Into the woods

Miri is setting our challenge at Daring Cardmakers this week — she’d like to see woods and forests represented in some way. I decided to combine with the current challenge at Lost Coast where the team would like to see at least three stamps being used on our cards. 

I stamped the trees background directly onto the card base and brushed on a little ink in blue shades, stamped and cut out the owl and tucked him behind a die cut frame (black card dusted with Perfect Pearls in autumn shades). I coloured the card outside the frame with a black marker and added oak leaves cut from a larger stamped image. I was aiming for foreground with leaves then owl, background with bare trees but I can’t quite convince myself the oak leaves look right — maybe it will grow on me!

Sorry the photo looks a bit washed out, it was the best I could manage on a particularly dreary morning here in Northumberand. Hopefully any owls around here have good shelter - apparently they're not waterproof!

Stamps:
Trees backgrounder (Cornish Heritage Farms, no longer with us)
Oak branch (Beeswax Stamps)
Twit Twoo (Indigo Blu)

Paper:
Bristol board
Black

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate, Graphite Black)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Tumbled Glass, Peacock Feathers)

Other:
Stitched square frame die (Paper Rose)
Copic markers
Perfect Pearls by Ranger (Heirloom Gold, Bronze, Copper)
Black Fineliner

August's elements

Nat has chosen the mood board for our "elemental" challenge at Daring Cardmakers this week — as ever, just chose at least three elements to feature on your card.

I chose the woodgrain, yellow flower and striped ring. I cut an extra flower head and layered it behind the main die cut, slightly offset, and curved the petals on the front one for a bit more dimension. 

Retro Rubber has an “anything goes” theme for the current challenge so I’m linking up there too. My woodgrain stamp has been well loved since being added to my stash around 2008!

Stamps:
Woodgrain backgrounder (Cornish Heritage Farms, no longer with us)
Sentiment from Big Day Today (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)

Paper:
Bristol board
Buff

Ink:
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Antique Linen, Vintage Photo)
Momento Luxe by Tsukineko (Espresso Truffle)

Other:
Wildflower Stems dies (Time Holtz/Sizzix)
Stitched rectangle dies (Paper Rose)
Circles Nestabilities
Gold paint pen
Copic markers

Here’s the inspiration picture for August

Fright night

We're fast approaching Halloween and Rizwana would like to see spooktacular makes for our challenge over at Daring Cardmakers this week.

I don't own any stamps or other supplies that are spooky so I found a way to improvise and made a postcard! I used a cheesecloth background stamp and torn edges as masks to create a "wrapped bandage" effect  and a longer word ("KABOOM!") with selective inking and a marker pen to fill in missing lines for the sentiment. The eyes are drawn using circle dies as templates.

This year may have gone wonky in many ways but Lost Coast Designs have their usual 31 Days of Halloween going on so I'm linking up there, too.

Stamps:
Cheesecloth backgrounder (Cornish Heritage Farms, no longer with us)
Kaboom (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Vintage Photo)
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Other:
Copic markers
Black fineliner 
Circle Nestabilities by Spellbinder (to draw round)
White paint pen by Posca
Microglaze

Thanks for stopping by, hope you are keeping safe and well.

Dictionary day

It's my turn to set the challenge over at Daring Cardmakers this week and as today is World Dictionary Day and I need very little excuse to celebrate words I thought we could focus on them today - a dictionary definition, book or dictionary page, or make words the focal point of your project.

After a couple of false starts (why your own challenges are always hardest is one of life's mysteries up there with single sock syndrome) I came up with the idea of combining with another challenge to help kickstart and made this.

Retro Rubber has a tic tac toe challenge and I used that to give me the extra push. I chose a diagonal of rhinestones/pearls/dots, die cut/punch and metallics. The whole card front is die cut with a stitched rectangle, the sentiment is cut with another (modified to make it a shade longer to suit the stamp).

This background is designed as a texture plate for use with a gel plate, polymer clay etc but I could see no reason it couldn't be used as a regular stamp and indeed it worked just fine! I stamped on black cardstock and used metallic Perfect Pearls in a couple of autumnal shades before doodling some details with copper and gold gel pens and adding dots of gold dimensional paint to finish.

