GRUNGY STEAMPUNK

This week I am showcasing the Balloon stamp  from Katzelkraft.

This week I have opted for a grungy steampunk card, creating a background from embossed metal which I have coloured with Alcohol Inks and then rubbed over with wire wool to give a fabulous industrial feel.

I have added dimension to my image adding four layers, stamping the image with Potting Soil Archival Ink and adding a touch of shading with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.

Large and small cog has been cut from white card and coloured with Walnut Stain Distress Paint with highlights of Olive Bronze Treasure Gold Wax added. I have also added a mini cog embellishment to the top along with the letter 'S' for STEAMPUNK.

STEAMPUNK has been stamped with Archival Ink and shaded with Distress Inks and added to the bottom of my card.

Two mini tags have been cut from white card, coloured with Distress Ink attached together with a brad and two Chitchat stickers added.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Tracy x x

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Just A Note.....

I created a little notelet card this week for Artistic Outpost using the Secretary Pool plate.

I cut a piece of white card 4" x 6" and then covered with a book page, punching the side of the piece to look like it has been torn from a book and I then matted onto a piece of corrugated card for a rustic natural feel.

I cut a backing piece for the typewriter to sit from Kraft card which I then spritzed with Ink Refresher, crumpled and then coloured with Vintage Photo Distress Ink which highlights all the creases wonderfully to add to the aged feel. I then stamped the vintage typewriter onto the backing piece and then once again onto Kraft card, colouring with Distress Ink and then adding on top of the first image for dimension.

I stamped the pencil image on the top and bottom of the text backing paper using Black Archival Ink and also added a pen nib for added interest and dimension.

I die cut a tag from white card, crumpled to give an aged look and then coloured with Distress Ink adding a numberd brad and background stamping. The tag has then been tucked behind the focal image.

I used the alphabet background stamp to add NOTE to the top of the card and also included a couple of pieces of the die cut edges I cut from the edge of the text background.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Tracy x x

BOLD, STRONG, SPIRITED

This week the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge would like you to dig out those artsy stamps and play!

I decided to use Dina Wakley's All The Gals stamp, these images are quirky, sketchy and artsy and I love adding them to inky backgrounds.

I began by folding a piece of white card in half and then placing the card onto the Tag and Bookplate die, placing the score line just below the cutting line on the die and then running through my die cutting machine.

This gives me the perfect tag shaped card as my base. I then die cut a further tag from Ranger Speciality Stamping Paper for decorating.

I then decorated the background using Wendy Vecchi's Archival Reinker technique, I used Cornflower Blue and Tree Branch Reinkers.

Place two small drops of Reinker onto a non-stick craft sheet, I applied more of the Cornflower Blue and less of the Tree Branch.

Rather than sprinkle drops of Rubbing Alcohol I decided to spritz my Reinkers with the solution, applying a good amoung of the Alcohol to dilute the colours further.

I then mopped up the solution with a tag cut from Ranger Speciality Stamping Paper. At this stage I also spritzed the tag further with the Rubbing Alcohol to dilute yet again. There is also plenty left on my non-stick craft sheet for further pieces to be coloured.

Heat set the ink with a heat tool.

At this stage I was happy with the background colour and did not add any further colour.

For a further layer of interest I applied Walnut Stain Distress Ink through the Cargo Layering Stencil.

I love adding layer on top of layer to my designs it gives so much interest to the background.

I then stamped one of The Gals from the Dina Wakley stamp set onto the tag with Black Archival Ink. I then created a mask of the image and then placed onto the first stamped image.

To add a further layer of interest I stamped the background with text using the Dina Wakley's Create With Abandon text stamp using Cornflower Blue Archival Ink.

I then added a bird to the top of my tag using Dina Wakley's Birds Mask and Black Archival Ink.

I added BOLD to the bottom of my tag using Tim Holtz Industrious Stickers and I also distressed the edges of my tag and applied Walnut Stain Distress Ink.

I stamped bold, strong, and spirited with Black Archival Ink; I think these are perfect for The Gals images. I also dipped the top from my Distress Paint into Snowflake Fresco Finish Paint and added random circles to the background and I flicked some white paint against the backdrop to add yet further interest.

