Travel at Out of a Hat Challenge...

I seem to have taken my eye off the ball at the weekend and nothing got uploaded so now I have a backlog of bits to post. Not a problem unless they are for challenges that are about to close like this one at Out of a Hat!!

The theme is 'Travel and Suitcases' so I hope this vintage ' Bon Voyage' card fits the bill although I'm not quite sure who I would ever give it to! Good excuse to use the stamp again though. I was sure I had a suitcase stamp but this briefcase and trunk were the closest I could get. I think a trunk is more appropriate though don't you?

Back soon!!



 

Try It On Tuesday - 'Memories' DT Piece

I have to 'fess up. When I sat down on Sunday morning (cutting it fine as usual) to make my DT piece for Try It On Tuesday I was completely mojoless and uninspired. When that happens I find the only thing that gets me making is to follow a 'recipe', a sketch or try out a technique.

I have quite a few new stamps that have been looking at me reproachfully for some time now as they haven't seen ink yet so I thought I would make myself use some of these. I bought them at Ally Pally from the Paper Artsy stall and this particular set was  the last choice I made for a 'buy 4 get 1 free' offer. The first four were easy to choose, the last one was more difficult because although all the sets are gorgeous none of them were screaming 'you have to have me'. So I chose something that I wouldn't normally. If that makes sense. Still stuck for inspiration, I then looked over the photos I took at the Paper Artsy stall of all their lovely samples.  I didn't see anything using the stamps I had bought but saw a fairly masculine looking little piece with lots of bits and bobs on - something I find very difficult to do myself although I love the look.  (I would have put in a picture but it's just in one of the whole wall and a bit fuzzy even before cropping so I'll spare you that).


So new stamps in hand, and using that layout as a sketch or recipe I came up with this. And to make it fit with the theme I just used the word 'Memories' on it. A bit of a cop out I'm afraid!!

Anyhow, it has way more elements than I am usually confident at adding but works I think though I should probably have stamped the clock onto a slightly thicker piece of card to put crackle glaze on it as it's gone a bit crinkly.  Oh well, it's just vintage!!


So, if you would like to join in with us at Try It On Tuesday we'd be very pleased to see your 'Memories' projects. Have a great day!!

 

Tim's Tags again - playing catch up!!

Right here are my catch up tags for July and August (don't know what happenned to those two months!!)

First, July - Tim's tag is here. The main technique for this was alcohol splatter ink background (nice technical term don't you think?) I know Tim likes us to be resourceful but I'm not sure he expected us to substitute his neat can of compressed air for a curly straw. But needs must when the devil drives and it was the best I could find in the kitchen drawer (!).

Despite perhaps a less than efficient tool I was still able to produce some reasonable results. Here are my finished tags:

Finally got a chance to give one of my Lynn Perella stamps a work out (truly it is killing me not to play but I just haven't had time).

I really love the vibrancy of these backgrounds and they are great with crisp black stamping (or not so crisp - I double stamped one as the first impression was a little wishy washy but I think it adds a certain something - OK, I think I got away with it!!).

Typically the little test piece I had done that I  then just stamped and made into an ATC came out the best.

And now on to August - Tim's vintage style ATC is here. The techniques on this ATC were to heat emboss a frame and then using an embossing folder to dry emboss the tag leaving the centre blank. I used an Anna Griffin frame and (as I don't have the folder Tim used) embossed the tag very carefully by just putting it through the cuttlebug so that only part of the tag was embossed (Hope that makes sense!). Came out quite well. I don't have a silhouette stamp but had these paper cameos. Tim used his pine cone die (I am tempted....) to make his roses but I used the Spellbinders bitty blossoms spiral die. I think they make great roses though I did follow Tim's pinching and folding technique which I think helps make the kraft paper a bit more pliable. The rest is just inking and spritzing. All in all quite pleased with all these tags, which just shows if you concentrate on the technique things come out a bit better.

But why (you may ask) do I make two of each? Well I did say I would do this so that at the end of the year I can have a whole set for either my December or January giveaway, keeping one for myself of course!! So far I'm only a little bit off track, and they should all be done by the end of the year. But if you can't wait till  then, just a reminder that the current giveaway is still running. Click here to have a look.

Oh well, that was my little escape from making bits for MacMillan so now I'm back making cards.

I also had another little craft break at the WOYWW Crop yesterday - what fun, hopefully I'll put a few piccies up tomorrow! Ate too much, talked too  much..... oh well what's new? Must dash, have to prep for an interview tomorrow, I've been putting it off all day and now it's dinner time - oops!!


 

Steampunk re-visited

Earlier this year I had a bit of a steam punk vibe going on and started making some steampunk 4x4s to make in to a book.They've been languishing around the craft room on various stages of completion for months, but here are the results.

 

 

 

I did two of each design so I could keep one myself and give one away in the monthly Art Draw.

Here's my completed book. I'll save the other for now, although I will upload it for the October giveaway. To be honest it doesn't look that much different!! The current Art Draw is still running, go here for a chance to win. See ya soon.

Try It On Tuesday - Anything Goes

Wow the response to the last challenge was so amazing that we are making our next challenge  'anything goes' once again. Which is great because it means I can share this vintage 'printer frame' card, inspired by a project in Craft Stamper magazine.

In fact, it is not a real printer's tray, I made it up myself with mountboard and it was really easy to do.

In the end I wasn't quite sure what the theme was, but it turned out reasonably girly so  it has gone off as a birthday present. As usual my photography skills are not up to much - I'm sure it looks better IRL.

So why not join in with us this week at Try it on Tuesday, you have two weeks to link up to any kind of project - simples!! Just remember, we are being quite strict about the number of links you can have for your project if you want to be considered for Top 5 or our Monthly Prize Draw. Can't wait to see what you get up to this fortnight!!

