Peony Card for the November Craft Stamper challenge.

Hi all

My project for the Craft Stamper November Challenge is a bit of an antidote to all the Halloween stuff that has been around for the last few weeks - a huge pink peony! There are fab prizes to be won, AND a chance to be featured in the Craft Stamper mag for the challenge winner! 

Have a look here.

The huge flower and the leaves are by Indigo Blue, background text by Stampers Anonymous. These are things that I haven't used before - 

that is my current self challenge; to use those things!

 Stamped out the flower three times and fussy cut each to layer up.

 Base colour was Worn Lipstick distress ink (onto craft mat, 

spritzed with water and flowers pulled through). 

 To add depth, I used a Koi Brush Pen, both watered down and then neat 

as this gives a variation in the colour. 

 With such a large image, I saved a fair bit of time with the shading by working out 

which areas would be hidden, and leaving them with just the base colour.

 I coloured the spare card from the original stamping with distress oxides 

(again on the mat, spritzed with water and the paper dragged through).

 Stamped on the leaves (better to do this after colouring when smooshing with Distress Oxides as they are quite opaque and can obliterate the stamped image if added after stamping. Cut them out. Then I added more colour with waterbased markers.

 More Distress Oxide smooshing with the background card.

 This buckled a bit, but I popped it under some heavy books once dry 

and it flattened out enough to use. 

 I went over the dried/ flattened background paper with an anti-static pad. 

Selected a text stamp and embossed it with white embossing powder. 

 To stick down the flower, starting with the largest layer first, I used double sided tape which I went over with a glue stick to give me a bit of wiggle time. 

I only added tape and glue in the middle as I wanted the edges to lift up.

 Slipped the leaves under the main flower.... 

Added the two smaller flower images to the centre to build up the peony, 

stuck the base card to the 8 x 8 card blank and that's it finished.

A nice card to send to someone on just about any occasion. 

Thanks for looking! 

Suz

x

Paper Heart on Fabric

So come on, how many of you have crafty items you've never used, and things you've had in your stash for YEARS? I know I do! 

I'm really trying hard to deal with both those 'crafty problems'! So this project made me very happy - and at the same time another birthday card ticked off the list of dozens to make - even better it's for a crafty girl who I know will appreciate each layer!

Finished card....here's how I put this one together.

A crumpled old book page, dyed with out of date coffee granules (thanks Dad!) , dried and brayered over with white paint on the base layer.

Another piece stamped onto. I finally used these two stamps from a magnetic 'making memories' set. I kind of avoid this set as it's a bit of a faf setting it up - but looking at them again there are some fab words so I must remember to use em! 

 Another stamp I've not used - a wooden one with a map on it, I used this archival ink, brayered on the back of the paper to get a better impression, then tore around the edges. Base layer done!

 You guessed it - another stamp I've never used! This time one by Finnabair. I was looking for something to stamp on the little heart I made (watercolour card, painted and cut to a heart shape while travelling on a bus to the Grand Canyon!). 

 The heart in the stamp was a perfect fit for my little shape - bit of a fluke!

 I have sooooo many scraps of material! So I pulled out a few and worked out how I wanted to layer them up. I took a hammered card blank and inked the front to soften the white before I began gluing.

Tape runner and glue stick to adhere 1st layer. Then cosmic shimmer on top for fabrics...

Large, open weave hessian, frayed around the edges, then a scrap of a thinner open weave material....then I found a couple of small scraps of pretty organza so those went on too!

 A torn piece of wallpaper, then my little painted, stamped cut out heart shape.

Torn, stamped sentiments added next.

and finally a tiny flower that I pressed a couple of years ago - I only found these when I got my flower press out to do some others, such a lovely surprise!

I so enjoyed making this, using things I hadn't used and
 also little bits and pieces I didn't want to throw away!
Thanks for looking.
Suz
xxx

Art Dolls Rock for the Craft Stamper Blog DT

My project this month for the Craft Stamper Challenge Blog is an Art Doll. I made quite a lot of changes as I worked on it, but pretty happy with how she turned out, weird and wonderful!

I've never made an Art Doll before.  I was inspired to have a go after seeing a challenge on the 'Junk Journals And Mindful Mixed Media Art's' Facebook group. And I had been looking for a way to use a pebble I've had for ages. I had played about and made an image transfer on the rock to practice for a class I'm teaching soon.  I came up with this phrase which means a lot to me at the moment.  Then once I had done the image transfer, the rock just sat on my desk waiting for a purpose - til I had the Art Doll's Rock idea. Loved finding a use!

I didn't expect it to come to anything though, as just messing about, so didn't take pics.  I just drew and coloured the face using Tonic watercolour pencils and a Micron Pen. Made the headdress by stamping a large and smaller flower from a set by PaperArtsy, cutting then out and layering up behind my doll's face. Then to work out how to add the face to the rock! I waded through my enormous stamp collection and this stamp by Indigo Blue called to me. I thought the bulb thingy on the side would be perfect. Stamped and cut it out. I started taking pics at this stage as thought it might be going somewhere! 

 Coloured in the bulb with Wilted Violet Distress Oxide.

Glued that to the back of the head. Headdress was coloured and outlined with Tombow Pens.

 Stuck the head on, played with the position. To make a stand for the pebble I used air dry clay. I also worked away at the image transfer to remove the scuffy bits of paper you can see in the photo.

Stamped a butterfly - another Indigo Blue stamp. Using a dark grey archival which was really juicy so held the embossing enamel!

Added colour to the clay once dry. Repeated to build the colour.

 Added gems - although I swapped the ones on the bottom for paper roses later as not keen on how they looked.

More roses added to the base, and to the doll's neck.  The ones on the sides are like arms as the roses are on stems. I took the stem off the red neck rose and the lilac ones around the bottom,  I used one of the discarded wire stems to re-shape the butterfly wings as I didn't like them sticking straight out of her neck. I wanted something behind the doll so made a frame from rusty wire (you can get rusty wire from Hanna Oxberry ). 

The wire was a bit harsh so I cut a strip of gauze like material, frayed the edges, then I glued the material to the frame and around the pebble, it just softens the look a bit! Also tucked the wire in so it didn't hide the sentiment.

Hope you like my doll.....and you can see why I called this 'Art Doll's Rock'! And why not have a go at this months Craft Stamper Challenge - there are always prizes to be won!

Thanks for looking

Suz

x

Mixed Media Fossil Canvas for the Craft Stamper Challenge Blog

Hi all!

My latest project for the Craft Stamper Challenge Blog is worked on an upcycled canvas.

I added layers of papers, lace, paint and heat embossing to the canvas.

 I stamped the fossil image onto calico, coloured it in with DecoArt paints, added layers of fabric, thread, gems and a bit of broken jewellery.

For a detailed tutorial on the technique I used for stamping and colouring the fossil, have a look at my YouTube channel here .

And why not have a go at the challenge yourself - always fab prizes to be won!

Thanks for looking.

Suz

x

Fossil Stamp 3 ways! Andy Skinner DT project

Todays post is about taking a stamp and using it in different ways. I ended up with 3 projects, all stamped onto calico, with the same technique for colouring and shading the images, but very different results. Alongside this post there is a detailed YouTube tutorial of exactly how I change the images, transfer them to my projects, and shade around them. You'll also find tips on painting onto fabric and all the tools I used. Hope you enjoy it!

To create this Sci-Fi image I used the smaller of the two ammonite stamps from Andy Skinners 'Fossil' stamp set, straight onto a piece of calico using an Archival ink pad  (not pre-washed or prepared fabric, just ironed). Click here for the full YouTube tutorial . I over-stamped with a dye based ink. Then using a wet brush I dragged out the colour of the ink pad.  Once dry I brush over the back of the fabric with a wash of watery Decoupage Glue. I created shading by using washes of colour with Paynes Grey and Quin Gold around the image, once dry I went over with a black Posca Paint Pen, and also used this to draw in the 'visor' of the fossil helmet. The brad in the middle is a silver, flat backed gem which I sanded back and glued on. And here is how I created the background that I attached the image to as this isn't in the YouTube tutorial....

I took a 5x7inch canvas board which I'd already used but didn't like. I went over it with black modelling paste through a circle stencil - any stencil would do really, it's just to add texture.

Leave the modelling paste to dry thoroughly then give the canvas a thin coat of Carbon Black with a wet brush. this means the paint will be a little diluted and some of the underlying colour will come through.

Then I added layers of metallic lustres....Copper, Iced Espresso and Champagne

 I decided to try something a bit different.....I chopped up a multi coloured crayon (I have a pack of several from Poundland!) and melt it across the surface with a heat guy - tipping the canvas so it runs across....careful with the melted wax, it's hot! 

More Lustres and a mixture of more Carbon Black, Quinacrydone Gold and Yellow Iron Oxide...

A couple of metal embellishments from my stash - they had holes and craters on them so I added crystal gems in the small holes, then dotted a few more gems around the canvas. Then a bit of rusty wire which I threaded through the metal charms and wrapped around the canvas, click here for details of the metal wire.  That was the background finished.

Here is the image at the end of the YouTube tutorial. Before adding it to the background, I cut off all the frayed edges and the corners so it fitted on the canvas. Then I added Metallic Lustres around the edges - you can easily do this by adding water to the lustres and applying with a brush -and dipped each edge into Paynes Grey to frame it .  Once dry I glued it over the wire, using Pinflair 3D glue gel, added the wing, also with the gel, and stamped the words 'Top Secret' from Andy's 'Word Up' stamp set. The paper for the sentiment was a stark white, so I added a 'dirty wash' and edged the sentiment with neat quin gold.

Here's the finished Sci-Fi person......

Here is the stamp in it's normal glory...….

And here is the same stamp but I've painted in an eye!

Thanks for looking. 

Suz

x