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 21 - Fragments

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 - 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

Uk Stamper Swaps

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

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!

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

Sunny Days Postcard

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

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