Wednesday 17 October 2012

CC2C- challenge 25

This week's challenge on Linda's Studio L3 blog is to use Tim's Ink Palette - Perfect Pearls technique from page 53 of his book Compendium of Curiosities vol ii, this week sponsored by Simon Says Stamp.
I created my palette - with Heirloom Gold, Pewter & Forever Violet (the 3 colours of perfect pearls I've currently got).  To get a little more variety in colours, I also added Distress Dried Marigold re-inker & Crushed Olive stain, and Dylusions spray Bubblegum Pink & Fresh Lime to Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls - also Distress Tumbled Glass re-inker & Dylusions spray London Blue and Crushed Grape to Pewter Perfect Pearls.  The stamp I used is one of Dyan Reaveley's Dylusions background stamps (background love - DYR34612) from Ranger.

As you can see below, the Perfect Pearls on the black (which I used for the finished tag) have a much more subtle effect than on the cream - I think to get these colours on black I will have to get myself some more Perfect Pearls!  But I can see me using both colours of cardstock, depending on the finished result I'm looking for!  
unfinished tag (black)



Experiment on cream card
I heat embossed the quote onto black card which I then coloured with Perfect Pearls...
And finally I added a die cut flower & butterfly which I'd made using the riveted patchwork technique on p 57 of the same book...
detail of finished tag
 ... just a couple of bits I had lying around!

Back soon!   Kay

Thursday 11 October 2012

CC2C - Challenge 24


Just a quick last minute entry for Linda's Studio L3 challenge, using the Alcohol Resist technique from page 59 of Tim's 'Compendium of Curiosities vol ii'!
Is it too early to be thinking 'Christmas'??!
I used Tim's trees stamp from one of his Christmas sets for the alcohol ink panel, & heat embossed the snowflakes from the same set, then coloured the card with salty ocean and iced spruce distress inks.
(apologies for the poor photo quality - looks better in real life!)
Back soon!   Kay

Distress - seasonal

Great news - Tim Holtz's Ranger Distress Seasonal ink pads, which were released 2011/2012 in limited packs of 3 are now part of the standard distress range, so 48 gorgeous colours instead of 36 (plus of course picket fence)!  They're currently in ink pads & re-inkers  - hopefully maybe even markers at some stage?
What's even better is that Ranger have a contest on their blog for a giveaway of some of these 'new' colours, so here's my entry...

I was lucky enough to get the Winter & Spring packs (& I found the Summer pack just a couple of weeks ago).  But the Fall pack I couldn't find anywhere, so I'm so pleased at last to be able to get them!
For my tag, I used mowed lawn (from Summer), mustard seed and barn door distress ink pads. I stamped the three leaf images from Tim's mini blueprints set CMS 136 in jet black archival.  Then I pressed the ink pads onto my craft sheet & used a water brush to pick up and blend the colours on the leaves.  For the birch I used mowed lawn & mustard seed, for the oak mustard seed & a little barn door, and for the maple barn door & a little mustard seed.  Such a range of autumnal colours from just 3 distress ink pads! Then I used my blending foam to distress the tag (using the same 3 colours).
Finally I diecut letters from gold card, added a little frayed burlap (marker) & attached them to the tag and edged around them with black ink, to make them stand out.
Fingers crossed!
Back soon!   Kay

Thursday 4 October 2012

CC2C - Challenge 23

It's Challenge 23 this week on Linda's Studio L3 blog. Tim's technique is using Distress Markers, on page 50 of Tim's book 'Compendium of Curiosities vol ii'.  And this week's prize is an awesome one of gorgeous goodies from a box that Mario sent to Linda!
Autumn seems definitely with us now, so I decided on a simple 'art' work...
I stamped the Birch blueprint from Tim's new Mini Blueprints CMS136 stamp set in the middle of a piece of watercolour paper.  Then I drew the border & filled it in freehand with 'silver brich' tree trunks.  I stamped the birch leaf several times more & 'fussy-cut' them out.  Finally I was ready to colour in with distress markers (and a little water) - tumbled glass for the sky, and a selection of fired brick, frayed burlap, bundled sage, scattered straw and crushed olive for the leaves, and finally frayed burlap & picket fence for the tree trunks.
I love this stamp set - it's so versatile, with 4 each of Autumn, Halloween & Christmas blueprints, which are just large enough to use on a card with other elements - I'm so glad I got them!
And of course, I love the distress markers!  I love the range of colours you can get, even with just a few, and a little water!  I'll have to get a few more of them soon though (I've got 10 at the moment)...

