  shocking advise from the 'career adviser' on the last two! lol)
* I'd like to point out that my accent is NOT overly Essex - my t's and h's are in all the right places! thank you very much. #justsayin' and I don't sound like an extra from TOWIE (I hope!)

Finally here is the cover of the book - I love love love the oversized numbers embossed in copper - they look great against the Midnight Fresco Finish painted cover.

One month done... eleven to go!

Thanks for stopping by.

x

Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative!

Is what I do when art journaling ....

I thought I'd share with you some pages from my Dylusions journal - I am really enjoying working in this at the moment - its taken a while, I think thats because I had two spreads in it I REALLY DID NOT LIKE... and every time I opened the journal there they were right at the front... horrible (they were just. not. me) and so I didn't work in the book... then I thought enough is enough.
I took photos of both spreads (I wanted a reference of 'what not to do!') and glued the spreads shut... with matte medium - there's no getting those suckers open now!... and I am free to work in my journal without being taunted by the ugly spreads......
(and no I couldn't paint over them- I tried - but the dye from the 'bleeding art tissue' kept seeping through! persistent little product! lol)

accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative!

I'm using the Dylusion square journal and each page measures around 22.5x22.5cm so its a nice big space to work on.
I use the pages quite a lot when I'm gelli printing - to clean my brayer, to make ghost prints and clean up prints.... so here are few of those spreads:

This page was a clean up page, over printed with bubble wrap (love a bit of that!).  I added stenciling with Baltic Blue Fresco paint, and added gold emboss for a bit of contrast against the matte paint.

The page has very rough, distressed look... I like it that way - and its distressed in a different way to the spread below:

Gelli print patchwork created with ghost prints and clean up prints - I really like creating these (see HERE for a project I created using the patchwork to create a masterboard).... and you can't go wrong with a bubble wrap print!

This is 1/2 of a spread that I treated as 2 separate pages (reason for the outline), it was created by simply running the brayer over it to get rid of excess paint - easy and I'm sure we've all done that to use up extra paint - shame to waste it! I then, several weeks/months later, doodled on some flowers..

This spread was made during a Gelli plate demonstration at the PaperArtsy Seth Apter event a few weekends ago - a real lets try it all page - its just a jumble of techniques and its fun - I think it'll be the base for more added layers.

Detail of the spread - 2 types of bubble wrap (why use one when you can have two types!), stamping (additive and subtractive), and drawing a my fingernail....

and next, just in case you think all my spreads in this journal are blue... how this for a pop of colour:

Chartruesse and Neon Pink - do not adjust your sets! it really is quite bright!  Love it!  Its not finished - I feel a bit of black coming on! (unleashing my inner punk?!?)

I'll end this post with something a little calmer... my take on Bokeh style.. a spread I created while prepping for a class..

I painted the entire spread, then gave the right hand page a white wash before stamping one of my girls, while the left page was left without. Interesting to see the difference - also black outlines on left page and 'white fire' on right page... but they still work as a spread - the phrase suits the girly I think.


I hope you've enjoyed this look in side my journal - some of you saw me demo in it at the PA/Seth Apter event - now I've glued the nasty pages together I'm happy to take it out in public!

Thanks for stopping by.

x

ALBOTAT: Stamps of a different kind..Part 2

Hi

Yesterday in my blog post I wrote about stamps and how interesting they can, and can be used in artwork - on cards, in journal - however you want really... Well, last week when I was tidying my workroom - oh yes! The 'big clear up/clear out'!!  - I became distracted (as usual!) by the bits and pieces laying on the desk... so I made this simple less-is-more page in a 6x6in journal.... I really like the white space on the page... 

The gold circles are a PaperArtsy Ellen Vargo image stamped and embossed in WOW 'Metallic Brass Sparkle' - a lovely colour which I use when I need gold... stamping the distressed circles over all the images ties it all together, and then the 'obersvation lessons' banner gives it a sort of subject/theme/focus. 

So there you have it - a clean and simple way of using stamps...

xx

Final class of the year.... Part 2

.... a fun class creating this:

A 6x4 box canvas - people could make this with an initial of their choice - would make a cute gift..

and here are a few of the lovely colour variations created by the ladies in the class:

I'd demo'd painting the box in green and was really pleased when Denise (Denise, I think this is your  - apologies if its not) made hers using the same colour and pink flowers - one of my favourite colour combinations - so pretty!

I LOVE this yellow version - so bright and fresh and sunny! I think I may have mentioned on here how I am not a fan of yellow - but this project of Sue's may have converted me! Gorgeous. (Sue was wearing a cobalt blue top on the day so it looked even more striking against that!).

This blue and yellow version (Sue's) - again its swaying me towards yellow - love it - so fresh!

They all created beautiful projects.... I might have to rethink yellow!

x

A Birthday Treasure Hunt...

... for my nephew's birthday. We're giving him money as a gift, and to make it a bit more interesting I planned a mini treasure hunt for him - he solves a clue (cryptic rhyming clues no less!) & goes off around the house to find the envelopes containing loot... and carries on until he reaches the birthday cake!

I hope he has as much fun going on his little treasure hunt as I had writing the clues and making the envelopes. lol

(I especially enjoyed making the envelopes! - they're so cute - 7.5x10cm! Its a Sizzix die (Tim Holtz, Movers & Shakers die - Pocket Envelope), as are the numbers (Serif Essential Numbers) on each envelope...)

