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

  

off to Canada - Simon says stamp monday challenge

 Well today I'm offering 2 cards I made for 2 colleagues who are off to Canada in search of greener pastures  workwise. I thought that I should try to keep to colour scheme as much as possible and try to kind of replicate the Canadian flag.

So out came the gelli plate, buff titanium and deep red acrylic paints and a couple of stencils from Clarity stamp. I drew myself a maple leaf to create an opening in print. 

So i created background by pulling off 2 prints. The first was completely covered with buff and distressed with scrunched paper before pulling print. Then I added red to top and bottom of plate, laid down stencil and took off some paint with copy paper and put leaf mask down before pulling second print. I flipped leaf over and added shadow around it with pumice stone and walnut stain distress ink. This brought out leaf impression even more.

Next I stamped the plane in the leaf in black archival and clear embossed it and added sentiment in corner in same way. These are both Tim Holtz stamps.

 I inked a sun behind plane after masking it off again using distress inks (squeezed lemonade, mustard seed, scattered straw and wild honey) and stencil brushes.

I wrapped some twine along upper corner and added a small tag from the Clarity shapes set. I wrote good luck with a micron pen. It was then mounted onto black card. Finished card is 8x8.

As the theme over at Simon says stamp monday challenge is lucky, I decided to enter these cards.

As always I hopeyou like my makes, Theresa xx

new sweet lilac challenge - spring flowers

Well hello crafters. It's that time of the month again when a new Sweet lilac flowers challenge is launched. This time the theme is spring.

I knew what I wanted to do but didn't have the appropriate stamp for it. So i looked for an image i liked off the internet and printed it out. I cut it out to make it 3-D and stuck it on background card. By the way i made that background by squidging inks on my craft mat - peacock feathers, mustard seed and weathered wood - spritzing them with water and swooshed the blank card through it.

I then proceeded to fill the basket with gorgeous flowers in spring colors from Sweet lilac flowers. When I was happy with the layout i stuck them down . I stamped sentiment from Claritystamp in black archival and clear embossed it.

I tied some matching ribbon from my stash around basket handle and across background and added another flower at one end.

I matted it onto corresponding colours and stuck it to an A5 white base card. I hope you like  my make and that you will join us over at Sweet lilac challenge and don't forget that for the winner there will be a hamper of flowers waiting to be shipped out. Theresa xx

easter tag 2

Today i have another tag on offer. This has been inspired by Tim Holtz tags of 2014. I read the blog and thought.....I wonder if i could make something like that?

So I tried and this was the result. I used Clarity stamps feather, nest and sentiment. All the stamping was done with distress inks; walnut stain for nest and sentiment and mustard seed, peacock feathers and weathered wood for feather.

The background pattern is done through a stencil using the distress pens and spritzer contraption and then I sponged through with a make-up sponge to sharpen edges and use ink left on stencil. 

I inked around edges to darken them and then drew a stitched pattern all around with walnut stain distress marker. I added some ideology twine and a metal embellie from my stash which i spritzed in tan mister huey first and went over with patina gilding wax.

The ribbon is inked american seam binding using same inks as on feather.

I hope you like my effort, Theresa xx.

I would like to enter this into following challenges:

Simon says stamp monday challenge - d for distress

sunday stamper -  sewing/stitches

this one's for me......

Well as the title says I made this card purely for my pleasure with nobody in mind for a change. I saw this stamp I think on one of Pauline Butcher's cards and i had to have it.

I connected instantly with it. It took me back to my childhood. My auntie had this painting with a similar bridge and water on it that she had painted. i have always wanted to make something similar and this stamp gave me the opportunity finally.

So on a piece of centura pearl I stamped the stamp from Lavinia  in black archival and created a mask for it. I covered the main image with mask and added a moon mask (or sun in this case). I decided to create a sunset. So using distress inks and brushes I inked with victorian velvet, worn lipstick, picked raspberry, seedless preserves and faded jeans. I added some squeezed lemonade on the horizon - just a hint. I also added some picked raspberry and seedless prserve at the bottom.

I removed masks and set about coloring the image and sun. i used my spectrum pencils and I must say every time i use them i convince myself some more that I really needed them. I used various yellows, oranges browns, blues and a purple until I was happy with the shading.

I added clear wink of stella to water and this gave it a lovely shimmer.

I then stamped with the crackle stamp all around the edges and inked with chipped sapphire to darken edges.