Back soon!   Kay 

Thursday 27 September 2012

12 tags of 2012 - September & CC2C Challenge 22

This week's challenge from Linda at Studio L3 features Tim's Riveted Patchwork technique from his 'Compendium of Curiosities vol ii' on page 57, which also features on Tim's September tag.  And the sponsor this week is the Funkie Junkie Boutique.
I'm very disorganised as usual (but even more so this week!) and I'll be away at the weekend, so I thought I would combine the challenge with the tag.  Now, this week I did make a whole tag with the riveted patchwork technique (I love this technique, by the way!), but can I find it? No!!
Luckily I made another piece of riveted patchwork, which I've die cut and added these die cut elements to a distress-stained background (broken china & crushed olive) - quite a simple tag this time - I hope this counts! I must admit I like the idea of using the industrial / grungy riveted patchwork technique for elements of nature!

Back soon!   Kay

Thursday 20 September 2012

CC2C - Challenge 21 Blended Stains

And another one!  This week's challenge on Linda's Studio L3 blog is using Tim's Blended Stains technique from his book 'Compendium of Curiosities vol ii'; check it out on page 45.
This week's sponsor is Simon Says Stamp.
Just a simple stamped tag this time, with a blended stains background ...

I'm looking forward to the 'Big Stamping & Scrapbooking Show' at Alexandra Palace, London this weekend - I want (need?) a few bits, but hopefully I won't spend too much money!
Back soon!  Kay

Thursday 13 September 2012

CC2C - Challenge 20 enameled stamping

Time for another challenge, hosted by Linda at Studio L3, based this week on page 44 of Tim's book 'Compendium of Curiosities vol ii'
The technique this week is 'enameled stamping', which I used for the background of the card (which may turn out to become a small scrapbook page, or part of a larger one!)


I used one of Tim's wallpaper stamps for the stamping.  You can see it a bit more in the detail below, I think!

I really do need to have a massive tidy-up of my craft things, as I'm at the stage now where I have to spend ages looking for things that I know are somewhere (& I can't always find them!) - I am very disorderly!  So I decided on Tim's quote stamp (embossed with gold detail enamel on black card). I wasn't sure how to finish it off, as I didn't want to hide the background too much!  I decided to take a photo of my 'disorderly' box where I keep some of my Tim Holtz 'goodies'.  And in my box, I 'discovered' memo pins, grungeboard flourishes & tissue tape, so I used these, together with the photo, to embellish it!

Back soon!  Kay 

Friday 31 August 2012

12 tags of 2012 - August

Finally, just in time!  My August tag ... inspired by Tim's tag.


A few challenges (which I enjoyed working around!) - I hadn't got a suitable stamp for the image border, & I hadn't got a texture fade...


So, I die cut a couple of florishes & cut pieces of them to join together to make the oval frame.  And the stamp (from Lavinia stamps) is stamped onto a separate piece of oval card, so I embossed the whole tag. 














I used chit-chat words which I think went with the fairy image & added glitter to the image & in a tiny glass bottle.












I made the roses with 3 each of tattered florals die cuts.

Back soon!  Kay




Wednesday 29 August 2012

CC2C - Challenge 19

Another week, another challenge from Linda at Studio L3!  The technique (Kraft Resist) is from Tim's book "Compendium of Curiosities vol ii".
I haven't got any Kraft Resist at the moment, so I tried making my own with Tim's Papillon background on a textured kraft cardstock.  I then used his bicycle stamp to create the 'resist' and continued with the technique from page 41.



The 'boys on bicycles' stamp is from Chocolate Baroque & I printed the words on computer.
This time, Linda linked to Tim's Kraft Resist Ideas video on his blog for all to see.

Back soon!  Kay

Thursday 23 August 2012

CC2C - Challenge 18

Half way there!  I shall attempt to post earlier for the second half!!
This week's technique from Tim's "Compendium of Curiosities ii" is Whitewash Stamping.  The challenge is set as usual by Linda at Studio L3 and the sponsor this week is the Funkie Junkie Boutique.
I've not tried this technique before... I think with a little more pratice it will be better!!


