I Challenge Thee...

...were the words I uttered yesterday to Ellen during our weekly Skype session... the thing is, Ellen said that her Mojo just wasn't there, see, another Mojo on holidays... so, I said to her, what you need is a little book that you can just jot down ideas in. Then I got all exciteable and said... "I challenge thee to make such a book and you are only allowed to use certain things..." Then I got even more exciteable and we decided that not only would Ellen be challenged, so would I. *I know that it could be argued that I already am challenged ROFL*




So, it started off with me saying that the book should have a title and then we chose two Distress Ink colours each plus one "wild card" DI of our own choosing... so Ellen chose Wild Honey and Crushed Olive and I chose Vintage Photo and Bundled Sage... but to make it more exciting *go with me on this one ROFL* we had to write down our choices before telling each other what they were - that way there would be no influence to make all four "match"... if you know what I mean. Then I said the Picket Fence Alterations Die had to be used... and ribbons and dangly bits had to be tied from the binding. Ellen chose the Hardware Findings Alterations Die and made sure that we could use Black, Coffe and Olive Archival inks... phew, I hadn't thought of that one and I just know I would have ended up pulling my feathers out *I call my hair feathers... cos it looks like feathers when it is just washed LOL* Oh yes, the size... we decided on 5" x 7".



Well, I have had THE best time making my little book. It is a little known thing but... I have a heap of paper hanging about the Room of *ahem* Trash... (still not tidied!) and on these sheets of paper are sketches and notes that I do when I have an idea for something... invariably these bits of paper get lost or doodled on and I can never find them when I need them... no worries about that now - I have a jazzy new book to do my jottings in.




For my background, I made a splooshy inky mix on my craft sheet ... using all the Distress Ink pads... oh and I forgot to say, my "wild card" was Aged Mahogany... I had done a little resist on for the front and back "covers"... so, I dipped and dried and dipped again until I had the looks I wanted. Then I got stampy with images from Tim (oh he who is the Sultan of Stamping) I had all of the stamping done and I decided, in my infinite wisdom, to add a couple of corners to the pages... well, the first one went good... then I stamped the corner on what was the front of the book... whoopsie-daisys! The image ended up wonky and miles away from the corner... so I made a little cover up piece and popped "embrace imperfection" on it... mwhahahhaaaa, I actually like this... it blends in well and I am chuffed that it was a "happy accident".




Once I had stuck the card to the mountboard, I whizzed around the edges with Black Archival... this did what I would usually use Walnut Stain for and "closed in" the design. The Picket Fence is on there... hidden a bit... I painted it with Picket Fence Cracklepaint and then smudged Vintage Photo over the top... then I stamped a Studio 490 flower border onto it using Olive... and matched this design in on the main page by stamping the same stamp using Aged Mahogany and Vintage Photo which I spritzed with water before stamping... I added some ickle Grungepaper flowers and leaves,which are also Studio 490 designs, to the fence and then popped a few Idea-ology Snaps into the centre of the flowers.




My title, "13-6 art}", was made using Grungeboard from the Alphabet Soup set, coloured with Bundled Sage and then overstamped with a text image... then I popped Rock Candy Stickles onto them, then popped Rock Candy Cracklepaint over the top. The closure is the hinge from the Hardware Findings which I cut from Grungeboard and painted Gold and then sanded and rubbed Vintage Photo onto it... and it is closed using a Hitch Fastener. So, that is it! A challenge indeedily but I tell you what, no matter which Distress Inks you put together, they all seem to "go" with each other. Oh and the 13-6 bit of the title... that is my birthday!!! Anyways, it is late (or rather, it is very early LOL) and time for me to have a snoozle... Ellen is scheduling her blog too so both posts will publish at the same time... I cannot wait to see what she made... tis exciting indeedily!!! Thanks for looking... please pop over and see Ellen's book too :O)) Have a grand day! TTFN

Hels x