Ladybug Jar for AALL & Create

Hi Everyone

I am delighted to be able say that I have again been invited to join the fabulous AALL & Create design team, an offer that for me is always a no brainer, to work alongside such a fabulous team with the opportunity to showcase the unique stamps and stencils that they produce.

I start, this time,  by using the very popular Tracy Evans A4 ladybug stamp #161 

I wanted to create something a bit different and I had had this jar hanging around my craftroom and thought I need to do something with that and this is what I did with it.

I started by stamping the entire A4 stamp onto a piece of tissue paper by placing the stamp directly onto my glass mat as it sticks to the glass, inking it up with versafine clair ink and then laying the tissue paper on top smoothing over the tissue to pick up the ink.

Once the ink had dried I turned over the tissue and painted in with white acrylic paint the area's that I wanted to be white. I then turned it back and started colouring the entire image in using Zig pens. For future reference I will do this part with alcohol ink pens as using a water based pen the colour moves when you seal it. 

Once it was coloured I cut it to size to cover the jar and applied to the glass jar using matt medium.

To neaten the design off I added black paper string to the top and bottom, red liner tape helped secure this in place to allow me to wrap it around the jar.

I then gave the entire image and string several coats of matt medium being careful not to move the colour around to much, I had to seal the ladybugs separately to avoid the red moving which is why I will try alcohol pens next time as the colour is more permanent. 

I then, to add my ladybug embellishment, stamped each ladybug onto shrink plastic using black Stazon ink, cut out including cutting a loop at the top to make a hanging hole into which I punched a hole. These were coloured on the reverse with alcohol pens and then heated to shrink.

This picture shows how much each Ladybug shrinks down.

I then, using the same black paper string, added them to my jar.

So from an empty jar, that would usually of ended up in the recycle bin, to a repurposed piece. 

I hope I've given you a little bit of inspiration to play with something that would normally be heading for the bin.

To find you local stockist of AALL & Create products 

AALL & Create Facebook page

AALL & Create Fanatics Facebook page

AALL & Create Boutique

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by

Love

Amanda X

Bert misses TV debut for That's Crafty

Hi Everyone

I'm over at That's Crafty blog today and I'm introducing Bert to you over there and he'd love to meet you all and tell you his story.

To allow Bert to fully introduce himself to you and tell you how he was made you just need to pop across HERE where he will say hello to you.

Thanks for stopping by

Love

Amanda X

Go with the Flow for That's Crafty

Hi everyone

As it's Tuesday it's my day over at That's Crafty blog and I have been playing with the gel press for this weeks make along with giving a stamp I've had a while it's first inking.

To read all the details just pop over HERE

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week.

Love

Amanda X

Angel Tags for That's Crafty

Hi Everyone

Just a quick post to let you know, that as it's Tuesday, I'm over at That's Crafty blog today.

I have a couple of tags for you this week.

To read all the details just pop over HERE

thanks, as always, for stopping by today

Love

Amanda X

Be Happy for That's Crafty

Hi Everyone

Just a quick post to let you know it's my day over at That's Crafty blog to share some art. 

To read all the how to details just pop over HERE

thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous day

Love

Amanda X

Getting My Dina On! for That's Crafty

Hi Everyone

Just a quick post to let you know it's my day over on That's Crafty Blog to share some art and this week I have been throwing the colour around and playing with Dina Wakley products!

to read all the details for this project just pop over HERE

Have a fabulous day and thanks for stopping by

Love

Amanda X

With all my Heart for That's Crafty

Hi Everyone

Just my usual Tuesday heads up to let you know that I am over at That's Crafty blog sharing some art.

For all the details and to find out how I put it together just pop across HERE

Have a fabulous day

Love

Amanda X

Love is in the Air for That's Crafty

Hi Everyone

As it's Valentine's Day this coming Thursday I am sharing some rusty love with you over on That's Crafty blog today.

