Grunge at That's Crafty Challenge Blog

Hi Everyone

Our new fortnightly challenge theme starts today over at That's Crafty Challenge Blog and for the next 2 weeks we're looking for anything

'GRUNGE'

For my Grunge piece it's all gone rusty using Seth Apter Paperartsy Fresco colours.

This is how it all started

It all started with a piece of corrugated cardboard and I ripped off the top layer in places exposing the corrugated bits. I die cut the word code from mountboard  substituting the e for a 3. I then gave it all a coat of gesso. I then tore up the piece and added it to an 8" x 8" that's Crafty MDF board. I then gave it all another coat of gesso. Onto that I then started by building up the paint colours the first layer was applied with a brush to give it a covering I then started adding alternate layers of some of the Seth Apter coloured Paperartsy fresco paints, all these were added with cut up pieces of washing up sponge as it adds real texture.

Onto a separate piece of thick white card I sponged on the paint again but slightly changed the final effect. This is the piece that I die cut both the Maze and rectangle die again from Seth Apters Spellbinder die range.

Here you can see the effect and texture that the sponge gives to the paint. I also added some stencilling using an Andy Skinner stencil. To the maze die I added the washers that I had rusted with rusting powder, laid on book pages and filled with glossy accents and left to dry. When dried I trimmed the paper off and glued them to pieces of rusty wire to come out from the maze. The centre is the top from an old tap given a slight paint treatment.

That's my interpretation of grunge as a little bit of inspiration, and we would love to see yours by joining in with us over on the challenge blog. As always, our prize is a £20 That's Crafty voucher for one randomly chosen entry. 

You will find all the details and more Grungy inspiration from the rest of the DT HERE

Thanks for stopping by

Love

Amanda X

Soar for That's Crafty

Hi Everyone

Just a quick little post to let you know that as it its Tuesday I am over at That's Crafty Blog 

Here's just a little teaser, I hope you'll pop over Here to see it all.

Thanks for stopping by

Love

Amanda X

Good Vibes

Hi Everyone

The title of my post today does no way represent the weekend I am having............ My working schedule means that I work every other weekend and over the last few years this has always landed that I haven't been off on Wimbledon finals weekend and as a big fan of Wimbledon you can imagine my delight to be off for it all this weekend. There my good fortune ends......... I broke a tooth Friday to find myself in absolute agony, thinking I could self medicate the pain until Monday was fool hardy, anyway to cut a long story short I spent Saturday afternoon trying to source an emergency dentist, with the help of a lovely lady on the other end of the phone, to find that I could be seen at 3pm out of my area, well I just had to get myself there. Needless to say I missed the Ladies final to have the time spent being painfully prodded and poked and a temporary filling put in place. Needless to say I am still in pain but I am going to watch the mens final come hell or high water!!!! 

Anyway I did manage to have a little play, some compensation for feeling very sorry for myself. I have a clean and simple card today.

The main image is from 'aall and create' and the set is set #7 by Bipasha

I got out my kids paint spinny thingy and spun on several colours for the background and I have only added a bit of extra colour to her eye and lips. The good vibes sentiment has been stamped and coloured with the same paints.

Anyway I hope you're having a better weekend than me and I'm off now to cheer on Federer! 

Thanks for stopping by

Love

Amanda X

Nerd Alert

Hi Everyone

I don't know about you but after a long day at work there is nothing better than a play in your craftroom to chill out and forget all the hassles of your day. In my efforts to ink up stamps that  have long been neglected I have used one of my VLVS stamps.

Background started with a gelli print which I then stamped Deep Red Rubber stamp formula stamp. I then stencilled a Patti Tolley stencil. Over that I stencilled the caution sign from Brett Weldele. all other stencils from Tim Holtz. Image was stamped onto a seperate piece of paper and cut out and added to the background.  Nerd stamp, from my stash, was heat embossed with yellow and the word alert typed out in red. 

Just a bit of fun really and an outlet for relexation.

Thanks for stopping by

Love

Amanda x

Chill for That's Crafty

Hi Everyone

Just a quick post to let you know I'm over at That's Crafty Blog today

I hope you'll pop over and check out all the details HERE

Thanks for stopping by

Love

Amanda X

Buddha says................

"If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change"

Hi Everyone

The above quote is from Buddha and can be found on one of the recently released stamp sets from Paperartsy, the collection has been put together by Alison Bomber of Words and Pictures blog fame.

When I saw that there was a quote from Buddha on the set I just had to ink up the fabulous Buddha stamp again from Inkylicious.

Background is all distress oxides, first swooshing the card through the inks on my craft mat. Then I stamped the Buddha stamp in black archival ink and masked it over and then stencilled flowers on again using distress oxides.

I then stencilled more this time is black archival through a hibiscus stencil by Designs by Ryn.

