Arty Girlz Challenge - In A Pocket

Me again!

Blimey, I cannot remember a day when I made so many posts on here :O)) Just shows how much fun I have had today.

I have joined in my first Arty Girlz Challenge. This week it is "Pockets" - basically to include a pocket on the design.

I have tried to keep away from too much ink and stamping - not easy I can tell you! I have used Basic Grey "Infuse" papers and Bazzill Cardstock for this card.

I started by cutting into those gorgeous sheets of paper, no mean feat - I have been saving them for ages!! I cover the card front with plain and patterned paper, cut a strip from the Bazzill and then punched out a buckle using my QuicKutz Revolution. I coloured this in with gold Krylon and then stuck it over the join in the papers. I made a pocket from the Bazzill and some more of the Infuse paper, stamping around the edges with a stitch stamp. I then made a little tag to slide into the pocket and stamped the sentiment (Penny Black) and added an eyelet and gold ribbons. The top of the card look a bit boring so I cut out a flower from the patterned paper and stuck it to the top right hand corner. I thought that the pocket didn't look right so I used some more of the Bazzill and stamped "happiness" onto it, cut a v from the edge and then added little gems for decoration.

This challenge really got me thinking as I have not really used papers for my crafting for ages. I also loved the fact that I had to make something unusual to be used on the card.

Thanks for looking, that is all for today...am all crafted out! *til tomorrow that is*

Hels x

Scrummy Stash Cafe - Ribbons

Ah, it has been a busy day :O))

I have joined in with the Scrummy Stash Cafe Challenge this week. It is my first time for this one too and I have really enjoyed it.

The title of the challenge was "Ribbons".

Now, I have a few (!) in my stash so I set about making a card and trying to use ribbons in a way that I don't normally use. (Normal being, punching a hole, threading them thru and leaving it at that)

Here is the card I made
I have a bit of a thing about Black and White at the moment....and I found these papers lurking at the bottom of a pile of stash...so I brought them out to see the light of day. They are from Blonde Moments and I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the collection but I think that some are called Onion Gravy and Bangers and Mash - forgive me if I am wrong!!
Anyway, I took a large piece of plainish paper as a background and then cut two pieces of the patterned and edged them with black ink. I then used a piece of black satin ribbon and attached it to a lovley little clasp from We R Memory Keepers. I added some diamante gems to the ribbon to jazz it up a bit. I then took some plain card and stamped my message (Hero Arts) and punched two holes in the card, threaded the checked ribbon through the holes and back on themselves to get the ends at the front. *note, I am rubbish at trying to explain what I have done!!*
I set two eyelets in opposing corners and then cut a heart from some un-cut Grungeboard (yes, it is that stuff again) and coloured it with black ink. I then did a little heat embossing on the edges of the heart using a Holographic powder. I smudged a little silver Krylon over the heart to pick out the pattern and bent it to add definition to the card.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this challenge and am really looking forward to the next one!

Thanks for looking....again!

Hels xx

Papertake - Hearts Desire

Hello again,

Fresh from my day of crafting here is the next installment of Blog Challenge cards I have made :O))

This challenge is from the Papertake Weekly Blog and the title this week is "Hearts Desire".

I have gone a bit bonkers with the Grungeboard again - I just cannot stop using it :O))

Here is my card which I made using some plain cream cardstock which I distressed using Fired Brick Distress Ink. I then added a torn piece of Aged Gold paper and spritzed with Gold Glimmer Mists. I then stamped the hearts all over the card using Walnut Stain ink which I then heat embossed clear. The heart stamp is from a Pierot Plate by PaperArtsy. The main message is from the Tim Holtz Collection by Stampers Anonymous. I distressed some more plain cardstock in the same way and stamped the message in black StaZon. I then used my alphabet stamps (by Stamps Away) and made the little extra message mat "desire". The Grungeboard hearts have been distressed with Fired Brick and then I have sanded the edges, smudged gold Krylon over the surface to show the pattern and then bent them to give them more dimension. I used a paper distresser to rough up the edges of the message mat and around the cardstock. A few gold eyelets for decoration finish the card.

