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Friday 31 October 2014

Just Stamping, Nothing Else

Hi Everyone
Just a quick post tonight as I have received my latest purchase of Carabelle Studio stamps. I had ordered another of the XXL stamps that they do the one I received is "Mecanique Steampunk" they are A4 in size and come on their own acrlic block because they are that big. I have been playing with different ink pads to see which gives me the best impression when you stamp with it and so far my preference is for Memento Luxe as it stays wet longer enough to cover the whole stamp, these ink pads are sold as for mixed media so hopefully be good for stamping on gelli prints, I'll let you know when I try that.
Using a practice print (that I didn't perfectly stamp) I cut it up into smaller pieces to make a couple of cards. I have kept these cards simple, nothing other than stamping and some chit chat stickers to add my quotes.
 
All have been stamped with Memento Luxe - Tuxedo Black.
The Girl with Balloon in from VLVS
Balloon is Memento Luxe - Love Letter
and
 
 
This time I have stamped the Mecanique Steampunk stamp in Memento Luxe Espresso Truffle and the business men, again from VLVS, in black Luxe as I wanted them to stand out from the background.  Again the quote is using chit chat stickers.
My next task it to stamp this again and take on the challenge of colouring it in!!!
Right i'm off now, said it was a quick post, I have a mountain of sweets to get through as I have had NO trick and treaters tonight, result!!
Have a lovely weekend hope you are all doing something lovely, unlike myself who is working :-(.
See you soon, and as always thankyou for stopping by.
Love
Amanda X


Wednesday 29 October 2014

Final GDT Piece for Stampotique

Hi Everyone
Well as this is the last Wednesday of October it means that this is my last GDT post for
and I have been thrilled to have joined this super talented team and I was also lucky enough that October has had 5 Wednesdays in.
My final piece is for this weeks challenge, hosted ny Nellie,and the theme is
"Use your favourite colours"
My favourite colour is "Pink", and Sam if you are reading this sorry but it is!!!, this was one of the colours in the Carols challenge 2 weeks ago where I made a very pink creation. This time I have gone for a much darker piece and included subtle splashes of pink, see Sam you can add pink to lots of things!
 
I have used "Mothloved" she is one of my favourite Stampotique characters.
My background I have created on white linen card using Portfolia oil pastels, a small metal spatula and my heat gun. It then involves shaving small pieces of the pastels onto the card and heating with the heat gun and then smearing with a heated up metal spatula. I didn't know where I was going with this but it started to look like a city skyline so I carried on with that theme. The lights in the buildings have been added with distress paint.
 
you can see the effect here and the texture of the linen card.
I hope you can pop over Here and join in with the team or at least pop over and see the fabulous makes of the DT.
This month has been an absolute blast being part of this team, if not over far too quickly.
Thanks for visiting and see you soon
Love
Amanda X


Saturday 25 October 2014

Stampotique FB ATC Swap - Halloween

Hi
For those of you that follow my blog you will know that I am part of a Stampotique Facebook group where we swap ATC's every month using the months theme. This page is run fabulously by the lovely Nikki Woodward, thanks Nikki.
Our theme this month was HALLOWEEN and all my ATC's have been received now so I thought I would share them with you.
As you can see I made 2 of each of my designs and an extra one, the extra one was because one of my recipricants was Nikki herself so as a thankyou for all she does keeping this Facebook page going I made her an extra one.
 
Background is black texture paste through Tims shattered stencil and coloured with Silks paints and guilding wax. The blood is glossy accents coloured with red acrylic paint.
The heads are what the Character Linda carries around as a handbag.
I have bent wire around a paintbrush to make them like bobbleheads.
 
 
Background done in the same way as above just coloured with Dylusions sprays.
Stampotique stamps are Mr Stripes and Spider Girl.
Mr Stripes has been stamped on tissue paper and coloured from behind with white paint.
 
 
And finally Pumkins from Stampotique Halloween cube stamped onto a brusho and distress ink background, colour removed from pumpkins with bleach and then coloured with Spectrum Noir pencils.
 