I just did a simple background with the technique for a simple card.  I overstamped (set off slightly) the whitewashed wings & heart.  You can see it a little better in the detailed photo below...


I also used thetechnique on the right-hand side of the card.

Back soon!  Kay

Thursday 16 August 2012

CC2C - Challenge 17

And it's Thursday, again! Once more it's time for the lovely Linda's Tim Holtz 'Compendium of Curiosities vol ii' challenge at Studio L3 - this week sponsored by Simon Says Stamp.
This week the technique is 'Creative Core-Dinations' - Tim gives a couple of techniques on page 61 of his book & I've used both of these on this card, for the background, butterflies & flower ...

Then I added a little bit of 'bling' for the butterflies' bodies, a vintage button & coppery disc for the centre of the flower, a couple of pieces of tisse tape & doily (and tiny,tiny pieces of lace die cuts) & computer printed words to finish.
Back soon,  Kay

Thursday 9 August 2012

CC2C -Challenge 16

So this week, the technique from Tim's book 'Compendium of Curiosities vol ii' for Linda's challenge at Studio L3 is on page 54 of the book & it's the Perfect Pearls Mist technique.
I sort of ran out of time (too much watching the Olympics on TV!!) so I just did a simple tag...

Flower detail- shows the perfect pearls a bit better I think!

Back soon!  Kay

Thursday 2 August 2012

CC2C - Challenge 15

Once more I'm last minute (!) - this week's challenge, hosted by the lovely Linda at Studio L3 is using Tim's 'enameled metals' technique on page 56 of his 'Compendium of Curiosities vol ii'

I did the technique for the background of the card, & just added an alcohol-inked flower & the sentiment on top of some silver lace ribbon.
Back soon!  Kay

Tuesday 31 July 2012

Rusted enamel challenge

Finally, (just in time!) my entry for the CC101 Facebook group's rusted enamel challenge!

The group is open to participants of Tim Holtz's Creative Chemistry 101 course only - it's a great course, well worth doing - it's still available online.
So I used the technique twice...
Firstly on the card - I stamped with archival before doing the technique over it (I used Victorian Velvet distress ink).

And secondly on the background, on a canvas board.  The background inks were Spun Sugar, Weathered Wood and Iced Spruce, which I used direct to the canvas & then spritzed with water, to blend them a bit & also to make sure the embossing powder stuck!  As the board already came covered with gesso, the distress for the rusted parts didn't work 100% perfectly, but I think it makes quite an interesting, grungy background, none the less!

Finally, I added a grungeboard dress form covered with lace & trim, lightly coloured with Victorian Velvet.

Monday 30 July 2012

12 tags of 2012 - July

After weeks & weeks (months?!) of a very wet, rainy & cloudy 'summer', we've finally had a few days of hot sunshine!  So I thought I'd create a bright & cheeful tag for July, following Tim's alcohol ink technique for his July tag.  I remembered the quote 'make hay while the sun shines' and took it quite literally! - thinking of a corn field, with poppies, ripening in the sun...

I used alcohol inks in aqua, lettuce, cranberry & gold mixative.  The stamps are from a retro florals set by Chocolate Baroque.
I printed the quote onto a separate strip of glossy cardstock & cut out the words. I coloured the ribbon with festive berries & tumbled glass distress inks & added a green organza ribbon as well.
Finally I added a metal swirl & a couple of diecut ears of corn (from Tim's Autumn Gatherings die).  Hopefully we'll have lots more sunny days in August so that all the hay & corn that hasn't already been ruined by the rain & floods will ripen well in the fields this year ...
Back soon!  Kay

Thursday 26 July 2012

CC2C - Challenge 14

Just in time (literally!) for this week's Compendium of Curiosities vol ii challenge, hosted by the lovely Linda at Studio L3 & this week sponsored by the funkie junkie boutique.
This week's technique is Gilded Kraft Glassine, in Tim's book on page 39.

