Be 4 ever Beautiful

"Be 4 Ever Beautiful" is the title of my DT piece for this weeks challenge over at Crafts4eternity with our challenge this week being one of my favourites

TEXTURE

you can make anything but it must have some form of texture on it and texture comes in many forms.

for my piece I have started with an 8" X 6" canvas board.

Texture has been added by using modeling paste through a Crafters Workshop stencil. Once dry I have added a coat of Paperartsy fresco finish opaque paint in guacamole and then smeared on with a credit card beach hut & London bus translucent paint. To add further texture I have cut and painted some galvanised mesh panel and added that to the canvas. Further stenciling has been added using sequin waste and chicken wire stencil. 

further embellishments from Tim holtz  Idea-ology range have been added to add additional interest and the start of my sentiment is ripped from a 7Gypsies Lillie Tag

I have also added some T.H. remnant rubs and a Chit Chat sticker.

Texture comes in many forms and techniques so come and show us how you interpret Texture and come and play along this week,

I would also like to enter into this weeks challenge at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge where the theme is "Paste"

Thanks for stopping by 

Love

Amanda X

Dina Wakley Inspired

When I first caught glimpses of Dina Wakleys new media stamps at CHA this January I fell in love with them, I just love her scribbly style. She shows so much freedom in her use of mediums and colours in her work and a great source of inspiration for me, whilst I don't put myself anywhere in her league I have taken so much learning from her style and carefree approach to her art.

Anyway here is my first piece made using her "Scribbly Birds" stamp set.

I have used 3 manilla tags and then mounted onto black card to make a tri-fold piece.

As you can see I have used loads of different mediums on this paint by scraping,stenciling,splatting and brushing. I have painted the circles on and then drawn freehand circles with charcoal pencil. I then added torn words from papers. The birds and the sentiment I have then stamped onto gesso painted book paper and coloured with Gelato's. I then added random machine stitching.

I had a blast making this so thankyou Dina for the inspiration

Thanks for visiting and I would love to know what you think so please feel free to leave a comment I really appreciate you doing so.

See you soon

love

Amanda X

It's Anything Goes fortnight at Fashionable Stamping Challenge

Hi Everyone

It's an Anything Goes fortnight at Fashionable Stamping Challenge and the DT have made some fabulous pieces to give you inspiration (if you need it).

For my anything goes I have gone with an Asian theme, infact this was made as a birthday card for a very good friend of mine that just loves elephants, an annual task that was getting harder and harder until I saw these stamps.

I started with a gelli print using acrylic paints in colours that I thought matched the theme.

Loads of stamping centre image and the elephants (stamped and cut out) with versamark and then heat embossed with WOW black ultra fine embossing powder and the background with black archival ink.

As you can see I have added a lot of white pen to add contrast and pick out some of the details.

Some black lace and black beads finish it all off.
Stamps used:-
Chocolate Baroque - Indian Textiles & Indian Elephant

We would really love to see what you create and remember as long as your entry includes rubber stamping  "Anything Goes"

thanks for stopping by

As this is a paint background I would also like to enter this into the current challenge at

http://countryviewchallenges.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/its-february-and-its-challenge-12.html

Where the theme this month is "painty pleasures"

Love

Amanda X

 

Steampunk at C4E

Hi everyone

Today is the start of another new challenge week at Crafts4eternity and our theme for this week is

"STEAMPUNK"

I haven't made anything steampunky for ages so I have really enjoyed making this card and used loads of Vintage Photo distress ink and plenty of stamping.

I started by stenciling my own background using vintage photo and weathered wood through Peerless Designs clock mask. I then stamped onto the background using a cogs stamp again using vintage photo so it would be quite light.

 

Then a lot of stamping, with Archival Potting Shed ink, and cutting out. The dragonflies I then coloured with weathered wood and adhered the clock charms which fitted perfectly.

 

 

The punky flowers stamped in the same colour, coloured with vintage photo and then the bulbs bleached out with water and then covered in Tim's Crackle Paint - rock candy. once dry I cover with a layer of multi medium to stop bits of it falling off.

I know I might be a bit behind the trend but I have just bought some rusting powder which is such fun and am rusting everything, I rusted some manilla cardstock then sanded it, cut out my cogs with Tims alterations die and coloured with weathered wood I really like the combination.

