Think Happy Thoughts #135

Today's project features PaperArtsy stamps.  I started by creating using my Distress Stains.  I then added a scrap of dictionary page and tinted it with some of the same stains.  Next I stamped my dream lady in brown onto the dictionary page.  I then started to build up background layers by stamping different stamps in different shades of browns and yellow tones and eventually stamping in black. 

I drew a couple of borders with my fineliner and then as a final touch added Glossy Accents over the main image.

I've had a lovely crafting session this morning and you'll be seeing the projects created over the next few days - I've been busy playing with inks & paints again!

happy crafting

Jane

www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk

Butterflies and leaves #111

Having a play with distress stains on this creation.  I started by swiping the background with broken china, wild honey and a little gathered twigs and then sprayed with water to help it blend.  I then used cut n dry with some orange tones to bright up some of the edges.

my next layer was to stamp with Tim Holts Royal Script in Salty Ocean and then the leaf in black (this is a Tim Holtz stamp too).    I then used some pale blue acrylic paint to fill in the flower to make it stand out from the background.

The butterflies were stamped next -they are a Crafty Individuals stamp and then the happiness border - which is a hero arts stamp.  Some white highlights on the butterfly and a black dash border finished the piece.

happy crafting

Jane

www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk

Bright Birdy #107

This is the second of the samples I created for my workshop on Monday.  This one was to show the look of the Distress Stains.

I started by working with yellow, blue and red tones of Distress stains - adding blotches of colour.  I then generously spritzed it with water and used a cloth to blend some of the colours.  Go gently - your card surface is saturated with water so easily damaged.  Dry your card with a heat gun and then apply some more ink through masks to add some background patterns (this time I used the distress ink pads rather than the stains so I could get a more specific position and definition.  i also did some outlining of my mask using a white gel pen too to add some different dimension.  Next I stamped my main image - which is a Crafty Individuals stamp (Tea at Three).  I then added lots of highlights using my white gel pen, including mirroring the border which I did again with a black fineline.  I stamped my wording (Chocolate Baroque Artistic Affirmations) and then the swirls from the same set stamped in blue and yellow ink to add some extra detail.

finally I added a dash border with my fineliner and the gem accents.

Loving the colours on this piece!

happy crafting
Jane
www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk
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Sometimes you just need to take a nap.....

Very apt for me today.... I got a little hot under the collar trying to locate a missing parcel that's managed to make it all the way to Attleborough from China.... but they can't find us to deliver it!  So when deciding what to post today I saw this tag and thought... yep that's me today!

I've been playing with a few ideas on this one.  I found this vintage printed paper in my stash and inked with Distress ink (vintage photo) using the new Tim Holtz Shatter mask.  I then inked up a Woodware doily with pumice stone and a piece of ripped script paper with walnut stain.  I assembled my pieces and thought I would be brave and stamp my lady on the top (She's a Personal Impressions stamp).  Always risky as you are stamping on layers, but I figured if she didn't stamp out nicely enough, I could always go to plan B and stamp on separate paper and cut and paste on! 

I stamped my words (love this sentiment!) - an Inkadinkado design - and ripped around it and inked up with pumice stone. 

I then started to assemble, adding a piece of lace as an extra detail.  I then took a Woodware Crochet flower which start off an ivory colour and I flooded it with ink from my vintage photo distress stain.  I left my flower overnight to dry and then attached it the next day together with a metal flower on top.  I used my Cosmic shimmer dries clear glue to stick it all down.

I'm not usually one to work with lace and flowers... but in my new ethos of trying to expand on my style of crafting, I'm planning to experiment with them a bit more!

happy crafting

Jane

www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk
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Splash Monsters

Back to our monsters today!  In contrast with the very bright and clean lines of Monday's card, this card uses the same stamps (Woodware Little Monsters) - but in a completely different way!

