Key Spool Inspired by France Papillon - and a Photo of my Bro, John!

This is my second entry for the Paper Artsy challenge for this week as I was away last week and very much enjoyed seeing France Papillon's creations, and in particular her video of how she made the Key Spools, which you can see here. I was dying to try it so I ordered some wooden spools whilst I was away to try as soon as I got back. I think they will be very addictive!

Not much to say about the process as I followed France's instructions but I went for a pink and lilac colour scheme, colouring my seam binding with Fresco paints and dabbing some distress inks around the 'The Eyes See Everything' wording. I used the script mini for the top of the spool and the Movie Star and the Eye Mini for my shrink plastic danglies. I used lilac Bakers' Twine around the top and bottom of the wording.

And far more beautiful than anything I could possibly make, John holding his medal, photographed by my other lovely brother, David.

Canvas Board with New Lynne Perella Oriental Stamps

I am entering this canvas board for the Paper Artsy challenge. This week's Guest Designer is Carol Quance who has been one of my favourite artists and someone I have admired so much ever since I first started stamping. She has made a gorgeous hanging papier mache board using the new Lynne Perella Asian stamps and Fresco Finish paints which you can see here. She also made an Asian tag with an I Ching coin which you can see here, so I have used elements from both pieces.

I didn't have a papier mache board so I used a canvas board instead but used tissue paper and Fresco paints in the same way as Carol recommended, with one of the other new Asian Lynne Perella sets for a similar look, dotting some of the individual flowers around and using a border of them up the right hand side. I used London Bus for the background with some dry brushing of Snowflake. To finish off I have used a homemade I Ching coin and some chopsticks, wrapped in twine. The backdrop for my photo is the most amazing purple parasol that Petra gave me for my birthday!

Tim's Tag May 2013 - and the Chelsea Flower Show!

I really love the current tag on Tim's blog  for May 2013 so I thought I would join in and have a go. I was especially tempted as Brenda had very kindly given me his new Remnant Rubs on my birthday and I hadn't thought of using them in this resist way with the Distress Stains which I also love. I also have the Mona Lisa stamp and the film strip so really I had to try it! I didn't have an enamel tag so I used a charm bezel with a couple of the rub ons and some more Distress Stains in the middle. I rubbed a little Distress Paint in Picket Fence on the bezel for a more enamel look (ish).

Whilst I'm on here, on my blog, blogging as you do, it seems like a good excuse to happen to accidentally mention my gorgeous brother, John, and my very dear Sister in Law, Nic, who are at the Chelsea Flower Show this week with their exhibit on behalf of Marks and Spencer and Finlays. It is the first time Marks and Spencer have featured at Chelsea and a great honour that John and Nic are representing them. They have been working hard for months on creating a microcosm of the way roses are grown for Marks and Spencer in Kenya in a sustainable way, ensuring that all the water used is recycled. Yesterday I was vicariously completely star-struck at the exciting people they were meeting on press day, but at the same time wanting it to be them in the limelight ('our Nic is just as lovely as Joanna Lumley so why is the camera pointing the wrong way ........!'). Anyway, I am very happy to report a text message when I woke up this morning that they have received a Silver Medal. Hope you don't mind my pride ..........

Live in the Sunshine - The Outpost Box with Distress Stain Splats

Over on the Happy Daze Blog I have made this box using the Artistic Outpost plate, 'The Outpost' using Distress Stain splats.

I used white pen to highlight the house and popped the smaller image into a bezel. I coloured the ribbon with Distress Stain to match.

I used the text stamp and wording all around the box. It says, 'The Ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it', and 'Live in the Sunshine'. My home has a lot of ornaments when my friends come to play, and a lot of sunshine!

Colin doesn't like this box but he did like the splats inside so he said I was to take a photo of the inside, even though it is plain. The splats are such fun to do. I really love this stamp set. It's new (to me) and I will be using it a lot.

I am entering this into the May Referral Programme for the Artistic Outpost, and Our Creative Corner, the theme of which is Anything Goes. You can buy Artistic Outpost stamps direct from them if you are in the US, and from Happy Daze if you are in the UK.

