a gentleman's card

This was a card that I had to make in just under an hour. I was asked by a friend of mine to make a card for a gentlemanly man who was going to be 60. She needed it for the next day and I only had barely an hour before picking little one up from school. Then I thought of the journaling set from Clarity stamp and the stencil set that came with it.

So On a piece of A6 card i placed tag stencil in place and using Clarity stencil brushes i inked with antique linen, old paper and scattered straw distress inks. I also stamped the argyle pattern from same set in scattered straw. Once I was happy with colour of tag I stamped gentleman in potting soil archival ink. The stamp is from the quintessentially english set by Indigo blu. Then I covered the inked area and darkened area around tag with frayed burlap DI. Using same ink I stamped the burlap from journaling set. I added antique linen and old paper to rest of card and continued stamping the script and watermark in frayed burlap on background. I then distressed edges with gathered twigs.

I stamped 4 corners and embossed in tarnished gold from same set. i fussy cut them and added them to topper when i had stuck it on base card. Before this I wrapped some twine around taupe base card and added some more stamping in corners with an Indigo blu flourish. The sentiment and numbers are from Clarity stamp and they are stamped in potting soil archival and clear embossed. 

And there you have it my quick card for a gentleman. Hope you like it and please let me know your thoughts, Theresa xx

Happy 50th Birthday

This was another commissioned card. My brief was to use pink and it needs some hearts on it. Now anybody who knows me, knows that I struggle with pink. It is definitely not my colour. So when I have to use it, I find it restrictive.

Anyhow I got out some co'ordinations card and chose a muted pink from there. I die cut it with a spellbinder border that had scrolls that looked like hearts, thus keeping within the brief. I die cut the 2 larger bitty blossoms, one in pink felt and the other out of white card.

I cut a piece of white card and rounded corners. Then I cut an aperture and embossed card with a Sue Wilson embossing folder that also has little hearts as you can see in pic below. On another piece of white card I stamped the Clarity flourish using victorian velvet distress ink. I stamped it 4 times to fill aperture area. Then I stamped sentiment in black archival and clear embossed. I die cut it with an oval shape and whilst still in die I inked it with victorian velvet distress ink.

I assembled it as shown and matted it on a larger white mat that was pierced all around. I attached flowers on pink area on a knot of crinkle edge organza ribbon. I added another flower that I made out of 1.5 cm wide organza ribbon. I added victorian velvet distress glitter to white rose. The leaves are fabric and each one can be pulled apart to produce 2 leaves. The twisted wires are actually flower soft wire covered in double sided tape and dipped in microbeads and then twisted around pokey tool. This is a Sue Wilson technique for which there is a video on her blog. You can see that this is where I got the inspiration for this card.

Finally I stamped and embossed 50th and again die cut it and inked it with victorian velvet. 

I hope you like it and you know that I enjoy reading your comments, Theresa xx

I would like to enter this into the sunday stamper challenge - nature (flowers)

colours of spring

Just a quick post today. Well Eileen godwin who is the queen of colour and distress inks has been using these goosebumps. i really liked the look she achieved with it.As i don't have this stuff I tried to improvise.

I inked a piece of centura pearl card on plain side not shimmery with distress inks. I think i used spiced marmalade, tumbled glass. mustard seed and peeled paint and worn lipstick. I spritzed with water and dried with tissue. Using same colours i smeared them on an acrylic block, spritzed liberally with water and stamped on top, thus achieving those smears.

Then i stamped the lavinia roses in black archival and also a little bit of crackle for grasses. This is where i improvise now. I used frantage embossing enamels to try and mimic the goosebumps. I mixed different whites and got some fragments caught in them. Then i matted and layered and finished card off with some matching Sweet lilac flowers.

I hope you like my offering today, Theresa xx

As i used lavinia stamps I would like to enter it in following challenge:

Lavinia stamp challenge - the colours of spring

travel ....... journey....

My nephew will be 16 yrs old next week. How time flies....I remember the day my brother called me to say Malcolm was born like it was yesterday.

So as he is now a young man I had to think about what card to make. Then I remembered I had bought a set of small travel stamps by Tim Holtz and decided to use them.

So I started by creating the film strip which is a Clarity stencil. I inked it with frayed burlap and passed it through embossing machine to transfer ink. I then embossed it.

Next I stamped the three images in vintage photo distress ink and dried it with heat gun and then pulled some colour out with a wet brush. I then inked lightly with brushes and antique linen and old paper to cut through the whiteness and distress card and added some detail in backgrounds like birds, hills and trees. I also added the vertical lines on strip using an edge of a stamp and pumice stone DI.

I ripped one end of strip and then darkened edges with walnut stain and matted it on taupe card.

It was time to turn to base card. Using many of the other stamps in set and various shades of brown DI i stamped them randomly all over. I also added some more detail from other TH stamps I have. They are all miniature ones. I blitzed it quickly with a heat gun and added some TH sentiments in black archival ink.

I then stamped and clear embossed celebrate your birthday from the Clarity word chains. I then stuck the strip with foam pads and embellished with some TH ideology. I don't think it's easy to see but one of the pieces actually has 16 on it.

And there you have it. The travel card for my nephew. I hope you like it as i hope he will, Theresa xx

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Fussy and Fancy Challenge - all about travel

Simon says Stamp Monday challenge - journey

a reading journal

Well today i decided to share the journal that I made for my son Alessandro. He had this project where he need to create this journal with a cover suitable for something reminiscent of the second World War.

So I decided to use the leather technique as described by Sheena Douglas as I thought that books were more likely to be leather bound at the time. So I started by preparing 3 A4 sheets of kraft card with water and glycerine. 2 of them i embossed and then inked with various brown distress inks and edged with gold gilding wax.

The 3rd one which was going to be the front cover i did not emboss but crumpled up very well. I went on to ink as previously. I then die cut 4 corner motifs on my slice and attached them to 4 corners. I also die cut the letters on slice in 2 sizes and attached them to front. I inked the motifs lightly before i attached them and inked further in situ. Then i also went over them with gilding wax and outlined them in black to make them pop up.

Then using letter box kit from Clarity stamp, i stamped his name in versamark and embossed in tarnished gold. 

Then it was time to find something to create a solid folder with. The lovely Emma Williams had just blogged a book and so I picked her brains. This made me think that I could use a box which would give me the folds ready. So I went to rummage and found one of those 'pizza'-style boxes that  you receive 12x12 papers in and cut it to size to fit A4 papers in.

Luckily it was white but I still gessoed it both sides. I then used various distress stains and paints, all browns, to colour it and went around all edges with gold gilding wax.

Then it was time to assemble it and this I did as shown. I also decided to finish inside nicely. So I covered it in cream coloured card and aged it by spritzing distress inks with the spritzer to give it that look of old books.

Sorry some of the pics are upside down. They turned in process and i couldn't change them.

This was a labour of love as it took me a few days to finish it off, but then it was for my boy. I hope you like it as much as he does and we both would appreciate your comments.

I would like to enter this in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Mondy Challenge - Anything goes

Sunday stamper -  Brown

door hanger and shabby chic

I must be in a recycling mood as today's offering started it's life as a box  that had a fantastic nut tart in it that we had brought over from Malta when we where there over Christmas (torta ta' San Martin or St Martin's Pie - literal translation). It had lovely fine corrugation and i couldn't get myself to throw it away as I kept promising myself that it would come in handy.

So I drew the shape on the back and cut it out. Then I painted it with distress paints, mustard seed, picket fence and tarnished brass. I added some flake and glitter glue around edges but not very neatly as i wanted to achieve a distressed look. I then added gold flakes to the areas. Next it was time to stamp images. Both are from IndigoBlu.

I inked the blooms on the rose blush stamp with distress markers: mustard seed, brushed corduroy and walnut stain. The rest of the stamp I inked in flake and glitter glue. I blasted it with heat gun to dry ink and then applied the gold flakes. I washed and dried stamp and using the same markers I stamped the image 3 more times.

I pulled some colour with a damp brush to get some shading on flowers. Then I fussy cut them, shaped them with an embossing tool and mounted them as in pic.

Next i stamped butterfly from Wild meadow set with same markers and some glue along edges of wings. I pulled some colour with a damp brush to shade butterfly and then applied the gold flakes. I fussy cut it and molded the wings.

Next I added some lace from Sweet lilac flowers to the bottom of hanger. Then i attached the flowers and butterfly. I then added pearls along butterfly's body and dotted some more pearls around.

And my door hanger was finished.

As usual i do hope you like my offering and if you visited please leave me a comment, Theresa xx

I would like to enter this into the following challenges:

IndigoBlu blog challenge 14 - spring blossoms

Fussyandfancy Friday challenge 110 - shabby chic

recycled or upcycled?

Well yesterday i had promised myself to start tidying up my stash room. However I received the ebosser and the Clearly for art film and got waylayed. We had finished this tin of coffee - and it was such nice coffee too- and I couldn't get myself to put it in recycling bin as I liked the shape and size of it. 

So finally i thought I'd try to paint it and alter it and turn it into something useful.

So I started by painting on 2 coats of gesso. When it was dry I started to applying distress inks with cut and dry foam. I used mainly neutral and brown colours. i used antique linen, scattered straw, tea dye, rusty hinge.

Next I got out the journaling set from Clarity stamp and started stamping randomly with distress inks. I used rusty hinge, frayed burlap, pumice stone and walnut stain. Some of the images i smudged to give it a more distressed look.

Then I over stamped with archival inks using sepia, coffee, potting soil and watering can.

Then I used a couple of words from the new wordchains by Clarity stamp and stamped art and createrandomly in black archival ink. Finally i stamped dream from birdcage set that was one of the lesson sets from clarity stamp.

I had some leftover music from another project and stuck both pieces down as the colours matched.

Finally it was time for the flower. I so wanted to play with the Clearly for art film that i used Sue Wilson's dies and cut out 3 different sizes of the flower. I heated it and shaped it after i had snipped in the petals almost to centre to allow movement for molding. I also cut out some leaves from same film.

I then cut a base for flower from g45 paper, and yes i have cut into another sheet; whatever next! I attached all the flower dies with a brad and stuck it down on tin. I tucked leaves underneath.

And now my brushes have a proper home instead of lying in a box!

I hope you like what i have recycled or upcycled. I really enjoyed making it. It would be nice if you left me a comment so I know you have visited, Theresa xx

I would like to enter this make in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - transparent

Sunday stamper - Dream