Bluebells

As the flower border in our garden is looking so lovely with all the beautiful flowers that are in bloom, I’ve been inspired to create some flower art journal pages; this one celebrates bluebells and is the first of the flower pages that I will be sharing with you – I hope you like it!

I started by stencilling Brushed Corduroy and Ground Espresso Distress Ink using a blending tool through a mixed media stencil from Paperbabe Stamps.  Then I added some water to the page and removed it with a piece of kitchen towel which also removed some of the stencilled ink. Next I cut the bluebell stems and foliage from some green design papers and stuck them in place using a glue stick. I added some more colour to them using an Apple Green and Field Green Inktense pencil. The bluebell flower heads are die cut, using a Funky Flower Thinlet from Tim Holtz, from recycled paper that was the closest match to the actual bluebell flower colour. I stuck them in place using a Zig glue pen and then coloured the veins of the flowers using a Bright Blue Inktense pencil. I added more detail to the flowers and foliage using a white Uniball pen and a black Uni Pin marker. To finish, I added a yellow butterfly which is a Botanical die cut from Tim Holtz and the wording “bluebells” which are Kaisercraft stickers.

You may remember that we have been working to improve the flower borders in our garden over the last couple of years.

As you can see the bluebells are looking particularly pretty this year and we even have small group of white bells (centre of photo) hence why I added one to my page (grin!).

Stay safe and keep well! x

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

Challenges

I’m happy to join the lovely Valerie from Bastelmania over at Art Journal Journey and her Geometric Shapes challenge this month with my geometric stencilled background.

I’m also happy to join in the Animal Magic challenge over at Country View Challenges with the butterfly on my page.

Don’t forget that you still have over a week to join our Have fun with stencils challenge over at Try it on Tuesday too, it would be lovely to see you there!

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

• Paperbabe Stamps Mixed Media Stencil (ISO Fun)
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Brushed Corduroy, Ground Espresso)
• B&M Craft Goody Bag (Turquoise 321451)
• Studio Light Paper Pad (PPSL84)
• Pritt Stick
• Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlets (Funky Florals #2 662701)
• Recycled Mixed Media Pad Cover
• Craft Sensations (Luxury Cardstock with Linen Texture CR0240/GE)
• Zig Memory System 2-way Glue (Dual Action Glue Pen)
• Inktense Derwent Pencils (Bright Blue 1000, Apple Green 1400, Field Green 1500)
• Uniball Signo gel pen (White)
• Uni Pin Fine Line marker (Black 0.05mm)
• Tim Holtz idea-ology Layers (Botanical #TH93554)
• Stix2 Glue Dots
• Kaisercraft Sticker Sheet (Mix & Match – Alpha SS252)

Happy Easter

Having visited Tracey’s blog she gave me the idea of creating a journal page based on the Easter cards I made this year – thanks for the inspiration Tracey and Happy Easter everyone!

I started by stencilling a trellis background using a Moroccan mask from Creative Expressions and some Brushed Corduroy and Ground Espresso Distress Ink. Then I added some off cut pieces of green mixed media paper from another project (which will be revealed later this month) using a glue stick. Next I die cut some foliage using a Wildflowers Thinlet set from Tim Holtz and coloured them green using Mowed Lawn, Peeled Paint and Peacock Feather Distress Ink. They are stuck in place using a Zig glue pen and adorned with some small glittery white flowers. Then I added the “spring”, “Good life” and “the sweetest thing” wording which are rub-on transfers.

I stamped “Happy Easter” using a Sophisticated Script stamp set from Concord & 9^th and some black Archival Ink. Then I created the butterfly, bunny rabbit and chick using a Springtime Sidekick Thinlet set from Tim Holtz. The large butterfly wings are coloured using a Canary Winsor & Newton Promarker and some Fossilized Amber Distress Ink and the smaller wings with Festive Berries and Seedless Preserves Distress Ink, I coloured the butterfly body with a black Faber-Castell Big Brush marker, layered it together and stuck it in place. Then I applied some Ranger Glossy Accents over the body and the edges of the wings.

The bunny is coloured using the Brushed Corduroy and Ground Espresso Distress Ink and the bow with the Canary Promarker and Fossilized Amber ink. The bow is covered in Ranger Glossy Accents and I also added a white pom pom for the bunny rabbit’s tail.

The chick is coloured using the Canary Promarker and Fossilized Amber ink again, the chick’s breast using a Saffron Promarker and some Ground Espresso Distress Ink, the chick’s beak and feet using a Bright Orange Promarker and the eyes using a black Faber-Castell Big Brush marker. Once layered together, I applied Ranger Glossy Accents to the chick’s eyes and beak. 

Here’s the Easter card that inspired my page!

As its Easter it’s time to make Easter Chocolate Nests – yum (grin!). These homemade treats are Rice Crispies coated in milk chocolate and filled with a chocolate fudge icing then topped with chocolate mini eggs, chocolate covered raisins and mini marshmallows – Happy Easter!

Hoping that you all stay safe and well! x

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

Challenges

I’m happy to join the lovely Valerie from Bastelmania over at Art Journal Journey and her Geometric Shapes challenge this month with the rectangles paper pieces on this page.

I’m also pleased to join in the Animal Magic challenge over at Country View Challenges with the bunny rabbit, butterfly and chick on my art journal page.

I’m joining in the Add Some Texture challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge with the texture from stencilling, papers, linen cardstock and white bunny pom pom tail (grin!).

I’m also pleased to join in the fun over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and their Spring Moodboard challenge with the colours, chick, butterfly and spring wording that I included.

Don’t forget that you still have until next Tuesday to join The Beauty of Nature Challenge over at Try it on Tuesday too, it would be lovely to see you there!

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

• Creative Expressions That Special Touch of Mica Masks (Moroccan)
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Brushed Corduroy, Ground Espresso, Mowed Lawn, Peeled Paint, Peacock Feathers, Fossilized Amber, Festive Berries, Seedless Preserves)
• Leftover green mixed media paper pieces
• Pritt Stick
• White cardstock
• Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlets (Wildflower Stems #2 664164, Sidekick – Springtime 662711)
• Zig Memory System 2-way Glue (Dual Action Glue Pen)
• Poundland (Mini Glitter Embellishments 59409)
• Tim Holz idea-ology Remnant Rubs (Tiny Text #TH93695)
• Royal & Langnickel Rub-on Transfers (Spring Sentiments #ROY-506)
• Concord & 9^th Stamp Set (Sophisticated Script 10056)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Craft Sensations (Luxury Cardstock with Linen Texture CRO240/GE)
• Winsor & Newton Promarkers (Canary Y367, Bright Orange 0177, Saffron 0739)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Black 199)
• Ranger Glossy Accents
• Home Bargains Christmas Crafts (White Pom Poms 03007)

Hello – Creative Artiste Design Team

I’m thrilled and honoured to be able to join the Design Team at Creative Artiste and I’d like to thank the team for inviting me to join them.

At Creative Artiste Challenge Blog the theme is always Anything Mixed Media Goes, so it’s really special to be part of this Design Team as I love using mixed media and always like to use various mediums on my art journal pages.

For this month’s #57 – Anything Mixed Media Goes challenge, I’m sharing an art journal page to just say “hello” to everyone (grin!).

I started by stamping a Solar & Lunar stamp from Finnabair and a Script Stamp from Kaisercraft over the background using black Archival Ink. Then I tore a wallpaper sample into some pieces, edged them with Antique Linen Distress Ink and collaged them onto the page using Liquitex matte gel medium. I applied some Pébéo white gesso with my finger over the top to add some depth. When dry I coloured the edges of collaged pieces with a Dark Sepia Faber-Castell marker smudging the ink with my finger and then I splattered the whole page with black DecoArt acrylic paint using a paintbrush.

Next I added the pretty pink peony flower using matte gel medium which I fussy cut from the wallpaper sample; I created some shadows around it so that it stood out more by applying and smudging some of the Dark Sepia Faber-Castell marker with my finger before sticking it down.

The “hello” and butterflies were created using a Springtime Tim Holtz Thinlets Sidekick set and some linen textured paper. They were coloured using either a Dark Sepia Faber-Castell Big Brush marker or Angel Pink and Rose Bud Memento Inks. The wings were heat embossed with Wow! Embossing Glitter and the body of the butterfly was covered with Ranger Glossy Accents.

I layered the “hello” pieces together and also added some antennae to the butterflies which I made using wire. To finish, I added some wording that I thought were appropriate to joining this new design team and to my mixed media art journaling which are all Tim Holtz Clipping Stickers; they read “my grateful heart”, “just a memory”, “dreams come true”, “all the world is bright”, “life is wonderful” and “good fortune”.

I had so much fun creating this page and thought you may like to see where I create my art, here’s where I sit in my craft room. I have to say, it’s not normally this tidy (grin!).

I hope you will join in the fun over at Creative Artiste this month; be sure to check out the Challenge Rules here.

For more inspiration, you’ll find a wonderful array of mixed media projects created by my fellow design team members over at Creative Artiste too. We would love to see you there!

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

Challenges

I’m pleased to join the Hearts challenge over at Art Journal Journey that is being hosted by the lovely Bleubeard & Elizabeth this month with the wording on my page – “my grateful heart”.

With the paint splatters on this page, I happy to join in the fun over at Country View Challenges and their Splatters, Splashes and Drips challenge too.

I’m also pleased to join the Floral Frenzy challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge with the peony flower that I included on my page.

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

• Prima Marketing Finnabair Clear Stamp (Solar & Lunar Item# 966977)
• Kaisercraft Clear Stamps (script CS752)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Wallpaper sample
• Tim Holtz Distress Stain (Antique Linen)
• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
• Pébéo White Gesso
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Marker (Dark Sepia 175 B)
• DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (Black)
• Craft Sensations (Luxury Cardstock with Linen Texture CRO240/GE)
• Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlets Sidekick (Springtime 662711)
• Tsukineko Memento Ink (Angel Pink, Rose Bud)
• Tsukineko Versamark (Watermark Stamp Pad)
• WOW! Embossing Glitter (Singing in the rain WS183R)
• Ranger Glossy Accents
• Silver Wire
• Zig Memory System 2-way Glue (Dual Action Glue Pen)
• Stix2 Glue Dots
• Tim Holtz idea-ology (Clipping Stickers #TH93583)

Paris

Today I chose to travel back to Paris whilst Art Journaling for the new challenge that is being hosted by the lovely Alison over at A Vintage Journey which is:

We’re all getting older.

It has nothing to do with your age, it’s all about making things look older; here’s what the challenge is about:

“Time for weathering and distressing, or some ageing and antiquing. Make a project using techniques for making the new look old, whether that’s paper projects, altered art or mixed media. Just remember to ensure that you create in one of our preferred styles of vintage, shabby, mixed media, art journaling, industrial, timeworn or steampunk”.

I created a worn and distressed Art Journal page of Paris making the collaged papers look old.

To start, I ripped pieces of book pages about France which came from an old encyclopaedia and also pieces from a sample of Paris themed wallpaper. Then I collaged them onto the page using matte gel medium.

Once dry, I distressed the collage papers by staining them using Ground Espresso and Brushed Corduroy Distress Inks. I did this by stamping the ink pads onto an acrylic block, spritzing with some water and pressing/dripping the ink onto the page and also by painting diluted ink along the edges of each of the collaged papers. To add to the worn grungy look, I also lightly sprinkled the page with some Dark Brown Brusho powder, spritzed it with water to activate the colour and dried it with my heat gun. Next I added some white gesso using a baby wipe and when dry, I edged the collaged pieces using a Dark Sepia Faber-Castell Big Brush marker smudging the ink with my finger.

I stamped a series of Paris related stamps using black Archival ink; the stamps included some little round “T” postage mark stamps from Prima Marketing and also a birdcage, bee, “Paris”, filigree branch and two crowns by Graphic 45 from Hampton Art. I then splattered the whole page with black DecoArt acrylic paint using a paintbrush.

I die cut some flower shapes and a round disc from dark brown and blue patterned papers using some Spellbinders dies and my Big Shot machine. Then I used two rectangular pieces of the same patterned papers which I distressed using scissors, the Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink and the Dark Sepia Big Brush marker. I cut out an oval picture of the Eiffel Tower from the wallpaper sample and backed it with white card. Then I layered them all onto the page using double-sided tape and added some pearl gem stickers along the edge of the patterned paper.

To finish, I added a butterfly sticker from Tim Holtz and some pretty pale blue silk roses which are stuck in place using Glossy Accents.

If you want to join in the fun why not create a weathered, distressed or age effect too and share it with us at A Vintage Journey, it would be lovely to see you there!

For more Inspiration, please pop over to see the amazing creations from my fellow Creative Guides over at A Vintage Journey too.

It seems like many years have passed since we visited Paris, so I guess I must be getting older but hopefully not as worn and distressed as my page (grin!).

This is one of the yummy patisseries that we went to – can you guess which cake I chose from the lovely display here?

My favourite is always the strawberry tarts, they are so delicious and I only had one, I promise … well I only had one everyday for the week we were there (double grin!).

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

Challenges

I’m pleased to join Art Journal Journey where I’m hosting the Something New challenge this month as I took “new” papers and distressed them to make them look old. Also smooshing the Distress Inks directly onto the neutral collaged papers to make them look old was “new” to me and I’m so glad it worked; it was so much fun making them worn and grungy (grin!).

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

• Paris wallpaper sample
• Book pages from old encyclopaedia
• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Brushed Corduroy, Ground Espresso)
• Colourcraft Brusho (Dark Brown)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Dark Sepia 175 B)
• Pébéo White Gesso
• Hampton Art 7 Gypsies (Birdsong ICO151)
• Prima Marketing Clear Stamps (Rossi Belle 587499)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Spellbinders Die Cut – Unknown
• The Works Paperstack (Vintage Experience CRO239/TW6)
• X-Press It! double-sided tape
• Tim Holtz idea-ology Salvage Stickers (Crowded Attic #TH92898)
• The Works (Craft Flowers)
• Ranger Glossy Accents
• Poundworld (Pearl Embellishments)

Let it snow

My page design today was inspired by my new winter hat which is so pretty, it is navy blue in colour and has butterflies and sparkly gems on it (grin!).

This is also a reminder that you still have another week to join our Cold, Cold, Cold challenge at Try it on Tuesday too, it would be lovely to see you there!

I started by smooshing Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink onto the page by stamping the ink pad onto a blending mat, spritzing with water and pressing the mat onto the page. Then I used a blending tool to add the same Distress Ink around the edges of the page to darken the colour. Next I stamped a Hessian texture stamp from Kaisercraft, as it reminded me of the woven texture of my hat, using Paris Dusk Memento Ink. I also stamped some dots from Hampton Arts, as they looked like the sparkly lines of gems on my hat, using the same Memento Ink and also some Platinum Planet Brilliance Ink. I added the silver snowflakes which are stickers from Docrafts and then I splattered the page with silver Liquitex Ink and the Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink. I added the embroidery butterfly and lots of clear gems to the lines of stamped dots to represent the sparkle on my hat. I’m all set for winter now as I have my new hat so I finished the page by adding the “Let it snow” wording which is from a set of silver glittery letter stickers.

Here’s my new hat, I just fell in love with it as soon as I saw it! What could be better than the navy blue colour, sparkle, pretty butterflies and a big fat pom-pom on the top (grin!).

As T Stands for Tuesday, I’m sharing the love and my hot chocolate which like my hat is guaranteed to keep you warm on cold winter days, and this one has a shot of gingerbread syrup in it – so yummy! Wishing you all a very Happy T Day!

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

Challenges

I’m pleased to join the Anything Goes challenge over at Paperbabe Stamps .with my wintry art journal page.

I’m joining the Peace & Tranquility challenge over at Moo Mania & More with my winter butterfly page.

I’m pleased to be able to join in the fun over at Mix It Up Challenge Blog for their Anything Goes + optional twist of Watercolouring with my wintry art journal page.

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

• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Chipped Sapphire)
• Kaisercraft Clear Stamps (Texture – Hessian CS253)
• Tsukineko Memento Ink (Paris Dusk)
• Hampton Art Doodlebug Designs (Thankful ICO162)
• Tsukineko Brilliance Ink (Platinum Planet)
• Liquitex Ink! (Iridescent Bright Silver)
• Docrafts Glitterations Create Christmas (Snowflakes Silver)
• The Range (Fabric Butterflies)
• Stix2 glue dots
• Home Bargains Special Occasion (Mini Decorative Stickers 22740)
• The Range (Alphabet Stickers PO205184)

Art Journaling

Hi everyone! I am so delighted to be in the Designer Spotlight this month over at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. As this is my last week I want to say a big thank you to everyone for all your support!

This week the theme is Art Journaling.

I’m so very grateful to be able to share my love of art journaling and I’d like to thank Lols and the Simon Says Stamp Team for letting me join them this month! This journal page was inspired by my love of art journaling and some Monarch butterflies that we saw in America at about this time last year.

I started by smooshing the background using Peeled Paint, Peacock Feather and Twisted Citron Distress Ink by stamping the pad onto an acrylic block, spritzing with water and pressing the block onto the page. I did this a number of times drying the page with a heat gun between each application of ink. Next I stamped an Invoice stamp from Finnabair and a letter stamp from Tim Holtz using Black Soot Distress Archival Ink. Then I covered an Interlocking Circles mini stencil from Creative Expressions with Black Soot Distress Ink and pressed it firmly onto the page using a brayer. The leaves are from a Concord & 9th Sophisticated Script stamp set and are stamped using Peeled Paint Distress Ink. I then splattered the page using a white Uni Posca paint pen and also some Black Soot Distress Ink.  I used the Concord & 9th Sophisticated Script stamp set again to stamp the “so very grateful” wording using Black Soot Distress Archival Ink and added highlights to the letters using a white Uni Posca paint pen. My Monarch butterflies are depicted here using Tim Holtz Botanical Layers and I added white text rub-on transfers from Tim Holtz which read “seen”, “memories”, “remember” and “dream” which relate to the butterflies we saw. To finish, I added some Small Talk Stickers from Tim Holtz which read “go where your heart takes you”, “creativity takes courage” and “adventure awaits you”; I chose the wording as it relates to my art journaling journey.

We were lucky enough to see Monarch butterflies for the first time when we visited Maine, USA last October time.

We don’t have this butterfly here in the UK and I was surprised at how big they were and …

… how mesmerising they are when they fly, they look like they are gliding (grin!).

I enjoyed creating this art journal page for the Art Journaling challenge and I hope you will join in the fun too! For more inspiration please check out the fabulous creations from the Design Team over at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.

Don’t forget that Simon Says Stamp is generously giving away a $50 voucher to shop at the Simon Says Stamp Store! and one lucky participant will be randomly drawn to win this voucher. How amazing is that! Good Luck to everyone!

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

Challenges

I’m pleased to join the lovely Eileen of The Artful Crafter and her Dreams or Wishes challenge over at Art Journal Journey with my so very grateful wishes.

I’m also joining the Die Cuts and Punches challenge over at Moo Mania & More with the die cut butterflies from Tim Holtz that I included on this page.

With my butterflies and inky background this also qualifies for our Inky Wings challenge over at A Vintage Journey where, it would be great to see you there!

Here is a list of materials over at Simon Says Stamp to create this art journal page:

• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Peeled Paint)
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Peacock Feather)
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Twisted Citron)
• Prima Marketing Finnabair Clear Stamp 4 (Invoice 966980)
• Tim Holtz Stamp Set (Documented CMS226)
• Distress Archival Ink (Black Soot)
• Creative Expressions Mini Stencil (Interlocking Circles CEMSINTER)
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Black Soot)
• Ranger Small Brayer
• Concord & 9th Stamp Set (Sophisticated Script)
• Uni Posca Pait Pen (White) 
• Tim Holtz idea-ology Botanical Layers
• Tim Holtz idea-ology Text Remnant Rubs
• Tim Holtz idea-ology Small Talk Stickers
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Marker
• X-Press It Double-sided Tape
• X-Press It Double-sided Foam Tape

Spooky

Hi everyone! I am so delighted to be in the Designer Spotlight this month over at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. Thanks so much for all your kind wishes last week!

This week the theme is Spooky.

For this challenge I created a spooky art Journal page full of magic and mystery, maybe there’s a magic potion in one of those bottles – what are you going to wish for? (grin!).

I started by stencilling texture paste using a Mini Specimens template from The Crafter’s Workshop and when dry, I painted the page using Indigo and Black Kuretake watercolour paints. Then I applied Aged Silver Stampendous embossing enamel to the texture paste using a Versamark watermark pad. I used a Versamark watermark pen and Shabby White Stampendous embossing enamel for finer details. I also coloured some of the texture paste using a black Sharpie pen then I splattered the page using the black watercolour paint and also White Linen Dylusions Spray. I added some bats and cobwebs that I stamped onto tissue paper which finished the background.

For the tags, I die cut five tags using Sizzix Framelits and my Big Shot machine. They are cut from Pocket Cards from Tim Holtz, edged with black Versamark ink and then stamped using a Gothic Book Finnabair stamp and an Urban Tapestry Tim Holtz stamp set using the black Versafine ink and covered with black Stampendous embossing powder.

Next I added the pretty bottles which are from a Kaisercraft Sticker Book and decorated with some black ribbon and the metal “31” and “13” which are Countdown brads from Tim Holtz. The tags are finished with some eyelets and recycled black satin ribbon, and layered in place with some blue flowers which are fussy cut from a Botanicals Layers card. To finish, I added the “objet trouvé”, “finders keepers” and “make a wish” wording which are Quote Chips from Tim Holtz.

This spooky window can be found at the Moose and Moonshine restaurant in Liverpool and I think the witch may be making us a magic potion.

 This restaurant is part of the Moose Coffee chain and they make the best hot chocolate with a shot of pumpkin spice syrup in it – yum! I’m saying a big hello to the T Gang over at T Stands for T Day – Happy T Day!

I enjoyed creating this art journal page for the Spooky challenge and I hope you will join in the fun too! For more inspiration please check out the fabulous creations from the Design Team over at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.

Don’t forget that Simon Says Stamp is generously giving away a $50 voucher to shop at the Simon Says Stamp Store! and one lucky participant will be randomly drawn to win this voucher. How amazing is that! Good Luck to everyone!

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

Challenges

I’m pleased to join the lovely Eileen of The Artful Crafter and her Dreams or Wishes challenge over at Art Journal Journey with the spooky dreams and wishes on my page.

I’m also joining the Die Cuts and Punches challenge over at Moo Mania & More with the die cut tags that I included on this page.

I’m pleased to be able to join the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge with my spooky page as their theme is Halloween.

Don’t forget that you can also join in the fun over at Try it on Tuesday for our Witches, Wizards, Halloween challenge too.

Here is a list of materials over at Simon Says Stamp to create this spooky art journal page:

• The Crafter’s Workshop Mini Specimens Template
• Ranger Texture Paste
• Zig Kuretake Gansai Tambi
• Ranger Palette Knife
• Tsukineko Versamark Watermark Ink
• Tsukineko Versamark Watermark Emboss Pen
• Stampendous Embossing Enamel
• Sharpie Marker (Black)
• Ranger Dylusions Spray (White Linen)
• Tim Holtz Sizzix Framelits (Tag Collection 658784)
• Finnabair Clear Stamps (Gothic Book)
• Tim Holtz Stamp Set (Urban Tapestry CMS061)
• Tim Holtz Stamping Platform
• Tsukineko Versafine (Onyx Black)
• Stampendous Embossing Powder (Black)
• Crop-A-Dile Eyelet and Snap Punch
• Standard Eyelets
• Kaisercraft Antiquities Sticker Book
• Tim Holtz idea-ology Countdown Brads
• Tim Holtz idea-ology Quote Chips
• X-Press It Double-sided Tape
• X-Press It Double-sided Foam Tape
• UHU Stic
• Tim Holtz idea-ology Pocket Cards – alternative Tim Holtz Paper Stash Documented and Tim Holtz Paper Stash French Industrial
• White Tissue Paper – recycled
• Bat and cobweb stamp
• Black Satin Ribbon – recycled

Dare to be different

Our new challenge over at A Vintage Journey this month is hosted by Annie who has chosen the fantastic theme Inky Wings and here’s the challenge description that Annie kindly provided:

“Make any project you like as long as ink and wings are included in some way. This includes backgrounds, stamped images, art journals, and portions of your project coloured with ink. Any kind of ink is welcome, so let’s get creative within our preferred styles of vintage, shabby, mixed media, art journaling, industrial, timeworn or steampunk”.

If, like me you want to have fun art journaling with wings and lots of different inks, then why not join our challenge too; it would be great to see you there (grin!).

I started by painting Blueprint Sketch and Twisted Citron Distress Ink onto the background and stamping some Kaisercraft lattice, barcode and tiny dots stamps using black Archival Ink. Then I splattered the page with Carbon Black Liquitex Ink and had fun dripping Black Soot Distress Ink vertically down the page. I added some lacy Halloween collage paper from Tim Holtz using Liquitex matte gel medium, crunching the paper up at the edges to add texture. It is edged with a black Faber-Castell Big Brush marker and also some more of the Black Carbon Liquitex Ink which I spritzed with water so it looked misty. I then stamped more of the tiny dots using black Archival Ink over the edges of the collage paper. I drew a butterfly and outlined it with the black Faber-Castell Big Brush marker then added some drips to the ends of its wings using the Black Carbon Liquitex Ink. For the antennae I used Liquid Pearls and when everything was dry, I painted the butterfly with a thick layer of white gesso. Next I chose some contrasting colours for my butterfly to match the words I used on this page; it is coloured using Spiced Marmalade and Fired Brick Distress Inks and Tangerine and Poppy Red Derwent Inktense pencils. I added more detail to the butterfly wings using a black Derwent marker and a white Uni Posca Paint Pen and then covered it with Ranger Glossy Accents so the colours stood out more. Then I splattered the whole page with some Titanium White Liquitex Ink and to finish, I added the wording which reads “Dare to be Different” which I created using an alphabet die set and my Big Shot machine.

For more inspiration, please pop over to see what my fellow Creative Guides over at A Vintage Journey created for our Inky Wings challenge, it would be lovely to see you there!

With it being October I seemed to be channelling Halloween hence the dark and moody design, whilst also thinking about this Common Blue butterfly that I saw in our garden; it was amongst a lot of Painted Lady butterflies so it seemed the words “dare to be different” were appropriate (grin!). This one is the female of the species and has the pretty orange dots along the edges of its wings unlike the male which is coloured all blue. These butterflies like grassland habitats such as the coastal dunes where we live.

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

Challenges

I’m pleased to join the lovely Eileen of The Artful Crafter and her Dreams or Wishes challenge over at Art Journal Journey with my “dare to be different” wishes.

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

• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Blueprint Sketch, Twisted Citron, Black Soot, Spiced Marmalade, Fired Brick)
• Kaisercraft Clear Stamp (Flutter CS853, Mister Fox CS173, Tiny Dots CS360)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Liquitex Ink! (Carbon Black, Titanium White)
• Tim Holtz Idea-ology Collage Paper (Halloween #TH93712)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Black 199)
• Ranger Liquid Pearls (Ivy Green)
• Pébéo White Gesso
• Derwent Inktense Pencils (Tangerine 0300, Poppy Red 0400)
• Derwent Graphik Line Marker (Black 0.5mm)
• Uni Posca Paint Pen (White)
• White Cardstock
• Docrafts X-Cut Alphabet Die Set (Centurion XCU503083)
• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
• Zig Memory System 2-Way Glue (Dual Action Glue Pen)

Celebrating Friendship

Today I find myself thinking of friends so I created an autumnal coloured journal page to celebrate friendship. I feel very blessed for the friendships I have made over the years including those here in blogland – thank you (grin!).

This page is especially poignant as my dear friend who passed away earlier this year is having a remembrance service  this weekend in Maine, USA (where she hails from although she lived here in England) and as she was known for her beautiful smile, I wanted to capture this on my page too.

The background of the page was created using Rusty Hinge, Spiced Marmalade and Scattered Straw Distress Inks; I dragged the ink pads on the paper, spritzed with water, blended them lightly with a paint brush and left them to dry. I stamped an ornate circle stamps from Kaisercraft and also a faux zig-zag stitch and little stitched flower stamp from Urban Stamps using black Archival Ink. Then I splattered the page with white and black acrylic paints using a paint brush. Next I added some pretty stickers from Kaisercraft; this included a border, a butterfly, a patterned doily, flowers, and wording saying “remember”, “love your smile”, “friends fill your life with joy, your soul with sunshine and your heart with love” and “smile”. For the heart, I covered a white heart tag with a border sticker from the same Kaisercraft sticker sheet, cut around the heart shape and edged it with Seedless Preserves Distress Ink and Elderberry Memento Ink. It is stuck to the page using double-sided tape and decorated with a bow which I made from some satin ribbon which finished the page.

Talking of dear friends, we have just picked the grapes from our friend’s garden.

They kindly give them to us every year …

… so we can make grape jelly – thanks so much! As I’ve been making the jelly this week I think the colour of this autumn treat must have inspired the colours of my page too (grin!).

