Songbird

I was so excited to use a new bird and verse stamp set that I recently purchased that I decided to create a page using some of my most treasured design papers, postage stamps and metal decorations that I have had in my craft stash forever – I hope you like it!

A number of blog challenges inspired my design too, including our current theme over at Try it on Tuesday of The Call of Spring – Mood Board, where I was inspired to use the blackbird and the panel design from the photo inspiration. There is still another week to participate in this challenge, so please pop over and take a look, it would be great to see you there!

I started by selecting some vintage design papers that have been sitting in my craft stash for a while; this included a pretty white flower, a lovely text design and a note paper with tabs which are all from a paper bundle of odds and ends from my local craft store, and also a beautiful blossom paper from a design pad. I cut the papers and also some images from a wallpaper sample into various sizes, edged them with a black Faber-Castell Big Brush marker and collaged them onto the page using a UHU Stic. Once the first layer of papers covered the page I applied some white gesso using my finger to give more of a worn look and create more depth. Next I stamped the bird stamp from a Stampendous Songbird stamp set onto some American Crafts design paper using black Archival Ink and also Pistachio and Cottage Ivy Memento Ink for the branches and leaves.  The verse is from the same stamp set and reads:

“When dewdrops sparkle in the grass
And earth’s aflood with morning light,
A blackbird sings upon a branch
To greet the dawning after night.
Then I know how fine it is to live”.

The stamped images are edged with the black Faber-Castell Big Brush marker and stuck into place using a UHU Stic along with some smaller pieces of design paper, lace trim and some Crowded Attic stickers by Tim Holtz. The yellow feathers and “Spring” wording are rub-on transfers by Royal & Langnickel and the two postage stamps are from my hubby’s childhood collection; as you may know he gifted them to use on my art journal pages so they are very special to me. The postage stamps are from Costa Rica 1938 which celebrates the National Exhibition of 1937 with a purple orchid called Guaria Morada and also a Hungarian postage stamp from Magyar Posta 1958 featuring some pretty pink crocus type flowers. To finish, I added some metal decorations of flowers and a bird sitting in a tree which are secured using brads.

As T Stands for Tuesday I’m sharing my cuppa of green tea and a yummy Hot Cross Bun filled with Crumbly Lancashire Cheese from our local cheese factory – delicious! I’m saying a big hello to Bleubeard and Elizabeth and the rest of the T Gang – Happy T Day!

If you are interested, here are some facts about Hot Cross Buns:

• A hot cross bun is a spiced sweet bun made with sultanas, currants or raisins and marked with a cross on the top.
• The traditional method for making the cross on top of the bun is to use short-crust pastry however some recipes use a paste consisting of flour and water.
• The buns mark the end of Lent and are traditionally eaten on Good Friday in the United Kingdom, although they have been in our supermarkets since just after Christmas (grin!).
• Generally, they are split in two, toasted and served with butter, but here in the North of England we often serve them filled with cheese and my favourite has to be Lancashire Cheese which is a regional white cheese. The one in my photo is the Crumbly version of this cheese made locally by Dewlay – yum!

Challenges

I’m glad I found out about Challenge Blogs, like Try it on Tuesday, as I enjoy taking part, they provide me with inspiration for my pages and are a wonderful way to meet like-minded arty people. So here are the challenges that I’m joining today:

I’m pleased to be able to join the lovely Rosie from Rosie’s Bastelwelt who is hosting the Spring challenge over at Art Journal Journey.

Using some of my most treasured design papers, postage stamps from my hubby’s childhood collection and precious metal decorations on my Vintage Style art journal page means that I’m able to also join in the fun over at A Vintage Journey, where the theme is Treasure.

With my neutral coloured page, I’m joining in the fun at the Simply Neutrals Tuesday party over at Apple Apricot as dear Susi highlighted this challenge in one of her posts recently.

Including the bird and verse stamping as my page focal point on my spring songbird page means that I’m pleased to join Fashionable Stamping Challenges and their Springtime challenge.

I’m also joining the Forest Friends challenge over at Stamping Sensations as you find songbirds in the forest which is my stamped focal point.

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Black 199)
• Pébéo White Gesso
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Tsukeniko Memento Ink (Pistachio, Cottage Ivy)
• Stampendous Cling Rubber Stamp (Jumbo Songbird CRS5029)
• Design Paper Bundle
• Craft Sensations Design Pad (Authentic Vintage CRO730/R)
• Wallpaper sample
• The Works Design Pad (Classic Vintage CRO707/TW7)
• American Crafts 2×12 Paper Pad (DIY Shop 366665)
• Tim Holtz Salvage Stickers (Crowded Attic #TH92898)
• Dovecraft Creative Ribbons (Sweet Paris Lace DCCR24)
• Royal & Langnickel Rub-on Transfers (Bird’s Nest #ROY-563, Spring Sentiments #ROY-506)
• Postage Stamps (Costa Rica 1938 celebrating the National Exhibition in 1937 featuring a purple orchid called Guaria Morada, Hungary Magyar Posta 1958)
• The Works (Metal Decorations)
• UHU Stic

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Vintage

It’s time for a new challenge over at Try it On Tuesday and our theme for the next two weeks is Vintage.

