Just One Layer - IndigoBlu Challenge

The IndigoBlu Challenge this month is 'Just one Layer' which to me is all about creating the illusion of layers which, given the cost of postage these days, is something to consider.

I love layering with stencils and stamps, paints and inks,  to create backgrounds, I find it quite therapeutic too. The patterns etc are endless and no two are ever the same.

I have just started using a brayer to add colour, I think I saw somewhere it's called 'walking the brayer'. Basically I put some Park Lane on my mat, spread it out using the brayer and then lightly run it across the cardstock in different directions. The result is random patches of colour. I did the same again this time using Grandmas Teacup.

The IB script stamp was inked up with Townhouse Teal and this was rolled randomly - the stamp was unmounted, this way the stamp is patchy. Then I dabbed Frosty Sky through two of the design section from the Doobaboo geometric stencil.  The criss cross lines were done by dipping the edge of an old credit card in Park Lane which I felt lifted and gave some focus to the background.

The focal image is Emma from IB's Mr Darcy stamped with Midnight Blue stayzon and to balance the image I used the birds stamp from the same stamp set. The bird in the bottom right  is the same stamp but with the other birds masked off.

Finally, just for extra definition I ran the Midnight Blue ink pad around the edges of the card. 

I have a cousins birthday coming up and I know she will love this. 

Thanks for stopping by.

I am also entering this card in : http://www.fashionablestampingchallenges.com/ Things with wings

and http://craftstamper.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/take-it-make-it-challenge-may.html Take a stamp

Love to use Sprays

My daughter and her boyfriend have recently moved in together and have just celebrated their first anniversary of being together so I thought I would make them a little house warming gift.

I have had this wall hanging in my stash for a while now - another of those impulse purchases that gets put in a drawer and forgotten about, just  perfect for a gift for them though!

The letters were painted with Brown Shed, no need to gesso with Fresco paints! I made a spray of Snowflake and sprayed the letters through the  Doobadoo bubbles stencil. I made another spray with London Bus and using the same stencil I offset  it over the first spraying and then sprayed with the red. This was a technique I learnt from Lynne Perella on an Artsycraft workshop I did with her.

Offsetting a stencil gives a shadow effect.

The letters were all given a very fine mist of gold spray just to give some shimmer

Each of the letters were decorated with items from my stash.

Treasure gold was applied to all the embellishments and to the edges of the letters.

The crochet flower here was sprayed with London Bus

I really liked the mottled effect created by offsetting the stencil and spraying with two colours. A simple and quick project which I am sure my daughter and her boyfriend will love - no pun intended!

I am entering this in the Paperartsy Sprays Challenge 

Thanks for visiting.

Nana's Brag Box

The latest PaperArtsy challenge is "Niches" - what a lot of possibilities this opens up.

I have a few of the mini metal 'pill' boxes in my stash and decided to resurrect a  technique I learnt a long time ago on a workshop using Adirondack Alcohol inks. The method involves dabbing the ink onto metal with felt dabbers which gives a lovely mottled effect.

The wording is done using peel offs and electricians tape. Once the lettering was in place I cut the tape to fit the box lid, covered the letters and used a paper stump to push the tape between and around the lettering. The alcohol inks were then pounded over the top then with a drop of blending solution on a kitchen towel rubbed the alcohol ink from the lettering.

For the inside of the box I cut a length of double sided patterned 12 x 12 cardstock and concertinaed it to fit inside of the box. A separate piece was used to line the lid.

Lid of box with Grandchildren's names

Next stage was to put the photos in place and decorate the strip back and front.

One end of the strip was glued to the base

A loop of ribbon at the top  for pulling it out of the tin.

Hope you like it. The most difficult part of the project was reducing the photos to fit the box lol!

Take care!

IndigoBlu Off the Edge Challenge

Yay! My entry in the IndigoBlu challenge "Spring Greens" was in the Top Three chosen by the DT and I have been invited to enter an Inspirational piece for their latest challenge "Off the Edge".


It is my husband's birthday this week and we were bemoaning the fact that birthdays seem to come around too quickly these days and how time flies. Hence the inspiration for this card.

I prefer to make my own backgrounds which can then be custom made to suit the project. I created some texture on a black card with stencils and 3D paste. Using a baby wipe I applied Postbox Red & Burning Bonfire to  the whole card - considering it was black card it took only a small amount of  paint to cover! 

The card was then stamped and stencilled off the edge in various paints and Archival ink (a list of the stamps and paints are listed below), the edges were distressed so the black card showed through.

The Weathered Clock die-cut and the Altered Egos Time pieces were painted with Hot Cocoa then Goldfinger, dabbed with Copper and finally smudged with Black Soot.

I found a clock piece in my stash that perfectly fitted the pocket watch from Altered Egos Time to which were added a couple of die cut wings cut from cardboard, embossed and painted with Ruby Slippers, 

The project is  on 8 x 8 card therefore after my hubbies birthday I will mount this on a canvas which I have already prepped so that  he can  hang it in his study. 

