Special Delivery by france papillon

Hi all!

I'm France (from Belgium) and i'm so excited to be here with you! 

Thank you Jennie and Emma for adopting me as a new member of the Artistic Stamper family. 

I hope i'll do you proud!

For my first offering as guest designer, i hand made one of my favorite toys: an art journal.

When i started working on this project, all i came up with, was this little fellow: a tiny mini journal that ended up being an embellishment on a bigger one.

To make it, i ripped water color paper (200gr) to the wanted size: 3,5 x 4,8 cm. Out of a packaging cardboard, i cut what would be the cover: 3,6 x 6 cm (spine: 9,9mm). 

I added color to the cover using the two layered Verdigris Patina by Pébéo and added Vintage Photo Distress Ink on the edges.

To give the paper a vintage look, i colorized it with Vintage Photo Distress ink and sprayed some water. I randomly added some stamping with the 'Carte Postale' stamp set with Vintage Photo Distress ink and the 'Dance Dictionary Background' with Black Archival ink. Once dry, i assembled the pages in 3 signatures and sew them together with a coptic binding.

Using the same 'Carte Postale' stamp set, i added some stamping on the cover with Black Archival ink.

Adding light touches of embossing ink on the edges with a sponge allowed me to add accents of Weathered Wood Distress Embossing powder.

 I glued the first and the last page of the inside pages to the front and back cover and added an eyelet so that i could place a chain. I now had a very fun but very small journal. But he needed a bigger brother:

I opened up an empty box of pasta, covered it with gesso and added gommed kraft to reinforce the edges.

Once dried, i gave it the same Verdegris Patina treatment as his little brother, but with a rougher finish.

I covered it with Tim Holtz Tissue Wrap, applying the glue to the paper and not to the cover, to make sure the patina would stay in place.

I dressed up the inside using Kraft Cardstock and linen canvas, then filled it with the same water color paper i used for the mini journal, sewing the signatures to the spine.

I prepared several plaster strips by dipping them into water, laying them flat to dry and then colorizing them with Sepia and Tobacco Colorex and Vintage Photo Distress ink. I printed a photo from my dad when he was 4 (love that photo!!), added some stamping to it with the 'Carte Postale' stamp set inVintage Photo and Black Soot Distress ink and glued it to black Cardstock. 

As fastener, i glued a coil with Matte accents to the cover and embellished it with a button. The 'Special Delivery' was stampend on Smoothy paper with Black Archival ink and colorized with Vintage Photo Distress ink.

I added an eyelet to the back cover, so that i could slip a piece of Tim Holtz Crinkle Ribbon through the it and attach it to the coil on the front cover.

To keep the small journal closed, i added a closed strip that has the same 'Special Delivery' stamping as the front, but stamped with Sepia Archival ink.

Wishing you all a fantastic end of the week,

be back soon with more Artistic Stamper fun!!

xx

france

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

Flower Wall Hanging by Sue Carrington

Hello and welcome, it's Sue here with my second guest design project for the month of September. I'm definitely starting to feel like Autumn is just around the corner now, the leaves are starting to change and the temperature has definitely dropped ! This is being reflected in the projects that I'm making and today's is no exception !

I started with a piece of mount board and spread some Grunge Paste over it, but only around the edges as I knew the centre would be covered. While it was still wet I then took the Sequin Waste Open stamp, spritzed it with water so it wouldn't stick to the paste, and pressed it into it. I also used one of the small script stamps from the Carte Postale set and a flower from the Botanical Plate 1 set and did the same thing to create some texture in the paste.

Once it was dry I then gave the whole thing a coat of Stone Fresco Finish paint. Then I started to build up colour around the edges using Irish Cream and then Moccha Mousse.

The effect I was wanting to achieve was that of an old book, the sort you see in antique shops so I wanted to warm the colours up a little and Brown Shed Fresco Finish is perfect for that.

To create the burnt, aged look I then used French Roast mixed with a tiny spot of Little Black Dress Fresco Finish around the edges. Once it was dry I brushed Onyxite and Classic Treasure Gold over it.

For the main image I've used the text from the Encyclopaedia Botanica set and stamped it with Sepia Archival ink. Then I stamped the flower from the same set with black Archival ink. I heat set it and then painted the flower using Distress Markers.

I made a little sign to go on the wall hanging from a small piece of mount board. I painted it with a mix of French Roast and Little Black Dress Fresco Finish paints, then added a coat of Crackle Glaze and then a top coat of a mixture of Vanilla and Pumpkin  Soup Fresco Finish paints. To make it extra shabby I then sanded it slightly to reveal more of the bottom colour. The sentiment is from the Encyclopaedia Botanica set and I've stamped it with black Archival ink.

 

I distressed the edges of the card the flower was stamped onto and then used Distress Inks around the edges. 

I punched holes in either side of the little sign and threaded some twine through and added a metal filigree corner.

I hope you've enjoyed today's project, I'll be back with my last project in a couple of weeks !

Sue
x

Sewing Lady by Sue Carrington

Hello! It's Sue here and very excited to be guest designer for September, thank you Jennie and Emma ! For my first project I wanted to use the gorgeous stamp of the lady sewing from the Dressmaking 001 set.

I've used a piece of grey board and started by spreading Grunge Paste over the Art is stencil in random areas on the board.

Once this was dry I then painted the whole board with Vintage Lace Fresco Finish paint. Then I used Cut 'n' Dry foam and sponged more Fresco Finish paint around the edge and over the embossed text to highlight it.

I then used the Spinning Top stencil and the Swirly Vines stencil, again using Fresco Finish paint. I've added some text using the stamp from the Carte Postale set and Coffee Archival ink. I then brushed some Treasure Gold around the edge and rubbed some over the raised, embossed text.

I stamped the beautiful sewing lady onto some Specialitiy Stamping paper and blended some Victorian Velvet Distress Ink around the edge. I've mounted her onto some card that I've stamped with a stamp from the Stitch in Time set using Coffee Archival ink.

The cotton reels and thimble have been stamped onto pieces of paper from a book that have been stuck onto Grunge paper. The tape measure has been made using the stamp from the Stitch in Time set and I've blended Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain Distress Inks over it. The little paper roses are from my stash and I've rubbed Victorian Velvet Distress Ink over them. For the dress form I've stuck some more paper from an old book on to some Grunge Paper and die cut the shape. The sentiment is from the Stitch in Time set and I've cut it into separate pieces so it would fit on the design.

The little bird cage has been painted with Fresco Finish paint, once it was dry I added a coat of Crackle Glaze and then a further coat of Fresco Finish paint. To finish I added some buttons and some lace from my stash.

I hope you've enjoyed my first project and I'll be back later in the month with my next one !

Sue
x

Carpe Diem by Linda Ledbetter

Hi there! This is Linda from Studio L3, back for my second Guest Designer project using some of my very favorite Artistic Stamper images. I'm so grateful to be featured this month, and I'm having an absolute blast with these wonderful stamps!

This happy little card began with Hels Sheridan's ADORABLE Swirly Bird #3 stamp (isn't he the sweetest?!), which I stamped twice onto Ranger's Specialty Stamping Paper. I colored both copies with Distress Markers in Tumbled Glass and Broken China and blended the colors with a Water Brush. Once dry, I cut out the entire bird from one copy, and just his little wing from the other. I embellished them with Stickles (True Blue, Tropical Tangerine and Red), the set the pieces aside to dry while I worked on the background. 

I used watercolor paper for the background, and started with a base of Dylusions Ink Spray in Bubblegum Pink, Lemon Zest and Squeezed Orange, spritzing them onto damped paper so the colors blended. Then I used a portion of Dyan's Dotted Flowers 9 x 12" stencil and sprayed with Cherry Pie Ink, then quickly blotted the paper with a baby wipe to lighten the color a bit. Once the paper dried, I randomly stamped the little diamonds from the Borders A5#1 set using Seedless Preserves Distress Ink.

The side borders (from the same Borders A5 #1 set) and the "Carpe Diem" (from the Journaling Words set) were stamped using a Pitch Black Adirondack Paint Dabber, then over-stamped with Snow Cap Adirondack Paint. 

I assembled the card by layering the bird onto the card-- and his wing onto his body-- using foam tape. I added a feather I found in my garden, and the "go get it" from Tim Holtz's Chitchat Stickers. I stamped and cut out one little pennant from the Borders set and drew a heart on it with Red Stickles, then attached it to the card with foam tape and a bit of twine. To finish, I added more Stickles and mounted the card onto a piece of white watercolor paper, then colored the edges with Ripe Persimmon Distress Marker. 

I had so much fun making this!

Thanks again to Jennie, Emma and the Artistic Stamper Team for welcoming me, and to YOU for visiting today. I'll be back later in August for one more project. Until then... carpe diem!

Songbird by Linda Ledbetter

Hi everyone! I'm Linda Ledbetter from Studio L3, and I'm so excited and honored to join The Artistic Stamper team as their guest designer for August! 

When lovely Emma invited me to browse the stamp collection and choose a few favorites for my projects this month, this exotically gorgeous lady (Donna's Songbird 2 stamp) was the first image to catch my eye. I just love her! 

I stamped our pretty Songbird onto Ranger Specialty Stamping Paper using Jet Black Archival Ink. This is my favorite ink to use when I'm going to be watercoloring with Distress Ink, as it's oil-based and won't run.

Once the image was dry, I placed dabs of Vintage Photo, Crushed Olive and Scattered Straw Distress Stain onto my Non-Stick Craft Mat, and used a Wide Tip Water Brush to randomly swipe the colors across the paper. I didn't blend the colors together, as I wanted the brush strokes to show. I love this simple technique for creating some visual texture!

Once the background was dry, I used a Fine Detail Water Brush with Distress Markers to color in the details on the image. The lady's complexion is tinted with Tattered Rose and Spun Sugar, and her eyeshadow color is Broken China. Her headband is colored with Ripe Persimmon, Worn Lipstick and Festive Berries, and I used Picket Fence to add some highlights to her hair. 

Next, I again used the Jet Black Archival Ink, this time with this awesome, bold image from the Borders A5 #2 set. To complete the front panel of the card, I edged it with Tarnished Brass Distress Paint. 

The background panel of the card is a deep teal page from the Ranger Distress Core'dinations Paper Stack. I again used the Tarnished Brass Distress Paint, this time with the little circles stamp from the same Borders A5 #2 set, to add a fun pattern to the paper.

Finally, I cut one of the fabric roses from a piece of Idea-ology Trimmings, dabbed it with Ripe Persimmon Distress Stain, and attached it to the lady's headband using Glossy Accents adhesive. I added a piece of scrap ribbon to complete her summery look. 

I had so much fun creating this simple card, and am in love with the images I got to play with from The Artistic Stamper! Thanks so much to Jennie, Emma and the team for welcoming me, and to you for taking the time to read my post. I'll be back later in August with another project to share. 

Have a fantastically wonderful day!

--Linda

A Shabby Box by Mark Gould

Thanks for stopping by, Mark here with my last post as July's Guest Designer, I want to say a great big thank you to Jennie, Emma and the rest of the full time DT, it has been great fun working along side you this month.
 My last piece is a little wooden chest that started life as a plain pine box.
 I love to alter 3d items and Shabby/Vintage is a look I really like to play around with.
 I knew straight of the bat that I wanted to use the Katy Fox Numerical Plate, there are so many great stamps on this set I know I will be using them for a long time.
 This box had been kicking about for a while and I was not happy with what I had done so I started over, I gave it a coat of gesso and sanded it back to smooth out the texture of the wood grain a little.
I base coated the box with Decoarts Americana Blue Mist, When dry I stamped with coffee archival ink several of the numbers over lapping the top and bottom section of the chest.
The coffee works really well for the shabby look, black can be a little to stark for images.
The white numbers have been created using Frantage embossing powder, I love the little flecks of gold and a more antique looking white.

 To add more of an aged look I used Decoart Traditions Quin Gold as a wash and after a little bot of drying time swipped the colour back with a wet wipe to bring some of the blue mist back and to still allow you to see the coffee coloured stamps although now nicely faded.
The edges of the box need some work so they were treated with some black archival ink applied with some cut and dry foam.




The chest sat like this for a while, I quite liked it but it was still lacking something, I decided it needed more age so grabbed the two step crackle from Decoart and covered the chest. When it had done what it does I rubbed some dark brown acrylic paint into the cracks and again after a little drying I used a wet wipe to clear it from the surface and to leave the brown paint in the cracks.

The inside of the box was given a coat of a light tan acrylic paint and then a coat of weathered wood, when the weathered wood was touch dry I applied a top coat of white, the weathered wood acts straight away and you get the lovely peeled paint look, the sizes of the cracks vary depending on how thick it is applied.

Finally, the hinges and catch were aged with a little alcohol ink.


Thank you all so much for stopping by and making me feel welcome, I hope you have enjoyed my 3 little posts this month, Again a great big thank you to Jennie and the rest of the Artistic Stamper team it has been a blast and an honour.
Ill see you all in blog land xxx