So I did the technique on the kraft glassine background and also on the kraft glassine for the butterflies, & 'skirt' (using Tim's birdcage die) which I then diecut.  I backed the 'skirt' with a white-printed tissue paper & added a few 'jewells' for a bit of extra sparkle!!  Can't say much more, really!  I do love the effect this technique gives ...
I hope I'm organised a bit better for next week's challenge!
Back soon!  Kay

Thursday 19 July 2012

Seasonal distress challenge

There's a bonus challenge this month from our CC101 Facebook group... to create a piece using one of Tim's 4 seasonal sets, and one or more techniques from Tim's Creative Chemistry 101 online course.
At the moment, I've got 2 sets of the seasonal distress inks; winter & spring (& no reinkers!).  So as I've used the spring set a lot recently, I thought I'd use the winter set.  The colours are usually quite Christmassy, but as it's July I wanted to see if I could use them for a non-Christmas project, so I decided to use lots of water & see what happened!
First I clear-embossed the flowers (in the background) onto a 4.5" x 7" canvas & coloured them with festive berries. I pressed the ink pad onto my craft sheet, & picked up the colour with a waterbrush, using lots of water. My stamp (by Judikins) wasn't very clean so the clear embossing which should have shown up white over the white canvas turned out grey in places (you can see a couple of bits if you look closely!)
So I decided to add some more flowers on top!  I used the dabber resist technique (with pitch black dabber) onto natural sticky back canvas, (using the waterbrush rather than stains (!)) with festive berries again for the flowers...
To finish off the flowers, I inked the centres with iced spruce & then added distress stickles over the top (actually antique linen rather than clear rock candy, which has gone 'walkabout' at the moment!).
I used the dabber resist technique again with a mixture of iced spruce & evergreen bough for the  leaves.  Then I cut them out & attached them to the canvas 
I coloured the background with iced spruce & evergreen bough, very watered down.  I added random blocks of iced spruce on top, & then spritzed the canvas heavily, let it lay there for a bit, & then stood the canvas upright & let the water run down.
  I gessoed the edge of the canvas, adding a little festive berries to the gesso, which made it a soft pink, which I toned down with a little iced spruce.
To finish the canvas, I added the ribbon & coin, as it looked sort of oriental!


Back soon!  Kay

CC2C - Challenge 13

And it's another week's challenge from Linda at Studio L3, using p 42 of Tim's book Compendium of Curiosities vol ii, this week sponsored by Simon Says Stamp.  And once again I've left it until the last day!!
This week it's one of Tim's classic techniques - spritz & flick distress.  I love this technique, it's quick to do & you can get some great results!
In 'honour' of our 'summer' here in the UK (which has been extremely wet!) I thought I'd use the theme of 'rain'!!
I love Tim's quote stamp about '... learning to dance in the rain' (I'm learning!!!).  So on top of the (heavily) Spritz & Flicked Distress background, I used this quote, and the 'umbrella girl' stamp from Art Journey - a great stamp company in the Netherlands.  
I added a few Glossy Accent raindrops and some drops on the distress inked flowers ...
 & also created a Glossy Accents puddle!!

The distress ink colours I used were dusty concord, broken china & shabby shutters for the background, shaded lilac & dusty concord for the flowers, and black soot & aquamarine archival for the stamping.
It's supposed to be getting better and more summery by the weekend, so finger's crossed - I may decide on a 'sunshine' theme next week!!!


Back soon!  Kay

Thursday 12 July 2012

new cards ...

Here's some of my new cards, ready for two craft fairs this weekend! - I'll also have a few bookmarks, mixed media canvases & pendant necklaces for sale...

Saturday 14th July - Queen's Road Summer Market, Watford 9-4

Sunday 15th July - Hertfordshire Craft Collective Vintage & Craft Fair - Battlers Green Farm, Radlett 11-4

Fingers crossed that the rain holds off (both are open air!!)


card for flower & bunting coloured & stamped

stamped

distressed & stamped, (on watercolour paper)

distressed, then stamped & embossed, ready for greeting

cupcakes punched out & stamped
loads of techniques on this one!


stamped, coloured & cut, ready for greeting

stamped, coloured & cut, ready for greeting

die cut, stamped & coloured


stamped, coloured & cut



stamped & coloured

stamped & cut, punched background

stamped & coloured, ready for greeting
stamped
stamped




distressed & stamped, ready for greeting

Back soon!   Kay