Art for Art's Sake

Discover Your Passion

2012-02-27T08:00:00.000Z

That's the name of one of the new releases from IndigoBlu which I've been playing with for the last couple of weeks - they are beautiful designs and I've enjoyed working with them. I created the following two cards for the Stitches trade show and they were real quickies as I only got my hands on the stamps on Monday night and needed to send the samples by Thursday!! They were slightly different by the time I sent them as I added ribbon down the left side of the card and gems to the corners literally on my way to the post office (I stopped in at the Stamp Pad for the final touches!!) - they were up on the wall when we visited Kay on her stand which was a real thrill for me!!

For this second card I used my distress inks to colour my card background and the top panel with the quote on. Next, I stamped the flourish onto the background using VersaMark - I pounced on a copper coloured mica powder then stamped the two word stamps in FlitterGlu, gilding with MegaFlake. I stamped the dragonfly from the same plate onto grungeboard with Archival black, got hubby to cut out (not my strong point and he's a whizz with a scalpel!!) and added a charm!

This second creation has a sprayed background (ColourWash) and a gilded flourish. The butterfly is again grungeboard which is cut out and inked.

Thanks for stopping by! JulieD

Memories Canvas

2012-02-26T08:00:00.000Z

I came up with the idea for this canvas months ago for a challenge on Grungy Monday relating to remembering those we've lost, but the idea got bigger and bigger and it's taken me til now to add all the finishing touches.

I covered the 12" box canvas with 7Gypsies printed tissue paper, then added a photo of my grandparents' wedding plus lots of little details which remind me of them - they both died before I was ten so my bank of memories isn't huge but I do remember particular moments and items quite vividly. Some of the embellishments which signify particular memories include: a crown as my Nana was a Royalist; a clock mechanism as my Granddad bought me my first watch when I learnt to tell the time; a teapot as they used loose leaf tea in a pot; a rose charm as I used to make rose petal 'perfume' in jam jars in their garden; buttons as I remember my Nana's button jar (she was a hoarder like me!); a bird charm as I remember watching goldfinches in their garden through the window.

The flowers are die cut with the Tattered Florals die from Glassine paper then scrunched, inked and layered up, the trim has been coloured with Distress Stain and the words are die cut, inked Grungeboard at the bottom and TH Salvage Stickers on GB blocks at the top.

It's quite a personal piece and I've added a tag which slips in behind the photo with all this info on to refer to in later years!

Enjoy! JulieD x

IndigoBlu - Stitches Samples

2012-02-25T10:23:00.003Z

I'm not good at this blogging lark am I? I must get more organised and make some time to post ...

I've recently done eight samples for IndigoBlu for the Create and Craft show tomorrow but I'm saving them for next week's blogfest - two are from a new plate which hasn't been seen by the general public yet so I'm under oath not to post those until after the show!!!

However, I did some samples for Kay to display on her stand at Stitches last week - on this occasion, I could use any stamps from her range for two of the pieces so I thought I'd share them today!

I've stamped with the Harlequin on the background with Champagne Encore ink then stamped over with Script in Black Archival. The Map has been stamped in FlitterGlu on black gloss card then gilded with Morris Dance flake. I embossed the quote (from Wild Meadow) with gold embossing powder. I'm not a fan of punches but I treated myself to the Martha Stewart punch you can see under the bird charm then left it in the box for a year - I got it out and used it for the first time on this card and it's really lovely, I might have to change my view on punches!!!

Not a great photo - you can see the camera reflected if you look hard enough ... I gilded EllaBella on black card then stamped her onto acetate at an angle using black Staz-On and overlaid them, alcohol inked the edges then attached with brads, added a violin charm and a row of flourishes - simples!!

Hope you like them - look out for Kay (and a few more of my creations) on C&C tomorrow! I'm off to the Stamp Pad to treat myself to some of the goodies we ordered at Stitches last week - the Mica Flakes and Colour Fragments from Stampendous which we saw Fran demoing and I fell in love with - it would be rude not to buy some after talking Gwen into ordering them really...

JulieD x

My Drawers!

2012-02-05T14:33:00.003Z

Having got out of the habit of blogging recently, I thought I'd get some of my many projects on! Last year for my 40th birthday, my friends and I had a Spa and Craft Weekend in Frodsham. I could choose from a number of projects for the craft workshop and requested the Kaisercraft 9 Drawer unit which I'd had my eye on for a while - the day was fab, we had a great time but I decided I wasn't too keen on the papers we were given to cover the drawers with so completed the project at home with my Tim Holtz papers, distress inks and fancy buttons! Here's the finished article:

I love it! Until the new limited edition colours arrived, it fitted my distress ink pads exactly as each drawer holds four inkpads and four sponges perfectly - even with my terrible maths I know that accommodated the 36 colours!!

My mum came on my birthday weekend too and as a non-crafter (she was more interested in the spa and wine...) she decided she would never finish her set of drawers so I'm now working on a second ...

Hope you like it!

JulieD

IndigoBlu Love Is Samples

2012-01-15T12:00:00.001Z

If you saw the show on Create & Craft, hope you were tempted by some of Kay's beautiful IndigoBlu stamps! Thought I'd post a couple of samples using the Love Is stamp - this is such a lovely stamp, full of intricate detail and the FlitterGlu and MegaFlakes pick this up in an incredible way - none of the detail is lost!

I love working with black and so this week's challenge of using MegaFlake gilding flakes is great as I can use black in a really effective way - the flake looks great against a dark background! I started by creating a background using the Ranger ColourWash sprays and a touch of Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls spray. Once this had dried, I stamped the image using FlitterGlu and added MegaFlake, used a bit of Krylon pen round the edge and mounted on a black card with a strip of heavily distressed gold card. I added a key charm - thought it might work as an alternative Valentine Card - Key to my Heart!

My second sample for this stamp was a wall hanging:

For this piece, I stamped the image in FlitterGlu onto acetate, gilded, then alcohol inked with plenty of blending solution. I've stapled the roughly cut out acetate to lilac metallic card, mounted onto black glossy card then added velvet ribbon, bead trim, a fabulous charm (also available from IndigoBlu) and a bead! Hope you like them! More tomorrow...

JulieD x

IndigoBlu on Create & Craft!

2012-01-14T11:08:00.001Z

I've not blogged for ages and not really crafted much since my last post - that is until the phone call I received from Kay at IndigoBlu last Sunday inviting me to be a member of the IndigoBlu Design Team! I've been doing samples for Kay since last Spring on an informal basis and I was extremely proud and excited to be asked to be on the official Design Team - then the reality hit me - IndigoBlu are showcasing ten of their stamps on Create and Craft tomorrow, Kay needed samples and I only had one of the stamps! So on Tuesday a parcel containing the stamps arrived along with FlitterGlu and MegaFlakes (which Kay will also be promoting on tomorrow's show) ready for samples to be created, so everything else went on hold for two days this week - I changed my hours at the Stamp Pad, hubby's been doing the school/ dance runs and I've been elbow deep in stamping and gilding materials!

Kay will be showcasing the stamps on the 11.00 am show on Create & Craft - here's one of the samples she will be showing!

I've stamped the EllaBella image on black card with FlitterGlu and then used MegaFlake to gild it - it's really straightforward - it takes the whole heating and melting stages out of the gilding process! I then loosely masked it and stamped the Harlequin over half of the image with Versamark which I clear embossed. The Morris Dance MegaFlake has a little copper and turquoise colour in it so I picked out some beads which matched these colours and threaded them onto some wire which I twisted and attached at the back with strong glue.

