In the bleak midwinter

Wow I am super excited about this one. I had something in mind some embossing and I was enjoying playing and experimenting and something, in my opinion rather special happened. 

This stunning tree mini stamp is by Alison Bomber from PaperArtsy ABM016. I wanted to try stamping in gold embossing powder. I can't believe how good it looks in gold.

The magic had begun to happen! 

Alcohol ink, Mushroom, on Dura Lar film left over from another project, Lindy's background left over from another project. The stamp in the background is Alison Bomber ABM007. No I don't mind that I have a little upside down stamping it's just a texture and I was just experimenting without an end goal.

Then playtime. 

I quite simply love this effect! 

Who would need anything more for a stunning Christmas card? 

Look at the depth the alcohol overlay creates.

Additional supplies bleed proof white ink, PaperArtsy gold fresco finish acrylic paint, my favourite as well as Distress inks. 

Peacock feathers, black soot and blueprint sketch. Glitter cardstock by Tim Holtz.

Monday Challenge trees.

simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge/

Creative Artiste Mixed Media Challenge Blog: Welcome to Creative Artiste Challenge #131

 

 

 

 

Christmas tree magic

Welcome to my blog for another Simon says stamp Monday challenge, the theme this week is trees. I have so many ideas, I know that I probably will no get around t creating them all in time. This week is super busy with family commitments as it is half term and Birthday day trips I will have very little time to create.

Back to this card.

I have pulled out my Tracy Evans boutique designs supplies today along with Lindy's flats and magicals, distress spritz, liquid tinsel in fine tarnished, texture paste twinkle Nuvo drops, embossing powder bright white and teal tinsel, bleed proof white ink and distress inks. Wow, I don't notice how many different products I use when I am playing.

As you can see the mounting layer is created with Lindy's using cling film on the wet Lindy's to get the lovely swirls and patterned shimmer. I used this also for the insert in the circle. 

The mounting has teal embossing around the edge.

 The background layer I used texture paste twinkle for the snowflake snippet stencil design, I love how this turned out. Such dimension. I added tiny drops of teal glitter Nuvo drops to the centers and when dry I ink blended peacock feathers ink gradualy getting lighter as I went down the card. So pretty. Then plenty of snowy splatter.

The central panel inside the circle is in fact a separate piece of card. White embossing, splatter and spritz give a super sparkly effect when tilted.

For the focal point I die cut some of the trees from some more background in a different colour way. This is green and blue but co-ordinates beautifully with the blue green teal. I added the liquid tinsel to these and embossed the tree tops. I finished them off with the tiniest of crystals. 

I layered these up on torn white paper gently inked for a snowy bank.

You can see the fab sparkle of the liquid tinsel here too.

I added a Merry Christmas sentiment to finish off this card

Here is another look at the finished card. I hope you enjoyed this blog. 

May be got some inspiration for your Christmas cards or a different technique to try. 

To see all of Tracy's lovely products including those I have played with today visit her online shop.

Tracy Evans Boutique Designs

simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge/

I am also entering the creative artiste challenge anything goes for mixed media projects.

Creative Artiste Mixed Media Challenge Blog: Welcome to Creative Artiste Challenge #131

The harvest guardian

 

 The harvest guardian

Something a little Spooky is coming your way (or not depending on which way you look at it) with my mixed media Halloween card for the Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge this week.

I don't know about you but I am not a fan of walking next to or amongst the corn, I don't like the way it whispers and moves it's also much taller than me so you have limited vision. It is easy to get turned around to.

 So my guardian is doing a good job as I wouldn't want to be alone out there!

I used Distress inks for the background and Archival jet black for the stamping. I stamped the scarecrow twice once on the background so I could see where he would sit. Once on a separate piece of cardstock. This one I coloured using Distress watercolour pencils and coloured pencils for additional shading. I added a few highlights with bleed proof ink.

Sorry light on in this photo, here in the UK we are experiencing storms and the natural light is not so good. You can also see that I have added doodling to suggest more corn in the background with black markers and bleed proof white ink. The corn was coloured with Distress water colour pencils then high lights added with bleed proof ink. I have added mist too. Just to add atmosphere.

 I have had some questions on how to do this, well I guess there are lots of ways to do it. This is my way, I add a little Lost shadow oxide ink then using pan pastels on a cotton bud I blend the white pastel in the areas I want the mist. It is really not difficult at all and it is so effective. You could also try just pan pastel or pastel pencils?

A little close up of the moon created with Tim Holtz moon mask and distress inks.

 

I used the same technique to add a few wispy clouds. It was difficult to catch on camera but there are hints of sparkle from wink of stella on the leaves, moon, branches and crow.

 

The finished card has mummy cloth tucked around the base of the scarecrow coloured with black distress ink, he is propped up on foam tape for a little dimension. 

 

 The branches were painted then coloured with coloured pencils followed by stabilo all pencil and white gel pen. As mentioned before a hint of sparkle too. I added a little shadow here and there and that's my finished card. 

