Feathers but no fur

I was having a little play with backgrounds today and decided this one would work very nicely for the Tagalong Challenge this week - Feathers & Fur

I was flicking through last month's Craft Stamper magazine and came across a different use for stencils.  

Actually, I use this method for mop-ups in my art journal - hmmm!!!

Anyway as I was saying, ink up the stencil with Distress Inks, I used 'peeled paint' and 'peacock feathers', give it a quick spritz with water, pop it down onto the tag, place another piece of scrap paper on top and for even pressure, roll a brayer over the top.  Voila!   A nice easy watercolour effect background.

Next I stamped the leaves (Dylusions "How Does Your Garden Grow") directly onto the tag and then again on scrap white card.  Colour and cut out the leaves and place them over the stamped images.

"Bird Crazy" (Tim Holtz) was stamped directly onto the tag and three times more onto white cardstock for a 3D look.  His feet and tail are the first layer, his body the second layer and his wings, beak and eyes are the third layer.  I also gave him googly eyes just for fun!  A green ribbon finishes off the tag.

I'm really happy that Tim Holtz created these Crazy Birds - hope he designs some more crazy animals!

 

Happy Crafting!

 

APC Challenge - Displayed

Two posts in one day - gosh, how did that happen?

 

So, now that I'm up-to-date and the Altered Playing Card challenge has come to an end, I thought I'd show how I'm displaying all the cards.  I have some plastic sleeves which are for general trading cards (you know, for collectable cards etc) and my finished cards fit perfectly.

Page 1

 

 Page 2

 

 Page 3

 

 Page 4

Page 5

 

 Page 6

 

So, there they all are - six pages in total.  Lots of different techniques were used, some easier than others, but overall I'm fairly happy with how they all look.

Happy Crafting!

 

APC Challenge - Week 26

Yesterday I posted about the last two cards for the

Altered Playing Card Challenge.

I realised after I had posted them that I hadn't posted the cards I made for week #26, so without further ado, here they are:

The prompt for these cards was monotone i.e. use various tones of one colour.

The stamps are part of plate #925 from VivaLasVega stamps, but as I bought them a couple of years ago, I'm not sure whether they are still available.

 

 Happy Stamping!

APC Challenge - Week 27

I've finished!!!

Yes, I have just finished Week #27 of the

Altered Playing Card Challenge

This week it was all about using embossing powder as part of the background.  I'm a bit out of practice as I don't emboss things very much anymore, but I rumaged around and found some 'Fine Gold' embossing powder.   I also opened the tub of Tim Holtz' 'Shabby Shutters' embossing powder which looks nothing like the stamp I used underneath - oh well, it's a learning curve isn't it?

The background colour is SU 'kiwi kiss' (discontinued) with 'fine gold' embossing powder over a stamp from SU "Clockworks'.  "Bla Bla Bla' (Stampotique) is stamped in 'jet black' Archival Ink, along with a pointing finger stamp from Prima "Stationers Desk".  The butterfly is also embossed with 'fine gold' and is also from Prima "Butterfly Wings" set.  I doodled around the border.

The background colour is SU 'tempting turquoise' with 'shabby shutters' embossing powder over another stamp in the "Clockworks" set (yes I know, this doesn't look anything like the stamp).  The little postage image is from Prima "Stationers Desk", the heart is a Craft Stamper magazine freebie.  The little envelope came from a roll of images I found in Kmart this week.  Again I doodled around the border.

We've now come to end of the Altered Playing Card Challenge.  It has been lots of fun and learning new techniques along the way.  A big thanks to Claudine for all her inspiration each week.  Come back again and have a look at how I decided to display my cards.

 

Happy Crafting!

 

Cherry Blossom

I'm enjoying a relatively quiet afternoon so once again I decided to play along with some new challenges that have just been posted.

 

At Wicked Wednesday ATC Challenge, the theme is 

Cherry Blossom

The perfect stamp for this is from Graphic 45 "Birdsong" collection.  This was one of my favourite collections and I go back to these stamps over and over.  I inked up the branches and blossoms using brush markers from Artist's Loft in 'vivid pink' and 'brown' and without even huffing, stamped directly onto white cardstock.  The image was better than I expected with a sort of water colour feel to it.  I then inked up the 'happiness' stamp in 'watering can' Archival Ink to compliment the softness of the blossoms.

