Mind The Gap

Happy Wednesday and welcome to the new challenge at Country View Crafts which is On Your Travels. In February's Craft Stamper Helen Chilton made a wonderful canvas and I wanted to have a go. This is nowhere near as fab as Helen's, but I did enjoy trying. Helen took us to Paris, but I'm taking us to London.

I started with an A4 canvas board and stamped with Artist Outpost stamps in various colours of Stazon ink. This was then coloured with Distress Sprays in Mustard Seed and Peeled Paint.

I used Deco Art glass paints to colour the individual elements and cut out and attached.

There is also a napkin here, an old Tim Holtz stencil that I've gone through with my favourite Deco Art black gesso.
The compass is from the Special Touch Map Mask and I've gone through it with Cosmic Shimmer clear texture paste, then a bit of Treasure Silver to make it pop.

There's lots of other bits and bobs, a bit of Frantage, some washi tape and lots of sewing.
I hope you'll join in with our challenge and show us your travel themed projects.
Enjoy your week, and thanks very much for looking x

I'm linking this to the Artistic Outpost challenge, as all the stamps used are from their London sets, and also 
Art Journal Journey where the challenge is Post and Postage 

Spring Is Here...

The challenge this week at Tag Along is Easter and/or eggs, and I've gone along with the egg theme.

The tag has been coloured with distress paints then stamped with Artistic Outpost stamps from the Birds of a Feather plate.
I think my poor bird is incubating some cuckoo eggs judging by the size of them!
A few feathers and bit of raffia and all done.
I'm also entering this into the Artistic Outpost and
Mixed Media World Anything Goes challenges.
Thanks very much for looking x

Roll Up! Roll Up!

I'm going to shock you all now with a piece of news, THE SUN IS SHINING! It's still flippin freezing, but it's sooo nice to see some sunshine again! 
That's Crafty has a theme of Animal Magic this time around, and I've got some Artist Outpost stamps that have never been inked, so a match made in heaven.

They are from the Vintage Circus set and I've used them with some Graphic 45 papers. I don't often use papers, I love them but then I 'keep them for best' Well 'best' is now! The amount of clothes that have shrunk in my wardrobe waiting for 'best' is ridiculous lol.

My tiger has been watercoloured, and the tickets just stamped in a strip and sewn.
I really love my new sewing machine, it can do so many stitches - unfortunately I can only do straight and zig zag, but today I learned how to wind a bobbin and use the automatic threader so now we have red sewing too!
I hope you enjoy your Sunday, and thanks very much for looking.
I've entered this into the That's Crafty challenge, Animal Magic, and
Artistic Outpost - Anything Goes 

Under The Boardwalk

Well you can tell it's a Bank Holiday, it's rained all flippin' day so I apologise for the (lack of) photo quality. Seeing as Summer is definitely on it's way out, I've made an ATB to remind me of sunnier times.

All stamps are from the Artistic Outpost Boardwalk set, and they've been stamped and coloured with Wendy Vecchi inks.

Still raining.....

Still raining - this guy does remind me of Freddie Mercury!

Guess what it's still raining.

I saved the best till last. This shell is one that my son Chris gave to me when he was about 3. He thought it was great fun 'cos it smelt absolutely disgusting!!. He's 21 now, but I've still got the shell. Luckily the smell has gone lol.

I'm entering this into the Artistic Outpost challenge, anything goes, Frilly and Funky  Hip to be Square, and Eileen Hull's Art With Heart which is also anything goes.
I hope you like it, and thanks very much for looking x

Be A Good One

It's been a few month's since I've entered the Tim Holtz  tags challenge so I was really pleased to get this one finished in the correct month lol.

Being as it's February's we still have a lurve theme going on. As usual I don't have most of the 'ingredients' so there's a bit of improv here (which I quite like)
I've followed Tim's directions 'cos he seems to know what he's talking about (just joking the guys a genius) I like the way that at each stage you think 'this is awful, should I bin it now' but then it all comes together at the end.
I didn't have the Tim stencil or stamp, but I do have a full house on the inks. Some things I just buy as soon as they come out :-) 
The stamp is by Artistic Outpost, which I've highlighted with a page pebble.
The trim is washi tape that I though fitted in nicely with the stencil.

I was in a messy mood, so I made a love potion, and blinged up a piece of hessian ribbon with ink and embossing powder. It literally took me 2 days to get my fingers clean :-)
This was great fun to make and I now know how far one drop of re-inker goes!
I'm also entering this into the Artistic Outpost Feb referral. Thanks very much for looking and enjoy your weekend xx

A Haunting We Will Go....

