Sunday, February 28, 2010

Rose pink, yellow and mossy green + Stampotique = ........

....well it equals more ATCs, if you're me. The challenge over at the Stampotique Designers Challenge Blog is to use Stampotique stamps and the colours rose pink, yellow and mossy green. Hmmmmm......

Not the colours I usually go to when considering my Stampotique stamps, but hey, it's a challenge, right? I started by inking a couple of ATC blanks with pink and yellow and sponged through some sequin waste with mossy green, and before you know it, I was inspired! Here's what I came up with.



The pictures have turned out a little darker than they actually are, but I suspect that's down to the lighting in here. I'm really please with them. Both have a few pieces of tissue paper sponged with the ink colours and layered up to cover the bottom of the stamped images, which are coloured with Promarkers. I was really pleased with them, and I'm tempted to swap them as a set.

Promarkers used- Skin: Vanilla, Saffron  Dresses and hair: Rose pink, Magenta, Tulip yellow

Friday, February 26, 2010

You and me, me and you.

Had a teeny tiny spot of time with nothing in it this morning, so I sat at my desk, and this is the result. Don't they make a stunning couple?


Background is cosmic shimmered, stamps are Stampotique and a really cheap phrase stamp I picked up for pennies at Dunelm. White gel pen for skin and highlights and a bit of doodling round the edges.


Had a difficult day today at work, but a smashing one at home- lots of cuddles from my kids and deliveries from the postie and home delivery man. I got..... Claudine Hellmuth Studio paints- 10 different colours!!!! Also my latest Stampin' Up delivery with 4 different stamps sets and an ink pad (like I need any more.....) Finally but far more important- my Tim Holtz book and assorted goodies from QVC. So that's tonight sorted with Sir Tim of Holtz and his wonderful ideas............ Very, very happy smiley face indeed.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Amazing blog candy from The Stamp Man

The Stamp Man are offering fabulous blog candy of all 12 of the new Tim Holtz Distress Ink colours, either in ink pads or reinkers. For more info, click here..


There are some lovely colours there......!!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Tuesday Taggers- messy hands time!!!

3 posts in a day, wow! This is my post for the Tuesday Taggers blog challenge, which this week is Messy Hands. Over the weekend I made the perfect thing (actually 2 perfect things), with lots of paint and ink and some very VERY messy hands (and messy desk and floor and everything I touched, oops!) These both started off as little plain brown boxes.



This one has gone to live with my lovely Docrafts friend Shendy. It's painted with gesso and acrylic paints, then stamped with some Lavinia fairies and leaves in Black Versafine. Highlights with white gel pen.


This box has photographed a little more pink than it actually is, plus the bottom photo was taken before the glue had dried, hence the white button centre. Again, this is gessoed and painted with acrylics, then stamped on top with a lovely Personal Impressions swirly birds stamp set. The edges are stamped with a foam stamp word- beautiful- in red Stazon. A dab or two of black diamond Stickles and it's done.

Each of these boxes is about 2- 2.5 inches wide, so they're really little. I'm saving the pink one for a friend's birthday in April (one who doesn't look on here!!), just need to find something nice to put in it!!

WOYWW- What's on your workdesk Wednesday

OK, I've been nosing at these posts on some blogs for a few weeks now- and I've remembered to take a photo this week so that I can join in. Soooooo, tadah, here's my desk this week.


Quite neat for me. You can see my stacks of inks at the top right,and my Promarkers in their little pots, with my favourite Stampotique stamps stacked up in between. There's the corner of a green/red tin I altered that I use to put any odds and ends and bits of tat that I find that I think I might use on an ATC. To the left of my mat is my prize from Craft Stamper for ATC of the month- some Crafty Individuals stamps and images.

On my mat is an ATC and my scrap card. I tend to work on a piece of card, then when it has lots of odd bits of stamping and colours of inks on there, I cut it up and use it as ATC backgrounds. You can see some I cut up yesterday at the bottom right of the pic. Also, my current favourite thing to use sequin waste, great to sponge ink through. Other bits on there include a lovely trees stamp from Lost Coast and my beloved thin nibbed black pen, used for doodling on lots of things, but especially on my art journal.

The best bit of the whole picture is the little note from my son on the bottom of the workmat. Maybe next time I'll show the rest of my work area!

Spring cards- some challenge entries.

I spent a bit of time making cards this week. I don't make many, but I've tried to make a few to get ahead of my birthday list! They're a bit more girly than my usual style, but the majority of the intended recipients are under 10!! I've been playing with Promarkers again, so lots of stamped and coloured images.

 

I'm entering this in the Touch of Spring challenge on Stamp Something


 

This one is for The Pink Elephant blog challenge #55

I'll upload details of which Promarkers I used a bit later on when I find the piece of paper I wrote them on!!!