Thanks for stopping by x

Ingredients:

IndigoBlu English Cottage Paints:  Hot Cocoa, Buring Bonfire, Postbox Red, 

IndigoBlu English Cottage Metallics: Goldfinger, Ruby Slippers, Copper

Stamps used: Good Times' Limor Circles and Rugged Edge

Doobadoo Geometric Tiles stencil

Crafters Workshop Harlequin stencil

Altered Egos Time

TH Alterations Weathered Clock, Heart Wings

Scrabble Tiles

Embellishments from stash

IndigoBlu Challenge - Spring Greens

The current challenge at IndigoBlu is Spring Greens - not my go to colour but as it is a friends birthday shortly decided to challenge myself (no pun intended!) on her card.

Here is my entry for the challenge:

The backing card was created by painting it with Peppermint Tea,  stamping with stamps from Loud Music and Notes in  Emerald Green then stencilled using IB's Musical notes  with Snow White which gave a lovely sheen. To contrast I used another stamp from Loud Music and stamped with Olive Green StazOn.

One of my favourite techniques is to distress the edges with a craft knife as I think it gives the card some dimension. The problem with posting cards these days is they have to be fairly flat otherwise the cost of postage increases. By using layers of ink and paint and tearing can at least give the impression of dimension.

A piece of card painted with a mix of Emerald Green and Peppermint Tea was stamped with Snow White using one of the splat stamps from the new Ink Splats set. I made a few splats using very watery Snow White then stamped on the Splattered Guitar from Loud Music with StazOn.

This was torn and the edges dabbed with Peppermint Tea and mounted on a piece of a torn music sheet also dabbed with the same paint  around the edges.

The ribbons were originally white but IB's paints are also fabric paints making it easy to change the colour to match the project. A Musical note from IB's Altered Ego Music sheet painted with Emerald was added to finish off.

I am sure my friend will like it as she does have 'a little bit of the Irish in her'!

Bye for now! Take care!

IndigoBlu Secret Retreat

Last weekend was spent down at IndigoBlu HQ at their biannual secret retreat, three days of pure crafting, no housework just inks, paints, papers and great company. Bliss!!

Here are my projects

Friday was our first day and this was spent playing with clay, not something I have done a lot with but good fun none the less.

Blue is always my go to colour and I chose blue. teal and white clay to work with. We cut various shapes and stamped into the clay, made clay embellishments and added some metal pieces before baking them. I dusted all my tiles with mica powders which gave the tiles a lovely iridescent look. The frame was a deep box and the starkness of the white frame seemed to highlight the colours of the clay.

Saturday was spent creating the large canvas, these are new in and they come with their own frame which when painted sets off the canvas beautifully don't you think?

We used lots of stencils through which we applied different mediums - molding paste, granular and bead gels to create lots of texture. I decided to go way out of my comfort zone with Country Cottage paints, Hot Cocoa, Burning Bonfire and Banana Custard!

I firstly applied the Banana Custard, then the Burning Bonfire and lastly the Hot Cocoa, that's when you really see all the texture. One of IB's new stamps is Caitlin and this was stamped and embossed onto one of the new mixed media  papers from the Belle Epoche range. I decided against colouring her as I rather liked the effect of leaving her au natural. Then the best bit for me is embellishing - I always like to take a few bits and pieces with me to workshops even though there are always some provided - I just like to have options I guess.

Sunday was a bit of a techniques day but we still made a project using the new framed canvas I guess what you would call a DL size.

We created texture using shredded newspaper and painted over this. Again I went with a colour I don't go for a lot but, as I had decided to use the stamp  from the Sewing Mends set, pink seemed to fit the bill being a 'feminine' colour. I used the metal cottage garden Cinderella paint and as a contrast I mixed this with Snow White to give me a lighter pink

 I had taken a few bits and pieces with me and these included some TH Sewing Room alterations mount board cut outs which were painted in the two shades of pink. I stamped the mannequin with IBs Sewing Pattern stamp, the cotton spool and button stamps from IB's In stitches set fit beautifully on the die cuts! A few bits of lace, cotton thread around the spools, some silver gilding flakes, frame painted and gilded to match and job done!

On one of the 6x6 Belle Epoche papers we did some 'drippy drippy' as my friend Barbara kept  calling it - so much so that it is officially the new name for the technique lol! 

As we were only playing this was not a finished project although I had stamped some flourishes and a Limor Industrial lamp and put on the embellishment. Baby Aloysius was painted with a watered down hot cocoa and his crown with metallic gold, cut him out and mounted him and added a couple of gems to the crown.

Last night at home I decided to mount it on and 8 x 8 canvas. I covered the canvas with some calico,  a piece of frayed hessian and a square of dark brown card which I distressed then glued on the Aloysius card. Really pleased with the overall effect.

So much fun and looking forward to the next one. Kay has invited Finnabair over next month for 3 days of workshops yay!! Can't wait.

Bye for now, take care