A Bit Of This and A Bit Of That............

I've created a gatefold card using Sam Poole's ART HOUSES for my next Guest Designer piece.  If you would like to pop over to Sam's Creative Studios you can see all the details there.

Here is a sneak peek for you!

I also have another treat for my readers, I have a copy of the April edition of Making Cards to give away to one lucky winner. If you would like to win this wonderful copy, please leave me a message on my blog and Sam's (link above) and I will draw a winner on Thursday. I am also featured in the magazine which is always a thrill, thank you Making Cards. If I get more than 20 comments I will throw in a few more extra treats for the winner too.

Edit: I will also be adding two stencils to my blog candy, the Crafters Workshop 6" x 6" Mini Branches stencil and the Special Touch 6" x 6" Trellis Mask. Simply leave a comment below and I will now draw a winner at the weekend.  I will also probably include a few other bits and bobs too.

This is the front cover of the Making Cards magazine, one of my cards is featured on the front cover, the one at the top right hand side in the turquoise colours.

Making cards also have a wonderful MAKING CARDS MEN special edition and you can pre order your copy HERE.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Tracy x x 

Learning To Dance In The Rain

Simon Says Stamp and Show are talking water this week. You could literally use water with your Distress Inks or Stains; use watercolour paper or pens, set an ocean scene, create with a fish stamp or image, design a scrapbook page showcasing those wonderful blue seas. We would love to see how you are inspired by water this week.

It had to be the Umbrella Man Die for me this week to create my dimensional piece of art.

This is one die I have actually never used and thought it was about time to correct that situation and the water challenge seemed the perfect opportunity. Metal Foil Tape has been texturised using the Riveted Metal Texture Fade to add a little more interest to the umbrella. Wendy Vecchi's White Embossing Paste adds the all important texture to the background and Glossy Accents give me my water droplets. I don't think I have ever danced in the rain, maybe I should try!

This is the background on my Wendy Vecchi Art Parts Book Cover which I coloured with vintage photo Distress Ink and then added a thin covering of embossing paste on the top, I then spritzed the background stamp from The Voice Of Art stamp set with water and pressed gently into the paste.

From this picture you can see the detail from the stamp, adding wonderful texture and interest to the background. I coloured the central area with broken china Distress Ink.

I cut Umbrella Man from a piece of Kraft Core and then sanded to add a little more interest. I stamped part of the sentiment onto shrink plastic and added to the back of the Umbrella man.

I have added a Philosophy Tag to my cover, covering with a touch of black Paint Dabber using my finger and then dabbing off the excess with a piece of kitchen towel to give an aged feel. WANDER seemed the perfect tag to add as my Umbrella Man is wandering in the rain.

The sentiment from the Good Thoughts stamp set was an absolutely perfect fit for this piece, I do love it when a plan comes together! I stamped the sentiment onto white card with black Archival Ink and coloured with broken china Distress Ink adding vintage photo around the distressed edges. I added an umbrella from Wendy Vecchi's Art Parts Outdoor Art coloured with broken china ink and stamped with the word DANCE from the sentiment.

I love the texture on the umbrella which I coloured with ginger and pitch black Alcohol Inks and then rubbed over with wire wool to give an industrial, masculine feel.

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 Alterations - Umbrella Man Die
Tim Holtz Core'dinations Kraft Core Nostalgic Paper Stack
Tim Holtz Idea-ology - Philosophy Tags,
Tim Holtz Good Thoughts Stamp Set
Metal Foil Tape
Riveted Metal Texture Fade
Wendy Vecchi White Embossing Paste
Wendy Vecchi The Voice Of Art Stamp Set
Wendy Vecchi Art Parts Outdoor Art
Wendy Vecchi Art Parts Book Cover
Glossy Accents
Distress Inks - Vintage Photo, Broken China
Archival Ink - Black
Pitch Black Paint Dabber
Tim Holtz Paper Distresser
Alcohol Inks - Ginger, Pitch Black

ART HOUSES

I'm showcasing the wonderful ART HOUSES by Sam Poole from Creative Expressions decorating a tag this week.

My background has been decorated with mowed lawn and salty ocean Distress Inks, applying the ink to a non-stick craft sheet, spritzing with water and mopping up the beads of ink.

I embossed the card with the Couture Creations Uber Fine Design embossing folder, rubbing over the raised areas with gilding wax. I machine stitched three lines to the top of my card and added wooden birds, coloured with Distress Inks, adding random text to the bird's bodies. I also added HOME using the Vintage Alpha clear stamp set by Sam Poole.

The houses have been stamped onto white card with black Archival Ink and coloured with mowed lawn Distress Ink.

For a little more interest and dimension I also added three assorted key charms, again coloured with a touch of gilding wax. I added stitched lines to the bottom of my tag to ground my houses and added HOME using computer generated text. I then added touches of gilding wax around the edges of my tag.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Tracy x x

Sneak Peek, Die'sire Embossalicious Pick Of The Day

Leann Chivers from Crafter's Companion will be showcasing an Embossalicious launch on a Pick Of The Day on Wednesday 20th March at 9pm on Ideal World.

