GD for DD

Yes, those lovely folk at Dragons Dream TIO have invited me to be Guest Designer for their new topic 'Black and Stencils' - Thank you, especially Helen who has chosen this recipe!

As you may know I love stencils and if you saw my post yesterday you may also like to know that in my teens I spent a lot of time wearing black - much against my Mum's wishes - she would have preferred me to be more girly!!
Like a lot of girls in those days I would dream of being a model like Twiggy, which then got me thinking about photographs which then led to a "What If?"….photographs had been around in the Middle Ages, which led to this..any excuse to use my favourite stamps!

  Peacock Feathers DI all over the tag then stencils using blue, black and gold.

The images are all Lynne Perella by Paper Artsy. The film reel is using a punch I've had since I started crafting.

Of course, these aren't the real characters from that time  - just actors - extras in a film and these are the stills!!!

Hope you have lots of fun with your stencils - the Dragons Dream Design Team have!!

Thanks for looking, Chris

TIOT Design Team

Hello everyone, I am so excited and honoured today to show you my first piece as a DT member at 'Try it on Tuesday '! 

The theme is 'Hats' and you can see the fabulous inspiration from the team here

I chose one of my favourite Lynne Perrella ladies from Paper Artsy.
I resisted buying this set for so long but she is definitely a lady with style and she has had several outings! 
Some of you may remember Gertrude Shilling in the 60's who used to attend Ladies day at Ascot wearing the most outrageous hats - one of which was a tea cup and saucer - I have never forgotten it!!
Here is my lady

I started with a Kraft card and used Vintage Photo and Aged Mahogany   distress inks rubbed on randomly before spritzing to blend the colours.

I then rubbed the ink pad over some corrugated card that was torn roughly to size and stamped parts of a floral stamp over the card using Aged Mahogany.

I stamped the image onto a piece of newsprint paper that I painted over with PA Snowflake Fresco paint to give her the palour that Elizabethan ladies used to have, then coloured her in using distress inks.

Used the ink pad again on TH Tattered lace, a corner die and a scrap of paper.

I hope you like her. The sentiment is from a set I keep at our caravan
Please pop over to the Try It on Tuesday challenge and I do hope you will join us in this challenge.

Thanks for looking,Chris

Dreaming with an 'X'

Oh boy! When I saw the title of this challenge at Dragons Dream I had a panic moment until I read that Julie Ann wanted an 'x' somewhere in a word! The challenge is 'The letter x and the colour purple' - well you must know by now that I'm happy with purple in any of it's shades!
Once I knew the letter x could be anywhere I don't know what made me think of it but the word 'Elixir' came into my head - so now what??
Well, at that point my Mojo upped and left me in the lurch. I still had the word going around in my head but not a clue what to do! A few outings and I had only been in my craft room to poke at things - nothing came to mind - should I think of a different word?! Over Saturday and Sunday I decided to sit at my desk and prepare a few die-cuts….and that's when I thought of this(of course by now the place was covered in bits poked out of holes and lots of mess to clear out of the way!)

I started by rubbing a combination of purple shades of Distress inks over the tag and then used a water soaked sponge through my TH 'Rays' stencil. I wanted a bit of the 'Elixir' splashed over the corner of the tag - a little bit of runny black gesso, and then when it had been heat dried to make it bubble a bit I rubbed in a combination of magenta and aquamarine Inca Gold hoping it would make a shade of lilac(it did!) The bottle is an Artistic Stamper one that I've had for ages - doesn't get used nearly enough!I stamped it onto a piece of kitchen roll that I had been using as a shim - it had totally flattened it! The edges were torn and had just enough texture around the bits that hadn't been under a die!I coloured the bottom part of the bottle to give the impression of something being in it. A Crafty Individuals perfume label was stamped by picking out the edges with a distress marker and I hand wrote the label.
At this point I didn't feel it was finished so used a small text stamp around the edges.I also added some 'Brushed Pewter' Distress Stain to the lid and dried off the brush by painting over the bottom of the bottle.
I left it over night and then this morning gave the elixir something to run across the tag to 'cure'….some crackle paste tinted with Dusty Concord Distress!