Hope you are all having a lovely weekend and enjoy your extra hour in bed due to the clocks going back an hour.
Thanks for stopping by
Love
Amanda X


Wednesday 22 October 2014

Ghouls & Goblins at Stamptotique - 4th GDT Piece

Hi everyone, and an especially big hello and welcome to my latest followers, thank you for joining me on my arty journey.
Today see's the 4th challenge of the month and subsequently my penultimate GDT piece for
This weeks challenge theme has been chosen by Kristen and is
"Ghouls & Goblins"
which fits in perfectly with Halloween only around the corner.
This is the only time that we sit in our own homes, with all the lights off and the TV off pretending to be out, lol.
To celebrate this weeks theme I have made a 3D piece.
I have taken 2 mdf fob watch frames and using mountboard cut another to give it a back to it.
Then I painted it with black gesso, and applied texture paste through Tim Holtz shattered stencil.
Once dry, it was then painted using Lumin arts Silks in Persimmon & Wine and Roses.
for the graveyard I have used Tim Holtz on the edge die - Graveyard cut from grunge paper. It has then had a light coating of texture paste to make them look more like stone. Whilst the paste was still wet I carved RIP into it with a cocktail stick and left to dry. Once dry I gave it a rough coat of Pumice stone distress paint. I have added some spiders web fibres to make it look misty.
The background is dylusion inks and clingfilm technique on gloss card.
 
 
all the colouring has been done using Copics and Spectrum Noir pencils with a brushing of Black Soot distress ink to tone it all down.
Stampotique stamps used are:-
Halloween Cubes 1 & 2
Dweeze
Puss Puss
Calendar Square
Text is all computer generated.
So if you feel like getting "Goulish" with us come and play along HERE.
2 entries, at the end of the month, will get drawn out to win $30 to spend at the stampotique store.
I would also like to enter this into the current challenge over at
"That's Crafty" - whose theme is "Spooky"
and
Try it on a Tuesday - whose theme is "Spooky"
Thanks for stopping by and see you soon
Love
Amanda X


Sunday 19 October 2014

Sundays "Weather Forcast" at FSC is............

Hi
Well Sundays weather forcast at Fashionable Stamping Challenge is..... whatever weather you want it to be as
"WEATHER FORCAST"
is the theme for our new challenge for this coming fortnight.
Snow, wind, rain etc, at this time of the year you can probably just look out of your window for inspiration, but also check out the teams fabulous and varied interpretation of our theme Here there are some fabulous projects.
Here's mine:-

My background has been created using the shaving foam technique with a couple of blue shades of distress reinkers, the swirls I wanted were created by swirling the ink around with the end of a paint brush.
My images have been stamped onto gesso'd dictionary paper, coloured with Faber Castel big brush pens and then cut out.
Stamps used are:-
VLVS - Girl with umbrella and the sentiment.
Ryn Designs - Raindrops.


Hopefully you will pop over and join in with us. We are a stamping challenge so your project must feature rubber stamping as it's focal point.
One randomly chosen enrty will win $20 to spend in our sponsor "Flonzcrafts" online store.
Thanks as always for stopping by.
Love
Amanda X



Friday 17 October 2014

Bugs at C4E

Hi
Todays post is my DT piece for crafts4eternity who start a new challenge every firday. I have somewhat neglected my DT responsibilities recently, thankyou for being so understanding Michelle, but am back to support this weeks challenge the theme is:-
"BUGS"
You can make any type of project, using any type of medium as long as it follows the theme, so show us your butterflies, bees,worms or any other insect that falls under the catagory of a bug!!
 
I have gone for "BEE" using Dina Wakleys "Scribbly Incects"
 
 
I have gone for a mixed media background using:-
Dina Wakley Acrylic Paints - Lemon,magenta,white,turquoise & tangerine, applied with an old bank card.
Dylusion Spray - Pure Sunshine
Dina Wakley - Textures
Bits of old mesh panel painted with black gesso,  hand drawn circles,
washi tape and finally my first ever hand carved stamp which is the chevron (bottom left)
 
 
The bee has been stamped onto gesso'd dictionary paper and coloured with the same acrylic paints, to add some dimension I have gone round it with a black Portfolio oil pastel and just smudged the outline with the best tool we all own, a finger!!
why not pop over Here and get Bugged! with us.
One randomly drawn winner will win the chance to choose 4 images from our generous sponsor this week "Sassy Studio Designs"
Thankyou for visiting
Love
Amanda X


Thursday 16 October 2014

Using up more backgrounds

Hi
Just a quick post from me this morning as I really should be doing other things. I've had a week off and although I have had a lovely play in my craftroom other things are piling up, so once Ive posted this I am off to tackle the ironing!!!!!!
Following yesterdays post here is another background that I have I have made into a quick card, I have also inked up another Stampotique stamp that hadn't felt the feel feel of ink on it.
This time I have used "Uncle Buck"
 