Thanks to those of you who joined us for the Love is in the Air challenge and I hope you will be inspired by our Vintage challenge too, it would be great to see you there!

For my art journal page, I started by covering the page in pieces of napkin using Liquitex matte gel medium and then applying Pébéo white gesso using a palette knife.  Once dry, I aged the page to tie into the Vintage theme by using Dark Sepia, Sanguine and Cold Grey Faber-Castell Big Brush marker. I did this by applying the markers directly to the edges of the page and smudging them with my finger and I also scribbling the marker onto an acrylic block and dragging the block over the surface of the page so it highlighted the gesso texture and creases of napkin. Next I used a cutting die and my Big Shot to create tile shapes, which are stuck to the page using Liquitex matte gel medium and when they were all in place I covered them all with a layer of matte gel medium too. I coloured the edges of the tiles using Willow and Ink Black Derwent Inktense pencils and highlighted some of the gaps between the tiles using a white Derwent Inktense pencil. Then I covered some of the tiles with white gesso and a Dark Sepia Faber-Castell Big Brush marker to give them more of an aged look. The pretty purple violet flowers are rub-on transfers by Royal & Langnickel which I layered over the top of one another to build up the design and intensity of colour. I added the butterfly 3D sticker and then splattered black DecoArt acrylic paint over the whole page using a paintbrush. The ivy is die cut using Sizzix Thinlets by Tim Holtz and coloured using Leaf Green, Moss and Sepia Spectrum Aqua markers and a black Derwent Graphik fine line marker. They are stuck to the page using a Zig Memory System glue pen. I added the letter button stickers and applied white gesso and then matte gel medium over their edges so they looked more in keeping with the Vintage style. I also used the Willow and Ink Black Derwent Inktense pencils around them giving a worn look. For the doily, I coloured the edges using Tea Dye Distress Ink and a blending tool, and also the Dark Sepia Big Brush marker. I tied a bow in the middle of a piece of purple satin ribbon and then threaded each end of the ribbon around the central circle of a doily and stuck the doily in place using double-sided foam tape. I cut some thick purple paper using a Spellbinders die and stuck a butterfly image on top, which I had edged with the Tea Dye ink and Dark Sepia marker, using double-sided tape. To finish, I added one of the violet flowers, from the rub-on transfer set, to a vintage metal embellishment and stuck it in place using Ranger Glossy Accents.

I hope you will join in the fun over at Try it on Tuesday where you will find fabulous Vintage creations from the Design Team too!

Another rainy day meant another lovely walk around Lytham Hall with our friends. This time I had a piece of lemon and poppy cake with my pot of green tea and I was amazed how the vintage china and pretty purple flowers on my cake matched my Vintage page – Happy Serendipity (grin!). As I’m sharing my drink I’m saying a big hello and welcome to the T Gang over at T Stands for Tuesday and wishing you all a very Happy T Day!

Challenges

I’m glad I found out about Challenge Blogs, like Try it on Tuesday, as I enjoy taking part, they provide me with inspiration for my pages and are a wonderful way to meet like-minded arty people. So here are the challenges I’m joining today:

I’m pleased to join the lovely Rike from rike’s art, who is hosting the Animals A-Z challenge over at Art Journal Journey as B is for Butterfly on today’s page!

I’m joining in the fun over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and their Add a Die Cut challenge with the vintage tiles, square frame and ivy leaf dies that I used on my art journal page.

I’m also pleased to join the fun over at Country View Challenges and their Anything but Cute challenge.

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Dunelm Napkin (Grace 30220549)
• Pébéo White Gesso
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Dark Sepia 175, Sanguine 188, Cold Grey IV 233)
• Derwent Inktense Pencils (Willow 1900, Ink Black 2200, Antique White 2300)
• DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (Black)
• Spectrum Aqua Artist Marker (Leaf Green, Moss, Sepia)
• Derwent Graphik Line Marker (Black 0.05mm)
• Pentel Hybrid Gel Grip Pen (White)
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Tea Dye)
• Spellbinders Nestabilities Card Creator Die Cut Systems (Pearl Effects S5-194, Unknown)
• Sizzix Thinlets by Tim Holtz (garden Greens 661206)
• The Works M&C Boutique (Design Block)
• American Crafts Papers (DIY Shop 366665)
• Poundland Design Pad (Purple Paradise CRO701/PL3)
• Docrafts Papermania 8×8” Labels (Botanicals PMA157234)
• Dovecraft Premium Paper Doilies (Painted Blooms DCDLS010)
• Royal & Langnickel Rub-on Transfers (KPE1229G)
• Home Bargains (Love Letters 22738, Beautiful Butterflies 22742)
• Recycled Satin Ribbon (Purple)
• Poundworld (Vintage Stickers)
• Ranger Glossy Accents
• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
• Docrafts Stick It! double-sided tape
• The Range double-sided foam tape

My favourite colour combination – Tag

Today I have something a little different to show you. I have created a tag to display in my craft room as a reminder to “Be Brave”, “Create” and “Enjoy” when I’m art journaling.

