Young love - ACF 32

Here is my entry for the Art Creations Friday challenge 32, which was to use the image of the lady in a piece of art.

I digitally manipulated a background I had made previously. Having cut away the background from the image of the lady, I added it to the right of my background. I then added the lace, letters and locket. As a final touch I attached a frame.

Here is a picture of the original background, made from paper with gesso & paint applied on top and then stamped.

Altered book - stage 3

I have now added some decoration to the pages dabbed with Glimmer Mist. I made a tag using Tim Holtz stamps and attached it to the right-hand page. I then decorated the left-hand page using one of the same stamps, twice upside down, and painted them in a coordinating colour.

Altered book - stage two, decoration

Now prepared, the book is ready for decoration. Originally, I was going to think of a theme but this stopped me in my tracks. What would be my theme? I didn't know, so decided to go ahead without one .... well, it is my first altered book.

First step, I coloured some of the pages using acrylic ink.

Next, I coloured other pages using dabs of Glimmer Mists, allowing each colour to dry before applying the next.

Clearly, the pages need more decoration than this. So, some pages I folded to make pockets, before adding stamped decorations on top. More decoration to come in later posts.

Altered book - stage one, preparation

Well, a little while ago I said I was going to start an altered book. I have never done this before but I came across the concept in a book (that I won't be altering) and the idea grabbed me. Now if you had seen my house you would know that there are books everywhere. Could I find one that I would be happy to alter i.e. render it readable no longer? No! Fortunately, I came across a shop selling hardback books for 99p each, so I bought two. Subsequent reading told me that books with sewn, rather than glued, spines are preferable for altering as they are so much stronger. Ah well, next time.... My first attempt hasn't fallen apart yet, but I can see where they are coming from. To start, I cut out about a third of the pages at regular intervals from the front and back of the book, but leaving a sizeable section in the middle untouched (see below). If this isn't done the book becomes too thick.

After that, I glued together a big wodge of pages in the middle with the intention of adding a niche. I did this by first wrapping clingfilm around the pages I didn't want at the front & back of the book, to avoid getting glue on them. I then glued around the edges of the pages with PVA glue. The book was then left overnight with heavy weights on top of it.

Spots & polka dots

The Die Cut Dreams challenge this week is 'spots & polka dots.' I passed a rectangle of Core-dinations card through the Cuttlebug using the polka dot embossing file. Once through, I gently sanded the card to reveal the dots in the core colour, pale yellow. I used an image from Pink Petticoat, which I coloured using watercolours, & die cut the edges using a Nestabilities' scalloped rectangle die cut shape. I then layered this onto black and cream rectangles. I chose a piece of coordinating cardstock and stuck this across the middle of the polka dot card, and then layered the image on top. As a finishing touch, I added four pale yellow eyelets, threading a green ribbon through two of them. Normally, yellow & black would not be colours I would choose but I am quite pleased with the end result. A little bit of experimentation outside one's comfort zone has to be good...

Wings

Allsorts Challenge blog's theme this week is 'wings.' This is my response. I have been playing with graphics. This was a free background, but with the colour changed. I then added the angel, another freebie.

Friday Sketchers in One Powerful Hour!

I don't tend to make many cards for men, it always seems more difficult, so I decided to combine One Powerful Hour's challenge to use stripes with Friday Sketchers' challenge sketch. This is the result. I did manage to make it within the hour, but I haven't tidied up yet!!

Art Creations Friday - challenge 31

Art Creations Friday's challenge this week was to use this background. So here is what I did. To start, I turned it 90 degrees anti-clockwise. I then applied a Tim Holtz mask to the upper right corner & applied purple ink over it, once complete I did the same in the lower left corner. I stamped the text, a Tim Holtz stamp, in the upper left corner. The image of the Eiffel Tower, by iTkUpiLLi, was stuck in the lower right corner. this was done using Glossy Accents. Over this, I fastened a transparency of a couple. To finish, I tore the border off a second background, added some purple ink to it and glued it to the bottom of the picture.