My background is a piece of mixed media card that I had used to mop up brusho from my craft mat.
Background stamp is "K7" - Carabelle Studio
Sentiment has been created using my Dymo gun.
Thanks for stopping by off now to do the ironing, Yawn!!!
Love
Amanda X


Wednesday 15 October 2014

Sorting through my Backgrounds - 2nd post today

Hi
This is my 2nd post today, following my latest GDT post for Stampotique, and I'm having a me day finishing off a few DT pieces and some I should be starting. I invariably get side tracked and today has been no exeception. I decided to sort through all my created backgrounds and sort them into techniques ie gelli prints,brusho's, dylusions etc and have sorted them, by type, into drawers so I can find things faster (well that's the idea).
One of those backgrounds caught my eye and I just made a quickly stamped card using it.
 
 
This background has been created using Dylusions and Perfect pearl mist pewter on gloss card using the cling film technique. I am not a great lover of gloss card but it gives a fabulous finish using this technique, the fabulous shimmer unfortunately doesn't show on the photo.
Both stamps are Dina Wakley - Lonley Girl
and
Sentiment - from Handwritten Quotes set.
Here is the little corner of my craftroom that I have put my drawers, so they are at hand I have put them right next to my desk with my other much used items.
 
Thanks for visiting especially if it's your 2nd visit of the day.
Love
Amanda X

Pink,Purple & Black at Stampotique - 3rd GDT Week

Hi everyone
This month feels like it is rushing by as I am now posting my 3rd GDT piece of October for Stampotique designers challenge blog, this is going to be all over far too quickly :-(
This week see's the theme being chosen by Carol and she has gone for a colour challenge, thoses colours being pink,purple and black.
This has given me the chance to ink up my newly acquired stamp
"Leopard Queen"
she is sooooo sassy I think she deserves this colour treatment.

Stampotique Leopard Queen
My background started off by getting an alcohol ink and water dipped treatment.
Then texture paste coloured with pink acrylic paint applied through a large dot stencil.
There are ribbon strips stitched on, black braid and finally black acrylic paint through tiny dot stencil.
The image has been coloured with Spectrum Noir pencils
and the sentiment written by myself and PC generated.

 
Why not pop over and have a look at what Carol and the rest of this fabulous design team have created, they are as awesome as ever HERE/
even better come and play along with everyone, you dont have to use Stampotique stamps and 2 lucky people will be randomly drawn out at the end of the month and will win $30 to spend in the Stampotique site.
Hopefully see you over there and thanks for visiting
love
Amanda X
 

Sunday 12 October 2014

DOG!

Hi
Yesterday there was a blog hop from the Roc Nicholas design team and their challenge was to use Roc Nicholas "Dog" stamp from Stampotique, you can follow the hop from HERE .
I've had this stamp a while but until today hadn't inked it up, that changed following the inspiration of the DT team. So here is my piece inspired by Roc's wonderful DT.
 
Starting with a very faint gelli print as my background my card is based around the "Three wise monkeys" quote "See no evil,hear no evil,speak no evil" but with a twist!!
 
 
other stamps used for my background are from Tim Holtz - Classics 6
and sentiment is from Clarity Stamps.
Thanks for the inspiration girls.
thanks for visiting
and see you soon, need to go and shower and get ready now as I'm off out for sunday lunch today, catch up with some fabulous friends.
Hope you havea lovely sunday.
Love Amanda X
 
 


Saturday 11 October 2014

Thinking of You

Hi Everyone
Hope you all all enjoying a lovely weekend.
I thought I would just share a card I made a few days ago. The last month has been a very sad time for my family so this is just a card that I sent to my dad.
Using again my brusho's and this time I have tried to create a landscape feel to the look by draging the cardstock through the 3 colours.
 
