Friday 30 November 2012

Memorable Christmas

This is my final piece with the Let It Snow stamp plate from Creative Expressions and I thought I would have a change from my ususal icy blues for Christmas.
I decided on an easel card this week using reds along with a couple of natural wood embellishments to give a rustic charm to my piece.
I used a Spellbinders circle die to cut the circles and added a little fired brick Distress Ink around the edges, adding the reindeer to the centre using vermillion archival ink. I also added "Deck the halls" and a ceramic heart button threaded with Bakers Twine.
I added a smaller cirle to the top of my card, again adding the reindeer along with the sentiment stamped with coffee archival ink. I have also added faux stitching with white pen for a little more interest.
I've added the sleigh to the bottom of my easel along with a further heart ceramic button.
To complete I have added two wooden snowflakes, attaching small red buttons to the top threaded with Bakers Twine.
I also have a second copy of the Creative Expressions project book to give away, simply leave a comment on this post and I will draw a winner next Monday.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Tracy xx


Wednesday 28 November 2012

New Release Artistic Outpost

We have two fabulous new collections from Artistic Outpost released today, Auld Lang Syne and Cowgirl Strength, featuring Artistic Outpost's signature vintage edgy style
Auld Lang Syne is of course a collection of turn of early twentieth century New Year related images. Nine bold images make up this collection and were designed to complement the Picture Star rubber stamps featuring images from the same era.

 
Cowgirl Strength is all about girl power and knowing our own strength. Ten unique images complete this collection including bandana trim and stitching as well as three fierce and gorgeous cowgirls. Try using the cowgirl images as part of your mixed media collages as well as your cards and tags. We know they will inspire you just as much as they have inspired me.
My first card uses images from the Cowgirl Strength plate. As soon as I saw the female image with the star on her dress I knew that my creations were going to involve stars, funny how the smallest detail can inspire a whole card. My background has been created cutting a star from scap paper and sponging broken china ink through the star, moving around the card to give my background. I then kept the paper stencil in place to add the print to each star.
As soon as I saw this cowgirl I thought of denim and wanted to use a little somewhere on my card and so decided to cut a star from an old pair of denim jeans which also inspired my colour choice for her top, colouring with broken china ink.  Vintage photo seemed the perfect complimentary colour to add to my card, blended around the edges and colouring a star in the same colour.  I also spritzed with a little water to give a little more interest to my background and my stars. I added a little gold star to her scarf to echo the stars throughout my card (a little gift in a selection of goodies my kind AO team mate Suzz sent me earlier in the year), I do love the little details that help to bring a card together.
I added some natural twine to the bottom of my card along with a rusty star for added texture and dimension. Three wooden stars have been added to the top and bottom corners of my card.  I have also added faux stitching to the outside edges for further interest.
The Auld Lang Syne plate really made me think of classic black and white images and inspired my next creation. As this plate celebrates the New Year I again thought of stars and this time around decided to use the images with Tim's 3-D star bright die, cut from silver card. To age the silver a little I rubbed over a little black acrylic paint and then wiped away any excess.
I kept the image classic black and white too, for me it worked perfectly against the dimensional star. She is so elegant and classy and I think these would make perfect table decorations for a New Year's Eve table.  I added CELEBRATE to the bottom of the star again stamped with black archival ink, sponging the edges with a little black soot ink.
To give a little more interest I added some black ribbon, black and white twine and a black button for further interest and texture.
I also have to thank my friend Terry for sending me the gorgeous beaded ribbon which I used to hang my star, it was the perfect glamorous addition to my table decoration.  

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

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



Monday 26 November 2012

Created From The Heart

We are creating from the heart this week with Simon Says Stamp and Show and my piece has definitely been created with this in mind. I enjoyed every stage of this card as I love hearts, their shape always appeals to me and they are something I use on many occasions in my creative pieces.

We also have a very special Guest Designer this week, The Gentleman Crafter with an amazing project to inspire you further.

