Girl With Clock by Emma

Hi everyone!

Hope you're all having a good month, so far and I really can't believe that it's already time for my first piece of June. I decided to get inky again and for this particular piece I was inspired by the one of my favourite artists, Klimt ~ I hope you like it...

To begin with...

I "splodged" some Mustard Seed and Wild Honey Distress Stains onto my craft mat, spritzed them with water and then dragged a piece of card through them to give a good coverage of colour all over. Next, I stamped directly onto the inked background using the following stamps, the large swirl from the Tick Tock stamp plate and two of the border stamps from the Borders A6 #2 stamp plate.

Once the inks were dry, I used the Snow Cap Adirondack Paint Dabber and dabbed the paint randomly over the background using the Circle Grid Crafters Workshop Template. I then matted it onto some purple and cream cardstock from my stash. 

Next, I stamped the Girl With Clock stamp onto watercolour paper using black Archival Ink and painted the image with Distress Marker Pens but used a waterbrush to soften the colours from the pens for more of a vintage look. I cut around the outline of the image and using 3D foam attached it to a further piece of card. I then blended Mustard Seed and Wild Honey DI around the edges of my mounted image and stamped random areas of the border with one of the stamps from the Borders A6 #2 stamp plate. I matted my completed artwork onto some black, gold and purple card before attaching it to my inked background. 

I then painted the 22 x 22cm Collage Frame with the Gold Adirondack Paint Dabber and applied a generous layer of Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint over the top. Once it was dry, I gently brushed the surface to accentuate the crackles with Vintage Photo DI. I then added my picture to the centre of the frame and added a layer of Multi Medium over the top.

Finally, I added a chain to the top, which I've had in my stash for ages to complete the frame. 

Well, that's about it for me and thank you, so much for taking the time to come and look at what I've created...I'll really look forward to reading all your comments.

See you all again soon.

Emma x

Kisses From Heaven by Alison

Merry Christmas Stampers! It's Christmas Eve, & here's my final post of 2011! I have altered a wooden heart, & made an icy Winter decoration. I have used the fab snowflake stamp, that you can get free with any order this month.



I began by priming the wooden heart with Studio Gesso, then painted it with Blank Canvas Studio paint. When it was all dry, I coated the heart with Rock Candy Crackle Paint. I left it to dry naturally, then dabbed Stormy Sky Distress Stains all over, to highlight the cracks. I stamped the Snowflakes with Black Stazon, then inked the edges of the heart with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.

I inked an Artistic Stamper Chipboard Flower with Versamark ink, then triple embossed it with Pearl UTEE. When the final layer was still molten, I stamped into it with a script stamp. I trimmed the excess UTEE, then inked the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.



I used the Sizzix Tattered Florals die to cut some flowers out of tulle fabric, then layered these with the chipboard flower & a decorative brad. I glued the flower to the heart with Glossy Accents.

I used alphabet stamps from the Scrabble & Tags Plate, to stamp the phrase, cut them out, inked them with Walnut Stain DI, then glued them to the heart with Glossy Accents.

Finally, I punched 2 holes in the top of the heart, using a Cropadile, added silver eyelets, silver wire to hang, & a couple of pearl beads. I twirled the wire ends around a paintbrush to hold the beads in place.

Thanks for looking, & I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas & New Year!
Alison xxx

Merry Christmas by Hels

Goodly Morning Stampfans! Today I am here showing you a quick Christmas card I have made using one of my favourite Artistic Stamper stamps... this old Santa looks like a jolly old chap and I love how detailed the stamp is. He is from Christmas Plate #3.


I wanted to make a statement with the stamp as the focal image of the card so... here's how I did it;
I stamped Santa in Jet Black Archival ink onto cream cardstock and gave it a quick zap with a heat tool to set the ink. I used Vintage Photo Distress Ink and a Blending Tool to make a vintagey edge to the card and then used Fired Brick and Peeled Paint Distress Ink, along with my water brush, to paint in the colours over the image. I then popped a teensy dollop of SnowCap Dabber onto my craft sheet and watered it down and then painted in his beard and hair... because the paint is thinner, you can still see your stamped image but the white really makes his beard and hair pop.



