Before and After

Happy Wednesday (and yes it is 'cos it's my day off). It's time for a new Stampotique challenge and Janet has picked a good one :-)

Janet Klein is hostess this week for the SDC197 challenge.  I am challenging you to use some form of tin in your artwork.  Consider incorporating craft tin, tin tape, an Altoid container, a repurposed tin can or any tin object to incorporate with your stamping.

Put on your "tinking" caps and join us in this challenge to have a chance to win some Stampotique stamps.

There are loads of 'reality' shows on TV at the moment, but I must admit I don't watch them apart from 2 - Strickly, - oh wait a minute 3 - Strictly, The Voice, and The Biggest Loser. I love watching The Biggest Loser, while eating a bag of sweets and thinking 'I really must go to the gym lol' The best bit is the final week, and the big reveal of the before and after. So in homage to TBL we have Tinman before and after.

This is also an homage to Andy Skinner, 'cos it's made using his antiquing cream techniques and DecoArt paints and creams.

Here's rusty old Tinman

And here he is after his makeover. In his after shot Tinman has been stamped on sheet metal.

The lettering is Alphabet Lower. Who's a pretty boy now then lol.

Put together with last weeks tag and it's another page done for my tag book.

I hope you join in with our tinny challenge, and remember there is rubber to be won.

I'm also entering this into the Love To Create anything goes/mixed media challenge.

Enjoy your day, and thanks very much for looking x

Destination ImaginationI

Hi, today we are having a Magpie Day across at Country View Crafts, and we've made scenic postcards.

I must admit these Sheena Douglass stamps have been sitting un-inked and un-loved in my stash for ages, so it was nice to give them an outing.
The background is a mixture of Silks and Pebeo Dyna paints. I must admit I prefer the Dyna paints, they are definitely waterproof when dry, whereas the Silks did bleed a little when I went over them with Aqua Tints and Distress Inks.
My dishy fishy was stamped in DecoArt white gesso, and then overstamped in Dyna's, and then black archival ink. This was then masked with the Pebeo masking fluid so I could go over the background with Aqua Tints, and Distress Ink. The bubbles have been coated in DecoArt Clear Liquid Glass
There was still something missing, so I added some words courtesy of Tim Holtz  Remnant Rubs.
By now my craft room was a total tip - how can I make so much mess making something so small - answers on a postcard boom boom!
Enjoy your weekend, and thanks very much for looking x

Old, New, Borrowed and Blue

Hi,it's Wednesday again which means it's time for a new challenge at Stampotique.

Coby vanWilligenburg is our hostess this week and here is her challenge:

Something old

something new,

something borrowed

something blue

I love this quote.......Get inspiration out of it, make what you want but let me see one or more aspects from this quote. Have a lot of fun! 

I must admit I did struggle a little as I took the whole thing far too literally and couldn't think of anything to borrow but then it came to me lol.

My something old is Enjoy Today,

New is 3 Girls - this was the first time it's been inked :-)

Borrowed - is a technique from our own Kaz - she uses masking a lot, so I masked my girls so I could do my sandy background, and

Blue is my Brusho's for the sky and sea.

Hope you join in with us, remember you are in with a chance to win a $30 gift certificate to spend in the Stampotique store.

IMPORTANT REMINDER:

Please read ALL RULES on the linkz page before linking your creation.

If you didn't follow the rules posted, you may have been deleted.  

Feel free to relink your creation with the correct information for a chance to win.

Thanks very much for looking x

Rusty Old Tag

Here's a tag for this weeks Tag Along metallic, and That's Crafty steampunk surprise challenges.

I've been having a play around with some rusting powder and ultra thick embossing powder.
Time to go to work now :-( 
Enjoy your week, and thanks very much for looking x  

We Are Not Amused

Hi, and happy Sunday. Here's my 2nd DT piece for the Country View Crafts Simply Scenic challenge.

I've used a mixture of Brusho crystals and Dylusion spray inks.

Next some stenciling with Sheena Douglass stencils and DecoArt paints.
That's as good as my scene setting gets :-) 

All of my Stampotique favourites have been stamped and watercoloured. Much cutting and sticking and the family portrait is all done.
Still a few sad faces here, wouldn't it be nice if they all had Chessy's lovely smile....

Well now they have!

Much happier, although Alice does remind me of a demented ventriloquist's dummy lol

And the Queen is definitely not amused.
This was fun to make, and you've still plenty of time to enter our scenic challenge, so please join in.

I'm also entering this into the Love 2 Create challenge - anthything creative, and Craft Stamper  take a stamp - anything goes.
Thanks very much for looking, and enjoy your weekend x

Mr & Mrs

Good morning and happy Wednesday. Today it's the very talented Arwen's turn to choose the Stampotique theme, and this time it's all about the combo. Here's what she says.
I love to combine designs together. This time I want to see something funny. Combines a human body with an animal head. I am looking forward to your creations.
So here's my Mr and Mrs.

 Once again I've been trying out Andy Skinner's techniques, and have been using isopropyl. Please check out his YouTube demo - it's amazing! I've used Deco Art Media fluid acrylics, but my isopropyl is only 70% - I need to get some stronger, but I'm still happy with the result.

