Dipping a toe in the Water :o)

I recently got a new embossing folder which was the starting point for this project - a World Map - as my son is 18 in a couple of days and in the last year has been to both Australia and America (lucky boy!) I thought it would be appropriate to make something for him using it.  He has enjoyed his travels and plans to return to Australia as soon as he can.

So I ran a piece of card through my Big Shot, coloured it, then tore the edges and edged them in brown, then placed it onto a backing piece with some Hot of the Press paper covered in compasses.  The compasses then made me want to add a sailing ship so I searched through my ever growing pile of stamps and came across just the right set of stamps - PaperArtsy HP1202.

 My son also loves fishing, we even took him sea-fishing one birthday, so I decided to use the rest of the stamps as well.  I stamped some of them onto some cream cardstock and the others onto watercolour paper. The compass was the same size as the one on the embossing folder so I attached this with a brad at the center.  I then tried to position all the elements in a way I was happy with in order to create a card.  (You may have noticed I don't usually do cards (!) ).  This is not going to be an exception as I ended up changing my mind and painting a canvas for the back-drop!

Using a palette knife to scrape over the canvas I used some acrylic paints in blues, stones, yellow and a little touch of reddy-brown to give a mottled effect.  I then added a piece of linen to the canvas, wrapped a strip of hessian ribbon across the middle and then built up the picture on this.  I used Tim Holtz's watercolour technique on some of the stamped images using Faded Jeans and Worn Lipstick - by stamping them onto my craft sheet and then using a water brush to pick up the colour and add to the picture, and then used Brushed Corduroy to colour the torn edges which I had added on some of the images.

  

I stencilled through a mask with Faded Jeans to represent netting in two of the corners and as a final touch added a wooden lotto counter with the number 18.  (Another little Tim Holtz touch :o) )

I hope he likes it as much as I enjoyed creating it.

I wish to enter this into the following challenges:

A Vintage Journey - Challenge 9 Use Every Stamp in a Set - here:  http://www.vintagejourney.com/2014/06/challenge-9-use-every-stamp-in-set.html

The Artistic Stamper - By The Seaside - here:  http://www.theartisticstampercreativeteam.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/julys-challenge-by-seaside.html

Open Minded Crafting Fun Challenges - Challenge 14 Water Water Everywhere - here:  http://open-mindedcraftingfun.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/challenge-14-water-water-everywhere.html

4 Crafty Chicks Challenge Blog - Challenge 201 Nautical - here:  http://www.4craftychicks.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/4-crafty-chicks-201-nautical.html

That's Crafty Challenge Blog - All At Sea - here: http://thatscraftychallenges.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/all-at-sea-challenge.html

 and also

The Stamping Chef's - Tic Tac Toe Challenge (on Facebook) - here:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/TSCRecipes/

A bit of texturing - Tim Holtz style!!

I wanted to share this tag with you as I'm practicing my tags to get a bit braver with them! As I recently got some texture pastes and I'd only used them once I thought it was about time to give them another go.  The best thing is that this fits in well with four crafty challenges: A Vintage Journey - Get Some Texture; Compendium of Curiosities 3 - Challenge 4 (CC3C); Crafty Individuals - Tag You're It!; and That's Crafty - It's All About Texture.

The first step was to use Tim's 'Layered Stencil' technique with the aforementioned texture paste - I can't share this technique with you as in line with the CC3C rules I need to refer you to Tim's third installment of the Compendium of Curiosities - this technique is on page 49.  I did use a variety of stamps to shadow stamp the background of the tag - including some Crafty Individuals ones.

This I then overlayed with two ovals on which I've used another of Tim's texture techniques - this time Crumpled Kraft Suede (page 40 in Compendium of Curiosities 2!).  I stamped these with a sentiment from my ever growing collection of Tim's stamps and a little heart.

A beautiful spray of flowers and a word band and it's all finished!

I'm really pleased with myself for venturing into the unknown!!

I would like to enter this into the following challenges:

Compendium of Challenges 3 - Challenge 4 Layered Stencil technique - here http://lindaledbetter.com/2014/06/compendium-of-curiosities-3-challenge-4.html

A Vintage Journey - Get Some Texture - here http://www.vintagejourney.com/2014/05/challenge-7-get-some-texture.html

Crafty Individuals - Tag You're It! - here http://craftyindividualsblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/we-challenge-you-in-june-to-play-tag.html

and

That's Crafty - It's All About Texture - here http://thatscraftychallenges.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/its-all-about-texture-challenge.html

Thanks for reading!
Stefanie xx

Everything's coming up Roses

I've been wanting to do this project for ages, but wanted to do it right, and use it to enter a couple of challenges too, then I saw that this fortnight's challenge on A Compendium of Challenges was the wonderful Tim Holtz Tea Rose - Page 65 of Compendium of Curiosities Volume III - great I thought - flowers - just what this needs!!  Then I realised I needed a specific die to create the roses; a die I didn't have and that was out of stock in just about every online craft shop I tried.  But, guess what, one of my besties (Sarah :o) ) had the die and agreed to lend it to me.  It took me a few practices but I got the hang of it in the end and I think I may just have to go out and buy the die myself!!

There are two other blogs which also have a flower related theme this month; Craft All Day, where I buy an awful lot of my supplies, including the 'box' that is the main focus of this piece; and also Vintage Stamping Challenges, which I like to enter when I can as I am still new to stamping and like to push myself a little.

 So this is the box before I began - I saw it as a mini-greenhouse draped in flowers - well that was my plan - I think maybe a little ambitious, but I'm really pleased with the result.

First of all I painted it white and then when dry I stamped with grass and flower stamps, adding in a few little creatures too - a cute hedgehog, snail and blackbird ooh and a bench!

