2nd class post...

Hi everyone, I have an inspiration post over at Stamps and Stencils today, it's another envelope journal which I think you may have had an accidental sneaky peek of if you caught the video in my last post! It's all about technique school this month so I hope you'll hop across and peer in through the classroom window as there's still plenty of time to join with our challenge.

I've really been caught by the handmade journal bug recently and will be back soon with another one to share. Whatever you're doing....enjoy it! x

'Time Flies' at Stamps and Stencils

Hi everyone, first of 2 posts from me today. Over at Stamps and Stencils Yvonne is our very talented host this month and has chosen 'Time Flies'...very apt for me at the moment! We would like to see clocks, watches or any other time related element as  a focus of your project. Please do hop across and see what the talented DT have created to inspire you.

I've created a 'time' inspired panel. The starting point for this was a gelli print in vintage colours.

I thought the green stencil/ mask I'd used on the right looked a bit like a clock face so grew it from there. Some clear embossing paste through a clarity stencil and sanding the edges to distress it followed.

Stamping in archival inks.

The print was pulled onto a canvas textured paper.

Treasure gold had to appear!

I think it just adds that finishing touch.

The second post will be along shortly... a bit like buses, nothing from me for a while and then 2 at once! Craft room update...it's coming along nicely, decorating finished but oh boy finding a place for everything is a challenge...and it all fitted in before in less room! Well it was overflowing if I'm honest. I'm still not up and running properly as I can't find half my stuff so my creations are with reduced supplies :-).

Thanks for stopping by, hope to be back blogging and visiting quite soon.

Faux Chine Colle and a few other things.

Faux Chine Colle? I hadn't heard of this before I read the Joan Bess book 'Gelli Plate Printing'...which I can highly recommend. Briefly it's a collage of fragile papers on to heavier paper before printing on them, there's a link here to the Gelli Arts You Tube video which demonstrates it beautifully.

I only prepared one piece of card just to try it out and decided I'd make a card for my stash . I'd recently bought a few golden acrylics in primary colors that were translucent as I wanted to try layering colours with the gelli plate.

I tried to use the colours that are used in the video I've linked but I added a bit to much yellow to the blue and although I loved the collage effect, I didn't like the mix of colours especially the green...it reminded me of my science lab coat from school!!!... no I had to change it.

I've started by using some darker green colouring pencils just around the edges of where the colours meet and some verdigris embossing powder.

Next some gilding flakes on the yellow areas, looking better but still not quite right so more shading using red and purple.

Great technique, will be trying that again. I've realised that Gelli prints can be perfect as there are, may just need some additions or be a great starting point for a background. So thats Faux Chine Colle but I thought I'd also just share a few other cards and things I've been playing around with.

Carrying on with Gelli plate printing and translucents, I had a further play around mixing from the primary colours and pulled off the following prints.

 Love this first one for the colours and the fibre imprint 

Below is a new joggles stencil, the result reminding me of fireworks.

Lastly this was with silk glaze, difficult to see but the whole print shimmers. 

Just need to make some cards with them now.......speaking of which I have another card to share with you. 

 The first one and this are for 2 upcoming male birthdays. I don't tend to make complicated cards, often going for CAS, certainly for the males in my family. The background is an alcohol ink one and the map stamp is PaperArtsy. The bird and text is Stampers Annon classic...love the bird which I've UTEE'd, I've also added some alcohol ink to the compass coin.

Last on the card front, I finally got around to finishing off the cards from this post here and decided I would split it into 2, I think I prefer them like this.

And finally if you've stayed with me I've just a couple of pics from 2 workshops I've attended in the last few months at the Artist Trading post. The first is a pic from the Kasia one where we made a scrapbook page...this was a bit out of my comfort zone, partly because I like to think about what and where I'm putting things but this was don't think just do, which was actually quite liberating in the end and I picked up lots of tips

The photo is my mum when she was about 10.

This last photo is from Sue Carringtons  Lynne Perella 'beer mat' workshop. If you ever get a chance to do one with Sue, you won't be disappointed, you'll learn loads about techniques and there really enjoyable. Love how this turned out.

 Anyway I'll sign off now for November....I'm off for my early Christmas present of Finnabairs workshops at ATP, I'm just a bit excited!!

Thanks as always for stopping by, hope you enjoyed a slightly different post.