IndigoBlu will be on Create & Craft again on January 29th so I'm off to start the samples for that show - should be a bit less frenzied if I get on to it straightaway!!

I will be posting the other samples for tomorrow's show over the next few days. Enjoy!

JulieD x

Tag 7 - Better Late Than Never

2011-12-09T18:23:00.001Z

Here's the tag I missed on Wednesday!

I've improvised quite a lot but it's made me realise how much my crafting materials can be adapted! I didn't have the holly die so I die cut the glassine using my Tattered Leaves die and then cut the leaves to be more holly like! The branch is cut using the more halloween style Branch Tree die, cut in half and glamour dusted! I love the background techniques - proper distressed and aged - I used the Pumice and Antique Linen Distress Stains from a craft mat onto a wet tag then ghost stamped text and crackle in Vintage Photo distress ink - I love the effect. Not sure what the stamp is - I think it's from QVC but it doesn't have a name or brand on it. Well I'm up to date now with the 12 Tags of Christmas - hope to find time to do Tag 10 tomorrow! JulieD

Tag 9 - Greenery & Baubles!

2011-12-09T13:42:00.000Z

Here's today's creation inspired by Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas:

I've followed the instructions today except for the baubles as I didn't have the candlestick die which Tim used so I used some ready die cut grungeboard baubles which I inked with the winter distress colours, embossed with clear powder and rubbed a bit of silver acrylic over the top. The background was created using the Harlequin stamp from the fab Indigo Blu range. My Festive Greenery die arrived yesterday and I'm very impressed with it - the variety of foliage and the detail they contain is amazing! Going to try and catch up with the missing tag from Wednesday! JulieD

Tag 8 - Steampunk Christmas

2011-12-08T22:15:00.000Z

After a very busy day yesterday and going out last night (to a craft workshop at the Stamp Pad!), I missed my first tag this year :( - however I've done today's and am planning on doing 7 & 9 tomorrow so all's not lost!! I didn't have the clock die or the stamps so I've improvised some similar products, but I've generally followed the techniques and overall look of Tim's:

See Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas for instructions - the stamps are Darkroom Door (the handsome chap!) and 7 Gypsies (the cogs, pointing finger and clock). Sorry for the rushed post - I'm off to have a very late tea!! JulieD

Tag 6 - Rebelling Today!!

2011-12-06T12:09:00.000Z

I've created a tag inspired by Tim's design today but - shock, horror - I really didn't like the effect of using those garish colours over the metal - I'm not sure if I'll be shunned by the Distress Community but it really wasn't my thing (sorry Tim!) Here's my alternative:

I've started out the same with the ornament embossing folder and foil stuck to card but then I've alcohol inked with four separate colours, crimped the edges, added a bit of bling and some tissue tape and it's much more 'me' than copying the original would have been! A little tip for getting the different areas different colours is to use individual bits of felt - one for each colour as you can keep distinct areas of colour rather than the blended look you get when you add the colours to the same felt. Hope you don't disaprove too much of my rebellious nature today!! JulieD

Tag 5 - Inspired By ...

2011-12-05T20:41:00.000Z

Today I didn't have the colours of alcohol inks, the die or the stamp that Tim used on his fab tag but I've used the technique on my background and have been inspired so here goes:

I coloured my acetate tag with three colours of alcohol inks then stamped with a snowflake background stamp in Archival Black then removed by dabbing then rubbing gently until I'd removed the black - I consider myself to have learnt this technique from the expert as I saw Tim demonstrating it at Stitches earlier in the year and came home with a Facet which he'd demoed it on and backed with patterned paper - I actually wear it round my neck on a piece of ribbon as a pendant!! The grungeboard deer and snowflakes are from the Seasonal die cut grunge pack (which I forgot I had on the day we did a deer ...) which I've painted and distressed then added ribbons, fibres and a bell. I know it doesn't look like Tim's but I really enjoyed creating it! JulieD

Tag 4 - Winter Wonderland!

2011-12-04T18:20:00.000Z

It's taken me most of the day on and off but here's my version of today's tag:

It's almost true to Tim's original - I cut my snowlady (I'm calling her a she, she's got a pretty lace scarf on!) out upside down so she's facing the other way and I didn't have Tumbled Glass Distress Stain so I used Broken China. I used Scrollwork for the die cut acetate (which doesn't show on the photo anyway) and an old I KanDee charm which has been in my stash for several years as I didn't have the Idea-ology tokens. I loved doing the background and the 25 are die cut grungeboard pieces which I've covered with music paper and glossy accented - I've got the die on order actually but wanted to get it done today - I might have a go the way TH has done it when it arrives. I'm working tomorrow so who knows what time I might get Tag 5 done but I'm determined to keep up this commitment!! Enjoy. JulieD

Tag 3 - A New Technique for Me!

2011-12-03T19:51:00.000Z

Well, I'm keeping up with the 12 Tags of Christmas so far - this morning I had panicked because I didn't have any cut and dry felt (I didn't even know it existed!) - I use the foam a lot but the only felt I use are the little pads that I use with the applicator. I thought about sticking bits of that together and my friend Carol suggested a tissue pad but I really wanted to have a go with the real thing. While I was thinking about it I found a sheet of white felt in my children's craft box and a sheet of funky foam so I cut them to the size of the stamp I wanted to use, stapled them together and voila! A homemade felt pad!! The best stamp I could find was an Egg and Nog Paperartsy one which was a bit small really but I got the effect with the reinkers. Here is the finished tag:

The Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearl obscures some of the stamping on the photo but it's much clearer in the flesh! I embossed the top two thirds with the ornament folder and smooshed ink pads over the raised images in the same colours as the reinkers I used on the stamped part (Wild Honey, Crushed Olive, Barn Door, Pumice Stone and a touch of Walnut Stain). I'll definitely be trying the custom inkpad technique again! Enjoy your weekend, happy crafting. JulieD

Tims Tags 2011 - Number 2!

2011-12-02T12:50:00.000Z

I'm having a day off today - the house is a tip but I'm ignoring it and crafting instead! Here's my creation inspired by Tim's tag for today:

The main body of the tag follows Tim's instructions but I didn't have the reindeer die so I used the pine tree as TH did for his alternative. I've finally used my Picket Fence stain - despite buying it on the day it came in at the Stamp Pad, I just didn't get around to using it but I love the effect on the kraftresist and I also enjoyed using the sticky backed canvas adhered to grungeboard and inked. The little token attached to the trinket pin was saved from last Christmas and started off round the neck of a chocolate reindeer! Fun this 12 Tags of Christmas isn't it! JulieD

Twelve Tags of Christmas 2011!

2011-12-01T21:18:00.000Z

I've never joined in with the 12 Tags Challenge before but thought I'd have a go. I loved today's tag but didn't have most of the materials (many of them are on my wish list!) so here's my version - inspired by Tim Holtz of course!