A new month means it's time for a new Tim's tag (and the 8th is still pretty new to me - I'm forever playing catch up :-) )
September's tag is all about layering stencils, and since mine are still on their way I've used my existing ones.

I've got into the Halloween mood a little early lol.
I've tried to follow Tim's techniques, but with a bit of embossing powder, Grunge Paste and Treasure Gold thrown in.
All of the stamps are from Artistic Outpost's Haunted Halloween plate.

The skull is Grunge Paste through an Andy Skinner stencil, that's been rubbed over with Treasure Gold in silver and purple.
This raven has to be my favourite stamp in the set.

These skulls are from the same stencil. I've inked through with Versafine then clear embossed. I've reversed the stencil to have him (yes it's a he lol) looking the other way.
I know it's nothing like Tim's but the beauty of his tags and techniques is that you can tweek them to use what you have, and what you like, and still learn loads.
My favourite bit is dying the seam binding :-)
I really enjoyed making this, and will definitely combine Distress ink, paints and stains again.
I'm entering this into the Artistic Outpost September referral programme, which is Anything Goes.
Thanks very much for looking xx

A Timmy(ish) Tag For May

When Tim posted his tag for May my first thought was 'can't do that'. I don't have the rub-on's and I don't have the stamp (yes I'm the one that doesn't have it lol) and with Chris at Uni I'm on a spending ban (except for the essentials like the Distress Paints, well I did hold out for a few months :-)
So this is my 'inspired by' Tim tag for May.
I've used some old rub-ons, and a combination of Distress Stains and DI's for the background.
All of the stamps are Artistic Outpost from the Paris Exposition plate. As usual when I was half way through I looked at it and nearly threw it in the bin, but then I added a few of the silver rub-ons and it seemed to tie in a little better. That's the thing about Tim's tags, if you keep on going they always turn out OK in the end :-)
I don't have any word bars so I used a microscope slide and coloured with alcohol inks. I love the way Tim dies his own ribbon. I have seam binding in loads of colours but it never looks as vibrant as when you die your own.

This is how it should have looked Mmm maybe next month...
I'm also linking this to the Artistic Outpost May referral programme.
Thanks for looking and enjoy your Bank Holiday weekend  - why is it always my weekend to work when it's a bank holiday, just lucky I guess! xx

A Man Among Boys

is what my steampunk guy is! I've been wanting to enter the Steampunk challenge at Sandee and Amelie's for ages, and I've finally got around to it! The challenge this month is to alter a playing card -I had the choice of either the 9 of clubs or the 7 of diamonds - goodness knows where the rest of the pack is (not that it's any use now anyway lol)
It's been painted in TH Distress paints, you know, the ones I didn't want, and wasn't going to get - hmm they accidentally fell into my basket...
All of the stamps are from the Artistic Outpost Steampunk plate. My manly man has been stamped with Versafine onto tissue paper and coloured with pencils. I do love this ink even though I always end up covered in it.
Lot's of chipboard bits and pieces stuck down with Glossy Accents and job done (and a lot of fun it was too)
I'm also entering this into the Artistic Outpost May referral of Anything Goes,
Fashionable Stamping  which is Alter It, and
Simon Says Stamp and Show - Favourite Ink

Thanks very much for looking and enjoy your day xx

Hold Fast To That Which Is Good....

Happy St George's Day everyone!
I'm flying the flag for England today - though I had to add the Yorkshire Rose (OK maybe it's a Carnation lol)
They say that St George was born in Palestine, but I think he was from around here 'cos there's a pub in the village named after him!
My arch was cut with the Tim Holtz die, and all of the stamps are by Artistic Outpost - the quote is from the Typography plate.

These are the insides of my arches. They've been coloured with spray inks and DI's.
The stamps are a combinations of the two London Plates, London Underground and Loverly London

The two arches are joined together with a strip of seam binding which allows them to stand up and also to close.
I can see me having loads of fun with this die :-)
I'm entering this into the Artistic Outpost April referral,
Fashionable Stamping - sentimental, and
Pan Pastel - red white and blue 
Thanks very much for looking and enjoy your St Georges Day x

Atishoo Atishoo...

I know I know it's terrible, but I have now officially run out of titles for my blog posts lol.
I've been having a little play with a 6x6 piece of mdf, tissue paper and my Artistic Outpost stamps. I started by painting the mdf  with Irish Cream and Baltic Blue Fresco paints. Then a layer of Eco Green matte medium to stick down my 7 Gypsies tissue paper. 
The stamps are all from the Paris Exposition plate, and have been stamped onto a  old dress pattern which is a really aged brown colour.
The paper lace is one of Tim's strip dies.
I'm entering this into the Artistic Outpost  February Referral which is anything goes, and the
Pan Pastels Challenge  which is to use two colours.
The two men in my life are both watching Top Gear - where did I go wrong...
Thanks very much for looking x

London Calling...

The challenge over at Artful Times is A trip to Europe on a tag. So with this in mind I've gone to a very shabby looking London. I've had enough of the clean and shiny Jubilee type London, so though I would grunge it up a little.
I've started with some craft card and torn a tag shape. All the stamps are by Artistic Outpost, and are a mixture of the Loverly London and London Underground plates. I've just randomly stamped the words in blue, black and red and embossed. This has then been sprayed through a Special Touch mask with Perfect Pearls mist in Capuchino.

It's not looking too shabby at this stage but worse was yet to come lol. I stamped the Union Flag twice in red and blue, then assembled and ripped it a bit around the edges, screwed it up, then sprayed with the capuchino mist. The soldiers have just been stamped and torn around and edged in red and blue. 
It was so nice to be able to take it outside to photograph - no rain today - it's a bit gusty but that I can put up with.
I really enjoyed making this so thanks very much for the challenge.
I'm also entering it into 
The Artistic Outpost July Referral - anything goes, and 
Fashionable Stamping - Let's Get Messy and Inky - check - did that!

'Cos He's A Dedicated Follower Of Fashion

Here's a really quick post 'cos the deadline for the Artistic Outpost June referral is only hours away. I've know all month the theme was 'masculine' but I've been at a loss as to what to do. However Mr Mojo finally put in an appearance and here's my dapper gent, complete with sentiment, from the Steampunk plate. He's standing next to a huge (by comparison) Old Jalopy. My beat up banger has been cut in kraft card then it's gone through the ribbler (crimper to those not from around these 'ere parts). It's been painted in bronze and iron Ver Day paints and sprayed with the magic solution.  The iron parts have gone lovely and rusty which you can see best on the wheel hubs (you can even smell the rust - just thought I'd share that with you lol)
The trim is Tim's Kraft Glassine which has been well rumpled and painted with gold and copper daubers. I love how this is absorbed into the paper when you heat it up.
I'm also entering this into the Simon Says Stamp And Show challenge which is Depths of Distress, my car looks like it's about to fall apart, so I hope that's distressed enough!
Thanks very much for looking and enjoy what's left of the weekend x

Dum And Dee's Excellent Adventure

Wonderland's all very well and good, but we all need a change from time to time, so Alice and Co have had a day out in Old London Town (cue Phantom Raspberry Blower - you had to be there lol)
The monthly challenge at The Altered Alice is 'Going Postal', so I've made a postcard to commemorate their visit.
My card has been Pan Pastel'd in blues, magenta - lurve this shade, and greens. The stamps are a mixture of Clarity (that's the ATC sized postage stamp top right), Tim Holtz (postcard) Cherry Pie (all of the Alice stamps) Kanban (London and the cancellation stamp). The main image stamps are Creative Journey and Artistic Outpost.
You can imagine the state of my craft room with this load of stamps out, and the bin in overflowing... I wanted to do this on glossy card with a brayered background, but after getting smudgy fingerprints on 5 or 6 I gave up and reached for the Pans. I love the crisp image Versafine gives, but I always smudge.
Check out the amazing artwork at The Altered Alice, and thanks very much for looking x

My First Attempt At Frantage - and the MANFLU!!

I made this over the weekend, but I've not been able to post it till now 'cos I've got the Manflu!! No wonder the poor dears take to their beds and complain when they have this. I must admit that for the last 2 days I've been functioning at a very low level (breath, cough, groan - breath, cough, wheeze) So to all you brave men who soldier on through this - I commend you lol.
I've been trying to come up with something for this months Artistic Outpost challenge, which is travel. For this I've made an inky background, then used the stamps from the Paris Exposition plate. I've thrown the kitchen sink at it in terms of embossing powders and in real life it look really nice when you twist it about and it catches the light. I've used 'That Special Touch Of' metal embossing enamels in copper, gold and silver, and I really do like these.  I  enjoyed making this very much, and it's something I will definitely try again.
Thanks very much for looking (sniff) x

Another Chunky ATC

The Artistic Outpost referral challenge this month is Spring Punk. After looking up what this was, here's mine :o) I've used a chunky atc and covered it with the recent Kanban POTW Kandi Core card. I really like this, the colours are a bit bright but they emboss and sand beautifully. All stamps are from Artistic Outpost and are from the Steampunk and Paris Exposition sets. Following Tim's February tag I had to get some of the honeycomb paper - the trick really is to follow the lines lol. I've gone round the edges with washi tape to neaten them up a bit. These are some of my 'go to' stamps.  The charms are mainly Tims.

