Thursday 29 July 2010

Silver anyone??

Anyone out there enjoy silver clay? Lynnda at Oak House Studio has just blogged about her latest project and you can see the photo here. She's used one of the new stamps to not only make the silver brooch/pendant but also make a card and gift box to match. Isn't it just gorgeous.

It's not something I've had a go at but I know she's used several other stamps to make jewellery - they work well with art clay silver leaving a really clean impression.

I can't show you what I've been working on as it's a Christmas Card for the Craft Stamper magazine swap. It's July, the start of the summer holidays and really it doesn't feel right making christmas stuff. Don't usually think about it till November!!!

How about you? When do you start on Christmas?

Monday 26 July 2010

Queen

Here's my regal 'shield' for Hels Sunday Stampers Challenge 113 based on the Queen song Love of my Life.



It started out being based more on Queen with the Union Jack and Lion Rampant but I found some of Tim's tags so I managed to include Love and Life too. The background is Shabby Shutters and Bundled Sage and the stamping is Brilliance Pearlescent Ivy.

I didn't remember this song from the title but looked it up on youtube and now it's stuck in my head - thanks Hels! It reminded me how brilliant Freddie Mercury was - singing live with just Brian May on guitar and you could hear every word he sang. Now I think I must be getting old as most of today's bands I haven't a clue what they are singing about - the background overtakes the vocals and as for singing live, not many of them seem to manage it. Tell me you agree and it's not just me!!!

Anyway I'm off to listen to my Queen LP...oops CD!

Friday 23 July 2010

The rest of the Journey

Well in amongst everything else this week (end of term activities and meetings etc) I have managed to finish off my Journey Album. I came across some kraft coloured card whilst wrapping a present - instead of a tube in the roll of paper there was a huge sheet of thin card - so I cut that up into various different sizes and bound it all together. Here are just a few pages plus the inside back cover which I really like.





The pages in the album are quite varied - one has pockets at the bottom, two at the side, one has a flap and one a combination of all three. I randomly stamped seaside creatures and shells, an oak leaf, a calendar and the explore & discover stamp all over and then distressed all the pages plus a back cover to finish the album. I quite enjoyed being random and messy rather then precise for a change!!!

We're off to various places during the summer hols - some time spent at the seaside, some spent deep in Sherwood Forest and a quick trip to see Lynnda in Yorkshire. So I have somewhere to store all those tickets and momentoes I seem to gather, somewhere to write notes and hopefully I'll pick up some more embellies on the way!!

Monday 19 July 2010

Journey

Here's my piece for Hels Sunday Stamper Challenge 112 based on the song Don't Stop Believing by Journey. It must be my age cos it means nothing to me and I'm sorry to say I think it's been done to death recently with Glee and the new TV show.....so, I based mine on the Journey part.



I had a rummage in my stamp drawer(s) and decided to do an album cover - the summer holidays are nearly here so what better time to make a holiday album. I've used my favourite distress inks (Broken China, Faded Jeans, Stormy Sky and Rusty Hinge) over one of Tim's masks and then stamped the Technique Tuesday It's a Date stamp down the edge. The big explore stamp is by Hero Arts, the shells are Oak House Studio and the journey one is Tim's.

Whilst I've only done the cover as yet (not as quick as Hels) I'll ink up some pages with the shells and calendar stamp etc, make some pockets and bind-it-all together ready to take away on my hols.

Just hoping this weather stays - doesn't have to be hot, just warm and dry!!

Thursday 15 July 2010

A Grand Day Out!

Are you looking for something to do on Sunday and fancy a day out in Yorkshire?? Well perhaps you'd like to visit the Art and The Farm II event at Calf House Studios, Cold Harbour Farm, Bishop Burton, East Yorkshire.

It's the home of Oak House Studios so you can have a browse around the converted stable and watch Lynnda demoing stamps etc. But in addition to that, the other artists will be open to visitors too so you can check out what they are up to. There's a sculptor, a couple of painters, a silver clay teacher and a photographer - all run workshops and courses.