Stamps:
Sarah's Choice (Indigo Blu - had mine since 2011)
Texture Plate 3 (Art by Marlene line at Studio Light - around April 2019 I think)

Paper:
Black
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Other:
Perfect Pearls by Ranger (Perfect Gold, Copper)
Gel pens (gold and copper)
Dimensional paint by Dylon (gold)
Stitched Rectangle dies A6 size (Paper Rose Studio)

Thanks for stopping by, hope you are keeping safe and well.

December's elements

It’s the first Friday of the month and over at Daring Cardmakers that can only mean one thing - it’s an elemental challenge! Just use at least three elements from the inspiration picture to kickstart your card.

I chose reindeer, narrow stripes, tag, twine, typewriter style font (it even has the word joy in there), snowflakes and the colour scheme.

The narrow stripes are stamped through a circular aperture, I used a snippet of wrapping paper to cover the bottom of the card and the reindeer is die cut from packaging from a well known online retailer! I added just a bit of Vintage Photo ink round the edges of the die cut - I think it helps bring it to life a bit.

Stamps:
Fine lines backgrounder (CHF, no longer with us)
Sentiment from Merriest Christmas Wishes (Hero Arts)

Paper:
Bristol board
Packaging board envelope
Gift wrap paper

Ink:
Distress ink by Ranger (Fired Brick, Vintage Photo)
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Other:
Tags dies (Tim Holtz/Sizzix)
White crochet thread
Reindeer Family dies (Paper Rose)
Corner Chomper

Here's our inspiration picture this month, we'd love to have you along if you still have Christmas cards to make!

Thanks for stopping by!

Food chain!

I’m joining in again at the Card Chain Challenge which had plenty to choose from this month. I picked two elements again: the sketch and the theme of food. My circle element is a wee bit smaller than I would have liked but I couldn’t resist using this cute stamp once the idea popped into my head!

“Table cloth” and pizza are all one layer, masking and shading with marker give it a bit of depth.

My card has gone to Betty in Nebraska this time, I hope she likes it even if she doesn't like pizza!

Stamps:
Discover Italy: Food (Scrapberry)
Fine Gingham Backgrounder (Cornish Heritage Farms, sadly no longer with us)
Say It All (Hero Arts, retired I think)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Memento by Tsukineko (Love Letter)
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate)

Other:
Copic markers
Posca white paint pen
Memento marker (Rhubarb)

There are a few days left to sign up for the October chain (closes 6th October) if you fancy joining in!

New year elements

A third of January gone already - eek! Hope it's not too late to wish everyone a very happy and peaceful new year.

Of course a new month means an "elemental" challenge at Daring Cardmakers, see the end of this post for the lovely inspiration picture Shabneez chose for us this month. As ever, just choose at least three elements from the picture to kickstart your project.

I chose the shell, burlap, coiled white thread and a translucent circle to make a masculine birthday card. The burlap is stamped through an aperture cut with a Nestie so it's directly on the card base rather than being a separate layer.

Stamps (all retired or from companies sadly no longer with us):
Antique Engravings by Hero Arts
Burlap backgrounder by Cornish Heritage Farms
Big Day Today by Waltzingmouse Stamps

Paper:
Bristol board
Kraft
Vellum

Ink:
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Latte)
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate)

Other:
White crochet thread
White Enamel Accents by Ranger
Circle Nestabilities by Spellbinder
Corner Chomper

Thanks for stopping by!

20/20 vision

This is my card for the June postcard swap on UK Stampers. We have a new host this month and for her debut theme, Jill chose "numbers".

It's absolutely not what I was planning but it evolved from stuff on the desk when the original plan scored a bit fat fail. The idea of 20/20 vision survived from the original thought and I tried to bring out her eyes to tie in with that. Her face has pale Copic colouring with just a little bit of blush on her cheeks and lips.

I used Memento Luxe to stamp the face and I'm happy to report it performed beautifully on the large solid area (the hair) as well as with the Copics. The oddity is that the wet ink on the stamp looks completely different to what you expect -this is Espresso Truffle and it was a sort of greyish, murky, mid-brown rather than the deep, rich black coffee colour you'd expect from the name and way the pad looks. So, if you're using Luxe inks: don't panic when you ink up, it will be fine once it's on the page!

