Individuality

The challenge on Wednesday Stamper this week is Stripes.


To make this Artist Trading Card, the mountboard base was covered using papers from the Shabby Princess Dinner Party range.

The cute Dalmatian chipboard & sticker are by K&Co.

The paw print was made by using a miniature clear stamp by Claritystamp. It was stamped in black ink & covered in Glossy Accents.

The ATC was edged with black ink & a little more Glossy Accents was added to the corners.

A Touch of Glitter

Leonie’s Fab Friday Artist Trading Card challenge is on the theme of Glitter this week.

I downloaded the doodlementals collection from the Funky Fairy inspirations blog & made this ATC.

The mountboard base was covered in paper from the collection. I used a Sakura black stardust pen to outline the glitter word. The ATC was edged with black ink.

I made a circle tag & added an orange eyelet & glittery ribbon. The middle of the larger flowers were covered in double-sided adhesive & covered in art glitter Ultrafine Transparent Crystal glitter. Orange brads were added to the centres of each.

The smaller flowers were made using a small flower punch & pale pink star gems were added to the centres.

All the flowers were shaped using an embossing tool.

Remember this ...

This is a scrapbook page using an old family photograph.


The background paper & elements are from the Shabby Princess Express Yourself range.

I used a flower punch to cut out flowers from handmade paper & shaped them using an embossing tool, securing them with two mini brads.

Be Yourself

The challenge theme this week on Make a Moo or Two is

Girls.

The mountboard bases were coloured with Distress Inks.

The peeled paint ink was applied using a brayer,

using random strokes.

To soften the effect, I blended the ink with a piece of cut-n-dry foam.

The mustard seed ink was applied to my own wiggly line stamp

& applied randomly.

I sprayed them with a fine mist of water & dried using a heat gun.

The Tim Holtz girl images were stamped onto pale green paper

& again onto white paper using black ink.

These were cut out & mounted with a strip of vellum underneath.

I used a small flower punch to cut out the flowers.

These were shaped using an embossing tool

& a small silver peel off (from Magenta Style)

was added to the centre of each flower.

Peel offs were also added to the hat & crown.

After adding the printed words, the Moos were finished by edging them with black ink.

For a Dear Friend

The challenge on My Time to Craft this week is Tutti Fruitti.

I have made an Artist Trading Card for a dear friend who is not feeling too good at the moment. I hope this ATC at least brings a smile to her face.

The mountboard base is covered using elements from the Shabby Princess Harvest Spice range. I have added an image from a copyright-free graphics cd from Crafty Computer Paper.

I added a strip of vellum, two green brads & Glossy Accents. Finally the ATC was edged with Distress Ink (peeled paint).

je t’aime

The challenge theme on Arty Girlz was handmade backgrounds & on Wednesday Stamper the theme was insects.


I took a large blank jigsaw piece & covered it with acrylic paint. To create the background pattern I used a gingham stamp by CleverCut & my own handmade wiggly lines stamp. These stamps were inked with Distress Ink (aged mahogany) & randomly stamped over the jigsaw piece. My own stamp was then re-inked with black ink & again randomly stamped over the jigsaw piece.

The je t’aime stamp by Paper Artsy & the dragonfly image by Claritystamp were stamped using Archival Ink (Jet Black).

I re-stamped the PA image, once onto green paper & then yellow paper & cut out the letters. The green letters were covered in Glossy Accents.

I used Distress Inks to colour in the PA image (aged mahogany, peeled paint, mustard seed) & the dragonflies (weathered wood).

To highlight other areas of the stamped images I used 3d glaze pens from Sakura.


I added three green buttons by Lasting Impressions, to which I added gold metallic thread.

The jigsaw piece was edged with Distress Ink (peeled paint).

To make the hanger, I twisted craft wire around a piercing tool, threaded through another piece of straight wire & added a few transparent beads.

Secrets

Leonie’s Fab Friday Artist Trading Card challenge this week is to make an ATC on the theme of holes.

I chose keyhole & the secrets that are hidden behind a closed, locked door.