To read all the 'How To' details just pop across HERE 

Hope your week is filled with love and thanks for stopping by

Love

Amanda X

Art in the Round for That's Crafty

Hi Everyone

Tuesday is here again so i'm sharing some art over at That's Crafty Blog. For this weeks make I am sharing my recent makes to support That's Crafty's latest product launch on Hochanda TV where they brought to TV the popular ATC coins substrates along with further additions to their ATC coin stamps and stencil ranges along with super storage solutions for all your arty coins.

As always, for all the details just pop across HERE

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day

Love

Amanda X

Funny Farm

Hi Everyone

Hope you are having a great Saturday. I've been out with the dogs for the last few hours and am currently unable to feel my ears due to them nearly freezing off my head. I hear you shouting at me "Why didn't you wear a hat"? Which is a good question as I have some lovely warm hats but I had washed my hair this morning ready for going out tonight and all my hat seriously mess with my hair. So vanity has got me into this moment of frost bitten ears. What to do to take my mind off my frost bite pain but a little time in my craftroom with my little heater, along with the radiator being on, blasting out.  

I have just received Tim's Funny Farm stamps which seem to have taken the world by storm and just had to have a little play. These are going to be fabulous stamps for those quick cards that we all need sometimes.

It's only a clean & simple card as I wanted the card to match the simplicity of the stamp.  

I die cut one of the frames from Sizzix Snap Happy set from watercolour card and then ran it through Tim's Lumber 3D texture fade. It was then coloured with oxides and distress crayons. 

I stamped the dog and saying (all one stamp) and cut the dog out and cut off the sentiment to add separately to the photo frame. He (it looks a he) was coloured with distress inks. I have added some grass using a part of one of the new Wildflower stem dies #2. All has then been layered up with some dimension and layers of Kraft card and Kraft Core card. 

I had to add the heart which is the smaller of Tim's new faceted heart die. The smaller one was a bit fiddly so I constructed the larger one which is much easier and then went back to the smaller one as construction now made sense. 

I have edged it in walnut stain distress crayon to grunge it up a little. I'm not sure it works on the card but I like these hearts.

Anyway have a fabulous weekend and for anyone interested my ears have now thawed out!!

Thanks for stopping by 

Love

Amanda X

Come to the Darkside for That's Crafty

Hi Everyone

Blimey it's Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr this morning as I write this quick post to give you my regular Tuesday heads up that I am over at That's Crafty Blog sharing some art.

If you want to read the details just pop over HERE to check them out.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by

Love

Amanda X

Wildflowers for Birthdays Wishes

Hi Everyone

I hope you have all had a lovely weekend, for me it's been a weekend of Birthday celebrations ending this evening with a lovely family supper at my Mums as we all celebrate her birthday. I'm home now, settled into the sofa, and more tired than I would care to admit. Long gone are the weekends where I could party all night and survive on 2 hours sleep!!!

Anyway I am sharing with you the card that I made for my Mum and it uses Tim Holtz new wildflower stem dies.

I die cut each of the dies that come in Tim's Wildflower stem dies set #1 & #2 and coloured them using distress markers. 

The background has been created using distress oxides antique linen, vintage photo and brushed corduroy. I then stamped with the brushed corduroy oxide using the Ledger script stamp repeat stamping it to cover the background. I have added additional texture to the background by smearing distress collage medium crazing. Once that was dry I rub in walnut stain distress crayon to highlight the cracks. 

I then arranged the flowers and foliage into a bouquet and glued them together to form the bunch. I then added it to the background using 3D silicone gel to give it dimension from the background.

I added drops of glossy accents to appear to be dew on the flowers. Some seam binding coloured with peeled paint distress inks wraps around the card before I added to a piece of kraft card that I had edged with vintage photo distress ink. 

The last addition was to add the happy birthday sentiment stamped from Tim's Simple Saying set  stamped in potting shed archival ink pad.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy what's left of your Sunday evening

Love

Amanda X