 

I also recently bought from my local craft shop the barbed wire die by Cherry Lynn which I cut from grey card and gave the rust treatment.

Stamps I used:-

Chocolate Baroque - Punky flowers

Inky Doodles - time Flies

Andy Skinner - Letting off steam (Sentiment)

We would love you to join us this week and show us your "Steampunk" creations, visit us Here.

One randomly chosen winner will win 4 designs of their choice from our sponsor this week

Sassy Studio Designs.

Thanks for stopping by please feel free to leave a comment to let me know you've been.

Love

Amanda X

 

 



GDT Spot at Country View Crafts for "Painty Pleasures"

Hi Everyone

Well I was lucky enough to receive the DT's special mention award for my entry into Decembers challenge "Bah Humbug" which you can see Here. I was then invited to guest design for their February challenge "Painty Pleasures"  which of course I said Yes to.
visit Country View challenge site Here

I started with a blank 8"x6" canvas board and lots of paint blues and greens(Paperartsy super fresco paints)  having first stenciled texture paste through Butterfly Meadow by Crafters Workshop and some random hearts  from a Heidi Swapp stencil. I then picked out the stencil parts and painted them to make them stand out. I then dribbled down turquoise dylusions spray and added, to tone it all down, vintage photo and walnut stain distress inks,

I added the hearts growing wildly amongst the field by making them with rusty wire, laying them onto painted book paper and filling with glossy accents, wait for them to dry and then cut out. 

The sentiment I just wrote myself as a thought of what the scene was saying to me

"Let your heart grow with the flowers and fly with the butterflies"

these words were printed from my PC cut out and stuck on.

 I really enjoyed getting painty with this one so why don't you pop over to 

CountryView Challenges and join in with February's painty fun. There is some fabulous inspiration pieces from the regular DT and other guest designers.

Thanks for stopping by

Love

Amanda X

Build it Up at FSC

Well the last 2 weeks have flown by fllowing my debut piece for the Fashionable Stamping Challenge design Team and what that means is that it's time for another challenge.

Our challenge for this following fortnight is:-

BUILD IT UP 

Use a minimum of 3Rubber stamps on your project, all our rules can be found on our challenge blog HERE

So  here's mine:-

I've gone with a white background on this one (and that's been a while, lol) as the colour is in the panels. Background first made by dragging various distress paints, picked raspberry,mustard seed,salty ocean & mowed lawn, over a piece of card with an old credit card. I then stamped on top using black archival ink and added highlights using a white gel pen.

Stamps used
Main image "Moon Goddess" - Lost Coast Designs
Circle Dance mat - Lost Coast Designs
Swirls - Unknown
Inspire Word - wooden stamp unknown
So why not pop over to join in with this fortnights challenge and see what the amazing DT have come up with hopefully you will feel inspired to get those rubber stamps out and come and play along with us,
HERE 
 Thanks for visiting
Love
Amanda X

And Pause...........

Well if ever there was a day for staying in today is one of those days, and other than running around the garden trying to capture the contents of my cardboard recycling bin I have not left the house, bliss!!

So what to do then?? that's easy..... make something!!

I have been having a play with another recent purchase following on from the CHA launch Stampers Anonymous Classic #17 stamp set and decided to make a tag.

This stamp set makes me think of summer days sitting in the countryside with a sketch pad  watching the butterflies enjoying the moments of nature without caring about the time. That moment I have tried to capture within this tag.

For the background I used a tag that I have previously mopped up some ink with and then stenciled over the top with Tim's new doily stencil using shabby shutters and victorian velvet DI.

 

I then stamped the main image onto cotton fabric using potting shed archival ink and coloured with distress inks and then aged with vintage photo. I then cut the image out using pinking shears. The fabric piece I machine stitched onto the tag by sewing around the entire tag.

 

To symbolise a lack of interest in the time are the handless watch faces with the pen nibs that will record any thoughts that need capturing.

I have stamped onto a idea-ology journal tag and cut it in half and placed it behind the fabric to make it look like it is a lot bigger, and finally just the word "Pause" which i think says it all.

So that's my day..........