Stamps:
Jane by Indigo Blu
A&P Numbers by Ma Vinci's Reliquary (retired)
Alphanumber backgrounder by CHF (retired)

Ink:
Memento Luxe by Tsukineko - Espresso Truffle
Brilliance by Tsukineko - Graphite Black
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger - Tumbled Glass

Other:
Copic markers

The swap's just finished but if you fancy joining in for July, the details will be up at the start of the month - just make a card that can be sent "naked" through the post and you'll get one in return. It's a fun size to work with and it's nice to rise to the challenge of making something that can be posted with no protective envelope.

Thanks for stopping by!

Bright thoughts

I wanted a quick "thinking of you" card to send to a friend and thought bright colours and a cheerful image would be the way to go.

I masked with torn paper and sponged inks into the centre and then "finger walked" a paisley background stamp to give just a touch of hit-and-miss pattern to the block. I did my usual trick of stamping just the antennae on the card and then adding a cut out butterfly over the top - just the body is stuck down so the wings are bent up slightly from the card.

I was just going to add the sentiment and leave it very clean and simple but I managed to get a tiny smudge of espresso ink on there - typical when you're about done! Tiny gems came to the rescue and I think I've got away with it.

I'm afraid the pinks didn't photograph too well, the colouring is smoother in real life.

Stamps:
Antique Engravings (Hero Arts)
Sentiment from Poppy bottles (Stampendous)
Paisley Backgrounder (CHF, retired)

Paper: smooth white

Ink: Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Pool, Stream and Espresso)

Other:
Copic markers
Acrylic nail art gems
Corner Chomper

Thanks for stopping by!

Time for chippie

It's Wednesday so it must be time for chipboard again and I've done a time-themed piece today. Do pop over to the Tando blog if you have chance and check out what Carol has been up to as well! We decided to focus on melty stuff this week and I opted for UTEE. My initial plan was to melt a load in a wee pan in the oven (I don't have a Melt Pot) but in the end, I was seduced by the ease of the triple embossing technique so went with the heat gun instead! The thickness of the Tando board makes this a breeze as it just doesn't warp with the amount of heat you end up subjecting it to and provides a nice sturdy finish for the piece. I'm afraid the glass pebbles and metallic finishes made this nigh on impossible to photograph but I hope you get the idea! My twinchie for the top of the hanging has three layers of silver UTEE on it and I pressed a stamp that had been dusted with Perfect Pearls into it while still hot to make an impression on one side of the shape. I hope the detail shot shows up the texture and the colour variation from the Perfect Pearls. The random oozy blobs were done with a hot glue gun and once the glue had set I added some Rub n Buff for a sort of molten metal look. Finally, I added a glass pebble (the sort sold to put in vases) with a stamped clock face stuck underneath it with Glossy Accents. The inchie had the same treatment with three layers of UTEE and I used the clock face stamp again while it was hot. There's a little black acrylic paint to pick out the texture and some more hot glue blobs and Rub n Buff. Another glass pebble with a stamped word behind it finishes the bottom of the piece. I made a little wire "hammock" for it - it's just florist's wire used for all the connections here. Supplies: Twinche and Inchie (Tando Creative - stockists can be found here) Inchie Style and Tiled Scallops backgrounder stamps (both Cornish Heritage Farms, retired) Silver UTEE Perfect Pearls by Ranger (Copper) Hot glue gun Rub n Buff by Amaco (Silver Leaf) Black acrylic paint Crop-a-Dile by We R Memory Keepers Florist's wire Glass pebbles Thanks for stopping by, hope time is being kind to you!

One layer Santa

I've combined two challenges for today's project - this week's One Layer Wednesday is a recipe and I'm dipping in to Craftyhazelnut's Christmas challenge for the first time - week 5 is to include Santa on your card. The idea of the challenge is to spread out your card making over the whole year, hence the Christmas card in February!

One Layer Wednesday calls for a border stamp (or stamped border), an image and some bling. I wanted to team this Santa up with some gingham so I used a background stamp for the border as that's what I had - I just used a piece of paper to mask off the top of the card while I stamped it. I'd already stamped and masked Santa. I struggle with bling so as Susan said glitter would count I opted to glitter the furry bits of Santa's hat with chunky glass gitter.