Here it is with the final coat of white.

And again after some stamping with Romantic Text

My happy couple are
Nerd Cat and Philip and
Give The Dog A Bone and Kate's Angel. I've stamped a second pair of legs and given her some arms.

The letters are from Alphabet Upper and Lower.

I hope you join in with us and combine your humans and animals - remember there are gift certificates for the lucky winners.

I'm also entering this into the Love 2 Create challenge - mixed media, anything creative.
Hope you like it, and thanks very much for looking x

Just Like Buses They Come In Threes

Good morning and happy weekend. Today it's all about the threes! I'm entering a trio of challenges, with my trio of tags.
PaperArtsy have challenged us to use sprays, Stamps and Stencils want to see three of a kind, and The Mirror Crack'd have gone with a triptych theme.

I started by making my own spray paint with these Fresco Paints.

It gave a mixture of a fine mist and some heavy drips which I really like.

These are the backgrounds stamped with Darcy's stamps and coloured with Prisma pencils.
The stars have been stencilled with silver embossing paste.

Brian was then stamped and coloured.

Then Pretty Flamingo...

And finally Action Kitty. I really must stop giving my stamps names (or maybe not)

So here's my sprayed, 3 of a kind, triptych - I wish I could get a better photograph but we've not had sun for days.
Edit, just scanned it - much better colours now :-)

Sorry to be short and sweet but so much to do and so little time!

Hope you like it, and thanks very much for looking x

Watch Out Bradley Wiggins...

The theme at Tag Along this week is frogs, so here is one of my favourite frogs, Old Timey Frog  from Stampotique.

A stage of the Tour de Yorkshire came quite close to where we are, but I think my guys could have beaten them.
I used the Andy Skinner method to make a rusty paint background for the bikes with DecoArt paint, and the frogs are on a Media acrylic spray background.
Hope you like it, and thanks very much for looking x

Today's The Day...

..that a) the teddy bears have their picnic,  and 
b) there's a new challenge at Stampotique, 
The challenge  has been chosen by Corrie, and she wants us to use stencils. Here's what she says
Hello and Happy Wednesday!  I love using stencils.  They add another layer to your background and lots of interest too.  Use them with paint, ink model paste or even gesso.  Show me what you do with stencils and have fun!
Here's mine 

I know, I know I'm ** old - really?? oh yeah, but this idea would not get out of my head.

I started with an Aqua Tint background, then added my stenciling with black gesso. Then the fun began.

Stamped and coloured lots of Teddy's, to start with they were all holding hands and swinging through the trees George Of The Jungle style, but they weren't quite right.
So now they're in pairs and are enjoying a picnic. I made them a rug from some hessian and dyed with Distress Stains.
Wee Owl and Hare are hanging around for leftovers. The voices in my head told me to add the spider...

So if you go down to the Stampotique Blog you'll see lots of grown up artwork with stenciling, I hope you join in too.
Thanks very much for looking x

Keeping It Simple

Just got in from work, and boy is it nice to be home. This going to work business will never catch on lol.
The challenge this time at That's Crafty is Keep It Simple.

I'm really getting into my Brusho blowing, so I've been playing again.  My dapper gent has been coloured with Distress stains.

It was the first time this guy has come out of his wrapper, so it was nice to give him an inking.
I made this for my cousins birthday, which I now realise was on Wednesday. This is why I never make cards, not much point when you make them after the birthday - never mind there's always next year!

I'm also sneaking this in very close to the wire at Lisa B Designs where we have to use Brusho's.
Hope you like it, and may the Bank Holiday weekend begin!
Thanks very much for looking x

Kiss Me Quick

I'm not one to scare easily, but when I saw that this months challenge at Country View Crafts was Simply Scenic, I did panic a little. I love scenic stamping, but it's not something that comes easily to me, so this is scenic stamping Sue style - I've stamped a scene!

I started by making a background wash with Aqua Tints.

Then some stenciling with black gesso through the Sheena beech huts stencil. I've really fallen in love with black gesso!
It's starting to look a little more scenic now.

Every beech needs some waves, so I sprayed some Dylusion inks in Cherry Pie, Funky Fuchsia, and Lemon Zest, and stamped a border stamps from an old Dyan Reaveley plate. 

Fussy cutting, don't you just love it!
Sea in place, now need some seagulls...

These birds come from one of my first sets of Tim Holtz stamps. It's from the Anthology plate, and it's still one of my favourites.
The lettering is again from Dylusion large and small alphabets.

Need my bathing beauty now! I love her, in fact I want to be her! She's a mix of old and new DR plates. Her bathing suit has been embossed in Red Tinsel embossing powder Yum!

So here's my scenic stamping, stuck in my album for safe keeping.
I hope you get the chance to play along with us and try out your scenic stamping.
Hope you like mine, and thanks very much for looking x

I'd also like to enter this into the Art Journal Journey challenge which is The Sea (they must have known),  The Artistic Stamper Journal Your HeART Out,  Craft Stamper May challenge, Take A Stamp - anything goes,  Mixed Media World - use bright colours,  Love To Create anything goes, and Stamps and Stencils anything goes.
Enjoy your weekend xx