I loved this challenge .... I got to use my fave Grungeboard again :O))

Thanks for looking

Hels xxx

Funky Fairy Challenge - Circles

Hi there peeps

I have had a lovely day today, nice and relaxing and crafting away :O)) I have made a few cards for some of the Blog challenges I have seen my pals getting involved in. This particular card is from the Funky Fairys challenge and was to use Orange and Black and circles. I have joined in the challenge after seeing it on my friend Lydia's Blog

I decided to use a "retro" style to this card, using Bazzill cardstock in orange and black, a couple of little snaps and message stamps. The base card is white, which was allowed!

I used various round things to draw around to get the circles, including the inside of my DS tape roll, a can of diet coke (whoops, advertising :oO) and the lid from a pot of embossing powder!! I really should get one of those circle cutting gadgets!!

Here is my effort anyway - I am pleased with the result and OH has asked me to make another one for his friends 40th birthday because the colours are actually their football teams' colours....yes, the poor chaps support Luton Town!! :O))

Thanks for looking and all comments will be gratefully received

Hels xx

Daring Card Makers - Foiled

I know, I am a little late in posting this!! However, better late than never :O))

Hello, BTW, how rude of me to forget to say Hi to you!

I have joined the Daring Card Makers challenge for the first time - the theme was "Foiled"...meaning I had to make a card using aluminium foil.

I love a challenge, so armed with the tinfoil, I retreated to the craft room to have a play.

Here is the result of my "playing"



I started off with a piece of tinfoil, using Butterscotch, Red Pepper and Cranberry Alcohol Inks, I made a lined pattern. I then scrunched up some more foil and then dabbed the same colour inks over it. I used this bit in my Revolution and die cut two Folk Heart shapes. I then used some glossy card and inked this to match the other colours. I used a black StazOn to stamp the hearts which are from a PaperArtsy sheet. I stamped Believe (Catslife Press) and then stuck this to plain silver foil. I like the effect I have got with the Alcohol Inks but don't think I will be using tin foil regularly for my cardmaking!! LOL

I did enjoy making this though, so thank you to the setter of this challenge. I will try to be ontime with the next one!! :O))

Hugs Hels xx

Papertake - Violets Are Blue

Hi there

I have taken part in my first Challenge!!

Here is the card I have made for the Papertake Challenge which is "Violets Are Blue".

This is a simple card, I used a lovely scribble Daisy stamp by Hampton Art, inking it with Broken China and Faded Jeans Distress Pads, then spritzing the stamp and stamping twice. The first image I have left as a "mat". The second image has been cut out, a brad added to the middle and then stuck over the flower head of the first image using silicone glue. The message mat is made by the same technique using a Hero Arts message stamp. I have popped both images onto some card which I have edged with Silver Krylon pen. To tie in the colours, I swiped the Faded Jeans pad around the edges of the mats and then the card itself. I then spritzed with water to achieve a "scruffy" look in line with the stamp style.

I really enjoyed making this card so thank you to the Papertake team for this weeks challenge.

Thanks for looking

Hugs Hels xx

Introducing......The Sunday Stampers

Hello Everyone!

Today marks the launch of a brand new "Challenge" that I have decided to run. It is called The Sunday Stampers and is basically a challenge that will be set once a week on a Sunday - I reckon you will have sussed that out already though :O))

Here are the bits of info that you will need:-

This "Challenge" is to make either a card, Tag or ATC using inks and rubberstamping.
You can use any kind of ink; Alcohol, Distress, Chalk etc and the style of the piece you are making must have an inky technique and you must use rubberstamping too. The piece you make can include lots of different elements such as Grungeboard, Ribbons, Fibres, Brads ....anything you like really :O))

Each Sunday I will post a new theme for the Challenge and sometimes there will be an extra thing to do also.

Here is a card that I have made for the first theme which is "LOVE". I have decided on this theme as I love all things inky, stampy and messy really and hope that lots of people join in this challenge and have lots of fun. I first of all took a nice sized square card and cut a mat using gold mirri card. I then took a piece of plain cream card and used Fired Brick Distress Ink to colourize it. I spritzed with Glimmer Mists and also plain water to achieve a mottled background effect. I used a piece of "Ancient Gold" paper for the top of the card and stamped a PaperArtsy heart stamp from a Pierot Plate for background detail. Next I took Grungeboard "Elements" shapes - using the heart, wings and the crown. I painted the wings with Pearl Adirondack Dabbers, I painted the crown with Gold Adirondack Dabbers and then used Fired Brick Distress ink to colour the heart. Once the paints had dried I used my finger to smudge gold paint over the shapes to add a little touch to the colours I had used. I also used a little bit of sandpaper to distress the shapes too. To achieve the stripey look I rubbed the edge of some mountboard over a Walnut Stain inkpad and then streaked this over the distressed card. I took another piece of plain Grungeboard to make the message piece, inked it with Fired Brick, spritzed with Gold Glimmer Mist and then stamped the word LOVE onto it using Versafine Sepia ink. I added a couple of screwhead brads and a bit of organza ribbon for decoration.











