Grungey Monday Alcohol Ink Challenge

I've had a great week updating my blog. Thanks to everyone for the very encouraging comments. Here is my entry for this weeks Grungey Monday Challenge. It's a little gift box made from an acetate sheet which I cut using my pazzles machine. It's coloured with red pepper and wild plum alcohol ink. I've used Tims technique from his August 2008 challenge.I've stamped it with various butterflies and flourishes from an Artemio set of stamps. I made the flower using the Tattered Florals die.It's also cut from acetate and backed with sticky backed foil tape this made it a little more flexible and I was able to curl the petals.

I added the butterfly after over stamping an off cut of the acetate, with an Artemio stamp and cutting it out by hand. I quite enjoyed experimenting with this technique, though I did wipe it all off and start again after my first try!

Butterflies or Bugs Challenge

I've just followed a link from Barbara Washington and found this Butterflies or Bugs challenge at Fashionable Stamping and it so happens that I have something that might just fit the bill. I made this evening bag using a favourite technique of mine. This is to brayer and stamp onto tee shirt transfer paper and then iron onto fabric I've made several items using this technique and it works brilliantly. You need to use colour fast inkpads if the items need to be washed. I've used Versa Magic chalk ink pads as well as Memento Ink and Archival Ink.I can provide step by step instructions if any one is interested.

Here's a tote bag I made using the same method

Tags, tags and more tags !

Show me a paper crafter who doesn't like making tags and I'll eat my hat! I made these tags after being inspired by a lovely lady from The Artful Splodger demo-ing how to make 3d flowers with The Tim Holtz Tattered Florals Die at the NEC in November.You can see her demo here http://www.artfulsplodger.co.uk/demos/tattered-floral-rose As I'd just bought the die, I thought I'd have a go and make.... guess what?... some tags of course! so here are the results.

I stamped the tags with various images such as postage marks, music and text. I then painted both sides of the tattered floral layers with mica paints and stamped over with background stamps before constructing the flowers. I cut the leaves on my Pazzles Inspiration, using a file from their Craftroom site. Here are some more tags I made with flowers cut on my Pazzles. I found the cutting file sometime last year but unfortunately can no longer find the link. I'll keep searching and update this post as soon as I find it. These flowers are a joy to make.

Bingo Sketch Book Close Up

Cheetah sketch book close up

Hot Tip for Faux Enamel Technique !

I'd like to share this Hot Tip. I bought a roll of sticky backed aluminium foil tape from my local hardware shop, it's around 7 cms wide (3 inches) It's used by heating engineers to join ducting(aparently),I've used it for both of my book covers and it works brilliantly. The roll I've got is labelled 'Asbo Tape' and there's metres and metres of it, all for the princely sum of £4.99. I stuck two or three strips, slightly overlapping them, onto a piece of card,then cut it to the size of my embossing folder. The embossing makes the joins barely noticeable. It's great for experimenting with. Check it out crafters!

Faux enamelling continued

Here are two journals I've just completed using Tim's faux enamelling technique from his Twelve Tags of Christmas 2011, day 6. I've used the Tim Holtz Bingo texture fade embossing folder and a Cheetah Print folder, from Sizzix. I've put water colour paper in one and cartridge paper in the other so that I can use them as sketch books. I'm now going to post them on Studio L3 Grungy Monday 32. Sponsored by Simon Says Stamp! My first on-line challenge!

After preparing the decorative centres of the books by following Tim Holtz's instructions on his Twelve Tags of Christmas Blog, I then cut two window mounts from mount board. For the Cheetah book, I collaged the window mount with patterned crepe paper. I used distress ink to create a more vintage look. The back cover is treated in the same way. For the Bingo book, I covered the window mount with something called 'Spackle', this is a type of dimensional paste, I then pressed a piece of hessian fabric onto the surface to create texture. Once dry, I painted it with a silver paint dabber and left it to dry again. I then rubbed Black distress ink over the surface.Finally, I embossed the whole surface with clear embossing powder. It makes it look quite metallic, I treated the backcover the same. I lined the inside of each book cover with patterned paper before constructing the books.

Favourite Technique

One of my favourite techniques from the Tim Holtz Twelve Tags of Christmas 2011, has to be the faux enamelling.Here's the tag I made for day 6. I used Tim's Collage Texture Fade embossing folder as I didn't have the Christmas one,I was really pleased with the results though

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Better Late Than Never ?....

Here are the 12 tags I made during the Tim Holtz Twelve Tags of Christmas Challenge. I really enjoyed making them and learnt so many new techniques. I didn't get round to up loading them but really wish I had taken the time to.

Right... this blog has been sorely neglected. I realise I haven't really got to grips with the whole idea of blogging so I'm making it my new years mission to try and get this blog up and running. After spending most of yesterday evening trying to re-do things and not being satisfied with my efforts, I've decided to just carry on and try and improve things as I go. So here goes...