She Makes Her Own Way

I am really enjoying my creative journey at the moment, and I have really enjoyed using the newly released Cowgirl Strength plate from Artistic Outpost.

My inspiration for this piece began with the star on her dress, which inspired my whole piece. I knew I wanted to use stars in my creation.  I also knew that I wanted a faux leather kind of look in the background too. I began with the large wooden star which I coloured with brushed corduroy and vintage photo Distress Inks and then added the print to the top with black archival ink.

I then began to decorate a piece of Glassine paper, which I spritzed with Ranger Ink Refressher, its a fantastic product when used with Glassine. Simply spritz and then crumple your paper, the more you work it the softer and more material like it seems to get.  Once dry I added a little antiqued bronze Distress Stain to the raised areas for definition. I then added this piece to coordinated brown Bazzill card stock.

I added two tiny brass stars to opposite corners along with natural twine and smaller wooden stars. I really love the natural feel to this piece.  I coloured my image with Distress Markers and added some brass studs and star to her dress for added dimension.  The fantastic sentiment "She Makes Her Own Way" completes my piece.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Tracy x x

JOY

Simon Says Stamp and Show would like you to find inspiration from one of Tim's past tags, whether it is a design, technique or other idea we would love to see your artwork incorporated into an ATC, tag, card, scrapbook page, altered art whatever your choice, we would love to see it.

I was inspired by Tim's 12 tags of 2012 the month of February to create my seasonal card.

Tim's tag for February inspired me the most as I love the dabber resist technique, used here with the background stamp from the Seasons Silhouettes stamp set along with snowcap Paint Dabber.  I also love hearts so the dimensional heart was also perfect to add to my seasonal card, cut using the Mini Heart die.  I always like to add my own twist on things with my two dimensional reindeers cut using the Reindeer Flight die. Another Christmas card ticked off the list!

I decorated a piece of white card using the dabber resist technique and the background stamp from the Seasons Silhouettes stamp set. I also created a dimensional heart as Tim created on his tag back in February adding a Chitchat sticker to the top of my heart for a little more interest.  These three elements including some corrugated card were the starting point for my card.

The next step was to add my dimensional reindeer which I cut from greyboard but any thick card or mountboard would work perfectly.  I cut five reindeer and adhered them together to give me wonderful dimension to my piece.

I love texture in my creations so I added texture paste to each reindeer using a palette knife and then set aside to dry for a couple of hours.

Once the texture paste was dry I painted each reindeer with acrylic paint.

I added gold highlights to each reindeer using gold Paint Dabber and my finger.

I sponged the edges of my layers with walnut stain Distress Ink and added all my elements to red card stock. I added one of the reindeers to the dabber resist background adding a Chitchat sticker to his body along with a rusty bell for further interest.

My dimensional heart has been added to the top corner of my card along with two ornate corners to the stamped panel.

The second reindeer has been added to the bottom corner of my card and again I have added a Chitchat sticker and rusty bell.

JOY has been added to the top of my card using grunge blocks, colouring each letter with gold Paint Dabber and once dry rubbing over a little walnut stain Distress Ink using an ink blending tool.

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:

Tim Holtz Seasons Silhouettes Stamp Set
Tim Holtz Alterations - Mini Heart Die, Reindeer Flight Die,
Paint Dabbers - Snowcap, Gold
Tim Holtz Idea-ology - Chitchat Stickers, Grunge Blocks
Distress Inks - Fired Brick, Walnut Stain
Ink Blending Tool
Heat Tool
Non-Stick Craft Sheet

 

RUSTIC CHRISTMAS

I have made many Christmas cards this year and many have been in icy blues so I thought this time around I would go for a more rustic look. Anyone who knows me will know that I am a huge fan of rustic Christmas decorations and the whole rustic look, in fact my Christmas tree and most of my decorations are quite rustic. I few days ago I was informed that there is a fantastic competition taking place at the moment all of the details of which you can find HERE. There are some fantastic prizes, the first prize being a mini IPad (which my daughter would love), second prize is £100 of Hobbycraft vouchers (which mum would love) and third prize is £50 of Hobbycraft vouchers (which mum would also love).

I decided to create a rustic pop up card using the fabulous Karen Burniston Pop 'n Cuts die combined with the fabulous SPRUCE image from 100 Proof Press. The front of my card has an embossed panel embossed with the leaves texture fade coloured with brushed corduroy and vintage photo Distress Inks to add to that rustic feel, spritzing with a little water to give a little more interest to the background.