After I finished this blog a friend of mine asked me to submit it to another mixed media challenge at creative artiste mixed media challenge blog. (fingers crossed I have done it correctly, I am so new to all of this)

I hope that you enjoyed reading this blog post and got some inspiration for your projects. I would love to see your artwork if you were inspired to create. Happy crafting.

simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge/

Creative Artiste Mixed Media Challenge Blog: Welcome to Creative Artiste Challenge #131

 Think Pink

Hello crafty friends, thank you for joining me on my blog today.

Mr Mojo has decided to take a short break this week for me, I know that happens to everyone from time to time. Life has been quite stressful over the past few weeks for our family with a very close loved one being extremely unwell. So I decided to do something very different for this challenge. 

This was great in two ways one I got to play with things that I have stored for quite some time and this year I wanted to use things up , secondly it was a nice gentle thing to create which is just what I need right now. 

Think Pink challenge is for breast cancer awareness this week over at the Simon Says stamp blog. Something which is important for all of us is to make sure we regularly check our breasts. 

Enough said.

 

As you can see I began this card with some time Holtz products , well there are rather a lot of them on this card actually!

The base is a mix of collage strips and ephemera snippets in greens, pinks and neutrals. Followed by a little stencilling with texture paste and Ranger's gold embossing powder. Some stitching around the edges finished of the base layer. I then added organic layer's also by Tim Holtz in a collage with a pretty ribbon bow and a little sparkle.

I wanted a pretty vintage feel but without any grunginess. 

I mounted this onto a panel to which I had stencilled in two shades of green ink and oxide. Followed by a pink layer stencilled with brown ink and edged in a darker shade to draw your eye in. Finally I added a little inking around the card blank so it wasn't stark white.

You can see my wonky stiches and the delicious raised emboss.

Here are the close ups I hope you have enjoyed this short and very different little blog post. 

Rest and doing something different has given me the kick start that I needed, in fact I enjoyed creating this card so much that I have organised some pieces to create another one in a different colour Palette.

Thank you as always for taking the time to join me here if you liked this card please feel free to leave a comment I always love to hear from you. 

 

 

Chocolate box roses

Hello again and welcome, today I have for you another mixed media  tag using the wonderful Tim Holtz products. As I have decided to enter another tag into the Simon says stamp  Monday challenge.

I set out to create an opulent chocolate box style rose tag. there are lots of layers going on here including the different products that I used to colour the roses as I just couldn't quite get the colour I wanted. I got there in the end!

I think that the close up captures some of the layers added.

A little bit of collage.

Some lovely texture and a hint of foundry wax Statue and gilded.

Mushroom alcohol ink and gilded foundry wax for the hole re-enforcer.

Layers of stamping, oxides and paint for the background layers.

That concludes this chocolate box roses tag, I really do hope you have enjoyed these close ups.

As ever I am hugely grateful that you have joined me here, I hope you have found some inspiration, if you have I really would love for you to tag me in your photos as I am always interested and honoured to be part of your creative journey.

 

Cobwebs and dewdrops / Dusty attic butterflies

 

Cobwebs and dewdrops / Dusty Attic Butterflies

Thank you so much for joining me here on my relatively new blog. It's going to be such fun this week as the Simon Says stamp Monday challenge is TAGS!!

Well many of you know that I love creating on tags, the size and format really appeals to me. 

This week we are encouraged to create with Tim Holtz amazing crafting products.

So I got out everything stamp and stencil. Then had brain overload as so many ideas came to mind it was difficult to choose one. So this is my first, I hope to be able to do at least one more but it is a very busy week.

My idea for the story of this tag is that a Lepidopterist (butterfly collector) from a long time ago was getting ready to send his collection to display. This poor piece was lost to a corner of his attic where it became stained and distressed. Cobwebs have appeared around the specimens. Old labels have fallen onto the once lovely display. 

Well you may see something altogether different but that's the beauty of storytelling through visual mediums. 

Here are some close ups

Cobwebs and dew drops.

Faded colours

From my desk  

Sets used Flutter CMS294 & Field notes CMS396

I am so delighted to update that I was picked by the lovely Emma for the designer spotlight badge for this Tag. What an enormous honour. I am very grateful.

simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge/

Autumn Beauty

 Autumn beauty mixed media card

Welcome to my blog

Today I have for you a mixed media card that I am entering in the Monday challenge for Simon says stamp.

The challenge is to create your own background

Well I have used some of my favourite Distress spray oxides for the lovely speckled splotchy background. As you can see I then used an multi level embossing folder which I hi-lighted in places with a coloured wax. It is a very subtle look which when shows when the card is tilted. they are just visible in the corner of the image below.

In truth all the elements from Tim Holtz lovely Autumn wreath ( vault foliage wreath 666682) set are cut from background pieces I have created and added to my stash. These have been die cut and then inked in at least one colour. 

These backgrounds were created with watercolour, Distress spray inks, Distress spray stains and Distress spray oxides. I love the variation in colour it gives and how unpredictable the results are. 

I have finished this mixed media Autumn card with a sentiment from one of my favourite stamp designers Alison Bomber.

https://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge/