Grungy Monday 28 - Winter Tag

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???

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

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??!!

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

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!

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!

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