2 out 0f 3

Hi
Hope that you have all had a good Monday, especially those of us in the UK where we have at last got some nice weather, for the moment at least. This is just a quick post tonight as I have finished another of my Kroma Crackle hearts. For those of you following my blog you might remember several weeks ago I was showing signs, infact bordering on addition, of Kroma crackle and prepared 3 MDF folk hearts from Indigoblu. The first I have completed and posted previously, this is now the 2nd one at last finished. This heart is the largest of the 3 available folk hearts.

A quick "How I made it" is, heart was painted with purple paint then mixed the Kroma crackle with Studio traditional tan paint (you only need a little paint to colour it.) then applied a thick coverage and left to dry. Once dried it was sealed with Slap IT On matte from Indigoblu.I then stamped, onto tissue paper, Clematis Flourish (Indigoblu)and then again in order to just pick some flowers. It was then carefully coloured with Prismacolor pencils,ripped around my image and adhered to my heart using Slap it on. The sentiment again from Indigobu this time Discover your Passion set, was heat embossed onto tissue paper using cosmic shimmer denim lilac aurora embossing powder, this gives a colour changing effect when moved in the light. To finish some lace, ribbon and charms.
The colour scheme was given to me by a friend who said "can you make me a heart with purple in it"? I hope she likes it now it's finished.

I am entering this also into the current challenge being hosted by Indigoblu their theme is
Words & Phrases

Thanks for visiting and see you soon
Love Amanda X

Wonderful Wings

Hi

Well another week has come and gone and my crafting has only consisted of a few stolen hours this week. I haven't had any real quality time to spare this week and still have several half finished projects dotted around my room. I have managed to find enough stolen minutes to complete my design team piece for this weeks challenge at Crafts4eternity. Our theme for this week is:-

Wonderful Wings

My design piece is made using my long awaited purchase of Tim Holtz Pocket Watch frame.

I cut one layer of the die and then 6 more adding the coordinating circle movers and shapers die to give the watch depth. The background and final layer of the watch has been made using Papersrtsy metal card and embossed using Tim Holtz gears texture fade, both were then painted with black soot distress paint and then wiped off to age the metal. I then swooshed spiced marmalade and brolen china distress paint onto a tag, dried and then stamped my betterfly headed gentleman (Paperartsy) twice, cut out and added to my background with silicone to give dimension, the background has also been splattered with those colours and seedless preserves.

 

 I then added on old watch face and ideaology gears and spinner. The buttereflies on the men have been highlighted with glossy accents (not that you can see that). I then die cut 3 butterflies using Tims mini butterfly die, again coloured with matching distress paint and then stamped over with a selection of Paperartsy stamps. I finished them off adding my treasured rusty pen nibs (Ebay bargain). Before putting my final embossed layer on I cut an acetate layer to cover the lot (again photo doesn't show this) The word beads I have then stuck to the acetate so they appear to be floating above ( perhaps seen better in photo below).

This final photo shows you the depth of the finished piece. The edges and back have all been aged using creative expression pewter gilding wax which is fab. I have, to display it on, painted a small easel black and again aged it with the pewter gilding wax and added ideaology bits. 

I have really enjoyed making this piece so expect a few more pocket watch pieces lol.

So why not come and join us at Crafts4eternity and show us your winged projects.This challenge is being sponsored by "Stamping all Day" and one randomly chosen winner will win 3 digital images of their choice. 

I would also like to enter this into the following challenges:-

country view challenges For the month of April the challenge is Butterflies

Anything Goes Challenge The theme is Heavy Metal
Simon Says Stamp and Show The theme is Fly

Finally thanks for stopping by I really appreciate your visit
Love
Amanda X

Sweet Spring

Hi
This is my second writing of this blog entry as I have just deleted everything that I wrote yesterday, and scheduled, how annoying is that? This will be shorter than yesterdays edition as I am dashing off to work. Well it's friday which means another new challenge over at Crafts4eternity   and our theme this week is a Sweet Spring using the colour recipe (which you will find at the end of this post)

Here is my design piece for this week:-

I started with a piece a kraft card which you can see in places poking through, added some ripped patterned papers of coordinating colours, then swooshed distress paints also matching the colour recipe. I then used various stencils and added Paperartsy fresco paints. I added colour matching washi tapes torn up and a little leftover lace that I have also painted. I then got quite manic with my sewing machine just to add more texture to the piece.

