Twelve Tags of 2013 March.

I can hardly believe that we are at the end of March already, with only a day left, I'm posting my March tag for Tim's Twelve Tags of 2013 Challenge. It's been an exciting and busy  month for me, so I'm looking forward to a gentler pace for April, beginning with two glorious weeks of a 'stay at home holiday'. I hope that means time to see friends and family as well as crafty time in the attic. I've made my March tag in a similar way to Tim's with some variations. I couldn't resist buying the little bunny die when there was just one left at The Artist Trading Post Stand at the NEC Hobby Crafts Show last week. It was possibly the only one in the whole of the show as I had a good rummage on pretty much all of the stands! I loved the little brooch Tim posted on his blog last year,which you can see here, so I might have a go at that this Easter weekend. Substitutions used in the making of this tag include metal foil tape for the leaves and flowers, hand cut grass, an alterations house die, some button paper from one of the older paper stacks of Tim's and a bit of skinny tinsel from last Christmas. As usual a fun tag to make especially when you have to get your thinking cap on! x

eclectic Paperie eTeam Picks March Challenge.

Here's a tag I've made for the eclectic Paperie eTeam Picks Challenge. The very talented Bonnie Irvine has set the challenge for this month which is to add 'something corrugated'.You can check out her amazing three dimensional  project and see what the other design team members have come up with here. If you fancy getting involved, make any project you like and  include something corrugated, this could be new card, recycled packaging or card you've corrugated yourself. There is a fabulous prize of $15 to spend on goods from the eclectic Paperie shop for one lucky entry. For my DT submission, I've use re-cycled cardboard which I've stripped the top layer off and lightly painted with Paper Artsy Fresco Paint in Concrete. The edges have been distressed with Black Soot Distress ink. I attached this to a large tag which I'd first covered with tim Holtz tissue paper. After giving this a coat of picket fence distress stain, I added a few rows of machine stitching. The butterflies have been stamped onto water colour paper which I first swooshed through some of the new Distress Paints.Once dry I added a bit more colour with Distress Markers I used these on the bee and the ladybird as well. I then mounted them onto the corrugated card with dimensional sticky pads and did the same for the computer generated phrase. I hope this might inspire you to get creatively corrugated!x                                                                          

 

Distress Ink Pad - Walnut Stain

 

Distress Ink Pad - Black Soot

 

Distress Stain - Picket Fence

 

Tim Holtz Distress Paints -

                                     
                                                                            

WOYWW #198

Good morning WOYWW'ers. Grey and miserable again, but what better to brighten your day than a snoop around your fellow crafters/artist's work spaces. Julia is hosting this worldwide party, over on her Stamping Ground blog, hop over there, snoop around and get involved. I've been pretty busy of late and can't wait till the Easter holidays for a bit of  r'n'r. My work space is pretty messy (as usual). I managed to grab a couple of hours yesterday, to work on my flowers for the Tattered Florals Challenge, scroll down for pics of completed project if you've got time. Speaking of which I better get ready for work! Have an excellent day everybody. x

Tim Holtz Tattered Florals Challenge

Look what I found in my garden ! well of course I'm only kidding it's pretty cold and still quite wintery here in the UK. Some time ago, I did a step by step tutorial on how to make flowers using the smaller tattered florals die. I'd always intended to try the same technique with the larger flower and after Tim Holtz launched the Tattered Florals Challenge It seemed like an ideal time to have a go so here are the results. I think they look pretty realistic considering they're made with manila card coloured with Distress Inks. I absolutely love making these flowers and and I'm getting quite fast at it. If you fancy having a go you can find my tutorial by clicking on the link here. I decided to photograph the flowers outside in their 'natural' habitat. Here's a close up of some of the individual flowers. I used Distress Ink pads in Tattered Rose, Antique Linen, Scattered Straw and Victorian Velvet to colour these.

 It's a pity they're not waterproof as I would have left them out, they added a momentary dash of colour to my rather drab winter garden. The challenge is open until March 22nd and there are several fantastic prizes of $175 worth of Tim goodies!!!! If you get your skates on you may just have enough time to enter.x

First Design Team Project for 'eclectic Paperie'

Thought It was about time I shared the first design team project I made for the eclectic Paperie    'eTeam'. I've been so busy in my 'other' life lately, I've had very little time to up date my blog.    Kim from eclectic Paperie very kindly sent me the fabulous Tim Holtz Industrial Blue Print stamps to have a play with and this is what I came up with.

 It started life as a size 8 tag and gradually grew into a card ! How did that happen? Let me explain.. the first step was to colour the tag with a generous coating of Picket Fence Distress Stain. Once this was dry I stamped over the surface with the gears stamp in Faded Jeans Distress Ink. I also added the light rays using an old favourite stamp from the Tim Holtz Bitty Grunge set.