I first took a Stix2 Masking sheet.  This is an A4 sheet of paper with a plastic protective cover.  You stamp onto the paper side, cut out and remove the plastic sheet to reveal a sticky side.  You can use this fabulous product to create masks using your stamps and dies.  You can create a positive or negative mask - depending on whether you want to mask out the monster or the background around the monster in this case!  I stamped the three monsters and cut them out as neatly as I could.  The big plus with this product, is that you can use it many times before it becomes too battered to use - simply store on the back of your packet of stamps so the masks are always to hand whenever you use the stamps!

I stamped the middle monster onto my white card and then carefully stuck the mask over the top, I then stamped the other two monsters and then stuck on their masks too.  With all my monsters masks I went very splodgy over the top with my Distress Stains - Wild Honey and Broken China - Lots of splashes for great effect!  Then set aside to dry and peel off your masks once dry.  Then mount onto black card and then onto a card where you have edged it with the broken china stain to create a matching border.  Then stamp your greeting and edge with some fineliner lines.

This is such a fun technique to try.. go on and get splodging!

Jane
www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk

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Steampunk Rosebuds for a True Friend

Today's project is going back to my Chocolate Baroque Steampunk Butterfly stamp set.  I've used the steampunk rose buds and the background circle corner design. 

I started with a piece of white card and I collaged torn pieces of dictionary page to cover it - I used the offcuts from my project from the other day, so some of it is stamped with cogs and the butterfly and spritzed with a little gold.  I then used Fired Brick Distress Stain to cover it and then added some Dusty Concord Stain to add a bit of depth of colour.  I then edged the card with Tarnished Gold stain.  I stamped the corner design in black on the background.

I stamped the rosebuds and heat embossed with detail black onto separate card and then flooded it with wild honey distress stain with a touch of fired brick and Forest moss for the greenery.  Once dry, I cut out as closely as I could and stuck onto my card.  finally I stamped the greeting and embossed in White and tied a little cord around the top.

happy crafting

Jane
www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk
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Imagine the Possibilities

I've recently joined the Chocolate Baroque Facebook Group.  It's so nice to share your projects and see what everyone else is creating - particularly when they are with the same stamps that you have.  It gets you inspired to get creating!  I shared a recent project I had created using their Steampunk Butterfly stamps - one of my favourite sets.   Others have been sharing their projects with these stamps so I thought I just had to get them out again and have a play! 

I started with a square of white card and spritzed it with water.  I then wiped some Antique Linen Distress Stain all over the cardstock then I used Vintage photo Distress Stain along the bottom and used a waterbrush to continue dragging the colour up so it faded away.  Finally I gave it a very light spritz of Cosmic Shimmer Rich gold spray to add some warm gold glitz.

I used the same three products to then go over a dictionary page.  My 1930s dictionary already has quiet aged colour pages, but by adding the colour it gives them more of a vintage feel.  Once dry I then stamped and embossed in detail black the main butterfly image.  I then watercoloured a little Walnut stain and added a few white highlights and cut it out as close to the image as I could.

I stamped the cog stamp in Versamark and embossed in detail white and then went over the image with Vintage Photo Distress Stain and added a little Walnut stain with cut n dry foam. I then cut this into a thin strip.  I stamped some of the round corner pattern onto the background in walnut stain and the cogs on the lighter top half using antique linen and then assembled all the pieces.  I cut out several cogs from my Spellbinders Sprockets set and coloured with Vintage Photo, Tarnished Brass and Antique Bronze Distress stain and added depth with Black Soot.  I then assembled all the pieces onto an 8x8 card blank.

happy crafting!

Jane

www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk
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Grungy Flower Collage

This is another creation from the bronzy-brown collection from a few week's back (I thought I'd post them mixed between the colourful ones so you didn't have a collection of brown posts!!).  I had such fun creating this page in my art journal. There was lots of stages to this project so I'll list them as a step by step for a change..