For the top I've used Whitewash card. It's one of those 'had for ages but never used' items that I will be using a lot more of in future. I know my 'balloon's' a bit cheesy, but I like it :o)

I really enjoyed making this, I think I've got the chunky bug!

I'm entering it into the following challenges

Artistic Outpost - Spring Punk

Fashionable Stampers - Bingo. I've gone for the vintage, distressing and metal work line.

The Stampman - Vintage.

Thanks very much for looking x

Rule Britannia!

I had to make a 'guy' card this weekend, these are soooo easy arn't they - not!! My base card has been cut with a Go Kreate die, and the layers are Kanbans from the Carnaby Street range. The top layer on the base is cut from a sheet of Pink Paislee mistables, and inked with Barn Door and Chipped Sapphire DI's.

The Union Flag was stamped onto red card with Indigo Blue Flitter glue and then gilded with their gilding flakes. All of the stamps are Artistic Outpost's from the London Underground and Lovely London sets.

This has been stamped onto black card with Brilliance ink in gold, then I've gone over the top with Rocket Red and clear embossed.

This has been stamped onto black card then painted over with Perfect Pearls in Interference Red, and misted with water to set. The bling is from Poundland and very nice it is too lol.

The rosette has been cut with the Union Flag Kanban card, and a lion charm stuck in the middle. More Rocket Red for the soldiers. The referral programme at Artistic Outpost this month is Shades of Red and there is a fab prize for the winner.

I'm also entering this into the Fashionable Stamping challenge which is Make it a Guy Thing, and The Stampman's which is Embellish it.

Thanks very much for looking x

London Calling

I've just discovered a new (to me) challenge site which is Fashionable Stamping. I really like it 'cos stamping /inkyness really is my favourite. This time around the challenge is to make a tag.
I've used a mixture of stamps from Artistic Outpost and Creative Journey. These stamps are brilliant, really thick rubber. The background is a mixture of Kanban and Graphic 45, and there is a gread deal of Diamond Glaze going on!
I really enjoyed making this, and thanks very much for looking x

Probably The Best Circle In The World

No I'm not boasting, it's just a little hint to where the circle came from lol. Yep I've been stealing beer mats again to make a  hangy thing for this weeks Just For Fun circle challenge. The idea was to colour with gold UTE, then emboss through my creaky old Bug. Then I wanted to highlight the embossed parts with brighter UTE's All went well until I added the green and purple and re-heated, the embossing disappeared! I was really surprised at this, I thought it would have held it's shape. Never mind, I just heaped the UTE's on top then embossed again.
The dashing chappies are from Artistic Outpost, and the charm is by Tim Holtz.
I really enjoyed making this, so thanks very much for the challenge x

It' s A Contraption Of Some Sort (and a break from the cute)!!

4x4 Friday has a theme of Winged Men this week, I hope my entry is eligable 'cos technically the wings arn't my guys own, but then again what mens are??
It was so nice to put away the cute - no offence meant to my intrepid flyer :o) and no bought embelishments or twiddely bits :o)
I like the 4x4 format, big enought to get inky and messy, but it doesn't take forever to fill the page (I still have my phobia of blank card) lol.
The stamps are mostly Scrolls Work, together with Artistic Outpost and 7 Gypsies. Lots of Distress Inks and a smidge of Distress Embossing powder.
I'm also entering this into the Stamp Man's Distress challenge, and The Artistic Stamper's Things With Wings.
Thanks very much for looking and have a great weekend x

So - How Many Men Does It Take To Change A Lightbulb?? Take A Word 4

Here's my entry to this weeks Take A Word challenge,which is Men, and it's asking that age old question...
I've brayered and bleached, and stamped and embossed my canvas background, then added lots of men.
Obviously there's a woman there to oversee proceedings, but it seems like none of them can change the lightbulb!
The stamps are by Paper Artsy, Scrolls Work, Artistic Outpost, and Crafty Individuals. The US Mail has also made a contribution in the form of Mr EA Poe.
I really enjoyed this challenge, and thanks very much for looking x