I'm glad I opted for a brighter green than is usual for a Christmas card - I think it gives this a fun retro feel that goes well with the style of the Santa stamp.

Stamps:
Holly Jolly Christmas and sentiment from Season's Greetings (both Technique Tuesday)
Fine Gingham backgrounder (CHF - retired)

Paper:
Smooth white

Ink:
Versacraft by Tsukineko (Spring Green)
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Other:
Copic markers
Copic multiliner
Deko Ice glitter by Efco (Crystal)

Thanks for stopping by, have a lovely weekend!

More bauble inspiration!

Here's the second of the cards inspired by the photo in Monday's post (scroll down to the next post if you'd like to see the original photo and first card).

I went long and thin for the card base on this one to echo the shape of the steps and then used punched circles to represent the baubles - some are heat embossed with a backgrounder stamp and gold powder, some coated in crackle paint and others embossed in a Cuttlebug folder and then treated with Rub n Buff to give them a richer finish.

Ruched silk ribbon and a sprinkling of pearls keep the opulent mood going and provide more textural interest.

It was a bit of a nightmare to photograph this one with the reflective surfaces and textures but I think you get the idea!

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Scalloped Tiles backgrounder
Vintage Christmas Expressions (Mona Lisa Moments line)

Ink:
Versamark by Tsukineko
Versacraft by Tsukinko (Autumn Leaf)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Vintage Photo)

Paper:
Kraft
Cryogen white
Metallic gold

Other:
Distress Crackle Paint by Ranger (Rock Candy)
Detail embossing powder (gold)
Squeeze punch by Fiskars (large and medium circles)
Silk ribbon
Pin
Flat back pearls
Cuttlebug embossing folder (Textile Texture)
Rub n Buff by Amaco (gold leaf)

Thanks for stopping by!

Paisley Pendant on the Hop!

I've said it before and no doubt I'll say it again - I do love the versatility of backgrounders! So I'm delighted that CHF's range of background stamps are the featured line for this first week of the 12 Weeks of Summer Fling! Welcome if you are following the blog hop and looking for a little backgrounder inspiration.

What's the 12 Weeks of Summer Fling? Each week will feature one of the rubber stamp lines at CHF with a blog hop and special gallery showing new samples using stamps from that line. The featured line will also be on sale for the week so definitely the time to add to your collection:) Two Gift Certificates will be awarded to 2 lucky winners who successfully follow the blog hop & comment as they go in the time allotted. This is not a race. All Blog Hops will start from the Be Creative Blog on a Monday, comments must be made before midnight EST on the Thursday of that week & winners will be announced on the Friday. 1st prize is a $20 CHF Gift Certificate, 2nd Prize is a $10 Gift Certificate which will be emailed to the winning participants. The Gift Certificates will be valid for 6 mths from date of issue. PLEASE NOTE that if you have a Club CHF award awaiting you on your next order, you will need to wait for the following order to use your Gift Certificate as the store only allows one discount per order. If you upload a qualifying card (using the featured week's stamp line) to the CHF special gallery for that week you will be eligible for the Design Team's Favorite prize which will be a rubber stamp/stamp set of your choice up to the value of $16.99 Looking forward to having you play along with us for the summer.

So... on with the backgrounder show!

Paisley was one of my first background stamps and it's such a timeless and classic pattern that I can't see me getting tired of this one. Like many of the BG stamps, the scale of the pattern lends itself very nicely to jewelry so I've made a pendant to share with you today.

I started with a 2 ¼" square of heavy chipboard and punched a hole in one corner with a Crop-0-Dile. Then I dusted two colours of Perfect Pearls onto a sheet of paper and pressed the stamp into them and set it to one side, ready for action after the next step.

I added two layers of UTEE crystals (melt the first layer, add another on top and melt that) and then quickly pressed the stamp onto the piece while the UTEE was molten. Give it a few seconds to set and then peel the stamp away. If you find the UTEE has oozed over the edge, just trim it off with sharp scissors while it is still slightly warm and soft (I love my Tonic studio scissors for this). Same with the hole at the top, just repunch with your Crop-o-Dile if necessary. Doing it before the UTEE is fully cold means that it won't crack or shatter.

Some of my high spots were just a bit too high so I carefully shaved off just a tiny bit with a blade and then rubbed over the whole thing lightly with fine sandpaper.

I finished by swiping Precious Metal paint over the whole piece, using Cut n Dry foam and being careful to keep it flat so the paint wasn't pressed down into the recesses of the piece. A wooden bead that was coated in black embossing powder and then painted with the same copper paint makes a finishing touch as the pendant threads onto a leather thong.

Stamps:
Paisley backgrounder (Cornish Heritage Farms)

Other:
Heavy chipboard
UTEE by Ranger (Black)
Perfect Pearls by Ranger (Patina Green and Patina Blue)
Crop-o-Dile
Wooden bead
Leather thong
Precious Metal paint by Viva Decor (Copper)
Sandpaper

Next stop along the hop today is Tracy who has been stamping up a backgrounder storm recently so I'm sure she'll have something special to share with you! Don't forget to leave a comment here before you go to increase your chances of winning and if you have CHF backgrounders, why not create something with them this week and upload to the special gallery for your chance at the Design Team's Favorite prize?

Comments for this week's hop need to be left by midnight EST on Thursday June 10, 2010 to be eligible for the draw.

Thanks for hopping by!

Chintz 'n crepe!

A few weeks ago, Effie posted a link to a tutorial for some lovely crepe paper flowers {here}. I finally got round to getting some crepe paper to give this a go. I got white so it would be as versatile as possible since I can ink it or spritz it. Mind you, watching it expand with the moisture of the water and acrylic paint mix I used here was a bit alarming! It did dry with plenty of "stretch" left in it though and that's what you need for these flowers.

I've used this week's Inchie Inklings sketch - I hope Mona will forgive me for covering up a whole inchie and most of a second one!

I had a bunch of inchies stamped from a project that didn't work out. I needed to cover up that original stamping so I painted over with pearlescent acrylic paint (the same one as I watered down to colour the crepe paper). Once they were dry, I used Stazon to stamp the chintz pattern on there. A white embossed sentiment and a bit of machine stitching finished it off. The pearlesence made it a bit of a nightmare to photograph, the colour is probably truer in the detail shot below and since it's the same paint the flower and the inchies obviously match in real life!

I didn't glitter the edges of the petals on this flower (I have one set aside for another project where I did, though) and having assembled it I decided they would benefit from a bit more definition so I dry brushed more of the acrylic paint along the edge and just onto the surface of the petals. The centre of the flower is one of those glass pebbles you put in vases - I painted the back with with Precious Metal paint. The leaves are just hand cut (as were the smaller circles as I didn't have an appropriate punch).

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Vintage Chintz backgrounder
Cursive Expressions (Mona Lisa Moments line)

Paper:
White
Simply Linen Black
Heavyweight crepe paper
Chipboard inchies

Ink:
Stazon by Tsukineko (Jet Black)
Versamark by Tsukineko

Other:
Pearlescent pink acrylic paint
Sewing machine and thread
Glass pebble
Precious Metal pint by Viva Decor (Mother of Pearl)
1" circle punch

Thanks for stopping by, hope you have a lovely weekend!

Dragonfly dreams

I'm sharing a piece made with Tando Creative chipboard today. I love dragonflies and thought the new large dragonfly shape would make a lovely brooch.

To mimic a little bit of the iridescence of dragonfly wings, I melted three coats of clear UTEE onto the wings and when almost cool, I rubbed several different Perfect Pearls colours on there. I remelted and added more Perfect Pearls to build up the colour depth and finally remelted and pressed a stamp into the molten UTEE. Finally, I picked up a tiny bit of pearlescent acrylic paint on that most sophisticated of crafter's tools (my index finger) and swiped over the high spots of the textured wings. You can click through for a better view of the pic if you'd like it.

The body was coloured with a black marker and then I added Glossy Accents and a row of Dew Drops to finish it off before gluing on a brooch back.