I am often referred to as the heart queen due to my obsession with all things heart related, be it jewellery, home decor pieces, garden ornaments or hearts used in my creative pieces, I love them all!
As I love hearts and dimension the Art Parts Hearts, Love and Stars were the perfect starting point for my card. I am also a huge lover of flowers and I love the Simon Says Stamp Fresh Daisies Die which I felt worked beautifully with my textural heart. A lovely rich vibrant colour palette was achived using Dylusions Ink Sprays melted chocolate, postbox red and squeezed orange.
All the elements on this card were adhered to white card prior to any colouring.  I also gave my dimensional heart some added texture using tissue paper.  I crumpled up small pieces of tissue and adhered with a watered down mix of PVA glue. I then cut the Fresh Daisies from white card and added to the heart and to the bottom right hand corner of my card.  Once the heart and flowers were added to the white card and completely dry I then coloured with the Dylusions Ink Sprays. I love how the sprays left a darker shadow around my flowers.
Once I was happy with the depth of colour on my card I added highlights of gold Paint Dabber, applied with my finger, this really highlights all the texture on my heart and the raised areas on my flowers.
I added a Prima flower to the bottom of my card again coloured with Dylusions ink sprays, adding gold Paint Dabber to the edges of the petals. I also added some lace for further interest and texture along with a brass heart charm.
To add a further layer of interest to my background I added some random stamping using Dina Wakley's Create with Abandon stamp using archival ink.  I used the stamp without an acrlic block, giving more of a random feel to the text.  I also added a little stamping to the heart. To complete I added Chitchat stickers "together forever" to the top of my card.

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:

Wendy Vecchi Art Parts Hearts, Love and Stars
Simon Says Stamp Fresh Daisies Die
Dylusions Ink Sprays - Melted Chocolate, Postbox Red, Squeezed Orange
Gold Paint Dabber
Prima Flowers - Trellis Roses
Bo Bunny Natural Lace
Dina Wakley Create With Abandon Stamp
Tim Holtz Idea-ology - Chitchat Stickers

Saturday 24 November 2012

Winter Wishes

My weekly creation for 100 Proof Press this week is a winter tag using the fabulous Tall Conifer and Christams Day stamps.
I used a white tag and one of Tim's diffusers to leave an aperture in the centre to add my Tall Conifers.  I used the snowflurries texture fade to add a little interest and texture to my tag. I blended broken china ink around the edges of my tag.
I have added two wonderful rosette snowflakes cut from white card and coloured with broken china ink. I really do love these tones for Christmas/Winter creations. December and Christmas Day has been added to the top of the rosettes cut from the Christmas Day stamp. I have also added some winter words using Chitchat stickers, again coloured with broken china ink.
My Tall Conifers have been added to the central aperture stamped with black archival ink, adding a little broken china ink to the base to ground the trees.  I have also added 25 again from the Christmas Day stamp backed with a little Bakers Twine. To complete I have added some twine to the top of my tag.

Wishing you a creative enjoyable weekend. Tracy x x


Thursday 22 November 2012

Let It Snow

Time for my weekly DT piece for Creative Expressions using the Let It Snow A5 stamp plate.
I am back to my icy blues for this creation using broken china Distress Ink.  I used a snowflake stencil for my background, which I thought was perfect for the snowman image. I cut two baubles from white card using the Spellbinders Heirloom Ornaments dies, adding broken china ink to the edges and matting onto a dark blue card.
The snowman has been stamped inside one of the baubles with broken china ink and I have used my water brush to add a little shading. The second bauble has Let it Snow added. For a little more interest I have added Bakers Twine and two pewter embellishments to the top of each bauble along with Bakers Twine tied in a bow.
I have also cut a bauble from shrink plastic, covered with Gesso and then coloured with broken china ink, stamping the snowman with manganese blue archival ink and then shrunk with my heat tool. For a little more interest I have also added Chitchat stickers to the bottom corner.

