More Inky Cards...

Hi everyone, this is a follow on from my previous post.... I so enjoyed 'making marks' on a variety of papers and creating cards from them that I've been making more and combining them with one of Lin Browns new stamp sets. As the current challenge over at PaperArtsy is all about Autumn leaves I'm joining in and I've chosen the most autumnal coloured one below to enter.

There's more info re this process in the link in my previous post but as the step below shows I've added some snowflake paint through a bubble stencil, then some soft autumnal stencilled leaves and book text before stamping the stars.

This time around instead of keeping all the space white I used a glaze ( 50% paint 50% acrylic glaze) and wiped it back with a baby wipe. The paper I'm using has a cotton content and I really like the way it holds and works with the paint. Further stencilling and stamping with WOW bonding powder to which I've applied another favourite of mine copper foil for shine. (love that leaf stamp!)

Next up uses a claret glaze and two toned archival inking on the leaves...also shabby white frantage is back! The snowflake paint acts as a great resist and theres a little gold paint swiped across as well. This was one of those cards where I'd wished I'd stopped a few steps before but in the end it worked out fine.

A little trip down memory lane now, I'm sure like many of you heat embossing a stamped image was the hook or the magic that drew me down this creative path many years ago (over 25 years ago for me... I know because I attended a show at a venue where 'The Stamp Man' was demonstrating this and it was my first trip out post my son being born...where does the time go?) Anyway I've been enjoying revisiting heat embossing recently and combining it in different ways with my art, hence the glitzy gold leaf below.

The grasses are embossed with WOW black glint embossing powder and the background is a painty background where I brayered snowflake very roughly over the paper and then used a blue glaze and red and yellow painty swipes on the book text.

I've added silver aged enamel frantage on this one.

Lastly a card keeping the space white, I decided to go green as I seemed to have used every other colour so far.

Painty swipes with a serrated plastic knife, I've used some alphabet stamps with archival to create a random pattern and keeping the Lin link I've used up bits of copper and rusty fabric from one of her workshops, speaking of which..

This weekend is the Port Sunlight Happy Stampers show and I'll miss being there..BUT the upside  is I'm at a fabric workshop of Lins with my good friend Sue Carrington so I'll hopefully have some pics to share with you. Thanks so much for stopping by. 

Inky Cards at PaperArtsy

Hi everyone, I have a post over on the PaperArtsy blog tonight where I'm sharing some cards I've made for the current challenge which is all about Mark Making. I had great fun experimenting and here are a couple of sneaky peeks...

Hope you'll pop across to see how I made them and hopefully you'll be inspired to join in with the challenge. Thanks so much for stopping by. Ruth x

Funky flowers

Hi everyone, I've been revisiting and dusting off some of my stamps and playing around in my journal again and . This is a bit of a mash up of Darcy and Emma's Eclectica stamps and stencils from PaperArtsy. It literally if not themeatically follows on from my previous post as it's the next page in my altered book...in case you didn't see, the last was rusty vintage!

Not too many photos of the process, the main images are Darcy's but there are layers of fresco paints and stencilling on the background and stamping with archival inks using Emmas stamps as well.

This is before I knocked back with snowflake paint and the flower heads developed a halo.

 The halo was to cover the absolute mess I made of colouring in...the one drawback of book page is that it doesn't take crayons very well, so I brayed paint on card and stamped the images separately before creating a bloom around the edge...a happy accident.

To finish I used a quote from an Ellen Vargo plate. Flowers be they funky or even slightly alien looking never go out of fashion!

Quick post just to share a bit of play.......Thanks for stopping by and hope you have some happy creating this weekend too! Ruth x

The Colours of Autumn at Stamps and Stencils

Hi everyone, time for our September challenge over at Stamps and Stencils and the year is certainly whizzing by. Rachel is our lovely host for this month and she has chosen a wonderful theme which is  'The Colours of Autumn'  Rachel wants to see reds, oranges, golds and browns in your mixed media creation and although at first I couldn't help but think falling autumn leaves I chose to go down a different route in my journal.

It started off very differently with some almost pinky purple areas of deli paper that I'd glued down. over some stencilling in my altered book. I haven't used my silk glazes for a while and I'm really trying to use stash up before I buy more....well I can try! I used this JOFY stencil with some autumnal rusty glazes but of course it doesn't dry very quickly so most of it got wiped away in the end and I still wasn't sure where I was going at this stage.

I added some stamping and stencilling, then some modelling and crackle paste and a wash of gesso. The flowers have disappeared but the layers are building nicely.

It was then a case of building detail on the pages with rusty washers, fabric, thread, stitching and micro beads

More beads, copper, doily and wax paper...all leftovers from previous projects, I love how in mixed media many random things can come together and look just right on a project with a little help from paint and sprays.

Joy seemed the right word as it gave me joy to make....loving all the crackle too.

Final close up, finished with a few ink splats

I do hope you'll be tempted to join in our challenge this month, there is more fabulous inspiration on our blog from the incredibly talented DT. Thanks so much for stopping by, I always appreciate it...and Happy Creating! Ruth x