Bottom of the drawer

So I was up bright and early this morning, so checked out the Sunday Stamper challenge which is wish, yep I could work with that and I'd got an idea for a colour scheme inspired by some silk flowers I'd seen.

This won't be going to Sunday Stamper challenge, nor is it the colour scheme I imagined!

I was however inspired by a comment on a previous post from Judy who said my Grungy Monday tag with all it's layers reminded her of the bottom of a drawer, you know everything all sort of thrown in together, random bits of paper, tickets, labels, old photos, buttons etc - a snapshot of a life.

I did start with a tag, you can just see it under everything!  I painted it  in a sort of lime yucky green with a pale greeny / cream (white added to the yucky green) over a layer of crackle glaze.  I then stamped in coffee archival a Tim ledger stamp and over stamped that with a text stamp to suggest writing on the ledger page.

The photo is one of mine that I printed on black and white and then used mustard seed distress ink to colour the fern.  (I love using this technique to alter my flower photos). Little bit of white paint dry brushed on the photo, walnut stain around the edge and a bit of rocky candy crackle glaze over the top (still trying to work out whether I like this or not - need to keep playing).

And then I just started creating ephemera stamping on scraps of Lost and Found paper with stamps from Tim Holtz and PaperArtsy (love that Ration Book stamp in the middle). Crumpled up bits of paper, fabric scraps, buttons and even a couple of old paper flowers (I have a massive stash of these and I need to do something with them).

Everything was stamped in coffee archival and edged in walnut stain distress ink. Once it was all glued down I gave a light spritz / splodge with a latte glimmer mist, just to give a bit more depth and texture.

The frame was one I made ages ago and was in the um pile, I found it  purely by chance when I was looking for  the string. Aha I thought, that will work with this tag as it continues the old aged granny type vibe and I think the tag needed to be mounted on something so that all the stuff on it was sort of grounded, anchored and framed (you know what I mean don't you)

So yes it wasn't what I intended to make, but often we start out with one idea (or no idea) and as we progress something different emerges - somewhat like life.

Right that's enough Radio 4 Thought for the Day breakfast philosophy, I need to go back in the craft room and think about wish ...

hugs

jo
xx

I think I may have overdone the layers - what do you think?

As promised second blog post!

In a bid to do more crafting I thought taking part in challenges would be good with 2 under my belt already I turned to Grungy Monday and this week's challenge (18) which was - 12 Tags of Christmas day 8 and vellum.

I knew I had some vellum knocking around somewhere (don't we all) so a quick hunt through my organised stash found a "few" sheets.  Rather than sheet music I thought I'd use the theatre tickets stamp from Tim I've had for ages and not used (knock on effect of taking part in challenges - use stuff I haven't used yet!).

So followed the instructions (running between the study where the PC is and my craft room and back again because I'd forgotten a vital bit of information - the cats were well amused to see me dashing across the landing) and voila  a tag.

I inked the tag in picket fence stain and then walnut stain on top, really like how the picket fence softens the walnut but you've still got hints of really dark brown as well. 

Spritzed some espresso colour wash over the top and dried. Next I added various Tim mini ornates stamps in walnut distress embossing powder. 

The red tickets used fired brick and mahogany distress stains with a little bit of watered down snowflake fresco over the top.  stamped in black archival, cut out, roughed up round the edges and inked with walnut distress ink.

Layered it all up, cutting the large theatre ticket vellum to make smaller elements, spritzed some copper glimmer mist which fortunately came out in big globs because that's what I wanted - sort of aged liver spot look! Finally chose some ribbon from my huge stash (end to end it could probably stretch to the moon) to complete.

So I do like it, but I do wonder if I've put too many layers on, is it too fussy at the bottom, am I over analysing it and should I just shut up?????


hugs


jo
xx

Sunset

I think it's fair to say Waterloo Sunset (which I'm listening to on YouTube) is one of my ultimate faves - it would have to be in my top ten. So the Sunday Stamper challenge of sunsets was a goer because a) I lurvvve the song and b) it meant I'd have to use some different colours!

This week I have loved (there's a lot of love around this morning)  making tags inspired by my tweet meet pals, so thanks girls.

I started of with some colour washes in sunset orange, wild plum and lettuce, blotted them and then spritzed all over with lemon meringue and bronze glimmer mist. Stamped all over with a text stamp and old paper distress embossing powder. And then stamped the PaperArtsy birds in grasses ups the tag in mahogany and dusty concord.