Once you have made your card/tag/ATC, please can you upload your creation to your own Blog or PhotoBucket, make a comment on this post and add a link to your page so we can all have a look at your brilliant work of art and also....please can you let me know if you have enjoyed making it too :O))

Have fun and thanks for taking part.

Hugs Hels xx

A Challenge ATC

Hi again

Not much crafting is being done this week cos I am on earlies and have to be up at stoopid o'clock which means early to bed too :O((

However I have made the Challenge ATC for CraftSwap Forum this afternoon. This week the challenge was "Royalty" so I used purple Adirondack Acrylic Dabber and gold embossing powder, a Krylon and my Tim Holtz Chronicles...and a tiny bit of grungeboard that I cut to the shape of a crown which I then attached a few gems to.

Here is the result of my "crafting" :O))

More Inky and Messy Tags

Hi again,

Here are the other two tags that I didn't have chance to Blog yesterday:

TAG #2

Front



I used the same technique for this tag as I have previously described...inky and messy Dusty Concord and Peeled Paint Re-Inkers, with some Crackle Paint (Dusty Concord) and then stamped with the Tim stamps, use of Grungeboard and ickle bead chain. The words are made using a Jnr Dymo as before.

Back



This is made the same as the front and I dabbed some Stampbord into the inkyness to colourise it.


TAG #3

Front



The colours I used for this one are Worn Lipstick, Old Paper and Vintage Photo Re-Inkers. The Crackle Paint is Frayed Burlap and then I cut my own shapes of Grungeboard.

Back



Stampbord again and Tim stamps!


Thanks for looking

Hels x

Inky Messy Tags

Hello there!

Blimey, where has this last week gone? I can't believe it has whizzed past so quickly! I have had a really busy week - working on late shift and on Tuesday we went to Anfield to watch Luton getting thrashed by the likes of Steven Gerrard :Oo Then yesterday I was at the Make It show at Farnborough all day. I had the best time! I did a few demo's for The Artistic Stamper and really loved every minute...what a fab excuse to play with loads of heavenly stash and get really inky in the process! I also met up with some friends, old and new, which was great too :O))

So, today, I have had a little bit of time to myself so have made the three tags for the swap I host each month. This month the theme is "Tim Holtz". Well, I thought we could kick the new year properly and include our hero! The basis of the swap is to make some tags that are all 3x6" in size. They have to be inky and messy and this month had to show some of the stamps from the Tim Holtz Range.

Well, what a wonderful way to spend the day :O)) I have really gone to town with these tags and I really hope that the swappee's who receive one will be happy with what I have done.

I started off by making some tags to the right size and then using my QK Revolution to die cut some little circles which once stuck to the tag offer a "ring support"...IYKWIM!!

TAG #1
FRONT



This tag is coloured using Re-Inkers which I have spotted onto a craft mat. I used Antique Linen, Fired Brick, Frayed Burlap and Vintage Photo colours. Once I had dabbed them onto the mat, I spritzed with Glimmer Mists Gold and a little water to help them run. I then patted the tag into the inky mixture and dried it with a heat gun, I repeated this process until I was happy with the look of the inkyness.
As I decided to use Stampbord Domino shapes on the tags, I used the rest of the inky mixture and splodged the stampbord into it, drying with my heat gun again.
I then painted some Cracklepaint in Walnut Stain onto the tag and the stampbord piece and set them aside to dry.
Whilst the paint was drying I used the punched out frames of Grungeboard I have already used up and made the "frame" as a template onto some un-cut Grungeboard. I simply drew inside the shape and then cut it with scissors. I have used up all my favourite shapes so the un-cut is ideal for me as I can just keep cutting the favourites out :O)) For this tag I cut out a small folk heart, a little crown and a small skull. I painted all of these with either Cracklepaint of Acrylic Dabbers and set these aside to dry too.
Once it was all dry, I used some Tim stamps onto the tag and then distressed the edges with a paper distresser. I lightly painted some colourwash Gold paint onto the crackles just to add a little definition. I edged the tag using Gold Krylon pen and found some old plastic buttons which were going to make "eyes" and coloured with the Krylon too. I used a Jnr Dymo to make the words and cut them with a fishtail and added a gold brad for embellishment.

