Small is Beautiful.

Hello and welcome to the 3rd challenge from Stamps and Stencils The theme is Small is Beautiful and the lovely and very talented host for June is Julia.

The challenge is to keep it small, you can make or alter something. A tiny book or journal, ATC or ATB. A tin or box even a small piece of jewellery.
You must use at least one stamp or stencil on your project and please remember we are a mixed media challenge blog and the style of your work should reflect this.

For more details and to see what the other ladies in the design team have created hop over to Stamps and Stencils.

Here is my entry which is inspired by Finnabair. Went to a workshop at Art from the Heart last Saturday with Sue and Ruth we had a fantastic day, after a scrummy lunch at Bettys Tearooms.

Mini Canvas

I have used the reverse side of the canvas, so that I could add a Word into the recess.
This is the  window to my Dream cottage in the Lake District!

The quote is from Donna Downy's stamp "Empowered Words"

I have used a ATC which is coloured with Distress Inks and the same rubbed through a Spinning top stencil.

The reverse of the frame painted with black gesso. The scissors are just to show the size....

Adding some lace to build up texture....

The window sill and the shutters are the small blocks of wood that you get in a new canvas for stretching it out (you know the bits that never get used) and little MDF hearts...
I added extra details through a stencil using  Paper Artsy's grunge paste.

The side with stencilling

 Same side painted. The Tinting is Primary Elements mixed Golden Acrylic Glaze.

Hope you enjoyed and will join us for the challenge..

Thank you in advance for all your kind comments xx

Happy crafting

Sharon xx

Three of a Kind

It's the 1st Thursday of the month and that means a new Challenge over at Stamps and Stencils.

Ruth is the host for our second challenge, hope you enjoyed the first one and we would like to say a Big thank you to all you very talented people that joined in....(if you didn't we would love you to give it a go this month:)

The theme Ruth has chosen is 'Three of a Kind' for all the details of our monthly challenge please hop across to Stamps and Stencils

So here is my idea for Three of a Kind.

It started with 3 blocks of wood or Post Cap Tops, as I did not have any canvases and these were to hand they had to do!!!!

First the blocks were gessoed as they had been treated I did not know how they would react to paint etc.

Then I applied heavy bodied gesso through a stencil, stuck the wooden embellishment down and gave it some texture.

Now to apply some colour. I have used Silks acrylic glazes and mixed it with Golden Acrylic Glazing liquid  in satin, it was painted on then after a couple of minutes rubbed back with a baby wipe.

More colour added, the colours I used were Sunflower, Key Lime (my favourite) Sky Blue and Vavoom Red.

The quote is from one all time favourites from A Creative Journey Set. 

 Keep a green tree in you heart & perhaps a singing bird will come.

All the quotes are from the same set.

Under a tall tree I will lie, and let the clouds go sailing by.

Don't be afraid to go out on a limb. That's where the fruit is.

So theres 3 Blocks. 3 Artemio wooden embellishments. 3 Scrolls. 3 little flowers. 3 Quotes. 3 metal corners. 3 small hearts. 3 metal leaves and 3 stencils, I think I might just about qualify ...

 I like my grass the best on this block?

Thanks for popping to see my interpretation of Three of a Kind.

and I appreciate all your lovely comments.

Happy crafting 

Sharon xx

Getting to Grips with Graphik at Stamps and Stencils

Hello and welcome, Ive been getting to grips with Derwent Graphik Pens for my 1st Inspiration post for stamps and stampsandstencils stencils. please hop over to see what I've been up to..

Sharon xx

Window Hanging

Hello
I would just like to share with you a window hanging I made, the idea is to stop me walking into the the rather large patio window at my new house.

The hearts are metal, the beads are on memory wire, which is very hard to bend but it does keep it's shape.

Tim Holtz Tissue paper glued onto the metal as a background.

Paint applied through a stencil and stamping in the background.

The same poppies from a die as above, these have been triple embossed.

Close up of texture paste through a stencil.