I knew I wanted to use a bird sort of roosting at sunset as the focal point,so I painted a spare piece of card with some london night fresco paint, I used the large PaperArtsy bird die and then embossed in a swirly folder to give the pattern. Inked in black soot and dusty concordm, sanded a bit and then sprayed with some slate glimmer mist,  The art part was stained with bundled sage and then stamped in olive with a text stamp still stuck to a block on my desk!

The bottom third of the tag I knew needed some layers to anchor it with the heavy art part, so started with some tissue tap randomly stuck over spritzed with lemon meringue, next a scrap of linen with some mustard seed distress ink and finally some scraps of card that have been embossed using the the tin sewing line folders. The flower is a Wendy Vecchi and the take flight words are PaperArtsy. 

Sunsets are so beautiful, the intensity of colours streaking across the sky, the dark inkiness of shapes silhouetted against those colours is just well - inspiring! Hopefully my tag captures all that.

Well off to finish another tag so there will be another post today (nothing for a month and then I go mad) and more playing - I also have some house shapes that need decorating!

hugs

jo

xx

Show a tag!

As some of you know there was a crafting tweet meet this week in the Shires, myself, Gabrielle, Hels and Gillian descended on Lin and Karen (Karen  - you NEED to get a blog!) at LB Crafts to meet in person and spend our pocket money on new stash - namely distress stains!

It was such fun meeting everyone even if I was beginning to panic I wouldn't get there in time due to roadworks. I very nearly just left the car parked on the verge with the hazards on and run the last 500 yards to LB, but figured I didn't really want the girls having to phone for an ambulance as I collapsed in a heap gasping "give me picket fence stain now"!

I think we all agreed a great success and plan to do another one - SOON!!!!

Anyway given that I was able to ask calmly for a picket fence stain (along with a few others as well - of course) I thought I'd better use and try them out. So as I'm home alone this week (husband is still acting) I thought I'd do a tag and enter for the Simon Says challenge this week, show a tag - so I am!

Started off putting picket fence down and then going over with aged mahogany and pumice stain.  Flicked some water on to give it that water stained look. Like a lot.

Stamped some Wendy flowers in aged mahogany distress ink along the right hand edge and embossed with some vintage photo powder. On the other side I die cut a strip of paper with a Tim die inked with picket fence and vintage paper and stamped the ruler on top in black and attached with staples.

Inked some spare card with various distress inks and stains (there were rather a lot on my work desk so I was sort of randomly using all of them) and ran through the an embossing folder to get the numbers and then further inked and distressed. Layered that over a Tim label again distressed and inked to age. 

I was also "told" to buy some Wendy Vecchi art parts on Monday by the above mentioned tweeters so I wanted to use one of the flowers in the tag. PaperArtsy Toad Hall base, crackle  glaze and honeydew over the top and finally some antique photo lightly added to show up the cracks a bit more.  Used a hitch fastener for the centre and the stalk is a bit of florist wire wrapped in tissue tape.

So I'll add this post to the Simon Says blog and hey who knows - I might win!

Hugs

jo

xx

Oh Romeo Romeo ...

So my dear husband is acting this week and next in the annual open air Shakespeare amateur production by the Masque. It's the first time he's done any Shakespeare even though he's been acting for years and I'm really proud of him. 

He's playing the Friar and it's first night tonight!  So in honour of such grand thespian pursuits I made this little memento using stash I haven't used yet.

To be honest the creation was one of those ooh "actually I think I'd rather use the bits that were going to go in the bin rather than the shapes I meant to cut" moment.  The original idea was to cut two shapes from the Vintage Cabinet Card die, one as a base plate and then the second cut in half vertically to make doors.  But then when I cut the shapes from mount board I really liked the waste and how they stacked together to make a really deep recess for an aperture.  So I cut a back board to act as a base plate and set to work colouring and stamping.

The background was paper I painted in stone colours and used Distress inks and stains in old linen, wild honey, pumice, crushed olive and tea dye. As luck would have it the PaperArtsy Arched Apertures stamp fitted perfectly in the recess so that was stamped as a repeat across the card in grey stazon. Bit more inking to tone it all down.

For the top of the aperture I again coloured some paper cut out the shape and ran it through the bricks embossing folder, more stains on top finally finishing with some black to highlight some bricks and the aperture. 

Finally the balcony, I coloured a scrap of paper with the same paints and inks and used the PaperArtsy stamp Swirls and Curls 4 to suggest ironwork.  This was mounted on a scrap of mount board to raise up from the aperture to give some depth. 

I'm quite pleased with the result  - as is the thesp! 

