Saturday's workout

The theme at Saturday's workout is textured paint. I made this ATC using some of the new PaperArtsy Ink and the dog minis (49, 56 and 57), combined with some older paperartsy stamps. I textured the paint by stamping into slightly wet paint, which lifted some of the paint away.

saturday's workout and secret crafter

The Saturday's Workout challenge is peeled paint backgrounds. Which I have done using two shades of green acrylic paint. I have made this ATC using the sketch from The secret Crafter challenge. The main image is from the stampsmith's "Isn't she Lovely" plate. so I am featuring it on the stampsmith blog.

catching up with challenges!

I've had a couple of days off stamping, and look how far behind I've fallen with all the challenges, so I decided today to catch up with as many as possible in one piece!
The background of this ATC is created with Alcohol ink dripped onto glossy card. All the stamps are by PaperArtsy
created by hand blobs and splatters.
Wednesday stamper orange
Theme Thursday hats or crowns
Lots to do Lets Face it
Saturday's Workout Make a collage
Secret Crafter Flowers

oriental tag

I decided to combine the challenges from Saturday's workout (gesso background) and Created by hand (red/pink) as well as have a play with some stamps from Inka that I haven't really had much chance to play with yet.
The birdcage is on acetate, and the embellishment is a button filled with glossy accents and beads.

all stamps by Inka

Tim Holtz Tag....

....well sort of!
This isn't actually anything like any of Tim's 12 days of christmas tags, but I was inspired by Tim's tags to go make something along similar lines. Most of the stamps and collage image are by Inka, but as an homage to Tim I have used the grunge alphabet in the background. This is an absolutely gorgeous stamp that I recently received as part of my prize for winning the craft stamper ATC competition (the prize was provided by The Fruit Pixie).

To make the flower I used Inka's mirrored poinsettia stamps, this meant that they did not line up when I place one on top of the other giving a more realistic effect.
since step outside the box saturday has the theme to do a "Tim Tag" this is my entry.
I just realised this fits with Saturday's workout theme as well

mosaic angel

The theme at Saturday's work out is to use a mosaic tecnique. I used my inchie punc to punch squares from anita's black and white christmas pad to create the background. I stamped and embossed over this with my new star waste stamp from Inka (I think this may be my new favourite stamp).
I also used my silver spray for a bit more sparkle.
all stamps are by Inka

silver twinchie

Another double challenge. Today Saturday Workout is challenging us to try the thread technique, and small world of inchies and twinchies are challenges us to make something cute.

The thread technique looked very interesting. I wrapped some thread around a 2 inch square, and sprayed it with some silver spray that I picked up at the craft shop this week. (it's made by crafty notions and I have to say it's fab). I like the way it sort of looks like frost on a window with this technique. The girl and the snowflake set are stamps by Inka

wednesday stamper telephone

First of all, credit where credit is due. I have completely stolen the idea for this ATC from Jo. When I saw that the theme at wednesday stamper was telephones. I thought "nah! not for me this week, I have nothing telephone themed" Then I saw Jo's piece where she had used part of a telephone directory in her background. This reminded me that I had once been sent some pages from a foreign directory. But what inspired me most of all were her birds, straight away I thought "birds on a telephone wire" and that's how this piece came about. I used the 3 crows stamp from Inka, and real wire.
I am also entering this for Saturday workout, as I have antiqued the directory page with distress inks, water and walnut ink, then heated it with a heat gun to make it feel old; and Theme thursday, where the theme is birds

EDIT ooo I've just realised I can call it blog inspiration, rather than copycatting and enter it for the artygirlz challenge!! BONUS!

wee witch

I guess there will be quite a few Hallowe'en challenges around this week but I didn't think I was going to bother until I came across Gothic Arches "wee witches" theme. I couldn't resist.

I also fancied having another go at the background I accidentally created on my heart piece, but this time I decided to incorporate the bandana technique to tie in with Saturday workout's theme.

As I have used the word Magic on this piece I will also enter it for Rainbow Lady's Magic and mystery theme

All of the stamps and the collage image are by Inka

saturday workout

The theme at saturday workout is "take your acetate"
I thought I would enter this VERY simple card that I made with the stamp that came free with craft stamper a couple of months ago. I also made a simple acetate tag to accompany it. I love using acetate as a base as it always looks a bit different to other cards.

napkin background

The theme at Gothic Arches is pretty in pink and the theme at saturday's workout is tissue or handherchief.
I've used a floral paper napkin to make the background, I glued it to card with mod podge, and scrunched it and left it to dry. I then sprayed it with antique brass glimmer mists to accentuate the texture. I like the sepia tones against pink so I used this sepia child from Inka, I have also used various inka stamps.

grungy postcard?

The theme at sunday postcard art is bicycles and the theme at saturdays workout is "can you be grungy?".
Now, I'm not exactly sure what grungy means. I used to think it meant muddied, distressed, collagy type thing, but it seems to have developed a new meaning of using circly bits on your work. I'm confused.

well I needed a bit of an antidote to all that prettiness of the gothic arch challenge, so I decided to have a go at grunging it up a bit!
So I hope this counts as grungy. I also hope it counts as a bicycle postcard, because strictly speaking it's a tricycle (it's okay I've just checked, tricycles are allowed)!!
I've even taken the photo in a grungy place, on my back step, as it was the best place to get the last of the natural light.

The image is by Inka and I have distressed it by scrunching it, sanding it and inking it. I've used sequence waste, ringer and newpaper clippings stamps all from Inka.

I've been a bit of a challenge addict today, but I think I'm done for the day now, the light is fading and the bulb has gone in my craft room and I'm too lazy too change it!

tag on acetate card

I was reorganising the challenge links in my side bar today , and browsing all those challenges left me totally inspired, so here's a piece combining
Saturday's workout - resist
Created by hand- Tags
Artygirlz -wings

I started off by doing a versamark resist on the background using a background vines stamp, and pale colours of ink to brayer over it. I covered so much of it up though, you'll have to look carefully to see it.
All stamps and collage images are by Inka

alcohol ink stripes

The theme on saturday workout is alcohol inks and the theme at wednesday stamper is stripes.

somehow these two ideas combined in my head and I wondered if it would be possible to make stripes with alcohol inks.
I also like to dig something out of my craft box (box? who am I kidding? lol) every now and again that I haven't used in a while and see if I can give it a new lease of life.





so, I dug out my card ribbler, put a piece of glossy card through it. I then inked this using the polished stone technique, so that only the ridges took the ink. I used the nature's walk set (unfortunately the wild plum had leaked as I hadn't replaced the lid properly and now my fingers are a lovely shade of pinky purple. I then used the blending solution so that some of the ink would fall into the dips yet maintain the overall stipe.
I stamped over this with a stampington background stamp. I then used the dreamward stamp from stampington and did her dress separately on striped paper, which I also used for the flowers. The Dream stamp is from Inka large collage words.

The second picture shows the texture in the background. I decided to make an ATC as I need 6 for a pay it forward swap. This is the sixth, so I can get them posted now.