Tag #1
Back

Finally, I was ready to assemble to skull shape, so I roughed up the edge with sandpaper and then stuck the eyes on. I used some really tiny metal bead chain and wrapped this around the skull, securing with silicone glue on the back.
The stampbord piece has been used on the back of the tag, stamping most of the "sentiment" onto it and then layering it over the same sentiment stamped directly onto the tag.

Time is not on my side again at the moment, so I will leave this as it is and then hopefully tomorrow I will be able to add the next tags!

Thanks for looking....

Hugs Hels x

And Then...A Few More

Me again!

I have managed to get online a bit earlier this evening so should have more time to upload my pics!

The Red Shorts



This image is from the Nudes A4 sheet and it is my favourite one I think. I stamped the image onto plain card using black StazOn and then used a tiny drop of Fired Brick re-inker which I dropped onto an acrylic block, I then used a waterbrush to paint on the red for the shorts. I used a paler mix to fill in the t-shirt. For the background, I used a piece of glossy card which I had blended with Fired Brick. I spritzed water onto the card to achieve the mottled effect. I matted the image onto another piece of this card and then layered it onto gold mirri card. I wanted to add some words, so I used a Jnr Dymo with red tape and punched out the words. I love that saying...harking back to the Fast Show :O)) and once I had the words sorted, I cut the ends of the tape and then added brads and smudged a little gold Krylon onto the tape to add a little something.



Pink Daisy




The colour on this picture is not that good but if you squint, you can imagine that it is a lovley pinky colour!
I used some Fancy Pants paper for the corners of the card, stamping the Dandelion head stamp onto the paper using Pink Sherbert Acrylic Dabber. I then stamped the Daisy stamp using Pink Sherbert and Willow Dabbers. This was then layered onto some coordinating Bazzill Bling. I also stamped the Dandelion onto the main card using the Pink Sherbert. The message was made using Word on my PC. A few fancy brads finish the card off.

Lily Card




This card was made using one of the new stamps that Jennie has added to her range. It is a beautiful stamp, so versatile that it can be used for any kind of occasion, even a sympathy card. I began by blending Shabby Shutters and Worn Lipstick Distress inks onto some glossy card. I then used the re-inkers of these colours, dropping them onto a craft mat and then spritzing with water. I then dabbed the card onto the inks and dried it once I had achieved the look I was wanting. I stamped the Lily onto the coloured card, I tried to have the pink on the petals and the green on the leaves...well, sort of!! I used a co-ordinating lily stamp on the card itself, added a little message which I had printed off from "Word". I decided to mat the images onto black cardstock as I think this gives it a little definition.

Inky Tin


Jennie had sent me a little slide top tin to play with...so I used some Alcohol Inks to colour the surface of it. Firstly, I chose Wild Plum, Butterscotch and Stonewashed inks. I added a little drop of each onto a felt applicator and then tapped them onto the tin. I used a little Blending Solution to achieve a more ...er...blended!! effect. I coloured the whole of the tin and then the inside of the lid (you should see my fingers and nails...eek, all different colours!!) Whilst I was using the inks, I coloured some glossy card with them and then I cut it down to fit inside the tin itself. I used Versafine Black ink to stamp some images onto the card and then chose the stamping for the tin iself. As StazOn ink is solvent based, it is not the best ink to use with Alcohol Inks. This is why I used oil based ink, but there is a drawback with this. Whilst you get a lovely crisp image, it sometimes doesn't dry, so I always emboss the images with clear embossing powder. I did this for the images I had stamped onto the tin. I also stamped a little bit of script onto the glossy card, embossed the words and then added a small piece of this to the tin lid. The "embellishment" is actually Grungeboard. I have loved this new product and have used nearly all my "Elements" but saved the pieces that they punched out of....so I used this as a stencil for the uncut sheets I have. I chose the heart and the wings and then coloured these using Adirondack pads in the same colours. I then edged the heart and wings with black ink and embossed these with clear powder. I attached them to the top of the tin using silicone glue.