I used some Coredinations cardstock as my tag which I embossed with a Versamarked embossing folder then used a glittery white embosssing powder and sanded back once dry. I don't have a Christmas greeting die so I embossed some grungepaper with this Christmas alterations embossing folder and cut it out!! Again I Versamarked it and added gold embossing powder which I very carefully brushed off the background before heating then used red Staz-On once it had cooled down to add an extra dimension. The die cut grungeboard bauble is gilded with silver leaf flakes and the branches are cut with a Marianne die which I picked up today in the clearance at the craft shop where I work!! I finished off with a couple of Idea-ology Baubles and some green ribbons. I've really enjoyed creating this and looking forward to tomorrow's inspiration! JulieD

Grungy Monday 28 - Winter Tag

2011-11-27T22:03:00.000Z

Kept it simple this week - mostly as I've run out of time - after last week's efficiency too! Linda's challenge this week was to be inspired by Tim's metal pumpkin by embossing metal and playing with alcohol inks. Here's my creation:

I embossed a piece of copper foil with a snowflake embossing folder then pounced black alcohol ink onto it - the black shows as a purple colour on some backgrounds and I've worked with this by using purple elsewhere on the piece. I then sanded the top of the foil to expose the silver underneath. Three die cut grungeboard snowflakes coloured with purple, black and copper alcohol inks plus a few bits of ribbon and an old unloved scrapbooking sticker from years ago and I was done - just occasionally, I do believe less is more! Have a good week.

JulieD x

Grungy Tag - How Efficient Am I???

2011-11-14T14:35:00.000Z

It's one extreme or the other with my Grungy Monday creations isn't it? Usually on the last minute but very occasionally just after it has been set! This week's challenge is to be inspired by one of Tim's 12 Tags and use mica mists, masks and distress inks (some of my favourite playthings!) Here's what the last hour has produced:

The background was masked with some of the Tim Holtz Timeworks masks then sprayed with Perfect Pearls Mist (Perfect Copper) and stamped with a Paperartsy flourish. I made the tag using the other two Timeworks masks and a spray which I made a while ago - I cant remember what powder or which Reinker I used! I inked over both with Walnut Stain distress ink, backed both the panel and the tag with burgandy leather effect card which I scruffed up with a paper distresser, added seam binding, pearls and a cog and was finished by 2pm!!! Thanks Linda and Tim for more inspiration to get my creative juices flowing! JulieD

7 Gypsies Workshop Project

2011-11-14T07:00:00.001Z

Thought I'd blog some projects I've created over the last year or two - this one was made a few months ago when Gwen asked me to come up with something to showcase the 7 Gypsies products we had in stock which customers were showing an interest in but weren't sure what to do with - once created I ran a workshop with it!

It started out as a paperbag book but as I sat playing, I liked the look of it portrait rather than landscape and so after a few attempts at something a bit different I came up with this - no idea what you'd call it - a hanging pocket folder I think Gwen called it on the workshop list! The covers are pieces of greyboard which I've covered with 7 Gypsies papers then brushed melted wax from my meltpot at the top and over the collaged images - it sets really quickly so I remelted it several times with my heat tool until I was happy with the result and brushed gold mica powder over. The flower started life as a white paper rose which I sprayed with Espresso colourwash (Ranger) and brushed yet more mica onto! A few more embellishments and a length of chain and the file was finished - the bags are stuck together down the sides then the front is attached top of cover to top of bag and the back is stuck bottom to bottom so the back is higher than the front and the whole thing hangs forward when put on the wall (hence the bad third photo). I've added decorated tags as an arty addition but it could be used for more practical purposes such as keeping notes, recipes etc in. Most of the elements I've included are 7 Gypsies - the ephemera pack, ATC elements, tags, keys and brads - all available from the Stamp Pad!

Hope you like it. JulieD

Girly Flowers??!!

2011-11-12T20:09:00.000Z

I missed another Grungy Monday last week with one thing and another getting in the way of my crafting, but here is this week's offering to the Tim Holtz inspired weekly challenge from Linda at StudioL3:

Flowers, colour, girly elements - me?? I think I must be having a midlife crisis - I have incorporated some dramatic black just to make my mark on it! The stamps are all PaperArtsy (except the background) - I stamped the flowers, masked and stamped musical notes in white dabber paint (this bit didn't quite work out but I love the effect nevertheless!); inked with various distress colours then masked again and inked again with darker colours and stamped the text and flourishes. Added a few pretty embellishments (not like me at all!) and a bit of lace trim and ended up with one of the most colourful creations I've ever made! I love these little resin flowers from Prima and the Vintage Trinket in the top right corner (also Prima and available from the Stamp Pad!)

What happened to Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue every week and getting involved in more challenges I hear you ask (well I heard Gill ask recently anyway...)? There's always next week!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

JulieD x

Grungy Monday 24 - Perfect Distress

2011-10-30T00:15:00.000+01:00

I Know - I missed one. Life has been getting in the way recently and I managed to miss a Studiol3 challenge - I'm disappointed as I've done all the others but hey ho... here's the next creation inspired by the Tim Holtz Perfect Distress technique:

It's a terrible photo but it's late and I'll be out all day tomorrow and didn't want to miss another week - I'm in the middle of working at a Weekend Craft Retreat from the Stamp Pad and it will be another early morning tomorrow so it will have to do. I've used the new Limited Edition Distress Inks on my tag - Seedless Preserves to colour the tag, Ripe Persimmon to colour the pumpkin, tissue tape and Kraft Resist pieces and Gathered Twigs to stamp with and ink the edges. I've used heirloom gold Perfect Pearls over the stamping and inked the grungeboard bats with Black Soot Distress Stain. Must dash, my bed is calling me - hope there aren't too many mistakes in here - I can barely keep my eyes open! Enjoy the rest of your weekend. JulieD X

Grungy Monday 22 - Halloween!

2011-10-16T15:10:00.000+01:00

Welcome back Linda - I've missed Grungy Monday, my StudioL3 Tim Holtz inspired weekly challenge! I was pleased to have this challenge of creating a Halloween piece this week as I've recently bought Halloween dies, embossing folders, stamps and the Kraft Resist so I needed an excuse to have a play with them - I'm not keen on trick or treat or 'nasty' side of Halloween but I love the colours and the imagery of ravens, cats, pumpkins, owls, spiders, bats etc etc! Anything dark and gothic and I'm happy! Here's what I came up with:

I attached a piece of gloss black card to a piece of greyboard, coloured the Kraft Resist with Spiced Marmalade and Dusty Concord Distress Stains then added a black ribbon. For the right hand corner panel, I used the back of a Fragments packet and embossed it with one of the Halloween Texture Fades then skimmed a Jet Black Staz-on pad over the top and attached with Glossy Accents. The tree is die cut from corrugated card - I tore the top layer off some of it to reveal the bumpy bits then coloured using Black Soot and Spiced Marmalade stains and a bit of black and purple glitter. The owl stamp doesn't show up too well on the photo but it looks good in the flesh - it's from the Haunted Mansion Stampers Anonymous set, stamped on gloss black card with a purple Encore inkpad and clear embossed. The poison labels on the tags are from the 6x6 sheets at the back of the Halloween Kraft Resist pad - I'd been waiting weeks for this pad - it didn't arrive with the stock order as it was out of stock at the supplier we use at work at The Stamp Pad so I was VERY excited when I turned up on Thursday and found it had arrived!! I think Gwen will be pleased as I can stop mithering every time I set foot through the door!!! The little metal spider web charm started off life in bronze but I attacked it with black alcohol ink to fit in with my piece. Hope you like it - lots more Halloween posts to come! JulieD x

Moth Fab - With Added Glitter!

2011-10-02T17:42:00.000+01:00

I always say that my Stampotique girls are my favourite stamps but hardly ever get to use them so when I decided to enter the Stash Buster Competion on UK Stampers, I thought it would be a good opportunity to get them out! The remit was to use glitter and the prize is stuff from The Stamp Pad. Here's my creation:

I'm not a regular user of glitter but this was fun! Hope you've enjoyed the autumn sun. JulieD

Something Borrowed...