I left the metal bare and applied art basics 3D Matte Gel through the spinning top stencil and tinted with Paper Artsy paint.

 This cute little owl is from one of Lin Browns new stamps, I have also used crackle paint on the background.

I couldn't get a good photo of the whole hanger on the window, the camera just focused on the outside. 

Please go over to http://stampsandstencils.blogspot.co.uk to see the Inspiration Post Ruth has to share with you (its very good) and there's still time to enter the challenge "Anything Goes"

Thanks for stopping by and all your comments are really appreciated. Hope you have a great crafty weekend.

Sharon xx

New Challenge Blog "Stamps & Stencils"

Hello and Welcome back to my poor neglected blog...

I have some exciting news about a New Monthly Challenge Blog "Stamps and Stencils" which is being launched today 2nd of April but more exciting for me I am going to be a member of the design team.

It will continue on the 1st Thursday of each month.

So if you would like to join us you need to follow a Mixed Media style and include Stamping or Stencilling or even both. Entries can be anything from cards, to altered items, but they must have mixed media roots.
No digital images allowed, but vintage photo's will be accepted.

Sue is the host for the 1st challenge and the theme she has chosen is - Anything Goes, so please hop over to the blog and meet the other lovely ladies in the Design Team.

Here is my 1st entry, it has not been easy as I have just moved house, no excuses but my crafting

table is currently a cardboard box with a tray on it!!!!!

Her fine tail feathers are the flowers off Lin Brown new stamp by Paper Artsy.

Grunge paste through a stencil then stamped.

Leaves cut out to to give some dimension.

Flowers tinted with paint, another use for a copper plant label.

Again flowers used for sunshine, the copper has been puffed out.

The canvas is called New Beginnings for several reasons, or it could be called Freedom (note that the bird is not caged) 

Thank you Sue for all the hard work you have put into this new challenge, it is going to be such a joy to be part of the team xx

Sharon

Quick Post Before the Big Day

Hi everyone and welcome, I have some very exciting news about a new challenge blog called

Stamps and Stencils  and I am very proud to be a member of the design team, I'm sure you will recognise the other very talented ladies.

 We will be mixed media style blog, so you can use anything so long as it includes Stamp or Stencils or better still both...

Sorry no digi images but vintage photo's are ok.

So please hop over and join in the fun. We go live 2nd April, looking forward to seeing you there xxx

Anything Mixed Media Goes

Hello and welcome to my Design Team piece for the first challenge at Artist Trading Post Exchange . The theme for this challenge is "Anything Mixed Media Goes"

We are a fortnightly, mixed media challenge, which can include any kind of project as long as it follows a mixed media style. Sorry no digi images allowed....

I have always admired The Gentleman Crafter and when I saw that you could download the instructions (at a very small Cost) for his Pyramid Gifted Mini, that gave me the idea to make a little travel journal book in a box.

Embellished with Route 52 Heart and Wings then painted with Silks Acrylic Glaze, the ribbon has been coloured with Distress Inks.

Some of the pages of the accordian book have been left blank so I can add photo's or memorabilia when I got back from my travels.
The Cherish Stamp is from Darkroom Door, Art De Fleur. The compass is Tim Holtz Classic no1.

I have used Paper Artsy "Chatsworth" paper and Tim Holtz idea-ology, both papers are a excellent weight and stand up to stamping and glueing.

Paper Artsy Mini Script Stamp MN61 on the cream arch which is the same as what is printed on the Paper Artsy Paper, and the leaf is cut from the same paper.

The Birds on the wire are a Crafty Individual stamp CI287

Just to show how the accordion book pulls out. 

And to prove  that the book does fit into the box, inside the box has been painted with Paper Artsy Paints and stencils then stamped using Eclectica EDY07

I have used the new Finnabair Art Basics 3d Matte Gel to paste everything together and fix the metal embellishment on and I'm very impressed with it.

Well I hope you enjoy my first post and I haven't gone on too much, and I am really looking forward to seeing what the rest of the team and you will create.

Thanks for stopping by

Sharon

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