STEAMPUNK BIRD

I am thrilled to say I have been accepted for another year on the 2012 Creative Expressions Design Team and my first creation uses Sam Poole's Steampunk Christmas A5 Stamp Plate.

For my first piece I wanted to show that because something says Christmas does not mean you cannot use it in a different way and that's exactly what I have done for my first piece, creating an 18th birthday card.

The bird is a fabulous size and perfect for any steampunk creation and works fabulously with the backdrop from the Crowded Attic Paper Stash.

I decorated one of the hearts from the HEARTS, LOVE & STARS Art Parts using the riveted patchwork technique from A Compendium of Curiosities Volume ll from Tim Holtz. I also drew around the heart Art Part onto white card, coloured with vintage photo Distress Ink and stamped the background with black archival ink, adding some rusty wire and mini sprockets gears for that industrial feel. I also added one of the fabulous Top Hat's from Wendy Vecchi.

To add to the industrial feel I also used my Tiny Attacher to add staples to my rusty wire and in each corner of my card. I added STEAMPUNK ART from Sam Poole's Art Sayings A5 stamp plate.

I added one of the fabulous Vintage Trinkets (lightbulbs) perfect for a steampunk creation from Sam Poole Creative Studios. To complete I added 18 cut from metal foil tape.

Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment. Tracy x x

SPOOKY

Another spooky creation from me this week for 100 Proof Press using the SKULL and FOUR FLYING BATS.

My background has been created using Distress Ink, applying the ink to my non stick craft sheet, spritzing with water and mopping up the beads of ink with my card, drying between each application of ink.

I have added a panel of black card to the centre and added my skulls to the panel.  The central skull has been given lots of layers to give further dimension and interest to my piece.

I stamped the four flying bats randomly onto my card with black archival and added two bats cut from black Bazzill card using the Bewitching Hour die. BOO has been cut from Bazzill card using the Alphabetical Die.

I have also added a bat to the central skull and two brass skull charms for further interest.

Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment. Tracy x x

Halloween Blog Hop

Time for our monthly Artistic Outpost blog hop and this month our theme is HALLOWEEN. I decided to create a little something using the newly released GOTHIC 31 plate.

I have decorted a wooden arch using one of Andy Skinner's techniques which he refers to as chipped rusty iron, I love it and think its perfect for a Halloween creation. I have added my image to an ornate frame, stamping onto acetate so that the edges of the images appear to blend into the background. I love the foliage stamp on this plate, its a perfect filler stamp as I call them and looks great stamped in the background, quite eerie and adds to the atmosphere of the piece. I have stamped 31 onto acetate along with Happy Halloween to the top of the arch.  To add a little more dimension and interest I have also added a mini skull to the bottom, adding acrylic paint with my finger.

I love the rivets at the side of my arch and I love the whole chipped paint effect, reminds me of rusty chipped iron gates that appear around a grave yard perhaps.  Can you tell I am enjoying the whole Halloween experience lol!

The inside has been stamped with the foliage once again, adding the creepy spider to the top along with the mini skulls, again stamped onto acetate.  I have included a key and lock, stamping Halloween onto my key for further interest. Oct 31 and All Hallows' Eve have also been added.

The border at the bottom of the arch is also from the GOTHIC plate, stamped onto white card, coloured a little with Distress Inks to blend into my background.

A little more stamping has beed added to the back of my arch along with a mini coffin decorated with the mini skull and the Happy Halloween sentiment. I love the rat, which I have stamped onto acetate and added to the bottom of the coffin. I have added a mini spider, cut from white card using a Memory Box die and coloured with Distress Inks.

Why not join in and get in touch with your dark side and create some Halloween pieces, they are great fun!

My fellow Design Team members have created some fabulous pieces, pop along and be inspired along the way.

• Gerrie Johnnic
• Lisa Somerville
• Suzanne Czosek
• Tracy Evans (ME) 
• Linda Coughlin 

Artistic Outpost are also holding a fabulous Referral Program, the theme being ANYTHING GOES/ANY OF THOSE AO IMAGES. Why not pop along HERE for all the details and there is a fabulous prize on offer too.

Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment. Enjoy the rest of the week. Tracy x x 

A Touch Of Sparkle

Simon Says Stamp and Show is all about the SPARKLE this week, something I rarely use in my creations, but this weeks challenge gave me the ideal opportunity to indulge myself in all things sparkly.

I combined sparkle with natural elements to create my unique framed piece.

When I think of sparkle I automatically think of diamonds, well they are a girls best friend! However, I struggled to find any diamonds and so settled for aged gold embossing enamel, perfect for adding that touch of sparkle and glamour to my piece. My owl better known as Big Eyes from Hero Arts has also been given the glamour treatment with a touch of sparkle added to his eyes with the addition of Jewel Brads. Natural elements and rustic pieces add to the rustic charm of my creation this week. I must get in touch with my sparkly side more often!

