Family values...

Hello everyone, this is Titbelsoeur here today.

I have made, just for you... and for my great pleasure too ! a terrific background with household items and stamps from the Artistic Stamper.

I have started with an ugly scrapbook page, you know these are the ones you bought at the very beginning, they were cheap... but today you find them as ugly as anything !

I have started with gessoeing here and there through a piece of plasterboard banneer and a stencil with numbers, among other stuff, to add some texture. Then I sprayed blue, red, orange, yellow, green... inks (Distress, Dylusion...) and let them mix together and drip on the whole page to enhance the textured parts.

After that, I whipped out my stamps... 
Dots Background A6 stamped with gesso :

chicken wire background :

Large Bingo Card

now let's have a look at the entire background :

And at the end, I have added some papers from my stash and stamped :
seize the moment from the Journaling Words 3 plate
and Family values

I would be very happy if my page inspires you, 

thank you so much for stopping by,

 I am looking forward to reading your comments !

A tout bientôt,

Titbelsoeur 

Dance to the Music by Alison (Craftytrog)

Hello Stampers! I have a painty tag to share with you today.

This tag started off when I used up some paints that were left on my craft mat after another project. There was black, white & some blue Fresco Finish paints in the mix.

I used some distress inks, picked raspberry & spiced marmalade, to ink the tag, then knocked the colours back by using a brayer to apply snowflake FF paint. After that, I sponged some bora bora FF paint through a Crafter's Workshop stencil.

Here's how it looked at this stage...

I stamped the outline dancer & the phrase from Sioux Jenney's Dance Plate, onto glossy card, using jet black archival ink, then cut them out. I stamped the dancer again, onto a Gelli print painted scrap, cut out just the tutu, then stamped the 'Dance' bodice on another scrap & cut that out too. I glued the bodice & tutu onto the dancer, then glued her to the tag with glossy accents.

I stamped the ruler from Ephemera Plate 1 down the left side of the tag, then stamped 'perfectly fitted' on the bottom edge. I added a few words from the Dance Plate, then finished off by stapling some gingham ribbon & the cut out 'Dance' phrase to the top of the tag.

I hope you like my tag,

thanks for visiting,

Alison xxx

Love Story by Laura Bomber

Hi everyone! Welcome back to my second creation at The Artistic Stamper. With my appearance being scheduled for the 14th I had to make something for Valentines Day. I chose to make a romantic themed altered book. I had made altered books before, but this time I wanted to make something slightly different and after much thought I decided to turn it into a box. This was a lot of fun because I had to figure out how to do it - and the journey of discovery of what works and what things you 'should never do!' is always something I really enjoy!

I had a small hardback book and tore the pages out (and saving them for future projects!) being careful not to tear the binding at all. Once I had just the cover I needed to decorate it.

 First I used some plain white paper - and covered it with Antique Linen Distress Stain. I dried it with the heat gun and then creased the paper very slightly to add some texture. I wanted it to look old....like something found in an attic telling the story of ancestors....I then got to work using several stamps following the theme of travel.

I stamped the images using from the label and Carte Postale set using Potting Soil Archival ink and adding some Distress inks blended around the edges. Using Vintage Photo and Frayed Burlap added a lovely shabby aged effect. I also stamped some of the images using Walnut Stain Distress ink

I glued the paper to the book cover using Matte Multi-Medium and left to dry while I worked on some leather effect paper.

For this I used the same white paper that I used for the cover and this time I swiped Forest Moss, Walnut Stain and Gathered Twigs Distress Stain all over the paper, then spritzed with a little bit of water. I scrunched the paper up in my hands and then unravelled it (very carefully!) I dried this with a heat gun and used Distress inks - Walnut Stain and Gathered Twigs with the blending tool to fill in any gaps of colour. I then wiped across the paper lightly with the Walnut Stain pad. This adds very intense colour to the creases. I then dried it carefully with the heat gun again.

I cut a strip of this leather effect paper to size for the book spine and glued it into place with a light coat of multi-medium and then began to construct the panel that would be used to hold the book box shut. This was just a sheet of card covered with the leather paper and glued onto the book box with Glossy accents glue.

 A Tim Holtz bookplate was used to decorate the front 

 and a metal clasp was attached to the card with brads to hold it shut.