So here I am on time again (it won't last!!) with my entry for Dragons Dream 180 "Letter X and the colour Purple" 

Thanks for looking, Chris

Strong!

Home again and just in time to enter! As soon as I saw this challenge - for the Quotes and Lyrics challenge at the Craftbarn - the first thing that came to mind was the old Rolling Stones song "Miss You"- but once I'd read the lyrics thought - Oh No! 
So, out with the quotes book that hubby bought me and found the quote that I have used here! Once I'd found the quote the main image choice - an Inkylicious stamp - was easy. I added some parts of stamps from Paper Artsy Lynne Perella set LPC004 and mini MN30 as well as parts of the Papermania travel stamps. The base tag was made by adding Frayed Burlap and Stormy Sky distress inks to my mat and running the tag through after spritzing the ink with water. The words were computer generated then rubbed around the edge with the distress ink, as was the edge of the tag.

The only thing then was to add some metal in the corner and a soft flower with a metal centre to emphasise how this lady, whom(who?- help!) I normally regard as a bit of a romantic, has a look about her that says she is also a strong character(look into her eyes!)

I am linking this to the challenge here

Thanks for looking, Chris

Love Paris!

I will always love Paris, we have been at different times of the year. One year we even went twice within six months(the second time we took the two youngest as they were studying art at the time and there were some exhibitions to see)

This card is the one I made for my hubby for Valentines day - not that I like the commercialism involved these days(just as I feel the same about Halloween!)but I knew he'd get me one! He did - big and with beautiful words - see, I'm not totally against it!!!!

I used craft card and used one of my new Memory box stencils with a cloud white Versamagic chalk ink, Frayed Burlap distress over that then Walnut Stain around the edges and corners then the white ink through the stencil again in the corners. The postcard was cut from a new set by Papermania - Madame Payraud. The Paris stamp is also a Papermania stamp from the Around the World set(half price in the Range the other day!) I added a little bit of my new TH Tattered lace die that I bought the other day with a voucher I got for Christmas. Some words stamped onto some French book paper and paper bag and then Walnut Stain distress inked around the torn papers and the hearts. I thought a bit of colour in the form of a little red Studio G heart would finish it!

I would like to enter the following challenges:-

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - We love stamps!

Artistic Stamper - Use Distress

Try it on Tuesday - Travel

Ali-Crafts challenge no 9 - Valentines

Thanks for looking, Chris

A Flight of Fancy

Firstly I hope I don't flabbergast you, please do me a favour and don't flee(just yet)from this frivolous post!

I've been having fun with the Dragon's Dream Tag it on challenge - F and green.

Oh! Such a fabulous challenge but what to favour as my choice - feline, flowers, something in fawn(!!!)?

I had no fear in falling finally on the feathered favourite 'Squawk' designed by my lovely friend Lindsay Mason!
He's fine and funky and I thought he'd make a fantastic funny tag - don't want anything fuddy-duddy or frumpy for this challenge!

So a frenzy of flinging inks and spray around, the ever familiar stencils, some filling in with stamps, a grunge board alpha soup F, some fussy cutting and some fronds and fibres! Almost finished, my feathered friend needed some firm ground to stand on - some fine lines made by using the edge of a ruler dragged across an ink pad(used here too)didn't look too foolish!

Using Dylusion ink spray - Fresh Lime, 
Distress inks - Peeled Paint, Shabby Shutters, Mowed Lawn, 
Bird and words - Lindsay Mason

I'm linking to Dragon's Dream Tag it on challenge 'F and green'. There's still 'free'(3) days to have a go if you'd like to 

Finally, if you got here and didn't fall at the first post, Farewell and 'Fanks' for looking! Hope I didn't freak you out! Chris

Sorted - almost!

What a great weekend I've had! After my disappointment at not being able to attend Hels' workshop on Saturday it turned out to be all's well that ends well -almost! 


House viewers came ...and went(still on hold with that one)after which hubby and I headed to "Better Bathrooms" in Manchester(we had a VERY bad experience with the Bathstore and I refuse to ever enter one of their doors again! Buuuut! on stepping through the doors of 'BB' hubby's light turned on - up to now he has left most of the choosing to me. The range is fantastic and if we hadn't already bought so much from one our great DIY stores we could have spent all our money there! We did however find fantastic taps and tiles (and the short bath - finally) and hubby surprised me with his choice and we totally agreed on our purchase -YIPPEE!!