Challenges

I’m glad I found out about Challenge Blogs 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 Erika aka BioArtGal and her Polka-Dots, Stripes, Plaids and Patterns challenge over at Art Journal Journey with my patterned background.

I’m joining the Autumn Glory challenge over at Moo Mania & More with my autumnal coloured page.

I’m pleased to join the Stitch It challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge as I included faux stitching on my page.

I’m also happy to join #103 – Picture Inspiration Challenge over at Paperbabe Stamps as I included some of the autumnal colours on my page.

I’m also pleased to join the Celebrate! challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Work it Wednesday as my page celebrates friendship.

Don’t forget that you still have until next Tuesday to join our Hot, Hot, Hot! Challenge over at Try it on Tuesday too, it would be lovely to see you there!

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:

• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Rusty Hinge, Spiced Marmalade, Scattered Straw, Seedless Preserves)
• Kaisercraft Clear Stamps (Magnolia Grove CS822)
• Docrafts Papermania Urban Stamps (Craft Collection – Pastels PMA907222, PMA907223)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Art Discount Acrylic (White)
• DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (Black)
• Tsukineko Memento Ink (Elderberry)
• Kaisercraft Sticker Sheet (Bombay Sunset SS339, Cherry Tree Lane SS329)
• Kaisercraft Sticker Book (Antiquities SK807)
• Stix2 double-sided tape

Have the happiest of days!

Today we have a new challenge over at Try it on Tuesday called Hot, Hot, Hot!

You may choose to use hot colours like me or maybe your creation may include a hot drink or even a hot destination; you can interpret it anyway you chose as long as it’s Hot, Hot, Hot!

For more inspiration please pop over to our blog where you will find some amazing inspiration from my Design Teamies too!

For my hot coloured page, I started by creating a background of orange and yellow Liquitex acrylic paints. When dry I applied some red Liquitex acrylic using a sponge through a retro stencil from Creative Expressions. Next I added some modelling paste using a palette knife through a circular mini stencil also from Creative Expressions and left it to dry. They are painted using a white Uni Posca paint pen so they stood out more. I stamped a Worn Rings stamp from Gummiapan using Love Letter Memento Ink and covered them with some of the orange and yellow paint so they faded into the background more. I also stencilled some dots using Fired Brick Distress Ink, blotting them with a baby wipe so the colour was less intense. Then I splattered the whole page using white acrylic paint. The yellow circle that says “Have the happiest of days!” is from a birthday card from my dearest friends which I’ve wanted to use for while and seemed perfect for this page; I fussy cut it out, stuck it in place using a glue stick and outlined it using the white Uni Posca paint pen. I also added a yellow butterfly which I fussy cut from an old nature book and some yellow flowers adding some orange rhinestone to their centres which finished the page.

This weekend we harvested the apples from our garden; we picked 18 braeburn apples off one tree which was wonderful as we only planted this apple tree last year.

I used some of them to make my homemade spiced apple cake with salted caramel frosting – yum!

As T Stands for Tuesday, here’s a cup of Hot Cinnamon tea with a piece of the cake which I just couldn’t resist (grin!) – Happy T Day and have the happiest of days!

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

Challenges

I’m glad I found out about Challenge Blog,s 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 Erika aka BioArtGal and her Polka-Dots, Stripes, Plaids and Patterns challenge over at Art Journal Journey with my patterned background.

I’m also joining the Use a Stamp challenge over at Moo Mania & More with all the stamps I used on this page.

I’m happy to join the Anything Goes challenge over at Paperbabe Stamps with my hot art journal page.

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

• Liquitex Basic Acrylic Color (Cadmium Orange, Cadmium Yellow, Naphthol Crimson)
• Creative Expressions That Special Touch of Mica Mask (Retro Christmas)
• Creative Expressions Mini Stencil (Eclipse Circles)
• Pébéo Modeling Paste
• Gummiapan Stamp (Worn Rings 11050601)
• Tsukineko Memento Ink (Love Letter)
• Dot Stencil
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Fired Brick)
• Art Discount Acrylic (White)
• Recycled Birthday Card
• The Illustrated Book of Nature
• The Works (Mini Paper Flower Embellishments, Rhinestone Flower Stickers)
• Pritt Stick
• Stix 2 glue dots