The inside was decorated with plain white paper...this had been stamped with flowers from Botanical 3 in Victorian Velvet Distress Ink. I randomly stamped the images and then dabbed a bit of the ink over the roses to create a subtle faded effect. I used Shabby Shutters Distress Stain to add colour to the leaves and then used Antique Linen Distress ink to fill in around the flowers. A bit of Walnut Stain Distress ink around the edges added a bit of a shabby vintage look. When this was done I glued it to the inside of the book cover.

Now to construct the box. I cut three pieces of balsa wood to size, used some wood stain to match the cover of the book and glued them into place.

To decorate the inside cover I used a Gibson Girl stamp and the portrait from Men's Plate 001. I stamped them with Potting Soil Archival ink and then decided that I wanted them to look like old photographs. I used Faded Burlap, Gathered Twigs, Walnut Stain and Antique Linen Distress Stains to paint the stamps with vintage sepia photograph colours. When this was done I dabbed them with embossing ink and did a light coat of clear embossing powder to look like the photos were behind glass frames.

The frames were cut from embossed card and painted with Old Gold Fresco paint which was then dabbed with French Roast Fresco Paint. I glued the two photographs side by side and then began to add some decoration from my craft stash....

A rose was dabbed with Vintage Photo Distress Ink, some leaves covered in Mocha Mousse Fresco paint and Rock Candy glitter glue. A flower die cut was painted with Antique Linen Distress Paint and then edged with Tattered Rose Distress Ink. A few metal embellishments were added including a key and envelope. I finished off the decoration with some crochet lace that was lightly dabbed with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and some ivory hemp string tied into bows.

I decided that the box should hold some memories - perhaps of travel, romantic destinations, letters, postcards and photographs. All of them were tied up with peach ribbon and I couldn't resist adding a tarnished brass key - perhaps somewhere there are more intriguing memories locked away?......

One of the stamps resembled an old faded photograph when stamped with Potting Soil Archival ink and covered with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

I also used the map background

The rose was stamped with Potting Soil Archival ink and coloured with Tattered Rose Distress ink. The leaves were painted with Shabby Shutters Distress stain and the background of the picture was covered with Broken China Distress ink before being edged with Vintage Photo Distress ink. Calligraphic Mat 6 was used to add script around the edges.

    Thanks so much for being here to see my Valentines day creation at The Artistic Stamper - I really hope you like it! I will be back here with my final creation on the 28th - Hope you will come back to see what I have made!

Happy Crafting!

Laura xxx

Artistic Stamper stamps:
Gibson Girl 5 
Carte Postale Size A5
Labels A6
Botanical 3
Ephemera 1
Men's Plate 001
Gibson Girl 5 
Architecture 1
Europe Map Background 
Calligraphic Script 6



Other items used:
Distress Stains - Frayed Burlap, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain, Forest Moss, Antique Linen, Gathered Twigs and Shabby Shutters
Distress Inks - Frayed Burlap, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain, Antique Linen, Tattered Rose, Broken China and Embossing ink
Distress paints - Antique Linen
Archival Inks - Potting Soil
Fresco Paint - Old Gold, French Roast and Mocha Mousse
Claudine Hellmuth Studio -Matte Multi-Medium
Distress stickles - Rock Candy
Inkssentials - Glossy Accents
Embossing powder - Clear

40 years of Love

Hello everyone, Astrid here and thanks so much for stopping by!

Well, seeing it's the day before Valentine's day I just had to post my Valentine's card for my hubby.... As it so happens, it is also his birthday tomorrow, so this will serve for both.....

Here is a list of the stamps and other products I used:

Stamps:

Grungy Greetings

Regency Background

Calligraphic Mat 12

Other products:

Distress Paint in Picket Fence

Kraft Resist Seasonal Collection by Tim Holtz

Label Letters by Tim Holtz

Potting Soil Archival Ink

Distress Inks in Aged Mahogany, Festive Berries and Walnut Stain

Gesso

I also used various die cuts, flowers and other bits and pieces from my stash, including a rusty heart, as well as a 6 x 6 card blank from Kraft Card and a sewing machine.

I started by cutting a heart shape and stamped the Regency Background and Calligraphic Mat 12 in Picket Fence. Once dry I inked over it with a mix of Aged Mahogany and Festive Berries Distress Inks and darkened the edges with Walnut Stain. I lightly wiped over it with a baby wipe to bring out the stamped resist.