2011-09-29T10:12:00.000+01:00

Today's piece is 'borrowed' in so far as it is based on a project I saw and loved in Craft Stamper (July 2010) by the hugely talented Linda Elbourne. Well, I say 'based on', it was at a time where my creative juices just weren't flowing so it's more of a copy than just inspired by!! It's an 8 inch square box canvas which I've painted with acrylic then added embossed and inked grungeboard squares. I produced a piece of stamped, inked and masked card then stuck fragments on to it. The other large elements are diecut grungeboard pieces which have been embossed through a folder, painted gold and then embossed with random patches of bronze embossing powder. I love it - thanks Linda! JulieD

A Touch Of Romance

2011-09-28T20:30:00.000+01:00

Perhaps I should have saved this until Valentine's Day but I made it at the weekend and wanted to share it. OK so I missed blogging yesterday but I'm back today so it's better than my past record! My friend Sonia gave me two Ikea mirrors a couple of years ago and I made the Tim Holtz inspired one that I blogged earlier in the year and then painted the second red to match my bedroom - I put it in a bag and forgot about it til now!

I bought the black 'flower' in Boots in the summer - it's made of black feathers and originally had a clip on the back so that you could wear it in your hair! I added a Fancy Ideaology Accoutrement to the centre

and one to the opposite corner - I knew I'd be able to bring myself to use them eventually with the right project! The black flourishes are die cut from black velvet paper and the letters are a mixture of chipboard and grungeboard. I have had the fabulous butterfly panel in my 'special things' box for some time - I made it on a UTEE workshop at the Stamp Pad and needed a special project to use it in as I love it so much.

So this is my first 'Something New' creation - hope you like it!

JulieD x

Something Old, Something New ...

2011-09-26T15:46:00.000+01:00

I've been thinking about what to post on my blog as I need something to keep me crafting and wanted a plan to work to - I started looking at some of my random creations from the last couple of years and some of my recent Indigo Blu creations. A plan started to form whereby I would blog something old and something from Indigo Blu each week when this old rhyme came into my head:

Something Old
Something New
Something Borrowed
Something Blue

So I've decided to blog something from each of these categories each week! Ambitious, I know, but it should keep me focussed. For Old I'll blog one of my existing creations; for New I'll blog, well, something I've just made; for Borrowed I'll blog either something I've done when I've attended a workshop, something inspired by someone else's work (eg a project featured in Craft Stamper) or my Grungy Monday submission (borrowed from Tim Holtz!!) and for Something Blue I'll post a picture of my Indigo Blu creations for that week!

What do you think?

Ok, today I'll start with Something Old - I had a box frame with a really dull picture in it which I bought a few years ago because the colours matched our dining room but really it was very uninspiring and I was going to throw it out. Instead, I turned it over and created this collage inside the frame using the Graphic 45 range 'Steampunk Debutante', a lick of gold paint and a few appropriate charms. I've had so many lovely comments about this from the customers at the Stamp Pad where I had it on display for a while and it is a fabulous way of showing off the papers in this pack - I used the same ones in the box in my very first blog post!

There is lots of inking, tearing and layering going on but it's a very straightforward project. Hope you like it!

Back tomorrow with Something New.

JulieD xx

Indigo Blu Workshop

2011-09-25T17:56:00.000+01:00

Hi! I've not been blogging recently - not really been myself but getting there and determined to get some of my crafting pieces up here. My job at the Stamp Pad has kept me sane these last few months and I'm grateful to Gwen for keeping me busy - I've designed and run several workshops over the last few weeks which has given me a boost so I thought I'd blog my creations from these events!

One workshop which runs each month at the Stamp Pad is 'Getting the Most From One Stamp' so I suggested that as I already design for Indigo Blu I could promote a plate of their stamps. We decided on Grand Tour II which is a fab selection of travel inspired stamps and this is what I came up with:

Apologies for the photography! This is my favourite of the three - my colours, my type of stamps! I love this image of the statue and thought it looked good stamped in black Staz-On on mirri. I made up a spray with Adirondack Wild Plum reinker and silver mica powder which I spritzed on a manilla tag and die cut the bottom with a Tim Holtz On The Edge die, stamped and embossed the quote directly onto the black pearl card and added a strip of distressed purple patterned paper. I love the purple bead trim too!

These other two cards are a bit more outside my comfort zone but I thought I ought to do some designs to appeal to a wide range of workshop participants and to showcase some of the products we have in the shop!

I inked a white card then stamped and embossed the church image on white card. I die cut this piece using a nestie and inked the image while it was still in the die. I did the same with the quote using the smaller sized nestie - they are a bit fancy for my taste but extremely popular with the customers! A bit of ribbon, a few gems and a grey card background and I was finished.

Finally, the really feminine one!

A bit blurry ... I stamped the butterflies in green Encore ink, coloured the flower (which started out white) with the same ink and then pounced with two colours of alcohol ink. I stamped 'Dream' in Versamark then covered in green mica powder. The background is a paper from the Graphic 45 range 'Once Upon a Springtime'.

All of the products I used are available from the Stamp Pad. Hope you like the detour away from my usual style! Enjoy your week.

JulieD xx

Grungy Monday 21 - Fragments

2011-09-18T21:43:00.000+01:00

As usual I'm on the last minute - this time despite having loads of extra time to do the Grungy Monday challenge (because Linda at StudioL3 is going off on a cruise with Tim Holtz - I'm not jealous at all... ) This (extended) week's challenge is using fragments in one of four ways as explained on Tim's blog. I had decided to use all four techniques on a 12x12 panel but ran out of time so I'll be completing that and adding this to one corner of my panel at a later date (I will blog it to prove I get stuff finished - eventually!!)

I've used the collage technique on this coaster sized fragment. The background paper is a page from the first Harry Potter novel which I ended up with two copies of so have been altering one of them. I've inked the paper with Fired Brick distress ink and then masked with the Tim Holtz compass mask and inked over the mask with Dusty Concord. I've used a few of my (often overlooked) salvage stickers and an Adage Ticket then stuck the fragment to the collaged piece with Glossy Accents. A hinge clip and a vial full of black accent beads and the tile is complete. Enjoy! JulieD xxx

Grungy Monday 20 - Distress Stickles

2011-08-21T13:36:00.000+01:00

This is the last challenge from StudioL3 for a few weeks as Linda is going away on a cruise with Tim (how jealous are we ...)!!! I bought a set of the Distress Stickles a while back but have to admit I've not used them much (except for the Rock Candy which is an amazing product) so this was another great challenge for me:

For the background I inked the tag with Distress Inks, embossed with the wood grain alterations folder, applied Pumice Stone straight from the pad then Pumice Distress Stickles over the top. I die cut umbrella man, inked him straight from the pad with Stormy Sky then dabbed Tumbled Glass Stickles over the whole surface with my finger (very satisfying!) The quote is by Stampers Anonymous and the little stamp in the corner is from my under-used but much loved Darkroom Door set. That was a quickie wasn't it! I'm off to finish my samples for IndigoBlu. Enjoy the rest of the summer! JulieD x

Indigo Blu Samples

2011-08-09T08:00:00.000+01:00

I was asked to make samples for Kay over at IndigoBlu stamps a couple of months ago and I'm currently sorting my second batch! Here are a few of them:

This is a mini canvas which I painted with haematite Inka Gold, edged with tissue tape and stamped the spider from IndigoBlu's Hocus Pocus plate in purple then went over the top with Glossy Accents. I covered the brass coloured key with silver mixative and black alcohol ink before adding a touch of the purple Inka Gold and stamped and embossed the quote from the same plate. I also painted the mini easel in the purple Inka Gold and stamped onto it with black stazon for a textured look.