Collage Woman



This is my favouritest thing I have made for Jennie so far!! I love pink! And I love brown! So, I have combined them together on this project.
Earlier in the week I had made the Collage Man plate. On the same sheet is a lovely stamp of a lady. So, I decided to use this stamp, along with a couple of words, butterflies and also some chipboard too.
To start off, I used the Pink Sherbert Dabber, painting the whole piece of mountboard with it. Whilst this was drying, I then painted some thick card and the chipboard tag and flowers with the same paint. Once the paint was dry, I used a metal file and roughed the edges of the mountboard. I then took an old off cut of mountboard and ran the edge of it over a Walnut Stain pad and then "streaked" it onto the background so I had a really distressed look. I used a piece of Cut & Dry foam and blended Walnut Stain ink around the edges of the mountboard. I next inked up a script stamp and stamped randomly onto the background and then stamped the Hydrangea stamp onto the background too. The lady stamp was inked up with Walnut Stain and stamped onto the spare piece of card. I stamped this twice so I could lift parts of the image for the collage. I stuck the image parts onto the main image using 3D foam. I also stamped the words and the butterflies on this spare card, cut them out and then added them to the main design. The chipboard flowers are lovely, but I wanted them to look a bit battered, so I used the metal file again and roughed up the edges. I stamped the same script stamp onto them and then rubbed Walnut Stain around the edges. The tag was prepared in the same way, except I used a Pearl Metalic Dabber and stamped the hydrangea onto the tag once the pink paint was dry. I roughed up the edge of the tag aswell and then stuck one of the flowers onto it. I added a couple of little "secret" details to the back of the tag and then attached it to the background using an eyelet and some pink gingham ribbon. The chipboard flowers were a little big for my design, so I hit on the idea of cutting part of them off so they would fit nicely to the corner. I added some fancy brads to the centre of the flowers and stuck them with Glossy Accents. As I said, this is my favourite piece so far....and I think I will be making another one for my craft room! :O))

Thank you all for looking, please don't forget that you can buy all the stamps from Jennie at www.theartisticstamper.com Jennie will also have a stand at the Make It Show at Farnborough on 18th - 20th January, which is this next weekend coming!

I have really enjoyed making these first projects for Jennie....it has been refreshing to use some different images and has really made me think about what to make and where to put the images. And, I think I have cracked the problem I had with "collages" too!

Hugs Hels x

Even More....Artistic Stamper Projects!

Hello again,

Yesterday afternoon, I took one look at my Craft room and realised that whilst it is nice to have a place to be able to be creative in, it is useless when it resembles the local dump :O)) So, I spent three hours doing a "life laundry" and cleared out loads of old rubbish that I have accumulated over the years...bits of paper that I have had to keep incase I need them....which I haven't so the recycling bin is now overflowing! I had booked a days leave from work today and it was lovely to be able to walk into the room this morning and not trip over stuff on the floor...and I could see the whole of my desk, not just the 2" square I have been using since Christmas :O))

Jennie has sent me some beautiful "nudes" stamps. I have never really used "people" stamps before, so it was refreshing to have a challenge.

Red Beauty



Firstly, I have to say that I love this image....there are so many different things I want to do with this stamp...I have sketched a few ideas out for future reference though.
For this card, I used glossy cardstock and blended Fired Brick Distress ink onto it using Cut & Dry foam. I then used a mini mister and spritzed water all over the card. I dried the card using my heat gun and then used Fired Brick again, and stamped the Dandelion head randomly over the card. I then inked up the lady image with Black Versafine ink. I stamped this onto some mat cardstock and once the ink was dry, I used a water brush and painted a very pale mix of Tattered Rose ink onto the body. I matted this onto a piece of the prepared glossy card, edged the mat with gold Krylon and then attached this to a larger piece of prepared card. I then edged the larger bit with gold Krylon. With an offcut of the glossy card, I stamped "Beauty" and edged with krylon again. I thought that the design was lacking something so hit on the idea of using a feather to cover her "modesty" ;O)) I attached this behind the Beauty banner with silicone glue and then attached it all to the card.

