Chunky Steam Train Tag for Crafty Individuals

I was rather pleased with the effects of this tag card using the Chunky Steam Train Tag image, one of the brand new releases from Crafty Individuals.

I am trying to use up some of my paper stacks and loved the map design for the backing to create a tag card.

The main image was watercoloured using a Tim Holtz water brush and vintage photo, weathered wood, black soot and frayed burlap distress inks.

The dark kraft card was covered with a text mask, inked through with walnut stain distress ink and covered with clear embossing powder and heated to give this cool text effects.

The 'Wishes' sentiment (another one of the latest releases) was stamped in antique linen distress paint and when perfectly dry I blended vintage photo and frayed burlap distress inks over it then edged it with walnut stain., wiping the inks gentle from the stamped image to reveal the lighter design.

The background paper is from the DCWV Trade Winds 12 x 12 paper stack and I used a clock stamp and ticket stamps from CI to bridge the focal images.

I also added an old natural rusted key, you can see the number on it.

Have a wonderful week and hopefully some time to get your hands inky.

hugs Benda xx

Make A Wish – Wallflower card for CVC

This is card three in my Wallflower collection (one more to come) and I just adore the colours on this one – in fact I know exactly the person who will receive this for his birthday later in the year, he loves his birds (the feathered ones that is) so this fits perfectly.

Again I have used a 6 x 6 cut from a 12 x 12 from The Wallflower paper stash and I also used Tim’s new Courtyard Framework die, although there’s not much of it left to see, it just peeps out from behind the love sentiment.

Other supplies used -

Spellbinders die from my supplies

Movers and shapers LOVE die

Cash Key

Stamps – simple sayings

Tim Holtz paper string

Feathers, rusted heart wings and raffia from my supplies

I would love it if you popped over to see the card in fuller detail over at Country View Crafts Updates blog.

Thank you for stopping by today.

Have a wonderful; weekend.

hugs Brenda xx

Nature’s Beauty 2 – Crafty Individuals

A beautiful World

The challenge at Crafty Individuals is at full swing and I have produced a bright little card and process steps for you today. This mini tutorial has already been shown on the Crafty Individuals blog.

1. Place doily stencil on tag and apply distress paints (festive berries, spun sugar, picket fence) using blending foam and dry.

2. With tumbled glass, spun sugar and milled lavender distress inks blend colours over the whole piece and then mist with water and dry again.

3. Apply tumbled glass through the latticework stencil using an ink blending tool.

4. Lay the schoolhouse stencil on the card and spray with a glimmer mist or re-inker mist that you have made up yourself. (I used one I had already made up a while ago - sorry don’t know the colour).

5. I then cut the decorated piece to fit a C6 card and stamped the birdcage and roses image (CI-320) centrally using black archival ink.

6. Stamp it once more on plain white card and cut out the cage and bird, ink them both with distress inks and edge with walnut stain.

8. Find a scrap of patterned paper that fits the colouring of your design and die-cut ‘Victoria Corner’ twice.

I knew I wanted the little bird and flourishes but it didn’t fit my corners as I wanted it to so I cut both down to find the bits I could piece together to balance my design. Then inked the pieces with walnut stain distress ink.

10. Distress and ink the edges of your card and assemble the pieces together.

12. Embellish with whatever else you may have in your supplies that would fit the design and the theme. I used remnant rubs and chit-chat stickers.

I hope to see you over at Crafty Individuals with your nature projects.

Spring has sprung and I am getting excited as next week we are off to sunny California and onto Hawaii for 16 days. It’s a special treat to ourselves for our ruby wedding anniversary. Do you think I might run into Steve McGarrett?

Take care.

hugs Brenda xx

Spring Flowers at A Vintage Journey

What better with these lighter evenings and the weather warning up than to think of all the lovely Spring flowers that are now in bloom and it’s thanks to the lovely Jennie for this challenge at A Vintage Journey.

I’m still using the Wallflower stash and have used it for the gorgeous patterned background together with some Tim Holtz ephemera which I think are from the Thrift Shop set.

I also used the lovely papers to cut the sentiment label from a spellbinders die and used the hashtag stamps.

The gorgeous trellis frameworks die was cut from some textured bazill paper and the clock is from another of Tim’s paper packs..

I used the tattered florals garland die with some smooth cartridge paper and distress paints to make and colour the flowers and leaves.

The numbers are also cut from Tim’s papers, I just cut and keep bits like this in a small box so I can add them to projects when they fit in. can you also see the tiny eggs?

I hope you will join us at A Vintage Journey – you don’t have to use Tim’s products to join in, just use a vintage/shabby/mixed-media/journaling style and tell us what it is of Tim’s that has inspired you, for me this time round my Tim inspiration is his products, but it could be one of his projects, tags or techniques another time.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by today. Have a great weekend.

hugs Brenda xx

April Tim Tag

Yay I’ve got my Tim tag for this month done in plenty of time.

I followed Tim’s process pretty much to a T except I used rusty hinge distress paint with walnut stain distress ink for the background …..

…. and I added three flowers with antique linen distress glitter..

I just adore the trellis framework die and I coloured mine in broken china adding different inserts like Tim showed us including a hessian one. (Top tip here - lightly spread some wet glue over the hessian you want to die cut to make it stiff so that it doesn't fall to pieces when you die-cut it. My favourite general wet glue is Evo-Stik wood adhesive from B&Q, it dries clear and is very strong).

The mottled effect of the spritzed distress ink over the distress paint is fabulous.

With rusty hinge and broken china distress inks for the ribbon and a philosophy tag with antique linen paint to colour in the words, it's finished - oh apart from some coloured twine and string through the tag hole..

I have to say I really loved making this tag and going back to the pinecone die to make the roses.

Have you made yours yet?

Linking this to Tim's blog for the April 12 tags of 2014.

hugs Brenda xx

The Chemist’s Concoctions leads to exciting new discovery

Hello everyone - I am writing this post to schedule for tomorrow and it's gorgeous sunshine outside, so wonderful to have the windows and doors open.

I thought I would use a couple of the gelli prints using distress inks for this collaged piece, just to show you a couple I made at the workshop I taught a few weeks ago which lead to my Destination Inspiration tutorial (here).

I’ve used The Chemist stamp set, Laboratorie paper stash, a quote and other stamped elements all by Tim Holtz.

Gelli print made with distress inks and scrunched paper to create texture.

Another gelli print made in the same way but with spritz and flick water and ink over it.

The paper from the laboratorie stack was altered by giving it a coat of watery gesso then some splatters and drips of vintage photo distress ink.

I collected together some  stamped and die-cut elements including a ruler I made using the faux leather technique.

The chemist equipment laid out on the table was painted using distress inks and a water brush.

The apothecary bottle was given two coats of embossing powder, the first in silver and the second in clear, the labels came from the little labels set of stamps.

The mini inkwell and feather ….

… and a pertinent quote.

This has been put in my collage journal.


Well it's Friday today, I am going to pick up my friend Astrid from the airport later and we are off to Ally Pally both Saturday and Sunday, catching up with some wonderful crafty friends and no doubt spending a few pounds as well. If you are going to AP see you there if not have a wonderful weekend whatever you have planned.

hugs Brenda xx

Thinking of You – Wallflower card for CVC

This is my second card using one of the four 6 x 6 pieces cut from a 12 x 12 page from Tim’s wonderful Wallflower paper stash.

I just had to follow the theme of the gorgeous yellow and pink roses in the background. More photos and details are available on the Country View Updates blog

Products include -

Wallflower paper stash

Spring Greenery and bow tied strip dies

movers and shapers arch die

Stamps – simple sayings and tiny things

Distress Inks – peeled paint, forest moss, walnut stain

Distress paint – frayed burlap, walnut stain (on the bird)

Treasure Copper

metal bird from my supplies

Hope your week is going well.

hugs Brenda xx

Nature’s Beauty – Crafty Individuals

Forest Butterflies

There is a new challenge started over at Crafty Individuals and this month we want you to get thinking about all the beauty there is in nature, so this can take you in so many directions.

I seem to be well into the fresh green colours for Spring and this is no exception. The background was made by stamping the  beautiful butterfly trio (CI-347) with picket fence distress paint and then blended with mowed lawn, tumbled glass and squeezed lemonade DIs. It was then spritz and flicked, dried and then dipped in peacock feathers, pine needles and mustard seed DIs and dried. There is some lovely graduation and mixing of colours to create this very forest look.

To create the leafy edges I used the small leaf garland border die by Tim Holtz putting it through the Big Shot about 5 times at different angles then carefully blended forest moss over the raised areas, now it was beginning to create the effects I was looking for.

Using my water brush I coloured in the white butterflies with some of the distress inks to give them a little more depth.

I stamped another set of butterflies using black archival ink on white card and coloured them also with the water brush and DIs.

Finally I finished with some petaloo flowers that I edged with walnut stain and some punched leaves.

I love these little creatures fluttering through the undergrowth.

Hopefully we will see all you nature inspired projects over at Crafty Individuals, you only have to use one CI product to be eligible to enter.

Have a great day

hugs Brenda xx