Friday, February 19, 2010

Time and Key ATCs

The challenge theme over at Tuesday Taggers this week was time. As usual I decided to make an ATC, which turned into 3!!





Janet has also noticed that this final one also fits in to the theme over at SCD, where the challenge is ATCs with keys.




All 3 have a cosmic shimmer background, and the stamps I've used are from a Paperartsy set I hadn't used before. About time I got them inky.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Art journal- completed January pages and a February update

Looking back, I never did post a photo of my completed January art journal pages- oops! So yesterday I scanned them and here they are.




I am incredibly pleased with how it's turned out. It's so bright and colourful and I enjoyed finding different ways to fill in each little square. February's pages on the other hand, are a colour free affair. Here's where I've got up to so far.....



I have one biggish section on the right hand page still to fill in. I'm waiting for the perfect doodle to turn up in my brain, but if it doesn't show up soon, I might have to go in search of one! These pages have taken much longer to do than the January ones, and whilst I've enjoyed all that doodling, I've found working round the day squares somewhat restrictive, so I won't be doodling another month. I've also found it more difficult to fill in the days. I felt the squares should stay black and white, so I've only written in them so far, although I suppose a black and white stamp might work.

Now I'm thinking of how to tackle my March pages.......

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Purple and brown ATC.

I recently discovered the Fun with ATCs blog (thanks to Susi posting a lovely comment on one of my posts). The current challenge is to make an ATC in purple and brown, and the idea must have stuck in my brain because last night I dreamt about it and woke up knowing exactly what I wanted to make.


So, here's my entry into the Purple and brown challenge, pretty much exactly as I imagined it. The background is a book page watercoloured with Dusty Concord Distress Ink, and the moon is cut out of white card sponged with a little more purple ink. The trees are a lovely Lost Coast unmounted stamp and I stamped them in Sepia Versafine.



This is the original version which came out a little bit blurry - I wasn't happy with it, so I stamped the trees again onto tissue paper, ripped a section out and now it looks much crisper.



My tip for tissue paper is to use a glue stick to adhere it to your ATC, it sticks really well and you can usually see your background through it slightly. The bits I tore off will be used on something else! The little phrase just happened to jump out at me from the book page and it seemed quite apt, so on it went! I also sponged through some sequin waste for a little extra purple, I think I'm addicted to sequin waste!!!! All in all, I'm very pleased with it.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Stampotique designers challenge 1

Being a complete Stampotique freak, I was delighted to see the new Stampotique designers challenge blog go live with their first challenge. The theme for the first challenge was to create a love themed card. Hmmmm, well I don't know if my lovely young man holding a bouquet of flowers was what they had in mind, but, hey, he's bringing flowers for his sweetheart, right?



Although this is actually an ATC, I hope it still qualifies for the challenge. He is stamped with Versafine onto an acrylic painted background and highlighted with white gel pen. The flowers he's clutching are real pressed flowers. Bless, isn't he sweet?

Can't wait for the next challenge.....



Monday, February 8, 2010

Monday blues and a naughty cat

I think I have the Monday blues today, I'm hoping a quick blog post will cheer me up a bit. Woke up this morning to find a minor disaster awaiting me on my desk, courtest of my naughty cat. I've been working on a set of 10 tags for a swap with the Altered Art Tag swap group on Facebook, all of which were very nearly finished and were lined up drying on my desk. Dotty the cat had sat on my desk this morning, dipping her paw into my waterpot (I should have emptied it, I know!!!) and flicked water over 3 of my tags! They're drying on the radiator, and I'll see if anything is salvageable later on. Aaargh!!!

So, in the meantime, a couple of new ATCs to show off.

This is a little sneak peek at what my Tags will look like- a similar background and the same snooty lady stamp, but I won't tell you any more, as I want them to be a surprise.....


This is a Tim Holtz stamp, borrowed from my mate Kay, along with her background, so not much work in it from me really!!!!! Lots of beads in the corners.

OK, I feel a bit better now.....

Monday, February 1, 2010

Loving Lavinia

OK, so if you're a stamp addict (like me.....) you'll understand what I mean when I say there's a stamp I need. Not just want, not just have to have, but NEED!!!! My friend Michelle has a gorgeous leaf branch stamp by Lavinia stamps. I used it on these ATCs last week when I visited for a crafty morning.



Lovely isn't it? I think that's on my hit list for the NEC show in March...... I love their secret garden gate as well. It started off as a bit of a problem session for me, I wasn't happy with anything I started to do. In the end, my mistakes made the browny yellowy backgrounds for these ATCs and a couple more.



As the quote goes- "Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep." Scott Adams.