Mini Canvases - Anything Tim for The Stamp Man

Hi Everyone

It's Friday and another new challenge starting at The Stamp Man. It is Jill who is the host this week and of course she has chosen a Tim Holtz theme.

I decided to follow on with mini canvases after making that fabulous frame with Lyn at her workshop. This time there is more of a shabby chic style to it.

The larger canvas has been sprayed and inked with masks after it had been painted with acrylics.

The smaller canvases have been treated in different ways.

This one has been covered with music paper then glazed with a coating of multi medium matte and some shimmery household paint mixed in.

Another covered with TH paper then inked, painted and gessoed.

The third covered with tissue tape and covered with Old Gold and Rubb and Buff metal paints.

I have used Ideology embellishments, metal corners and other bits and pieces from my box of bits. I have also been playing with making and using moulds and fimo clay. The little frozen charlotte doll has been made using one from the Ideaology set - this way it has a flat back and is great for mounting on your work. I have to thank Lucy for showing me how to do it, she has a great collection of pieces that she has made herself.

Now there is a surprise with one of the canvases - inside is a photo of my daughter Maddie and my granddaughter Becca. As they both love stars, I have altered 2 glass ones using fresco paint and crackle glaze.  See? I have just realised I was going to rub some metal rub into the tissue paper to colour it and haven't done that. Must go and finish it off.

Supplies
Acrylic paints of various kinds.
Masks - Tim Holtz flourish and Spellbinders floral stone impressabilities.
DIs - weathered wood, worn lipstick
Papers - Tim Holtz - crowded attic and shabby vintage.
Tim Holtz die - heart wings.
Alcohol inks - silver mixative, pink sherbert
Glimmer Mist - watermelon

Do you like the way I have hinged the canvas and it opens out?

I hope you will join in with the Stamp Man challenge this fortnight, we would love to see what you make. Don't forget there is a £10.00 voucher to spend at The Stamp Man on-line shop for the winner, so what are you waiting for? There are still alot of bargains at the moment due to Jill's move, but they won't be around for ever.

Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping by and to those who leave me such lovely comments, I love to read them and I appreciate the time you take to do this.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Challenges to have fun with -
Clear it out - Wings (metal butterfly)
Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes
Alter it Monthly - Valley of the dolls

One, Two, Three

That's a song title isn't it? One, two, three - oh heck, I just had to look it up cos it's in my head now. Yep, 1-2-3 by Len Barry - sorry really showing my age now.

1-2-3, oh, that's how elementary it's gonna be
C'mon, let's fall in love, it's easy (it's so easy)
Like takin' candy (like takin' candy) from a baby.

Anyway onto more important business. 1-2-3 is the theme this week at Crafts4Eternity and I have gone Claudine Hellmuth style for this. I created a tag by masking, inking, sticking and stamping and then covered it with gesso. On top I have added 3 stamped and inked houses, 2 shrink plastic bluebirds, coloured with alcohol inks and 1 bottle top sun. A few rays and a map base for the houses finished it off.

Do pop over to see more details and inspiration from the C4E design team and enjoy the rest of the day.

Thanks as always for stopping by.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Challenges to have fun with -
The Artistic Stamper - Use hot colours
By the Cute and Girly - Things with wings
The Craft Garden - Use a bird
Try it on - Birds and bees (I only have birds - does that count?)
Art Impressions - Show me the bird
Crafts and Me - Summertime
Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes
City Crafter - Let the sunshine in
Clear It Out - Wings
My time to craft - Bird watcher
Paper Minutes - Houses
Tuesday Throwdown - Fun in the sun
The Crazy Challenge - Summertime
Creative Stamp Friends - Summer

Alcohol Ink challenge at The Stamp Man

Hi Everyone

Just an ultra quick post to let you know that there is an alcohol ink challenge at the Stamp Man which will close tomorrow night. I know these are a specialised product but if you have been getting inky with these please don't forget to enter soon as the linky collection closes at 9.00 pm tomorrow night. There is a £10.00 voucher up for grabs to spend at The Stamp Man on-line store where there are lots of bargains at the moment.

