Tag 2 for Country View Crafts

I am really late posting this today, so sorry but I thought I had written and scheduled this to go before I went on holiday and in fact I hadn't duh!!!!

This is my second piece for the 'How does your garden grow' challenge at CVC and was made to complement the first one (found HERE) with different colours but as an extended tag and the same backing  card.

Here you can see the background before I added the elements to it.

The background was made with distress paints - don't you just love them and their properties?  I used the technique Tim used on his April tag with a bit more wrinkle free distress to it. 

This stamp is from the Classics #1 set and here I used distress markers and picket fence distress paints to achieve the mottled effects on the pear and the dry-brushing around the edges.

The dragonfly was pained with distress paints too and you get some great results with them, they adhere so easily to the metal.

Here I used the TH banners and rosette dies, the bee again was given the same treatment as the dragonfly.

It's fabulous coming to see your amazing makes submitted for the challenge this month. If you haven't yet entered, please do, in fact enter as many times as you like with separate projects (linked to the theme of course) and you could be the lucky winner of the £20 shop voucher for Country View Crafts (don't forget it's free P&P as well as excellently priced products) and you could also be chosen in our TOP 3 and be a guest designer.

I had a great day with my Sis today, she is helping me find a way to make videos, technical stuff I don't understand, so now I've got to get a tripod and practice, but I hate the sound of my own voice so I can see it's gonna be a problem.

If you have seen my blog showing strange things in your blog reader or blog roll, don't worry I have been setting up Live Writer and it's had to do a quick post and delete it again to import my blog. Mind you all the blogs in my blog rolls have disappeared today so I've got some work to do there to put them all back.

Enjoy your evening (or rest of the day Terry).

 hugs {brenda} x0x

Alter It at FSC

Another new challenge at FSC today and this time it's use your stamps and alter something.

Beware a photo heavy post, so I hope you have a cuppa in hand.

I used an oldish wooden frame for this project and prepared it by sanding it down and priming it with white acrylic paint.

I cut a piece of designer paper to size from a 12 x 12 scrap pad and using a palette knife I scraped white acrylic paint over in patches.

Next I adhered some scraps in places and stamped some images in each section and then made up four mists the first being gold perfect pearls, the second was red interference perfect pearls and one drop of fired brick re-inker, the third was blush perfect pearls with several drops of  victorian velvet re-inker, the last one was made with dylusions cut grass and faded jeans re-inker. What fun I had mixing these up.

I applied decoart modeling paste through a harlequin stencil and left it to dry before using the sprays.

I sized some photos and converted them to black and white and cut out some stamped images and some vintage images to use for more collage.

The friends sentiment is from Crafty Individuals stamped onto tissue paper and adhered with matte multi medium.

To finish the frame I applied the modelling paste through the harlequin stencil again and used a palette knife to smear on some picket fence crackle paint. Once dry I sanded some areas so that I could then add walnut stain DI.

I kept the 3D embellishments for the frame so that I could leave the glass in.

This was the gift I took my friends we stayed with in California. Luckily they loved it and hung it on the wall right at the bottom of the stairs which are part of the living room.

Challenges to have fun with -

I am adding this as a second piece to the Simon Says Stamp and Show 'Little Paper' challenge.

Sugar Creek Hollow - Clean It Out (Nothing new on this piece, in fact some of it came out of the scrap box lol)

I am looking forward to seeing your altered projects over the next fornight.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday and thanks for looking at such a long post.

hugs {brenda} x0x

New Beginnings at PanPastel UK

Where are the weeks going?  We are more than half way through May and after a prolonged winter, we now have the plants flowering and some bedding in our pots and baskets, but still very little sunshine  It's one of my most favourite times of the year and as the new challenge at PanPastel UK  is 'New Beginnings' I have interpreted that as the time for planting out and beginning new perennials and crops in the garden.

These little seed packets were die-cut using an old spellbinders die and PPs used to colour them in.

The caddy box is a Sizzix die, cut in chipboard and coloured and stamped over Maimeri gesso with PPs.

Some die-cut letters and coloured flowers finish it off.

Your Creativity Store is our regular sponsor and will provide a PanPastel starter set as the winner's prize.

Have a wonderful Sunday and hopefully some creative time for yourself.

