A place for everything....

Hi everyone!

Well, this is my last post as Guest Designer for February at The Artistic Stamper...it has been an honour to be invited to appear there alongside such talented designers.

I have had so much fun making these creations and I hope you have enjoyed seeing them - Thank you  for all the wonderful comments - they have meant so much to me...

     So here is the final sneak peek! If you want to find out what it is and see the entire creation and a step-by-step of how it was made then hop over to The Artistic Stamper - I'd love to know what you think of it!

 Thanks so much for being here!

 

Spotlight Sneak Peek!

Welcome to another 'Spotlight' at Our Creative Corner!

 Nicecrane Designs is sponsoring Our Creative corner this month - and the prize is $20 to spend on images from the Nicecrane store!

   I was thrilled to be able to do a creation with the Bessie Gutmann images....they are so adorable!

Here is a little sneak peek - but if you want you see more you will have to come over to Our Creative Corner!

   See you there!

Anything your heart desires

Hi everyone!

 Over at Fashionable Stamping Challenges the challenge is -

Anything Goes

I decided to use a Gibson Girl stamp from Flonzcraft. I stamped it with Potting Soil Archival ink onto card that had been coloured with Vintage Photo DI. I had then used a script stamp around the edge.

Two other stamps were used with Potting Soil archival ink, again onto card that had been covered with Vintage Photo DI and then had some spritz and flick done with water to add some texture.

These were stuck onto embossed card that was spritzed with Snowflake Fresco paint that had been poured into a spray bottle and mixed with water.

After the paint dried I covered the embossed card with Weathered Wood DI and edged with Vintage Photo DI

A rose was dabbed with Vintage Photo DI and spritzed with water. 

 A leaf die cut was inked with Vintage Photo DI and then covered with Rock Candy glitter. 

 A chipboard heart was painted with Nougat Fresco paint and then covered with crackle glaze before being inked with Black Soot DI.

A twine bow, peach coloured button and ivory crochet lace was added to complete the decoration.

Why not come over and join us this time at Fashionable Stamping Challenges 

 Remember we are a stamping challenge so please feature a stamped focal image on your creation.

  You could be the winner of $20 to spend at Flonzcraft Stamps! And of course you could be picked at one of our Catwalk Spotlights!

Behind the fence

Hi everyone!

    With Artistic Outpost doing an 'Anything Goes' challenge again this month, I couldn't help making another creation to enter the challenge.

Weathered Wood and Gathered Twigs DI were swiped on the mat and spritzed with water with a little Picket Fence DP added. I swooshed the tag around in the ink/paint puddle and dried it - a few more dabs and I was very happy with the result.

I stamped the text stamp from the 'Bluebird' set around the edges with Picket Fence DP

I then stamped the image of the two children from the 'Think and Wonder' set in Potting Soil Archival ink.

Gathered Twigs DI was blended around the edges of the tag which really highlighted the text stamped in white paint.

A die cut edge was painted with French Roast Fresco paint before being covered with a very thin layer of crackle glaze. Snowflake Fresco paint was dabbed with a sponge over the glaze - this gives a finer porcelain style crackle than brushing the paint - which gives more vivid weather worn cracks.

The die cut had Walnut Stain DI blended around the edge and was stuck onto the tag. The edges that weren't needed were added to the top corners (can't waste them!)

Leaf die cuts were inked with Gathered Twigs DI and stuck onto the tag along with the words 'Wonder and think'

 Roses that had been dabbed with Weathered Wood DI were then spritzed with a mix of water and white acrylic paint and then given a further spritz of water.

A twine bow completed the tag 

Thanks so much for being here! 

I would like to enter the following challenge

Artistic Outpost - Anything Goes
 

The writing on the wall

Hi everyone!

Over at Try it on Tuesday there is a challenge that, in my opinion, is absolutely wonderful - though for many it might take you out of your comfort zone a little!

'Handmade'

Must include some handwriting

I am passionate about handwriting - it is so sad that we get fewer handwritten letters now that everyone using text and email to communicate. I used to teach some scrapbook classes (many years ago) and aimed to spread the word about the importance of scrapbooking in documenting your life and everything about you. One thing I really tried to get across in the classes was the importance of handwriting as part of your identity and how it should be used more....

