You're so beautiful tag

I wanted to create a Valentine themed tag but with an industrial twist and this is the result. 
It's rather difficult to photo but I think you can see the effects.

I have used the faux riveted metal technique as taught us by the great man himself, Tim Holtz, and added dimension using Maimeri modelling paste mixed with some red metallic acrylic paint and applied over a cogs and gears mask using a palette knife.

 I left it to dry while I made the little cherub using the movers and shapers die, painting it with white acrylic paint and walnut stain distress ink for the body and some black and white paint for the wings, then stamping the Crafty Individuals 161 text stamp over it. I covered this with UTEE and sprinkled some glamour dust over the wings. 

I used the same technique for the hearts but used the red metallic paint with the white.  

The butterfly is one of my downloads that I use also covered with embossing powder and I added other accents of black using ribbon, words and a scrap of Tim's vintage lace die-cut. Don't you just love that cute little heart? It's available from the Craft's Too Vintage Selection along with some fabulous keys, available at The Art of Craft. It's well worth taking a look at this range, the embellishments are such good value.   

I hope your week is going well and that you have been able to take advantage of more crafting time.See you soon and thanks so much for visiting me and looking at what I create, I love to know who has popped by so if you have a moment please stop and say hello. Thank you to all the new followers who have joined me lately I hope you find some inspiration here, please leave me a message if you are a new follower with a link to your blog so that I can come and say hello to you too.     Hope you are getting inky this week.   Hugs {brenda} x0x Challenges to have fun with -Try It on Tuesday - Valentine with at least one heart              Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes    Stampotique - Whatever makes you happy - lots here for that - tags, distress, sparkle, butterfly and happy hearts. Sugar Creek Hollow - Lots of layers (metal, alcohol inks, paint, modelling paste, die-cuts, words) I hope that's enough lol).    

Seeing Stars at PanPastel UK

The challenge this week at PanPastel UK focused me into thinking about celestial stars as well as those famous people of cinema and scene and I immediately turned to my brand new set of Artistic Outpost stamps called Picture Star. I am pleased that I will be able to join in the AO referral programme for this month which is Anything Goes (but you must use AO stamps).

1. Ran a piece of card through stars embossing folder then blended over with red and brown PPs.

2. Stamped stars with embossing ink and blended red PPs over. Sprayed all with gold spray and sparkle.

3. Stamped images and text with coffee archival ink. Blended PPs over the top and sprayed with colourless fixative.

4. Assembled pieces and mounted onto brown card.

An easy card for you to try this week, hope you like it.

Come and be star struck by the DT pieces and join the fun, see if you can win the trial set of pans from our sponsor, Your Creativity Store.

Happy Sunday and have a great week ahead.

hugs {brenda} x0x

Share Some Love at FSC

Yes with the build up to Valentine's Day we are asking you to share some love at Fashionable Stamping Challenges, and in more ways than one. Firstly we would love to see your current Valentine or Love project (don't forget it must include 'real' stamping as the main part of your project) and secondly we are asking all our entrants to share some love by commenting on the person who entered the challenge before them. Great fun eh?

Joanna and I are sharing the hostess spot for the new challenge at Fashionable Stamping Challenges today and we have kept this title open so that you can enter not only Valentine projects, but any other design that shows you are sending or giving someone your love.

I stuck with a Valentine for my dear hubbie, but have not used red!!

I wanted to do a tutorial for this card, unfortunately time ran out, but I think you could call this a mini tut as the photos and my explanation should be enough for you to re-create your own should you wish to. This is my version of a shadow box card.

This gives you the template to make for yourself, should you want to.

I have used vintage photo, walnut stain, frayed burlap and brushed corduroy distress inks with biscotti perfect pearls mist to create the backings. 

Can you see what stamps I have bought? .... yes the Mini Blueprints 2 (and 3 lol) and used the '14' and 'love' on the front 

but also a sentiment from Wendy Vecchi's 'Love to make Art' set behind. 

I cut the word Love from a mover and shaper to make my own stencil and used vintage photo and a brown pen to create that centre piece. 

As you can see cupid is chasing the hearts which seem to be floating away and I used some ribbed card and a couple of oddments for the other hearts. These were all also dipped in the distress ink and perfect pearls to keep the continuity of colours and shimmer.

The box was made by deciding how big I wanted the frame to be, in this case 13 1/2 cms and then I added 2 cms to each side. I used my Score Pal to score the outside two lines, 1 cm apart. I cut each corner, as show above, so that these would all fold back and create tabs to adhere the corners together and create some strength.

Ken doesn't look at my blog so he won't see this until Valentine day.

WE have a Guest Designer at FSC today and I am happy to say it is my sister Chris, who has just started a blog. Thanks Sis for joining us today and sharing your fabulous projects. If you would like to see what she is making at the moment you can find her at Imagination and Inspiration, and although she has crafted for years this her first venture into blogland and is still learning the ropes LOL.

I had another fabulous day yesterday with the amazing Andy Skinner and a continuation of the technique workshops at the Stamp Attic. When I have finished all five and got a book of techniques, I might be able to show you some of what we are doing. But there will not be a finished project to show.

Have a great Sunday, thanks for being part of my artistic journey and visiting, I really appreciate reading your comments.

Hugs {brenda} x0x

What are you known for?