Inspire Me Thursday - ticket

Inspire Me Thursday's challenge theme this week is 'ticket'. Here is my contribution.

I applied gesso, blue & purple inks to a white background. When dry, I applied several images in black ink using a variety of rubber stamps. I then collaged several pieces of paper, including the ticket onto this background. All of these had a suffragette theme. I attached a dome sticker over one of the papers, to add some dimension. I then used a Tim Holtz stamp to add the purple lines left of centre. This was attached to a square of blue card to give a border, which in turn was added to a white card. Voila!

See http://www.inspiremethursday.com/

Today's projects

Today I started an altered book, my first one. There is nothing to see at the moment as it is sitting under a heavy weight until tomorrow morning. I have cut out many of the pages, and am now waiting for glue to dry in the central section where I have glued lots of pages together, with the intention of inserting a niche. I am not sure how long it will take to assemble, I don't even have a theme yet, but if successful I will post a picture of the final product. This may take a while! Having bought some mosaic stones a little while ago, I then decided my next project for the day would be to decorate another wooden plate (see May 15th), but in different colours this time. It took a while to get the metal quarters the right shape; I think it is almost impossible to get them totally accurate, but perhaps that adds to the charm! I debossed them using my Cuttlebug and then sprayed them with Tiger Lily Glimmer Mist. The stones & metal were stuck on with Glossy Accents.

Experimental masterboard and graphics

Since starting my own blog I have been visiting the blogs of many others. Many I look at with great admiration. There is so much talent and I have gained so much inspiration - thank you. Ones that have intrigued me have been those that create digital collage or manipulate their art digitally.

My metatarsalalgia (very painful foot!) has come back, and so I am trying to avoid walking (not very easy) and so this seemed a great excuse for sitting at the computer.

Also, I have recently come across the magazine 'Stampers' Sampler', an American magazine that is far superior to the majority of our English ones, and in it they talked about a masterboard. If I understand correctly, the idea is to make a background, scan it and then it can be printed and used for further projects. So I decided to give it a go!

The first picture shows my scanned masterboard - made from strips of paper glued onto an A4 sheet. Gesso & acrylic paint applied in blotches. Once dry, I stamped added some images using Tim Holtz stamps.

Then I started to digitally manipulate my masterboard. All the images you see, except the first, have been digitally manipulated. You can see that I added some digital images of leaves, and then started playing with colour and texture. The penultimate picture shows a kaleidoscope view, which it is hard to believe comes from my original masterboard. The one I am most pleased with is the one with the digital image of the ballerina (from an iTkUpiLLi) added. I added it after I had changed the background by using the 'topographical' effect.

What do you think?

I have yet to use any of my backgrounds for a new project, that is the next step. Watch this space!

Here is a set of wooden drawers, approx. 20 x 16 x 11cm, that I decorated.

To start, I covered it in acrylic paint, stream colour for the drawers, and pool for the body of the chest. I then dabbed some Glimmer Mist over the pool coloured paint. When dry, I stuck the paper circles onto the drawers with glossy transparent gel and then spread the gel over the front of all the drawers. The same method was used to add the flower and corners to the top of the chest.

All I have to decide now is what to keep in it!

Art Creations Friday & Theme Thursday challenges

This is an entry for two challenges - ACF no. 30, which provided the background (http://artcreationsfriday.blogspot.com/) and Theme Thursday whose challenge is 'flourishes' (http://themethursday.wordpress.com/).

I distressed a piece of black cardstock and then glued the ACF background, inked around the edges with black ink, on top. The image of an angel, by Paper Artsy, was stamped in the centre. Two flourishes, by Hot off the Press, were then stamped in opposite corners. Mica, which had been edged with black ink, was secured over the central image using glossy accents. I covered some silver mesh with black acrylic ink and used glossy Accents to attach it to the other two corners. Brads/eyelets, coloured with alcohol ink, were fastened over the mesh, using my Cropodile, for the finishing touch.

