Alcohol Ink tiled frame at PaperArtsy

Hi everyone, welcome to my second post of the day. I'm over at the PaperArtsy blog tonight where I've been playing with alcohol inks and using Darcy's stamps to create a tiled frame for the new challenge theme which is all about 'Alcohol Ink and Pens' Here's a sneaky peek...

hope you'll hop across and see what I've been up to. Thanks for stopping by x

Inspiration post at Stamps and Stencils.

Hi everyone, I have an inspiration post over at Stamps and Stencils today. I've been using a product that is new to me...Yupo paper and combined it with alcohol inks. Some inky messy fun was had, so I hope you'll hop across and see what I've been up to.

Thanks for stopping by. x

The wonderful world of wax!

Hi, thanks for all your lovely comments on my last post, as promised I'm back to share a few more results from my encaustic explorations. Whilst I don't expect to inspire you to have a go, I thought you might be interested in the results. The first two are 10cm square pieces of stampboard.

This time it's using shellac and a technique called a wet shellac burn. Firstly alcohol inks are used across the top strip, once dry apply shellac and 'burn'. Yes flames are involved and outside is the best place to do this part but for more information please refer to the book I mentioned in my previous post.  I then decided to add more wax with dry brushing.

A different colour way in blues.

The last one for tonight is a dry shellac burn, I used pan pastels to colour the clear shellac and the applied over white encaustic medium.

 Once dry you burn areas, usually in circles but I thought I'd do snail trails. The pinky edges are from coloured wax that was under the white.

Rather like the effect.

As I said in my previous post there is just so much you can do with wax and these are just ideas that I might use in areas on a piece or as a whole.  I hope you're enjoying the slightly different posts at the moment and I'll share my last few waxy experiments later this week.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your crafting!

Blog Hop and new challenge at Stamps and Stencils!

Hi everyone, it's time for our next challenge at Stamps and Stencils and as it's our 6 'monthaversary' we're also having a blog hop. If you've arrived here from Yvonne's blog you're in the right place... if you haven't and you want to join in then hop across to Stamps and Stencils for the details. There's also a PaperArtsy giveaway for one lucky hopper!

On to this months challenge then, Sue our talented DT lead is our host this time around and the theme she's chosen is 'Whatever it is make it 3D!'. Here's my altered tin.

I decided to alter an old tin I picked up in a charity shop that I thought had an interesting shape and set about burning it ...see this post for more details. 

You can just about make out the original design on the lid which was oriental in look and in quite garish colours. However the sides post burning I just fell in love with...happy accident!

Building on that I decided to use alcohol inks sponged over the tin with more on the top than the sides.

I didn't want to add anything more to the tin itself and decided I'd have fun creating a floral embellishment for it.

Stamps and stencils were used on a variety of surfaces.

This is PaperArtsy crunchy waxed Kraft paper with silk glazes brushed on top and heat set...I've used paint before and it doesn't blister just seals it it, but the glaze was another happy accident ...love the blistered effect.

The reverse of the paper with primary elements sprayed and heat set, this won't rub off now, plus some archival stamping.

This is white  Khadi paper (cotton rag paper) sprayed with black glimmer mist (another lost and found product since my craft room makeover) with burnt umber primary elements mixed into 3D gloss gel.

The last surface is clearly for art film stamped with the bubble stamp. I used the tattered florals die to create my flower just layering up and adding some mica flakes to the centre.

This was one of those projects that was a joy to create, happy accidents, quite simple and just came together beautifully.

 The inside which is how I expected the outside to initially look...not sure what I'm going to store in it yet!

 A few detail photos.

Hope you'll be inspired to join and hope you'll hop across to Julia's blog, but before you go you also need a letter from me which is 'C'. 

As always thanks for visiting... Ruth x

ATC's

No apologies for this current addiction.... it's the return of the faded layers technique that I loved doing so much for CC3C. I've repeated the light stone effect for the background of these ATC's. (I am definitely in a phase of vintage brown and neutral coloured posts at the moment!)

Over at  'A Vintage Journey' it's a 'A little touch of Tim' ATC challenge.

Once I'd got my background ready I built up the layers using the script stamp from the Mercantile set and a miniature flourish from another set of Tim's.

Next tissue tape, torn thrift shop vellum, ribbon, mini clips and film ribbon, then some Wendy Vecchi crackle paste through the bubble stencil. Finally some butterfly stamps from the sewing/haberdashery set in potting soil archival and chit chat stickers finished with gathered twigs DI.

  

Finally a close up of faded layers with bubble stencil....love it!

Hope you enjoyed this and thanks so much for stopping by.

Faded layers...naturally.

I've made it...and in good time! I've been disappointed not to be able to join in with the last few CC3 challenges, (so little time, so much to do), but I have a few days off at present so I am happily 'creating'. We are on numero 8 now and it's the faded layers technique (page 58). This time The Funkie Junkie boutique are sponsoring the challenge and the lucky winner will receive a $25 shopping spree. Here's my entry for Challenge 8. I've altered a notebook.

Front..

...and back.

This technique really surprised me, I absolutely love the effect it creates. You have to see it in real life, it really has a wow factor....well I think so anyway. Why two tone?

Well, I originally thought I'd do blues or a bright colour but as I was also wondering what to do for Hels Sheridan's The Sunday Stamper challenge which this week has a natural theme.....I thought why not? Always one for experimenting, though this may have all been done before? I set off down the natural route. Now some may think there is a brown theme developing with my CC3C entries, I do other colours, honest, it's just the way it's worked out (there has been one greeny blue entry so far).

So without giving the technique away, I started with a £1 notebook from a sale. I took the covers off.

I'd had an idea about light stone colours, patchworking them and white embossing, so I tried a few colours and used the technique. The colours I've used were the same for both ( brown, orange, yellow) but I used some gold metallic mixatives on the dark and snowcap white on the light. I used the stencils below.

I couldn't choose between the pieces so decided to use both.  The one on the left has been sectioned but I kept the page pattern as it was. The one on the right I chose to mix up the sections. I've also punched the holes for the spine and the elastic that closes the book. Before stitching with a wonky zigzag I stuck the pieces onto a piece of photocopy paper.

I did think about mixing them together (below) but preferred the above arrangement.

I wanted to keep the stamping and additions simple so the technique/ background could be seen....(learned my lesson from the previous post!)

Stamp sets I've used are Bird Feather, Mercantile and I think it's Haberdashery? I stamped the images in white before sewing as I knew the feather would cross the cut areas. The black stamping was done after sewing and I've used some remnant rubs. Then attached the pages to the covers with matt multi medium and I've just used a couple of idea-ology pieces to finish and attached them with a swivel clasp. I tinted the pieces with antique linen distress paint. I didn't add too many pieces as I want to be able to slip it my bag and use it to make notes or journal on the go.

Update, couple of close ups, I meant to add..

So this is my entry for CC3C and The Sunday Stamper, both links above. Hope you enjoyed it and thanks so much for stopping by.