Take care.

hugs {brenda} x0x

Using designer paper

This week Simon Says Stamp and Show wants us to use a little paper, so what was the first thing I headed for today on my first day back from holiday? Yep a small paper pack and some fun time creating and making again.

I used 2 sheets from a 6 x 6 MME paper pad called The Station to make a card for my dear hubbie who organised our fabulous vacation in California.

Suplies used -

Stamps - Tim Holtz Simple Sayings, flourish, Tiny Things

Dies - Tim Holtz Pediments

Embossing folder - Tim Holtz Dot Matrix

Distress Markers, Ranger Archival inks, Distress Inks, Distress Crackle Paint, Chitchat Stickers, white acrylic paint.

I folded the DP in half to create the card and because it's double sided it has a lovely patterned inside to it, plus I added two strips to decorate and provide a place for writing the message.

I chose another piece to cut a pediment which was run through the EF and inked with walnut stain and fired brick and rock candy crackle paint swiped over it with a piece cut from an old credit card. 

I also crackled the sentiment, bird image and edges of the card (after I had stamped the flourish all round it).

I stamped the little birds onto heavy weight cartridge paper and watercoloured them using DMs.

The film strip was added to a scrap of TH paper and I also found a scrap old Basic Grey DP which I used for the collage strips.

It's lovely being in the work room again, I did miss it, but of course there were lots of compensations while I was away and I will show you some photos later in the week.

I hope all is well with you my blogging friends and readers and thanks to the new followers who have joined me recently, it is lovely to have so much encouragement and support along the way, I hope you find some inspiration and a reason to come calling again.

Have a wonderful weekend.

hugs {brenda} x0x

Other challenges to have fun with -

Artisitic Stamper - Words

Cards Galore - A Tim Holtz homage

A night of Romance

I have a beautiful new silhouette stamp from Crafty Individuals to show you today. A Night of Romance.

This tag was quite easily made (that sounds as if this didn't take me long to do, but in fact it took me hours of thinking and designing time again!!!), anyway to achieve this effect I blended antique linen over the tag and some peacock feathers DIs. The image was stamped fairly centrally and then I cut a mask to cover the whole design, that then allowed me to continue with the collage theme and I stamped the CIs music, crackle and a text stamp around the edges.

The corner flourish is a new vintage Joy die and I added a few gems to it. The flat backed pearls were alcohol inked to achieve the black finish and my flower is a mixture of Prima and die-cut petals. 

A black gem strip and black ribbon and it's done.

When this post goes live I will be travelling back from my holiday, so catch ya later and have a great weekend.

hugs {brenda} x0x

Rusted architectural habedashery

What ? I hear you asking after reading the title of the post. Well all is revealed.

Supplies -

Stamps - Tim Holtz Classics #2, Haberdashery, Ultimate Grunge, Odds and Ends

Distress EP - walnut stain

DIs - iced spruce, walnut stain, barn door

Black and Vermillion Archival ink

The background was created by smooshing (technical term that!!) the distress stains on the craft mat and swiping the tag through, spritzing with water and drying between layers. The small text and numbers stamps were stamped in iced spruce and then the main images stamped in black.

Now you can see why I called it architectural lol. I have been waiting to use this set of stamps for ages and managed to get a couple of hours just for me.

Because of the feel of this piece I used walnut stain distress EP on the dress form to give it a rusted industrial appeal.

And Ken cut me off a small piece of an old foldaway ruler that I found in a junk shop.

A few more added embellishments including a vintage bingo number again found in an antique place, eh voila.

I must say a warm welcome to all my new followers who have joined me these last few weeks. Thank you for stopping by and sharing this amazing creative journey with me. Unfortunately I can't get across to some if your blogs as they are not showing up in your links. Please let me know where you are so I can come and visit.

Thanks also to my wonderful followers and friends who leave me some amazing comments, including those who have joined me since my Blogworthy Link on Tim's blog, you are such kind people and you provide much encouragement and support. 

Well I am into the last few days of my holiday and spending them lazily round the pool and doing a bit of shopping with my friend Joni. Seems we will be coming back to some cold and miserable weather unless it cheers up by the weekend.

I hope you are all ok and enjoying some crafty time.

hugs {brenda} x0x