After trimming the white cardstock down just a wee bit, I attached it to a blue ATC.  The dragonfly is from a Prima set of small stamps called "Stationers Desk", fussy cut and coloured with a blue Gelli Roll pen for some sparkle and popped onto dimensionals.

This little ATC was surprisingly quick to make, I should use the brush marker to stamp technique more often!

Happy Crafting!

 

Don't Blink

I enjoy playing along with challenges as they make me think about themes or ideas I may not otherwise think of.  I've just got time to sneak in with a tag for this week's 

Tagalong Challenge entitled "Angel"

I started with a tag that already had a background using "Water Droplets" by Designs by Ryn.  It was a bit of a dark grungy looking tag and I'd put it away not knowing quite how to use it.

The "Weeping Angel" is from a set of Doctor Who stamps 

(I'm sorry but I don't remember where they were sourced)

and as it is a shortish stamp, I added a brick wall, tucking the angel behind.

My Wink of Stella pen came into play again, adding some sparkle to the water droplets.

'Don't Blink' was stamped in 'jet black' archival ink, but as it didn't show up very well, I went over the letters with a silver pen.

One of these days, I think it would be really cool to have a 'weeping angel' in the garden, but just a word of caution "DON'T BLINK" !!!

 

Happy Crafting!

 

A little birdy

One of my crafty friends was celebrating her birthday this week, 

so I thought I would send her a card.   

Ok, so there is nothing odd about that, I send lots of my friends cards for their birthdays!

I decided I would try using the Bokeh technique - this was SO EASY and SO MUCH FUN!

I started blending Distress Inks in 'broken china', 'fired brick', 'mustard seed' and 'spiced marmalade'.  Then I started the 'bokeh' effect - firstly with a bubble stencil (which sort of worked) and then with a stencil I made by punching different sized circles.  It is then a matter of sponging white ink (I used SU 'whisper white') starting lightly with the bigger circles and building up the strength as the circles become smaller which gives depth to the piece.

The bird is from Tim Holtz' "Bird Crazy" stamps, the bunting is from a cheap set of border stamps I picked up at Kmart a couple of months ago, and the words are computer generated.  The bird is also a blend of 'broken china' and 'tea dye' inks, and he has a piece of music washi tape to stand on.

I am definitely going to be playing with this bokeh effect again as I was really pleased with how the background turned out.

 

Happy Crafting!

 

Is Anyone There?

The Stampotique Designers Challenge theme this week is

"Use Neon Colors"

When I think of 'neon colours' I think of highlighter pens and jazzy signs, usually with SALE written across them in big letters. 
Anyhow, I gave it some thought and this is what I created.

"3 in a Round" always makes me think they are aliens looking in at us from another universe, and in this case the wormhole is a pretty bright funky place to be looking in from!

I stamped the image three times, colouring the first image completely.  The second image is the edge of the hole and the aliens, with the background cut away.  The third image is the edge of the hole and the three individual heads.

Oooh, I just realised how weird they look close up, especially the eyes!!!

The background is coloured using a yellow highlighter pen, as is the border and the word edges.  The aliens are coloured using Gelly Roll pens and they each got googly eyes.  The hole edge was first coloured using 'tea dye' Distress Ink with orange highlighter pen added for contrast.  The background stars are SU 'whisper white' ink sponged through a freebie stencil.

I rather enjoyed this weeks neon challenge as it is something I would not have thought to do myself.  I like joining in challenges as it keeps Mr Mojo on his toes!!!

Happy Crafting!

Bride & Groom

I was out having lunch with one of my friends this week which was very pleasant!

After we had finished lunch we headed to the shops to buy a few items, among which was some wrapping paper as my friend was attending a wedding on the weekend
(today, actually)!

She asked me if I would be able to make a card to go with her gift and as the wrapping paper had owls on it, this is what I made.

I firstly checked out Pinterest knowing there would have to be wedding cards using Stampin' Up's "owl" punch.  Sure enough, there are plenty of cards there, with a number of variations of a similar design.  I tweeked the design a little, but I can't take full credit for it.