1.  Spritz the blank page generously with water then place That Special Touch cogs border mask to the left side and then spritz randomly with Cosmic Shimmer Bronze Blush Mister.  The water will make it run.
2. Lift your mask, turn over and place down on the right hand side of your page, this transfers the ink on the mask onto the page to give a watery cog pattern.
3. Rip and tear a random shape from a dictionary page, ink up using some Gathered Twigs Distress Ink on cut n dry foam, then stick down at the bottom using a gluestick.
4. Cut four Bella Bouquet (Memory Box Die) shapes from white card - put two aside.  Ink the other two with Vintage Photo Distress Stain and then spritz randomly with your Bronze blush mister - this combination makes for a really good rusty look.
5.  Now for the fiddly bit.  Stick your brown flower over the top of your white flower but slightly out of line so you can just see the white poking out behind... it doesn't need to be precise, just so you have a shadow where possible.  Do this for both flowers and then stick them to the background.  I always use Cosmic Shimmer Dries Clear Glue for this job.
6.  Cut out an Isabella and Pippi Butterfly from white card (both Memory Box Dies).  Colour your Pippi die (the top layer) in the same way as the flower - and the body just with the vintage photo so it's a little lighter.  Add a little antique linen distress stain to the isabella butterfly so it isn't glaring white and then assemble into a butterfly.  Then stick to your background and add a little line of dashes with a white gel pen.
7. Finally write the words Spring has Sprung onto white cardstock with a black fineliner pen and outline with a box and tint with the antique linen stain.  Then cut out and stick on!

Hope you like it!

Jane

Steampunk Gentlemen ... with flower!

Time for something a little steampunk!  This is a PaperArtsy stamp I had in my stash and I thought it would work well with the distress inked background.  I started with a Broken China Distress Stain, then worked over the top of a Cog Mask with Weathered wood applied from an ink pad with cut n dry foam.  A little dash here and there of antique linen distress stain gave it just the contrast I wanted.  The stamped design was then stamped using Archival Black ink.  The Greeting is from a Woodware Saluations Set.  I decided it needed something bold to embellish it.  So I cut a Memory Box Madiera Corner out of white cardstock and coloured it with the weathered wood.  I then used some of my favourite old dictionary and stuck it down onto white cardstock then went over it with the antique linen stain, and once dried I cut out the flower using a Spellbinders Spiral Blossom Two die.  It's the first I've used this die, borrowed from my good friend Sarah, and I have to admit I was a little confused on how to roll up the flower... but a bit of time out after googling the die -You Tube came up with a tutorial or two to set me on my way!  I created the flower - then added some Weathered Wood blue ink with my cut n dry foam to add some detail.  Finally after mounting my main image onto black, I assembled my card onto an 8x8" card blank. 

Flowers on a man's card.. yes I know - not traditional... but it is a steampunky flower... so does that make it better?

Jane

I'm in my happy place!

Sometimes you create a piece of artwork that you just love!.... and this is one for me.  Perhaps I shouldn't be so complimentary about something I've created myself... but I just love this tag!!  The shading just worked well.  It has that right mix of vintage and modern and is a clean crisp design.

Firstly I covered some white cardstock with torn pieces of a very old (1930s) damaged dictionary that my friend rescued from a bin in a charity shop so I could recycle it.  I've just stuck it down with a Stix2 Gluestick.  I then cut it out using the Sizzix Super Scalloped Tag die.  Firstly I went over the surface of the tag using Antique Linen Distress Stain.  I've used Gathered Twigs Distress Ink to ink up the edges - applying it with Cut N Dry Foam.

Next I added some dots to the bottom scallop with a black fineliner pen.  Then I stamped using Archival Jet Black ink using a greeting from the Artistic Affirmations set from Chocolate Baroque.  I then cut the butterfly swirl using the Memory Box die - Butterfly Vine Border.  I inked it up using the gathered twigs and then going over to cover most of it up with the black ink.  I've stuck it down using Dries Clear Cosmic Shimmer Glue.  Next I cut out both a Pippi and an Isabella Buttefly from the Memory Box range which match each other perfectly.  I coloured the base butterfly with the gathered twigs and the top and body with the archival black ink and then stuck them down.  Finally I have added some white highlights using a white gel pen to make the elements stand out.

