Leftovers and Doodling - Inspired (Loosely) by Jo Firth Young for Paper Artsy

 Lots of lovely projects as always on the Paper Artsy blog this week. I didn't intend to play along as I am meant to be doing other things but I was tidying my desk and realized I could make something from the left overs! I always love how Jo Firth Young does her doodling and I never doodle - daydream, Yes, but doodle, No! I had this piece of square Chatsworth on my desk where I had been doing another project using the lovely new Marlin Fresco mixed with grungepaste and I had a little left so I popped it through the JoFY circles stencil and then used Tikka through the flower stencil, so when I saw she had doodled around the circles I thought I would try it and turn the square into a card. I had the left over clay flowers and canvas stems from when I did the bottle with the Clay Flowers for  Paper Artsy, and the painted buttons from when I did the house with the button roof. I know that makes it sound like I haven't tidied my desk in a looooong time, but I put left overs into little baggies and then never seem to use them. So there it is.

I am entering this card into this week's Paper Artsy challenge.

Floral Hessian Canvas Inspired by Penny Nuttall for Paper Artsy

Over on Paper Artsy this week, Penny Nuttall was Guest Designer, and on night one she made a wonderful hessian book with fabric liner paper. I thought I would try to recreate the same look as an excuse to use a hessian canvas with a gessoed background, and use the stamps in a similar way to Penny - so I was totally inspired by her in making it even though it is much simpler. I used StazOn in Claret, Orange Zest, and Ganache. The script is from Hot Picks 1304 and the flowers are from 1009.  I added metal flowers from an old necklace which I rusted and enamelled with Fresco paints, and some rusted photo corners. It was very quick but I quite like it as a piece of home decor as I like to be able to 'put things somewhere' or give them to people who won't say 'what is it?'!!

I am entering this into the Paper Artsy challenge and also That's Blogging Crafty which is Something Stamped, and the Artistic Stamper which is Anything Goes.

Lynne Perrella Tea Cup Lady - Inspired by Keren Baker for Paper Artsy

This week at Paper Artsy has seen the swansong of the lovely Keren Baker who has a wonderfully imaginative and experimental but still clean and simple style which I love, and I will be sorry to see her go. On the first of her three nights she used one of my favourite stamps, the Lynne Perrella Tea Cup lady, and I was pleased to have such a different way to use her. She had cut the diamonds out of her bodice and teased pieces of organza through the resulting holes. It was very effective and fortunately I had replaced my craft knife from last time she had us doing fussy cutting, but I thought I'd do that part of the project earlier in the week, as A and E can get busy at the weekend! I really think it was the most fiddly and exasperating thing I have ever tried to do in crafting, and that's saying a lot! The cutting out part wasn't too bad, but I used a tweezers to pull the pieces of organza through the tiny holes, and every time I pulled one bit through, it pulled one of the other bits out again! Did any of you try this? I don't know if you can make it out in the photo but it is quite effective, like a ruffled bodice.

I did as Keren suggested and stamped the image several times. I used archival and layered up the teacup, the necklace, and the wording. I then coloured it with my new Fibralos. Did I tell you I bought Fibralos?!!! Then I recycled a canvas by reversing it and filled the back with white lace and painted the edges with Beach Hut. I finished it off with Teal coloured rose organza trim.

I am entering it into this week's Paper Artsy challenge.