I began by covering the Artful Shrine art parts with vintage torn paper, adhering with Multi Medium Matte and stamping the background with the Hero Arts Dogwood Branch and embossing with clear embossing powder. I then blended rusty hinge Distress Ink over the embossed area, the ink resists the embossing, I love this technique. The top of the Shrine was also coloured with Distress Ink and then stamped randomly with the Kaiser Numbers stamp using black archival ink. I then added aged gold embossing enamel to the outside edges. I also love to recycle and this time around I have used a broken owl earring that I had saved, perfect for this piece; I knew it would come in handy one day.

I always love to add natural elements in my artwork and this time it comes in the form of small driftwood pieces and rusty hearts, which I feel adds to the rustic charm of my creation. For a little more interest and dimension I also included Alpha Parts to add OWL to the driftwood.

I stamped the owl onto card stock and then added to grungepaper for extra thickness and to add further dimension.   I added a little contrast, stamping his eyes and feet onto a lighter shade of card and adding to the original image for a 3D like appearance. The owl has also had the sparkle treatment with aged gold embossing enamel added to the outside edges of his body.

For more great ideas please pop over to the Simon Says Stamp and Show blog and take a look at my fellow team members they have created some inspirational projects. Remember there is also the chance to win a $50 prize from Simon Says Stamp.  I always look forward to seeing your creations each week.

Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment, much appreciated.  Enjoy your week. Tracy x x 

Products Used:

Aged Gold Embossing Enamel
Clear Embossing Powder
Hero Arts Big Eyes
Hero Arts Dogwood Branch
Kaiser Numbers
Art Parts Artful Shrines
Multi Medium Matte
Distress Ink - Rusy Hinge
Archival Ink - Black
VersaMark Stamp Pad
Alpha Parts
Grungepaper

Halloween Raven

A raven is my focal point this week for my DT creation for The Stamp Attic using the fabulous Nevermore stamp from Stampendous.

My card is a piece of A4 white card folded in half to which I have added a piece of purple Bazzill card stock. My next layer is a piece of white card coloured with Distress Inks rusty hinge, dusty concord and black soot.  I applied the inks to my non stick craft sheet, spritzed with water and then mopped up the beads of ink with my card, drying between each application.

For a little more interest in the background I cut the bat image from white card using the Bewitching Hour die (or you could use the Mini Bat and Skull Set), I used the aperture as a stencil and sponged through the aperture with black soot ink.  I moved around my decorated piece until I had bats randomly around my background. The raven image has been stamped onto a piece of white card coloured with dusty concord ink applied in the same way as step 1.  For forther interest and texture I applied Aged Black Embossing Enamel to the edges of this piece.

I cut the witch from white card, coloured with black soot ink and added Aged Black Embossing Enamel to her hat and broom and I then added her to the back of my raven piece.

I die cut more bats from white card, coloured with black soot ink and added to my card for further dimension.  I also included a Happy Halloween ticket from Tim's Odds and Ends set,  stamped onto white card and coloured with rusty hinge ink. To complete, I added 31 using Alpha Cards.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Tracy x x

BOO!!

I've been spending this morning getting a little creative with the SKULL from 100 Proof Press.

I've really been enjoying creating my Halloween projects this year and I am loving combining the images with the fabulous greens from the Dylusions Ink Sprays, fresh lime and cut grass, perfect for a Halloween card, I love the citrus tones.

Lots of dimension has been added to my skull, stamping the image six times to lift from the background. I have added the skull to a tombstone, cut from Kraft-Core card stock using a Spellbinders die, sanding the edges a little to reveal the core.

No skull would be complete without a top hat right! I have added a Wendy Vecchi top hat to my skull, he makes a perfect dashing gent don't you think? 31 has been cut from Kraft-Core and sanded and also from a citrus green card stock and added to the left of my skull.

For a little more interest and dimension I have stamped the SKULL onto shrink plastic and added to the bottom of my card along with BOO cut twice, once from black Kraft-Core card and once from green card and off set a little and adhered together.

Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy the weekend. Tracy x x

NEW RELEASE - ARTISTIC OUTPOST

Artistic Outpost's two newest releases will appeal to TWO different sides of your creativity.  For your bold Halloween projects, we feature Gothic 31, a cheeky take on the scary side of All Hallow's Eve.  If you need some glamour in your stamping, then you will love our Picture Star collection, which features multiple images including two adorable tikes, a ballerina and a little boy who are both ready for their close up.

My first creation was an altered coffin (a huge thank you to my friend Candy for sending me this fabulous gift, I loved altereing this piece),  perfect for those Halloween table decorations and the images from the Gothic set are perfect. I began by covering my coffin with tissue paper to give texture, I simply crumpled up small pieces of tissue and adhered to the coffin, allowing to dry overnight.