I hope you like it as much as I do!

happy crafting
Jane

Cute scallop tag cards

I have been getting ready for a die cutting workshop this morning and set myself the challenge of creating a card using no rubber stamps.. Just dies which is unusual for me! I used the large sizzix scalloped tag die that Sarah kindly lent me along with her sizzix bird die and the crafty individuals birdcage die. I cut out the tag and used my distress stains (antique linen and vintage photo) to create a background along with pearl and bronze blush misters.

I created three variations of backgrounds either by applying the stains directly, or onto my craft mat and sprinting with water before dabbing the card in the ink. I then gave each of the tags a border with a fine liner pen. I cut out my birds and embossed one with a polka dot folder and again decorated with distress stains and fine liner accents.

Finally I cut out the birdcage And inked with the vintage photo stain and then spritz with the bronze blush mister .. This creates a good rusted look I discovered! I then assembled my tags and cut a tag in white to stick on the back ... Just at the top so it is hinged to create a card. Great fun! I created a few more projects today. But I will blog them later this week... Don't want to overload your ideas bank!
Happy crafting
Jane

Just had to get inky!

Well I did have an inspired creative day yesterday - I spent some time browsing through some very inspiring blogs and that got me itching to get inky fingers!  So I pulled out my journal to finish of a piece started a long time ago.  This has been stamped using stamps from Chocolate Baroque (Elusive Images as was) and background created using Cosmic Shimmer mister sprays, Distress Stain and a mask from That Special Touch.  The teal edging was created using a fine paintbrush dipped into my mister ink so I could control where the colour was applied.  Hope my inspired creation inspires someone else!...
enjoy
Jane

Distressing fun

Crafty Individuals Stamps with  Leaves Mask onto Glossy card

I've been having a play with my Distress Stains.  These are the distress inks in a liquid form.  They come in a handy bottle with a sponge tip to apply direct to cardstock.  These five samples have all been created using combinations of just three colours - Wild Honey, Broken China and Forest Moss.  I've combined them with stamps from Crafty Individuals and Inkadinkado - all stamped with Archival Black ink and highlighted with white gel and black fineliner accents.  I''ve used masks from 'that special touch of' to add extra pattern. 
 

Crafty Individuals Stamp (3 birds # 7463) & Leaves Mask onto matt card

They are all created with the same technique.  You can work onto glossy card (Our A6 packs are now online #4320 25 sheets for £3.00 is ideal).  You can also work onto matt white cardstock - and as you can see from the samples it will give you completely different effects depending upon what you use.

Start by taking a blank piece of cardstock.  Work onto a messy mat or non-stick heat mat (a surface you can wipe clean).  Pick up your distress stain colour of choice and either wipe across the cardstock or dot and dab for more intense colours. 

Inkadinkado Stamps Dogs Life Inchies (#4364) on glossy card

 Add additional colours in the same way, going over the top of some of your previous colour.  Try to work with the lightest colour through to the darkest to minimise contaminating the sponge pad - but don't worry if some colour does transfer - just work it onto some scrap paper and because the colour comes through the sponge pad the original colour will come through.  Two to three colours give an ideal vibrancy without being too much variation in colour.  Place your mask over the top and again dot and dab over with your various colours to get a few elements of the pattern to show.

Crafty Individuals Stamps - butterflies & cottages and circles mask onto matt card

 At this stage - have confidence and don't panic.  You may think it looks like a mess!!  Leave it to dry - you want it to be completely dry before you start stamping.  Select your stamps and arrange at different angles using Archival Black ink.  Add little accents with small stamps, border stamps or lines of words to break up the images.
Finally take your white and black pens and start to add some highlights.  You'll see I've added various white highlights - really handy to lift the design if your background is a little dark and you are losing the definition of the image you have stamped.  If you have a big empty gap in between stamps, then squiggles just done by hand in black or white - or a few parallel lines also works well.  It's one of those techniques designed to just play and experiment and see what appears!

Crafty Individuals Elegant Lady (#3813) with Andy Skinner Word Up (#7880) onto glossy card

Hope you have fun giving it a try - and I'd love to see what you create!
happy crafting
Jane

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