I like to join in with the Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge when I can and this week the theme really caught my attention and although I find it difficult to decide what I could be known for I know what my favourites are and I guess that's probably what others would say about me. That is vintage, shabby chic, distressing and all things Tim, and of course my favourite sewing theme. So combining what I could of these I found a box to alter and went for it, wanting to make myself somewhere to keep some of my little vintage bits and pieces of threads and spools etc.

Have I whet your appetite?

This is the box I started with, yes it is real and its what my sunglasses came in a couple of years ago. I have to say I got them for an extremely good price at the time.

I started by dipping all the sides in distress inks, keeping them light as I didn't want to make this piece too grungy.  

Then I made a start on the panel to go on top of the lid. More distress inks, masks and clear embossing powder.

But look what new stamps popped through the post box this week, oh yes the wonderful sewing blueprint stamps from Mr Tim Holtz himself, they are just divine - and I was so naughty I bought the minis as well.

I used the Alphabetical strip die that I bought when I was with Terry in California last August.

The cotton reel labels are ones that I scanned and printed off.

... and a close up of the blueprint dress form. It's fabulous. I stamped it over the top of the embossing and used distress markers to colour it in.

I die-cut a spellbinders border to go round the box and sewed the edge of it before attaching.

Well I hope that those of you who know me would think of me this way.

As I have 'spruced this box up' it gives me another chance to play at the Frilly and Funkie challenge blog too; Happy Daze have a recycling theme this month and Marjie has kindly reminded me that Eclectic Paperie want altered boxes.

Happy Friday. Thanks for visiting me and taking a peek at my project today. I hope it inspires you to alter a box and make something useful that you can keep things in.

Have fun.

hugs {brenda} x0x

Eclectic Elements - All things Parisienne

The Paris Issue of Unruly PaperArts Blogozine this month has been focusing on all things Parisienne and inspired me to use an old perfume bottle to alter. 

My dear hubbie took me to Paris last March for my birthday and my memories of this beautiful city influenced what I used to embellish it.

I would love it if you joined me at UPA to see what I used to achieve this vintage look from a modern 'Eternity' perfume bottle.



hugs {brenda} x0x

Challenges to have fun with -
Frilly and Funkie - Spruce it Up
Craft Room Challenge - Monochrome (not sure if the girls will think this will count, but thought I would try it anyway).
Happy Daze - Recycle

Paris Exposition Tag

I had a bit of time on Saturday between hair cuts, craft room shopping and going out in the evening and I made this tag using new Artistic Outpost stamps, Paris Exposition, acquired before Christmas. I want to enter The Artistic Outpost Referral Program, which this month is Anything Goes and I am just gonna make the 'Follow Your Muse' challenge over at Frilly and Funkie as that's what I did and that's where I got the stamps from too, Linda's great Funkie Junkie boutique.

Background dipped in distress inks, stamped over with archival black then used watercolour pencils to colour in some of the images. 

Inked the edge of the tag with vintage photo then covered the whole thing with embossing ink and thick embossing crystals  Did this part of the process twice then put the tag in the fast freeze. After about half an hour I took it out and cracked it and rubbed over with vintage photo. This makes the colours look so bright but aged with the cracks in it. 

Finished it off by stamping some of the text stamps from the same set, colouring them with zig watercolour pens and the watercolour pencils again, washed over them with water and distressed the edges. Completed with some vintage gold thread, some ribbon and charms.

I just love these Artistic Outpost stamps, they give such a clear image and are great fun to work with.

Other Challenges to have fun with -

Sugar Creek Hollow - Tic tac Toe  - I have taken the middle line Embossing Ribbon, Distressing

Vintage Stamping Challenges - Vintage
Anything but a card - Tie It

Harlequin Dreams for Crafty Individuals

Another collage style card for Jean at Crafty Individuals.

I stamped the harlequin stamp four times to create the background then used the CI gothic door stamp on some basic grey paper and die cut the Crafty Individuals Lacewing Butterfly. 

Not sure if you can see the Treasure Gold I rubbed on the butterfly and painted with my water brush on the door.

With a strip from one of the CI background paper books, some dictionary paper, and a pen nib,it just all came together.

Well alot of our snow melted yesterday but it's been really cold overnight. I hope it isn't too slippery out there and I hope you are safe and warm if you have been affected by it.

Take care.

hugs {brenda} xox

Sewing Notions for Crafty Individuals

Here is a fun piece for Jean at CI.

I used CI - 328 Sewing Notions stamp set.

I started the design for this card after finding Heather Jacob's blog - Art and Life. I found her work very inspiring and I am sure it influenced the style and direction I took for this card. If you love arty layouts and gorgeous embellishments you will love perusing her posts.
....................................................................

The background for my card was stamped with cash receipt, tape measure and the button card in black archival and stamped over with white acrylic paint and bubble wrap. I used various pieces of brown and kraft card, some stamped, others just inked. As the theme is sewing I just had to use the sewing machine, (but I really must get it serviced and checked).

The sewing machine image was stamped over some green design paper I had and coloured with prisma colour pencils.

I made the needle pack label into a little ticket and made the pocket stamping the scissors over the top again I used prisma colours on it.

The hessian stamp is an oldie, but very effective.

The buttons were painted with white acrylic and some also added to the white muslin.

This little tag I made got a bit lost under the image, but was quite pretty. I am sure I will make more of these for collages.

 I have a very old splatter stamp that I used with white acrylic paint to get the effect over the little tape measure and here's another little button painted as well.

You can
 also see the cash receipt stamp used again on some green card.

You know I just love sewing themes so this was great fun to do. 

hugs {brenda} x0x