Handwriting is such a unique thing, but I think also sometimes a very disliked thing...because my speeches about the importance of handwriting at the classes were met with glances of doubt in my direction and a severe reluctance to pick up a pen....I always felt it was such a shame, and even though I didn't get far in spreading the message about the importance of writing, I have never lost my fascination for the handwritten word. 

  "Sending a handwritten letter is becoming such an anomaly. 

My Mom is the only one who still writes me letters. And 

there is something visceral about opening a letter - I see 

her on the page...I see her in her handwriting."

Steve Carell

Sending a handwritten letter is becoming such an anomaly. It's disappearing. My mom is the only one who still writes me letters. And there's something visceral about opening a letter - I see her on the page. I see her in her handwriting
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/s/steve_carell_4.html#eVxsFx14s9WlMEeO.99

    So whatever the state of your handwriting (and I don't think many people ever do like their own handwriting, I don't like mine very much) grab a pen and write on your creation...and be proud of your handwriting! - Right...I am climbing down from the soapbox now......!!!

   My tag started off with no plan other than a quote I had found. So I decided to stick with my favourite combination of brown and blue and picked up Gathered Twigs and Faded Jeans DI's. Blended them over the tag and did some spritz and flick.

 Then a light spray with the Tsukineko Rich Cocoa spray and began stamping.

I used three Gibson Girl stamps in Black archival ink and a corner flourish to join them together.

 I stamped a flowers stamp with Gathered Twigs DI

  Some Aged Silver Frantage powder was sprinkled around the edges and melted. I love how grungey this is with flecks of gold and lots of black melted into it

Black Soot DI was blended around the edges of the tag.

 Some tissue tape with handwriting on it seemed a very logical tie for the tag 

 .....and I added a pen nib covered with Espresso Alcohol ink and wiped with White Fire Treasure Gold.

And my quote - Yes, that is my handwriting - and no, I don't really like it very much...but this is how I write and I am proud to include it here.

   So come on over to Try it on Tuesday and see what everyone has made and join in!

For the love of Flowers

Hello everyone!

      This has been such a busy month for me being Guest designer for the Artistic Stamper....but when I saw the new challenge over at Frilly and Funkie I knew I had to find the time to play along!

   The challenge is 'Bloomin' Marvellous' and the challenge is to use handmade flowers. And I had such fun making them. The roses on this hanger were VERY handmade because I had run out of the die cut flowers that I needed and I don't have a  die cutter...so I got the die cut remnants I had and using them as a template to draw the flowers and then cutting them out by hand....

        I decided to go for my favourite colours at the moment - brown and teal and devote the theme to being a very rusty patina look.

     The roses were so much fun to make. First the die cut flowers were covered dabbed with Antique Bronze DP and I just painted it on leaving streaks. When dry I dabbed them with Evergreen Bough DI and then sprinkled them with Tea Dye and Walnut Stain Distress embossing powder and then a little Verdigris and copper embossing powder.

The other flowers were scrunched after a spritz of water to add creases then when dry they were inked with Evergreen Bough DI and covered with Rock Candy Distress glitter. After the glitter was dry the edges were inked with Vintage Photo DI. Wooden buttons were painted with Evergreen Bough DP and wiped with a tissue to give a weathered look.

 White flowers were edged with Evergreen Bough DI and had bronze brads added to the centers.

A large flower was covered with Vintage Photo DI and then covered in crackle glaze and the cracks were highlighted with Walnut Stain DI. A vintage style button used for the center of the flower.

A leaf die cut was brushed with Vintage Photo DP and then covered with crackle glaze then Walnut Stain DI rubbed into the cracks to highlight them.

 A die cut flourish was covered with Walnut Stain DS

A piece of corrugated cardboard was torn to reveal the texture underneath and then covered with gesso followed by a coat of crackle glaze. Walnut Stain DI was then rubbed over the cracks.

Crochet lace was stuck onto embossed card that had been inked with Vintage Photo DI and then spritzed with Patina Cosmic Shimmer spray.

A doily die cut was covered with embossing ink and then sprinkled with Verdigris embossing powder.

 A brass key was added to the embellishments 

 ........along with a brass frame that had teal patterned paper added to it that had been inked with Walnut Stain Di and a white flower added to the center.

Rusty wire was added to form a hanger 

   Hope you like my handmade flowers! Thanks so much for being here!

I would like to enter this in the following challenge -

Frilly and Funkie - Handmade flowers