The SPRUCE is my focal image stamped on a styled label and matted onto a piece of black card to lift a little from the embossed background. I have added a little text in the background using the Ephemera background stamp from Artistic Outpost using coffee archival ink, subtle addition but adds so much more interest to the background and gives a perfect backdrop for the SPRUCE. I added the fabulous tattered poinsettia to the bottom corner, cutting a few extra layers for added dimension, I love it.  I coloured each layer with brushed corduroy ink, adding vintage photo to the edges, adding an antique button for further interest.

I cut a tiny circular tag from white card, stamped with the Ephemera background stamp and added TREE to the top along with "festive" using a Chitchat sticker. The edges of the tag have been coloured with vintage photo ink for definition.  I added some natural twine to the top of my decorated piece to add to that rustic charm.

This is the INSIDE of my card, I so love the Pop 'n Cuts they add so much interest and fun to the interior of a card, I love them.  I cut the pop up element from Kraft card again to add to the rustic feel, stamping the SPRUCE to the bottom corner to echo my focal image on the front of my card.

I cut a heart from the central panel and added JOY to the interior again colouring with brushed corduroy and vintage photo ink.  I cut a large snowflake from white card, stamped text from the Artistic Outpost Midwinter plate and coloured with Distress Inks. To add some contrast I also added some pearl snowflakes. I cut a tag from white card, added the Ephemera text to the background and added the sentiment from the Artistic Outpost Midwinter plate and sponged the edges of the tag with walnut stain Distress Ink, adding natural twine along with two wooden snowflakes for added dimension.

The two wooden snowflakes have been coloured with Distress Inks and a little antiqued bronze Distress Stain added to the edges for a little sparkle.  I have added several seasonal words using Chitchat stickers.

A larger snowflake has been added to the bottom of the pop up, again I have stamped this snowflake with the Ephemera text, colouring with Distress Inks, adding antiqued bronze Distress Stain to the edges.  To complete, I have added more seasonal Chitchat stickers.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Tracy x x

NEW YEAR

I've been using the fabulous Auld Lang Syne plate from Artistic Outpost to create a NEW YEAR card.

Although this plate has images specifically for NEW YEAR the clock images could be used at anytime of the year and in conjunction with many other images. My background has been created with Distress Stains tarnished brass and antiqued bronze, applying the stains to my non-stick craft sheet, spritzing with a little water and mopping up the ink with my card. I thought these metallic tones work perfectly for a NEW YEAR card.

I stamped the clock images in the background using coffee archival ink, adding across the length of the top edge.  I also added a clock which I clear embossed to the top of my card to embellish and add further dimension. I stamped my focal image onto white card and coloured with tarnished brass Distress Stain and then matted onto coordinated card.  I then hung the focal piece from natural twine connected to the two top corners of my card, attached with brads.

The lettering for NEW YEAR is from the alphabet in the Secretary Pool plate and the 'N' is an alpha part.  I stamped "For Auld Lang Syne" onto white card with coffee archival ink, cut up and added to the side of my card.

I stamped the clock from the focal image once again onto white card, added clear embossing to the top of the image for dimension and texture and added to the side of my card.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Tracy x x

Sparkle On

I'm working with a new set of stamps this week from Creative Expressions, something a little more sophisticated for me, If The Crown Fits A5 Stamp Plate.

As soon as I saw the stamps I knew I wanted to create something in classic black and white.  I began with an embossed background using the Spellbinder M-Bossabilities Hearts Embossing Folder.

I matted the embossed piece onto a piece of black card and added faux stitching with a white pen for a little more interest. I stamped the fabulously ornate crown onto white card using Black Archival Ink, matting onto black card and adding clear gems for added dimension. I also added a pewter crown embellishment to the top corner to echo the stamped image. I stamped "Sparkle On" onto white card and added to the bottom of the crown.

I cut a heart from white card, sponged the edges with Black Soot Distress Ink, stamped the sentiment with Black Archival Ink and added to the top of my card, tucking behind my stamped panel. For further interest I included an ornate pewter key.

To add to the sophisticated feel of my card I added a large black bow, large Dazzler embellishment and black hat pins.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Tracy x x

Home At Christmas

It's HOUSE RULES at Simon Says Stamp and Show this week and as I love the holiday season, decorating the house and filling the house with scented candles it had to be a Christmas home decor piece for me this week. This piece reflects the enjoyment I get from the season.

