Fashionable Stamping Challenges - A capital city

I am definitely flying the flag for Fashionable Stamping Challenges today and "London Calling" is my theme. I am so lucky that I can get a train locally and be in the heart of London in 40 minutes, whether that's for a show and meal, an exhibition or gallery; or just mooching around the shops and places like Covent Garden.

This is my piece depicting my capital city where you can find so many famous places, wonderful buildings, architecture and beautiful walks. Some of these things are shown here.

I started with paper from the docrafts papermania range called bookprint. This was inked and spritzed to give it colour and an aged feel. I have stamped using Indigo Blu Pomp and Pageantry set, made the title and added some bunting and other little bits.

Show us your capital city at FSC this fortnight and you could be in the running for a prize or place on the catwalk.

My lovely teamies have made some fabulous creations and of course from around the world.

hugs {brenda} xox

PanPastels - Anything Goes

So today at PanPastels UK challenges you can enter whatever you are working on and show us your wonderful creations.

I have made a shabby sewing/dress card using a TH embossing folder and the B Line Cinderella stamp. The embossed background was covered with PanPastels as is the image and both were then embossed with clear EP.

The mini frame is covered with glamour dust and I made a shabby flower with the addition of PPs so is the tag. The backing paper is from my bits box.

We look forward to you joining us over at the PanPastels UK challenge blog and when you enter you will be in with a chance of winning 3 digital images from LEJ Designs, which just happens to be Lindsay, one of the design team members.

Thanks for stopping by today and thank you even more if you leave me a comment, I so appreciate it.

Enjoy your Sunday.

hugs {brenda} xox

The Stamp Man - Your Favourite Technique

Today the lovely Angela is challenging us to make something using our favourite technique. Now if you are anything like me I took one look at that and thought where do I start? I love so many techniques. Shall I write them all out and pull one out of a hat? No not really. But I decided that although I use blend and flick and masking alot with DIs and sprays I decided to go with a favourite that I don't use so often and that is T!m's Rusted Enamel technique.

So here is my Stamp Man DT piece, I hope you like it. If you want to see how to do this technique in more detail it is in the Compendium of Curiosities Volume 1.

Supplies -

Distress Inks - Bundled Sage, Shabby Shutters, Walnut Stain

Archival Inks - Coffee, Rose Madder, Olive

Stamps - Tim Holtz - Mini Classics,     Stampendous - Pensive Portrait,    Artemio - Butterfly Collage

Distress Stains - Victorian Velvet, Dusty Concord, Weathered Wood

The Rusted Enamel background.

We look forward to you joining is at The Stamp Man and if you do you will be in with a chance of winning a £10 voucher to the On-line store.

Have a wonderful Friday and a great weekend.

hugs {brenda} xox

Challenges to have fun with -

Snazzys - Spring Colours

Tuesday Treasures

Just a reminder that if you have any special treasures on your projects or blogs this week ie special embellishments, photos, vintage ephemera, treasures you have made or altered etc, I would love it if you would link them to my blog TUESDAY TREASURES post which is about 3 posts below this one or click HERE to be transported there.

Thanks to Lynn and Gerri who have already shown us their fabulous creations and photos.

My aim is that we can all share our special treasures with each other and be able to hop around and see new inspiration from a wide variety of art and craft genres.

Come and join me and have some fun.

hugs {brenda} xox

Wedding Wonders for UPA RAQ

Did you enjoy the first issue of Unruly PaperArts (UPA)? Wow, so much inspiration from the Columnists and guests and fabulous entries from the readers too. It's my turn this month to contribute. A sample for the Reader's Art Quest (RAQ) today and my very first column coming later in the month.

My focus for the RAQ is anything but a card (but could fit in with the lace theme too LOL), and is for the 'Wedding Wonders' overall theme.

I chose to re-cycle a small jar and make a small table light which could be used anywhere for decoration on the big day.

I forgot to take a photo before I started but here is the jar after the first couple of layers. Firstly I used paper lace on the jar as a mask and sprayed it with glass frosting. 

I added lace, vintage paper and little stamps (from the G45 Romantique pad).

The lid was sprayed with antique white paint and when dry I added more vintage paper, cut out part of a Cheery Lyn doily and added some little embellishments, the ribbon rose and paper and lace horn were hand made. Jewellery comes in really useful for adding some sparkle.

I completed the jar by adding keys and a lock on chain, ribbon and pearl-twisted ribbon to complete the wedding look.

We hope you are enjoying the new Blogozine and are able to dip into the articles for some fabulous inspiration from the team. There are two RAQs every month and the FAQ section will answer all your questions about what and how you can enter. I do so hope to see you over there with your wedding wonders this month. The last dates for adding are clearly laid out on the blog. Just look for the labels under the blog header to find where you submit your piece.

I am hoping to see you over on the blog, let us know what you have enjoyed so far.

Have fun creating and making this month.

hugs {brenda} xox

The Stamp Man ATC Swap

This month the swap theme at The Stamp Man is Shabby Chic or Distressed and I am trying to make up for being MIA last month and have made 3 ATCs for Janet.

