Distress Ink Christmas Cards

Hi

Following on from yesterdays post some more christmas cards, but this time using a more traditional look.

All have been stamped with distress inks and then misting the stamp prior to stamping with it. Then once dry pulling out the colour with a damp paintbrush.

These cards came to be as my lovely crafty friend Donna from Inky and Quirky, visit Donna's blog it's well worth the trip, have begun challenging ourselves when we find something out there that we like and then challenge each other to work out how it has been done. These cards are born out of one of those such challenges.

We have both been inspired by Mimi A La Carte whose work you can see here on Facebook

HERE, some fabulous inspiration.

 

 

 

 

Stamps used:-

Penny Black - Skyline

Penny Black - Woodland Wonder

Memory Box Cling - Forest Pine Large

Sentiments Hero Arts - Miracle of the Holidays.

Crafty Individuals - Santa and Sleigh

also used

Distress Inks

Black Archival ink

Decoart white mister

Thanks for stopping by at this very busy time of the year.

Incase this is the last post of mine before Christmas I would just like to wish all of my lovely followers a very Happy Christmas and here's to a crafty 2015 to you all.

Love

Amanda X

Xmas Cards with Gelli print scraps

Hi Everyone

Well I hope you are all more organised than me as I rush to make this years Christmas cards, thankfully I don't make a lot but Ive already added one New Years resolution to my list.

New Years Resolutions

No. 1. be more organised, make Christmas cards in July

I know I've now written it down but also know it wont happen but you can hope!!

Anyway back to this year here are 3 cards that I have made using up some scraps of gelli prints.

 

 

and individually

 

 

 

 

These have been made using image stamps from:-

Vivalasvegastamps

Carabelle Studio

Memory Box Cling

and

Sentiments from

Stampotique

Woodware

Crafty Impressions

Paula Pascal.

 

I appreciate they are a bit different than your traditional Christmas cards but hope that you like them.

Thanks for stopping by

Love

Amanda X

 



Snow Queen - Playing with Decoart misters

Hi everyone

I recently bought myself with some birthday money some of the Decoart misters. I love using sprays, but as they are all dye based I was intriqued with how these acrylic misters would compare. I've only had a quick play, the colours are so intense and they are permanent when dry so great if you are using white ontop. I've only used a couple of colours on this canvas so hopefully I can give a more detailed opinion when I use them some more which is likely to be in the new year now.

So here is a canvas that I have had sitting around unfinished for weeks, I finally added the finishing touches.

 

Background has been created with decoart misters in Turquoise shimmer mist, carbon black and shimmer mister white.  Then it has had decoart crackle glaze added, once dry I have rubbed in decoart patina green rubbing cream and inka gold in silver.

 

The stamped image is another from Stampscapes this one is "Symmetry Sheet #6"

First stamped onto card and given the same treatment as the canvas but this obscured the image to much so I stamped it again onto tissue paper and laid it over the original image, i then painted a layer of the turquoise shimmer onto the tissue paper. Her icey breath is creative expressions adhesive pearl swirls.

 

the smowflake is cut using Tim Holtz large snowflake rosette strip die, it is from kraft card i had covered in book paper. It has been ink with distress ink and then covered in rock candy distress crackle paint and when dry sprayed with the decorart turquoise mister. I have added a wooden snowflake which has been coloured with silver inka gold and added a pearl in the centre. the words have been added after I typed them out on my typewriter.

 

The whole piece looks really icy which I have found difficult to pick up on a photograph but you can see some of it on the picture above.

Hope you like it and thanks for visiting

Love

Amanda X

 



I can resist everything except temptation!

Hi Everyone

Just wanted to share another card I made yesterday in the few hours I escaped to my craftroom.

 

 

 

the image was stamped 3 times onto varying degrees of brusho splattered mixed media card and then cut and layered to give the image dimension

 

 

Stamps used are:-

Main image is Winters Wind - Stampscapes

Number strips are from Paula Pascaul

Dina Wakely - Earnest (scribbly text)

Sentiment is ribbon from I think Graphic 45 which I have sewn on.

I would also like to enter this as my 2nd entry to the current challenge at

That's Crafty Challenge Blog where the current theme is "All About Face"

thanks for popping by

see you soon

Love

Amanda X

 



Wk 1 of Anything Goes month at Stampotique

Hi Everyone

Hope you are all having a lovely weekend. After the bedlam of having family round yesterday, today is somewhat calmer, thankfully. So I have managed to steal away a couple of hours for a crafty play. I have made a card for week 1 of Stampotique Designers Challenge anything goes month.

