Lots of Kissing

Over at Oak House Studio the Circles and Flowers set of stamps has been chosen as Stamp of the Week and reduced to half price.  I've had this stamp set for years and its definitely very useful.

The background is inked with a mix of Lemon Yellow, Golden Yellow and Pumpkin Pie Pigment Inks and I had great fun mixing and matching colours and kissing with other stamps - the flowers plus the Rosette and Linen stamps.  Not only adding more colour but taking ink off too.  The palette stamps work brilliantly for this and create great patterns...... I warn you though, it's addictive.

Here's a close-up of the effects you can get.  The sentiment and flowers I've stamped with Fired Brick, clear embossed and coloured to match and mounted it all on maroon card.

Thanks for popping by to look!  If you like Oak House Studio stamps, then there's a call out for a new Design Team today - all the details are over on the BLOG.   Why not give it a go and good luck!!

Monet meets Picasso

Here's my next postcard for The Craft Barn's Quotes and Lyrics Challenge where the words to use are MIND and/or IGNORANCE.   Again I've gone with the first quote that popped an image into my head........maybe it's weird but that's obviously how my mind works!!

For the background I've used a combination of Square Palette Stamps (Oak House Studio) with bright inks to create the Picasso style background and just used a black Sharpie to frame them.  The Monet piece is from a Crafty Individuals book of images - I thought it looked like an impressionist painting.  And to finish the words are from a quote by Robert Brault - I'm not sure my dreams are like this but at least they'd be colourful!!

Anyway thanks for looking and for your lovely comments.  I'm off to see what everyone else has chosen to do!

Art Journalling

I'm still playing catch up on all the challenges I do and have 9 weeks worth of Journal52 pages to create - I really enjoy this challenge and have decided that I have to go with the first image that pops into my head otherwise it'll end up contrived.

So I'll just add a few pictures - Firstly, Under the Sea

This one is an blue-green inky background with Oak House Studio Sea Life stamps, Mountain Ash for seaweed and Oak Tree for the corally bit.   This song from Little Mermaid popped into my head and I thought it was very apt.   Below, the theme was Travelling - we have a caravan (not quite as dinky as this) so a few stamps on an inky background.  Oak Tree again for the grass/hedging and the Map stamp is PSX I think.

The theme below was Courage - difficult to do but I decided to go for pink.  I'm not a pink person but I can just about cope with this mix of deep pinks......pastel pink...oh no!!

 

 Above is Nostalgia - we've been to New Romney in Kent various times over the years and have just come back from that area.  So reminiscing...definitely.   The steam train postcard is Crafty Individuals.      Below is Nature Inspired - an inky green background overstamped with Chocolate Baroque stamps ....a glade in the woods!

This last one was fashion - well I have no stamps that helped so I just went with colours.  The shops seem to be full of acid yellows and greens - not my choice but in nature, very much so! 

 

Thanks for popping by and I hope you like my journal pages so far.  Very much a mix of styles and colours.....and I still have 3 more to do before the next prompt tomorrow!

 

The Craft Barn's Quotes and Lyrics

Well I've finally had some time to get crafting and have done this fortnight's challenge as well as two postcards that I had missed.  For full details of the challenge go to The Craft Barn's blog.

I'll start with the current week 14 where the words to use are IMAGINATION and/or LOGIC.  I decided to make it easy for myself and use my Tim Holtz stamp with Imagination in it.  The background was an inky blue piece of scrap card -  I over stamped and  clear embossed with the Splat stamp  and then blended on Faded Jeans Distress.   I carried on the Milky Way type feel of this with some stars, rays and more splats - all stamps from Tim Holtz's Bitty Grunge set. 

In week 13 the words were PATH and/or HORIZON and I've chosen this Irish Blessing.  I've used Oak House Studio products for this one - Bobby's Grey Ink in a Bottle sprayed through a brick wall mask to create a path and stamps from the Sketchy Flowers set.  I've used the solid flower stamp inked in various colours for the background then created a bunch of flowers with the outline stamps and the leaves.  I've cut some green card for the grass and added some Bazzill Edges for the frame.

The other week I missed was week 11 where we had a choice between MOUNTAIN and/or MISTAKE.   I really struggled to find an interesting quote that I could depict so in the end I went with this quote from John Muir.   I've blended with Distress inks to create a very rough mountain scene (Broken China, Faded Jeans, Weathered Wood, Bundled Sage & Mowed Lawn) and then stamped Tim Holtz's Fir Trees with Pine Needles Distress for my forest. 

An eclectic mix I think you will agree but I'm so pleased I'm now up-to-date.   Thanks so much for coming to visit and for any comments you leave - they are always very much appreciated!

Decorative Save the Date

Two posts in one day is unheard of but this is just a quick post with a Save the Date card  made for the Happily Ever After challenge on the Oak House Studio blog - I'm posting it to check out the linky on the blog.