If you like it too then why not leave a comment, it would be great to hear what you think.

Hugs

jo

xx

Do you think I'm fixated on the colour blue?

Well fancy that no post for nearly a month and then two come along almost at once!

These four canvases are an amalgamation of three different projects that individually weren't working, but take them apart and reuse the various bits and voila!

I'd made the the four ATC's ages ago from mount board that was painted and distressed and stamped with perhaps one of my most fave stamps from PaperArtsy in grey archival.  I had intended putting them on an A4 canvas, but  you know they just didn't look right, so they ended up on that "um" pile. 

And then I made the pink moths (PaperArtsy again) for another project that again just didn't look right, so they ended up on the "um" pile.

Anyways, the other week we went to the garden centre and I was mooching round the bargain books bit and spied these A6 size canvases - good price, can never have enough canvases knocking around for that moment of inspiration.
So last weekend I painted four of them in a light grey paint, put some crackle glaze over the top and then over painted in a dark grey, added a few dry brush bits of pale blue, rubbed bits back to the pale grey with a a wet wipe and there they sat on my work desk till this Sunday.

This Sunday, I knew I wanted to add a bit more texture so used a big background text stamp from PaperArtsy (the Blackie book one) in mushroom and then weathered wood distress embossing powder over some Tim text stamps and a postcard stamp.

Edged the ATC's with some old silver inka paint, glued on with my trusty glue gun and then thought - they need something else ... tum-te-tum MOTHS!

So rubbed back the pink moths to the silver, spread some dark grey paint over the top waited a bit and wiped the excess off, did a bit more sanding, bent the wings and glued them on. Finally edged the canvases in tissue tape and rubbed over some dark slate ink.

I'm pleased with them and I think they'll compliment hubby's fishes (see previous post) top and bottom in the place we've identified to hang that canvas.

But I think I do now need to move away from the blue paints and inks and try another colour combination - possible pinks seeing as I purchased a number of pink fresco paints from LB Crafts on Saturday!

Hugs

jo
xx

Did ya miss me!

How vain am I!
So I haven't posted for over a month - bad girl.  My excuse - well we had a week away in the sun (read books, ate nice food, drank wine and beer, got in the pool occasionally, used up a lot of suntan lotion and watched people) and work has been rather busy. To try and keep on top of things, meet deadlines and create myself some time to dedicate to big projects I've been working late and working at home in the evenings.  I know, I know work life balance etc etc but Friday saw me finally break the back of most of it and I didn't bring any work home for the weekend - hurrah!

In amongst this constant slog of work I did manage to make this for my hubby for his birthday.

It's a 12x12 canvas which I painted in a denim blue paint, stuck downs some bits of torn book pages around the edge, colour washed over the top in a darker shade of blue , rubbed back bits with a baby wipe and sprayed over the top in places through a swirly stencil with a tattered angels ( I have loads of them I must use them up) glimmer mist in a silvery blue to represent the sea.  I put tissue tape around the edge and swiped a pale blue over the top of it to tone in and add an edge to the front of the canvas. 
I love using tissue tape in this way as it covers up any spills and seepage from sloshing paint around on the top (I'm a messy crafter)!

The central panel has come out really well, it feels and looks like old leather. It's a piece of old crate paper so it's quite heavy anyway.  I painted over in a dark midnight blue paint and then some crackle glaze and then a watered down pale blue.  I've now got the hang of this old crackle glaze and it's about getting the top layer of paint to the right consistency (single cream) and enough of it to give a good but not too thick layer - practice does indeed make perfect(ish).  

Some text was added in brown ink - very subtle (which means you can't really see without looking very closely - but I know it's there and I know it adds to the look and feel of the piece) I made sure I added some paint to the reverse of the square as I knew I wanted the edges to curl up a bit.  Finally added some stitching rounds the edge to anchor the piece.  The longer it dried the more it began to feels like leather rather than paper.

Finally the fishes,  these were the starting point as my husband loves fish - to look at and eat on occasion!

I knew I wanted to use metal and puts lots of texture on using embossing folders, paint and alcohol inks. I also wanted to bend and shape them so they didn't sit flat on the paper. They sort of worked and if I'd had more time I might have roughed um up a bit more.

And the arrangement - well I'm a pisces, so they had to go that way!  He really liked it and now we are just trying to work out where to display in the house!

So, leave a comment if you like, it's always good to hear praise and constructive comments (honestly I can take it - I've been staff reviews for the past fortnight so I'm well versed in giving and taking constructive feedback on performance).

Hugs

jo
xx