I used a thin paintbrush to pick up some Gold Dabber and painted around the circle and gave this a zap with the heat tool to dry it. Next, I used a thin paint brush to pick up some Rock Candy Cracklepaint and I painted carefully right over the top of the Gold circle. Once this had dried, I used Distress Embossing Ink and coated the whole piece of card with it. I used Clear UTEE over the top of this, heated it up and it gives a nice enamelled look. I waited until it had cooled and repeated the process, in the end the card had three coats of UTEE... the pics don't really pick up the crackles too well but they do look really pretty... like cracked ice.



Well, that's about it from me. I would just like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to Jennie for the past four years being on her Creative Team and co-ordinating it. I will be stepping down from the team on December 31st and I am going to miss Jennie and the girls on the team - they are all such a fantastic bunch of artists and it has been an honour to craft alongside them all these years. Thank you to all you lovely folks for all your wonderful comments you have left me here since this blog started... I am sure that Jennie and the team will have some treats for you to see in the coming months... I will shut up now before I need the Kleenex... THANK YOU all for looking... Bye bye ... Hels x

Angel Child by Alison Hall

Hello Stampers, I have an altered wooden frame to share with you today.

First of all, I mixed a smidgen of sunset orange paint into some white gesso, then painted the whole frame with it. Then I painted a coat of rock candy crackle over the front. When this was dry, I used cut n dry foam to rub vintage photo distress ink into the cracks, to highlight them. I used a slightly damp cloth to wipe the excess ink off.

I stamped the flourishes in the two opposite corners with black stazon ink, then used orange viva gold to add some pearly highlights.

Next I stamped the girl image from the Childhood Dreams plate onto some book page. I mounted this onto tattered rose & spiced marmalade distress coredinations paper, then inked the edges with vintage photo distress ink.

I embossed a piece of black soot distress coredinations paper, using a Tim Holtz texture fade, then sanded it to reveal the core. I mounted my image onto this, then inserted it into the frame.

I stamped three medium flowers from the Flower Power plate, onto tattered rose distress coredinations paper, & three onto the spiced marmalade, then cut them out & embossed them, using Tim's dotty texture fade. I cut 6 leaves out of peeled paint coredinations paper, using Tim'smini branch & leaf die. I sanded & inked all the flowers & leaves, added the stamped button centre from a freebie Artistic Stamper stamp from The Craft Stamper magazine to each of the flowers.

Finally, I arranged the flowers & leaves in opposite corners of the frame, then added the stamped words from the Childhood Dreams plate.

The Ranger Core'dinations Paper is on special offer this month on The Artistic stamper website HERE.

Thanks for looking!

Alison x

Crowded Roses ATC Giveaway... By Hels Sheridan

Goodly Morning! Have you seen the new Crowded Attic papers yet? Wow, they are most delish indeedily and I am a lucky lass and managed to bag myself a stack the other day. I have a bit of the thing about butterflies and one of the favourite pages in the stack is the butterflies and moths page... which, hurrah and thrice, is also in the 6 x 6 version and... the little 2" square snips.. which are perfect to make medium sized roses using the Flower Power Set medium stamp.




I have made an ATC using all papers from the new stack, the ATC sized snips are fab for popping over some mountboard - I stuck it down using Claudine Hellmuth Multi Medium and then edged the piece with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. I then used Antique Linen Distress Stain and splodged some dabs onto the ATC and quickly dried it with my HeatBuddy. I gave the whole piece a generous coat of Rock Candy Cracklepaint and set aside to dry and set to making the roses. Once the petal layers were cut out, I edged these with more Vintage Photo so there weren't any white cut lines left.