The next challenge starts Friday morning and Jill is hosting, come back to see what I have been making.

Here are some sneak peeks.

Tempted?

I hope so.

Have a fabulous evening - I am off out to have something to eat with a couple of friends from my old school. It's lovely to catch up with them.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Pastels for Divas by Design

Hi All

Half way through July, the schools will soon be breaking up for the summer holidays and summer is well and truly upon us. Yikes these months are slipping past so fast.

This is my design card for the Divas by Design challenge and we want to see all those lovely pastel colours. Do pop over to the blog to see all the wonderful creations made by my fabulously talented teamies.

I have a vintage shabby creation for you today. It is one of the styles I love and haven't done too much of it this year, but I so enjoyed doing this one. I used 3 different papers for the background which have been sewn together. The image was downloaded from the Graphics Fairy and I added it to another paper and sewed round part of it just for effect. The shabby bow i made using 2 different coloured ribbons and added a button. Some lace, mini butterflies, a flower and a sentiment I made in Word finish it off.

This sentiment is oh so true, always has been for me and has always been my philosophy as a teacher.

Enjoy the rest of your week.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Challenges to have fun with -
Simon Says Stamp and Show - Stitching
My Time To Craft - Bird watcher
Tuesday Throwdown - Fun in the sun
The Crazy Challenge - Summertime
Creative Stamp Friends - Summer
Daisy Doodles - Summer
Paper Playtime - Summer
Stamps and Fun - lace
Dream Valley - Summer
Crafty Emmas - One image, two ribbons, three DPs.

Woo Hoo - Simon Says Stamp and Show Top 3

Hi Everyone    

I can't believe that I have got a Top 3 place at Simon Says Stamp and Show, this was for my steampunk alcohol inks card. I am sooo excited and am waiting for the blinkie to put on my blog, but I feel it is a great achievement and a huge thanks to Linda and the team.

I haven't been about in blogland much this week, in fact I haven't been making much either. Two reasons - firstly I am really pleased to say that I have got some work for the autumn term. I have been approached by some of the schools I have been working with over the past 4 years and will be doing some work with them, but I have also taken on a short term contract for 3 days a week to be the interim headteacher of a small primary school in Oxfordshire. I have been to visit a couple of times and spent some time with the staff and meeting parents. I just need to meet the children now. It is a school I know so I am very much looking forward to being there. So I am going to be very busy with work after August and probably won't have the time to create, make and blog, but I will pop in and see people as often as I can. Where I am on design teams I am already trying to get ahead of myself to keep them going, but I may be asking for a sabbatical - we will see!!!!      The second reason for not being around is that somehow I got a stomach upset which laid me low and in fact I spent one day in bed which is really not like me - but I feel better again today and had the grandchildren yesterday which didn't wear me out too much.

So this morning I have spent a bit of time at my workbench and made this for this week's challenge at SSSS and it is ready and will be entered with only a few hours to go. But I am glad I got there.

A different shaped tag for a change, inked and stamped over. I then added the 13 red card made from a TH stamp and added a TH flourish using one from the grungeboard stripes elements. I also used the playing cards stamp from Art Impressions using stazon on tissue paper sprayed with adirondack colour wash stains. the little black plate is a plastic one and I used a white pen to write on LUCKY (cos 13 is my lucky number) and stamped over it with a text stamp and fresco finish old gold paint. Other little bits added to finish it off and eh voila.

 I hope you are manaing to find a bit of crafting time and enjoying the weekend. Thanks for stopping by today.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Chocolate and Cream for C4E

Hi Everyone

This is my second card as Guest Designer for July for Crafts 4 Eternity. The theme this week is Chocolate and Cream and I went for the colours using my Kanban papers again, but this time I used an image that I downloaded sometime ago (and sorry I can't remember where from).