Supplies:
Dragonfly by Tando Creative (you can check out Tando stockists here)
Cheesecloth backgrounder (Cornish Heritage Farms - now available in the UK from Bubbly Funk {here})
Clear UTEE by Ranger
Perfect Pearls by Ranger (Turquoise, Berry Twist, Forever Violet, Forever Green, Forever Blue)
Pearlescent turquoise acrylic paint
Dew Drops by Robin's Egg
Glossy Accents by Ranger
Brooch back
E600 adhesive

Thanks for stopping by!

One stamp - different looks!

I'm not sure who stole last week - sorry not to have been around! I thought I would share two very different projects made with the same stamp today.

One of the reasons I love my backgrounders is that they are very versatile. My first project today is a straight paper craft project - a wedding card. I'm blaming forum buddy Janice for this one! Not only was her son getting married last week but while refusing to reveal her outfit in advance, she showed us a pic of Audrey Hepburn in the race scene in the movie My Fair Lady as a tease for what her hat was like! I still had the image of those gorgeous black and white costumes in my head when I sat down with this new Fuchsia Tiles background stamp.

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Fuchsia Tiles Backgrounder (releasing Tuesday May 18th)
Wedding Centers (Mona Lisa Moments line)

Paper:
Smooth white
Simply Linen Black

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)

Other:
Velvet ribbon
Rose from Wild Orchid Crafts
Stick pin
Brackets die (Tim Holtz Alterations line by Sizzix)

My second project is a bit different! I revisited the mica shift technique I used to make this polymer clay pendant a few weeks back. I used gold clay this time and made a large pendant piece by cutting a square that takes in nine of the little tiles from the backgrounder. I baked it over a sphere (the top of a tin that had chocolate orange and lemon slices in it - never throw out an interesting container!) to give the piece an overall curve and then added a little loop on the back to thread a necklace cord through.

I think I'm officially fascinated by mica shift now - there's something almost hypnotic about the textural look of the pattern coupled with a surface that's completely smooth to the touch!

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Fuchsia Tiles Backgrounder (releasing Tuesday May 18th)

Other:
Sculpey Premo polymer clay (gold and black)
Clay tools (pasta machine, clay blade, acrylic roller)
Klear floor polish (sold as Future floor polish in North America)

Thanks for stopping by today!

Tera firma

Carol and I decided to subject Di's chippie to some more gunkiness today - Tera paint by Viva Decor. This is a super-thick paint, more like a paste really and it takes a texture stamp nicely.

I coated my piece in Tera and stamped it then left it to dry overnight. I did find that with a piece this big, the board had warped very slightly when I came back to it (it's approximately 100mm tall by 70mm wide). I heated it gently from the back and found it flattened out again, no problem. There's a lot of moisture in the Tera and I guess the board absorbed it slightly unevenly and wasn't thoroughly dry even after that length of time.

A coat of black acrylic and some sponged Precious Metal paint finished off the base piece and then I added a butterfly stamped on metal, painted with more Precious Metal paint and shaped from the back with a paper stump. She has beads for her body and is free to wobble on her copper wire! The Flights of fancy is on a separate piece of chipboard painted black and roughly coated with the copper paint then stamped and attached with a couple of brads.

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Cracked Montana Earth backgrounder
Vintage Butterflies (Saturday Evening Post line)

Paper:
Jigsaw tag (Tando Creative)
Scrap of chipboard

Ink:
Stazon by Tsukineko (Jet Black)

Other:
Tera Paint by Viva Decor
Precious Metal Paint by Viva Decor (Copper and Blue Azure)
Copper wire
Antique copper brads (Making Memories)
Aluminium sheet (Amaco)
Black acrylic paint
Beads

Pop over to Tando Creative to see what Carol's been up to as well! Thanks for stopping by!

Dream a little dream

I read Sharilyn Miller's book Rubber stamped jewelry a few months back but got distracted by other things before trying anything out. A couple of days ago I found big bags of clear glass "pebbles" in a local £1 shop and remembered one of the projects in that book used one as an accent. Here's the result - it uses the same base materials as the one in the book but is different in just about every other way!