The mountboard base was covered in script paper, whose origin has been lost in the mists of time. The paper was aged using Distress Ink (antique linen & walnut stain) & an emery board on the edges. I used Distress embossing powder (black soot) on the corners.

The elements used are from paper, cardstock & doo-dads from the Tim Holtz distressables range.

Glossy Accents was applied to a key & the eye. Crackle Accents was applied to the other key.

Finally, the ATC was edged with black ink.

Celebrate

A new inchie challenge blog has been started by Fiona & the first challenge is that the inchie should include a word.

My word is Celebrate as I wanted to celebrate the start of a new challenge blog.


The background is by Shabby Princess with the image I used yesterday on my bookmark. It is from a copyright-free graphics cd from Craft Computer Paper.

I added the word cut from K&Company paper, a white eyelet with red cotton thread & a touch of gold Stickles. Finally, it was edged with Distress Ink (fired brick).

Thank you Fiona xx

Fashion Tip

The challenge theme on Layers of Color this week is humorous art. I hope this qualifies.

I have made a bookmark for a dear friend for her birthday. She is a talented crafter, a source of inspiration & always has a word (or two) of support & encouragement for me & my crafting efforts.

The image is from a copyright-free graphics cd from Crafty Computer Paper.

I used paper from Shabby Princess to mount the image on.

The base of the bookmark is white cardstock coloured with Distress Inks (peeled paint, fired brick, broken china).

The ruler rubber stamp is from Claritystamp.

The bookmark was edged in Distress Ink (fired brick) & ribbon tied through the top to finish.

Take your Time

The challenge this week on the sea-gals skinnys challenge blog is Time.


I used a mountboard base, Big Time paper (0745) from the Tim Holtz distressables range & Glossy Accents. The skinny was edged with black ink.

Wish upon a Star

The challenge theme this week on Funky Fairy is Stars & Stripes.



For my Artist Trading Card, I used patterned paper designed by Vanessa Arbuthnott for The English Paper Company.

It was edged in blue ink & a few pale blue gems were added as the finishing touch.

Vintage Snapshots

The challenge theme on Make a Moo or Two this week is

Vintage.

I covered the mountboard bases with paper from Shabby Princess

& edged the Moos with Distress Ink (walnut stain).

The images are from a copyright-free graphics cd

from Crafty Computer Paper (now Homecrafts).

The two white paper flowers were coloured with Distress Inks;

the petals with aged mahogany & the centres with mustard seed.

The petals were stamped with a script rubber stamp from Crafty Individuals

& the miniature feather image from Claritystamp was stamped on the background,

both using Distress Ink (aged mahogany).

Finally, I added words from Tim’s Doo-Dads sheets

& some organza ribbon.

Altered Images

The challenge on Wednesday Stamper was to take one or two of the vintage photos shown on their blog & alter them in some way.

I had a lot of fun making this Artist Trading Card.


The mountboard base was covered in paper from K&Company’s Life’s Journey Pansy range & edged with Distress Ink (walnut stain).

The two photographs were edited & printed on photographic paper. The lady’s image was printed on patterned paper & the blouse cut out & mounted on top of the photo.

The rubber stamp used was a small corner Morsel stamp by Sugarloaf Product Inc. It was stamped in each corner using clear Versamark Ink & heat embossed with gold powder.

Glossy Accents was added to the tie. A small pearl was added to the blouse. Finally two small flowers were punched out for them to wear in their hair.

Added Note:
I have just been looking at the other entries for this challenge, some of which are truly amazing. On reflection, I don't think I have altered mine enough.

Take a Moment

This greetings card uses a copyright-free image

from Crafty Computer Paper (now Homecrafts).

The frame was made using a square piece of burgundy coloured card.

Bleach was applied to a frame stamp by Anna Griffin,

which was pressed onto the card.

A heat gun was used to speed up the bleaching effect,

revealing the cream base.

The middle was cut out to complete the frame.

The image was resized & printed onto glossy photo paper.

The frame was mounted onto the image.

The background is a piece of K&Company paper

from their Life’s Journey Pansy range.

The flower, postage stamp & cancellation image

were partially cut out so that they would hold the framed image in place.

