Grungy Monday 12 - Just In Time!

Well I've not crafted all week but I'm determined to do this Tim Holtz inspired challenge every week so I've put a really quick hanging together to sit alongside the one I did for Grungy Monday 9 - I'm dipping in and out of some of the other challenges but this one is my weekly focus!

Linda's challenge over on StudioL3 was to do a resist technique using patterned paper as the background and stamping and embossing with clear ink and powder. Here's my creation:

I've used a piece of patterned green paper and stamped the new IndigoBlu Harlequin stamp onto it with versamark, clear embossed then painted over with black acrylic and rubbed back with a damp cloth to remove the paint from the resist areas. The rest of the stamps are from the Alice 1 plate - also by IndigoBlu. Well that's all I've got time for today - hoping to get back to some kind of routine next week! JulieD

More BitBox Cards

Hi Crafters! Thought I'd blog a few more cards that I've created using oddments from my box of 'bits' - a selection of odds and ends which are left over from other crafting sessions and which for one reason or another I've not used! These three all have the Tim Holtz Sewing Room die at the centre of their design - I'd bought it from the Stamp Pad and had been having a play with it with no particular purpose in mind! Here's the first:

The Sewing Room mannequin is cut from sticky backed canvas - I added a few scraps of leftover papers, the bit that was left after I used the postage On The Edge die, stamped a quote on the back of a journalling ticket (the front had a badly stamped image on from a previous project so I just turned it over!) added a few buttons and an inked adage ticket - that's it!

Quick card number two:

An embossed panel, a strip of Graphic 45 paper, a dotty border sticker and a rub on alongside my inked mannequin finishes this one! And finally:

I stamped over the die cut with a large music stamp, added black paper (leftover from a school scrapbook layout), a piece of roughly painted white card (painted with red acrylic but not the right red for the project it was intended for), black fibres and a Hello rub on and my two minute card was done - I was really pleased with this one, the colour combo is just up my street!

Must do more of these quick posts with some of my 'everyday' creations to keep me blogging! Have a great day. JulieD x

Grungy Monday - Faux Batik!

Long time no blogging ...

After my determination to get blogging regularly, I've still managed to leave it eleven days! Oh well, there's always next week, and in my defence, I've been busy making samples for IndigoBlu, still invigilating, we had the Whit Friday walk of witness yesterday (which is a really big event round these parts) followed by the Brass Band Contests and I've been on a school trip to a farm with my youngest's class this week too so all in all a busy week or so! And that's not counting my job at the Stamp Pad and being a taxi service to two small people...

Anyway, back to crafts! This week on the StudioL3, Tim Holtz inspired Grungy Monday challenge, we're doing remelting embossed images with an iron! I have also used a technique which Tim refers to in the Compendium of Curiosities as Blended Batik (basically the same but using embossing ink instead of distress ink). Here's my creation:

As you can see, I've given up trying to use entirely TH products - I ran out of stamps I hadn't used pretty quickly so although the image of the buildings and the overstamping in brown are all Stampers Anonymous, the main image is from a gorgeous set I bought earlier this year by Darkroom Door. The image of the buildings was stamped in blue distress ink (Tumbled Glass I think), clear embossed then inked over with a variety of distress inks. I then ironed over the image with a sheet of tissue paper over the tag so that the embossing powder remelted and came away from the tag. As I wanted to stamp the 'Splendid' image at the top, I attempted to do the technique again but using Versamark instead of distress ink - it works but leaves a waxy finish as the versamark is left after the embossing powder has been removed - I liked the effect though! I added the brown stamped images of clocks and documents, ribbons and clock charm.

Hope you like it - I'll be back soon (hopefully)!! JulieD x

Distress Inks-fest!

Welcome to my Distress Inks gallery!! I have been having a play with a new plate of stamps from IndigoBlu called Grand Tour 2 (available directly from IndigoBlu or from The Stamp Pad if you're interested!) and have gone down the inked background and stamping with distress inks for all of them.

My first creation is my submission for the Tim Holtz inspired Grungy Monday 10 over on StudioL3 which this week is a broad challenge to use distress inks - well, I've certainly done that!

I've kept it simple and created a background by blending several colours of distress inks then used the same shades to colour three smaller panels which I have stamped in distress ink and embossed with clear embossing powder. I've matted the butterfly images, attached a length of dark green ribbon down the centre of the main panel and added a couple of pearls. Very simple for me - not a charm in sight!

I also decided to try a couple of new challenges this week - now that I've got the hang of Grungy Monday I'm having a go at Less Is More and Simon Says Stamp. This next one is my submission for Less Is More:

The challenge this week is to create a monochromatic piece. Again, I've used the beautiful butterfly stamp - I stamped directly onto the inked card in a really random way using fired brick distress ink, stamping 3-5 times with each application of ink so that some are intense and others are paler. I've added a panel with the same image onto a lightly inked background and added two layers of coordinating ribbons.

And finally, this is my creation for Simon Says Stamp! which this week requires masculine makes:

After preparing an inked background, I stamped and embossed the fabulous building and script image from Grand Tour 2 and added bits of Paperartsy German Scrap as corners. I've used a kraft card as my base.

Well, my blending tool has been busy over the last couple of days - I'm off to get even inkier fingers! Enjoy! JulieD

Grungy Monday - Shabby Chic!

Better late than never - only a couple of hours before the next Grungy Monday challenge appears! I've changed my rules this week! Although the Grungy Monday challenge by Linda at Studio L3 uses a technique or product by Tim Holtz, participants are free to use whichever other products they wish, however, up to now I've tried to use all Stampers Anonymous stamps and Ideaology embellishments but this week a stash of IndigoBlu stamps have come into my possession and I've used the Alice 1 plate and the Harlequin background stamp to create this week's piece! Check out their website or my favourite craft shop (The Stamp Pad) for the whole range, there are some fabulous and really original images!  We were given the tried and trusted Shabby Chic technique on Grungy Monday this week, I went with a wall hanging:

I painted a piece of card with black acrylic, stamped the Mad Hatter image in versamark and embossed with clear embossing powder and the quote with white powder. I then painted over the whole piece with copper dabber paint and, when dry, rubbed back the embossed areas to expose the stamped images. I over-stamped with the Harlequin stamp, added some white dabber paint to the Hatter image and added my embellishments - I did wonder how I would use this teapot charm - perfect opportunity (I coloured it with copper alcohol ink mixative to coordinate better)!! I've also brought back the eyelets - I haven't used eyelets for years but felt they worked well on the bottom of this hanging. Enjoy! JulieD