I added the fence using the On The Edge die, cut from white card and adhered around the outside edge of my box. To add to the spooky feel I included two skulls (again sent to me by Candy, thank you). My box was then painted with two coats of acrylic paint and highlights of burnt orange to the top.

I love this image from the Gothic plate, which I have added to an ornate frame coloured with gold paint dabber. I added a good coat of clear Rock Candy to my image.

The small skull is also from the same set and has also been added to a small ornate frame and again been treated with a coat of clear Rock Candy. I love the small skull image, would work great to create your own backing paper when stamped multiple times. From this angle you can also see the wonderful texture the tissue gives to my box.

Two skulls have also been added to echo the other side and have also been painted with acrylic paint to blend with my background.

I could not leave the inside of my box blank and so added a skeleton (yes you guessed it, sent to me by my very generous friend Candy xxx) and he is holding a fabulous sentiment, also from the Gothic plate.  This plate is going to be a favourite of mine; I really enjoyed altering this coffin!

Now for something completely different, the Picture Star plate, perfect I feel for those film fanatics, really brings back memories of those old classics I used to watch as a child with my parents; now I am showing my age! The background image has been stamped randomly onto Kraft card with black archival ink and sponged with vintage photo to age.

I added the focal image, which I stamped with black archival and aged with vintage photo Distress Ink, to an ornate frame which I coloured with black acrylic paint, I love the black and kraft colour palette on this piece, its always been a favourite of mine. The strips either side of the focal image are also from the same plate and again stamped onto kraft card with black archival.

I added the film strip ribbon around the outside edges of my card, perfect I feel for this piece and a great way to frame the star of the show. Lights, Camera, Action was stamped onto kraft card, cut out and added around my card, this text is also from the same plate. I stamped the clapper board (again from the same stamp plate) with black archival, aged a little with vintage photo ink and added action to the top.

No star studded piece is complete without a star and this time in a wooden form, again coloured with vintage photo ink. I added A STAR to the top, part of another fabulous sentiment from the plate and perfect when combined with the focal image.

My fellow Design Team members have created some fabulous pieces with the new plates, pop along and be inspired along the way.

• Gerrie Johnnic
• Lisa Somerville
• Suzanne Czosek
• Tracy Evans (ME) 
• Linda Coughlin 

Artistic Outpost are also holding a fabulous Referral Program, the theme being ANYTHING GOES/ANY OF THOSE AO IMAGES. Why not pop along HERE for all the details and there is a fabulous prize on offer too.

Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment. Enjoy the rest of the week. Tracy x x 

Christmas Arch

Simon Says Stamp and Show challenges us to TAPE IT UP this week, lots of possibilities here from masking tape, washi tape, tissue tape, a fabulous way to add interest and texture to your creations.

I was inspired by a 7 Gypsies Tryptich Arch this week to create my seasonal textural piece.

I always begin a creative process thinking how can I add texture and dimension to my pieces and this time around texture came in the form of Gesso applied through a stencil. I love my pieces to be tactile and offer lots of interest to the recipient which in this case will be a family member. Further texture is achieved adding UTEE to a Kaiser Wooden Reindeer; stamping into the hot enamel with the background stamp from the Season's Silhouettes. Lots of dimension always makes me happy!

I began my creation by covering the background piece with Tim's Tidings Tissue Tape, I used the snowflake tape, however, I wanted it to appear in a more subtle way in the background so I painted over the tape with a watered down layer of Gesso and Claudine Hellmuth's sky blue acrylic paint. To add a little more interest to the back piece I applied aged teal embossing enamel to the edges, giving great texture and a little sparkle to my creation.

I added texture to my next layer applying Gesso through a snowflake stencil and once dry I applied sky blue acrylic paint and a wash of Gesso over the top; applying a little silver Paint Dabber to the raised areas with my finger. I added the pine tree to the centre cut from white card using the Pine Tree die and stamping with the background stamp from the Season's Silhouettes set, inking my stamp with manganese and coffee archival ink. I applied a little broken china Distress Ink to my tree to coordinate with the background of my arch. For added dimension I also included a snowflake from Tim's Christmas Adornments, colouring a little with silver Paint Dabber, adding touches of stonewashed Alcohol Ink. A small wooden bird has been added to the top of my snowflake for a little more interest. I also added a Christmas ticket stamped with archival ink using Tim's Odds and Ends set.

I love the wooden reindeer I have added in the bottom corner to which I added clear UTEE, adding a little Perfect Pearls and aged teal embossing enamel to the clear so that the colour blends with my background.  I added touches of silver Paint Dabber to the raised areas. 25 has been added to the bottom corner using Numerals, again coloured with Alcohol Ink adding a small wooden bird to the bottom edge for even more dimension and interest.