Next I cut a piece of valentine paper from the Seasonal Kraft Resist collection. Distressed the edges and then stitched around it with my sewing machine. I adhered it to my card base with my various die cuts and other embellishments.

I stamped one of the sentiments from the Grungy Greetings set in Potting Soil archival and added it along the side.

 The final bit was that I added a rusty heart still with the little letter stickers as somehow it still seemed to miss a vocal point.

Well, that's it. Dear hubby and I have been married for 40 years and he has received quite a few of my cards over the years as you can imagine. I know he will quietly indulge me with this one, as he does with most of my crafting efforts.......

Wishing you all a very happy Valentine's day, giving and receiving love is surely something to celebrate! I'll leave you with a little quote:

You don’t love someone because they’re perfect, you love them in spite of the fact that they’re not. – Jodi Picoult.

One day I'll fly away...

Hello everyone, Alison (butterfly) here with some journalling pages created in a small hardback book.  (Remember you can always click on a photo for a close-up.)

If you've come from my Words and Pictures sneak peek, you'll already know it's not a happy love story being told here.  If you're all loved up for Valentine's Day, you might want to skip it!  I might as well issue a long post warning too while I'm at it.  Cups of tea (or maybe shots of whisky) at the ready...

I've used stamps from the Birds of a Feather plate to express the need of this woman to break out of the relationship which is keeping her caged up.

All she wants is to be set free, to be allowed to fly high and alone.

There are little hearts all around the page, but if you look closely you'll see that many are actually slightly broken, cracked hearts (a touch of Crackle Accents over the Grunge Paste).

And although the cage is a beautiful one it's still a prison...

I started with some torn strips torn from the Tim Holtz Kraft Resist Paper Stash, stuck down with medium.

I started playing with the elements I wanted to include, the stamped and fussy cut bird and cage, and the little vintage photo.

Next I swept some paint over them, working from the spine outwards.  I used Grunge Paste to add the tiny hearts through a stencil, and finally added some splatters of Espresso Color Wash.

But I wanted some blue to add a melancholy feel - so I dabbled and spritzed Stormy Sky Distress Stain across the pages.

I added some extra stamping - the words from Katy Fox's Carte Postale set and some postmarks from the same set.

And having worked out the positions with the fussy cut versions, I now stamped the birds direct to the page using Sepia Archival ink.

I outlined some of the hearts with a PITT pen, and later added Crackle Accents to those ones.

Some Vintage Photo Distress Ink swiped over the whole page warms the tone of the papers again and highlights textures, including the little hearts.

I just had to use my new Spring Greenery die to add the ivy trailing across the pages - I hope it will be amongst Jennie's new CHA stock soon!  It's cut from Kraft Core in the 12 x 2.5 inch size - exactly right for cutting Decorative Strip Dies.

I sanded it and then inked over with Stormy Sky and Vintage Photo Distress Stains to give it the weathered look.

And I added one of the Idea-ology Compass Coins, dabbed with Stormy Sky... which way will she go once she is free?

Both she and the bird cage are layered over some torn book pages, edged with Distress Ink.

And the little bird has had a touch of penwork just to bring him into focus.

And the final touch was to add a couple of woodcut meadow grasses, inked with Stormy Sky Distress Stain... no more wandering in the meadows with her lover for this woman.

These mementos will now lie, forgotten, between the pages of a book.

So there are my pages for you - a walk on the darker side of love in the run-up to Valentine's Day.

What can I say?  Not everyone enjoys the 14th February...

Thank you so much for stopping by.  Come and play along with our February challenge - all you have to do is Use Distress.  But you don't have to be distressed to do it, and I wish those that celebrate it a very happy Valentine's Day!

The only whole heart is a broken one, because it lets the light in.
David J. Wolpe

Ingredients used:
Artistic Stamper stamps: Birds of a Feather, Carte Postale
Idea-ology Compass Coins
Idea-ology Kraft Resist Paper Stash
Core-dinations 12 x 2.5
Grunge Paste
DecoArt paint: Titanium White
Fresco paint: Stone
Distress Stains: Stormy Sky, Vintage Photo
Distress Inks: Gathered Twigs, Vintage Photo
Adirondack Color Wash Spray: Espresso
Archival Inks: Sepia, Coffee
Crackle Accents
PITT pens