Birthday Tag

I didn’t get to make my hubbie a birthday card this year and he’d had his present a little while ago – a garden camera for capturing stills and video of the wildlife in the garden, so instead I decided to put together a vintage tag for him.

Background is spritz and flick and then I’ve added lots of little bits and pieces many of which were just laying around my desk or in little plastic boxes (you know the bits you save just in case lol). The one tiny heart was punched from an oddment of card given Tim's rusted enamel treatment.

A strip of paper from a workshop card I am in the process of designing, a small oddment of tissue wrap, the film strip left over from I don’t know where. Part of one of the District Market tags I was keeping, the crown stamped when I made my take on Tim’s July tag and a tab I cut from the tiny tabs and tags last week.

The strip of patterned paper was inked, covered with multi medium and dipped in rock candy dry glitter.

The frame cut from corrugated card some while ago as was the sentiment, the vintage photo from Tim’s paper stash again left from another project and mounted on a vial label.

The key and nib from my supplies. Some remnant rubs and chit-chat stickers.

Phew just got it made in time.

Happy Birthday Ken.

I’ll be back again tomorrow with my make for the new challenge at Country View Challenges and again on Friday for the start of the second challenge at Crafts-Too Challenge You (C2CU), what a busy week.

Enjoy the rest of the week. I am off to Lanzarote tomorrow with all the family for two weeks in the hot sun.

Thanks for visiting and sharing in my projects.

hugs {brenda} x0x

Cabinet Card for Tim’s Tag July 2013

This is my representation for Tim’s tag this month and it really challenged me. I think my creative thought processes are slowing down as I spent two weeks on both playing and creating till I am now happy with this version.

I love the brayered background, but this is my third go at it. I think I have mastered it as I have started a tag too and this layer went on first time. Here I have used the cabinet die and layered over the cabinet die frame made with the small cabinet card movers and shapers die.

I considered all the elements in Tim’s tag, the theme, the techniques, the colours, the materials, the design etc., etc. and included them in my creative processes.

I also used the small easel die to ensure it stood up well and I used greyboard for all the elements so that it is sturdy.

Here you can see the baked porcelain on the frame, the red and blue which is synonymous of both the Union Jack and American flag and therefore the close links between our two countries. The stars stamped alongside the tissue tape, the ‘thank you’ sentiment for all people who serve our country both here and abroad and also for Tim who provides constant inspiration in my now totally creative life, the stencil clip depicting number one for that’s what he is and the Union Jack stamps to represent our wonderful country.

But having taken the photos (many more than are here) I really felt something was missing and I added two more things to it.

The crown, although slightly larger than I wanted, but again as a representation of Tim but more-so a thank you for our hard working Queen and family and a congratulatory symbol for the birth of our new royal baby George Alexander Louis born to Prince William and Kate on Monday 22nd July.

The other addition is the gold (Treasure Gold) added to the metal pieces and around the edge of the cabinet card.

Here you can see the glorious mix of red, white and blue.

Thanks Tim for another awesome tag, now I am looking forward to seeing the one for August and meeting you too. I have been so lucky as not only am I doing the Thursday workshop I have also been given a place on the Wednesday of that week which is the retail day. At last my opportunity to be taught by the king of grunge and then I will definitely have met my goals for this year. 
If you would like to see Tim's tag it is on his blog in all it's glory, or click the link from my sidebar.

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend. 

hugs {brenda} x0x

Decades at ‘Crafts-Too Challenge You’ week 4

My last project this month for C2CU is a card that uses an image from the Marianne 1950’s pack but actually I think these young ladies reflect young children in the late 1890’s, the Victorian era.

The theme is decade/era and 3+ layers and from the kraft card to the image I have seven if you count the little music pennant at the side.

The flowers are those white paper ones you can buy in a bag and they have been dipped in distress inks and pearls added to the centres. The buttons were originally blue but I altered them by dabbing them with antique linen distress paint, stippling alcohol ink over and then again covering them with the distress paint and heat drying until I was happy with the colour

The butterfly is computed generated again dipped in distress inks and edged with stickles.

I was going to colour the whole image but once I had done the faces I thought I would leave it there to add more interest to the focal point, keeping it light and contrasting with the background papers. I like the girls mounted on the hessian and doily, it adds extra texture.

If you have a project that relates to a decade or era in history and has more than three layers we would love to see it at C2CU.

Have a great weekend.

hugs {brenda} x0x

Bundle Book Winner

It was such a surprise and a pleasure to have so many people enter my Give-Away for the little Bundle Book I made. A huge thank you to followers and readers for being with me on this journey and for sharing in the creative process.

I used Random Org to choose the winner who is .......

No:44 Marjie Kemper

Thanks Marjie for taking part in the fun and if you email me your address I will get it into the post for you.

brenda_brown25@hotmail.com

I hope you are having a good week everyone.

See you here tomorrow for my next post.

hugs {brenda} x0x

Summer Sizzler 3 at Country View Challenges

More summer garden fun from me for my last DT piece for our Summer Sizzler themed challenge at Country View Crafts. What a great challenge it has been. This is one of the samples I made at the PaperArtsy training day a couple of weeks back, once I got home I finished it off by making it into a card.

I used the crackle glaze and Jofy stamps – a simple design stamped over the crackle background and painted with FF paints.

I added the words when I got back, distressed the edges and added it to a tall kraft card which has been text stamped at the top and bottom. 

The paper bunting and pennants at the side were pieces of scrap design papers from my left overs box.

Don’t forget this challenge finishes soon, we would love to see any more of your entries before the end of the month.
Don't forget my Give-Away closes this wednesday, so this is the last chance to get your name on the Linky list if you want to try out for the little hand made book.

I hope you are able to take time to smell the flowers this week.

Take care.

hugs {brenda} x0x

PaperArtsy Tulip board

Using one of the layered painty backgrounds from the PaperArtsy day I attended a while ago, I have used Lin Brown’s tulip stamp to create the focal image. The stem is a chipboard piece provided by Leandra and the tulip was cut ready for us I just had to decorate it using FF paints and some stamping.

The background was made by a process Leandra calls ‘splat, splat rub’ using opaque Fresco Finish paints. Over this I randomly stamped some text using and the collaged word  ‘reflections’ using a set by Sara Naumann.

With the toad hall FF paint left over from the stamping I mixed in some grungepaste and used a new stencil which I think reflects Lin Brown’s stamps beautifully. I brushed white-fire treasure gold over the top when it was dry.

You can see the dimension created in the flower using TH grungepaper and some shine from the TG over the stencilling and around the edge of the board.

To finish off I stamped the sentiment from Lin’s art in bloom set and cut it up.
I mounted it onto some wire and made it into a hanging.

I am so glad I got this finished today so that I can enter it into the Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge – ‘Good to be Green’.

I hope you’ve had a wonderful weekend. The sun came back out early afternoon and it’s been glorious again. Just like Lanzarote weather – which is where we usually go to guarantee some sun.

Take care and have a great week ahead.

hugs {brenda} x0x

Gridlocked Time

The title just popped into my head and made me wonder what it really meant. Can you have gridlocked time? I don’t know – gridlock usually refers to traffic that can’t move and came from the concept of it being in a grid. Wikipedia gives a description and also says – “the term has been applied to situations in other fields where flow is stalled by excess demand, or in which competing interests prevent progress”.

I wanted to find some time to join in SanDee and amelie’s RUST challenge, so oranges and rusty colours were in my head, rather grungy this time round.   So here is my gridlocked Time Traveller (Tim Holtz Time Traveller set), stamped onto gridded kraft card and painted with distress inks and a little picket fence distress paint. He looks quite white (more-so irl) where the flow of time has slowed him down and he is struggling with the need to move into the next point of time but has been caught in the geometry of space that prevents him moving on.

The tag is one from my box that was used to mop up inks from a previous project and I have added some coloured grunge paste through a mask and the stamped cogs.

The clock charm has been treated to dabs of metallic DPs and stains which were heated to bake them together, giving them a real rusty look..

The nib is one from my box of vintage nibs I collect and the little bottle had some black soot and spiced marmalade DPs dripped into it. The pennants are ribbed card inked and then clear embossed with bronzed mica fragments added

Seam binding was stamped with the cogs and inked and painted with DIs and DPs. Whoops didn't get a photo of that.

I wonder if this Time Traveller will get back into the spacetime he needs to.

Thanks for taking the time to visit, I hope you are having a great weekend, although I am missing the sunshine already in the UK, it’s really cloudy today here in Surrey. We are having a BBQ tonight, I just hope the weather holds, although rain isn’t forecast.

Have a great evening yourself.

hugs {brenda} x0x

Other challenges to have fun with

Craft Room - Vintage Stamping

Decades at ‘Crafts-Too Challenge You’ week 3

Today sees a slight change to the challenge theme at C2CU, for the last 2 weeks it’s been choose your era or decade and anything goes, but from this week you still choose the decade/era but this time you need to have 3 or more layers on your projects.

To me this image reflects the Victorian age when young girls sat with their mothers and grandmothers and learned to sew.

From the tag to the image there are five layers on my tag and three of these have been painted, inked and/or stamped, I felt the arch gave a nice shape to mount the girl on.

She looks so comfortable doesn’t she, with her feet on the pouffe?

I had a flower left over from a previous project that fitted nicely and used some music paper and a Martha Stewart border. The sentiment is computer generated.

Hope you will be able to join us this week.

hugs {brenda} x0x

Pocket Card Workshop

I designed and created this card for a recent workshop, it can be used for a special occasion or as a little gift for someone.

When you open the card there are two pockets made to hold tags and these could be a greeting for a friend, messages for a special occasion or photos that can be given to someone as an unusual gift. In fact I made one for a very good friend and one her daughter who has just had a baby and inserted an M&S gift card.

I used a new (to me) Artistic Outpost stamp from the ‘Generation Redux’ plate and watercoloured it using distress inks and mounted this onto dark green card. A simple border and strip of patterned paper ground the image and some dip dyed DI string and a key charm are the only embellishments. The sentiment is computer generated.

Inside I used the same pattern paper for the background as I used on the front and two triangles of blue card make the pockets.

Again some simple embellishments using music score and cut out printed images.

The tags were given the wrinkle free distress treatment and some stamps added leaving spaces for messages and/or photos.
I'm entering this into the July Artistic Outpost Referral Program with an anything goes theme.

I hope you are enjoying this wonderful heat wave if you are in the UK. We have the BBQ on, the garden decorated and the umbrellas and gazebos up, the paddling pool is out for the little ones and now just awaiting family and friends to join us, including Joni and Leo from California.

Have a great day.

hugs {brenda} x0x

Decades at ‘Crafts-Too Challenge You’ Week 2

My contribution today over at C2CU is a tag pocket made from a Ranger size 12 manila tag. I so love the distress paints and this background has been made using victorian velvet, antique linen and walnut stain.

As you can see the tag was folded so I could see exactly where to do the next layers which included stencilling with gesso, stamping with distress inks, laying picket fence crackle paint over some of the edges and when fully dry spraying with dylusions white linen spray. With such a small amount of stamping I am entering this into the challenge at Simon Says Stamp and Show called 'A little stamping'.

I put the pocket together and added various images and stamped ephemera.

Plus a small pair of scissors and thread card from Maya Road that were covered with antique linen DP, the scissors then given the Treasure Gold treatment and the card stamped with coffee archival.

The ladies are from the 1950’s paper pack by Marianne Designs.

This pocket is going to be a place for me to keep some of my sewing ephemera and left over stamped images from projects.

The word Treasure is a rub-on.

Hopefully you will have something you can link to the Decades theme at C2CU this week. It’s anything goes with any era or decade you like to choose, but the twist changes next week so beware.

Thanks for stopping by my post today. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

hugs {brenda} x0x

Other challenges to have fun with -
Creative Stamp Friends - Tag
The Craft Room - Vintage Stamping