I also have some blog candy; one of the fabulous Creative Expressions project books showcasing 21 unique projects from myself, Gabrielle Price, Sue Wilson, Sharon Nettleship, Sam Poole, Tracey Laughton, Lynne Gilbert, Dee Paramour, Julia Watts and Hels Sheridan. To be in with a chance of winning the book, simply leave a comment and I will draw a winner at the weekend.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Tracy x x

Wednesday 21 November 2012

Vintage Pop Up Card

Time for our monthly blog hop with ARTISTIC OUTPOST and this month our theme is Christmas, a perfect opportunity for me to tick another Christmas card off the to do list. My Christmas card has a very vintage feel to it using the fabulous Santa image from the Snowy Woods plate.
This is a pop up card using the fabulous Pop 'n Cuts system, I love the interest it gives to the inside of a card.  The front of my card has two baubles cut using a Spellbinders die, coloured with a little vintage photo Distress Ink.  The fabulous Santa image has been added to each bauble.
I stamped the foliage stamp in the background using walnut stain Distress Ink and blended a little vintage photo ink around the edges to add to the vintage feel. Happy Christmas has been stamped onto cream card and sponged with a little vintage photo ink.
For a little more interest I have added twine and rusty stars to the top of each bauble, I love the rustic feel this gives to my piece.
This is the inside of my pop up card, I love the star pop up as this echoes the rusty stars used throughout my design.  I have added Happy Christmas to my star along with more twine and a few more rusty stars to coordinate with the front of my card.  I have also added the second Santa again from the Snowy Woods plate to the top corner of the pop up.
I love the sentiment from the Snowy Woods plate, the font is gorgeous and perfect for a little interest to the bottom of my pop up.

My fellow Design Team members have created some fabulous pieces, pop along and be inspired along the way.
Artistic Outpost are also holding a fabulous Referral Program, the theme being ANYTHING/ANY OF THOSE AO IMAGES. Why not pop along HERE for all the details and there is a fabulous prize on offer too.

Some other fantastic news, there is 15% off Christmas stamps from 21st November through to 26th November. Simply use code Christmas2012 when you checkout.

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

Monday 19 November 2012

Thanks A Bunch

Simon Says Stamp and Show are asking you to say THANK YOU. Whether you are sending a hand crafted gift of thanks, sending a thank you card, creating a scrapbook page or a journal page, we would love to see how you are inspired to create something to give thanks this week.

I rarely make thank you cards so this week it was time to put that right and create a thank you card in preparation for the holiday season.
I am really loving the Pop 'n' Cuts at the moment and the Sizzix 3-D Thanks Phrase Pop 'n' Cuts was the inspiration for my piece this week. I love the dimension and the fun element these give to your cards, giving a little more interest to the inside of a card, something we often forget. My cheery flowers were created using Wendy Vecchi's 3 Fresh Flowers Stencil along with rusty hinge, fired brick and peeled paint Distress Inks. To give a little more interest and dimension I have added a Maya Road vintage wood feathered friend along with a few small flowers cut using the Tattered Florals die.
Once I had created my pop up I added a little colour to THANKS adding rusty hinge Distress Ink to the edges of each letter using cut and dry foam."Thanks A Bunch" has been added to the top of the pop up using Hero Arts thanks set. The sentiment has simply been stamped onto white card with black archival ink and coloured with rusty hinge and fired brick applied to the edges. To give a little more interest I have added faux stitching around the edge of the sentiment using a walnut stain Distress Marker.

I have used Wendy Vecchi's 3 Fresh Flowers stencil to add flowers to the top and bottom of my pop up.  I simply applied Distress Ink rusty hinge through the stencil with cut and dry foam, adding touches of fired brick and peeled paint to the stems. I have also added the fabulous wooden bird again coloured with Distress Inks, adding thank you to his body using Technique Tuesday stamp set A Million and One and black archival ink. He adds great dimension and interest to the interior of my card.

I added some mini florals to the top and bottom of my card cut from white card using the Tattered Florals die, stamping each floral with the background stamp from Wendy Vecchi's Art Colors Life stamp set using coffee archival ink. Each one has been coloured with rusty hinge Distress Ink, adding fired brick to the edges.