I die cut a Pediment from white card and then coloured using the Reinker technique and then added background stamping using Tree Branch Archival Ink and then added to the top of my tag card.

A Heart Charm has been added to the side of my card suspended from a Hinge Clip and I have once again stamped bold to the centre of the heart.

For more great ideas please pop over to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge blog and take a look at my fellow team members artwork, 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. Tracy x x

Products Used:

Dina Wakley All The Gals Stamp

Dina Wakley Birds Mask

Tim Holtz Tag and Bookplates Die

Tim Holtz Pediments Die

Tim Holtz Cargo Layering Stencil

Tim Holtz Industrious Stickers

Tim Holtz Heart Charms

Tim Holtz Hinge Clips

Archival Reinkers - Cornflower Blue, Tree Branch

Archival Ink - Black, Cornflower Blue

Distress Ink - Walnut Stain

PaperArtsy Snowflake Fresco Finish Paint

Non-Stick Craft Sheet

Ranger Speciality Stamping Paper

Heat Tool

Paper Distresser

BIRDS OF A FEATHER

This week I am showcasing one of my favourite plates from Artistic Outpost, the Birds Of A Feather Plate.

I was aiming for a natural rustic charm with this piece. I began by cutting a tag from corrugated card, colouring the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.

Two smaller tags have been cut from white card and I then stamped the bird and egg background images with Potting Soil Archival Ink and added a touch of shading to the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. Three blossoms add further dimension to my design.

I also die cut a couple of tiny tags and stamped each with the Spring sentiment. I also added numbered brads to each of the tags for added interest.

Seam binding has been coloured lightly with Walnut Stain Distress Ink and tied in a double bow and an oval tag added to the top.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Tracy x

BOTANICAL BLISS

This week the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge is challenging you to find your botanical bliss, a theme chosen by my fellow team member Suzz.

Being a keen gardener, the theme this week is right up my street, I adore fresh flowers, wildlife, nature and can often be found spending hours in my garden just pottering away! I used one of Tim Holtz Burlap Panels as this gave a real natural feel to the background. To add texture I applied a coat of Wendy Vecchi's Metallic Gold Embossing Paste and once dry I then applied a good coverage of Wendy's Crackled Texture Paste; those random sized crackles make me happy!

Once everything was dry I then applied Walnut Stain Distress Stain over the background, the stain seeps into all the cracks which I love and gives a lovely aged feel to the piece. I then placed the Wendy Vecchi 3 Fresh Flowers stencil onto the panel and then applied snowflake Fresco Finish Paint over the stencil and then heat set with a heat tool. My second layer was Pumpkin Soup Fresco Finish Paint and once dry I then applied Mocha Mouse to the centre of the flower. To make the flowers pop against the background I drew around the petals with a black pen. Tinned Peas Fresco Finish Paint was added for the stems.

For added dimension I included a Word Band coloured with touches of Olive Bronze Treasure Gold Wax along with a dimensional bird created with black UTEE poured into a Martha Stewart bird mold. To highlight all the detail on the bird I rubbed over with the Olive Bronze Wax.

For added interest I included Number Brads to the centre of my flowers. I then applied a coat of Multi Matt Medium to protect the canvas which lightened some of the areas, which I loved and once dry I applied Olive Bronze Wax around the edges of the canvas.

For more great ideas please pop over to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge blog and take a look at my fellow team members artwork, 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. Tracy x x

Products Used:

Tim Holtz Idea-ology - Burlap Panels, Word Bands, Number Brads

Wendy Vecchi Metallic Gold Embossing Paste

Wendy Vecchi Crackled Texture Paste

Wendy Vecchi Stencils For Art 3 Fresh Flowers

PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Paint - Snowflake, Pumpkin Soup, Mocha Mousse, Tinned Peas 

PaperArtsy Olive Bronze Treasure Gold Wax

Black Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel

Melt Pot

Martha Stewart Nature Starter Kit

Multi Medium Matt

Heat Tool