The "bride" was given a lovely blingy dress and a little lacey veil, while the "groom" has a fancy little waistcoat.

My friend was thrilled with the card and it certainly co-ordinated with the wrapped gift.

This isn't quite my usual style of wedding card,
however, it was lots of fun to make and I was quite happy with the outcome.

Happy crafting!

Abandoned but not lonely!

I recently came across a FB page called Art Abandonment

where people make all sorts of different crafty/arty items and leave them somewhere for someone to find.  I was rather intrigued by this and thought about how I could abandon something.  As I have lots of leftovers from all my papercrafting, I decided to make ATC's (Artist Trading Cards).

The background papers are all from Graphic 45 "Time to Flourish" (8" x 8" paper pad) and were the perfect size for use on an ATC.

The butterflies and dragonflies were stamped using Prima "Butterfly Wings" and the small butterflies are from a small Prima set called "Stationers Desk" (at least, that is the only title I can find on the packet).

These were so easy to make with paper for the background, along with a quote or words and a little winged creature or two.

So, keep your eyes open, you never know where you might find a little abandoned piece of art!

Happy Crafting!

Going Green

The theme at this weeks 

Wicked Wednesday ATC Challenge

is "Going Green"

 

 

The background paper is from Graphic 45 "Time to Flourish".  This paper collection also has lovely little bits & pieces to cut out and add to cards, layouts etc and as I have used the 8" x 8" pad, this little quote was just the right size to add to an ATC.

The butterfly is from Prima "Butterfly Wings" and is coloured using a blend of Distress Inks.

Happy St Patrick's Day to you all!

 

Happy Crafting!

 

APC Challenge - Week 25

The Altered Playing Card Challenge is almost, but not quite, at the end.

Week 25 sees the use of gloss card along with re-inkers or alcohol inks.

It was quite fun playing around with alcohol inks and blending solution and seeing all the different combinations of colours that this technique created.  I settled on a combination of yellow and green with a smidge of red added and schmooshed it around on my craft mat.

The stars were stencilled using SU ink in 'tempting turquoise', then put aside to dry completely.  I then drew a little house on some printed DSP, cut out the windows and coloured it with brush markers.  Something else was needed, so I drew a little person (does she look like me?) as well.  Before they were glued into place, I stamped a border with 'jet black' archival ink.  To allow enough space for the letters, the house was glued over the border edge.

On the second card, I used SU 'pumpkin pie' through a stencil and as with the first card, set it aside to dry completely.  A border of washi tape was added but as the card is only small, if the border had been added to all four sides, it would have looked too closed in.  The butterfly (in my stash from way back) was stamped onto the same printed DSP and coloured with brush markers, and finally the letters were added for a title.

This was quite a fun challenge as it is not often I get out my alcohol inks and have a play with them.

I wonder what Week 26 will have in store for us?  Whatever it is, I'm sure it will be a great technique.

 

Happy Crafting!

 

The Numbers Game

I always enjoy looking at different challenges each week and mostly have good intentions, but sometimes it just doesn't happen.  This week I've actually got my act together and have happily been playing along with a few challenges.
  

The Stampotique Designers Challenge

this week is "Use numbers or a number" and I decided to have a play in my art journal.

I started with a background using blue and green Gelatos on the right hand page, scribbled on and then spritzed with water and spread with a brush.  As it was a bit wet I turned the left page over to mop up the excess.  I then repeated this step on the left hand page, again mopping up the excess which left me with a reasonably symmetrical page to work with.

Next I inked through a "Mini Bingo" (TCW) stencil randomly, using 'spiced marmalade' Distress Ink. I followed that using 'peacock feathers' Distress Ink through "Mini Life Months" stencil (TCW).  I randomly stamped "Bla Bla Bla" (Stampotique) across both pages.

I stamped "Three in a Round" (Stampotique) adding just a smidge of colour to each face with gelly roll pens.  Their eyes are dots of Liquid Pearls and around the "round" is some sparkle from my Wink of Stella brush/pen.  

I then stamped the corner arrows "Clearly Doodle Parts" (Dylusions) and then joined the corners with dots using a black paint pen.  The random circles were made with a lid dipped onto a black inkpad and the numbers inside each circle are left over rub-ons.

