Pumpkin Carving

For those of you who regularly visit my blog this page will be a bit 'deja vue' and you are right, this is second time lucky for my pumpkin carving page!  


I've been working on creating blended layouts recently where my photos fall into the background so the page becomes like one big canvas rather than having elements layers onto the page.  It's quite a tricky and time consuming process but I love the end result.  However, in trying to do the same with these photos, I realised it is almost impossible with multiple photos with very different colour schemes.


So to cut a long story short, whilst I thought the end result was not the best I've achieved, I thought it did work ok.  However, the photograph exposed all it's weaknesses and when I asked my family for their honest feedback ... well it wasn't exactly great!!  So, I've dismantled it, binned it and removed the post (my mother always told me to leave my disasters in the kitchen so I'm metaphorically doing the same with that page!)

This layout is more along the traditional lines but it does work better on this occasion - I hope.  It's not so much fun scrapping the same photos twice and I'm ready to move along, so I'm off to see how my next blended creation is going to turn out!

Hope you are all having a creative week ... x

I am not who I was yesterday ...

I've just bought this absolutely gorgeous stamp by Phyllis Harris and am looking for any excuse to use it.  So, as I had to make a card for a friend's birthday, it seemed like a good excuse.

It's a really simple card - I embossed my little girl before swiping acrylic paint lightly across the card.  I then wiped it back off her with a baby wipe.

The edge of the card is embossed with Cosmic Shimmer Golden Sparkle which is another of my favourite things at the moment.  The sentiment is by Donna Downey and is stamped with StazOn onto a small metal tag.

The card looks really sweet in real life - something which doesn't really translate well in the photo.

So, that's it for cards.  They are not my favourite things to make and so extra coffee and chocolate has been consumed this afternoon to get me going!  Downside is that I'm going to have to work a bit harder at the gym tonight to make amends!!

Hope you are having a creative day wherever you are.  The weather here is doing its best to dash all creativity - it's dark grey, windy and wet!  Welcome to autumn in England!! x

Sing Your Song

It's my Mum's birthday on Monday and so I've made this card for her.  I don't know why, but I find cardmaking really challenging.  I think it's because you can do absolutely anything as there's no photo to consider so I'm spoilt for choice and my indecisive side takes over!  I start off well by gettting stamps and papers and inks out but end up with the most enormous pile so that I'm still no further forward!  

Anyway, I decided to use this new bird stamp by Stampendous which is gorgeous and a great size.  I stamped it with archival onto mulberry paper and tore it out.  I coloured the bird with pencils before using Victorian Velvet, Spun Sugar and Vintage photo distress inks.  As it was still too bright I spritzed it with Tea Stain re-inker diluted in water and then I gave it all a spray with Perfect Pearls Heirloom Gold.

The background was a combination of vintage dictionary paper and old music which I stamped with birdcages, swirls, words and little insects.

I cut the words from the edge of old music and distressed them with vintage photo.  The little plaque was stamped onto a piece of Mariposa paper by DCWV.

I added two layers of lace along the bottom which I spritzed with chalkboard ink to match and I finished the card with some gold ink all around the edge.

I am entering this card into Divas by Design Challenge 61 Anything Goes, Gingerloft GL52 A Touch of Gold and Fashionable Stamping Challenge 34 - Musical

Off to make a cake now ... xx 

 

Watch the Birdy

What a hoot this was!!  

We visited Dimbola Lodge on the Isle of Wight whilst we were there on holiday this half term.  The Lodge is the home of Julia Margaret Cameron who was a photographer in the mid 1800's and whose portraiture was very influential at the time.

Aside from all the rooms of her images, there is a dressing up room and once we got started, we couldn't stop and ended up spending over an hour in there perfecting our Edwardian poses for the camera! 

The lighting was shocking so all the photos needed a lot of work in Photoshop but I'm pleased with the end result.

This layout is based on an old draughts board.  I taped areas using masking tape before giving it a light coating of Gesso and then one of copper Steward Gill paint.  Once both layers were dry, I stamped the filmstrip, butterflies and peacock feathers onto the board using Staz-on and arranged the cleudo cards and 'murder cards' pocket onto one corner.  I added a little blue glitter stickle to the eye of each feather.

The grungy panel was added using Matt Medium and a combination of 2 embossing powders - Tattered Rose Distress and Silver Fox Enamelz.  (It's not as shiny in real life - but it picked up my daylight lamp - evening photography has its drawbacks!)

The vintage image behind our photograph is from a book of old black and white photographs.  It is translucent so that the board can still be seen behind it and this was achieved using transfer glaze.  