Hope you have a lovely weekend

and see you all soon

Love

Amanda X

It's a Love thing

Well love is in the air with the approach of Valentines day on the 14th and it's no exception over at Crafts4eternity this week. Our theme for this weeks challenge is 

 "With Love"

it doesn't have to be a Valentines project but must feature a "Love" theme.

I have resorted to my much loved Stampotique stamps for this one.

I have used another gelli print background for this one, I promise I'll stop soon.

My image is "Spider Girl" from Stampotique but I have cut off the spider that hangs down from her hand and replaced it so she is holding heart balloons..

I first saw this technique on Trish Latimer's blog Here and then she later published the technique in the Craft Stamper magazine. Simply twist wire into what ever shape you want, on this occassion hearts. I painted some 7Gypsies tissue paper with papersrtsy Red bus paint, laid the hearts on it, and then filled with crackle glossy accents and left to dry. Once dry just cut them out and added Chit Chat stickers saying "I Love You". 

Here you can see her holding the heart balloons, the ends of the wire I have pushed through the paper under her hand so they move about freely and stand away from the card to give them dimension.

I finally added machine stitching to ground her onto the page and added a border to the outside of the page.

So why not pop over and join us at crafts4eternity and share with us your "Love" inspired project.

I would also like to enter this into this weeks challenge at 

Stampotique Designers Challenge - Theme is "Heart in your Art"

simon says stamp wednesday challenge - Theme is "Have a Heart"

Thanks for visiting 

Love

Amanda X

Totally Wired!!

Hi Everyone, and a huge thank you for all your lovely comments for my last post, they are greatly appreciated. Following on from my last post playing with new stuff, I have been playing with Stamper Anonymous Classics #11, but I thought I would have a bit of fun with it.

as you can see I haven't actually taken the classical approach with this one and have given him a colourful modern touch.

 

 I love this head, I first randomly coloured a piece of white card with Portfolio water soluble oil pastels then blended it with a baby wipe. Then I just stamped on top of it highlighting his eyes with a white gel pen. The glasses were a free stamp some time ago from Craft Stamper magazine and the tape deck and headphones are from Indigoblu set - Loud Music.

My simple sentiment is just #WIRED.

I created the background using Inky Doodles circuit stencil and putting down a layer of black soot distress ink. I then ran it through my Ebosser for an embossed look. The final touch was to randomly spray Dylusions ink in matching coloursto the main image.

 

I finally added some twisted wire, that I had wound round a paintbrush, to support the word wired.

 I seem to be addicted to bright colours at the moment I think it's due to all this gloomy weather we are experiencing here in the UK at the moment, that or too many fizzy drinks!!!

thanks for visiting and I will see you soon

Love

Amanda X

 

 

Live in the fast lane, Vroom Vroom!!

Hi and a happy Tuesday to you all. 

I love this time of the year because there are sooooooo many things arriving that I want need!! following on from CHA in January. That reminds me I have a lottery ticket that I haven't had checked yet, well you never know. 

One of the must haves for me are the new stamps from Brett Weldele, who following on from designing stamps for Tim Holtz, Stampers Anonymous have brought out 6 new stamp plates featuring his art work, his own description is "they are a cross between rockabilly and steampunk".

The set I have used first is the "Racer Girl" set.

Brett Weldele - Racer Girl set

 The background is a gelli print from my stash of prints waiting to be worked with.

The main image and car have been stamped onto watercolour paper and coloured with distress inks as water colours.

I have used every stamp from the plate except one, the tyre tread stamp is the only stamp not from the plate and that is from Tim's Roadtrip set.

The numbers are remnant rubs - numbers pack

various washi tapes

Speed Queen added using idea-ology label letters 

and finally idea-ology mirror stars

 I have made it all look a bit more grungy by adding vintage photo and walnut stain distress inks.

I would like to enter this into the following challenges:-

Crafter Hoarders Anonymous Challenge - This is the start of a brand new challenge blog and is the brain child of Gloria Stengal. The first theme is "What's Your Style" and I think this piece shows my favourite style of using paints, stamping and colouring with a grungy edge.

country View Challenges - Theme this month "Painty Pleasures"

Try it on a tuesday - theme is Travel, you are always travelling if you "Live in the Fast Lane"!

thanks for stopping by and as always please feel free to leave a comment it's great to hear from you all.

Love 

Amanda X