The image is "Midge" from Stampotique. I have stamped her onto dictionary paper that I had given a wash off gesso, then cut her out. The sentiment stamp is from a Paperartsy urban collection.

the colour recipe I followed is this one:-

So why not get into the mood for spring and play along with us this week  here. One randomly chosen winner will win 3 digital images of their choice from Crafts4eternity.

I am also entering this into:- Inspiration Emporium monthly challenge for April Marvelous masks and spectacular stencils

Thanks for popping by I really appreciate you visiting
love
Amanda X

Finished Canvas

Hi  everyone and a special hello to my latest followers, I hope you enjoy my journey.
 For those of you that visited my earlier post WOYWW 199 this last week you will have seen a glimpse of some of the projects that I have on the go at the moment. This is now one of those glimpses that I have finished a 7" x 5" canvas.

This project again continues with me playing with Kroma crackle. I covered the canvas with kroma crackle and left to dry for a couple of days. Once dry I added the word beautiful, ripped from a sheet of 7gypsies Lillie paper, then sealed it all with matt multi medium and let the colouring commence. There is a variety of  products applied but it has been firstly washed over with distress stains then a variety of acrylic paints applied in a random fashion.

I cut, from chipboard, Tim Holtz heart and heart wings, again Kroma crackle used for the heart which was then edged in creative expressions deep red gilding wax. The wings were covered in dictionary paper, gesso and then liquitex glass beads gel which adds great light and texture.
Using black archival ink I stamped the text onto tissue paper several times and sealed to the canvas using matt multi medium.

To add yet further texture I applied modelling paste through a stencil to just one side. Once dry this was then coloured with acrylic paints and a little Kroma crackle with red acrylic paint added splashed randomly. The sentiment "Embrace love and cherish the memories" I have created using Tim Holtz Chit Chat stickers.

I would like to enter this into the following challenges:-
Simon Says Stamp and Show - This week is an Anything Goes week
and
The Artistic Stamper - Where the April Challenge is Texture

Thanks for visiting, I hope you have all had a lovely Easter break.
See you soon
Love
Amanda X

Using up some leftovers

Hi
I hope you are all enjoying the Easter Bank holiday weekend. I have just got home from working (no Bank holiday weekend off for me) and for a little chill out time thought I would just have a sit down with a cup of tea and post a card I made last week. The leftovers are the background which I was originally going to use in a design piece but changed my mind. I couldn't let it go to waste so I turned it into this:-

I created an 8 x 8 card I have mat and layered 3 times with coordinating coloured cardstock.

 The character is "Rosie" which is a Barbara Gray Clarity Stamp, this has been coloured with Copics and stuck with silicone to give it dimension off the page.
Sentiment stamp "Destiny" is from my stash (pity I didn't stamp it a little straighter)

The background uses a couple of Indigoblu background stamps, the first is Bubbles background which I have stamped using distress paints. I have then stamped the circle dot background stamp using a big and juicy ink pad and then punched out the circles. I have again stuck with silicone to give dimension. I have added candi dots and adhesive  pearls coloured with copics to add more interest.






Hope you all have a lovely long weekend.
Thanks for popping by
Love
Amanda X

WOYWW 199

Hi
Wednesday, and time for another foray into the worlds of like minded crafters, the brain child blog of Julie all details to join along are HERE.
For me this week, wednesday finds me in the middle of several projects, and with a busy week ahead this Easter weekend, with also no idea of when I will get around to finishing them. It's going to be a case of stolen moments!. 

My first desk shows a few bits drying, crackle hearts and wings to add to a canvas I am completing, my paint tray shows the colours I have used on the canvas. There is also a tag randomly in there as I have gathered up left over bits of distress stain.

On another desk some other crackle hearts the larger one cut with Tims heart and wings die the more likely to male it onto my canvas, said canvas you can just popping into this picture (all will be revealed when finished). My crackle on everything is me still playing with the fabulous Kroma Crackle.

and finally....  the top of my printer!!

