The little clock of horrors: Macabre clock... by Zuzu

Well, after a very long winter of discontent in the Zuzu household, with all my belongings being packed away and a desperate search for a new place to stay, all is well and back to crafty normal.
So here I am with my first proper "Artistic stamper" project since November...

Remember this anyone?

It was one of my first project back when i first joined the team. well that was ages ago and i am tired of it now so decided to strip it back and give it a makeover (you can, of course, just start with a new frame). you can find the frames HERE.

So, firstly i removed all the bits i had added for the last project from the frame and completely covered it in white studio gesso. Then i stamped some images in black ink, onto white tissue paper and glued them on to the frame at random. it doesn't matter too much as you will only see sections of the images after i have added embellishments.

the stamps I used were
the gentleman from the collage set and some ephemera from the bicycle set HERE
the Slow and Fast speed gauge.

i glued on embellishments and the main four numbers (3, 6, 9 & 12) and when the glue was dry i covered them in gesso too. you can find various metal embellishments like those i have used HERE, and the numbers are from HERE. you can get cogs and gears from HERE.

Next i sprayed the whole project all over with various perfect pearls sprays, ( i used sour apple, heirloom gold, mandarin & turquoise).

Once all that was done it was just a matter of adding curios. the skeleton parts are left over from Halloween. I added some other numbers; I used salvage stickers amongst other things.

I also added two little feet at the back where the frame juts out so it doesnt have to be hung up. it stands freely on a table or bedside table. although i doubt i could tell the time on it when half asleep. The final touch was to make a hole and add the clock movement ( i stole a battery from the TV remote to make sure it worked).... and there you have the little clock of horrors.

Mail Art envelope: by Zuzu

 

Yes, I am here with a postman's nightmare... highly decorated mail art.
its another quick simple project from me as I don't have full access to my craft supplies for quite a while yet. 
I know the postman needs to be able to see the address clearly so i am not sure how valid mail art really is but its fun making the envelope a wee bit more exciting than a plain simple colour.

I coloured my envelope with chalk inks and when it had dried completely I started stamping and sticking. I used the airmail look Washi tape to start with and stuck to the typical airmail colour scheme, blue and red.

i tried to add in some other post office type themes like brown wrapping paper, measuring tapes, post cards, luggage tags etc. I used the brown paper to help create a "ransom note" style on one of the quotes.

Supplies used:

Ephemera collage stamps HERE
Animal/ Bird collage elements HERE
Washi tape HERE
Journal tickets HERE
black and red stazon ink HERE

Postcard from the secret garden: By zuzu

I used this little wooden heart hanging that i was given by a friend,to make a "Secret Garden" postcard plaque.

Firstly I covered it with some secret garden papers by Graphic 45. I let the glue dry completely before sanding all around the edges and gave it a light sanding across the surface to give the papers a worn distressed look.

 I took the wire hanger out so I could stamp on a nice flat surface. I used the Ephemera 1 collage set again as well as text from the animal bird collage elements stamp. Apart from stamping, i cut out elements from the papers, distressed them and glued them on. I also used a Tim Holtz mini hinge clip on the back and an ornate plate as the focal piece on the front.

Little french country, preserve cabinet: By Zuzu

 Hello again...

I have altered one of the little Papier-mâché book boxes. Its the smaller of the set of two and is only about 4 inches tall.
I covered it in papers and tissue paper first of all. the papers are all from the Graphic 45 French country set. I used the 8x8 papers.  I also stamped on the corners of the front using the sequin waste stamp.
After covering all the surfaces and letting the glue dry, i sanded all the edges gently to give the paper a worn distressed look. 

 

I then stamped out the bottles and jars on to plain card and coloured them with watercolour pencils then glued them into place, using thick card at the back for extra depth (for a 3D effect). 

I cut out some elements from the papers and glued them into place. simply seal everything with varnish. mod podge or whatever you usually use, and Bob's your uncle. (he's certainly not MY uncle).

thanks for looking Z x

Air Mail box: By Zuzu

 

I decided to alter one of the oblong boxes on the theme of "air mail". I like the colour combination of the nice blue and red you get with airmail and the "postage" theme is a popular one.

I coloured the box in a pale sky blue colour wash and let it dry thoroughly before stamping on it. once it had dried I stamped various elements from the airmail "ephemera" sheet, using black, blue and red inkpads. the red and black are both Stazon inks. I added some "ink blots" using the ink blot background stamp too.

I used some of the fab airmail washi tape "washi tape narita"  around the top of the box (I glued it on as its quite low tack.) I also glued on some random bits of scrap metal, mostly from an old disassembled typewriter, and I used some salvage stickers to add interest.

To compliment it (and to give me something to put inside) I distressed some tim holtz journalling tickets, by using the paper distresser on the edges, gently blended some vintage photo ink around the edges and then stamped more Ephemera themed stamps on them.

We three kings...

I couple of simple cards and tags made for christmas. I used a mask of torn paper for the cards and inked up the visible area in a graduated colour tone. you can use any kind of ink.paint or chalk you like for this (maybe distress inks and a blending tool).

Once the strip of colour had been inked and it had dried, I simply stamped over with black ink using some christmas stamps.

A bit of a pickle..... by Zuzu

Well this is a pretty simple project post (apologies). But its not a project done because i HAD to do a project; its something I actually do each year and this year I used artistic stamper stamps.

 I made my christmas mincemeat and I made some "Caramelised red onion and spiced cranberry" chutney last week ( a bit late for the chutney really but I haven't been able to do it sooner)... I over did it on the amounts again, and ended up with more chutney than i can ever use before next years batch gets made, so I am giving some away as gifts, only because, some of my friends have asked me to make them some after eating mine last year.
So if its going to be a gift, I feel it needs proper festive labels and such...

I have used the following three stamps from this page HERE: 
The bauble from Victorian christmas #4.
the snowflakes
CHRISTMAS from Christmas plate #3

I coloured the images in with "artists" pencils. (only because they dont sell "general amateur crafter's" pencils)...

See you next month. Z x

Yo-ho ho... and a bottle of rum... By Zuzu

A pirate themed altered box from me today. I am very in-love with Mr Tim's skull stamp and have been playing with it for a few days non stop.
this little wooden chest was altered by using some old looking map papers i had in my stash and inked around the edges with Vintage Photo distress ink.
I then stamped the Skull, label, fish and starfish on to some pale cream paper that i had added some antique linen ink to.

I coloured both the fish in with watercolour pencils then cut out and glued all the stamped images  in to place on the box.
Next I used the distress rock candy crackle paint (clear) over the fish, starfish and skull and left it to do its crackle thing.  once it was dry and crackled, i used a baby wipe to rub some brown paint in to the cracks and cleaned all the excess off.

I used gold gleam polish around some of the edges of the box to add to the aged, distressed look then sealed the whole box with a coat of sealer/varnish.
then i simply glued some metal embellishments into place.

Raven treasure chest. By Zuzu

I am sharing this treasure chest style altered box this week. I have been readying myself for a steampunk Halloween event (lots of bands, entertainment, stalls and wonderful costumes) in Birmingham on the 27th of October. I have a wee stall there shared with a friend so have been making a LOT of boxes.

This is a nice big trunk shaped one and I have used the fantastic raven stamp "Airmail bird collage stamp" from HERE....

Apart from the stamp and a lot of paint and varnish etc, I also used one of the Ideaology ornate book plates and a set of the foundation feet from HERE...

See you next month
Z x

Frosty winds made moan.... By Zuzu

 I have begun to think of christmas projects now. lets face it, if you are going to be making things for christmas then you need time to gather inspiration, choose the stamps and supplies, order them, receive them and then get making. With that in mind, I have made this little frost inspired arch (this can be adapted to any winter scene even if you do not celebrate christmas.)

I used one of the little wooden arches from HERE. I decorated it with paint effects; sky blue (toned down with a little white) for the undercoat and blank canvas white for the top coat), sanded it then stamped it using some christmas stamps from HERE... snowflakes, "silent night" and the little winter scene... I have also used some of the trimming from the Tim Holtz collection by cutting off four or five individual roses from it.

 I painted some fake ivy leaves in white and added glitter to them and stuck on some silver snowflakes i have had in my stash for more years than I care to remember.
and there you have it. a wee snowy frosty sparkling shrine.

Simply alter the original.... by zuzu.

Hi again.
So here i am back with more messed up, scruffy, distressed, aged, vintage looking stuff. I dont manage clean, colourful or stylish very well lol.
Its a little canvas... I think it measures abut 4 inches across and six inches high... roughly.

