August and Pink Butterflies

Well here is my August calendar page for The Craft Barn's Calendar Challenge where the words this month are PINK and BUTTERFLIES.  I'm doing 14cm squares that will be mounted on black A5 card as a flip calendar.

I didn't want to do too much pink so decided to create a wildflower scene - the background is Tumbled Glass and Mowed Lawn Distress Stains and the stamps are from Crafty Individuals set  CI-395 - Build a Meadow.  I randomly stamped with Leaf Green Archival and used a white Posca pen to highlight the daisies.   To give the ground some texture I've stamped the Without Change (Oak House Studio) in Leaf Green Archival too. 

I've silver embossed the Charming Butterflies (Oak House Studio) and coloured the smaller ones with Seedless Preserves and the larger one with Picked Raspberry.  I've just stuck the bodies down and bent the wings up for a bit of movement.  To finish the August calendar is matted on some Picked Raspberry card.  I'm hoping there is enough pink on this!  

Thanks for visiting and thanks for all your comments on last month's calendar challenge - they're much appreciated!!

Elaine  x

Self-propelled Flowers!

Well another fortnight has gone by and it's time for the next words at The Craft Barn's Quotes and Lyrics Challenge - they are TRAVEL and/or FLOWER.

As ever I've searched the net for something profound or rather some image to pop into my head and in the end decided to do this FLOWER quote by Robert A.  Heinlein. The Sunflower and Butterfly stamps are from Oak House Studio and everything has been coloured using Barn Door and Spiced Marmalade Distress Inks.  The frame is some Bazzill Just the Edges I found in my stash and the quote is printed off the computer.

Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment - it is much appreciated!

Something New

Lynnda at Oak House Studio has challenged everyone to create a postcard to send to yourself, pin on your notice board or put in a frame, with a message.   Here's mine:

I  decided to go for Spread Your Wings ie try something new, find some new challenges to do, use different colours etc.  All the stamps - Thoresby background, Butterflies and Sentiment - are from Oak House Studio.    Why don't you have a go - you may win something!

My "Something New" is to have a go at Art Journalling - I've signed up to Journal52  which provides weekly prompts and I've decided the only way I'm going to carry on with this is to go smallish (A5) and do the first thing that comes into my head.  She who procrastinates is lost I fear  - I'll just end up doing neat and tidy with straight lines. 

The first prompt is Up, Up and Away - so Soar, Kites and Stormy Seas.  I hope you can see all this is my first attempt.  I used inks and paints and the words are all from dictionary definitions or quote sites online.  I've added Soar in Thickers but they are too pale to photo so may alter that.  I'm not sure I like it but if I don't post it, it'll end up in the bin and I won't have a go next week!!

I've no idea where this is taking me and I might not post my art every week but it's good to have a go!

Butterflies!!

As some of you may have seen, I'm thrilled to say I had a card published in the August issue of Craft Stamper magazine. The re-mit was simple cards that take about 15-20minutes to create, using butterflies and yellow, sage and pink.

Here's a close-up shot of the card published - if you want to know how I made it, then you'll have to look in the magazine!! I also did a second card which you can see below. It uses Oak House Studio's Charming Butterfly stamps and the Without Change sentiment and the inky panel was created using Citrus Yellow Ink in a Bottle sprayed over clear embossing.

Hope you like and thanks for looking!!

Bold Butterflies

Here's my 13th ATC for The Craft Barn's Alpha/Dictionary Challenge where the letter is B.   So many words to choose from and even more difficult as we have already done A and C!

I've gone for a Brown and Blue background using Vintage Photo and Salty Ocean Distress Inks spritzed with water etc.  My main word is BUTTERFLY - I've used the Charming Butterfly stamps from Oak House Studio.  They were inked with Cocoa Bean Brilliance and clear embossed using some card I'd sprayed with Citrus Orange and Citrus Yellow Ink in a Bottle. 

So Bright Bold Butterflies ....and yes I've added 2 butterflies as a link to all the words starting with Bi !!   Again my ATC is finished with the dictionary definition and the alcohol inked vinyl Thicker.  It turned out a little darker than I imagined but then both A and C are quite light so it'll do!

Well that is halfway with the challenge so here's a photo of all 13 so far.  Not only is this challenge great fun, it's also educational too and I've learnt quite a few new words!  My next job is to create an album and make another ATC for A for my A to Z front cover - I have in mind an Abbey with an Azure Sky.  Then I may well struggle when it comes to Z and I have to make two of those!  

Anyway I'm off to see what everyone else has done - guess there'll be a few butterflies but I'm sure someone will have chosen something obscure!!  Thanks for looking.

Butterfly Twinchies

No exams today so I've had chance to catch up with stuff in the house and as it's been thundering and lightening I couldn't potter in the garden.....so what better way to spend my time than craft.  I actually started tidying up my discarded pile - bits that had been inked and stamped but not used!!

I've made a couple of twinchies for the Twinchie Challenge Blog where the theme in June is Bees and Butterflies.  I've used my new Butterfly stamps and sentiment from Oak House Studio as they were also on top of my pile!!

I started with some yellow card that had been sprayed with Citrus Yellow and Glorious Gold Ink in a Bottle. For the first one, I cut one twinchie from this, blended on a little Spiced Marmalade and then stamped the Without Change sentiment stamp with Onyx Black Versafine.  I stamped the small Charming Butterfly with Onyx Black Versafine and then used Inktense Pencils to add more colour.  The antennae were stamped directly onto the twinchie and the butterfly body stuck down to allow the wings a bit of movement. 

For the second twinchie, I stamped the large Charming Butterfly on some of the yellow card and blended a little Spiced Marmalade Distress round the edges.  For the background I blended on some Broken China Distress Ink towards the top and then added grasses from Crafty Individuals (CI-207) with Thyme Brilliance.

Can't say that I've seen many butterflies in my garden yet, but hopefully summer will eventually arrive, the flowers will all come out and they'll appear!  

Thanks for looking!!

Butterflies

Here's my card for the Less is More Challenge week 119 -  it's a ONE LAYER week using a COLOURED CARD BLANK.

It's absoloutely slinging it down with rain here consequently it's very dark and my base card looks a funny colour ...but it is bright yellow in real life!!  I've used Oak House Studio stamps - the Ivy Corner is stamped in Emerald Green Archival and the Without Change and Charming Butterflies are stamped in Onyx Black Versafine.  I've coloured the butterflies with Inktense pencils and a waterbrush.

I enjoyed creating this and having looked at it I may have got carried away and not left enough plain card. but I hope it will be OK.  Thanks for looking and hope you all have a good weekend whatever you are doing!!