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder



I have just bought Worn Lipstick Distress Re-Inker as my pad was dried out. I re-inked the pad this morning and was itching to get playing with it...it is pink, and as you all know, I looove pink!! LOL
I used a piece of thick feintly patterned with mottles and blended the ink onto the surface. I then spritzed the whole card with Tattered Angels Gold Glimmer Mists and let this soak in. I finished drying it thoroughly with my heat gun. I stamped the lady onto mat cardstock using black StazOn and did as before and painted her so she was a more human colour! I then did some resist stamping onto a piece of glossy cardstock, using clear ink and powder and I used the Dandelion head stamp again. I took some of the re-inker and dropped a little onto my craft mat. I spritzed this with water then I dabbed the glossy card into the ink. I then had a lovely piece of card, that was pink and had the images in white. I matted both bits of card onto black cardstock to add a little definition. I had printed out the saying onto white paper, so I inked this using the Cut & Dry foam and then matted this onto black cardstock too. I used another marabou feather and stuck this behind the saying mat using silicone glue as before.

As I have not used this type of stamp before I am not 100% if I have made them look right, but I kind of like them, they are growing on me!

I have run out of time at the moment but will pop the rest of the cards on here tomorrow

Thanks for looking again!

Hels x

Inky & Messy Tag Book

Hello again.

I have finally got a spare five mins to upload piccies of a Bind it All tag book I made over Christmas!




I got some Distress Re-Inkers for Christmas, so I had a really messy time playing with them!





The tags are just plain cream luggage labels which I have dipped into inks and then dried, stamped on and bound them together.






The technique is really easy to do. First of all you will need a non stick craft mat, some Distress ReInkers, a water spritz OR Glimmer Mist (or the like) and some luggage labels.




The ReInkers come in a little bottle that has a pippet in it. Simply fill up your pippet and drop a few little inky droplets on to the craft sheet. Repeat this with as many colours as you want to include. Then use a spritzer to add water or mists to the inks. Dip your luggage label or tag into the inkyness and then keep dipping until you have the desired effect. I usually dry mine with a heat gun but if you haven't got one, they will dry naturally.






I then inked up the images I wanted to use and stamped all over the dry tags. I had inked both sides of the tags so they could be stamped on both sides too.





I added a few embellishments and some covers to the book and there it is, finished!

As ever, thank you for taking time out to have a look at my latest creations.

Hels x

A Few More Pieces for the Artistic Stamper

Hi again!

I have made a few more designs for the Artistic Stamper...I am loving using all the fab stamps, they are so well made and the designs are really versatile too.

Butterfly Beauty



This piece of work is a board that has ribbon on it so it can be a hanging ornament too. I took some glossy photo paper and using Red Pepper, Terracotta and Butterscotch Alcohol Inks, I made a plaid background pattern. I then reinked the applicator and added some Blending Solution and tapped the inks over a new piece of paper. Once the inks were set as I wanted them, I used the random piece and stamped images of a beautiful sunflower and then some butterflies. I stamped the word "Beauty" onto a small piece of the paper and then matted this onto black card. I stamped the sunflower image twice and cut out the actual flower and layered this onto the first image, using 3D foam. I used a gold Krylon to edge the petals and also make a little extra definition in the centre of the flower. Using the plaid piece, I stuck this to thick card and then added the images. The sunflower image was matted onto gold mirri card and then black card so it stands out from the background. The butterflies are attached using silicone glue, so they look as if they are fluttering. I punched two holes in the top of the card using my Crop-A-Dile and then added two gold eyelets. The gold organza ribbon is from my stash and I tied this through the eyelets to make a hanger.


Architecture



I used stamps from the A5 Architecture plate to make this card. Firstly, I took a piece of A5 textured cardstock and rubbed Frayed Burlap Distress Inks all over it. I then used a piece of Cut & Dry Foam to smudge on Peeled Paint Distress Ink. I used some spare cardstock and coloured this in the same way. I used a spritzer and misted water over the inked pieces to add a little distressed feel to them. Using Walnut Stain ink, I stamped a script stamp on one of the pieces of spare card. I then used the Arch stamp and stamped three times on the other piece of card using Walnut Stain again. I stamped the columns and the corners directly onto the main cardstock and then tore the script and added this to two of the corners. I stamped the three words, also from the A5 plate. I tore the three arches along the top and matted them onto the background card using 3D foam. I then added the three words using 3D foam too. Gold Krylon was used to swipe along the edges of the images and a couple of gold brads in the corners finish the project off.