These are simple blended backgrounds using DIs and spritzed and blotted to create a gentle mottled look. I lightly stamped some TH stamps to give some depth and then stamped these gorgeous Artemio images in black archival which gives such a crisp look.

I have added some lace and ric-rac, buttons and tags and finished with some rubbings.

Supplies -

Distress Inks - Antique Linen, Tattered Rose, Victorian Velvet, Walnut Stain

Ranger Black Archival ink

Artemio clear stamp set - Sewing

Tim Holtz stamps - Shabby French

Embellishments and rubbings from stash

If you love to take part in swaps then this one is for you.

Tuesday Treasures

This is the first of 3 posts today - very rare that.

Later today you will find ATCs for The Stamp Man swap and the early evening will see my first contribution to the Unruly PaperArts Blogozine, so I hope you will come back again to see me.

Those who know me will often see little 'treasures' on my creations. These may be bits of jewellery, small pieces picked up from ebay, car-boot sales or charity shop finds, and I have a couple of small boxes filled with old watch pieces, game pieces, vintage sewing things, vintage ephemera, keys, frozen charlotte dolls, bottle tops as well as new things like the TH Idea-ology range. 

I have needed some new inspiration lately and am not stamping quite as much as I was. I just love the shabby vintage creations that can be found out there in blog-land and find myself playing with all the ephemera that I have been gathering.

Here are some frames I picked up at a car-boot sale last year, which have been sitting waiting for me to alter.

Originally there were three of them, but I have taken one off and created this. The frame was painted with Fresco Finish snowflake. The back piece was also painted then stamped  and I have added another of my treasures bought last year off Ebay - a Frozen Charlotte Doll. I have used crackle accents and alcohol inks on it which for some reason has made it appear blurred in this photo. 

You can see I also added some glitter EP over the frame to give it some more dimension.

I re-photographed the frame on a dark background and got a better image of the Charlotte Doll.

I find it so inspiring looking at other people's treasures so I would love it if you would leave a link to this post. Just tell me what is your special treasure this week and we can share with each other.

Have a very treasured week.

hugs {brenda} xox

Mr Inlinkz is below.

Creative Chemistry

At last I have started the Creative Chemistry course by Tim Holtz. I have been watching everyone doing their tags and found some time last night to have a go. You can still register for this class and once you are signed up all the course contents are available to you for ever. So cool as you can take the lessons at your own pace like me.

Day 1

Spritz and Flick, Brushless Watercolour, Wrinkle-Free Distress.

I particularly loved how the butterflies turned out for this technique.

Day 2

Alcohol Ink Agates, Archival Resist, Reflections Stamping.

I am eager to complete the rest now so I can make my tags into a little book to keep as my aide-memoire for techniques.

I hope you have a week of crafty goodness and stay healthy.

hugs {brenda} xox

PanPastels - Spring Time

I wanted to do something different with my card today and was in the mood to create digital images. So what I did was find this gorgeous group of birds at The Graphic Fairy and set about making a background using my PanPastels and masks, but I didn't fancy printing out the image and then trying to cut it out. So what did I do? I scanned my background into the computer and had fun playing around with ping files and a frame from DigitalCrea

So having merged all my elements together I have printed it out and added embellishments to finish it off.

You can see the design of my PP background using masks and embossing ink.

I added some music transparency with one of my downloaded butterflies I love to use.

 This is called a hybrid card because it combines both digital and 3D handmade elements together.

I hope you will join us at PanPastel UK challenge blog this week with our 'Spring Time' theme and if you do you could be in with a chance of winning a PanPastel set from our very generous sponsors at Your Creativity Store.

Have a happy Sunday.

hugs {brenda} xox

Watercolour paper shabby flowers Tutorial

Here is a tutorial for some shabby vintage flowers using watercolour paper. This is the most sturdiest of papers that I have used because the wetting and drying of it makes it keep it's shape and form. 

Try it and see.

I have used a 230gms watercolour pad.

I used a Sizzix sizzlet die on the left and tattered florals on the right.

Take 2 large tattered florals, 1 large sizzlet and 1 small TF die cuts.

Ink the edges with distress ink.

I used victorian velvet distress stain misted with water ...

... and dipped the die-cuts in making them wet.

Fold each die cut around the end of a paint brush.

Scrunch it up and hold it down on your heat resistant craft mat and heat dry it. 

Do the same for each one.

Uncurl each flower carefully.

Punch two small flowers for stamens. I used pink photocopy paper.

Soak them in the distress stains and mist them with water.

Scrunch them slightly and dry them.

Now start assembling the flower. I use art institute glue.

Hold each flower for a couple of seconds and push it down into the one below.

The four water colour paper layers assembled.

I added the stamens and thought I would take the photo on white paper.

Look what happened to the colours!!!

Here it is back on the craft mat.

A good photographer would be able to explain why this has come about with the colour changes, but I haven't the faintest idea LOL.

This is the method I used on a scrapbook page which can be found here.

I hope you enjoy using watercolour paper for your flowers.

hugs {brenda} xox

Challenges to have fun with -

Thanks to Gina - Butterfly Effect - Flowers