 
 
The Windmill is a creative expression stamp that I pinched from my mum, I just wanted the set for this windmill. I then removed the background colour from it with bleach and then recoloured using distress ink. The birds are a Tim Holtz stamp and the sentiment is a Clarity stamp.
Thanks for visiting and hope you have a fabulous weekend.
Love
Amanda X

Wednesday 8 October 2014

2nd GDT week at Stampotique

Hi
today is the start of the new weekly challenge at stampotique Designers Challenge.
This weeks challenge has been chosen by the lovely Corrie and she challenges us to use "book text" on our projects. I love using the pages of books, and inparticular dictionary pages to add to my projects and often tear out a page, add a light covering of gesso, and then stamp my images on it. I love the fact that it gives a great surface to colour on. So that's what I have done for my GDT piece this week.
Starting with a brusho background I stamped "Winter" and "Unleash Yourself" onto gesso covered dictionary paper. I then coloured them with grey shades of Spectrum Noir Pencils. The "Wear Grey" I have drawn freehand in the same style of lettering as the main sentiment stamps.
Some machine stitching in grey, randomly around the edge with the end threads left on, finishes off my card.
Please visit HERE/ to see the fabulous pieces from the design team and hopefully you feel inspired to join in with us all this week. You don't have to use Stampotique stamps but you must follow the theme. Your entry will be included in the end of the month draw where 2 lucky people will win a $30 voucher to spend at Stampotique.
Thanks for stopping by
see you soon
Love
Amanda X


Sunday 5 October 2014

Anything Goes at FSC

Hi
Time for a new challenge at Fashionable Stamping Challenges
and for this coming fortnight our challenge is
ANYTHING GOES
 
I have used the following stamps from Carabelle Studios's
Texture Chevron & Quadrillage XXL (partial stamp of this very large stamp)
leafs
I heart washi tape
Coccinelle
and sentiment from French Lily background which has been embossed in white.
The background has been created using my best friend of the moment Brusho's
Touches of washi tape and machine stitching finish this piece off.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Here you can see the dimension I have created by
cutting out the stamped leaves and Coccinelle and mounting on using pinflair.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pop over HERE and see the fabulous projects the rest of the DT have created, loads of inspiration.
Just a quick reminder that we are a stamping challenge site so rubber stamping should be the main focus of your project, other than that you can create whatever type of project you like.
Remember one lucky entry will win a $20 voucher to spend at the Flonzcraft store, our lovely sponsor.
So what are you waiting for, it's Anything Goes fortnight so hope to see you over there.
Thanks for visiting and see you soon
Love
Amanda X
 
 


Friday 3 October 2014

Just can't put these Brusho's down

Hi Everyone
I am still playing with Brusho's, can't seem to put them down at the moment, they are just so addictive. The other night I decided to have a play to see if I could get some different effects. I sprinkled brusho's onto my craft mat and gave them a gentle spray of water and then quickly dragged my paper through the lot, from left to right. The ammount of water you add dictates how thin that you get the drag marks, and that bit is a bit touch and go. I left them to dry over night and popped them in my "come back to it later" drawer. Tonight I came back to them and have turned 3 of them into 3 quick cards by just adding some achival inked stamped images.
 
and individually
 
Just using one image "Banksy girl with umbrella" - Viva Las Vegastamps
Sentiment is from Dina Wakley - Handwritten Quotes
 
Again just one stamp Lost Coast Desgins - Bird
and another Dina Wakley quote from her Handwritten set
 
and finally
 
stamps are all from Art Journey and sentiment is a Tim Holtz remnant rub.
I have punched out the butterflies from an offcut of the card.
Hopefully you are not too fed up with my Brusho cards.
Thanks, as always, for popping by and please feel free to let me know what you think.
See you all soon and have a lovely weekend
Love
Amanda X
 


Wednesday 1 October 2014

Guest Designer for October at Stampotique

Hi everyone
Well following on from my post yesterday, and my parting teaser, I can now share that I have been invited to be October's guest designer for the weekly stampotique designers challenge, and even better October has 5 wednesday's in it.........  I am absolutely delighted (understatement) to join this super talented DT for the second time this year with another opportunity to showcase their fabulous stamps (the 1st being as March guest designer).
Kim starts the month off with her chosen theme
"MASCULINE"
I have started the month off with doing something completly different than I would normally do and created this key ring.
 
I have stamped the following male characters onto clear shrink plastic with black stazon:-
Twinkie
Hunk
Smile
Rocky
then on the other side have coloured them in using promarkers. I then cut them out leaving some on top which I then punched a hole through with my crop a dile, so I could put a jump ring through them. I then heated with a heatgun and watched then shrink. I then typed my words onto shrink plastic using Stampotique Type Alphabet and then cut the words into little tags.
Please pop over to the blog Here and see the amazing creations of the DT.
It would be great if you came and played along and you don't have to use Stampotique stamps to join in.
Thanks for stopping by
Love
Amanda X