The sentiment is stamped onto more paper from the stack and edged with more Vintage Photo - the sentiment is from Tim's new collection of Stuff to Say stamps... the little moth was coloured with a waterbrush picking up Worn Lipstick Distress Ink. Finally, to make it blinging-tastic, I spritzed the whole lot with Pearl Perfect Pearls Mists. If you would like to own this ATC, please just leave me a comment here and I will add all the names to a hat and a winner will be chosen at random on Saturday 19th March... this ATC will also feature on my own blog too, so if you leave me a comment there too, you will be entered twice :O))

Thanks for looking... have a goodly day! TTFN

Hels x

Freddie Strongman... By Hels Sheridan

Morning Peeps... just a little quickie post from me today - first of all... I made an ATC the other day using a sketch from The Compendium of Curiosities... and some Tim Holtz stash. The backing papers are from the Retro Grunge stack and I used the strongman from The Big Top set - I know I have said this before but... doesn't he look like Freddie Mercury!





The letters are Grungeboard and coloured with Distress Ink and then overstamped with another Tim stamp to add some text. The backing paper was covered with Rock Candy Cracklepaint and I added some Idea-ology - a Type Charm, Jump Ring and Mini Safety Pin and a bit of Film Strip. Freddie Strongman was coloured with Tattered Rose Distress Ink which is a fab flesh tone colour. I personalised this ATC with a Type Charm as it was for a friend... however... I have another here, just waiting for an initial ;O))... so, if you would like to own it, please just leave me a comment and I will pick a name at random next Wednesday, September 29th '10. Thanks for looking... have a fab day ... and hope to see you this weekend! TTFN

Hels x

Cogs 'n Roses...

...Morning Peeps... a quickie post from me today... just to remind you that there are still a few days left to join in with our first ever challenge... the theme is Something Old, Something New... and to see all the deets, please click here.. oh and there is candy up for grabs for one randomly picked entrant :O))



So, in keeping with the Something Old, Something New, I altered a wooden frame. I coated it with a layer of Traditional Tan paint to start off with. Once this was dry, I used some Viva Ferro, putting a generous layer in patches on the frame. I used spritzed up some background stamps with water and then stamped them into the Ferro... this gives a really cool effect - I used one of the new backgrounds and one of the older coggy ones :O)) There is my Something Old, Something New :O)) I used a heat gun to zap the Ferro - and because the layer was quite thick, it bubbled a bit in the heat... fabby effect! I then used some Terra, which is totally different to the Ferro when heated.. it goes into little bubbles... these two Viva products have to be my faves at the moment! Once this was all dried, I used some Cut & Dry and painted it all with Trad Tan again - then went over with a mix of Trad Tan and Sable Brown, then once this was dry, I highlighted the bobbles with Sable Brown... and finished with a bit of Gold Dabber. There were woodey patches still showing on the frame, so I filled these in with Rock Candy Cracklepaint... loving this effect! When the Rock Candy was crackled, I rubbed some Viva Inka Gold into the cracks to make them pop a bit.




I made some metal flowers using the large Flower Power flower, stamped onto Ten Seconds Studio metal (this one is Spiced Rum). I then used the Cog background to make a pattern over the flower... used Ten Seconds Studio's tools to add definition to the cogs and then made them into five petal flowers - to do this is the same at the first layer on a dimensional rose :O)) I hand drew some leaves, decorating with the TSS tools.. and popped these onto the frame. I added some Idea-ology to the frame to finish it. I haven't thought what to put in the middle yet... because the frame is quite decorative, I think maybe just a little photo would look nice! Anyways, thanks for looking... hoping you like this... and all of the stashy bits used on it are available from The Artistic Stamper. TTFN

Hels x

A pint a day keeps the Stamper at Play!