The Open Day is this Sunday July 18th 10am-4pm. Admission is free and I undertsand there's a free prize draw too so you could win a day with the teacher of your choice.

Why not round off the day with a trip to Hornsea and a fish n chip supper. It's making me wish I didn't live so far south .....hmmm! Anyway back to making something meaningful with some inky bits of card.

Tuesday 13 July 2010

Song Sung Blue

It's actually more of a hum really!! This is my little piece for Hels Sunday Stamper Challenge 111 on the theme of Song Sung Blue. Well I like the blue bit - my favourite colour - and I thought I'd follow Hels a bit closer this time so I found a bit of canvas, a bird stamp and began.


I used a music stave peel off as a mask and distressed over it with Broken China and Faded Jeans. So far, so good... I've never done the stamp on tissue technique before so thought I'd have a bash. After all, isn't that what challenges are for - to make you try different things and learn along the way etc. Anyway not having beeswax I sloshed some PVA on and it stuck down reasonably but its a bit lumpy in places. Then I thought I'd add some Crackle Paint - which hasn't! I'm guessing I didn't put it on thick enough as in some areas it just seems to have soaked into the canvas.

Anyway to rescue it I added more Faded Jeans, a bit of a scroll stamp at the top and a metal word. I nearly didn't blog it but then we can't all be perfect all the time!!! It's a learning curve etc etc.

So if you see a vaguely blue canvas on another post, then you know I decided to sand it down and alter it!

Thursday 8 July 2010

Summer Wedding

A month or so ago I was invited to join in with an ATC swap hosted by Lexie and whilst June has been manic I did actually manage to complete a set of three. As with all these things, I think about it for a bit, decide what I'm going to do and then make something completely different.



I used Oak House Studio stamps - the background is the Mack Rose stamped in Brilliance. The leaf and flowers are from the Spring Blooms set, embossed in silver and then painted with Twinkling H20s. I then stamped the sentiments from the Wedding Words set and matted it all onto silver card.

Whilst these are ATCs, this selection of stamps could be used to make all your wedding stationary including place settings, thank you cards etc.

Tuesday 6 July 2010

Rhinestone Cowgirl

Here's my card for the Sunday Stampers Challenge 110 with the theme of Rhinestone Cowboy - check out Hels blog for all the details.

I was dithering about what to do until I saw The Craft Barn's new competition for unusually shaped cards. So I decided to combine the two and use Rhinestones on a Cowboy (or rather Cowgirl) Boot!


The boot is cut from leather effect card, the Clematis Tower (Oak House Studio) was embossed in silver, watercoloured and cut to fit and then the whole thing was finished off with some inking of the edges, fringing and rhinestones.

I have to admit having a pair of boots this colour many years ago - the blue, not the white!! Not sure I'd go out in these but if the occasion arose, well I think I might ...... hope you like!

Thursday 1 July 2010

Pearls of Wisdom

This is my piece for the Sunday Stampers Challenge 109 on the theme of PEARLS as set by Hels. Well it would be too easy to just use pearls - it is supposed to be a challenge after all - so mine started out based on Pearls of Wisdom and then veered off towards the nursery rhyme A Wise Old Owl lived in an Oak.



The Embelliscrap Owl and dictionary paper were painted with a light wash of Adirondack Dimensional Pearls to make them shimmer. For the oak tree I painted a thick layer of Dimensional Pearls onto some card and then made the bark effect by squidging a plank of wood stamp into it. I think it looks quite effective. I then stamped the words and oak leaves in green chalk ink, oh and yes, I added a few small pearls too. The photo is not very good I'm afraid - too much pearly shimmer - but I hope you like!

It's a bit too hot for crafting - either stuff dries too quickly or the wind blows everything about as all the doors and windows are open. Not that I'm complaining but the garden could do with some rain.

Hope you all have a good weekend!