 I then stamped the light bulb twice, on a sheet of acetate with black Staz On. I gave the stamped image a little colour with Butterscotch Alcohol Ink. If you have a go at this, be sure to apply the ink on the opposite side to the stamping otherwise your image will disappear before your very eyes, just as my first attempt did when I wasn't concentrating !

 Next stop was to cut a few gears. I used the Spellbinders Sprightly Sprockets set, and cut them from manila card, which I coloured with Brushed Pewter Distress Stain. I also coloured a few Alterations gears with Snow Cap white Paint Dabber and added a little Faded Jeans Distress Ink once they were dry.

 I wrote the words on a separate piece of card, in a kind of Tim Holtz Blueprint style, using a Faded Jeans Distress Marker. I then cut them out and mounted them on some dimensional pads. Once all the elements were prepared, I started to assemble the tag. I attached the first light bulb with transparent double sided tape and then added the second bulb on top bending it slightly to add a more 3 dimensional look.There's just a little tape at the top and bottom leaving the middle free. Here's a side view.

Once the tag was finished I pondered for a while and had my own 'light bulb moment'  ahaa! this tag wants to be a card. I thought this would be a good one for the man in my life who's birthday's in May, he also works in industry so it's a perfect subject.  After looking through my stash for some suitable card, I found my Tim Holtz Kraft Resist Paper. I selected a piece which had some technical drawings on, which I goes well with the industrial theme. I coloured it with Picket Fence Distress Stain, and edged it with a little Faded Jeans Distress Ink. Finally I mounted this onto a piece of blue card which I stamped with the gears stamp around the edges,using Picket Fence Distress Paint. I had a slight camera malfunction as the battery expired before I was able to take some pics of the background. Note to self: charge battery before starting a project !! I hope you are inspired to have a go with a bit of Blue Print Stamping. As well as stocking the products I used featured below, Kim  has just taken delivery of a whole heap of the latest arrivals from Stamper's Anonymous. I'm heading over to the eclectic Paperie shop now to start compiling my wish list!x

Tim Holtz Distress Paint - Picket Fence	Tim Holtz (Stampers Anonymous) - Industrial Blueprint	Tim Holtz� Distress� Markers - Faded Jeans	Tim Holtz Distress Paint In Picket Fence	12x12 Manila Cardstock
Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabber - Snow Cap	Distress Ink Pad - Mustard Seed	Distress Ink Pad - Faded Jeans	Distress Stain - Metallic Stain Bundle	Inkssentials Surfaces #8 Manila Tags

Fabric Tag

It's the first Thursday in the month and that means it's time for another Get Altered  with eclectic Paperie challenge. Micki has set the theme and is challenging us to use some 'Fabric'. You can see her fabulous padded heart over on the eclectic Paperie blog. If you fancy putting some of that fabric stash you've been hoarding to good use, hop over to the eP blog where you'll find plenty of inspiration to get you started. You could even win a fab $15 to spend at the eclectic Paperie  online shop. I've had a great afternoon working on my eTeam piece. I decided to go the whole hog and make a fabric tag. I started with a piece of white cotton which I sprayed with Crushed Grape, Bubblegum Pink and London Blue Dylusions inks. Once dry, I layered on some of the lovely new Distress Paints in Pickled Raspberry and Mustard Seed through Claudine Hellmuth's  'Wall Flower' Studio Stencil. Here are the three stages.

 I stitched  the finished fabric onto a size 8 tag, and trimmed it to size. The flowers were cut from left over fabric using the Tim Holtz tattered Florals die. I stitched together a couple of layers for each flower scrunching them slightly. The flower embellishment is one of the Wild Flower Art Parts by Wendy Vecchi, painted with Snow Cap White Paint Dabber. The sentiment is from a set of stamps I've had for a while by Lindsay Mason. I stamped this onto a piece of sticky backed canvas in black Staz On Ink and edged it with a little Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink. Well that was my fun afternoon, so how about you have a go and Get Altered with some fabric.x

Is it Art or is it Craft ? You Decide

Before I begin this post may I just say a big  thank you to all my followers old and new. Your inspiring comments have kept me creating and blogging, happily for the last year. I'm now starting another exciting chapter by joining the 'eclectic Paperie' design team !! It's the first time I've been on a design team and I'm absolutely delighted to have been asked to join such a talented group of people. This little project is my first contribution as an 'eTeam' member. There is still plenty of time, to join in the current 'e Team Picks' challenge and you could win a fabulous prize of $15 to spend in the eclectic Paperie online store. The challenge is to create a piece of art that includes some folding. I couldn't resist making another accordion folded book as I had so much fun with the last one. The design on the cover was made by masking and stamping, using Dyan Reavleys 'Basic Background' set of stamps as well as her Dylusions Sprays in Pure Sunshine and Squeezed Orange. Sound delicious don't they? the stamping has been done in Versa Mark and Black Soot Distress Ink, before being embossed with clear embossing powder.
The seam binding ribbon has also been coloured with the same Dylusions sprays. A piece was attached to each of the front and back covers, extending far enough out at each side so that it can be tied in a bow, enabling the book to be opened on one side or the other. 

 Here is the book with one of the ribbons untied.

Here it is with both of the ribbon 'hinges' untied. The pages have been stamped with Antique Linen Distress Ink and the harlequin patterned stamp from the Basic Background set.
Now here's the thing with these little accordion fold books..... take a look at the back cover...

So will it be Art or will it be Craft?

Maybe it's both ! x

WOYWW #195 Busy Busy !

Here's my messy table after a nice afternoon spent with my old buddies ink, paint and paper ! There are a couple of new 'pals' in the form of my first batch of distress paints, and I can see these are going to something of a favourite with me. Have I gone mad you may ask why is she showing us this untidy table? well hop over to Julia's Stamping Ground blog and all will be revealed. The lovely Julia hosts this gathering of like minded souls every week and in fact, has been doing so for nearly 4 years! So why not have a go..... come on you know you want too. x

Metal-ology Pocket Book

Now here's a little project I've really enjoyed making. I'm entering this into the Simon Says Stamp and Show Metalology Challenge. It's a little accordion folded pocket book which measures around  6cm x 7cm. The cover is made with chip board which has been coated in three layers of black UTEE. I then coloured it with some mica powders before heating and stamping into it with the flower stamp and gold Encore Inkpad. I didn't really like the initial textured effect but I was loathe to throw it away so I heated it again rather expecting the pattern to disappear, but as you can see it didn't but became much more subtle and far more to my liking. Some of the flower and leaf embellishments were also given the mica and UTEE treatment. The metal corners are by Creative Expressions and are excellent value for money I might add. Below are some pictures showing the open book and the folded craft paper pages. x

Fashionable Stamping Challenges #41 'Birds'

Here is the little bird canvas that has been sitting on my table all week ! I'm posting it just in time for the Fashionable Stamping Challenges, 'Bird' challenge.There's a randomly selected prize from Cottage Crafts for one lucky winner. This canvas was fun to make with dimensional paste and a Crafter's Workshop stencil to create the background. I used Adirondack paint dabbers in Pool, Antique Linen, Crushed Olive and  Snow CapWhite  for colour. The bird was a stamp I've had for sometime, it's from a company called Stamp Francisco. I stamped it onto tissue paper with black Archival ink and layered onto the painted canvas before colouring with Distress Markers. I then masked it off and stamped the foliage over with Versamark and heat embossed with Ranger Sea Foam white embossing powder. I then covered the canvas with Rock Candy Distress Crackle. I then carefully gave the little bird a coat of matte acrylic medium to reduce the shine. A few words and a bit of hardware from Tim Holtz's Ideaology plus the all important Vintage Photo Distress around the edges, complete the look.

A close up showing the stencilled texture  paste. I rubbed in a little more snow cap white to highlight the Distress Rock Candy crackles.

Watch the birdie! I've used a little artistic license as I think the stamp may be a wren, but with a nice red breast has been transformed into a robin. We have a delightful little robin that visits our bird table each day and so a robin it had to be.x

WOYWW # 194

Well half way through the week and time for another WOYWW or What's On Your Work Desk Wednesday. For more details about the biggest craft blog snoop on the net, hop over to Julia's Stamping Ground  blog and get involved. It is coming up to the 4th anniversary of this wonderful blog hop and Julia is proposing another ATC swap. So you've got plenty of time to get in it. So this is what's on my table this week, I've been having a little play as I'm on holiday this week and this is the aftermath. I'm working on a little canvas which you can see propped up at the back. So let's see what you can spy. I'm also posting a picture of another 'work table in my house which my son has commandeered. He has a degree in animation, and is working on some models for his next piece. He's learning to sew and this is what I've got to put up with until he goes back to Berlin next week !I think they look rather cute so far. if you want a little light relief whilst crafting you can see a couple of his vids on you tube here and  here (sorry Julia) I'm not advertising just spreading the love. x