I’d like to thank Chrissie who inspired me to create this tag, because over at Tag Tuesday if you join in the fun you can enter a draw to win a fabulous owl that she has knitted (grin!). Well I really couldn’t pass up that opportunity as it is so adorable!

The current theme over at Tag Tuesday is “My Favourite Colour Combination”, so of course I choose two shades of blue as it’s my favourite colour along with black, white and some caramel accents to complement and bring out the blue tones.

I started by cutting a tag shape from some Design Pad paper by American Crafts, then I embossed white doily shapes and black butterflies onto the tag. I did this by stamping a Doily by Kaisercraft using Papermania embossing ink and applying white Stampendous embossing powder over the top. Then I shook the excess powder onto a piece of scrap paper and tapped the tag against the table to make sure I had removed any stray powder. Once the excess powder was safely returned to its container, I used a craft heat gun to melt the embossing powder. I swept the gun over the images, taking care not to direct the heat in one area for too long until the embossing powder melted into a glossy finish becoming smooth and dimensional. I repeated the same process for the butterflies using a stamp designed by Graphic 45 Hampton Art using black Versafine Ink and black Papermania embossing powder. Next I scribbled Boysenberry, Snow Cone and Caramel Faber-Castell Gelatos onto the tag and smudged the colour using my finger which I had dipped in water. Then I wiped the embossed images with kitchen paper to remove any excess gelato. I added a filigree leaf stamp by Crafter’s Companion using Danube Blue Memento Ink, a script stamp by Kaisercraft and a postage mark stamp by Hampton Art using black Archival Ink. To finish the background, I splattered black acrylic paint over the tag using a paintbrush.

The black flowers are felt fabric which I cut to fit and then glued onto the tag using a UHU glue pen. To make the tag more sturdy I cut out another tag shape from thick paper, slightly larger this time to create a border. I stained the edges of this paper with black Versafine Ink using a blending tool, edged both tags with a black Faber-Castell Big Brush marker and then I stuck the two tags together using a UHU Stic. I punched a hole in the top of the tag and outlined it with the black Faber-Castell Big Brush Marker and I also added strips of black Glitterations stickers across the edge of where the two tags joined and also along the border to add more detail.

I added silver glitter details to the butterfly wings using Ranger Stickles and also some glittery hearts and blue round gems using Glossy Accents. The words are stamped onto a piece of design paper which I mounted on the leftover border paper, that I had stained with black ink, using a UHU Stic and then they are stuck to the tag using double-sided foam tape. I tied white organza, blue satin and black velvet ribbons through the tag which finished the tag beautifully.

As my tag has plenty of glitter and shine I’m also pleased to join the “Let it Shine” theme over at Try it on Tuesday. My good friend Gill likes elegance and grunge as much as me and I missed out on the tag fun when she was a guest designer over at Try it on Tuesday a couple of weeks ago, because, unfortunately, I just didn’t have the time. However this week I found that some rainy weather allowed me more time in my craft room so I got to work. I hope you like the result as much as me!

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (Black)
• Faber-Castell Gelato (Boysenberry, Snow Cone, Caramel)
• Dovecraft (Premium Embossing Ink DCBS62)
• Tsukineko Versafine Ink (Onyx Black)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Tsukeniko Memento Ink (Danube Blue)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Black 199)
• Stampendous Embossing Powder (Detail White Opaque)
• Papermania Embossing Powder (Black PMA4021006)
• Kaisercraft clear stamp (Doily CS297, Script CS752)
• Hampton Art Graphic 45 cling mounted rubber stamps (Tropical Travelogue ICO134)
• Hampton Art 7 Gypsies Vintage cling mounted rubber stamps (Birdsong ICO151)
• Crafter’s Companion Signature Collection by Sara Davies stamp set (Just for You – Butterfly Lullaby S-BL-ST-JUS)
• Dovecraft Essentials Alphabet Stamp Set (WDN ALPHA STMP DCVW0050)
• American Crafts Paper Pad (DIY Shop 366665)
• The Works Design Pad (Classic Vintage CRO707/TW7, Vintage Experience CRO239/TW6)
• Poundland (Felt Pads Black 117107)
• Docrafts Glitterations (Black Borders ANT8181015)
• Home Bargains Special Occasion (Mini Decorative Stickers 22740)
• Hobbycraft Decorative Embellishments (Blue Round Gems 566538101)
• Ribbon (White Organza, Blue Sation, Black Velvet)
• Ranger Stickles (Silver)
• UHU Stic and Glue Pen
• The Range double-sided foam tape