For more great ideas please pop over to the Simon Says Stamp and Show blog and take a look at my fellow team members they have created some inspirational projects. Remember there is also the chance to win a $50 prize from Simon Says Stamp.  I always look forward to seeing your creations each week.

Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment, much appreciated.  Enjoy your week. Tracy x x 

Products Used:

- Gesso
- 7 Gypsies Tryptich Arch
- Clear Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel
- Kaiser Wooden Reindeer
- Stamps - Season's Silhouettes, Odds and Ends
- Tidings Tissue Tape
- Claudine Hellmuth Studio Sky Blue Acrylic Paint
- Aged Teal Embossing Enamel
- Silver Paint Dabber
- Pine Tree Die
- Archival Ink - Manganese Blue and Coffee
- Distress Ink - Broken China
- Alcohol Ink - Stonewashed
- Perfect Pearls
- Idea-ology Numerals & Christmas Adornments

Raven Jewellery Box

I decided to decorate a wooden jewellery box this time around for my DT piece for The Stamp Attic using the fabulous Nevermore image from Stampendous.

These small jewellery boxes are perfect for Halloween chocolates or to house any Halloween jewellery or perfect for a small Halloween gift.

I applied a coat of Gesso to my box and then cut 8 bats from white card using the Bewitching Hour die, or you could use the Mini Bat and Skull die. I adhered two bats to each side of my box using Multi Medium Matte.

Once I had adhered the bats I then painted with two coats of Americana burnt umber acrylic paint and then brushed over with a little Americana burnt orange, to give that Halloween feel.

To decorate the top of my box I cut a piece of card 3" x 3" and coloured with Distress Inks rusty hinge and black soot, applying Aged Copper Embossing Enamel to the outside edges. For further dimension I also added a Fragment adding part of the Raven to the fragment. I also added dimension to the Raven's hat embossing with Clear Embossing Powder. To complete, I added a skull brass charm to the front of my box.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Tracy x x

100 Proof Press Blog Hop

To celebrate the launch of the new website at 100 Proof Press we are holding a fabulous blog hop. Simply leave a comment at each of the blogs and you are in with a chance to win a fabulous prize package.

One Pack Of Postage Paper Style #5

Postage Parts #5

$30 Gift Certificate To Use In The Shop

If you arrived here from Jennifer's (Just Jingle) blog then you are in the right place, however, should you lose your way I have included a full blog hop list at the end of my post.

I wanted to combine my hop creation with Tim's Riveted Patchwork technique, showcased in A Compendium of Curiosities Volume ll and his tag for September 2012.

I decided to create a spooky pop up tag using the fabulous Pop 'n' Cuts that I have recently become addicted to and I knew straight away that I wanted to use the fabulous SKULL from 100 Proof Press for this creation. I began by creating the background using metal foil tape and ageing with alcohol inks. For a more industrial feel I also added some chicken wire to the back of my skull.

To give dimension to the SKULL I stamped six layers and adhered together, ageing with vintage photo and walnut stain Distress Inks.

I added BOO using Alpha Parts, colouring with gold and ginger alcohol inks, adhering to a ticket cut from Kraft cardstock, sanding the edges to add to that aged feel.

I gave my SKULL a hat, adding texture with Gesso, colouring with black and burnt umber paints.  I love the little ROW OF SKULLS that I have added as a trim to his hat, colouring with a little vintage photo and walnut stain inks. To complete the front I have added 31, again from Alpha Parts to the top of my tag pop up card.

The inside of my card has the fabulous pop up, again showcasing the SKULL, this time adding two layers for dimension and adding a bat to his head. The background has been coloured with Distress Inks rusty hinge, spiced marmalade and black soot; applying the inks directly to my craft sheet, spritzing with water and mopping up the beads of ink with my card, drying between each application.

I have added a raven and Halloween ticket along with SPOOKY using Alpha Parts, colouring with Alcohol Inks.

I have stamped the ROW OF SKULLS to the inside of my card, adding a bat to the bottom corner. For further interest I have added a large ticket, cut from Kraft card, sanding the edges to age. The smaller ticket has been added to the centre and stamped with FOUR FLYING BATS using black archival ink and ageing with vintage photo and walnut stain inks, adding 31 to the top corner of the ticket.

I love the Pop 'n' Cuts they add so much interest to the inside of your card and give fabulous dimension and interest to a piece.

Next on the list for our fabulous blog hop is Gladys.

Detailed below is a complete list for the 100 Proof Press BLOG HOP

Jennifer (Just Jingle)
Tracy (ME)
Gladys
Sara
Amy
Gerri
Alexa
Nicole

The winner will be announced on Thursday 20th September on the 100 Proof Press Blog.

Enjoy the hop and GOOD LUCK. Tracy x x