I made him a card too... used a really quick'n'easy brayered background (I wanted it to look 'rough'), a Stampotique image, JOFY circles and chevrons... & I couldn't resist a bit of gold embossing - even boys like a bit a bit of bling!

x

Stamping, stamping and more stamping...

... was the plan at The Craft Barn today.. we stamped, painted, stamped, embossed, & stamped some more..
:o)

Thanks to the customers who came to the class - look forward to see you again soon!  Have fun with your purchases!

BLOG COMMENTS:

Thank you for all the comments you leave on the blog - it is very much appreciated!
In order to deter peskie spammers I 'approve' comments before they are published on the blog - so if your comment doesn't appear immediately don't panic! It can take a little while before I'm back at the computer to do the behind the scenes 'administration'.  :o)

xx

Getting all romantic with IndigoBlu....

... over on the Craft Barn blog.
I created a card for my project this week, this text stamp is my favourite of all the IndigoBlu stamps - it would make a great Wedding, Anniversary or Valentine card...

If you'd like more information on any of the projects I've used please click on the links below:

Brown Card Blank 14.5x14.5cm (created from Bazill card)

Kraft card panel 12.5x12.5cm

IndigoBlu stamp 'Truly Madly Deeply'

Clear embossing ink

White embossing powder

Frantage Embossing Powders: Shabby White & Aged Silver

Bakers Twine

Still making Christmas Cards?...

... oh, that'll be just me then!

The cards shown today are some of those I made for a class planned for The Craft Barn that sadly didn't run... the idea was quick-ish last minute cards:

First up is my lovely little snowman:

I drew a line 1/3 way up the card and stamped the snowman (archival black). Around him and under the line I stamped and embossed snowflakes (Mini07, clear ink, white powder) onto the base card.  I added a die cut strip (Sizzix/Tim Holtz On The Edge Snowflakes) along the drawn line to give Snowman a base.. a bit of bling in the form of sparkly gel pens and gem stones and its done.

Next is a really simple quick'n'easy card- lovely festive colours & a bright clean look (photographing items is tricky in the winter- the light is so cold/blue)

The crisp white and cherry red is lovely (and not coming across in the photos..)

The wooden snowflake on the left was covered in 2 layers of embossing powder and while it was still hot sprinkled in the Ranger's loose Stickles glitter (love!) then heated so that the embossing powder encapsulates the glitter - so lovely and sparkly.  The stamp used is JOFY Mini06.

Lastly today is one of my favourite cards, and a 'go to' technique for making quick batches of cards:
I like to create a big piece of motif card - a 'masterboard' - and then cut it up into smaller panels to use on cards.  On this card I kept the masterboard really simple: I stamped lots of Snowflakes (mini07) in clear ink and embossed with clear powder - this protects the crisp whiteness of the base card.  I coloured it using Iced Spruce Distress Ink (a big favourite of mine this christmas) - I could have added more texture to the background by water splashing it but chose not to so that the snowflakes remained the main feature.

I attached the panel to a DL card and framed it by stamping the line/star motif from JOFY08, I stamped the large star (plate08) on to kraft card, cut it out and attached it with 3d foam to the card. A wooded star - another favourite this year- buttons and gems to embellish and then it was done.

Masterboards are soo useful because pieces can be used on different sized cards and the cards will all look different but the same too- creating a 'batch' or 'set'- great for the lead up to christmas when time starts to get a bit tight....

All the items used on the cards can be bought at the Craft Barn:  www.thecraftbarn.co.uk  - JOFY stamps, Embossing powders, distress inks, card blanks, wooden snowflakes and dies.

Onwards and upwards with the christmas crafting....

ho ho ho

Snow, snow, snow....

... snowflake rosettes!!!   I think I've mentioned on here before how much I love the paper rosettes that can be made from the Tim Holtz die - well look what those clever people from Sizzix have bought out... Lovely Snowflake rosettes!!!!!!!!! Ho ho ho!!  Very lovely! (these will probably find their way on to many projects this christmas!)

It looks so nice when only the edges are coloured - I'd quite happily add this to a project as a border instead of folding it into a rosette:

I used the same colour distress inks (evergreen boughs, tumbled glass) on this card. Stamped and embossed the main image from JOFY Plate6 in clear ink and added the colour over the top.  I bleached the big stars and when the bleach was dry I gently went over the stars with Tumbled Glass ink... Fine black lines were drawn to add detail to the design and ties it in with the base card colour and the black stamping of the top border and the sentiment.

PaperArtsy sells cute little papermache hearts (approx 5-7cm).. I painted this one with Fresco Finish paints: Mermaid, Crackle Glaze and a top coat of Nougat - the gorgeous turquoise/gold wax (aquamarine, Treasure Gold.. also from PaperArtsy) was wiped randomly over the surface - lovely festive shimmer.. I tied on a tag stamped with 'noel' from Plate3, and a couple of wooden snowflakes that have coloured with the same wax.  The wood absorbs some of the wax so that it leaves the 'dye' colour and then a lovely surface of gold: gorgeous.

**  On 4th November I'll be demonstrating my stamps at Birds in the Barn nr Colchester in Essex.. Please come along - I'll be there from 10am-3.30pm - I look forward to see you.  **