Green Leaves

Here's my entry for Hels Sunday Stamper challenge 126 with the theme of GREEN. All I can say is I'm grateful it wasn't onions!!


The background is a pale squooshy mix of Distress Inks (Shabby Shutters, Bundled Sage, Peeled Paint) oversprayed with gold perfect pearls. I clear embossed the sycamore and mountain ash leaf stamps to create a resist and then blended Shabby Shutters and Pine Needles over and around to highlight them. A gold embossed harlequin and letters to finish.

Whilst this has turned into a card sized piece I think it would be great as a scrapbook background for autumnal photos. Created lots of background pieces so I have more to play with later in the week. Watch this space!!

Bones

Here's an ATC that I've made for Hels Sunday Stamper Challenge 125 with the theme of BONES.



It certainly was a challenge this week - I'm not really a Halloween fan so have no spooky stamps and certainly no skeletons!! However I knew I had a skull image somewhere so I've used that.
The background is Basic Grey Eerie paper with just the branches of a Beech Tree stamped round the edges to create a scary feel. Go on tell me it looks scary!!? I've inked the edges of the skull and then stuck it on a concertina of card so that should it ever be sent to anyone, then the little bit of movement might scare them!
Let me know what you think.

Layers of Leaves

Here is my entry for The Artistic Stamper's Challenge on the theme of LAYERS. I was working on the theory that a pile of leaves is the same thing as a layer of leaves.



The background and leaves are all distressed using Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Barn Door, Vintage Photo and Pine Needles with a spray of copper perfect pearls. The leaves were cut using Tim Holtz's Tattered Leaf die, painted with Rock Candy Crackle Paint and then sponged with Pine Needles to show off the cracks. It looks just like the skeleton veins of a real leaf and feels all dry and crisp like one too.

The leaves turned out better than expected so I'll definitely be making more. Hope you like it.

Tree Silhouettes

I've been playing with gloss card and distress inks again trying out an idea I saw in Craft Stamper magazine - sorry but I can't find my copy at the moment so can't credit the designer. She used just a square of colour and a silhouette flower.

Whilst working on a set of autumnal ATCs I veered off at a bit of a tangent. Everyone knows you can use Distress Inks to produce a distressed shabby effect but they work just as well swiped across gloss card to make a pale background. I've masked the background with post-it notes and used autumnal colours of Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade and Barn Door to show off the Beech Tree.


The Oak Tree background is just swipes of Shabby Shutters, Bundled Sage, Broken China and Stormy Skies again using post-it notes as the mask.

It's so simple but I think it looks very effective and really shows off these Oak House Studio trees. Apologies for the photos - the colours show up much better in real life...honest!

Imagine

Here is my piece for Hels Sunday Stamper challenge 124 with the theme of Imagine.

Having done the ironing, I thought I was allowed some inky time. I started off with some autumnal swooshy pieces and then had a play at a landscape on some gloss card. Obviously the ink doesn't sink in so the effect is more blobby - I realise that's not a good technical term but you know what I mean.

The background landscape was created with Distress Inks - Stormy Skies, Broken China, Bundled Sage and Shabby Shutters - and then sprayed with perfect pearls. I do think it gives a slighty snowy, bad weather feel - imagine what's going to come out of the mist. Silly really as its a beautiful sunny day here!! Anyway the trees are Mr Holtz's and the imagine word is an Artistic Stamper one.

Oh well back to the housework......

String

Here's my entry for Hels Sunday Stamper challenge 123 on the theme of STRING.


All kinds of ideas floated about - string of pearls, string net etc but I decided to just add some plain boring string jazzed up a bit with red acrylic paint. The swooshy background is a mixture of Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade and Barn Door Distress Inks and the stamps are Tim's. I've not used his distress lacey one before but think it makes a good effect.

Bearing in mind the current dismal weather, I hope this cheers you all up!!

Black

Well what a dismal day!! Here is my entry for Hels Sunday Stamper Challenge 122 on the theme of Black.


I can't beleive it's nearly 2 weeks since I wrote on here. Been busy so missed Ally Pally last weekend and this morning we had to take my daughter to the airport for 6am and the other is camping tonight so I'm missing Artisan too....so thought I'd treat myself to some of Mr Holtz's stamps to cheer myself up. I always admire cards made with this man in the rain so I ordered a set and they arrived in the post this morning. Love the sentiment too but a dull rainy day is not the life I've imagined - sunny blue skies would be better!!!

Anyway if you are going to the Artisan show, go and see Lynnda on the Oak House Studio stand - she's there on her own so go and say hello and tell her I sent you.

Have a good weekend everyone!