Three further flowers were cut out from the paper.

The two larger ones conceal the ends of the organza ribbons,

which were wrapped around the inside of the card.

A few flower shapes were punched out from the paper

& added to the frame.

This card is for two challenges;

My Time to Craft, where the theme is Framed

& Arty Girlz, where the theme is Ribbons.

Please click on the picture to see a larger image.

Spread your Wings

Sarah is taking a break from setting her Skinny Saturday challenges,

so Caroline has set up her own challenge blog called Sea-Gals Skinnys.

The first theme on this new Skinny challenge blog is

Things with Wings.

Using mountboard as the base, I used the direct to paper technique

using Distress Inks (peeled paint & mustard seed).

The dragonfly stamps (by Elusive Images from Graphicus)

were stamped using the Distress Inks to complete the background.

The large dragonfly image was stamped onto Scissor Sisters paper (Sepia Script)

& then cut out to layer onto the skinny.

Strips of the same paper & script vellum were added to one side.

A piece of organza ribbon & words were added.

The final touch was to add some tiny coloured dots from a Magenta Style peel-off sheet.

Dot to Dot

The challenge was set last week on Inching Artists to make an inchie on the theme of Dots & Spots.


The background is Baby Doll paper from the Crate Paper Twirl Collection. I added rub on letters by papermania & tiny coloured dots from a peel off sheet by Magenta Style. The larger 3D pink clear dots were added to each letter on wording which had been printed out & coloured with Distress Ink (peeled paint). The inchie was edged with the same Distress Ink.

Quiet Serenity

The Moo challenge this week on Make a Moo or Two is

Women.

I used copyright-free images

with elements from the Shabby Princess Vintage Florals range.

The Moo's were edged with a Krylon 18ct gold leafing pen.

Pretty in Pink

Leonie's Fab Friday Artist Trading Card Challenge this week is could it be magic.

I'm having a bit of a pink week, so I wanted to do something pretty (so no cobwebs or cauldrons for me).


So, do you believe in fairies?

I used a lovely fairy image with elements from Shabby Princess. I used decoupage & paper shaping techniques to add dimension. I added pale pink gems, glitter & some doodles using my clear stardust Sakura pen. It was edged with pink ink.

Family History

The challenge this week on Arty Girlz is Black & White.


I have made a scrapbook page using an old family photograph of my great-Grandparents & elements from Shabby Princess.

Abstract Art

Following the card I posted yesterday, I had several comments about how different it was from the norm. I trust they were referring to the card & not me.

I took a considered look at it & could see that it didn’t look like a birthday card at all. None of the usual florals & pretty colours, no ribbon & bows, no Happy Birthday text. It was very abstract.

So that got me thinking. What is abstract?

Abstract is one of those words which if you say it aloud a few times, it begins to sound like a nonsense word. Try it; you’ll see what I mean.

So what is abstract art? Well to me is it something which does not resemble anything found in our normal day-to-day lives. Even if you squint at it, turn your head to view it at different angles or even turn the item upside-down, it will remain a mystery.

It may, however, evoke memories or emotions. The colour, form or texture may act as a trigger & it is this that you use to judge the object.

Above all though, it will always raise questions. Do I like it? Do I understand it? What does it mean? What was the artist trying to say? And for fellow artists, there’s the obvious question of “Could I do that?” & the usual rhetorical one of, “Why didn’t I think of that?”

In the current context, I can hear a chorus of “Actually, we can do better than that”.

And I’m sure you all can :o)

Friendly Textures

The challenge this week on My Time to Craft is In Stitches.

I made this card for my sister’s birthday using Friendly Plastic. I added pale pink gems & stitched the friendly plastic to handmade paper using silver metallic thread. This was mounted on to a piece of hessian.


I dry embossed a few lines on the base card to add further dimension & texture.

My thanks go to Liz Welch for the inspiration for this card.

Beep Beep

The theme on the Funky Fairy challenge blog this week is to make a card for a man or a boy.


The background paper was from the Shabby Princess Celebrating range. The car image was from Crafty Computer Paper & has been decoupaged. The ribbon was from Crafts Beautiful. Finally, pale blue organza ribbon was tied around the inside of the card.