This is a paper mache book box which I've also given the Inka Gold treatment (can you see a theme running through these projects - I am completely smitten with Inka Gold at the moment and currently have six different colours - I'm working on the rest ...). This is the dark grey 'haematite' type colour (none of them have a colour name printed on them so we make them up!) I stamped the Wish You were Here image onto white tissue and used matt medium to adhere it after tearing around the image and added a cute old bike charm with fibres! The inside has stamped images from the Grand Tour II plate - the back image is stamped on silver mirri card and the front image is embossed in silver and raised on really thick foam pads to fill the space more effectively. I made a hole in the top of the box and dangled a second bike charm.

This final project didn't go exactly to plan but I'm reasonably happy with it! It was an alternative version of a canvas which I'll blog later in the week but which used products which weren't from IndigoBlu so I couldn't send it on to Kay! This one is all IndigoBlu so I'll be submitting it - it's a 12in x 12in piece of MDF which I've painted with cream emulsion and a bit of gold acrylic then smudged the edges with the gold and again adhered stamped tissue with matt medium. I've also roughly stamped the butterfly from the Grand Tour II plate onto the background and stamped various other images from the same plate onto black and gold surfaces which I've layered and distressed. Hope she likes them! Look out for them if you're at any of the UK craft shows later this year!! JulieD

Early for Once!!

2011-08-08T14:36:00.000+01:00

This week's Grungy Monday challenge went up only 80 minutes ago and I was determined to get it done early - see when I set my mind to it it's not a Sunday afternoon rush ...

The challenge was to emboss plastic packaging and use it as an overlay in a project based on one of Tim's Christmas Tags. Here's my quick piece:

It's a piece of greyboard with inked tissue tape round the edges, distressed black gloss card and a die cut heart and wings image which I've coloured with various Inka Gold colours (I only bought the red this morning on a flying visit to the Stamp Pad!!) and stamped over the outer heart with archival black ink. I've added my embossed packaging a few 'raindrop' gems on the crown, brads to attach the acetate, a bit of red ribbon and a stamped and embossed Stampers Anonymous sentiment. Voila - done in an hour!! Sometimes it's best not to over think these things and it will go perfectly in my newly decorated black and red bedroom!! Hope you have a creative week! JulieD x

Grungy Pink Canvas!

2011-08-07T08:00:00.002+01:00

Thought I'd blog a canvas which I created a while back for a workshop at the Stamp Pad - I ran the workshop a few weeks ago which the participants seemed to enjoy! It's an eight inch square box canvas which I painted roughly with dark pink and cream acrylics then went to town embellishing with mini Paperartsy papers (from the swatch strip they created to advertise the range of papers!!) plus embossed and inked grungeboard, charms, stamped fragments, gems, corners, fibres, bead trim, seed beads, stamping and glossy accents ... Quite a frenzy of activity!! I particularly love those black cogs from 7 Gypsies. It has pride of place on the wall of my craft area. Hope you like it - I'll be running another workshop next month at The Stamp Pad using loads of goodies from 7 Gypsies so if you're in the area check out the website here if you fancy it! JulieD

Grungy Monday - Stamped Vellum

2011-08-06T12:41:00.001+01:00

Something new to me this week - I don't really use vellum, it's not that I don't like it, I just never think of it when I'm planning my projects, so this week's Grungy Monday challenge from Linda at StudioL3 was a bit different! Using an example from Tim Holtz' blog from way back (2008 I think) I've created a panel (with no purpose other than to look pretty!!) with a distress inked background and pieces of stamped and inked vellum which I rolled the corners of before attaching:

I threw water at my background which I blotted and heated before adding a stamped IndigoBlu flourish in two corners, my current favourite stamp (the raven from IndigoBlu's Hocus Pocus plate) is stamped and then embossed in gold on a black card background - the words are also from that plate and the Harlequin stamp is also one of theirs. I had a cream coloured flower embellishment which had been sitting on my craft desk looking a bit sad and not really my kind of thing at all so I sprayed it with espresso colourwash and dabbed gold mica powder over it - now that's more like it!! Hope you're all enjoying the weekend! JulieD x

Grungy Monday - Rock Candy Distress ...

2011-07-30T19:56:00.000+01:00

Another Grungy Monday challenge completed! This week I wanted to keep it simple so I followed the Master of Distress and did a tag! We needed to use either Rock Candy Distress Stickles or Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint but given that I have both in my stash I went the whole hog and used them both:

I used some Vintage Shabby paper for the background which I inked in Peeled Paint and Stormy Sky Distress Inks then covered the tag in Rock Candy Stickles with my finger. The leaf and butterflies are die cut Grungeboard which I have inked with the same colours as the background then stamped onto them with archival black ink - the leaf I have covered liberally with crackle paint and the butterflies I have used both on - I got quite an interesting texture by using the stickles over the top of the crackle! I also inked and crackled the adage ticket and added a silver gilding flaked 'ribbon' and an inked reinforcer. Simples! Same time next week, enjoy the rest of your weekend - I'm off to sunny North Wales tomorrow for a few days and hope to come back full of inspiration after spending time surrounded by the mountains of Snowdonia and the sea! JulieD

Grungeboard Fun

2011-07-24T16:36:00.000+01:00

I've had a whale of a time creating this week's Grungy Monday piece - the challenge was to create something using Tim Holtz's grungeboard and as grungeboard is one of my favourite surfaces ever it was a joy to make this!

I covered a piece of greyboard with kraft resist, swiped it with dusty concord distress stain then chopped some pieces of embossed grungeboard into small squares and coloured them with the stain. Next I used black Staz-On to highlight the raised bits and stamped the Eccentric quote (one of IndigoBlu's from the Brideshead plate) onto glossy black card - then embossed with gold detail powder. A couple of charms, Krylon edges and more embossed and stained grunge and my gothic masterpiece was finished!! Hope you like it! JulieD

It's not even Sunday Night ...

2011-07-16T13:59:00.001+01:00

Hi, here's my Grungy Monday entry for this week and it's not even Sunday night - my usual rushed GM time!! I actually created this on Tuesday but didn't get round to blogging it! Our Tim Holtz inspired challenge this week was to create a background using a distress ink to cover the background then embossing the whole surface with clear embossing powder. Here's my attempt:

I've used Wild Honey to cover the tag with a straight to paper swipe from the pad then embossed and gone over the tag with Walnut Stain - again straight from the pad. I quickly rubbed this with kitchen towel - that's it, a very quick and easy background - the man's a genius isn't he?? I've used the technique he describes in the same blog post of inking up a stamp with a variety of colours and again clear embossing - this gorgeous stamp is from the IndigoBlu plate, Hocus Pocus - I've used Fired Brick, Walnut Stain and Wild Honey to ink up the stamp and then used foam to blend over the top of the image after it's been embossed - simple resist. Hope you like it! JulieD

Grungy Monday 14

2011-07-10T18:29:00.000+01:00

This week our Tim Holtz inspired challenge on the StudioL3 website was to make our own mica powder/ink sprays and using paint as a resist create a masterpiece! Here's what I came up with:

I stamped the IndigoBlu Harlequin image on an eight inch square of greyboard with Snow Cap Dabber paint four times to cover the piece, then sprayed three colours of homemade mica spray randomly onto the panel - quite feminine colours for me! The stamped images are all also IndigoBlu from the two Alice in Wonderland plates - I have coloured the tissue tape with Copper Dabber paint and inked over the embossed images with distress inks in shades a little darker than the ones used in my sprays. The central image is stamped onto a piece of corrugated card which I've torn some of the top layer off and inked with Fired Brick Distress Ink. It makes a nice change from all the Christmas cards and other items I've been creating this week for the Christmas In July Demonstration days we have had at The Stamp Pad over the last few days! Enjoy the rest of the weekend. JulieD x

Grungy Monday 13 - Last Minute, Yet Again

2011-07-03T19:24:00.000+01:00

I've got no crafting done this week until now so this last minute attempt at Grungy Monday 13 from StudioL3 may be a bit rushed but I've had a go! The Tim Holtz inspired challenge this week was to create a piece using alcohol inks - I love them and have used a variety of colours on a piece of embossed metal and the same felt to colour the background which is a piece of white gloss card:

The cogs are chipboard which have been coloured with purple InkaGold then silver and black embossing over random patches of versamark. I've stamped the fragments with Fuchsia StazOn and a Stampers Anonymous stamp then backed the whole thing with black gloss card which in the flesh is gorgeous - black high gloss, just my thing! I've just realised what a terrible photo it is - you can barely see the bling on the metal or the colours of the background - it's actually much more vibrant than this. Must dash! Have a great week. JulieD

Grungy Monday 12 - Just In Time!

2011-06-26T21:43:00.000+01:00

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

2011-06-19T07:00:00.001+01:00

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!

2011-06-18T20:12:00.001+01:00

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!

2011-06-07T13:27:00.001+01:00

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!

2011-06-06T11:16:00.000+01:00

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

Grungy Monday 8 - Brushless Watercolour

2011-05-29T21:37:00.000+01:00

On the last minute again for the next installment of the Tim Holtz inspired Grungy Monday challenge which the lovely Linda over on Studio L3 has been organising for the last eight weeks! I've finally got round to sitting down to create this week's piece - I was worried that I wouldn't be able to manage this challenge as it involved Adirondack Dye Inks and I've only got two (Cranberry and Espresso) so I wasn't sure it would work but here it is:

It's quite feminine which is a first for me! The technique is to ink up the stamp with two or more colours of the dye ink and then spritz with water before stamping it. I like the blurry imperfect look this produces. The stamp is a Stamper's Anonymous one and the background paper is from Tim Holtz's Vintage Shabby pad which I've distressed with worn lipstick and brushed corduroy distress inks. I've added tissue tape to the outside of my stamped panel and added more of the Cranberry Adirondack ink with a sponge. The middle piece of card is inked up with various distress inks and a blending tool before flicking water at it and blotting with kitchen roll - I love that technique! I've added fragments using Glossy Accents then stuck Idea-ology nibs to them with Pinflair glue plus a coulpe of pieces of ribbon and a matching Idea-ology Accoutrement. Grungy and girly! Enjoy. JulieD

Grungy Monday 7 - Colour Blocking

2011-05-22T09:13:00.000+01:00

This week on the Grungy Monday challenge on StudioL3, we were given the task of creating something using a colour blocking technique demoed by Tim Holtz using a blending tool and various shades of distress ink. I've created another tag:

I collected together my green shades of distress inks and with plenty of ink on the blending tool, made rectangles of colour on the tag. I felt it was a bit harsh with the clear lines between the shades so I did cheat a bit and did a quick blend over the whole tag when I'd finished with a pale shade!! The stamping is done using archival library green and coffee with stamps from the Visual Artistry set 'Flights of Fancy'. The bird, tall flowers and letters are die cut grungeboard. Just a short post today, I'm off to help on The Stamp Pad stall at the Local Produce Day at my daughters' school! Enjoy! JulieD

bitbox crafting 1!

2011-05-18T08:00:00.002+01:00

I've never been good at throwing things away and have got various boxes full of off cuts of paper and card, tiny bits of ribbon, odd bits and bobs which have been left over from other projects etc. Also, whenever I try out a new technique, a new stamp, die, embossing folder or other product I throw the results of these experimentations in one of the boxes too as I don't usually have a project in mind - I'm just having a play!! The other things I end up with are loads of 'moppings up' - inks from my craft mat - I usually mop up with an ATC or a plain serviette then chuck them in the boxes too.

Anyway, I felt it was time to get these boxes out and see what I could create - some of the results are completely random where I've closed my eyes and chosen a few items then put them together to make a card which is why some of you will think "I wouldn't have put those colours together" - it was completely spontaneous! At the first 'bit box session' I made seven cards in about 40 minutes which is unheard of for me - I usually procrastinate for hours over colours and styles so it was quite therapeutic for me to do this!! Here are a few of the results - I allowed myself to use bits from my embellishment box that I rarely venture into either and some inks for edging with but not much else:

Above is a kraft card with a Graphic 45 image which was left over from my Steampunk Debutante pad with a TH ticket which I removed from the packet and then didn't use. I coloured the ticket to match the image and stuck a piece of faux stitching along the bottom - simple eh!

My background for this one was a 'mopping up' and a piece of Retro Grunge paper - I'd been playing with the Sewing Room alteration and had several of these die cuts in various papers. I've added them along with a few buttons, fibres and a rub on - I realised I had a friend's 40th coming up so I've added the numbers and will be sending it soon!

This is a distress ink blended background with a Non-Sequitur stamped image which I'd created for a card a while ago and then decided the colour wasn't right. I've added a bit of sheer red ribbon and a playing card charm and on a black background I'm really pleased with it! Hope this inspires you to get your bit boxes out - I know you've all got one (or more). Happy crafting. JulieD

eye of the beholder ...

2011-05-17T10:09:00.000+01:00

This month on the fabulous UKStampers forum we are doing a postcard swap with the theme of 'Beauty' - this is my interpretation:

I'd been wiping colourwash ink up off my craft mat with a piece of red card and I've used that as my background then stamped two of my favourite Stampotique girls in plum archival, stamped a few flourishes on the background then given it a kraft card base (just to make it a bit sturdier as it's being posted 'naked') and finished it off with a stamped title. Gorgeous! Just goes to show, beauty really is in the eye of the beholder as I adore these two characters!! I think I might cheat and laminate this before adding the postage stamp as I don't want them getting wet! Hope to blog again later. See you then! JulieD

Another Sunday Grungy Monday!

2011-05-15T14:08:00.000+01:00

Last week disappeared in a blur of invigilating, working at the Stamp Pad, being a Midday and being a taxi driver to my children and their friends!! So today I have sat down to do my Grungy Monday Week 6 (see StudioL3 for more info on that) and I've lost my mojo... This week's challenge was to create a 'weathered wood' background using a Ranger Dabber paint and distress inks. I did that bit then threw various elements at my tag - at least I can call it collage but I'm not happy with it, however, I've run out of time so it will have to do. Will try harder next week! Here's my effort:

All my elements (except for the ric rac and staples) are from Tim Holtz (this isn't a requirement of the challenge, it's just a little challenge I've set myself as I have so much crafting material of his I'm making all my Grungy Monday pieces Totally Tim!!) I stamped the blue Stampers Anonymous 'flames' in Denim Dabber paint and all the other stamping is done with various colours of archival ink and a variety of Visual Artistry Stampers Anonymous acrylic stamps including the one behind the facet. I was aiming for a sense of freedom ... Pop by again soon - my aim is to blog three times a week! JulieD

Grungy Monday 5

2011-05-08T22:08:00.000+01:00

I've been really busy lately with my new job at the Stamp Pad which I'm absolutely loving plus it's exam season so I'm invigilating for the next few weeks - oh no, less crafting time! Been ages since I blogged - luckily we got two weeks to do the latest Grungy Monday challenge from Studio L3! The challenge this time was to embed an item in foamboard - I really enjoyed putting this together but it took me longer than expected! Here's the end result:

I cut two rectangles out of the foamboard with a scalpel then covered it with Tim Holtz Kraft Resist paper. This was the first time I'd used Kraft Resist and I was pleased with the results! I inked it with a variety of distress inks, stuck it to the foamboard, added tissue tape, stamped, embellished and distressed some more! I then added background paper (from the Tim Holtz Lost and Found pad) and stuck the metal items on with glossy accents. Hope you like it.