I wanted to add a sentiment but didn't find anything appropriate. Then i happened to look at this die that said peace. As this was how this image made me feel i die cut it in black and added it to pic.

Finally i matted it on complimentary card and mounted it on 6x6 base card. I hope you like my creation and this time I really ask you to be kind with your comments as this was purely for me, Theresa xx

I would like to enter this in the lavinia stamps challenge - add something pink

poetry project

As some of you might know i have 2 boys. On Thursday evening, just as i picked him up from school, the older one goes: " Mum, I need a favour. I have to hand in this poetry project for tomorrow as it is World Poetry day. It has to be A4 max and i'd like to do something about the sea and fish.

I was kind of swearing silently as that didn't leave us much time and I still had to cook tea. Anyway as soon as we finished eating, I got out an A4 sheet of centura pearl card and my trusty distress inks. I showed him how to apply ink with the Tim Holtz applicator and started a tthe bottom with faded jeans, salty ocean, broken china, peacock feathers, peeled paint and shabby shutters. Then he went over the last 2 with broken china again to tone them down.

In the meantime i had stamped and embossed Ryn's koi, butterfly fish and octopus on a separate piece of card. I then showed him how to create interest on background using brayer, elastic bands and water and he dried it off with heat gun. Then we added more interest with Ryn's shoal of fish and bubbles using first and second generation ink with faded jeans.

He then wrote down the poem he had chosen in white and finally added some kelp in olive archival ink.

I coloured in the stamped images with distress inks and fussy cut them. I attached the koi and octopus as shown but he wanted movement with fish so i stuck it to pennies so it would spin. When they were all in place I added glossy accents to eyes and a bit of stickles glitter to fish to mimic glistening and voila'it was 10.30pm.

I hope you like our joint effort and if you do please leave us a comment, Theresa and Alessandro xx

feminine but not girlie

 I was asked to make an 18th Birthday card for a girl who is going to study naval engineering. At first I raked my brains trying to think what I could do to make a feminine card that wasn't girlie and to also represent engineering in some way.

Then I remembered Creative stamper magazine and the free stamps that came with it. The front cover card by Rae Fairefoxes Dalal was my inspiration. I started by splodging distress inks on the matt side of centura pearl card. I used rusty hinge, mustard seed and peacock feathers. Then using a damp piece of sponge I dabbed cosmic shimmer misters onto the card. This makes for a blotchy, shimmery look. Using same inks I stamped cogs all around
 edge of card. I inked around all edges with vintage photo. I matted it on black and added lace from Sweet lilac flowers.

Next it was time to make topper. I stamped the corset in potting soil and clear embossed it twice on taupe card. I inked corset with broken china leaving lace taupe. I cut corset out of second image and decoupaged it on the first. Then i mounted it on a piece of paper that came from an old book (this is the very first time I have ever defaced a book and it was really hard for me to do it. i kind of closed my eyes and ripped the page as I couldn't really look.), which i distressed around edges and inked to age. This was matted onto black card and mounted on the first piece of card with foam tape. 

Then out came my trusty letterbox kit from Clarity stamp. It was time to prepare base card. I got an 8x8 card and inked edges to age it and to blend it in with the rest. I stamped sentiment using the alphabet stamps in potting soil archival ink.

And finally it was time to add embellishments. I think I went to town with Sweet lilac flowers, but they matched in beautifully according to me. The ones that didn't look 'right' I inked and spritzed till I was happy with them. I assembled them in corner and added some cogs and a key. The pearl pins are actually needle craft pins but they matched so I used them.

I stamped 18th from the number kit again from Clarity stamp and cut it with an oval die from fancy tags 2 from spellbinders and tucked it as shown. I finished card off with an ideology flower from Tim Holtz.

sorry that this is a bit long winded but it involved a lot of steps. As usual i do hope you like what I have made and i enjoy reading all your comments, Theresa xx

I would like to enter this card into the fussyandfancy challenge 109 - birthdays

bright and cheery

Hopefully a quick post for today. I recently got some manila tags and was playing with them and this was one of the results.

I inked it with mustard seed, ripe persimmon and seedless preserve distress inks and flicked with some water to add texture. Then i stamped and embossed various Clarity stamps in white. I inked edges with walnut stain distress ink and added white enamel dots from Ranger. 

When it was dry i backed it with matching yellow card and punched right through to add some white seem binding, thus creating a small tag card.

 

And that is all, Theresa xx

I'd like to enter this into the Sunday stamper - bright