I have been obsessed with tearing bits of paper out and revealing text or something underneath for about 6 years.. i really must move on LOL. but i do like it. it reminds me of peeling old wallpaper that shows the last tenants wallpaper underneath.

i have used the man from the collage stamp set as the centre piece.

I covered the canvas in book pages first, then layered some scrapbook paper over the top (tearing some peeled wallpaper type tears as i went). the next step is sort of inspired by two folks; one is Trish Latimer who made a gorgeous layout a few weeks back and the other is Ali Ferguson, a textile artist who i did a class with in the summer. inspired by, but looking nothing like .. lol... i didnt have soft enough colours in my box of sprays or my scrapbook papers, so mine is yet again dark and dingy.
I glued on lace and fabric and embellishments and once they were dry a slapped a load of gesso over everything. when the gesso was dry i sprayed some spray mists over the whole thing (before adding my stamped image).
my finishing touches were added by using brown ink and gold gilt paste around the edges to add that vintage look.

AS Supplies Used:

collage stamp HERE

embellishments HERE
multi medium and gesso HERE
Chit chat stickers HERE

Imagination street. A shrine by zuzu.

 Today, I have decorated one of the alterable wooden shrines; you can find it HERE. I have used the little "our house" stamps HERE, the birds from the"free as a bird" stamps HERE and the Dylusions alphabet stencil from HERE.

I also used the star background stamp from HERE and to highlight the little doodle leaves I drew, I used some glitter stickles (crystal) from HERE...

 To decorate the outside, I have used some ideaology findings. you can find those HERE...but as this is the back of the shrine, if you are going to leave it open, then you dont need to add anything at all and save some money. But I like adding curios to things ;)

See you on the 17th
Z x

Zuzu's Anniversary give-away post: Part 2 "wooden frame"

 By now, you cant have failed to notice, it's the 2nd anniversary of  "The Artistic Stamper Creative Team" blog this month, and to celebrate Jennie is giving away some stamps to some lucky followers.
Here is a reminder of what to do and how it works...

Each Team member has chosen which stamps they would like to work with this month and those are the stamps you could win.
For example: I  Have chosen to work with the 'collage art 1' sheet shown here...

 To win this set you must leave a comment on one of my posts this month (either here or over on the creative team blog which you can find HERE )

At the end of the month , I will use a random number generator to pick out a winner from the comments on MY posts.. and that person wins the stamps.

The other members of the team also have stamps to give away and its the same process.. leave a comment on their posts and you can win the stamps they are giving away.

This is my second post for this month and your last chance to comment for a chance to win the above stamp set:

I have decorated a wooden frame and used the lady from the stamp sheet, as the focal point. I have also stamped out the word "collage", from the sheet,  on to tissue paper and added that to the frame. Please remember, it is only the collage stamp sheet that you can win. (the additional stamps I have used are not part of my give-away.)

Supplies used from the Artistic stamper:

Collage art 1 stamp sheet... HERE
wooden frame HERE
chit chat stickers HERE
lacy border stamp HERE
text stamp (calligraphic mat 13) HERE (scroll down)

Zuzu's Anniversary give-away post: part 1....

As you know by now, it is the 2nd anniversary of  "The Artistic Stamper Creative Team" blog this month, and to celebrate, Jennie is giving away stamps to some lucky followers.
Here is a reminder on how to win these stamps...

Each Team member has chosen which stamps they would like to work with this month and those are the stamps you could win.
For example: I  Have chosen to work with the 'collage art 1' sheet shown here...

 To win this set you must leave a comment on one of my posts this month (either here or over on my personal blogblog which you can find HERE )

At the end of the month , I will use a random number generator to pick out a winner from the comments on MY posts.. and that person wins the stamps.

The other members of the team also have stamps to give away and its the same process.. leave a comment on their posts and you can win the stamps they are giving away.

 My first example, featuring this stamp sheet, is a gentelmans personality test in a box.  Its a pretty simple gadget, spin the spinner and see what personality trait it stops at....

Supplies used that you can find at the artistic stamper:

Collage stamp sheet HERE
Medium wooden box HERE
Game spinners and time piece  HERE
Chit chat stickers HERE
black stazon ink HERE