Collage Man




Now, anyone who knows me, knows I am rubbish at collage!! :O)) However, this plate (Collage A5) made the making of this piece really easy. I have never been very good at adding extra images to a piece, so have always been reluctant to do a "collage". Well, this piece was created firstly by taking a lovely piece of paper (Cosmo Cricket - Be Good range) and sticking it to a piece of mountboard. I then used sandpaper and roughed up all the edges and some of the centre of the paper. I then stamped the Man image onto another piece of the paper using Versafine Sepia ink. I stamped this twice as I wanted to use some of the components of the image again. I cut around the pieces I wanted to use and also stamped a small column from the A5 Architecture plate. I matted all the images onto the main image and then stuck this to the background. I used Grungeboard hinges and a key, coloured using gold Krylon and then sanded and added these to the base too. Finally, I stamped three words onto the spare paper and stuck these onto the base using 3D foam. I was not 100% happy with the overall image that I had created, I thought that it lacked something and needed livening up, so I used Glossy Accents (Ranger) and highlighted components of the collage. I then added an eyelet and made a tassle using gold thread - easier said than done as the gold thread really does have a mind of its own!!

Thanks for looking again - I am loving using all the new stamps that I have not used before.

Hels x

More Designs for the Artistic Stamper

Hi again!

Here are the other few projects I have completed for Jennie at the Artistic Stamper.

Oriental Plate - Blue



The base for this project is a piece of mountboard that is roughly 6" x 4". As I had already completed the red version I fancied changing to blues. I have a smaller figure stamp, so decided to make this plate landscape so the image was not lost.
Firstly, I used Weathered Wood, Broken China and Faded Jeans Distress inks to colourise the background. I then inked up the chinese text stamp with Faded Jeans and rubbed the inside edge of the text off so there would be a patch in the middle that was left plain. I now stamped the image using black StazOn ink. I took a piece of white card and distressed it to the same colours as the plate and then stamped a Peony stamp three times, cutting the images out once they had dried. I used the little Butterflies stamp as a border again and added Glossy Accents to them as before. I used the bamboo tile as I had done before, sanding it, then distressing and then stamping with the Peony stamp. I finally layered the Peony images using silicone glue. A silver Krylon pen swiped around the edges provides the finishing touch.


A Timely Tag Book




I took some offcuts of cream card and distressed them with Old Paper, Brushed Corduroy and Walnut Stain Distress Inks. I used my new "Revolution" (am not bragging...much) and made a little circle for the closure and also the tiny slide mount...how cute is that!!!! I placed acetate over the slide mount and then added 3D foam to the back and filled it with little watch pieces and a little golden clock face I have. I used all of the stamps on the sheet (Time) and stamped randonly all over the pages using either Brushed Corduroy or Walnut Stain ink. I used some Tim Holtz DooDads to make a few of the words up and added them to the pages.








Elephant Card



Ah, isn't he lovely? I love this little elephant. For the stamped image, I used Walnut Stain ink and stamped onto Enchanted Gold paper. I stamped the image twice and then cut out his saddle and layered it over the original image. I then added lots of the lovley gems to the saddle - I was inspired to do this as I can remember seeing elephants at a circus when I was little and they wore fabulous jewel encrusted waistcoats! I used some paisley patterned paper, by DaisyD, and cut the paper to fit half way across the card. I then cut the right hand side of the paper along part of the pattern. I edged the elephant mat and the paper with Espresso Dabber and then stuck them to the card. I added a couple of gold brads as decoration for the paper and finally brushed a gold Krylon along the edges of the card.

First Designs for the Artistic Stamper

Hi peeps

I have recently joined the "Design Team" for the Artistic Stamper. The Artistic Stamper is a store that designs, makes and sells wonderful rubberstamps, along with KlingOn and lots of lovely stash :O))

I have started off by making a selection of things such as ATCs, Plaques, Cards and a mini tag book.

All the stamps I have used are from Jennie at the Artistic Stamper, along with a lot of the embellishments. I have used inks from my stash and a couple of bits of paper but the majority of the projects have been made purely using AS things.