 

 

I have taken my newly acquired "Dwindled" stamp for her first outing lightly colouring her with Spectrum Noir pencils. My background is a previously made Brusho background. The semtiment "Always the bridesmaid, and never the bride" has been typed out on my old typewriter, cut out and stuck on and then I have gone around each word with my sewing machine.

 

 

The trim that I have edged the card has been made by felting together lace, dyed silk and some heart ribbon scraps, I have then randomly sewn it onto the edge of my card and a little on the right hand corner.

I am entering this into Stampotique Designers Challenge 176 - Anything Goes

Thanks for visiting

Love

Amanda X

 



And now for something completely different!!

Hi

As I seem to be totally mojoless with regards my beloved paints,inks and stamps I have been trying something completely different. With my recent outing that I involved my sewing machine I decided to explore how I could create my art using my sewing machine. So I thought I would share with you my first outing trying to draw with my sewing machine. Whilst it has learner flaws and I have learnt what not to do next time, I am quite pleased with it, and it has given me a starting point to develop this art form further.

 

This whole project started with a rubber stamp from one of my favourite stamp company Carabelle studio and this is "Visage Helena"

I stamped it out and scanned it into my PC enlarged it to A4 and printed it out.

I then traced it with a fabric tracing pencil and then transfered the image to stitch and tear.

I then laid the stitch and tear over my calico fabric and them followed the lines of the image with my sewing machine.

I then wanted to add some colour and added that using roving yarn and a felting tool. I was a bit limited for colour choice (need to buy some more colours) but as this was only a practice piece didn't think it really mattered but I quite like the colours I've used in the end, as I am always a sucker for pink. This has created so much texture for the hair and has made it very tactile.

I have then sewn in the words.

Well this was a great learning curve for me and I have leant a lot from it, if only what not to do.....
I would like to enter this into the latest challenge at
Thats Crafty where the theme is "All about Face"

Thanks for stopping by

Love

Amanda X

Speed Craft Challenge 8 - Butterflies

Hi everyone

Well life is hectic here at the moment which is why I have been missing for over a week, December is never a good month for me to indulge in my crafty antics. So if you are like me and are pushed for time this is the perfect challenge for you over at Speed Craft Challenge. You just need to spend no more than 15 mins to create your project following our current theme which for this fortnight is

"Butterlies"

We love to see any type of project so long as it is completed in 15 mins or less.

Here is my DT piece for this theme and this time I have made a card.

 

 

I started by gathering all I needed together prior to starting my timer

 

 

Using Tims Alterations layered butterfly die, one layer I have gone over the embossed detail with a white wax crayon to resist the Dylusions sprays then layered them up

 

 

popping through the back layer is music printed paper again sprayed with Dylusions. the butterfly has then been finished off with a Tim Holtz game spinner. The "Use your Wings" is from Dina Wakely scribbly insects set.

All finished with very little time left, infact only seconds to go......Phew!!!

 

 

There is some fabulous inspiration by my teamies Here so why not pop over and come and join in with all we'd love to see you there.

thanks for stopping by I really appreciate you doing so.

Love

Amanda X



Live Life on the edge.................

Hi everyone

Hope you are all having a lovely weekend, sadly not much of it left now.  I thought I would get a quick post in whilst I'm cooking a sunday roast, roast chicken to be exact, there are wonderful aroma's drifting into where I am.

Anyway, you know when you meet someone and you just bond straight away? I have made one such connection with the lovely & talented Donna. We have met through blogland and I only wish we lived closer because I just know that we would get onlike a house on fire in real life as much as in blog life, so much so I am sure we will meet one day. Well Donna, and if you want to check out her fabulous work you can Here, makes her own stamps and fabulous they are. For my birthday, along with a fabulous stampotique card, Donna sent me some stamped little houses using one of her own hand carved stamps and has challenged me to use them on one of my projects.

Well Donna mission accomplished having prodded and poked my mojo into life. I do hope that Donna likes how I have used her stamped images.

 

 

 

Background has been made by blowing Dylusions sprays around on mixed media cardstock.

Then I have partially stamped the XXL stamp by Carabelle Studio - Texture Chevron & Quadrillage.

I have then added Donna's little houses leaning over the edge of the main chevron of this stamp.

 

 

I then typed "Live life on the edge" on my newly acquired old type writer, which I love now I've managed to sort the ribbon out for it.