I have added some chinese letters by embossing them with gold and edged of the hibiscus with a gold pen. The words from Buddha from the stamp set were embossed in gold onto black card, cut out, and added to the card.

Hope you've all had a fabulous weekend and thanks for stopping by

Love

Amanda X

Anything Goes at That's Crafty Challenge Blog

Hi Everyone

It's time for another challenge fortnight over at That's Crafty Challenges and this time it couldn't be easier and thats because it's an

ANYTHING GOES fortnight.

Here's my piece of inspiration for you

I have used one of the brand new Lost Coast Design stamps that have just arrived at That's Crafty, this one is Large Elk Skull. I have made a wall hanging using a That's Crafty 6" x 6" MDF square. 

I started with a gelli print that I had and then stamped on the elk using Tim's Stamping platform. Leaving everything on the platform I then painted the image, once the paint was dry I then re stamped my image to put all the detail back in that I had previously painted over. The flowers I painted out with white paint and then coloured with  coloured pencils. I then glued the print to the MDF and trimmed it. I edged the piece using blue foil roughly adding some glue and then adding the foil to it, sadly the photo doesn't show how this shines. Sentiment is from Tim Holtz Metallic quotation stickers. I had an old box of beads and things so added some to the bottom that I thought went with the image. 

With it being an Anything Goes challenge the rest of the design team have come up with some very different pieces of inspiration for you which you can see HERE.

Why not come and play along with us, you could be the lucky, randomly chosen, winner of a £20 voucher to spend online at That's Crafty.

Hopefully we'll see you over there
I would also like to enter this into this months 'Anything Goes' monthly challenge at Craft Stamper Challenge Blog
also I am entering into The latest challenge which is 'Anything Goes' over at Lost Coast Designs blog HERE

Thanks for stopping by

Love

Amanda X

Frida - Lost but not Forgotten

Hi Everyone

I hope today finds you well. 

I am continuing my mission to ink up stamps that haven't seen the light of day for a while. This Frida Kahlo stamps by Lost Coast Designs is one of those stamps so I've given her a little outing that I hope you like.

I have used a gelli print as my starting background and then stamped Frida directly onto the gelli print using my stamping platform as when there is a lot of black on the stamp it takes a couple of goes to get a good impression over paint, well I find it does.

I have then added some stencilling and some stamping. I work on the stamping platform so anything I cover over with stencilling, in this case the text, I can re-stamp over anything I've added to the background. I have also added a bit of colour to her face using coloured pencils which gives her a slightly different tone than the background. All has been mounted onto a white card blank even though it doesn't look white (bad photo)

Have a fabulous day

see you soon and thanks for stopping by

Love

Amanda X

Acrylic Stack Play for That's Crafty

Hi Everyone

I have my usual post over at That's Crafty Blog as it's Tuesday and I have been playing with one of That's Crafty acrylic stacks.

Before I put the stack together it looks like this

for all the how to details pop across to That's Crafty blog HERE

I'd love it if you'd pop over.

Thanks for stopping by

Love

Amanda X

Be Cool!

Hi Everyone

This is my 2nd post of today due to the fact that my delivery of new stamps arrived this morning from Katzelkraft and as it was my day off and as it was raining what else would you do but play!!

This latest release from Katzelkraft are brilliant just love all of them but I think, even though it's a close run thing, that this guy is my favourite I think it's because he just seems to have so much attitude.

I have coloured him with pencils and teamed him up with some Sheena Douglass stamps and the graffiti font stamp is from Woodware. Be Cool is from a Dymo gun strip.

All has been created on a gelli printed background. 

If you are interested in this latest range from Katzelkraft you will find them all HERE postage to the UK was less than a week.

Thanks for stopping by

Love

Amanda 

Enjoy for That's Crafty Blog

Hi Everyone

Just a quick post to let you know I am over at That's Crafty Blog today 

You'll find all the details HERE

Have a fabulous day

Love

Amanda X

Be Yourself

Hi Everyone

I have been playing with gelli print scraps to create this card. I have cut some not so good gelli prints into squares to create my background. Onto that I stamped the main image which is from Carabelle Studio using my Tim Holtz stamping platform and left both the card and the stamp in the same position on the stamping platform as I would need it again, I then masked her off and added additional stencilling to the background. I then painted the face of the image using blush fresco paint and painted the white of her eyes. Once the paint was dry I then inked up the stamp again that I had left on the stamping platform and stamped again over the parts that I had added paint. This is a great way to paint and make it look like you haven't gone over the lines lol. 

I think this might be my favourite technique of the moment!

I then added some heated embossed stamping in white again using stamps from Carabelle Studio. 

Sentiment is Tim's large chit chat stickers. 

Matted onto black card and added to the card blank.

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous Sunday

Love

Amanda X