Lastly I stamped the little quote using individual letter stamps, edging the number words with a gelly roll pen.

I'm not sure if this page needs something else or not, as sometimes I think less is better, so it remains as you see it here.

Happy Crafting!

New beginnings

This week's theme on the 

Tagalong Challenge is "Spring"

Now I realise that for many people who have endured a very white winter this year, they would be very excited to see the first tell-tale signs of spring in their gardens.

However, on the other side of this beautiful world in which we live,

we are heading into autumn, and for me the thought of some cooler temperatures and lower humidity is something I'm looking forward to.  I used to love summer as a child/teenager, but as I'm getting older (shhhhh ...... we won't talk about this), I'm finding the humidity, more so than the actual temperature, is really starting to sap my energy levels.

Anyhow, back to the subject in hand, this is my tag for the challenge:

I started with my background using blue and green Gelatos, spritzing with water and brushing the colours around to where I wanted them.  

The first time I used Gelatos, I was so UNIMPRESSED and disappointed.  I followed instructions, watched youtube videos and still they just didn't work for me.    Fast forward 12 months and I decided to have another try with them in my art journal, this time adding lots more water, with a much better result.  And so, this tag was made using them ...... just goes to show that sometimes you need to revisit products/items in your stash!

 

I stamped the flowers, bird and mushrooms onto post-it notes so I could work out what had to go behind what.  I also stamped a second time onto white cardstock and fussy cut out mushrooms, the bird body and the flower heads.  The bird's body is popped onto dimensionals.  

The stamps used are :

"How does your garden grow?" ~ Dylusions

"Clearly doodle parts" ~ Dylusions

"Large Tall Grass" ~ Visible Image

I used water colour pencils for each of the images, adding sparkle to the flowers with my clear Wink of Stella pen, and Liquid Pearls to give the mushroom spots more dimension.

I doodled around the edges, added a piece of ribbon holding it in place with a co-ordinating brad.  I thought 'new beginnings' suited the spring theme.

Happy Crafting!

 

Pick Three

The Wicked Wednesday ATC Challenge this week

is to "pick three things" from a list including:

wings, pearls or gems, lots of pink, goth, paper piercing, die cut, flowers, paint, spray inks, washi tape.

I thought I would start by inking up one of the birds from Tim Holtz' new "Bird Crazy" stamps.  I coloured him using watercolour pencils, blending shades of pink together.  I then stamped another bird to use as a mask on a post-it note and stamped the music ("Porcelain Rose" - Kaisercraft) in the background.  While the mask was still in place, I gave it a quick spritz of Dylusions Ink 'lemon zest'.  To finish off I added some sparkly pink washi tape for ground, and added pink swirls to his eyes along with some blue gems.

So to round off, the three elements I've used here are:

pink, washi tape & gems OR wings, washi tape & gems

Must be time I let the other birds 'out of their cage' so to speak, hehehe!!!

Happy Crafting!

APC Challenge - Week 23

My apologies for not blogging Week 23 sooner, somewhere along the line life got in the way ......

The Altered Playing Card Challenge for Week 23 was "Masks"

Create a mask, cover with ink etc, stamp over the top once dry, take mask off and stamp image in black over the top.  Add some words if desired.

I think I did these correctly, but if not ...... oh well, I'm happy with how they turned out!

I started with a Dylusions stencil "Diamond Border" and 'Peach Parfait' ink (SU).  Without moving the stencil, I stamped "Chicken Wire" (Kaisercraft) with 'Jet Black' Archival Ink over the top.

I next stamped the butterfly image from "Butterfly Wings" (Prima) and added the words from Darkroom Door.

On this card I used the "Mini Bricks" stencil from TCW with 'Cherry Cobbler' ink (SU). Without moving the stencil, I stamped "Bla Bla Bla" (Stampotique) on the background with 'Watering Can' Archival Ink.  The dragonfly image is also from "Butterfly Wings" (Prima).  I decided not to add any additional words to this card.

I am now up-to-date with this challenge, and with only a couple of weeks left before we have finished our deck of cards, I will have to think of what else to do?

Perhaps I can just make random cards to leave abandoned as a surprise for others to find.

Happy Crafting!