For my first sneak peek I created a tag accordion card using the Die'sire paisley embossing folder. My background has been coloured with Luminarte Radiant Rainmallard and mediterranean and then embossed with the folder. I also used the fabulous Die'sire Scalloped Tags stamping Sheena's images onto each tag adding dimension for further interest. The fabulous dimension flower is the Die'sire Blissful Flower, the edges coloured with a touch of Treasure Silver, rubbing over with my finger.

This is the reverse of my accordion, adding more stamped images and a second dimensional flower using the Blissful Flowre die adding leaves to the back of my flower using the Leaf 2 die .

Be sure to tune into the shows at 9pm, 11pm on 20th and 8am 21st on Ideal World and throughout the day on Thursday 21st on both Ideal World and Create and Craft.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Tracy x x

Spring Is Here

Well that's me just hoping that Spring is around the corner even if it's freezing outside. I've created a card this week for 100 Proof Press using the SHARP OWL LARGE.

The background on my card is coloured with Dylusions ink spray and sea salt added whilst the ink is wet. I have also added some random text using black Archival Ink.

I have cut out a heart and added texture paste for added dimension and texture, adding an owl charm to the centre and a touch of charcoal around the edges of the heart to lift from the background.

I coloured a piece of card with mowed lawn and salty ocean Distress Inks, spritzed with water and mopped up the colour. I then stamped the sentiment with black Archival Ink and added to the top of my card.

A second piece of card was coloured with Distress Inks and the owl stamped with black Archival Ink and added the my card, I also added another textural heart to his body and small cogs for his eyes.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Tracy x x 

Chic Silhouette

From lace to doilies, adding brown ink around the edges of your artwork, dimensional pearls, a vintage find, soft trims, we are thinking shabby chic this week at Simon Says Stamp and Show. You can take just one element that is considered shabby chic or create a complete piece that is shabby or chic, interprete in your own way, let your creative inspiration take hold and lead the way.

I was in touch with my feminine side this week to create a shabby chic framed silhouette.

This challenge encouraged me to get in touch with my feminine side and the lace background from Wendy Vecchi's Sentimental Art was the perfect backdrop for the silhouette from Tim Holtz Artful Silhouettes stamp set. Victorian Velvet Distress Ink was the perfect colour to add to the feminine feel of my piece adding into the mix a Fractured Doll for a quirky touch. I have to say I consumed many jelly beans in the making of this piece as I had to keep walking away and coming back before working on the next piece, so lots of break times always mean a little snack which in this case was jelly beans.

To begin I stamped my background with the lace background from Wendy Vecchi, stamping in coffee Archival Ink and then colouring over the top with victorian velvet Distress Ink, I love this colour for my more feminine pieces. I have added gold embossing powder around the edges to add a touch of bling to my design.

I then stamped the oval frame with black Archival Ink on top of the lace background and then stamped the silhouette in the centre. I then stamped the image four more times onto white card and added on top of my first stamped image to give added dimension. A pearl has been added to the neckline to add a feminine touch.

A Chitchat sticker (timeless) has been added to the top of my piece, I thought this was perfect for this piece as I feel shabby chic pieces are timeless. To add further dimension and interest I included pearls to each corner of my panel.

The decorated panel has then been added to a frame which I have painted with Picket Fence Distress Crackle Paint and then coloured with victorian velvet and touches of brushed corduroy Distress Inks. Metal corners have been added to each corner of the frame.

A fractured doll has been painted with a coat of Clear Rock Candy and coloured with victorian velvet Distress Ink adding an Alpha Card behind the doll along with a treasure Chitchat sticker.

I cut the Mini Tattered Floral from white card, cutting six layers and then stamping each layer with the Ephemeral Background stamp and colouring with brushed corduroy Distress Ink, adding an antique button to the centre.

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 Studio 490 Sentimental Art Stamp Set
Wendy Vecchi Embellish Your Art - Blossom Bucket Antique Buttons
Tim Holtz Artful Silhouettes Stamp Set
Tim Holtz Idea-Ology - Fractured Dolls, Metal Corners, Chitchat Stickers, Alpha Cards
Tim Holtz Alterations - Mini Tattered Floral Set
Artistic Outpost Ephemera Backgrounds
Distress Inks - Victorian Velvet, Brushed Corduroy
Archival Inks - Coffee, Black
Queen's Gold Embossing Powder
Melissa Frances Pearls
Picket Fence Distress Crackle Paint
Clear Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint

Postcard From Paris

I am travelling to Paris for this weeks DT creation for 100 Proof Press using the Eiffel Tower stamp and the Poscard Scroll stamp.

I used Dylusions ink sprays in the background adding sea salt to the wet background, I love the effect this gives.

I used the vintage globe die as my backdrop for the Eiffel Tower which I stamped with black archival ink, cut out and coloured with brushed corduroy Distress Ink. I added some card letters which I found in my stash.

The Postcard Scroll has been added to the top of the card along with more travel associated words. I have also added some random text in the background for a further layer of interest.

To complete I have added an Eiffel Tower brad and a jewellery piece which I found in the sales quite a while ago.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Tracy x x