Sea Gazing With Poldark

     The new challenge at The Male Room is 'Inspired by Television'. I didn't know where to start so I ran through the things my family like to watch, Poldark has family appeal, smuggling, mining and Aidan Turner.

     I have made use of my media plates again, with three shades of blue Izink across the plate. The wave effect was created by using a piece of embossed wallpaper to make a pattern on the plate before a second stamping of the same colours.
     The ship was stamped in Versafine on to the media plate, this took a bit of thinking about because the image is reversed when you stamp on the plate first and then on to the card.
     One thing I have discovered about the Izinks is that you can use a wet brush to lift colour off, just like you can with Distress Inks.

     To get my image of Ross Poldark I printed a picture out and then used it as a template to cut some funky foam, making my own silhouette stamp. The foam 'stamp' is fixed to the platform with a Stix2 glue stick which will wipe off when I'm finished with it.
     Silhouette stamping is now so much easier with a stamp platform because you can just keep building up the layers of ink, safe in the knowledge that it will stamp in the same place every time.
     Having worked on a larger piece of card than I needed I was able to trim the image panel down until it was the right size. It didn't look good on a white card blank so I coloured the edges using black Distress Ink. Once dry I stuck the trimmed panel to it and stamped a few seagulls for balance.
     Please pop over to The Male Room to see what the team have made, then join us with your interpretation of the challenge.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Stamping Sensations - Cold and Frosty Colours   (M)

Try It On Tuesday - Fire and Ice   (F)

Lemon Shortbread - Anything Goes   (F)

MHK Designer Inspiration

      This new set from MHK Designs has a very topical saying which I made use of on this card, the new film about Winston Churchill is one I shall certainly be going to watch. This set has many options, I chose to make a congratulatory card, ideal for a hard working student.
     The wreath was changed to green, as was the wording, and printed out on white card. With the addition of some colour around the edge and pearl relief drops there is very little decoration added to this.
     A dark green mat layer to frame the image panel was the last addition before being stuck on to a white card blank. There are so many things that you could do with these frames, I think this set has to be one of my favourites. Pop over to the challenge on MHK Designs blog to find out how you could win this new set.

Framed Favourites

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

International Art & Soul - Do Something Digital   (F)

My Time To Craft - Something New   (F)

Male Room Vintage Motor Racing

 
     We have a new challenge at The Male Room, vintage. So many options with this one but I decided to go with motorsport. You may have noticed a gap on the top right of the card, there will be a greeting added when I need to use it, something in dark green I think.

      The whole idea started with a small die cast game piece of a 1950's racing car.  I've had this in my stash for some time, waiting until I could make a silicone mould of it.
     Having watched a few You-Tube videos I decided it was high time I tried making a mould. Now I didn't want to use a huge tube of sealant or anything that smelt so bad I'd be banished to the shed, what could I use.....Stix2 Silicone Glue. It has a faint smell but nothing nasty and comes in a handy tube, I got six moulds about 1.5 inches round from one tube.
   

     I made the tiny car with hot glue and once set coloured it with a mix of Sharpie pens and peel off markers.
     The small pictures on the tag are all free images from the internet distressed with ink and crackle stamps. The tag itself is Kraft card also distressed with inks, the cotton ribbon is also stained with ink.
     The card blank is covered with a small sheet of checkered paper, the edges distressed with black. On to this layer I stuck a die cut laurel wreath and a die cut trophy. The tag is mounted on foam pads over the wreath and trophy.
     It always makes me smile when I see drivers of this era, they wore white overalls when the sport was probably at its dirtiest, their faces filthy, the only clean area around their eyes where their goggles had been.
     The Male Room challenge runs for two weeks so please join us with your masculine projects with a vintage theme.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Lemon Shortbread - Anything Goes   (F)
Crafting From The Heart - Anything Goes   (W)

Happy New Gnome

     Welcome to the first challenge of the new year at The Male Room, our theme is 'New Beginnings'. As usual our challenge will run for two weeks so you can join us with your masculine projects.

      I chose to make a 'New Home' card using one of my media plates and some new Lavinia Stamps. I challenged myself to produce a masculine project with what are usually considered rather feminine images.
     To start with I stamped the Gnome house in Versafine black, then stamped on some Stix2 masking sheet and cut it out. With the mask in place I used the media plate to add a circle of shades of blue, trying to get a darker edge on the side farthest from the house.
     I stamped two toadstools in blue and used a water brush to lift some of the ink away where the spots are, this worked better than expected on the I-Zink's.
     With the mask still in place I dried the stamping and then used a stencil on the media plate to add Versamark, just before stamping this layer I used an ant-static pad over the inked area and then stamped this layer over the blue inks. A dusting of pearl mica powder now revealed a starburst of light form just behind the house. This has a picture changing effect as the card is tilted in different directions, one way you can see the toadstools and the other you can see the starburst, perfect for a magical card.

     Please pop over to The Male Room for lots more inspiration from our DT and a great guest designer too. Have very Happy Crafting New Year.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Always Fun - Something New  #39   (W)

Simon Says Stamp - Something New  (Mon)

Card Mania - Monochromatic    (M)

Mix It Up - Anything Goes option Masking #9  (M)

House Of Cards Mixed Media

   My interpretation of 'Mixed Media' is the use of different techniques and mediums so this is what I came up with for our new challenge at House Of Cards.

 

     I don't have any pictures of the main panel under construction because I got carried away with the idea and forgot all about taking any.
     Using Distress Oxides I coloured some white card, then spritzed it with water. In this picture I have coloured the white card blank to correspond with the main panel, so when it is all layered up the colours continue past the black border. It didn't look right on a plain white card blank.
   

     Once dry I used a stencil of butterfly wings and inked through it with Versamark, then dusted it with pearl mica powder. A quick spray with hair lacquer to fix it and I could move on to using a very fine pen to pick out some of the edges to highlight them. This gives the wings a little more definition, especially when viewed without the mica shine.
     The body of the butterfly is a small lightbulb made with hot glue in a silicone mould, it has been dusted with pearl mica aswell.
     The sentiment is stamped and embossed in white, with just the main word picked out with the same fine black pen used on the wings.
     Please come and join us at House Of Cards, you have a whole month in which to create your project.

Mixed Media and/or Colours

I would like to enter this card in the following challenge:

Crafty Friends - For A Girl or Lady  #74   (F)

MHK Designs - January Challenge

     Who doesn't love flowers, this new set from MHK Designs has three gorgeous floral frames and some words of wisdom too.

     Sadly I needed to make a card for a friend who lost someone close this holiday, so these beautiful pansies where the perfect option.
     Printed to form a complete frame all I had to do was add the words in the middle and print it out on white card suitable for alcohol markers.
     I wanted the centre panel to pop a little so I coloured the background with a pale grey-blue pen, that way it remains completely flat. The flowers are coloured with one pen, making use of the blender pen and leaving some of it white.
     Of all the digi images I think I like the frames best, so very versatile as you can put anything in the middle. Please pop over to the MHK Designs blog to see lots more inspiration, join in the challenge for a chance to win some digital images.

Framed Favourites

January Challenge

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Colour Crazy Craft - Anything Goes     (F)
Digi Choosday - Anything Goes     (F)