I love losing myself in a piece like this, deciding on how to fill each room is so much fun, I spent many hours decorating, painting and searching for bits for each room and enjoyed every minute. The reindeer creates a focal point and dimension in my house cut from mountboard using the Reindeer Flight die. Die cuts add lots of interest and further dimension using Memory Box Bubble Joy, Curved Antlers, Pop Up Joy and Simon Says Stamp Mod Tree dies. Do I give this away to a family member for Christmas or do I keep it myself decisions decisions!

This is the house before any decoration. The first step was to add a few pearls and some of my die cut pieces prior to painting. I added JOY to the top of my house and to the sides along with the curved antlers to one of my sections and the outside of my house. I also cut 25 from card using the mini reindeer die and added to either side of the roof of my house a long with a heart cut using the mini hearts die. I also added a wing for further dimension to the top section of my house. Once these were all in place and dry I painted the house with PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Paint in sky adding highlights of snowflake to the top, which highlights all the raised areas and texture in my piece.

From this picture you can see how the snowflake paint adds fabulous highlights over all the raised areas, particularly on the JOY and my reindeer. My reindeer is cut using the reindeer flight die, cut from mountboard, adding six layers to give fabulous dimension and then painting with Fresco Finish Paint. For further interest I stamped text onto the reindeer using the background stamp from Wendy Vecchi's Art Of Making It Merry stamp set using manganese blue archival ink. 25 has been added to the top coloured with broken china Distress Ink, adding manganese blue to the edges. I also added baubles attached with jump rings hanging from a screw eye.

From this angle you can see the fabulous dimension on my reindeer.  This time around I only used the head of my reindeer. I have also added a few Christmas finds from my craft room.

This room houses an optical lense showcasing Santa from the Holiday Collections stamp set using manganese archival ink. The snowflake at the back is from a broken earring and I have added baubles for further dimension and interest.  A snowflake from the Idea-ology festive foliage has been added to the back along with two wooden stars coloured with manganese blue ink.

Another one of the fabulous dimensional reindeers has been added to this area again painted with Fresco Finish paint and stamped with the background stamp and manganese blue ink. A Christmas muse token adorns the back of this area along with NOEL using wooden letters and more wooden stars. A rusty bell adds a little more interest to my reindeer.

 This picture shows the dimensional reindeer cut from mountboard prior to any decoration.

 

A Melissa Frances tree adorns this area along with a snowman and snowflake found in my collection. A glittered snowflake, baubles and JOY complete this area.

A mini reindeer is housed in this area along with two heart hat pins, Melissa Frances pearls and NOEL stamped onto white card using manganese blue ink, coloured with broken china using the Seasons Silhouettes stamp set.

A further mini bottle brush here along with a Christmas muse token and 25 using a plaquette.

I cut a mini pine tree from mountboard for this section, covering with a layer of texture paste and once dry I painted with Fresco Finish paints. JOY has been stamped onto white card using the Seasons Silhouettes stamp set and mini wooden birds have been added for further interest.

This picture shows the roof of the house decorated with die cuts and pearls.

One side of my house.

The opposite side of my house.

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:

Tim Holtz Stamps - Holiday Collections, Seasons Silhouettes
Tim Holtz Alterations - Reindeer Flight Die, Mini Reindeer & 25, Mini Hearts Set, Mini Pine Tree & Holly
Tim Holtz Idea-ology - Regal Adornments, Baubles Pearls, Jump Rings, Screw Eyes, Festive Foliage Holiday, Christmas Muse Tokens, Plaquettes
Wendy Vecchi Studio 490 - Art Of Making It Merry.
Memory Box Dies - Bubble Joy, Curved Antlers, Pop Up Joy
Simon Says Stamp Die - Mod Tree
Melissa Frances - Pearls, Mini Bottle Brush Christmas Trees
PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Paints - Sky and Snowflake
Archival Ink - Manganese Blue 
Distress Ink - Broken China
Studio Calico Tiny Stars Wood Veneers
Studio Calico Birds Wood Veneers

Winter Trees

I decided on a rustic natural looking card this week for my DT creation for 100 Proof Press using the SPRUCE stamp.

I stamped the trees with black archival and blended a little brushed corduroy and vintage photo ink around the edges.

I added the wording TREE and WINTER using alpha parts, I love the dimension and texture they add.  I also added tree using a chitchat sticker.

To add to the rustic feel of this card I added three leaves cut using the Tattered Leaves die, colouring with brushed corduroy and vintage photo inks and adding text to each leaf for added interest. I also added natural twine and button.

I also added a SPRUCE to the inside of my card.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Tracy x x