I've used some Ice Blue card for the main section which has a lovely shimmer to it and the Decorative Diamond stamp embossed in silver for the pennants.  Save the Date is from the Wedding Words set and I've  added a few gems to match the plum card base.

Many thanks for looking!!

Happily Ever After

Well that's the end of the ONE STAMP 24hr challenge for this time but I have an idea Lynnda at Oak House Studio is planning a Christmassy one later in the year.  I'll keep you posted.

Just as I thought I could maybe catch up on my other challenges, guess what, it is the 14th of the month and the start of the new challenge at Oak House Studio.  The theme is Happily Ever After - so wedding related somehow using an Oak House Studio product. 

 

One of my projects was this set of wedding cards, place name cards etc based on a brown/gold theme - I've used Yummy Chocolate and Glorious Gold Ink in a Bottle for the inky panels.  The stamps are from the Wedding Words set and the Clematis Corner  embossed with Pearly Gold Embossing Powder which I think is a very weddingy colour!!

A Save the Date card giving an idea of wedding colours maybe!

 

 

 

A place card - you can either print your guests names before making the piece up or write on by hand.  I've just added an inky panel a the base and a pearl Gold embossed Clematis Corner.

 

 

Pop over to the OAK HOUSE STUDIO blog for further details and thanks for visiting my blog.  As my DT work is done for a little while I shall now try and catch up on the last 3 Craft Barn challenges or maybe as the weather is so nice, I'll potter in my garden.  It's too hot for using a heat gun!!

Don't Panic!

Good morning!

Day 2 of the ONE STAMP 24hr challenge using the WALESBY HEART - there were hourly posts (plus extras) yesterday on the OAK HOUSE STUDIO BLOG and another 12 hours of posts to go so please take a look.  I hope you find something inspirational.

I'm starting the morning with a shrink plastic project - here it is at a critical moment when you think all is lost!!

For full details please pop over to the OAK HOUSE STUDIO BLOG and leave a comment - you'll be in with a chance to win an Ink Pad Storage unit and I think Lynnda may well be giving away some ink pads to go in it!

Thanks for stopping by!!

 

Elaine x

Stamping on Vellum

Well that's the first morning done of the ONE STAMP 24hr challenge using the WALESBY HEART - there are hourly posts on the OAK HOUSE STUDIO BLOG if you would like to take a look.


 
 


I've just posted about making table confetti for a wedding table or silver wedding table maybe but then decided to make a flower out of the hearts - they're just glued together with silicon glue to add a little height and finished off with a large gold brad.

 

I used the small Walesby Heart for the vellum flower and I stamped the large Walesby Heart - twice along each side of the 6" blue card to create a lovely border.

 

The ONE STAMP challenge is from 8am-8pm  both today and tomorrow with inspirational posts every hour on the OAK HOUSE STUDIO BLOG.  Leave a comment on all or any of the blog posts and you have a chance of winning an Ink Pad Storage unit.

 

Thanks for looking

 

Elaine x

ONE STAMP Weekend

First of all apologies to my readers for the lack of blogging recently - having finished invigilating in the exams and fetching both daughters from University, we then went on holiday and had a lovely relaxing week in Kent.  Holiday rules are no TV, no computers and no internet - so lots of reading, walking, Port Lympne Zoo, Dover Castle, Walmer Castle etc etc. 

I'm way behind on all the challenges I normally enter but have been doing some crafting.  Lynnda at Oak House Studio is doing another 24hrs of crafting - well two 12 hours stints - so I've been doing some prep and some projects for the blog. 

The ONE STAMP this year is the WALESBY HEART which comes in 3 sizes and is great for lots of different projects.  The challenge is from 8am-8pm  Sat 12th & Sun 13th and there will be inspirational posts every hour on the OAK HOUSE STUDIO BLOG.  Leave a comment on the blog posts and you have a chance of winning an Ink Pad Storage unit.

There is also a Facebook page where everybody can join in so please take a look at that too. The whole purpose is to show just how versatile one stamp can be in whatever style you choose.

Right, I'm off to ink something!!

Detail Embossing Powder

If you have ever wondered what the difference is between Standard Embossing Powder and Detail Embossing Powder then go take a look at my post on the Oak House Studio blog.

For the majority of embossing, standard embossing powder is good but for fine lined stamps, intricate patterns and fine lettering then you do really need to use Detail powder.   The card below shows a combination of both grades of powders - Detail for the wording and Dog Rose and then standard powder for the faux soldering frame around the edges.  For more information then please go take a look at my blog post HERE. 

Oak House Studio sell a great selection of embossing powders  with Detail powder in 100g jars for £10 - it'll last you forever!!

 

 

All Embossing Powders, Stamps, Pigment Ink Pads,  Ink in a Bottle Sprays,  Pipettes and Water Brushes that I've used in my post  can be found in the Oak House Studio Shop.   Why don't you go take a look and try some embossing!

 

Elaine x