 

Right I am away now to peel some veg

Thanks for visiting and see you soon

Love

Amanda X



Stripes at Stampotique

Hi Everyone

This week I have been totally lacking in inspiration, my creative juices have definately not been flowing, so in attempt to jump start them and try and understand my sewing machine a bit more, well a lot more, I set off into my craftroom to try and get both of thoses processes up and running.

What better reason to get crafty can I have than to join in with Corries's challenge over at

Stampotique Designers Challenge

Corrie has chosen the theme "STRIPES" using anything but designer paper, in other words make your own.

I thought I'd have a go at making some fabric stripes. The first thing I did prior to sewing any of these to my kraft card was to read my sewing machine manual, moment of enlightenment!!! So with a little more confidence, and it was a little, I began my card.

I started by cutting strips of blue and naturals fabric, then I frayed them all, and then stitched them to my kraft card.

 

The Stampotique image I have used is "Global Warming" which I have stamped onto fabric with midnight blue Stazon, then cit out and frayed that slightly as well. It was then stuck to the card using heat and bond.

 

I painted the heart with Decoart Sosoft fabric paint.

I have added some stenciling with gesso through sequin waste and toned it down with stormy sky and vintage photo distress ink.

I then matted it onto red to match his heart.

Right I am away now to clear all the mess up that making this card has created, you wouldn't believe how trashed my craftroom is!!

Thanks for visiting

Love

Amanda X

 

 



Speed Craft Challenge - another Anything Goes Fortnight

Hi Everyone

It's time for another Speed Craft Challenge, all we ask is that you complete a

crafty project  in 15 mins that follows our current theme and for this coming fortnight we are keeping it as

 

"ANYTHING GOES"

 

I have made a festive tag but believe me my original idea was quite different from my final result, I had a 15 minute meltdown!!!!!

 

I decided for my 15 minute make I would make a fabric tag  with some applique and free motion stitching.  I wouldn't by any stretch of the imagination call myself a sewer but as I own 2 sewing machines, and at this point you might ask "why does someone who doesn't sew have 2 sewing machines" you can blame my mother for that one as she is trying to lure me into her hobby. So I thought this simple make can't be too difficult and I had seen some lovely ones on Pinterest.

So I cut all my pieces before I started the clock, you are allowed to prep a little, and started the clock.

 

 

I stitched all my Christmas Tress to the fabric and then constructed the tag to stitch all the layers together and at this point realised that my needlework skills were desperately lacking. At this point my stress levels were sky high and the realisation that I had no hope of completing this to a state that I would be happy to photograph it let alone post on my blog!

So I salvaged what I could and stitched that onto a Ranger kraft tag and added as my sentiment a Tim Holtz festive remnant rub.

I have to admit that I went over my 15 mins by several minutes but if I had made it from the start as it finally ended up I would have completed it within the time frame.

I will have another go at making another, as I intended this one to be, but not until I have consulted the oracle, my mother lol.

There are some fabulous 15 minute makes from the DT Here for your inspiration which really demonstrate what you can do in such a short time frame.

So why not spare us 15 minutes and show us what you can create, if any of you are sewers you can show me how it's done lol

Thanks for stopping by you know how much I appreciate it

Love

Amanda X

 

 

 

 



A Christmas Tag at Fashionable Stamping Challenges

Hi

Today is the start of our new challenge fortnight over at

 Fashionable Stamping Challenges

and our theme for the next 2 weeks is

"Christmas Tag"

 

 

I have cut my tag using Tims Alterations Tag die, I used some card I had embossed but ended covering most of that up. Some Christmas carol sheet music and washi tape have also been added to the tag along with frayed burlap distress ink,I have also cut Tim's Elegant flurishes from black linen card and coloured with gold guilding wax. Gold and black lace trim both top and bottom of the tag finished with a gold mesh ribbin bow (I hate making bows) and some wooden stars coloured gold.

 

 

Finally my stamped main image, which is one of my favourite Christmas stamps and is from Paperartsy Lynne Perrella Collection LPC018.

The image has been stamped with black versafine ink and I have added touches of gold glitter using a quickie glue pen to add some fine detail.

I have finally added my sentiment using tim Holtz "Chit Chat" stickers.

For more inspiration for this fortnights challenge the rest of the DT have made some wonderful and varied tags so pop over HERE to check their fabulous work out.

We'd love you to come and play along with us and show us your christmas tag. Remember though we are a stamping challenge so rubber stamping must be your main focal point.

One lucky winner will win a $20 voucher to spend online at Flonzcraft our generous sponsor.

Thanks for visiting and see you soon

Love

Amanda X

 



When Life Throws you a Curve Ball............

Hi Everyone

and a big hello and welcome to my latest follows it's good to have you along.

This week I received my long awaited order of Stampotique stamps so have, in the middle of not the best week I've ever had, just had to make a quick something.

Using one of my shaving foam backgrounds I already had I have used the fabulous "Romek" by Stampotique.

 

 

The sentiment just about sums things up for me at the moment and is from the "Tell it how it is" set by Inkadinkadoo.

A little bit of torn washi tape just finishes this off.

These are the stamps I have just received so loads more to play with, so watch this space!!!

 

 

Thanks for stopping by I really appreciate it

Love

Amanda X



"You Radiate Beauty" Mixed Media Card

Hi

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend. Thought I would have another sort through my pile of backgrounds that I seem to have piling up. I selected a gelli print background which looked a bit bland and added some stamping using Dina Wakley paints and stamps.

 

 

I have added the stamp "Spritual Journey" - Stampotique which has been stamped using Memento Luxe which I find the most succesful over a gelli print.

The Ballerina I have cut on my silhouette Camea using a similar gelli print and stamped Dina Wakley scribbly text on half of it.

 

 

I then stuck it to my card and outlined it with a black fube pen and shaded around it with a black charcoal pencil to make it stand out from the background.

The Sentiment is also from a Dina Wakley stamp set.

I have made this card purely for my own entertainment, sometimes its just nice to make something because you can!!

thanks for stopping by, hopefully you know how much I appreciate your visit.

Love

Amanda X

 

 



Speedcraft Challenge Anything Goes

Hi

I am here with my first DT piece for the fabulously different

Speedcraft Challenge Blog.

I hope you can come and join in with us this fortnight.

The rules are simple, create something crafty in no more than 15 mins following our theme.

This fortnights theme is

"Anything Goes"

and here's what I came up with

 

and this is how I went about my 15 mins make.

I had an idea of what I wanted to make and gathered together all the things that I needed to create my piece

 

I decided I wanted to use my 3"x5" gelli plate and a new Donna Downey stencil"Crescent moon 2.

 

Set my timer to 15 mins on my Ipad because it's easier to see.

 

 

Then I crafted as fast as I could, I don't actually think I breathed whilst making this!!

I stopped the clock when finished.

 

and with over 2 mins to spare

 

 

PHEW!! but that was so much fun!!

So why not challenge yourself to make something in 15mins and come and join in the fun?

The DT has come up with some fabulous inspiration which you can see Here

Hopefully see you over there

Thanks for stopping by

Love

Amanda X

 

 



Exciting News

Hi Everyone

I have some exciting news, there's a relatively new and slightly different challenge blog on the block and I am delighted to have been invited to join the Design Team,
 and that challenge blog is

 

Speedcraft Challenge Blog

This is a challenge blog with a difference as I think the name suggests, but the whole ethos around this challenge blog is to
"HAVE FUN"
For more details and to meet the rest of the DT team pop along HERE to check it out and come and have some fun with us!!!!
New challenge theme starts this thursday 6th November
and it would be lovely to see you there.
Love
Amanda X



animals at FSC this Fortnight

Hi Everyone

Hope that your weekend hasn't been that scary?

This sunday is the start of our new challenge fortnight at

Fashionable Stamping Challenges

and our theme is

Animals - Domestic or wild.

 

I have gone for a clean and simple look this time, leaving plenty of white space.

The centre panel of colour is torn dictionary paper coloured with pan pastels. I have then stamped images from "A little bit magical - From the Ashes" by Sheena Douglass.

The sentiment is from the same set.

I have coloured the Phoenix and flames with Spectrum Noir pencils.

 

Hopefully you can find time to come and play along with us we'd love to see what you,ve come up with. The DT have produced some fabulous inspiration for you so well worth a look HERE.

One randomly chosed winner will win $20 to spend online at Flonzcraft, our wonderful sposor. Our only rules are that stamping must be the focal point of your project and that can be absolutely anything you like.

So hopefully see you over there.

Thanks, as always, stopping by I really appreciate you popping by.

Love

Amanda X



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



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

Stampotique Designers Challenge

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



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



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

Stampotique Designers Challenge for October.

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