Love is in The Air

Here's the tag I made for my husband for Valentines Day. There has been a little method in my madness, as this also doubles up as my entry into the Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2013 Challenge. I hope my husband doesn't mind but after nearly 33 years of marriage I think he knows me well enough by now! It's a bit different from Tim's in that I don't have many of the supplies he used, so I had to put my thinking cap on. I must say I love the stamp he used this month and would like to add his Valentine set to my collection, along with all the other new goodies that have recently caused such a stir!. This tag was firstly swooshed, with a mixture of Fired Brick DI and Tarnished Brass distress stain before being embossed in my Cuttlebug. I then added the embossed and sanded Kraft Core strip. One of the hearts was hand cut from a glittery Christmas gift tag and the other from a piece of left over embossed foil tape, which has been coloured with alcohol ink. I then finished off with a few embellishments, a calendar page, a strip of diamante and die cut lace. This tag also fits the brief for the Lacey Heartsy Valentine Challenge over at Frilly and Funkie so that will be my next stop.x

Love Me Do

I've been having a play with this MDF heart I bought the other week and have finished it just in time for the Fashionable Stamping Challenges 'Show Some Love' challenge, which is sponsored by the lovely people at Cottage Crafts. The original smooth  surface of the heart was in need of a little texturising, so I decided to firstly, give it a coat of paint and then a coat of crackle paint medium. I topped this with a further coat of paint and left it to dry I then rubbed in a little Walnut Stain Distress Ink, which has given it a rather nice wood-like texture. To continue the transformation, I used some Artist's Spackle, and Diane Reavley's leaf stencil. The lady was stamped on to white tissue paper before being collaged onto the surface. I then used the Spackle through a diamond pattern mask, around the image. I highlighted the leaves with some Treasure Gold paste and applied a little to the sides and edges of the heart, a few words and a bit more distressing and some pearls add the finishing touches.x

WOYWW #192 Must Tidy Up....... One Day !

Better late than never! It's time for a Wednesday WOYWW post. What's that then? It's an opportunity to have a look at crafters' desks from all around the world. Pop over to Julia's Stamping Ground blog and get involved in the fun. Here's my table looking a bit like it looked last week with a few additions.  There's an MDF heart which has been gessoed ready for some altering. I found a great bargain shop called B&M Homestores. The heart cost £1.49, I bought a few other goodies as well all quite cheap. There are also one or two more flowers where I've been experimenting with different colours. The latest lot are a bit more grungey. Here's a picture of one of the crowded corners in my attic, just so that you can see how crammed with stuff the room is! Should I really be buying more stuff ? Hope you've all had a good WOYWW so far. See you next week.x

'...and the Winner is....'

 

I promised to have a little giveaway following my paper flower step by step tutorial. I wrote all the names of the people who left a comment on my flower tutorial as well as those that commented on the flowers in my WOYWW post, on slips of paper and put them into my hat. As my son Max took the photos, I asked him to pick one out. I am pleased to announce that the very talented Butterfly is the name he drew out. Many thanks to all the people that left such lovely comments. I hope you'll join in when I have my next giveaway x

Steam Punk Upcycled Box

This is a box I've recently finished that will house my creative journey projects for 2013. It's quite big so I can get plenty of tags and cards in there! It started life containing some yummy bath products that my brother bought me for Christmas. I was as excited about the box as I was for it's contents!
Here is the inside of the box, it is actually a rather nice plum colour, so I've only covered the inside of the lid where there was some writing.

Here is the original box before I covered it with embossed metal foil tape. It was very easy to cover with sticky backed strips of tape, which I ran through my Cuttlebug first, using Tim Holtz's Riveted Metal Texture Fades embossing folder. I placed a thin piece of card under each piece of tape before putting it through the machine. This stopped it from being too deeply embossed and prevented the foil from ripping when the backing paper was removed.

Once I'd completely covered the box, I applied alcohol inks in black, ginger and gold.

I then 'sanded' the surface with wire wool to remove some of the ink and reveal a kind of aged metal surface. This is fast becoming  one of my favourite techniques. The little handle was bought from a company called Sky Blue and Pink. I love it.

I cut out the cogs from thin copper using the Tim Holtz cogs die. I heated the copper with a cooks blow torch to age the surface. I then stuck these onto chip board cogs cut from the same die. The wings were from a set of 'Art Parts' I bought from the Artful Splodger when they were having a sale. They've been embossed with Stampendous frantage, sanded and distressed with Black Soot DI.

The corner pieces are grunge paper circles that have been given a rust treatment with Vintage photo distress embossing powder mixed with a little gold frantage. The studs around the edges are actually the tops off paper fasteners. I cut the butterfly bits off and stuck the heads on using a glue gun. I've really loved 'upcycling' this box and I'm sure I am going to enjoy using it. I am going to enter this into the Happy Daze ' Recycle it' challenge and also the Eclectic Paperie challenge which is 'Altered Boxes'. Just got word of another challenge I can enter my box into, it's the Frillie and Funkie 'Spruce it Up', I think that just about sums up what I've done with this. x