I have added stamped thank you's to the top and bottom of my pop up, stamped with black archival ink. To add a further layer of interest I have added faux stitching to the outside edges using Distress Markers.
I could not forget the front of my card which I also decorated with the Fresh Flowers stencil but this time I added texture paste through the stencil, A technique I have used for many years but if you are not familiar with this idea then pop over to Wendy Vecchi's blog HERE she has fabulous step by steps re how to use a similar product. I have also added THANKS to the top of my card cut from white card using a Memory Box die and colouring with Distress Ink.
Once the texture paste was completely dry I coloured my background and the flowers with Distress Inks rusty hinge and fired brick using cut and dry foam.  I coloured the stems and leaved with peeled paint and pine needles Distress Markers. To give a little more interest and texture I added Clear Rock Candy over the top and set aside to dry.
Three Chitchat stickers have been added to the bottom corner, coloured with rusty hinge Distress Ink. Faux stitching has also been added to the outside edges for a further layer of interest.
For further dimension I added a butterfly Art Part stamping with the coordinating stamp from the Wendy Vecchi Art For You stamp set using black archival ink and colouring with rusty hinge ink. I also added the same butterfly stamped onto Clearly For Art using black StazOn and colouring on the reverse with butterscotch Alcohol Ink.

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:

Sizzix 3-D Thanks Phrase Pop 'n' Cuts
Wendy Vecchi's 3 Fresh Flowers Stencil
Wendy Vecchi Studio 490 Art Colors Life
Wendy Vecchi Studio 490 Art For You
Wendy Vecchi Art Parts Bugs & Butterflies
Wendy Vecchi Clearly For Art
Distress Inks - Rusty Hinge, Fired Brick, Peeled Paint
Maya Road vintage wood feathered friend
Tim Holtz Alterations - Tattered Florals
Tim Holtz Idea-ology - Chitchat Stickers
Cut and Dry Foam

Technique Tuesday Stamp Set A Million and One by Ali Edwards

Archival Ink - Black, Coffee
StazOn - Black
Distress Markers
Alcohol Ink - Butterscotch
Distress Crackle Paint Clear Rock Candy
Memory Box pop up THANKS Die






Sunday 18 November 2012

Christmas Wishes

Time for my last creation in this set using Teresa Collins CHRISTMAS COTTAGE designer pad and coordinating STAMP SET from The Stamp Attic.
I decided on a Christmas tag this time around to coordinate with all the cards I have made during the past few weeks using the CHRISTMAS COTTAGE products. The tag has been cut from cream card using the Tag and Bookplate die. I then cut 25 from the top of my tag using the Cargo Stencil Number Set.
The next step was to add some texture and dimension to my tag which I added using the Snowflurries Texture Fade. The background was then coloured with aged mahogany Distress Ink, adding gold Paint Dabber to the raised areas with my finger. I added a piece of coordinated Bazzill card to the back of my tag so that the numbers were a little more prominent.
I added some coordinated ribbon to the top of my tag along with two Baubles attached with jump rings for further interest and dimension. I cut JOY from white card using the Alphabetical Strip Die, colouring with gold Paint Dabber.
I cut my tree and pot from mountboard added VersaMark ink to each and then sprinkled with Stampendous Frantage Shabby White Embossing Enamel, adding two layers. I then inked the stamp from Teresa Collins using maroon archival ink and stamped into the hot enamel. For a professional finish I added gold Paint Dabber to the edges of my pot and tree. For further interest and dimension I also added Christmas Dew Drops to the bottom and top corners of my tag.
To complete I added Glossy Accents to the 25, giving a wonderful glossy finish and a further texture to my tag.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Tracy x x

Saturday 17 November 2012

Christmas Candles

I decided to decorate a couple of candles this week which I have now sent to a dear friend, using the Tall Conifer, Snowflake, Leafy and Christmas Day stamps from 100 Proof Press.
I added the stamped images to my candles using StazOn timber brown, adding images around my candles.
For added dimension and interest I added red gems to my snowflakes for a little sparkle.
I added December 25 and red Bakers Twine to the top of each candle, the pop of red really adds to that seasonal feel. I also added wooden baubles to the top of each candle which I coloured with fired brick Distress Ink.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Tracy x x