INKY FINGERS

I’ve had a great play day today… there was much discussion re Distress Oxides on KCUK, so I was inspired to play some more… I’ve only used one of the backgrounds I made, so they’ll be coming up in the next few days.

BUT I was playing with one of my latest acquisitions (thank you to That’s Crafty for your lovely clearance sale ) and thinking of balloons (Addicted to Stamps Challenge) and circles (That’s Crafty Challenge and Sweet Stamping Challenge) so these were what I ended up with.

The words are a mish mash of words I’ve cut out from various stamps – I just saw them and liked them together.

The above was an attempt to use the paler DOs – they seem to get lost when used with the deeper colours – so it’s very baby pink and blue.

In my mind’s eye, the swallow had landed on a bubble or balloon, adding meaning to the text, so I added some string    While there, I thought I’d add more messy string to some of the stamped circles I’d added to that little image (continuing the design elements of the main image). I played around with my circle stamps, adding more circles of different sizes in black and white inks and really like the end result.

This last one started with a long, thin scrap of card left over from another project, to which I added some Distress Oxide (Cracked Pistachio and Peacock Feathers) dipping and spraying.  Because the background was made with Glimmer Mist, the mica shines through in parts. There’s also a bit of Brilliance Resist Technique in there – some of the Moonlight White circles were stamped in between inky layers, giving a lovely 3D effect to the background when the light hits it.

One more balloon image… on one of my darker backgrounds, overstamped and stencilled in Brilliance Moonlight White.  You may be able to see that this image is faulty, but I’ve informed the supplier (Bee Crafty) and I’m waiting for a replacement. I’m using a lot of white ink, lately… I think it really does add an extra dimension.

While I was looking round That’s Crafty Challenge Blog, I discovered that I’d won top 3 in February – I didn’t even know! So I’m proudly displaying my badge Thank you very much!

The challenge over at Make My Monday Challenges is dry or wet embossing and since I’ve embossed all the images on the above, I’ll link to that, too.

That’s all for now…

Back soon

Thanks for looking

Cath

xxx

Just jumping in to join in the Art Journal Journey Challenge, which is collage and recycle.

I always think I don’t collage much at all, but I do use a lot of torn pages, so I think that counts

I’ve also used bits of old images I have in my ‘cut image’ basket, so I’ve definitely recycled… the girl is from an old Claudine Helmuth stamp and was already a bit spattered with ink.

It’s a (deliberately) simple page – just gesso, oxides and a bit of stamping, then some journaling around the edges, as per usual… oh, and a bit of sprinkled gold embossing powder.

The theme is love – love beyond measure.

Thanks for looking

See you soon

Cath

xxx

I decided to name this wonderful lady Pearl because she was made for the ‘Use Pearls’ challenge over at Allsorts Challenge and now I can’t get the song, ‘Pearl’s a Singer’ out of my head! (Unfortunately, I’m already too late and the challenge is now closed )

I don’t use pearls or beads very often and had a really hard time trying to put pearls around her neck, so I decided to use Liquid pearls – which isn’t very successful, but it will have to do

I actually enjoyed making this… it was also made for the Shimmer and Shine challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenges AND the Feeling Blue challenge at Daring Cardmakers,  but I’m too late for both because I just didn’t get around to blogging her!!!  Oh well ….

Just to prove there are pearls on there, here’s a close-up of them.

The Simon Says Wednesday Stamp challenge is Anything Goes this week, so I’ll enter the following card.

I was having ink withdrawals, having been spending time using backgrounds I’d already created, so I made a very simple card with one of my old stamps, which I love!

I kept the background simple because anything else would interfere with the image, but I used a wavy stencil with water after stamping, just to take off some colour and add a little interest. I like the effect.

This one is an Oxide play…yay!  I do enjoy playing with these inks. This is Squeezed Lemonade, Salty Ocean and Seedless Preserves. I used the Versamark and water technique over the background, which has the added (dis)advantage of clear embossing when I embossed the images.  The words are among my favourites – I have this saying in 3 different designs – but even with Versafine Clair, the lettering clogged up a little. Shame.

I used one of my favourite stencils on this, as well as the stamping, using opaque white ink and a bit of the Oxides.  Love these stamps (Carabelle) - they’re so playful.

The challenge over at Tuesday Throwdown is Anything Goes

as is the challenge at

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge,

Crafty Creations,

Inspiration Destination

and

Word Art Wednesdays.

This is one of my favourite stamp sets (SU) and although I really ought to get out my stamp positioner and do them properly, I prefer the arty effect of roughly stamping over the top of the flowers with the outlines. Simple but colourful and I think it’s effective.

I’d like to enter it into

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge – Flower Power

and

Everybody Art Challenge – Flower

This one is for Daring Cardmakers ‘Let’s talk about the Weather’… another of my favourite latest purchases on a simple background, stencilled with white, though it doesn’t show up much in the photo.

Lots of challenges – sorry.  I still have a folder full to upload, but will do that in dribs and drabs…

Hope you’re all enjoying the Spring, though I think you southerners (in the UK) are having much more sunshine than we up North are getting. I shouldn’t complain – I get much more done when the weather isn’t as good.

I’ve been stocking up on tomato plants and buying more fuchsias to replace the ones I lost over the winter, so I’m looking forward to seeing them grow if we ever get enough sunshine…

On another note, I’ve just sent off for my Port Sunlight ticket – if any of you are going, do let me know… it would be nice to say hello. I had one last time but was asked to look after my granddaughter at the last minute and that’s always a possibility again, because it takes place the day of my Daughter-in-law’s birthday and they tend to go out early afternoon… hope that doesn’t happen. It’s ages since I went and I love to catch up with old friends!

Hope you’re all well.

Thanks for looking.

See you soon

Cath

xxx

I’m really enjoying trying to make something of my old scraps, so here are more…

This is an old Faux Batik background, which turned out too dark, so I used the same stamps used on the background and added a little more to it to lighten it. I used yellow for a change and did a little shadow stamping in the background.

I don’t often use die cuts but I saw these used on the Stamps and Stencils Challenge blog and fell in love with them – they’re also a great way of lightening darker backgrounds. Sorry it’s not a good photo but it’s pretty dark here today

This is another dark (acrylics) background lightened with stencils and white ink or paint, using a Paperartsy Flower stamp and a great Tim Holtz text…

Another Paperartsy stamp and another TH quote…

…and the lovely Woodware silhouette again on a simple inky background.

I’d like to link these to the following challenges.

Try it on Tuesday – Beautiful Nature

Creatalicious – Anything Goes with optional dies/punches

Crafting with Friends – Anything Goes

and

Crafty Creations – Anything Goes

Thanks for looking

See you soon

Cath

xxx

I played a little with a couple of Penny Black Brush stroke stamps yesterday… I have a real weakness for their beautiful designs.

I’ve been wanting this stamp for a long time but wouldn’t get it because I thought it was a bit limiting…I gave in eventually and love the way it’s turned out. Long tailed tits are among my favourite birds, being one of the smallest in the UK. I used to love watching them flying in to the feeders, in flocks of around 13 – they always sound as if they’re ‘tinkling’ like bells and are such a delight to watch. So I tried to emulate their colouring, though it’s not perfect. I like the result, though the beaks look a little more finch like, the way I’ve coloured them…

I’d like to link this to the Penny Black Saturday challenge – Anything Goes.

I also found my Duo Daubers when sorting out my Craft Room, so I thought I’d play with them and this PB stamp.

I usually colour with Prisma pencils after stamping, but with the DD being pigment inks, I just embossed, which means they’re a bit bereft of shading, but they’re still ok.

This one is for two challenges and uses up one of the ‘too dark’ backgrounds I made a while ago on linen card, using Glimmer Mists. The texture of the card makes the wording look a bit lost, but it looks better in real life. I used Brilliance Moonlight white, stencilled, to try to lighten it a bit and coloured the SU lady with Prisma colour pencils.

This is for

Addicted to Stamps and More – Make your Mark

Through the Craft Room Door – Anything Goes

and

Stamping Sensations One for the Girls

I just went to add my link to Addicted to Stamps and More and discovered my card was chosen as Top Addict – wow!  Thank you so much, peeps. I’m honoured

Then I did a simple page in my Journaling Bible…

More in progress, so I’ll be back soon.

Thanks for looking

Cath

xxx

‘One for the Girls’ is the them at Stamping Sensations, so I was playing around with some of my sillier images…

I went a little overboard (for me…) with gems on her shoes, glasses and ring, plus an odd bit of Stickles on the earrings, cigarette holder and hair ornament, but it’s just a bit of fun!  It’s amazing how feeling old creeps up on you… I gave her a blue/purple hair rinse, too

I’ve been using up more scraps and using some images I don’t use as much these days, so these are the results.

This one is made with new stamps and uses an old background, stencilled over with White Brilliance ink.

I’d like to link to the  ‘Anything Goes’ challenges at

Mix it up Challenges

Word Art Wednesday

and

A Bit More Time to Craft.

Thanks for looking

See you soon

Cath

xxx

I’ve been adding Ebay listings (selling some of my craft stash and clothes I just don’t use any more) and almost lost the will to live – it takes SO LONG!!!! 

So, I decided to have a real play today, using some of the images I spent a day and a half stamping and cutting out masks for… well prepared…NOT.

These are images from the pile of stamps I decided I simply must use again some time, when reorganising my Craft Room – which isn’t (of course) yet finished

This is a pretty little girl image…made mostly with pink Distress inks and a bit of Aged Mahogany. I can’t remember where the word stamp came from but I know it was from the Port Sunlight show, around 10 years ago, so it’s probably from Stamp Camp – who no longer attend

I think the little girl image is from either Stampinback or Lost Coast…but I may be wrong…again, bought around 8-10 years ago.

I love both this stamp AND the words. Again, I’m not quite sure where the girl image came but it’s highly likely to be one of the above – I bought a lot together at one time, around 9-10 years ago.  There again, it may be Viva Las Vegas…I ordered a lot from them at the same time.

The words (both sentiments) are definitely from Stamp Camp. I loved her stamps. Not sure if she’s still around but I ordered from the US a couple of times until I realised her service was somewhat sporadic, to say the least.  Such a shame.

I used some background stamps I haven’t used for a while and also a new stencil, which I really like!

I also used two of my favourite colours of Distress ink – Peacock Feathers and Cracked Pistachio.

As so often happens after a Craft Room tidy/reorganisation, I ended up with a pile of stamps I hadn’t used for years and wanted to use again…notably, this little butterfly girl, from Time to Stamp, which once was a favourite of mine.  I noticed Rubber Dance now sell the same image(s – there are a few different ones on the same theme), which intrigues me, especially because they credit Time to Stamp…

I masked the butterfly girl and made two quite different cards – this one was a simple one with a plain background, edged with a stamp made from an old rollagraph wheel.

The next one was a bit more complex because I clear embossed some images over the mask, then added inks, a bit more colour and some words.

I’d like to link that to

Make My Mondays - Things with Wings

I was still playing with Black and White for a day or so and made another scrapling…

…and this one from an Art Journey stamp, with an Isa stamp in the background. Not sure if they were pressed by Katzelcraft but I know Isabelle designed the plate. I used a Hero Arts alphabet set for the letters.

Here’s another Winged Creature…or three on an Oxide Background…

…a simple ‘Happy Day’ card on another Oxide background…

…followed by another…

…and today’s journalling spread, again, made with Oxides, various stamp and pens.

I’m linking to the following challenges:-

Addicted to Stamps and More – Photo Challenge

A Bit More Time to Craft – Anything Goes

and

Simon Says Stamp Wed – Anything Goes

Happy Easter, everybody!

Thanks for looking

See you soon

Cath

xxx