I made a batch of "sea washed" glass a while ago by breaking a square section bottle and tumbling in a rock tumbler. Some craft shops carry sea washed glass or the Ranger Memory glass range works well if you want a regular shaped jewellery piece. I painted the edges with Precious Metal paint and in doing so hit on the idea of wiping a thin coat of it across the back of the piece as well. I love the effect! The mica in the paint makes the glass just slightly more opaque but it still has a translucence.

The pebble was stuck onto a stamped piece of paper with Glossy Accents, trimmed and edged with copper tape then glued onto the base piece which had been stamped and embossed with detail gold powder. I added Glossy Accents to hold a little drift of seed beads. When dry, I dotted a few beads with the Precious Metal paint to deepen the colour. Stick a pin on the back (hidden by the pebble and beads on the front) and you're done. The cost of this is literally pennies - gotta love that!

I used a backgrounder in this design - one of the reasons I love them is that they're so versatile, useful for everything from a full card front to a small project like this (it's about 6cm/2.5" tall). Backgrounders and their bigger cousins the Scrapblocks are on sale this Friday/Saturday at CHF - buy one and get a second of the same value at half price. You can see the details on the store's home page {here} if you fancy stocking up.

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Inchie Style (Rummage Bin line)
Spanish Script backgrounder

Ink:
Versmark by Tsukineko
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Espresso)

Paper:
Simply Smooth

Other:
"Sea washed" glass
Glass pebble (the sort used to put in vases)
Detail gold embossing powder
Seed baeds
Precious Metal pint by Viva Decor (Blue Azure)
Glossy Accents
Copper Tape

Thanks for stopping by, hope you have a lovely weekend!

Send in the clowns

I haven't played at Sunday Stamper for ages and I'm not quite sure why I felt determined to play this week since the subject is clowns and I don't own any clown stamps! I decided to go with a vintage download image and use the stamping in a supporting role.

I've gone back to those forerunners of the modern clown, Pierrot and Harlequin (represented in the background pattern). Pierrot is probably where the idea of "the tears of a clown" comes from. I printed the image on premium copy paper and then just accentuated his face and hat a little with a tiny tint of Copic colouring.

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Textured Harlequin backgrounder
Live Laugh Love (Rummage Bin line)

Paper:
Black
White
Premium weight copy paper

Ink:
Versamark by Tsukineko
Memento markers by Tsukineko (Rhubarb Stalk and Tuxedo Black)

Other:
Image from Vintage White Faced Pierrots by Everything Vintage
Copic markers
Perfect Pearls by Ranger (Red)
Acrylic nail art gems

Thanks for stopping by!

Dance to the music of time

I haven't played along at Tuesday Taggers before but I saw through Gez's blog that this week's challenge was to get messy - too hard to resist!

As the challenge is being sponsored by the Craft Barn, I thought I'd take the opportunity to play with some Viva Decor products as they stock a fab range of them and they're perfect for messy projects! This week's SCD challenge gave me the theme of time for my ATC.

I decided to add to the obvious watch/clock theme with some sheet music indicating something about the timing or speed of the music, too. My clock face is done on shrink plastic and the little cog and wheel are old clock parts. I thought the circuit board could be part of a timing device, as well!

The texture at the bottom (which I've mostly covered up!) was done by stamping the harlequin backgrounder onto chipboard and heat embossing with UTEE - I gave it three coats. Then I laid aluminium tape over it, sprayed with Glimmer Mist and once it was dry I rubbed over with a buffing block to expose the silver tape. The top bit that has the more organic texture is Tera with a heat gun applied to make it bubble - fun stuff!

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Textured Harlequin backgrounder
Circuit Board backgrounder
Time to Stamp (Rummage Bin line)

Paper:
Chipboard
Vintage sheet music

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Vintage Photo)

Other:
Tera paint by Viva Deco (Kenya)
Precious Metal paint by viva Decor (Copper)
Black acrylic paint
Aluminium tape
UTEE by Ranger
Shrink plastic
Glimmer Mist by Tattered Angels (Red Maple and Vintage Brass)

Tuesday Taggers invited us to show our messy hands or workspaces too - I only managed a picture of one hand since I couldn't get them far enough away from the camera to use the timer and have the picture in focus! Note the tasteful crusting of Tera right down on the heel of my hand - no idea how that got there!

Thanks for stopping by, hope your weekend is going well!