By then I had realised that it would be a great size to store my seeds in, so I stamped 3 x labels, for Herbs, Flowers and Veggies and a central label too.

 The last step was to create my climbing roses :o)  So I used the die as per Tim's instructions and made some roses and leaves, I had already stamped along 2 sides of the lid with some small climbing branches too which I think gives a bit of depth.  I stuck 2 half terracotta pots to the lid and added the roses.

And there it is - just by the skin of my teeth too - I think I'm down to the final hours to link to the CC3C!!

The challenges I'm entering this into are:

Compendium of Challenges3, Challenge 3 - Tea Roses - here: http://lindaledbetter.com/2014/05/compendium-of-curiosities-3-challenge-3.html

Craft All Day - Flowers, flowers, flowers - here : http://craftallday.blogspot.com/2014/05/challenge-6-flowers.html

and

Vintage Stamping Challenges - Summer Blooms - here : http://www.flonzcraft.com/vsc/?p=1499

Thanks for reading
Stefanie x

A Curious Heart - Words, Words, Words .....

This is my latest challenge entry; I've recycled an old drawer that I originally thought had been a clock housing, I bought it a while back at a bric-a-brac shop for about £2. I've created a little door for it to make it into a little cupboard.

The first thing I did was to line the inside.  I created the background paper by stamping various words (did I tell you I like text stamps?) on a beige coloured sheet of paper using crimson and chocolate coloured ink-pads.  I also stamped some little flourishes. I then blended the edges of the paper with the crimson ink and tattered rose.  The sides were lined with a co-ordinating paper.

I've wanted to try a distress, cracked paint finish for a while so, after a bit of online research,I painted the outside with a metallic copper acrylic paint, when dried I then applied a coat of pva glue and when thi was tacky but not completely dry I applied a coat of black acrylic paint.  As the glue dried the peeled effect revealed itself. I'm more than pleased with it for a first effect!

The door is a strong piece of card which I've covered with two different papers.  The front first, then adding the hardware (hinges,  handle and bookplate) before adding the back piece.  I then added a stamped tag, some wooden cogs and a leather flower embellishment to the inside of the door. I used some large round beads to create the feet.

The heart is a small polystyrene one which I've painted with a mixture of copper, red and black paints before threading a wire through it to hold it in place.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

A Vintage Journey - Say It With Words; here (www.vintagejourney.com/2014/03/challenge-2-say-it-with-words.html?m=1)

Mixed Media Place - Curiosity here (www.mixedmediaplace.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/what-are-you-feeling-vol4.html?m=1);

SanDee & Amelie's Steampunk Challenges - Your Favourite Technique goes Steampunk (I've decided that the peeled paint technique I used is a new favourite!); here (www.sandee-and-amelie.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/your-favourite-technique-goes-steampunk.html?m=1)

Rhedd's Creative Spirit monthly challenge - altered art: here (http://rheddscreativespirit.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/april-challenge.html)

And

The Tando Creative Challenge - Recycle: here (www.tando-creative-challenges.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/april-challenge.html?m=1)

Challenge Entry for A Vintage Journey and Craft All Day

There's been a great new challenge blog launch for devotees of everything shabby chic and vintage, especially if influenced by the great Tim Holtz ~ A Vintage Journey (here at http://www.vintagejourney.com/) Their first challenge is simply 'Anything Tim'

I talked a lot at the beginning of the year about wanting to enter a few challenges and this one has inspired me to take part!  I am also entering my piece into the monthly challenge at Craft All Day, where I got a few of my supplies from (http://craftallday.blogspot.com/2014/03/challenge-4-anything-goes.html ) their theme this month is Anything Goes.

One thing I've wanted to create for a long time is a shadow box - I could spend hours (hmm and probably have!) scrolling through all the delicious ones on show on Pinterest.  They just really catch my imagination so I bought a few blanks a while ago but have been waiting for the mojo to hit.  I figured the time is finally right!

I decided to use this little MDF house shaped shadow box, I really like the fact that it has different shaped sections so I could really play around with them.

So my first task was to paint it all black. I used a simple acrylic paint for this, making sure to really get into all the inside corners. I chose black as I wanted to make this one quite antiquey (is that a word!?) a bit like an old library or reading room feel to it, but there are some lovely ones which have been painted white or pale pastel colours which give a lovely shabby chic look. I will try one like this in the future sometime I'm sure.

Once the paint had dried, I spent some time picking out which papers I wanted to use at the back of each section to help give some definition. Again I went darkish papers to carry on the theme.  You might (if you look closely!) notice a few scripty papers and one with maps - two of my favourite things - words and maps!  This is also true with my choice of fabrics - my friends just have to point out either and they know I'll take the bait!

I decided that the longer section at the bottom would work best with a drawer - this though meant I had to create one.  So I measured the opening, depth, length and height and cut some stiff card to a shape that I could then score and fold to make the drawer.  I then lined it and covered the front with more papers and a little washi tape; I also attached a little handle with a couple of small brads.

The next bit was the really fun bit! Choosing which embellishments to put where, and fastening them in to place.

Here are a few close-ups of the individual sections.  My favourites are the 'Words' one - I would really like to have some vintage typewriter keys but haven't treated myself yet - to make these I found a copywright free downloadable image, printed it off and then cut out the letters I wanted and glued them to some little chipboard circles I had - and the 'Map Room' - I spent a long time working out what was missing after I'd placed the Eiffel Tower and the balloon and then it suddenly came to me to make a little map scroll to place in there too.

 

I'm really pleased with the result, and will definitely be making another.  I hope you like it too.

Thanks for reading!

Stefanie xx