ATCs



For these ATCs I wanted to make a series of three as I have these lovely Gibson Girls stamps to play with. I used Milled Lavendar and Dusty Concord Distress Inks to blend the colours onto the mountboard. I then added a couple of drops of Dusty Concord Re-inker to a mini mister and then spritzed the ATCs with it. This has given me a really nice mottled effect. I stamped the ladies using Versafine Imperial Purple ink and used a spare piece of card to add the script stamp to - this I then tore into pieces to fit on the edges of the ATCs. Finally, I used a Jnr Dymo to get the words. The Dymo tape is lilac in colour, so I sanded it, distressed it with Dusty Concord and then rubbed a little silver Krylon over it using my finger.




For these two ATCs I wanted to achieve a bit of a distressed look. Jennie had sent me some lovely chipboard flowers and I decided to grunge one up a bit to see how it looked. I flicked the edges of the petals with my thumb nail and then carefully made the edges flick upwards. I then used Cranberry Adirondack Dabber to paint on the colour. Once this was dry, I used a Gold Dabber to add the accent. I used two little buttons in the middle of the flower, which I painted with gold Krylon to match them in. I then used the Cranberry dabber to make a colourwash for the ATC blank. Once this was dry, I then colourwashed gold over the top of it and then took a piece of sandpaper to it to make it more distressed. Using a Black StazOn pad, I stamped the lady and the word images and then attached the flower using glossy accents.

The second ATC is definitely my favourite! I love the brown colours I achieved, using Old Paper, Brushed Corduroy and Walnut Stain Distress Inks and then used Walnut Stain to achieve the stamped images and also made a little bit of distressed card to match, stamping the script over it so I had something to co-ordinate and add to the edges of the ATC. Using the same piece of card, I stamped the Butterfly, cut it out and then 3D it to the ATC. I used a gold Krylon for the edging of this ATC.

Oriental Plate - Red


I love anything Oriental (especially the food!!:O)) For this "plaque" I used Antique Linen and Fired Brick Distress Inks to cover the board. I used Gold Glimmer Mists to spritz the board to make it sparkle a little. Then I used Aged Mahogany to stamp an oriental script stamp for the background. I used an extra piece of card that I had also distressed in these colours for the stamping of the figure. Once I had stamped this, I took a tiny drop of Re-inker in Fired Brick and painted the feathers of the kimono. I cut the figure out and curved the card so it has a 3D look to it. The twill across the bottom of the plaque is actually printed twill. I didn't want to use the printed side, so I flipped it over and then dabbed Fired Brick onto it. I then used the Chinese Script stamp and black StazOn to make my own design. The little golden flower that is attached to the twill is from a Jamboree pack from Jennie. this was actually silver, so I used good old Krylon to change the colour of it. I used a cute little butterfly stamp to stamp all around the edges in black StazOn. I then stamped the butterflies repeatedly on the extra card and cut around them. I then layered them on 3D to the outside edges. The bamboo domino was lovely to use as I have not used these before. I simply sanded it and then rubbed Fired Brick ink over it. I used a StazOn to stamp the butterflies onto this and then once it was dry I used Glossy Accents on the butterflies. I attached the figure cut out to the plaque using silicone glue and then used GA on the ribbons to give it more definition. The final touch is gold Krylon lightly swished around the edges of the plaque.

I have to admit that this is my favourite thing I have made thus far. I have some other images to upload but have run out of time for this evening, so shall try to pop them here tomorrow.

As ever, thanks for looking and also a special thank you to Jennie for asking me to be on her team and for providing all this fabulous stash to play with!

Hels x

Painted Tags

Hello again,




Here is another project that I made over the festive season. I found some old tags that we looking a bit plain, so I decided to alter them!



I started off by choosing a stamp and embossed it straight onto the bare tag. I used Goss Boss clear ink and clear embossing powder. This gave a see through image on the tag. I then used Adirondack Acrylic Dabbers to cover each tag, smudging in different colours using my fingers and a near dry baby wipe. Once the paint was dry, I damped a bit of paper towel and rubbed this over the stamped image. The shiney embossed image does not hold the paint, so it wiped off and left a "resist" image.



I repeated this process for all the fronts and then backs of the tags. The words and phrases are made in the same way on extra pieces of card and then I had stuck them to the tags using 3D foam.



I finally scruffed up the edges of the tags with a paper distresser and then stapled some ribbons to the sides.

Thanks for looking

Hels x