I had a thrill this week when I opened the new Craft Stamper magazine and found my altered matchbox on page 57! How exciting to be in print! I'll have to dig out a photo of it and blog it for those of you who don't get the mag! Have a great day. JulieD

Spring Postcard

2011-04-27T10:05:00.002+01:00

UKStampers have had a postcard swap this month with the theme of Spring. I've created this:

I've created the background using several distress inks then stamped with some of the new Andy Skinner stamps which arrived yesterday using black and coffee archival inks and a touch of green distress ink. Just a quick post at the moment - I'm starting my new job at the Stamp Pad today! Enjoy the sunshine! JulieD

Grungy Monday Week 4

2011-04-18T23:04:00.001+01:00

These posts are like buses - you wait all week then two come along at once ... Well this week's Grungy Monday challenge over on Studio L3 was to use distress inks and texture fades together - much as I love getting messy, I'd never tried this technique before as I wasn't sure how much work it would take to get my texture fades clean! It was pretty painless! As always, the technique is based on one demoed by Tim Holtz . Here is my creation:

I cut the tag in half and with a folder inked up with shabby shutters and mustard seed, embossed the top half then inked up the Texture Trade folder of the car with walnut stain and debossed it - just for a change, to see how it looked (that's actually a lie - I inked up the wrong side of the folder but I was really happy with the result!!) I then added a few highlights to both halves using both a blending tool and adding ink straight from the pad. Oh, and it all got a good squirt with Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls Mist (one of my current well-used crafting items!) My fave part of this tag is the ribbon - it is white satin ribbon which I have splooshed (!!) with broken china Distress Stain then stamped with black archival ink using a Stampers Anonymous stamp - I was really pleased with the effect! The ribbon covers the join and I added a fragment charm, tissue tape (enhanced with tumbled glass Distress Stickles) and a Stampers Anonymous quote. Another thoroughly enjoyable couple of hours! Thanks Linda! JulieD

'It's In The Mail' - ATC Swap

2011-04-18T21:08:00.001+01:00

Thought I'd do a quick post with this month's ATCs for the UK Stampers' swap:

For the first, I wanted to use the idea of a love letter so I called it SWALK. I created it using a La Blanche stamp and Plum Archival ink plus velvet ribbon (one of my favourite items!!) and an embossed and inked grungeboard heart. The middle ATC is a simple one with an inked background which I have roughly painted over with metallic acrylic then stamped using a Stampers Anonymous stamp. The ATC on the right is an alcohol inked background with a Clarity postage stamp design stamped onto it then a Paperartsy post card stamped inside - the hardest part about that one was cutting round the edge to make it an authentic postage stamp - very fiddly but worth it for the finished effect! Hope you like them. JulieD

Grungy Monday Week 3

2011-04-12T12:19:00.000+01:00

I know it's Tuesday but it's the school holidays so I didn't get much time to do this yesterday! Have finally managed to get enough peace to put it together and get the photo uploaded (I've left the children in front of the TV with The Sarah Jane Adventures - I'm a terrible mother ... ) This week on the Tim Holtz inspired Grungy Monday challenge from Studio L3 the only requirement is to use Adirondack Colour Wash - I've only got three of the new colours so at least I didn't spend hours making a decision over which to use! These sprays have been sat waiting for me to be inspired - this challenge has set me off. You should have seen the colour of my hands when I'd finished!! It won't come off with soap and water but I discovered that Tesco Value Soap Pads (a type of washing up product) did the trick without any difficulty. Here is what I came up with:

I started by spraying the tag with Cranberry Colour Wash, spritzed with water, dried then applied the clockface mask and sprayed with Denim Colour Wash. I added two other masks from the pack and added more Denim for a layered look. After spraying with Perfect Pearls Mist (the white pearl colour), I blotted with kitchen roll - the patterning in the pearl is from the paper towel! I embossed the man with umbrella from the Artful Muse Texture Trades onto green card and swiped a black archival pad over the raised pattern. I also embossed the top left corner of the tag with the new Texture Trades folder of cogs and highlighted it with a Sakura pen in a similar colour. I stamped the words in Perfect Medium and brushed Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls over the top. This was great fun - hope you like it! JulieD

Uk Stamper Swaps

2011-04-06T11:45:00.002+01:00

I started my new job this week and have been busy stocktaking at The Stamp Pad! There are mounds of stuff that I never knew was there despite spending hours in the shop before I worked there - I can't wait to do the Tim Holtz, 7 Gypsies and Kaisercraft sections - who knows what I'll find!!

I've done a couple of swaps:

Terrible photography I know but I've already sent it so I can't take another! The recipient (hi Pat!) has put it in the gallery on UK Stampers so there is a much better image of it in there! The remit was to produce a three inch square mini wallhanging. I had a serviette which I'd been mopping ink up with in a previous craft session and, being a hoarder, had kept. I wanted to do a springtime piece and the colours on my serviette were perfect so I tore pieces off and glued them to a three inch square of card with matt medium. Once it was really dry, I randomly stamped over it with a text stamp, stamped a Paperartsy butterfly collage onto flowery patterned paper and a Crafty Individuals botanical image onto some die cut cork. I added some gems, punched holes and threaded some ribbon and fibres then stamped the work 'spring' - job done!

Another blurry photo (again Pat's is better in the UK Stampers gallery!) I must have been having a bad day with the camera. I really enjoyed making this - it's a piece of grungeboard which has been inked with Distress Inks then stamped with Coffee and Black Archival ink. The butterflies are die cut grungeboard and I added patterned paper as a background to tidy the back up, give it a border and make it a bit more sturdy.

Thanks for stopping by!

JulieD x

Grungy Monday Week 2

2011-04-04T21:20:00.004+01:00

Another week has gone by and I've not blogged! I have made a few swaps and cards this week so I'll be putting them up over the week. The news this week is that I've been offered a job at the Stamp Pad (my local craft shop, owned by my friend Gwen!) More excuses to buy craft materials - well, it's research for my job ...

Today Linda at StudioL3 has put up the second installment in the Tim Holtz inspired Grungy Monday Challenge - this week the challenge was to stamp with Multi Medium and colour with Distress Inks. Here is my offering:

Following TH's lead, I stuck some old paper to grungepaper using the multi-medium then I used the On the Edge Postage Alterations die to cut each side. I die cut the three Gadget Gears out of foam, stuck them (one at a time) to an acrylic block and stamped with them using multi-medium from my craft sheet. I then used various colours of Distress Inks blended in before stamping with the smallest gear so that the background colours were different. I've stamped a Stamper's Anonymous quote onto a journalling ticket and added an Adage Ticket with a charm clip to the bottom plus game spinners and a hinge clip at the top. I've not tried this technique but will be playing around with it now - watch this space!