Created Byhand Challenge

This is the card I have made for my Dad for Father's Day. As he is on holiday at the moment it is safe to post it here as he won't see it before he sees the real thing! The stamp, by Crafty Individuals, is one of my recent acquisitions and this is the first card I have made with it. What do you think? I have entered it for the Created Byhand Challenge as the theme is Father's Day. See http://createdbyhandchallenge.wordpress.com/

Winter Wonderland & Crusade No. 31

OK, let me just say right from the beginning that I had no intention of entering either of these challenges. Last night, however, I found myself playing and this is what I ended up with! The lower picture (a sheet of DCWV cardstock) shows how it started off and the top picture shows how it ended up by the time I had finished. To start, I stamped on some Tim Holtz stamps in black Stazon. The colour of the card then inspired me to start adding gesso and greeny/turquoise acrylic paints in various places on the card. I then stamped the flowers again, this time in white and embossed them with silver/white embossing powder. it needed more, so then came the doodles around the edges. Finally, what did this remind me of? The bleak midwinter - one of my favourite carols. So, here are my entries for: http://christmasblogchallenge.blogspot.com/ - Winter Wonderland Challenge http://michelleward.typepad.com/how_cool_is_that/ - Make it your own challenge Let me know what you think.

Treasure chest or Pandora's box?

This started as a plain papier mache chest (bought at Hobby Craft). The first stage was to apply a primer, for which (rightly or wrongly) I used gesso. Once dry, I painted it with espresso acrylic ink. Tattered leather Glimmer Mist was then sponged on top. I ran a sheet of copper metal through my Cuttlebug (twice to cover the whole sheet) for the debossed section on the top. I embossed the lower section in the same way, but as it needed two strips to go all the way around I put them through the Cuttlebug together. All the metal was then antiqued using espresso acrylic ink. Once dry rust, ginger & mushroom alcohol inks were used to darken the metal. But ...... it didn't look quite complete, it needed a keyhole. I looked around in shops, but either they didn't have any or they were much too large. So, in the end it was made out of grungeboard - I cut a square, used my Cropodile to punch semi-circles off the corners and the top of the actual keyhole, and then lengthened this using my craft knife - once ready I covered it in Cosmic Shimmer antique copper UTEE (ultra thick embossing enamel) and the edges were touched up using my copper Krylon pen. Again, I antiqued it slightly with acrylic ink.

Art Creations Friday - challenge 29

The challenge this week was to incorporate the image of the girl into an art project.

I cut out the girl and highlighted the edges with ink. This was stuck on a pastel patterned background along with two torn images of Paris, also edged with ink. Random stamps were applied with teal Archival ink and various doodles added. The girl's ribbons and the dragonflies were coloured with a Promarker pen.

Theme Thursday - people with hats

Theme Thursday's challenge this week is 'people with hats' . Here is my version. Couldn't resist using this image I found in a magazine. I added the background to a red ATC and marked out a red border. I also edged the image in red once it was stuck down. Added the gem stones and a chipboard arrow on a red backing. What do you think? Visit http://themethursday.wordpress.com/ if you fancy a go!

Crazy Amigo challenge - bright colours ATC

Now for something completely different! The second challenge of the evening, Crazy Amigo's 'bright colours'. A simple collage of the brightest paper I could find, torn and edged with bright inks. Two felt flowers, fastened with a brad and attached to the ATC.

Art Creations Friday challenge

This is the first challenge I have attempted, so let me know what you think.

The background was supplied by Art Creations Friday for their weekly challenge.

I added the script stamp (by Elusive Images) and then highlighted it with a white Sakura pen. I also added a border using this. After cutting out the clown & buttons (care of iTkUpiLLi) I edged them with green ink and glued them onto the background.

Hope you like it.

Please leave comments!

After one last ditch attempt, I found a very helpful link which enable me to add the comments link. So feel free ....

iTkUpiLLi ATCs

I had to do some crafting whilst I was away, so here are some ATCs I made using (mostly) collage sheets from iTkUpiLLi.

I would love comments about any of my work, unfortunately I don't seem to be able to incorporate the comments link into my blog despite numerous attempts. Any help gratefully received!