This is the one safe place that I have that stops me damaging things as they are drying. This work to be completed includes 2 large Indigoblu folk hearts both using Kroma crackle as you can see one has fully cracked whilst the other is in its drying stages (about 2 to 3 days). A birdhouse wall hanging which at this stage has only received a coat of gesso, and a 5 x 5 canvas again drying after being Kroma crackled and distress stained.

Thanks for visiting and hope that you enjoy seeing what I am currently upto, I will visit as many  of you as I can, but as this is a hugely popular wednesday outing for many of us apologies if I don't get to comment on all of you.

Love 

Amanda X

Easter is a coming

Hi
Well Easter is only a week away, and if the weather man is correct we could all be looking at snow!! Infact we could be getting it this weekend, fingers crossed that he is wrong......
Anyway to get us into the mood of Easter our challenge over at Crafts4eternity this week is "Egg-cellent Easter" so it's all about showing us your lovely Easter creations. The randomly selected winner will be able to choose 3 digital stamps from the Crafts4eternity collection.
My design team entry is a simple one this week due to time constraints. I have created a card based on a sample card I saw on a Barbara Gray show on Create & Craft.

Background was created using pan pastels, stamps used are Clarity Stamps "Bunnies" and includes the flowers (borrowed from my mum thanks mum), the flying birds are from inkylicious. Happy Easter stamp is from Lily of the valley.
I have heat embossed the bunnies with WOW black extra fine embossing powder onto black card and cut out. The whiskers on the bunnies I have made by stiffening sewing cotton and sticking underneath.
Anyway whatever the weather does I hope you all have a good one.
Love
Amanda X

WOYWW 198

Hi
Welcome to Wednesday, and this is my first visit this year to Julia's wonderful blog which gives us a window to the world of all those crafty desks, and without further ado here is what is going on in my world at the moment.

When I got home from work yesterday there was a parcel waiting for me and it was my order of Neil Walkers bird stamps from the Artistic Stamper. So after mounting them on foam (I hate that bit) I just had to have a play. I made a tag from a background that I had already made using Dylusion Sprays, you can see my box of backgrounds waiting to be played with at the back of my desk. I then stenciled and splodged with distress paints. Stamped the Funky Bird onto another piece I had, cut out, and doodled on with my white Posca Pen (latest can't live without item). The sentiment I made up using alphabet stamps then just cut the words out. The flowers that I added  I had lying around which were leftovers from a previous make.

So if you want to show the world your desk or just have a look what's going on out there you can join along HERE
Have a great day
love
Amanda X

Finished Sample

Hi Everyone

Well yesterday didn't go as planned, nothing new there then!! It ended up as having to buy a new TV day, an expense that I could have well done without (crafting budget seriously depleted!!). All is now happily back to normal in the TV department.  Inbetween all of that I managed to pop up to see Sue, the owner of the Stampers Gallery in Tarlton, to drop off a sample that she had asked me to do for the shop. This favour had been paid for with some free stash that I had been given on my last visit. The shop is a stockist of IndigoBlu products, and Sue had just recieved a big order from them and as I was in the shop at the time had to help her open it and subsequently purchase some of. She had had delivered Kroma Crackle which I had seen demonstrated on TV so thought I would give it a try, this is where the favour began as Sue asked me if I wouldn't mind doing her a sample to display in the shop and in exchange she gave me some of IndigoBlu MDF folk hearts, deal done.

 

I first painted the heart with Gesso, then yellow acrylic paint. I then squeezed out some of the Kroma Crackle and mixed some blue acrylic paint with it, then spread it all over the heart, the drying process is quite lengthy I had to leave it over 24hrs but I think the effect is worth it. I then sealed it all with matt multi medium.

 

I then stamped Indigoblu "Blazing Poppies" onto tissue paper and on the reverse coloured with prismacolor pencils, cut out and stuck to the heart again using matt multi medium. The sentiment is from my stash. Other than adding the butterfly charm I left it quite simple. If I had done my usual thing and kept adding you wouldn't have seen the crackle. I do tend to spend hours completing a background to then cover most of it up............