The flower braid is by Tim Holtz and was spritzed with Shimmerz and the circles were cut using the washer board alterations die.

The stopwatch was created with black UTEE poured onto a La Blanche stamp (which I killed in the process - ooops!) Once dry I applied gold metallic rub-on to highlight the detail.

I cut the bird from balsa wood using a sizzix die which I then spritzed, applied silver gilding paste and a swirl stamp.

I inked and stamped a small tag to go in the murder cards pocket, detailing the date and location of the photograph, fixed down the draughts pieces and film strip and completed my layout with Tim Holtz Alphaparts letters for the title.

I hope you like the end result and our rather sober expressions and ridiculous outfits bring a smile to your face! x

Leave only Footsteps

Who can resist the beach?  This natural arch is at Perranporth beach in Cornwall and makes such a gorgeous frame it was crying out to be photographed and scrapped!

There were so many processes with this page that I wont try to itemise them all but it started with a collage of vintage papers and music which I then inked and stamped.  I created the large glossy grungy panel using matt medium and embossing powers. 

I had intended to create a line of white footprints across the page but due to not having an iron with me at the weekend, this was hard to achieve with a heat gun.  I've managed to create a couple but that's always the downside of being away from your own desk!!

The photos were torn and inked or dipped in sand from my local beach.  The gorgeous wooden embellishment was sprayed with Shimmerz inks and the playing card had paper transferred to it with matt medium and then tinted with alcohol ink.

The alphabet is by Darkroom Door which I cut, inked and mounted using dimensional gel.

Have a crafty day and thanks for stopping by ... x

Snakes & Ladders

I purchased a 1950's snakes & ladders board and used this as the base for my layout.  The photos of the children having fun on a long slide were perfect for this project.  I covered the board with Tim Holtz music tissue tape which I crumpled up to give a great textured background.  Once this was dry, I painted it with Steward Gill paints which give a lovely subtle sheen.

I inked up two plain tags with distress ink and then hit the Frantage again (I can't resist it!!).  This time I used a combination of silver and Pearlized mica fragments.  The chance card is from an old monopoly set which I stamped and inked and the card behind is actually the 10 of clubs which I lightly painted and rubbed off before inking with black soot.  The third tag was inked and stamped and then silver embossed around the edge.

I wrote the sentiment in an italic style onto strips of cream cardstock which I tore and inked.   A couple of strips of tissue tape and a few metal embellishments, including a lovely glass bead which I attached to a vintage brass chain completed the layout.

I hope you like it! 

Have a great day and keep an eye out for those slippery snakes!! x

Corrugated Page

I'm just back from a lovely scrapbooking weekend in Devon. I love the creative atmosphere that is generated when people all come together, as my art is usually such a solitary activity.  I also cherish being able to craft for as long as you want without having to stop and make meals or do the laundry!!  What a luxury!

We were concentrating on using game pieces and so this layout features large jigsaw pieces.  I used these pieces to link into the photos I had taken of two of my boys who often fall into step together when we are out for family walks.

I started by using acrylic paints on my card and then I used shabby ivory embossing enamel on the opposite corners and embedded  Frantage gilded micra fragments whilst it was still hot.

The jigsaw pieces were covered with old dictionary paper and an old map which I then distressed and stamped onto.  The boys' initials were cut from a vintage pictorial alphabet book.  The little metal number was tinted with pesto acohol ink, as was the small sprocket.

I stamped the sentiment using individual alphabet stamps from 4 different packs onto some Kraft Resist paper which I then distressed with Shabby Shutters.  A few more cogs and sprockets and one of Prima's gorgeous lightbulbs completed the layout.

Hope you are having a good week ... thanks for stopping by! x

Do Not Disturb

 

I like to work on canvas as well as paper and this was a lot of fun to make.  

I started with a plain background and then played with various masks and stencils to create interest.  I hand drew the tree and painted it with different shades of brown acrylic and included a few knots and knarls for realism!!

All the stamps are by Crafty Individuals - even the bunnies which I stamped and enlarged on my printer as they started out way smaller than the blue tit! The flowers were a free stamp CI sent me with my last order so I stamped them twice each, cut them out then doubled them up for frillier blooms!  The stalks are made from string which I inked with distress.

 

The eggs are coloured with alcohol inks and the little sign was made on my vintage typewriter, edged with Stewart Gill 'Medallion' embossing powder and attached with a little turquoise wire.

Thanks for stopping by and hope you are all having a crafty week ...  x