Anyway - enough ranting about domestic stuff - Sunday came and saw me charging driving sedately up the motorways to DB Studios for a workshop with the fantastic Hels Sheridan. I set off early with the intention of catching up with some crafting buddies during the lunch break and it really was great to meet up with Joanne and Gez again - I was also able to sit next to my friend Sarah during the workshop! It was especially good to finally meet Hels too as I have followed her blog for a looong time! Her samples were amazing! The only stupid thing is - took my camera, but no photos of the event at all!!
  
I have never known an afternoon fly so quickly and it was all over far too soon! It was great to learn new tricks with distress inks and stains. 

Hels explained techniques so well and I can't wait to try some of them out! 

Gez brought me this fantastic ATC, I love this girly!

It was a really great afternoon.......except for one thing! I had always thought(maybe naively)that crafters looked out for each other but one mean spirited crafter (must have been, or why else would they be in a craft shop) helped themselves to a shed load of Hels' personal craft supplies. It took the edge off totally ruined what should have been a happy experience for all and I hope whoever did this gets their just desserts - YOU ARE A THEIF!!!

I'll be back later with an amazing piece of art work(not mine)!!!

Thanks for looking, Chris

October over, November new

There was I, all set to show you my new pages when I realised I hadn't taken a photo of October's pages and it was too dark to take any photos 'til today.

This is for Kate Crane's 365/2011 journal challenge. I am amazed that I've kept up with this, but like lots of others I really enjoy doing it! 

Here is how November's pages started, I was thinking 'fireworks' and just started by smooshing in distress inks in black soot, faded jeans and dusty concorde then a quick spray with Perfect Pearls mist -blue smoke, then splashed a water brush over the end of some NeocoloursII to make splashy fireworks. I then ran the brush over the page in swooshes. When it was dry I rubbed some black soot ink around the edge.
I then chose some bright papers stamped with a little snowy, starry stamp from Hobbyarts using a Big and juicy pad.
It was only as I started to stick the papers down that I started to recite the old rhyme, Remember, remember, the 5th of November, Gunpowder, treason and plot...and thought that Remembrance day should have place in these pages, especially as we have a special date 11.11.11. 

Hence, along with the stickles fireworks I have Mort with a poppy!

It looked a bit empty so I drew in some silhouette houses

 Had to use the computer for the words as when I was writing it  I made a spelling mistake,he'he!!Two identical words and I make a mistake....

I'm still busy trying to sort the 'stuff' we seem to have collected over the years and I'm almost ready for the boot sale on Sunday(thank goodness it's indoors as the forecast isn't good) I know that is by no means all we have to sort - I've only been looking for potential boot sale items recently. Meanwhile there is no news on the flat front, just waiting for paperwork to be completed.

Will try to get back soon with some more of what I've been up to, meanwhile I hope to get to have a peep at how others see November. Thanks for looking, Chris

Tag(s)

I don't often make tags, no particular reason why not it's just not the first thing I turn to when I just feel like playing. However, yesterday while having a bit of a sort out I came across some I'd started but not finished. Didn't feel in the mood for anything else this morning, so while waiting for the washer to finish a cycle I finished them off.

This one had been stamped and heat embossed using a Tim bird stamp and a Wendy Vecchi leaf stamp onto a distress inked and spritzed background, so I just darkened the edges with Tumbled Glass ink over a stencil and drew in  a branch.

This was just an inked and spritzed stamp so I used a Brilliance orange over a leaf stencil then added Spiced Marmalade and Brushed Corduroy around the edge, stamped with Tim birds, Lost Coast bird, and Kaisercraft word. 


We've been told there will be a bit of a delay with the flat - red tape stuff - so instead of sorting stuff this weekend we're going to get away for a few days. We've already got enough for a boot sale so hopefully we can get a pitch in a few weeks time at a local indoor one.I haven't done a boot sale since the boys were in primary school and hubby has never done one - I understand they start so much earlier these days - used to be 9.00 back then!!


Hope you all have a lovely weekend, thanks for your lovely, encouraging comments, Chris