Seize the Moment journal page by Sue Carrington

Hello, it's Sue here for my last GDT post for September. I would just like to take the opportunity to thank Jenny and Emma for inviting me, I've had lots of fun playing with the Artistic Stamper stamps.

So, for my final project I decided I would do a journal page. I've only recently discovered how much fun journalling can be, you really do have the freedom to do whatever you want. It's a great way to experiment too which is what I've sort of done with this page !

I have long admired the wonderful effects that can be achieved when, what appear to be, random objects are stuck down and then painted over. I guess the most well known person for this technique would be Finnabair (absolutely adore her work!) So, I thought let's give it a go ! I went through my stash of assorted metal embellishments and arranged them on the page. When I was happy I glued them in placing using Claudine Hellmuth's Multi-Medium Matte glue.

When the glue was totally dry I then brushed over the whole page using Vanilla Fresco Finish paint. This colour is opaque so covers really well. I let that dry and then I used a mixture of a paint brush and a baby wipe to add a layer of Mermaid Fresco Finish paint, but I didn't completely cover the page, I wanted some lighter areas to show through. I kept on building up the colour in the same way using Bora Bora, Baltic Blue and Inky Pool Fresco Finish paints.

Then I used a small mister bottle and filled it 3/4 full of water and added some Baltic Blue and Little Black Dress Fresco Finish paint. I gave it a good shake and then spritzed the page ! When the paint was dry I then started to add some stencilling using The Crafters Workshop Spinning Tops stencil and Vanilla Fresco Finish paint. I also used the Reverse Chicken Wire Stencil and the Mini Numbers stencil with Baltic Blue Fresco Finish paint.  I did some random stamping using the Swirls Splats and Dots and the Sequin Waste Open stamps. (You will see this detail in a later photograph. I got carried away and forgot to photograph this step!)

 I then started to make some of the embellishments. I stamped some DIY masking tape with the number stamp from the Numerical set using black Archival ink. I then cut them into strips making sure I was close up to the edge of the stamped image.

I used masking tape again and this time painted it roughly with Baltic Blue and when dry brushed over the top lightly with Mermaid Fresco Finish paint.I then stamped onto the strips using the Journalling Words 3 set, again using black Archival ink.

I stamped the flower from the Botanical Plate 1 using Cornflower Blue Archival ink, masking off the extra leaves, and then stamped over the stalk using the Pyrex Bottle stamp using Watering Can Archival ink. I also stamped the little bee from the Insects and Butterflies set onto the flower. I then cut them out and glued it to the page using foam pads with a little help from some Multi-medium Matt glue.

I also stamped a little insect onto each of the word strips, which you can just about see on the above photo. I decided that I wanted a darker colour over the metal embellishments so used the same mister that I had used earlier but added more Little Black Dress Fresco Finish paint to it and then spritzed again, being careful not to spritz the whole page. I added some little black buttons from my stash and then to finish I brushed some White Fire Treasure Gold over the raised areas of the metal and added some Glossy Accents to the centre of the metal flower.

I hope you've enjoyed my journal page today !

Sue

Faded Glory....

Hello everyone, Astrid here with my next project. Thank you for dropping by! I love the colours of Autumn as slowly but surely the glory of the warm summer this year starts to fade around us in nature. This time I would like to share two little projects with you:

They are both cards and as you can see, the colours of Autumn are prevalent.

For the first one I  wanted to play around with some textures and paints.
I used just two stamp sets from the Artistic Stamper,
The new Leaves set and the Numerical set, both from Katie Fox. The sentiment is from the Tim Holtz Simple Sayings set.
I started by cutting a bit of mount board and adding some texture with Paper Artsy Grunge Paste.

Once that had dried I messed about with a variety of acrylic paints, including some Paper Artsy Fresco Finish paints, until I was more or less happy with the result. I

 highlighted the raised bits a bit and added some stamping from the numerical plate in Archival Jet Black ink. I stamped one of the leaves on a separate bit of thin card, cut it out and then finished my panel by adding a bit of string, the leaf and my sentiment, also stamped on a separate bit of card.

I finished the card by mounting the panel onto a folded bit of Kraftcard and that was it.

Hope you like it and I apologize for the glare on the photo but it was getting dark already when I took them.

For the second card, I used texture as an important feature again, but this time using a texture folder (one of the new Spellbinders 3D Mbossabilities). This time I just used the leaves set.

I ran my card through the folder and then coloured with various colours of Distress Inks in Autumnal colours. Mainly Rusty Hinge and Barn Door with a bit of Gathered Twigs. I also used some Adirondack Dye Inks in Cranberry and Espresso. I then stamped the leaves and sentiment, using a technique I describe on my blog here if you are interested.

I mounted them on the card base with foam tape and then matted first on white and then Kraftcard.

Thank you for visiting and don't forget, there are still a few days left to take part in our Challenge where the theme this month is Autumn too.

You can always count on me...

Hello everyone!  Alison (butterfly) here with a quick tag.  Dealing with moving house means the post might be (a little) shorter than usual too!

The inspiration for this tag came from the song You Can Always Count On Me from the musical City of Angels.  I needed numbers to "count" with - so I used mainly the stamps from Katy Fox's Numerical plate, along with a Crafter's Workshop stencil to create this tag.

I started with the stencil, and blended Broken China and Salty Ocean Distress Paints through it with a blending tool.

Once that was dry, making the DPs permanent, I inked over it with various Distress Inks - pretty sure Peeled Paint, Mowed Lawn and maybe some Peacock Feathers are in there.

Next, a quick bit of spritz and flicking with water to give added texture.

Then I started layering in the stamps.

They're all stamped in Jet Black Archival, but - following one of Tim Holtz's tips last Stamptember - for some of them I patted the ink onto the stamp (gives you the nice dark stamping)...

...and for others I swept the pad across the stamp rather than tapping (gives you the paler version).

My trusty £1 alphabet stamps came out to stamp the title of the song.  I stamped it onto another tag that was lying around where I'd been playing with Dylusions sprays - the blues and greens over some white paint, which is what gives you the slightly pastel opaque look.

I cut out the words and mounted them on some mesh ribbon so that they'd stand out from my numerical background.

And, of course, my stand-by topper of Distress Stain dyed seam binding with some curled paper string tied in a bow, and we're done!

Thanks so much for dropping in today.  You've still got time to join in with our Autumn challenge here at The Artistic Stamper this month - we'd love to see you there.  Happy crafting!

Ingredients used:
Artistic Stamper stamps: Katy Fox Numerical Plate
Crafter's Workshop stencil
Distress Paints: Broken China, Salty Ocean
Distress Inks: Peeled Paint, Mowed Lawn, Peacock Feathers, Broken China
Distress Stains: Mowed Lawn, Broken China, Salty Ocean, Picket Fence
Dylusions: Cut Grass, London Blue, Vibrant Turquoise
Seam binding
Manila Tag
From my stash: paper string, mesh ribbon

Trick or Treat by Emma

Hello everyone...

Well, as another month flies by, it's time for me to share my second post of September and for this post, I thought I'd make a little treat holder and tag for Halloween using lots of background stamps, Distress Paints, Idea-ology and die cuts. As always, I really hope you like it...

To being with I made a large tag shape from card and covered it with scrunched up Terminology Tissue Wrap before I then added colour using Barn Door, Spiced Marmalade, Tarnished Brass and Black Soot Distress Paints.

Once all the paint was dry, I then started stamping the background using one of the borders from the Borders A6 #2 plate inked up with Wendy Vecchi's Red Geranium Archival Ink and the circles from the Swirls, Splats and Dots A6 Plate using Snowflake Fresco Finish Paint. I then added some more detail by using Dylusions Postbox Red Ink Spray and flicking it across the surface of the tag and then inked up the edges of the tag with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.

I then cut some card stock and covered this in the same colours of Distress Paint that I used on my tag, and made my little pocket, which I stamped onto using the Calligraphic Mat 12. I then used some Grungepaper and the Sizzix Movers & Shapers Mini Bat and Skull by Tim Holtz to die cut all the bats which I painted with Black Soot Distress Paint before adding onto my pocket with an Idea-ology Crossbone and the Trick or Treat banner from the Tim Holtz Simple Sayings Stamp set. Finally, I dyed some seam binding with Fired Brick, Wild Honey and Black Soot Distress Stain and added it to my tag holder.

Once this tag holder was complete, I then started work on the smaller tag to fit inside. I coloured the tag with Barn Door, Wild Honey, Tarnished Brass and Brushed Corduroy Distress Stain and dried with a heat tool before randomly stamping the surface using the Calligraphic 12 stamp inked up with black Archival Ink and the Ink Blot Background Stamp inked up with Geranium Red.

I added a rosette with the Decorative Strip die from lightweight card coloured with Distress Paints and added the silhouette die cut, covered in Black Soot Distress Glitter. Next, I used the Gothic Boo die to die cut the number 31 from chipboard, again painted it with Black Soot Distress Paint and then added Treasure Gold Gilding Wax around the edges.

To complete the tag, I added more die cut bats, Traveler Tissue Tape, an Idea-ology Adornment Regal piece and Wish Bone, a Journaling Ticket and Seasonal Chitchat Stickers and added some twine through the hole at the top.

Finally, I used a Hinge Clip, added a bit of Treasure Gold onto it, to dull down the silver and hung a Corked Vial containing Alcohol Ink via a Memo Pin which I stuck into the cork top and added a Chitchat sticker to the vial.

So, that's about it from me for this time and I hope I've inspired you with this Halloween Treat Bag and Tag set!

Have a great week and I'll see you again very soon...bye for now!

Emma x

Titbelsoeur's cabinet of curiosities

Salut les patouilleuses, c'est Titbelsoeur aux manettes !

I am happy to show you today my big work of the year. Let me first explain the story of this piece. have a seat, take a breath, a warm drink (almost Autumn here, isn't it ?) and let's start !
With 4 messing-up-friends of mine, I have been leading a French forum for about 2 years. In 2013, we have made a series of tutorials to show them how to make a lot of thingamabobs, thingamajigs and other thingummies but never telling them what they would do with... 
They played the game with passion and made more and more creative thingummies.
And now the time has come that we show them what to do with : the intent was to help them make a cabinet of curiosities by themselves, with recycled items only.

Here is how I decorated mine :
first I sprayed diluted Distress ink on kraft paper, and when dried I stamped the image, hid it with a cut out of the same stamped image and stamped the others as a background.

the stamps I used are :
ground floor left : Men’s Plate 001 and Numerical plate
center :  Collage lady Elements
right : Gibson Girls 002 ,  Time and Keys and   Numerical plate

1st floor left :  A Stitch in Time and Dressmaking  No. 1
center :Large Bingo Card and  The Open Road 1
right :  Collage Man

attic : Family Values

and here is my happy-messy (literal translation) cabinet, filled with my thingamabobs, thingamajigs and other thingummies (love these words ;-) :

I have already showed you some of the thingamajigs here or there.

Sooo girls and maybe boys, I hope you like my project,

thanks for stopping by, 

I am looking forward to reading your comments! 

A la prochaine !

Titbelsoeur

'Hello' Tag Card by Alison (Craftytrog)

Hello Stampers! I've got a quick & simple tag card to share with you today.

I folded a Ranger Giant Size 12 Manilla Tag in half, then used an ink blending tool to apply broken china distress ink through a Crafter's Workshop stencil. I then inked the edges of the tag card with broken china.

I took a Size 8 manilla tag, and, using jet black archival ink, stamped the Crafty Notions Karantha Face on the bottom. I cut it out, leaving a half inch border around the image, then, using spiced marmalade DI, I stamped one of Neil Walker's Borders around the edge. I used distress inks to watercolour the image, then used a paper distresser tool on the edges, & inked them with broken china DI.

I attached the image to the tag card, stamped 'hello' from the Journaling Words 4 Plate with jet black archival, then added some orange fibres to finish.

When I finished, I was amazed to see how the stencil I'd used, mirrored the eyes & lips in the main image! Totally unintentional! Lol!

Thanks for visiting,

Alison xxx

floral card and tag: By Zuzu

 

Hi there.
I am sharing a card and a tag (not the norm for me) but i had a lot of fun dong them.
you can use any matching papers in any colours to change the look of these. I used some very old papers i have had for about 6 years.

I used the "Lace" stamp on a bit of plain green paper, cut it out and stuck it on to black card. I cut it out again with a touch of the black card showing.

I also stamped the words, flowers and leaves on to the same green paper. The paper has patches of different colours on it so i utilised those to give my flowers and leaves some tone changes.
the petals have been curled to add to the 3D effect.
very "easy peasy" but I rather like them.

Stamps used:

Katy Fox: Encyclopaedia Botanica. Leaves
Journalling words 3
Lacy Border

Trio of Cards by Sioux Jenneys

Hello everyone! Want some cards in a hurry? Then this could be the answer!

I'm sharing a trio of cards today with you :)

1. On the first card I used the linen background and swiped a distress ink pad straight across it in Distress Ink Wild Honey then stamped it on the lower part of the card. Then the words Create from journaling words II, Life from journaling words 1 and Memories from journaling words II were stamped on top in Archival black. The word Dream from jounaling words II was added across the bottom with Distress Ink Tea Dye.

2. On the second card the same principle was used but I used the marbled 2 background and swiped a distress ink pad straight across it in Distress Ink Peeled Paint stamping it on the lower part of the card, but it did not stamp to my satisfaction!!! So I over stamped it using the linen background in Distress Ink Bundled Sage. The sentiment "Yesterday is history" from journaling words 3 was stamped on top in Archival black. The word Inspire from journaling words II was added from top to bottom in Distress Ink Wild Honey.

3. On the third card I used the random background and swiped a distress ink pad straight across it in Distress Ink Tea Dye then stamped it on the lower part of the card. Then the sentiment "Into each day" was stamped on top in Archival black. The word Wish from journaling words II was added across the bottom with Distress Ink Brushed Corduroy.

When you need three cards in a hurry and additionally don't want to pay extra for the postage by adding any dimensional embellishments it's not a bad way to go :)

See you again soon!

xoxo Sioux