Chocolate Delight!

Having to get up early in the week, often means I wake early at the weekends, sometimes I can roll over and go back to sleep but not today.  So I put a pot of coffee on and settled down to catch up with some blogs.  

I love these early mornings to myself sat the at the PC in the study catching up on blogs, the window is open I can hear the dawn chorus (a sure sign the days are starting to get longer) and my cats come and say hello -me time and it's bliss.

So this morning I caught up with Ellen Vargo's blog ten thirty-six and crafts and her fab tutorial on using a mix of ranger products to create backgrounds.  I was inspired by the Expresso colourwash and Picket Fence Distress Stain tag and raced (well gently ambled as John was still in bed)  to the craft to try it out.

I also knew that I wanted to take part in Hels Sunday Stamper challenge the theme being Life.  So hunted out some stamps with life in them.  Top of the pile a PaperArtsy one about cookies and chocolate chips! 

So started with a tag, actually make that two tags and smooshed them around in some Picket Fence and Expresso colourwash a couple of times, drying in between to get the desired background.  

Using a Glimmer Mist in Latte and Butterscotch colour wash I sprayed over a Glimmer Mist mask to add some more layers of colour.  Then adding some Fresco Finish paint in Irish Cream and French Roast over a flower mask from Crafters Workshop.  I was going to bump it to get some shadow but actually liked it unbumped.  Gave both tags a good sanding, some areas a bit harder than others to soften all the edges and reveal some of the Butterscotch.

Cut a couple of hearts from Grunge Paper using a PaperArtsy die and painted those with some French Roast and Irish Cream, one had some crackle glaze in between,the other didn't! Both again got a good sand to rough them up a bit.

So let's concentrate on the cookies tag first.  

I stitched some old book text and a scrap of linen on the tag. On the heart I added some swirls from this PaperArtsy plate, in Coffee Archival edged in walnut stain and then faffed around trying to to tie the string in a pleasing way (good job I'm chilled today).

The ATC underneath was smooshed around in the debris paint left on my craft mat.  I often do this with the dried paint, just spritz it with water, smoosh away and see what happens.  Stamped the text stamp from the plate in Coffee Archival. Attached this to the tag with tiny attachers that I coloured with ginger alcohol ink  The small quote tag was smooshed on the same way and stamped in Coffee Coffee Archival, and a button added. 

Ok, the second tag let's call this one creating.

I stitched all round the tags LOADS using straight and zigzag stitch. Then sewed some fabric strips on the tag and stamped the dressform in Coffee Archival from Tim Holtz Haberdashery plate.  Stamped the quote on a scrap piece of card and attached using the stained tiny attachers.  Added some string and a button.

Both of these took me all morning to make, I didn't mind though, it was nice to craft slowly, do something, go away and do some house work whilst waiting for things to dry or for me to think about the next stage.   I really love the colour scheme and how they are different but similar because of the colour and elements used. 

So thanks Ellen for the inspiration!

hugs

jo

xx