JulieD x

Grungy Monday At Last!

2011-03-29T14:40:00.002+01:00

I've not blogged for a full week - after my promise to myself to try and do a bit every day - life just got in the way! Anyway, today I've done my first Grungy Monday challenge which is being run by Linda at Studio L3 (www.studioL3.com ) - as I only set my blog up two weeks ago, I've never been involved in one of these challenges before so I missed the Compendium of Curiosities challenge - I think I might do it on my own, just for fun!!

Here's my take on the challenge - it's based on Tag 10 from the 12 Tags of Christmas 2008 Challenge (www.timholtz.com ) and I've followed the format of Tim's original one fairly closely but lost the Christmas theme. I used Barndoor Reinker and Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls to spritz over the mask then used a variety of other Distress Ink Pads which I've blended with the applicator (Wild Honey, Walnut Stain, Vintage Photo and Black Soot - I think that was all of them).

The letters are die cut grungeboard which I've embossed using the Brick Alterations embossing folder and coloured with Wild Honey and Black Soot. I've also coloured the Trinket Pin and the heart charm with Alcohol Inks.

I enjoyed that, think I'm gonna like this weekly challenge ...

JulieD

One of My Old Favourites

2011-03-22T07:00:00.010Z

Good morning. This isn't a new project, in fact I created it about a year ago when some of the elements were brand new! However, as it's one of my favourite pieces, I felt it deserved to be blogged. It's a really inexpensive Ikea mirror with grungeboard, stampbord and fragment tiles carefully arranged to cover the frame. There is embossing, inking, stamping, alcohol inks, Tim Holtz Salvage Stickers, Lost and Found papers, Ideaology embellishments and more going on here. Apart from the large key which is Life's Journey (K&Co), the small key which is 7 Gypsies and the metal flower, I think all of it is Tim Holtz. I LOVED creating it. Hope you like it too!

JulieD

Back from my Crafty Weekend

2011-03-21T14:47:00.001Z

Been away on the Stamp Pad crafty weekend up at the Huntsman in Holmfirth and thought I'd blog what we got up to! Had a great time, worked on some fab projects, made new friends and ate delicious food.

This plaque was my favourite project of the weekend - it was good fun to make and I learnt to use some products I wasn't familiar with before such as the Terra and Ferro pastes from Viva Decor. Lots of dry brushing, metal embossing and generally getting my hands dirty!

We also made this pretty vintage canvas - quite a different style from the plaque!

We used 7 Gypsies papers, Alterations dies to cut cork and chipboard, buttons, beads and lace.

This next project was our Friday evening project - to ease us in gently.

The box was gessoed, painted with green Eco paint, sanded and inked then we used these great veg images which were from a CD rom and printed onto canvas. The images on the labels were printed onto self adhesive vellum.

The fourth project was a Bo Bunny naked binder which we covered and filled with papers and embellishments from the Bo Bunny Shabby Princess range - hot pink, lime green, orange, yellow and red - not my thing at all normally but the colours are perfect for the photos from my youngest daughter's Princess Party so it will be put to good use! It's nowhere near finished - too much chat and not enough crafting went on during that project on our table!! Here's a photo to give you an idea of the colours we were working with.

I'm going to get messy with something a bit more grungy now!

JulieD

Sunny Days Postcard

2011-03-18T12:00:00.000Z

Here's a postcard I have sent for a swap. I really enjoyed creating this and it makes me look forward to summer! I love these Stampotique girls! I've used Olivia, Sheer and Karin on this one.

The background is created with various blue and yellow shades of Distress Inks, sequin waste, an Art Impressions stamp and some Lakeland background stamps of dots and dashes. I've also used a Viva Decor stamp for the 'Postcard' word, a clarity stamp for the postage stamp and my trusty Hero Arts alpha stamps for the title. The 'beach' is a crumpled piece of sandpaper and I've used some gilding flakes in the corner for a bit of extra detail.

Hope it makes you smile!

I'm off to pack my craft tote for a weekend of crafting and fun on the Stamp Pad crafty retreat.

JulieD

Hope, Heal, Happiness ATCs

2011-03-17T23:35:00.000Z

I'm back again with another installment from my crafting life!

I only discovered ATCs a couple of years ago and for a long time made them and kept them - hence my husband's terminology, AKCs (Artist's Keeping Cards)! Last year I started joining in with the Craft Stamper monthly swap and more recently have been involved with the UK Stampers forum monthly swap - kindly organised by Sam!

These are from last month's swap - entitled Hope, Heal, Happiness where the parameters were to use one of the words on each ATC. These were made during a period of intense back pain through a fug of medication so I have kept them very simple this time!

For my first ATC, I used a magnetic rubbadubbadoo stamp from the Classic Impressions set (I need to hone my photographic skills!) on a background coloured with various blue shades of Distress Inks, the word 'hope' stamped and glazed with Glossy Accents and a thin ribbon down the right hand side.

My Heal ATC has a musical notes background created with a Judikins stamp on a card coloured with pale pink Distress Inks and the word 'heal' stamped in black Ranger Archival ink. The flower image is from Paperartsy, stamped in black Archival ink on a background of darker pink/red Distress Ink.

My third ATC for this month is 'happiness' and is created using one of my favourite stamps - she's called Karin and is one of my extensive collection of Stampotique stamps - gorgeous isn't she?! She's coloured using Distress Inks, and stuck onto a painted red background.

Hope whoever received these enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed the three I got back!

Going to get some beauty sleep - off for a crafty weekend organised by Gwen at the Stamp Pad tomorrow - can't wait!

JulieD x

2011-03-16T14:02:00.000Z

Welcome to my Crafting World!

As a self-confessed technophobe, I never thought the day would come when I put myself and my creations in cyberspace, but with a little help from my graphic designer husband and my friends on the UK Stampers forum, here I am! I've been crafting for years but the real addiction kicked in six years ago when I discovered scrapbooking, then stamping, then mixed media and now I'm never happier than when I'm chucking paint, ink and matte medium around with beautiful papers, stamps, beads and charms.

I thought I'd start my journey with a Steampunk box I've recently finished. Most of the materials are from my local craft shop (and therapy centre!) - The Stamp Pad in Greenfield, Saddleworth. This project started out as a plain chipboard box which I painted inside and out with rust red acrylic then dry brushed with a tiny amount of black. The papers are Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutante and most of the other elements are Ideaology - with the exception of the large key which is Life's Journey, the Ranger frame and the metal butterfly and beads which are from a jewellery making shop. The elements are stuck down with mosaic glue and matte medium and the frame is filled with Glossy Accents and had microbeads poured in while still wet. The paper butterflies and raven have also had this treatment.

Now for the inside! I made two trays from very thick card, covered them with the Graphic 45 paper, made dividers from corrugated card and inked until they were thoroughly distressed! I added black velvet ribbon with mini fasteners to lift the trays out of the box. I then filled them with Ideaology goodies such as fragments, charms, pins, D rings, foundations and lots of findings.

As an extra project I decorated the inside of the box lid with more Graphic 45 paper which I cut out and attached to look as though the man was flying (or falling depending on your outlook!) The hand is folded at the wrist and the man is attached with little mounds of black foam squares to create the 3D effect.

The outside has curtain hanging fabric roughly painted in coordinating acrylics and then more Ideaology items including fragment charms (which I have stuck on Graphic 45 paper with Glossy Accents) and attached to the ribbon with a memo pin and either black elastic or bead chain. It stands on Ideaology Foundations.

I hope you like it!

JulieD x