Tags of 2012 - June

Well it's halfway through June and it occurs to me it might be time to mosey over to the 12 tags of 2012 and see what Mr Holtz has to  inspire us this month. Here is Tim's tag:






First I tried out the marbled/mottled backgrounds using the materials at my disposal. Unbelievably, I do not yet own the picket fence distress stain so I try and improvise with a chalk acrylic. Quite pleased with the result but I'm a little pinker than I should be perhaps. That'll be the Fired Brick I chucked in to liven things up!!

I'm going to have to make my own flower embellishment. Grudgingly looked in my material box (don't go there..) to see if I had a piece of organza I could use. Nada. Then I recalled I had one of those little drawstring bags floating around the craft room. So I chopped it up and stained it along with some vintage ribbon and (just in case) some flowers I'd found on an old hula hula costume ( I kid you not). It did occur to me that this might have been a bit premature as I am not yet sure what colour this tag is going to turn out ......

Chose a different TH stamp, but one that had the 'photography' words on to randomly stamp the background. These tags are definitely going to  be pink!! Did a bit of 'stressing' (as my dear old mum calls it) round the edges with Black Soot and Vintage Photo.

Watched the Vid with delight as I have tried this technique before and actually posess some of the nibs (though not the holder). Tim's photo was so cute I decided to go with it but with no photopaper to be found had to be content with a decent graphic paper. The tinting went well I think, although it was hard to spread the ink because this was not a coated paper. I wet the nib with water to help me move it around.



Nearly there, I had to go my own way with my embellishments - I even got out a needle and thread to that organza... not entirely successful LOL, in fact not happy with the flowers at all -  a bit of alcohol inking, distressing, embossing and generally mucking about with bits and bobs in y stash. Just don't have the variety of things to load them up as much as Tim does but here we are.
Had to re-colour the ribbons......

I'm still not sure about the pink though!!

Tags of 2012 - May, Just!!

Here's Tim's Tag which you can look at here.

Here are mine. As always lots of compromises but I think I managed the basic techniques of stamping on tissue paper, making a 'medallion' (made mine with faux metal, not bad but not great) and the faux porcelain flowers. Think I need to practice those (!)but it does make a different embellishment. I did some leaves as well and liked the way they turned out. The tag on the left seems a little unfinished (not enough layers?) but I can't think what else to do at the moment. I shall put it aside and maybe it will come to me.

Anyhow that's that for now, just squeaking in as is my usual habit.

Steampunk Dreams..

Yes it's official, I've even got steampunk on the brain when I'm asleep!! Here's a tag using the man from my new Indigo Blu Stamps. Not very steampunky I know but kinda has the vibe!!

I was intending to put it in the first Artful Times Challenge but I err, was sitting at my craft desk doing something else and before I knew it it was Friday and too late. Ooops! Still there's always next time.

I'm also taking part in a 4 x 4 challenge and the April page just happens to be steampunk so I was really in the groove for that one. My dress stamp from Kanban is getting a real work out - but I just love it!


 Steampunk afficionado's may also be interested  in this month's Art Draw - check it out! 

Have a great weekend! 

Bit Dark......

Just some ATCs. Went a bit off the beaten track with my colours and used a few of my new stamps and masks that have never been touched. Not sure about any of them but was nice to have a play and get inky. The creativity one is a bit tongue in cheek.

Off out to lunch today so better get im that shower. (I can be a right slob at weekends LOL).



Don't forget to join in with the April Art Draw if you haven't already.

Link is top right or just click here.

One Stamp, 10 ATCS......

Well here it is at last. This is my AUGUST GIVEAWAY, but this month there's a little a twist and you have some work to do to enter ......



First, let me explain how this came about. As you may have seen, I made my first coaster book last week, and it got me thinking that it would be a nice way to present some ATCs - I don't know about you, but I hate that they end up in albums hidden away and am always trying to find ways to get them out in view without them ending up just looking, well, like a load of ATCs stuck on a shelf. Next thing, I bought a ridiculous amount of stamps, for a ridiculously small amount of money (so small I went back for more but haven't got those yet). This is a serious addiction now, having almost got over the paper fetish (yes I am one of those people who just likes looking at it, hates to cut it) I am now obsessed with stamps. Anyhow, really liked the stamp used on the front of this book but it's a kind of over and done with stamp - it's not really suitable for piecing, once you've stamped it that's it - or is it? So here was the challenge, to make a set of ATCs, using that stamp as the focal point for each one. Well in all I made 10, and the book only holds 5, 4 if you don't count the one that is stuck on the front. Here's another one.



So here's the thing, if you would like to win this little presentation book you need to hop over to my FLICKR gallery and tell me by leaving a comment on this post which 4 you would like to have included in the book if you are the (lucky) winner. The others I will probably keep for a meet I'm going to in October. I might even make another book lol. Be interesting to see which one comes out top.



Post your comments before 8.00 pm on Wednesday 26th August to take part. Winner will be announced that evening. Oh, and if you are going to be away or anything please let me know, kinda takes the wind out of my sails when I can't get hold of you to let you know you've won!! Don't let that stop you entering, it's just good to know and I'll try and pop over and leave a comment for anyone who enters as well, sorry have been very remiss at doing that but the time just gets away from me.

Image transfer

Meant to put these up a couple of days ago, this is what I was doing at the beginning of the week!! I was playing with image transfer and after the inevitable mishaps (and the odd bit of reversed text lol) I ended up with these. They look wonderfully soft and even a little indistinct - the dark haired lady in particular looks like she has been painted. I also like the way it tightens up the collage because the layered images don't have so much bulk (albeit they're only paper thin anyway!!) I had most success using the gesso technique and it really is so quick and simple I can't believe I have been scared of trying this for so long.