Magical Paradise

This is my entry for the Stampotique Designers Challenge No 43 It's a Non Traditional Christmas.

The main rule of the challenge is no Red or Green and it is also a Stampotique Stamp Only challenge.  Some of the ingenious ways that their stamps have been used is really cool so if you've time, why not hop over and take a look?!

I've used the little starfish stamp to make my tree and I've perched the large star on the top which I doodled some swirls inside.  I used little dots of stickles to decorate my tree.

I wanted a really watery feel to my background and so I used watercolour paper and Neocolor II watercolour crayons which are absolutely fantastic to work with as they are so soft and full of pigment.  I spritzed the finished background with marshmallow glimmer mist to give it a soft glittery finish.

My mermaid and octopii (?) are coloured with alcohol inks and are raised from the background for a little dimension.

I had loads of fun dreaming up how to use my stamps for this challenge.  Maybe you will feel inspired to be a little un-traditional too?!!

x

After 39 ...

No, I'm not a fan of spiders either but Mr Stripes is way cute!

This is my entry for the challenge this week at the Stampotique Designers blog.  It is entitled SDC38 Humorous Birthday and is a stampotique only week so only their stamps are allowed.

I've had the web for some time but Mr Stripes arrived this week (he had been languishing on my wishlist!) so I wanted to get him out to play!

I created my background using alcohol inks first and then acrylic paints and perfect pearls mist in heirloom gold so it does have a shimmmer (hard to pick up with a camera!).

Thanks for visiting ... hope you all have an artful week.  x

The Owl & the Pussy Cat ...

I decided to join the fun at the Stampotique Designers Challenge and this week is SDC38: Black, White and a HINT of color.

It is a free choice week so I didn't have to use Stampotique stamps but as they are so lovely, it's always a pleasure to use them.

I decided to reverse out my colours rather than go from white.  I used black gesso to create my background and then used a combination of white staz-on and interference paint in polar white to stamp my images.

It's hard to see on the photo but the toadstools and moon have a lovely sheen from the interference colours which work really well on dark backgrounds.

So, I shall post this on the challenge page and hope it gets a good response!

Have a great day and be artful in whatever you do ... x

Send Him at Once to Me ...

This is my entry for the Stampotique Designers Challenge SDC33 Use Your Scraps.  There was a blog hop tour attached to this challenge with some prizes up for grabs but  I've been too busy to get my entry done in time for that!

Like most crafters, I've got tons of scraps.  Actually, due to moving house, I have thrown away some stuff (shame on me!!) and since moving, due to my new craft area being visible to all rather than being tucked away in the annexe, I have been throwing more bits and pieces away just to keep the area tidier!  However, suffice it to say, I still had more than enough stuff for this challenge LOL!!

As I started to rummage, I found some sheets of paper that I had used to experiment with some inky techniques.  I chose a piece for my background which was created with inks, water and rock salt and was languishing in the bottom of the bits box.  I then found another sheet which I had used lots of different inks on and then masked and sprayed with glimmer mists.  It had loads of different colours on it so I stamped my images in different areas before cutting them out.  I cut Kitty out from a sheet where the technique I had tried didn't go to plan (and I've a good choice of those!).

I was deciding on the sentiment when I chanced upon a leftover piece of sheet music which seemed to lend itself to my layout.  Job Done!

Hope you like my scraps entry -  if you are quick you could use us some of your scraps too as the challenge runs until 12th July.

Have a crafty weekend!! x