Tulips from Amsterdam

Over on the Happy Daze blog I have decorated this box using the Lovely Day, Bloom and Grow, and Outpost stamp plates from the Artistic Outpost. I got the box from the children's range in a Tesco Extra store, and painted it with various shades of green and blue Fresco Finish paints.

I am entering this into the Country View Crafts Challenge which is How does your Garden Grow?, and the Artistic Outpost Referral Programme for May. You can buy their stamps from them if you are in the US, and from Happy Daze if you are in the UK.

Altered Port Decanter with Indigo Blu Stamps

I have altered this glass Port Decanter for the Eclectic Paperie challenge which is altered bottles and jars, and the Indigo Blu challenge which is flowers. I painted it with various Fresco Finish paints using cut n dry foam and stamped the Indigo Blu script and a piece of mesh all over it, and used the Elizabeth Bennett stamp as the focal point. I painted a piece of card with yellow and orange paints and stamped extra flowers from the same stamp, which I cut out and glazed.

I stamped a piece of ribbon with the Pride and Prejudice wording from the Mr Darcy set to tie around the bottle neck and added some pearl trim and some of the flowers.

I used the 'You could not be so beautiful' wording from the Mr Darcy set on the side and the lace around the bottom. Then the fiddly bit! I stamped the silhouette figures onto shrink plastic and cut out an oval to fit the centre of a charm pendant. It was really difficult to get it to fit. I then rubbed the charm with white paint but I wasn't happy, so I added some gold Fresco paint but it still wasn't right, so I added some black ink. I'm still not sure! It was also difficult to glue on and I had to bend it to fit the curve of the bottle then hold it down for ages! I added more of the flowers around it.

A view of the cameo side of the bottle from above.

Finally I added the car from the Grand Tour set and the Pride and Prejudice wording. I hope you like it!

Hessian Sewing Canvas For Crafty Individuals

I made this little hessian 'canvas' using the new Sewing stamp plate by Crafty Individuals and some of their older sewing stamps. I used one of their little wooden trays, which are only 99p, and added some shrink plastic buttons inside and a thimble made from a home-made mould, and a tape measure cut from the edge of the dress-form stamp. The lace edges of the box are also edges of the stamp. I used the Tim Holtz pediment die covered in Spring background paper stamped with Crafty Individuals' script stamp. I finished off with a sewing machine charm, also available from Crafty Individuals, pinned onto the hessian with a Tim Holtz tinket pin.

Gatsby Altered Bottle

Over on the Happy Daze blog I have altered a plain plastic shower gel bottle using the Gatsby plate by Artistic Outpost but also the background stamp from the Jane's Countryside plate, and the Creme de la Creme stamp from French Flight. I dabbed on various pink and beige shades of acrylic paint, with old gold on the black top, which I stamped with the script and the Great Gatsby wording. The front of the bottle shows Daisy, and I have given her a string of pearls and pearl earrings with pearl glue.

I've used the Jane Austen background stamp, the Creme de la Creme stamp, and the remaining stamps from the Gatsby set all over the bottle in both black and a selection of pinky Distress Ink tones. I stamped the two men from the Gatsby plate onto translucent shrink plastic and cut them to fit inside two little frame charms which I rubbed with a little white paint and tied together with some dyed to match seam binding.

 

Whilst I was painting the outside of the bottle, I watered down some of the pink acrylic paint and added it to some flowers.

I adhered some lace to the bottom and added some glass glitter all over the bottle and the flowers. I stamped The Great Gatsy in black as I wanted these words to be prominent. You can see the decadent champagne bottles from the Gatsby set.

I am entering this for the Eclectic Paperie challenge which is Flowers, and the Artistic Outpost referral programme for May. You can buy their stamps from them if you are in the US, and from Happy Daze if you are in the UK.

  

 

 

 

And thank you, Alison, for mentioning to me about the new Our Creative Corner challenge of Anything Goes which has just gone up, and which I am delighted to link this up to!