I followed the sketch at Create4fun and used the Cricut and a MS edge punch. I used one of those very mini tags you can buy in large stationers and wrote 'Someone Special' on it myself.

I hope you like this simple vintage card.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Workshop Frame

Good evening Everyone

Just a quick post from me before the family come round for dinner. Firstly I wanted to show you  the fabulous frame I made at LBCrafts yesterday where my sister and I went and I also met up with the lovely Sue who is a teamie on The Stamp Man DT. Mine is the green one and the pink one belongs to Chris, my sister. We had a great day with Lin, who coached us through all the work needed to produce these gorgeous creations.

This was the group, minus me of course as I was taking the photo. Sue is in the top right hand corner, Chris is in the middle.

My frame.

Chris's frame.

We all had the same elements to use but came up with something slightly different.

Secondly I have been to the stamp show at Newbury racecourse today and both Kathy and Lucy wanted to know what it is like as they are off tomorrow to visit it. I have to say as a stamp show it was ok, nothing brilliant. There are a wide range of stamps that will suit a wide range of interests
 and lots of other bits and pieces to pick up as well. I bought some Crafty Individuals stamps, some scalloped cards, some smooth card for stamping and inking on and some little bits like metal corners and feathers. So it is likely that everyone will find something and there were a few demonstrations happening as well. Don't forget there is a very small amount upstairs too. Lucy - the Craft Stamper deal was a free gift with a choice of either one of 2 different sets of Sheena Douglas stamps or cosmic shimmer chalk mists which looked quite interesting, so you may be tempted by one of them. Hope you all have a good time and find something to make your trip worthwhile.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Challenges to have fun with -
Simon says Stamp and Show - A word - on this piece it is PLAY
Sunday stamper - Words

GDT for Crafts 4 Eternity

Yay my second post for today and it is my first contribution to Crafts 4 Eternity where I am Guest Designer for the month of July. It's fabulous to be creating alongside these different teams and learning from their styles. Thanks girls for having me.

The theme this week is a sketch recipe. I have flipped it on it's side and taken a seaside theme. Well it is summer isn't it?

I stamped the image twice, once on the 'sea' paper and once on white card. I painted the lady with DIs and paper pieced it onto the background and also stamped the seagulls. White acrylic was then painted around the edge and on the seagulls to make them look more realistic. The watercolour paper was made using DIs and sea salt and the final backing paper is a collage of sea shells I made using images from the Graphics Fairy. Other elements added are a self generated saying and a sentiment from Crafts 4 Eternity. The shells and bits I have collected from the Isle of Wight and Swanage.

Supplies used -

Stamps - Crafty Individuals
DIs - walnut stain, chipped sapphire, tattered rose, antique linen, black soot
Ranger Inks - lettuce, cranberry, eggplant
Paper - from box of bits
Acrylic paint - white
Sentiment - Crafts 4 Eternity and computer generated
Shell images - Graphics Fairy

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Alcohol Inks with The Stamp man

Ooooh I have been trying to catch up with myself this week and I got right behind, mainly because at last I am in negotiations for some work next term. Having not been in paid work since the end of March, I am really quite excited. I'll tell you more once it has been organised.

This is a scheduled post as I should be at LB Crafts today with my sister where Lin has a workshop on making a frame and small canvasses. Also my Stamp Man teamie, Sue should be there as well - so we will get to meet - looking forward to seeing you Sue.

So on to business. At the Stamp Man it is my turn to host and my challenge is to use alcohol inks. I have also provided an optional sketch for those who would like it, but it's not compulsory. Sadly the Stamp Man store is closing but Jill is staying on-line and continuing with her internet sales - yay, thank goodness for that. There are sales items that are very good value - so go take a look.

I have decided to use a steampunk theme this week, mainly because I wanted to enter the Just for Fun challenge but knew I wouldn't have time, but their steampunk work inspired me. So you can imagine I was pleasantly surprised to see yesterday they have an 'Anything Goes' challenge this week, so I can still enter this.