Anyway it now hangs proudly in Sue's shop "Stampers Gallery"

 3 Church Rd, Tarleton, Preston, Lancashire PR4 6UP

01772 811833

 Please visit if you are in the area

other than that you can purchase from IndigoBlu HERE

 Thanks as always for visiting and have a super sunday

Love

Amanda X

Sorbet Colours

Hi
Sorbet colours? Well it's our new weekly challenge over at Crafts4eternity this week. You will find the colour recipe at the end of this post. For my design piece I have used my newly purchased Jo Firth Young stamps by Paperartsy, the set I purchased is JOFY 09 but I need to buy them all lol.

My background has been made by swooshing my card through the following distress paint colours sploshed onto my craft mat, wild honey,peeled paint and scattered straw plus a little water. Using the same distress paint colours I have stamped over the background with Indigoblu bubbles background. Once dried I have stamped in black archival ink a selection of the stamps from this collection. I then raided my bits box and found papers with matching colours and paper pierced them.I used peeled paint distress pen to highlight some of the stems and then finished off by going crazy with a white Posca penand adding a few buttons. This was all then mounted onto an 8"x8"kraftcard blank.

The sorbet colour recipe for your inspiration to come and  join us at Crafts4eternity this week is this:-

So why not come and join in with this weeks challenge,

This weeks prize is kindly donated by Floppy Latte.

One randomly selected winner will receive a $6 gift cetificate. 

thanks for popping by and see you soon

Love

Amanda X  

Life is'nt ................

Hi
Well what a great crafty play day I have had today, it definitely hasn't been a going out day, far too Brrrrrrrr. We have only had a sprinkling of snow which has gone now, unlike many other parts of the UK, so if you have been snowed in I hope that you have all made the most of it, crafty wise, lol.
The majority of my day, inbetween selected housework chores, I  have spent in my craft room. The only thing I have managed to complete so far is a tag that I had started a few days ago, (but I now have many things that are at the "Work in progress" stage!!).
I picked up, several months ago, some Paperartsy stamps on Ebay for a steal, so decided to have a play.

Life isn't a straight line....... I have used a mixture of stamps from Paperartsy. Background is dictionary paper which I stenciled over with black then smeared distress paint over. The edges of the tag were sanded off and inked with distress ink. Houses were stamped onto printed paper and coloured with water colour pencils. The curve has been highlighted using a white Posca pen and further highlighted underneath with gesso which was smeared using the best tool I have, my finger.
I 'm off to cook dinner now,  I use the term loosely though as dinner involves popping Waitrose butter chicken curry in the oven, why make your own when this is so delicious lol.
See you soon and thanks for visiting
love
Amanda X

Marvellous Mums!

Hi
I hope today finds you all well. Friday has come around again, and the Challenge over at Crafts4eternity this week is "Marvellous Mums" as we, here in the UK, celebrate Mothers Day this Sunday. So I am sure many of us have awayed to our craft rooms to make our mums a special card. If you have, why not show us what you have made by joining in our challenge this week. One randomly chosen winner can choose 3 digital images from Crafts4eternity online store.
Here is mine:-

 

I have another flower theme going on this week. The Stamps used are another set of Sheena Douglass A Little Bit Sketchy series, this one is "Always Floral" 

I stamped the leafy branches onto white card in black versafine and covered with WOW super fine clear embossing powder. They were then painted with Dylusion sprays used as watercolour. I randomly sprayed a piece of card again with a selection of dylusion sprays, once dried, stamped and embossed as previously, then cut them out and added them to the branches with silicone glue for dimension.

The Main image has been stamped using one of the stamps from "Soul Creations" set from Creative Expressions, again this has been heat embossed and painted with Dylusions. I then stamped the flowers twice, cut out, and added to give dimension.
Sentiment has been created using Clarity Stamps Tiled Alphabet Stamps. Final touches are bit of bling to the shoe, black bling in the centre of flowers, bright pink ribbon and a black dazzler (creative expressions)

I would also like to enter this into the following challenges:-
Allsorts Challenge Blog - For a lady and that lady is my Mum.
Make My Monday - Inspired by Nature, mine being the beautiful colours of flowers.

Thanks for visiting my blog and hopefully we will see you over at Crafts4eternity this week.
Love
Amanda X