Two of a Kind

The theme on Make a Moo or Two this week is

Swirls and Flourishes.

I took a piece of coated white cardstock &

stamped an Anna Griffin image using Versamark.

Once this had dried, I took two Distress Inks

(peeled paint & mustard seed)

& using a brayer, I coloured over the card to reveal the stamped image.

I used this to cover the mountboard bases.

I added a few small morsel stamp swirl images using the Distress Inks.

Then I painted a thin layer of Adirondack acrylic paint

(Lake Mist)

across the whole surface, to give a more muted result.

I added swirly vellum,

images from an old family photograph

& the letters to spell out dream & laugh.

The Poetry of Life

The theme of this week’s Inchie challenge on Inching Artists is Lace.

Someone once said that lace was the poetry of life.


I used photography as the main component of my inchie this week, as I wanted to show off the wonderful detail of the lace. I took a photograph of an old lace coaster, which I had placed onto pink cardstock. I resized it to show as much lace detail as possible. The heart punched shape used a larger image than the background square. This in turn was mounted onto a picture of lace & then finally mounted onto an inch square of the pink cardstock.

Be Inspired by Art

The theme for Leonie’s Fab Friday Artist Trading Card Challenge this week is Recycle.

Here is my recipe for Recycled Art.

Take one piece of mountboard – an off cut donated to me by a picture framing demonstrator at a craft show earlier this year.

Find a background – a picture of a beach hut from a Laura Ashley brochure.

Find an image or two – a picture of an oil painting & one of a sculpture, in last week’s Sunday Times supplement.

Find some wording – words & letters cut from the back of a Pizza Express box.

Finally, take all the ingredients & mix thoroughly to create a new piece of individual & original art.

My Furry Friend

The challenge this week on My Time to Craft is Furry Friends.

I decided to do a scrapbook page on my cat that sadly died last year after a long illness. I must admit to shedding a tear or two whilst making this page, but was smiling by the time I finished.

She was an adventurer; full of life, loved chasing birds, mice & anything else that moved. She was always bossing me around, demanding a warm lap to sit on & telling me when it was time for bed. A real character & is still sorely missed.


To make this page, I used elements from the Shabby Princess Urban Kiwi range.

Laugh Every Day

Leonie Pujol set a hard theme this week
for her Fab Friday Artist Trading Card challenge.

She wanted us to use the small work of art
to send a big message.

Mine is inspired by my daily gratitude journal,
which in turn was inspired by an article
on Lisa Bearnson’s blog.

I began my
Reasons to be Cheerful
journal on December 1st,
recording each day five things that I am grateful for
or moments that made me smile & laugh.

It has been, & continues to be, an amazing experience.
It has changed my approach to each day,
looking for the good moments
& positive aspects of each day.

As part of this, I also began to take a daily photograph
as a visual reminder of the day.

I love my photography
& the feeling when I look back at each daily entry.

It shows me that if you look hard & closely enough,
you can find the good, cheerful
& wonderful moments in each & every day
moments to be grateful for.

My thanks go to Lisa for this life changing inspiration.


Now for the crafting facts.

The mountboard base was covered using elements
from the Shabby Princess Express Yourself range.

The larger flowers were decoupaged
& highlighted with gold Stickles.

The whole ATC was edged
with a Krylon 18ct gold leafing pen.

A Friend's Birthday

I recently made a birthday card for a very dear friend so this image from Jolly Nation was just a perfect choice.

The background & additional elements were a free download from Crafts Beautiful.

I hope she had a truly wonderful birthday.

My Love Affair

It’s true. I have a secret love, which is a secret no more. I love Italy.

This is my first attempt at Scrapbooking following a recent trip to Northern Italy. I have used elements from the Shabby Princess Amore range.

Bookmark

The challenge on the Funky Fairy’s Challenge blog this week is Long Tall Sally.

I have made a bookmark, using Funky Fairy flowers.

The background was made using a Crafty Individuals script stamp, stamped with white ink & heat embossed with clear embossing powder.

Gingham ribbon was added as the final touch.