I have also used the sketch, which has been kept very simple on purpose so that it can be embellished in any way you like.

Adirondack alcohol inks are the inspiration of the great Tim Holtz - check out his blog and this video to see how to use them and for more inspiration.

I have used -
Papers - TH crowded attic
TH embossing folder - collage
TH dies - gadget gears, ticket strip
TH stamps - steampunk
Alcohol Inks (AIs) - sunshine yellow, ginger, raisin, copper
DIs - vintage photo, walnut stain, tea dye
Walnut Hollow metal roll - aluminium, copper
ranger embossing ink and clear embossing powder
Ideaology embellishments and bakers twine
Coloured drawing pencils

Quick recipe
Stamp edges of paper and clear emboss - ink over.
Run metal sheet through embossing folder and use alcohol inks and TH dabber to cover.
Blend DI and then AIs and blending solution over paper strip.
Die cut gears from metal, texturise and again alcohol ink over them.
Stamp small tag, blend with DI, sprinkle with water, heat dry and colour with drawing pencils.
Edge piece of gold card with AIs.
Create wording in Word, distress with DIs and AIs, glue on.
Colour the bakers twinr with walnut stain DI.
Distress edges, mount pieces and add metal embellishments.
Assemble all pieces together.

 You can see the alcohol inks on the gold card here which edges the whole piece.

I also made this to enter the following challenges -
Simon says Stamp and Show - A word - mine is Inventors
Grungy Monday - Alcohol Inks.
Ink on my Fingers - Words

If I haven't got to see you recently hopefully I will get to catch up with you sometime over the weekend, but I am also off to the Stamp Show at Newbury tomorrow. Maybe I will see you there?

Take care and hopefully you have got some lovely things planned for the weekend.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Gingersnap Creations Visiting Artist - week 5

Happy Wednesday

This is my last piece for Gingersnap Creations as one of their visiting artists for June. I have thoroughly enjoyed having the freedom to create projects to a fabulous theme and to be able to use the materials and resources that inspire me to experiment, learn new things and to create projects that otherwise I might not have attempted. Thanks Sharon for giving me the opportunity, I have loved every minute of it.

The overall theme of shopping  has included a variety of types of challenges and this week is a Blue Moon challenge and Shar is challenging us to use 3 words, 3 papers and 3 buttons. I have chosen to keep to the shopping theme and I have altered a note book and pen that can be used for shopping lists. I love this book, it is one I pixked up when I was shopping in Basingstoke with Lucy last week at a shop called Tiger.

This picture shows the before and after.

My three papers are all from my bits box - coloured paper that I stamped with Fresco paint after smooching distress stains over it and edging with gesso. I also inked over that with DI. The image I found on the internet and resized it in PE to fit inside a nesties lacey circle. I dotted some metallic red paint on some of the cherries just to highlight them.

The green dotty and black papers make me to 3 and the cherries are buttons I found in my button box.

 The words are generated in word to show it is a shopping list. Don't you just love that the pages and original covers are made of kraft coloured paper? And there is a matching pen as well. Cool.

Is anyone into real blues music. I like some of it - not too heavy you mind, but Ken loves it. So last night Ken and I and a couple of friends went to the Albert Hall in London to see BB King. I don't really listen to his music but I know he has been a huge influence on many of the rock and blues artists like Eric Clapton. But I have to say it was a brilliant show. BB didn't do too much himself, but his band are great, and he also had some amazing guests. There were a couple from America and I didn't catch their names, a husband and wife who played guitar brilliantly and she sang. But also appeared Ronnie Wood (old Faces and Rolling Stones fame), Slash from Guns and Roses and Mick Hucknall from Simply Red. They all played together on stage, much of it seemed to be spontaneous blues playing and singing - but it was incredible. There was a standing ovation at the end and everyone crowded to the front of the stage.

Well I will be back to entering the weekly challenges at Gingersnaps in the future - see you there.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox