It's a Little bit French

Hi

and a big hello to my latest followers it's lovely to have you along.

I have today been playing with "Elfe & Oiseau" stamp from the brilliant range of stamps that come from Carabelle Studio.

Having been playing a lot with brusho recently (something you might have noticed) I am trying to use some of the papers that I have created whilst practicing what these fabulous little crystals will do.

 

I have used again some of the brighter colours in the range. I then stamped my image with black versafine and then removed the colour from her skin with bleach. I have added a little bit of colour to her skin using spectrum noir pencils (camera seems to have washed that out a little)

 

 

I then made myself a custom bleach inkpad using a plastic tray and some sheets of kitchen roll paper and then added the bleach, the kitchen roll absorbs the bleach so as to not flood the stamp with the bleach. I then dipped my stamp "Spiritual Journey" by Stampotique and stamped it into the colour, I love how the text has appeared through the colour.

Then finally added the sentiment which thanks to google translates to say

"Love is the dream that isn't a dream" or words to that effect!!

Thanks for stopping by I really appreciate your visit.

Love

Amanda X



Under The Sea at Stampotique this week

Hi Everyone

Wednesday means a new weekly challenge over at Stampotique designers challenge and this weeks challenge has been set by Arwen, great theme Arwen and given me chance to use some of my beachcombing finds!!

I have gone with an ATB this week and my message on it is:-

"Treasure the world and share your adventure"

This post is a bit picture heavy to show all the sides.

 

 

 

 

Stampotique stamps used:-

Smumanha and Smushallaum both stamped onto gesso covered book paper glued to clearly for art so I could mould them both around the cube (nightmare to cut out!!)

Spider Grass

Tenticurl

Sizzix ATB die

Brusho

Archival inks

spectrum noir coloured pencils

Thanks Arwen for a fabulous way to spend my day off!!

Thanks for visiting

Love

Amanda X



Warm Sunshiny colours

Hi

Over at allsorts challenge blog the new seekly challenge is "Warm sunshiny colours" and using brusho (again) I have been playing around with some of the brighter colours in the range. I have applied the brusho to my page and blown it around to create my background effect.

 

 

The stamps I have used are Flutterby dinkie - Indigoblu

and a sentiment from Sheena Douglass - True Colours.

 

 

 

I hope you all have a lovely weekend and I am away now from a lovely soak in the bath.

Thanks for visiting and see you soon

Love

Amanda X



what is it about elephants?

Hi

Just getting a late night post in, it's nearly midnight and I really should be away to my bed (I'll be sorry in the morning).

The challenge over at Less is more  this week is "Animals" and I have used my favourite animal the elephant. I am still in Brusho mode with these, practice makes perfect as they say.

I would like to enter both of these into the weekly challenge.

Here they are both together

 

and individually

 

Using a combination of brusho colours

Elephant is from Tim Holtz "Life Adventure" set

The word "strength" is taken and cut out from a longer quote stamp.

 

Background again a combination of Brusho colours

Elephant stamp is "Elephants" Joanna Sheen Jayne Netley Mayhew collection

Sentiment is from Clarity stamps word chain No. 5.

 

Thanks for visiting and I am away to my bed now before I turn into a pumpkin!!!

See you soon

Love

Amanda X 

 



More Brusho and Bleach

Hi

I'm still playing with brusho, I just love this stuff, so much so I have just ordered the last 8 colours to complete my set, a girl just can't have enough colours!!

I have again been combining brusho with bleach this time using "Sunflower" by Indigoblu.

 

 

For my background I have used 3 colours of brusho and then just blown the around the page. I then stamped the sunflower with black versafine and then began removing the colour from the tip of the petals with a fine paintbrush and bleach, is it just me but I love the smell of bleach!!

To make the white dots in the centre of the flower I have removed the colour by dipping the end of a cocktail stick into the bleach. The sentiment is from Paperartsy Hot Picks.

 

 

Right off to play now and make the most of my day off.

Have a lovely day

love

Amanda X



Brusho and Bleach

Hi

After a shocking day at work today I just had to wind down this evening and what better way than a few hours just playing. I have been playing again with Brusho and some different colours this time, namely yellow and crimson. This time I stamped my image first, added the Brusho and then removed the colour I didnt want with bleach (image stamped in Versafine black).

 

Stamps used Tim Holtz - "The Big Top" & "Bitty Grunge"

Tim holtz stencil - "Rays" using picket fence distress stain

Sentiment Artistic Outpost - "Send in the clowns"

A a torn strip of Admit One washi tape.

 

I am entering this into this weeks challenge at Make My Monday where the theme this week is

CIRCUS.

Thanks for visiting

Love

Amanda X

Music as Inspiration at Stampotique (2nd Post today)

Hi

I posted on Facebook this morning that today was going to be a me day, and it has been. I have had a wonderful day just playing in my craftroom some of which you will see in my previous post. I also got the time to enter into this weeks challenge over at stampotique designers challenge. the theme this week is "Music Inspired"

My inspiration for this piece is the song title "Wired for Sound" by Cliff Richard

Starting with a gelli print background, which I thought looked like sound waves, and using the brilliant character "Underwhere" I wired him upto a circuit board and then wired that into the tape deck.

The camera doesn't really pick the wire up clearly but he's definately "Wired".

Text has been stamped using Darkroom Door "Alphabet Medley"

Tape deck is an Indigoblu stamp

Right need to go and clean up now (worst bit)

thanks for visiting

Love Amanda X



Playing with Brusho

Hi

I have been having a lovely play (aka making a mess!) with my most recent purchase, a set of Brusho crystal colours. These are wonderful tiny crystals of colour that react brilliantly with water and allow you to use in many ways, my journey has just begun. I would guess they are similar, if not the same, as bister which many people I follow are currently using and producing stunning effects with.

Here are my first attempts with them:-

All art work has been created on Strathmore mixed media card.

Background - Turquoise and light brown brusho

Stamp from Chocolate Baroque - Underwater Kingdom set

Stamped with versafine and then the colour removed with beach and then recoloured using diluted brusho.

Sentiment - Clarity word chain No. 5

Background - Grey Brusho I love how there are flecks of other colours in it.

All stamps are Tim Holtz - Road Trip set

Backgroun - Grey and light brown Brusho

All stamps are Art of Brett Weldele - Danny Robot.

Hope you like my first attempts now off to play somemore, these are addicitve to play with as the results you get are different everytime.

Thanks for visiting

Love

Amanda X



Make Us Laugh at FSC

Hi

Today starts a new challenge over at Fashionable Stamping Challenges and I, for this fortnight, got the chance to pick our theme' I have chosen

"Make us Laugh"

So we are looking for you to create a project that will bring a smile to our face or a good old belly laugh.

I have started by making a mixed media background which I started by glueing £20 notes to mixed media card, they weren't real ones I got some napkins with £20 notes printed on them as part of a secret santa presant last christmas. On top of them I then applied acrylic paint through sequin waste, some paint lines using a credit card, gold mesh and gold sequins.

 

This closeup shows the money which looks quite real, don't think I'll try a spending spree with it though.

My main image is "Smooch" by Mo Manning and I think we all know someone like her. I have stamped her with black archival ink and coloured her with spectrum noir pencils.

The Sentiment, stamped with deep purple archival ink, is one of my favourites and is from the "Brideshead" set by Indigblu.

Hopefully it makes you smile!!

So we'd love it if you popped over HERE and joined in the laughs.

Just a little reminder that you can enter any sort of project but as we are a rubber stamping challenge  rubber stamping must be the main feature of your project.

We are lucky to be sponsored by Flonzcraft and one randomly chosen winner will win a $20 voucher to spend in their store.

Thanks for visiting

see you soon

Love

AmandaX



Anything Goes at C4E

Hi Everyone

It's another week at Crafts4eternity and it's an

"ANYTHING GOES" week.

For my Anything Goes DT piece I have been playing around again with using stencils as stamps.

 

 

I have used Clarity Butterfly stencil as a stamp, randomly placing ink from mini distress ink pads onto the stencil then lightly misting with water and then placing ink side down to transfer the image. I really love the water colour effect that this technique produces. This was all onto a piece of mixed media card that I had again lightly splattered and splodged with similar colurs of distress inks.

 

 

The script stamp is from Indigoblu and stamped with distress ink for a softer look, while the flowers - again from Indigoblu - Nature Set.

Just for you is from my stamp stash (origins unknown) both of these I have stamped using Archival ink - Potting shed.

One Randomly selected "ANYTHING GOES" project will win 3 downloads of their choice from

"Stamping all Day".

Hope you can find the time to pop over HERE and join in with us all.

Thanks for stopping by and see you soon.

Love

Amanda X

 

Groovy Baby

Hi

I have recently been sorting through the boxes I have of off cuts of previous and not happy with backgrounds that I had previously made. I had several pieces that weren't a size that I could do anything with so cut some ATC backgrounds from them and I now have a growing collection of these all ready to play with. Here is a set of 3 ATC's I have made using one of those left overs. this was actually a background that didn't stamp properly, I do struggle sometimes to get a good print from large stamps. Cut into ATC cards they actually looked ok as I could avoid the worst bits. I have used stamps from Inky Doodles - "Groovy Baby" I don't even remember buying these just came across them looking for something else, which thinking about now I didn't find???

The woman is from Cherry Pie Plate 49 - Thoughts all other stamps are from the Inky Doodles stamp set mentioned above. There is lots of heat embossing on these 3 ATC's.

 

the background was made using Dylusions sprays and Darkroom Door "Sunshine" Stamp.

Right need to dash I'm cooking my famous spagetti carbonara tonight.

Have a lovelyevening

Love

Amanda X



SDC 158 - Black,White & A POP of colour

Hi everyone

A fabulous theme over at Stampotique Designers Challenge this week which has been chosen by the lovely Kay. Kay has challenged us to make something black and white but must include a POP! of colour. Many of you will know that I am an avid participent of this weekly challenge but have been missing from it from the last few weeks, Gasp!! have to put a stop to that, so I'm back playing along.

 

I have used Strathmore mixed media paper for my work for the first time and I cannot recommend this paper enough it is so smooth and takes loads of water without warping the paper, love it.
Background for the water effect I have water coloured using black soot distress ink.
Images are designed by Daniel Torrente
and I have used:- Smumanha

 

and

Smushallaum

 

 

Both have been coloured using Spectrum Noir Pencils

Sentiment is from Tim Holtz - "Way With Words" set 

and finally a touch of torn washi tape.

Thanks Kay for a great challenge theme this week.

Thanks for visiting and see you soon

Love

AmandaX