It's the *Boss* here ( that's Hels nickname for me!) , getting to play for the first time on what is technically the Creative Team's blog! I have been reading all your comments and am so glad everyone likes what is going on!
I thought I would have a little play with the new bottle stamp, and used a piece of mountboard as base which is actually an orangey red, so no inking there! I stamped up the dogstooth background in black archival ( I actually never use any other ink...hangs her head in shame, and slinks away.....), and taking the bottle stamp inked it in ..black archival. I used a mixture of orange and yellow distress inks to colour it up, with the minutest blue in the middle.
The words are computer generated and distress inked too.

I found these wonderful unused milk bottle tops in an antique shop, and just had to have them. I alcohol inked the top, and actually I poured the ink over it so I didn't crush it with the felt tool, mind you if you look closely , it did get crushed a little... Finally I added the drinking straw, orange , of course, and glued it all together. A smattering of rock candy crackle paint on the bottle and the words finished it off.

I also, as the Boss! lol, come bearing gifts, and if you become a follower, and add a comment to this post there is this wonderful candy for you to win! If you add this to your sidebar of your blog, you can be in with another chance, so that is THREE chances to win!

The comments will close on Monday.
Good Luck, and look out for the Minx tomorrow :)))
Happy Creating
Jennie

Proudly Presenting...

... the brand new Artistic Stamper Creative Team Blog. AND... the new Monthly Challenge, which for August has been chosen by Minxy. I am so excited... we have been working really hard recently to bring you brand new innovative stamp designs - which will be available from The Artistic Stamper to buy today.




The monthly challenge is open to everyone and one lucky randomly picked winner will win some Candy! The theme for August is Something Old, Something New. To join in is easy-peasy... first of all, become a follower of this blog... and then all you need to do is make a piece of art incorporating the theme, once you have blogged it (or if you haven't got a blog you can link to the place you are showing it; flickr/Photobucket etc) then pop back here, leave us a comment and add your link to the linky gadget at the end of the post. There is a special extra too... if you use any Artistic Stamper stamps on your entry then you will be entered in to the draw twice. The prize for this month is £15 worth of stamps of your choice from The Artistic Stamper new range of stamps... along with the Kling On to mount them onto.





For my entry I used a fabby box frame, painted it with Traditional Tan (yes, even over here I am still addicted to the stuff LOL) I used Viva Terra applied in patches which was stamped into using the new Punk Plaid stamp and the old Sequin Waste stamp *see what I did there, new and old ;O))* I then painted some Sable Brown Studio range paint over the whole piece, removing some of it with a babywipe so it left patches of the Traditional Tan showing through. I used some Viva Ferro, which I also stamped with the Punk Plaid stamp and then heat dried it all.




The places on the frame that were then not textured had a generous dollop of Rock Candy Cracklepaint applied... once this was dried I used some gold Dabber to add colour to the textured parts, added some black paint with a piece of Cut & Dry foam... this just emphasised the bobbles and pits on the texture... and finally smooshed some Inka Gold over the whole lot to make it more...erm... golden!




The centre was filled with a piece of paper from the Vintage Shabby stack, I added a mini canvas which had had the Terra treatment... and the Cog stamp pressed into it. This again was heat dried... if you heat dry Terra you get a lovely warty kind of texture to the piece. I used one of the clocks and one of the cogs from the Tick Tock plate, stamping onto metal and then popping a cookie cutter over the top and pouring in melted clear UTEE. I also used the Melt Pot to make some little hearts, adding Gold UTEE in blobs to the clear UTEE and then pouring it in a swirly manner onto the craft sheet... then popping the heart shaped cookie cutters into it. **do you see the little iron on top of the ART??? This is my really OLD part... cos it is... any old iron... ROFL... ah, just me then!!**



Finally, I added a few bits of ephemera - old watch faces etc and Idea-ology and some little Letterpress letters from my own hoard. I hope you like this piece and can't wait to see what you come up with... remember, the challenge is open for a whole month, the more times you enter, the more times you will be in with a chance of winning the candy... don't forget to click to follow this blog too...and... I would really appreciate your comments...what do you think of the new blog? What do you think of the layout etc of it and... do you like it!? :O)) TTFN

Hels x