Heuchera

At Try it on Tuesday our new challenge for the next two weeks is Cut It Out.

Like me, you could use die cuts that you make and colour yourself or pre-made die cuts and stickers or you could simply fussy cut something out, the choice is yours!

My page today was inspired by some beautiful heuchera flowers that are flowering in my garden at the moment (grin!).

I started covering the page with Botancial Collage Paper from Tim Holtz using a glue stick and then I covered it with white gesso to push the images back. When dry, I applied some Earl Grey, Caramel, Kiwi and Lime Faber-Castell Gelatos over the top, by scribbling them onto the page and smudging the colour with a wet finger. I then toned down the colours and added some darker shading by applying some Iced Coffee and Iced Chai Faber-Castell Gelatos to the page. Next I added some Ranger Texture Paste through a brick design stencil from Craft Sensations and left it to dry. The brick design is coloured using Rusty Hinge Distress Ink and the Iced Coffee Faber-Castell Gelato. I stencilled a trellis pattern using Black Soot Distress Ink and a Moroccan stencil from Creative Expressions, then I used a baby wipe to remove some of the colour allowing white patches of the collage paper to show through which added depth and contrast to the background. The page is also splattered with Rusty Hinge Distress Ink and then black and also white acrylic paint.

I used a Wildflower #2 Tim Holtz thinlet set to die cut the flowers from some linen textured cardstock and coloured the flower petals by painting on some Abandoned Coral Distress Spray Stain using a paintbrush. The leaves and stems are coloured using Olive Green and Forest Green Winsor & Newton Promarkers and they are stuck to the page using a Zig Memory glue pen. To finish, I added a pretty die cut butterfly from a Field Notes Ephemera Pack by Tim Holtz and the “Heuchera” wording which are letter stickers from Kaisercraft.

My Design Teamies have been busy fussy cutting and die cutting to create some amazing Cut It Out inspiration for you over at Try it on Tuesday too, so please pop over and take a look.

Here are the heuchera flowers that are in bloom in our flower bed, they are so delicate with tiny flower heads.

They look very striking with their coral colour especially when they catch the sunlight!

These plants come in all sorts of leaf and flowers colours, to find out more about them check out this Heuchera link.

You may already be aware that I have been completing a series of flower art journal pages inspired by my garden. If you are interested you can see the other pages here:

• Bluebells
• Tulips
• Welsh Poppy

As T Stands for Tuesday I’m sharing a new batch of Raspberry Gin that we made, it tastes so fruity and is ideal for drinking whist sitting in the garden on a hot sunny day – Happy T Day!

You can find the Raspberry Gin recipe here and I think Halle asked about the amount of sugar added – this is just for taste so you can add as much or as little as you like (grin!).

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 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 Mia from Craftartista over at Art Journal Journey and her Flowers challenge this month with my Heuchera flowered page.

I’m so happy to be able to join the #119 – Picture Inpiration challenge over at Paperbabe Stamps with the pretty flowers on my page. Thanks so much for my win too, how exciting!

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

• Tim Holtz idea-ology Collage Paper (Botanical #TH93705)
• Pritt Stick
• Pébéo White Gesso
• Faber-Castell Gelatos (Earl grey, Caramel, Kiwi, Lime, Iced Coffee, Iced Chai)
• Craft Sensations (Deco Stencil Set 154892)
• Ranger Texture Paste
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Rusty Hinge, Black Soot)
• Creative Expressions That Special Touch Of Mica Mask (Moroccan)
• DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (Black)
• Art Discount Acrylic (White)
• Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlets (Wildflowers #2 661808)
• Craft Sensations (Luxury Cardstock with Linen Texture CRO240/GE)
• Tim Holtz Distress Spray Stain (Abandoned Coral)
• Winsor & Newton Promarker (Olive Greeb Y724, Forest Green G356)
• Zig Memory System 2-way Glue (Dual Action Glue Pen)
• Tim Holtz idea-ology Ephemera Pack (Field Notes #TH94051)
• Stix2 Glue Dots
• Kaisercraft Sticker Sheet (Mix & Match – Alpha SS252)

Colour me beautiful

Over at Try it on Tuesday our new challenge for the next two weeks is Lovely Ladies.

We are asking that your page is not just feminine but also features a female image too. I used stamps to add the female images to the background of my page and fussy cut some old magazine images for the two lovely ladies – don’t you just love that hat!

For the background, I applied Antique Linen Distress Ink and Angel Pink Memento Ink to the page by applying the ink pads directly to the paper and pulling them vertically down the page to create stripes. Then I used a wet paintbrush to soften and blend the inks a little. Once dry, I stamped the cameos, perfume bottles and filigree over the background with a Kaisercraft stamp set using black Archival Ink. Next I applied some white gesso using my finger over some of the stamped images to push them back and add some depth to the design. My two lovely ladies and wording were fussy cut from some old magazines and stuck in place using a glue stick. I edged the wording with some black Glitterations border stickers and then stuck some striped black and white ribbon under the images. To finish, I added two large clear gemstones to the ends of the ribbon and three pretty pink acrylic daisy flowers.

I hope that you are inspired to join us too, for more inspiration my Design Teamies have created some Lovely Ladies creations for you over at Try it on Tuesday, so please pop over and take a look (grin!).

I’m also pleased to join the lovely Mia from Craftartista over at Art Journal Journey and her Flowers challenge this month with pink flowers on this page.

As T Stands for Tuesday, I think the glamorous ladies on my page might enjoy a Poinsettia which is a cocktail made from Cranberry Juice, Orange Liqueur and Prosecco. Here we are serving them in a posh champagne glass – cheers and Happy T Day!

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.

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

• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Antique Linen)
• Tsukineko Memento Ink (Angel Pink)
• Kaisercraft Clear Stamps (75 Cents CS864)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Pébéo White Gesso
• Old Magazines
• Pritt Stick
• Docrafts Papermania Glitterations (Black Borders ANT8181015)
• Craft Sensations (Self-Adhesive Deco Ribbons CRO244/16R)
• Poundworld DecoTime Scrapbook Accessories (Gems Art#54745)
• Stix2 Glue Dots
• Home Bargains Crafty Things (Acrylic Daisy Stickers 50650)

Creative Card Making at A Vintage Journey

Today I’m over at A Vintage Journey with our Monthly Creative Card Making tutorial.

I’m sharing how I created some Mixed Media cards that are suitable for different occasions such as birthdays, to say thank you or even just simply to say hello (grin!).

I was really pleased with the design and how they came together!

You may have already guessed that I used one of my favourite smooshing techniques using inks to create a Masterboard background.

It was fun making the Masterboard with all the layers of stamping and stencilling, and when it was complete I cut it into four background panels.

I kept the design simple by adding a pretty white flower and butterfly die cut and some inspirational wording; I really like how they contrast against the colourful inky background.

Please check out my full tutorial over to A Vintage Journey where you’ll find lots more photos and details of how they came together.

Challenges

I’m pleased to join the #117 – Sketch challenge over at Paperbabe Stamps with the splatters, border and sentiment that I included on these cards.

I’m pleased to join in the fun over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and their Flower Power challenge too with the flowers that I added to my cards.

I’m also happy to join in the Animal Magic challenge over at Country View Challenges with the butterflies on these cards.

I’m joining in the Create A Scene challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge with my pretty flower and butterfly nature scenes.

Of course some of you may remember me using the leftovers pieces of this Masterboard on my Happy Easter page and ….

…. Easter cards too (grin!).

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

Stay safe and keep well! x

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this card:

• Daler-Rowney A4 Mixed Media Paper
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Peeled Paint, Peacock Feathers, Twisted Citron, Black Soot)
• Creative Expressions Mini Stencil (Interlocking Circles CEMSINTER)
• Ranger Distress Archival Ink (Black Soot)
• Prima Marketing Finnabair Stamps (Old Receipt #966980)
• Tim Holtz Collection Stampers Anonymous (Documented CMS226)
• Art Discount Acrylic Paint (White)
• DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (Black)
• Ranger Texture Paste
• Tim Holtz Layering Mini Stencil (Set 16 THMST016)
• Craft Sensations (Luxury Cardstock with Linen Texture CRO240/GE)
• Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlets (Wildflower Stems #2 664164)
• Tim Holtz Sizzix Sidekick Die Cut (Springtime 662711)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Marker (Black 199)
• Zig Memory System 2-Way Glue (Dial Action Glue Pen)
• Tim Holtz idea-ology Stickers (Small Talk #TH93193)
• White cardstock
• X-Press It! double-sided tape

Birthday Celebration

This month we are celebrating our 6^th Birthday over at A Vintage Journey with our Birthday Celebration challenge, which is being hosted by the lovely Brenda. Your projects don’t have to be about birthdays, here’s what she has to say:

“Yes! Let’s celebrate our 6th Birthday … so it’s over to you to show us what you are celebrating in your art and craft work at the moment. Don’t forget to link us into your blog post and if it’s not really obvious share with us how your project relates to the challenge theme. Just remember to create your project in one of our preferred styles: vintage, shabby, mixed media, art journaling, industrial, timeworn or steampunk”.

I’m so excited about our Birthday Celebration this month; I do hope you’ll join us! I was enjoying the party atmosphere whilst I was art journaling using Tim Holtz products to create this Happy 6^th Birthday page.

I used lots of Tim Holtz products for this page so unless stated otherwise it’s from Tim Holtz; there’s a full list of materials at the end of this post for your reference.

I started by covering the page with Pébéo white gesso using a palette knife and left it to dry. Then I cut a piece of vintage script paper into sections and die cut a flower from the larger piece of paper using Wildflower Stems Thinlet set.

I also cut the flower from some Craft Sensations white linen cardstock and inserted it into the flower space in the vintage script paper. I arranged the pieces of paper onto the page with some Aviary Collage Paper using Liquitex gel medium. Then I outlined the papers with a Dark Sepia Faber-Castell Big Brush marker and a black Uni Pin marker to make them stand out more. Next I added some Crowded Attic and Destinations Salvage Stickers again outlining them with a black Uni Pin marker.

To finish the page, I added the wording using Label Letter stickers and also a No:6 Countdown Brad.

Did you notice the six intentional “No:6”s that I added to this page to commemorate our 6^th Birthday? They are all revealed below (grin!).

I hope you are inspired to join in our Birthday Celebration over at A Vintage Journey too, for more inspiration you’ll find some amazing creations from my fellow Creative Guides over at A Vintage Journey, it would be lovely to see you there!

1. Large No: 6 (LHS of flower)
2. Saftey pins x 6 (LHS of flower)
3. Needle packaging No:6 (top RHS)
4. Happy “6th” Birthday (wording)
5. Ruler No:6 (under wording)
6. Countdown Brad No:6 (bottom RHS)

All the “No:6”s are pictured here – did you get them all? You may have found lots of 6’s on the Sheet Music and other rulers too (double grin!).

As it’s a birthday celebration I thought I’d share this amazing birthday cake that I saw in a local bakery, doesn’t it look amazing and the Steampunk style is fabulous, just right for A Vintage Journey – Happy Birthday!

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

Challenges

I’m pleased to be able to join the The Eyes Have It challenge over at Country View Challenges with the birds on this art journal page.

I’m joining in the Something Feminine challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge with the pretty birds and flowers on my page too.

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

• Pébéo White Gesso
• Tim Holtz idea-ology (Halloween Paper Stash #TH93712, Aviary Collage Paper #TH93706, Crowded Attic Salvage Stickers #TH92898, Destinations Salvage Stickers #TH93005, Label Letters #TH93072, Countdown Brads #TH93631)
• Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlets (Wildflower Stems #2 664164)
• Craft Sensations (Luxury Linen Textured Cardstock)
• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Marker (Dark Sepia 175 B)
• Uni Pin Fine Line Marker (Black 0.2mm)

All you need is love

Today’s page was created by using one of my favourite inky techniques, some beautiful red hearts and a couple of cute bunnies, to wish you all a very Happy Valentine’s Day!

I started by smooshing Bluebird and Potting Soil Wendy Vicchi Make Art Inks from Ranger onto the page using one of my favourite techniques; applying the ink to an acrylic block, spritzing with water and then pressing the block and dripping the ink onto the page. I drew the large heart using a black Faber-Castell Big Brush marker and then I stamped some tiny dots and some marble crackle texture using two Kaisercraft stamps and black Archival Ink.

Next I stuck the red hearts in place using a Zig glue pen, they were die cut from some recycled red foil cardstock using Tim Holtz Falling Hearts Thinlets and my big shot machine. Then I splattered the page using black and also white DecoArt acrylic paint using a paintbrush. When dry, I added some rub-on transfers which are all Remnant Rubs from Tim Holtz; the numbers and incomplete words are from the Special Delivery set and the wording “love you”, “XOXO” and “happy together” are from the Tiny Text set.

The cute bunnies are cut from linen textured paper using a Springtime Sidekick thinlet set by Tim Holtz; I coloured them with a black Faber- Castell marker and used the red foil cardstock for their bows and some white pom-poms for their tails. I shaded behind the tails with a black marker so they stood out more and sat them onto three different washi tapes which I layered together; I also layered these washi tapes on other areas of the page too. To finish, I added three Small Talk stickers from Tim Holtz which read “together is the best place to be”, “all you need is love” and “I’m happiest when I’m with you”.

For Valentine’s Day hubby treated us both to these Strawberry Tarts, you may remember me saying these were a favourite of mine in my Paris blog earlier this month. He bought them from a local bakery and it was such a lovely surprise, I can’t wait to try them with my cuppa – Happy Valentine’s Day!

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

Challenges

With all the hearts on my page, I’m pleased to join the Hearts challenge over at Art Journal Journey that is being hosted by the lovely Bleubeard & Elizabeth this month.

I’m so happy to join in the Splatters, Splashes & Drips challenge over at Country View Challenges with the splashes and drips of ink and acrylic paint splatters on this page.

Over at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge their challenge is Crack It Up, so I’m joining them too with the marble crackle texture that I stamped on my art journal page.

Don’t forget that you still have time to join our Anything Mixed Media Goes challenge this month over at Creative Artiste Challenge Blog too; it would be lovely to see you there!

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

• Ranger Wendy Vecchi Blendable Dye Ink (Bluebird, Potting Soil)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Marker (Black 199)
• Kaisercraft Clear Stamps (Tiny Dot CS360, Marble CS293)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (Black, White)
• Tim Holtz idea-ology (Remnant Rubs Special Delivery #TH93188, Tiny Text #TH93695, Small Talk Stickers #TH93193)
• Recycled Red Foil Cardstock
• Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlets (Falling Hearts 664415)
• Zig Memory System 2-way Glue (Dual Action Glue Pen)
• Craft Sensations (Luxury Cardstock with Linen Texture CRO240/GE)
• Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlets Sidekick (Springtime 662711)
• Poundland (Pom Poms – White)
• Ranger Glossy Accents
• Washi Tapes (Docrafts Papermania – red with white dots, The Works – black with white dots, Crelando – turquoise with red and pink flowers)

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)

Against the Grain

Our new challenge this month over at A Vintage Journey is Against the Grain, which is being hosted by the lovely Sara Emily. Here’s what it’s all about:

“Most of us love the look of wood and there are a lot of art/craft products out there that help us achieve beautiful wood grain, including stamps, stencils, embossing folders, paper and mixed media products. We would love to see how you add a touch of wood texture or appearance to your vintage, shabby, mixed media, art journaling, industrial, timeworn or steampunk projects”.

I experimented with a fun technique using Distress Ink and gel medium to create a wooden plank background for my art journal page. This provided the perfect backdrop for my “metal” hearts, pretty flowers and quotes.

For the background I dragged three different Distress Ink stamp pads from right to left horizontally across my page, as you can see the mixed media paper I use is textured which helped create the wood grain effect. Then I applied some gel medium over the top using a paintbrush making sure my brush strokes were continuous and in one direction to create the wood grain finish; the ink colours used were Brushed Corduroy, Vintage Photo and Ground Espresso. To build up the wood grain, I repeated this process four times in total ensuring that the gel medium was dry before adding the next layer …

… on applying the ink for the second layer I also divided the page into wood panels using the Ground Espresso Distress Ink and a black marker smudging the inks with my finger …

… and before I applied the fourth and final layer of ink and gel medium, I rubbed the page hard with a baby wipe which removed some of the gel medium and ink to give an aged and worn look; the mixed media paper I used was 250gsm so it can take this type of treatment.

For the heart I drew and cut a heart from some silver recycled packaging and then ran it through an Elegant Embossing Folder from Tim Holtz. I applied some black acrylic paint over the top to emphasis the embossed parts of the image and when dry I wiped the access paint off with my finger which gave it a tarnished look. The heart is also edged with a black Sharpie permanent marker.

I arranged my “metal” heart onto the page with some pretty die cut flowers which are Tim Holtz Botanical Layers and also some Sparkle Little Birdie Flowers; everything is stuck into place using glue dots. The tiny silver hearts are cut from the same silver packaging using a Falling Hearts Thinlet set by Tim Holtz. To finish, I added three Tim Holtz Small Talk stickers that read “have an open heart”, “no beauty shines brighter than that of a good heart” and “follow your heart”.

I hope you are inspired to join in the Against the Grain fun over at A Vintage Journey, and for more inspiration you’ll find some amazing creations from my fellow Creative Guides over at A Vintage Journey too, it would be lovely to see you there!

My page reminds me of springtime and it seems that spring is on it’s way with all the beautiful flowers that are flowering already, here’s a springtime Camellia that flowers just around the corner from us – isn’t it gorgeous (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 the Hearts challenge over at Art Journal Journey that is being hosted by the lovely Bleubeard & Elizabeth this month with the hearts and wording on my page.

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

I’m pleased to be able to join the Layers challenge over at Paperbabe Stamps with my page too.

I’m joining in the With Love challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge with my art journal page too.

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

• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Brushed Corduroy, Vintage Photo, Ground Espresso)
• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Marker (Black 199)
• Recycled silver packaging
• Tim Holtz Sizzix 3D Texture Fades A6 Embossing Folder (Elegant 664172)
• DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic paint (Black)
• Sharpie Permanent Fine Point Marker (Black)
• Tim Holtz idea-ology (Botancial Layers #TH93554, Small Talk Stickers #TH93193)  
• Little Birdie (Sparkle Little Birdie Flowers SKU213726)
• Stix2 glue dots
• Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlets (Falling Hearts 664415)
• Ranger Glossy Accents