The Stampman Challenge #19 - Anything Tim - Lead DT Piece

Today, I am in the attic, with anything and everything (just about!!!) Tim... that's Sir Tim of Holtz, of course, in case you thought I meant my son!! I am so lucky that Jill, the Stampman, assigned this one to me, because it meant I could go to town and play with all my goodies... and SO good that I could use (NOT for the first time...) the Aspects of Design sheet 3, botanicals stamp that just matches the crowded attic paper from Sir Tim... I LOVE using my older goodies too!!! tee hee

So that was the thinking behind this piece, a picture of something you might find in the attic, and the old bircage used as a piece of storage for various bits and pieces. So that's where I started, after cutting it out, or rather causing it to be cut out, by my wonderful Vagabond. That beauty sure is saving my poor hands. I wanted it to look rusty and really old, so I set about it with various embossing powders, black soot and vintage photo from Sir Tim, and one called pewter, which gives things a shiny but gunmetal-dull appearance... hope that makes sense??

 I used the same ep's on the art letters. This is a technique that Tim showed us on the configurations day, and I love the look of type letters you can get. In the two pictures below, you can see the effects more clearly in close-up. The cage and the letters really do look metallic - embossing was the thing that got me into crafting in the first place... it's magic.  The lock in this looks great added to the cage, I think... almost as if there is a door.. . it has little holes on the side, so I could not resist putting a padlock and key on there for added interest...

 This lovely paper is from the crowded attic stash - oooo it's fabulous, but SO difficult to cut into... cos it's too full of loveliness!! There is only one of each sheet per pad, so I did not have another moth to decoupage. The Aspects of Design moth is actually perfect for this purpose. I stamped it on Claudine Hellmuth canvas, stuck on to a piece of cardstock. I used brown archival ink then made some texture lines with a thin pen.

 Below is a close up of the little danglers, hanging with the TH thin link chain. The vials contain tiny fasteners. The fawn clock on the left is a facet - the largest one in the set, and the clock face comes from the lost and found stickers pack... As I said, just about everything Tim!!!

 The large flowers are Prima... I would have LOVED to add one or two of the metal flowers Lin Brown of Yours Artfully makes, but can't do them yet, so that's for another time. The small ones are separated roses from the lavish trimmings set, sprayed with perfect pearl mist, colour that is SO subtle... I need the whole set!!

 I am so pleased with my crackle effect. I used some adirondak and eco acrylic paints in a pva glue sandwich. I then distressed it some more with the perfect pearl mist and a blue patina eco paint.

There we are. It is a very different piece for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and it has pride of place on my window sill. I shall do more of these larger pieces. Thanks for looking, and leaving your comments, I really appreciate them all. Don't forget to have a go at the challenge... you don't need to go mad with stuff like me!! The theme is Anything Tim....
Love and Light
Frankie
xx

A Card for a Retirement

Good morning all... been up quite early for me today, working on a retirement card for a friend of Freddie's. They have worked together for more than thirty years, and I felt the moment had to be marked!! There is an evening meal out, tonight, which we shall go to, and that's nice... So here it is...

I lay in bed about 5.15 this morning, waiting for Freddie's clock to go off, and designed it in my mind's eye... Many, many moons ago, I bought some thin wood pieces from a shopping tele - can't honestly remember where or when, but it WAS a long time ago.  I have printed on it before, and such, but never thought of cutting it with dies... Now, if you have been following my blog recently, you will know of my love affair with Vagabond and my passion for the birdcage die!!! Tee hee... well here it is again, this time cut in wood, and looking very different. (Friday's post will also have a cage, but not like this!!)

As you can see here, close up, I cut 3 of the bars to make it seem as if they were broken, and also cut the branch from the bird's legs. He is now on the brink of escape!! Inside,  I wished Phil a "GREAT ESCAPE"!! for his retirement... hope he likes it!!

Closer still, you can see the ickle birdie flapping away as fast as possible!! I am so pleased with that crackle background again... it seems to work for me each time, but I know there are lots of people, especially friends on the Creating Rainbows forum (a super site run by my lovely friend Rainbow Lady, Cynthia) who seem to be having problems getting the effect to work... It's just acrylic paint, dried and a coat of pva glue applied. This glue is NOT dried, but a different colour acrylic paint is painted straight on top.

 I find it often starts to crackle before I even apply the heat... I have tried it with eco paints and adirondaks... I think the problem may lie with the glue layer, but cannot be sure, cos I have not seen what they do... Anyway, it DOES work, as you can see, and gives a great effect. I then used a very stiff, dry brush to add some more distressing using blue patina eco paint, just brushed lightly across the piece. It is shiny, and adds some good highlights to the parts it hits...

And finally, here are the beads at the bottom. I chose some blue, marbled, polymer clay beads I made some time ago. I have used them all now, so need another bout of making, to replenish my stocks!!! Not sure where the cardstock is from... probably Create and Craft!!! It is a fab colour, and textured. I always decorate the backs of my cards.and this one has the small bird from the movers and shapers set, cut from gold mirri and mounted on blue and silver squares.

I really enjoyed making this card - not made a card, specifically, for a long time, so it was fun. I just hope he likes it. As always, I did not include writing on the front, so it could become a mounted picture if Phil  wanted....

Thanks so much for looking and commenting. I do value your opinions and comments...

Love and light

Frankie

xx 

Haute Couture!!

I have made a tag for TIO this week which fits with a couple of challenges, so I shall ener it. I had a great time creating it and it is a different sort of colour palette for me...

 I used the pinks, velvet, sugar, rose etc and the darker colour is weathered wood, one I hardly ever use... loved it... soft and different, so it fitted the bill.. Those of you who know my work will notice (oh yes you will!!!) that I have not stamped ANYTHING in black archival!!!! Is that possible you cry?? well yes it is!! So there!!

I love this small birdcage and bird, which is a fairly new movers and shapers die. It just fits nicely on to the dress form stamp I have from UMount, where all of the other stamps are from, btw, apart from the bird's ickle crown!!!  The various ribbons and flower flourishes are from Sir Tim, of course, as are the pearl and adage ticket, with the word of my week - dream... this makes it eligible for the challenge over at Simon Says Stamp and Show. The fact that I have used die cuts makes it fit the challenge from Hels Sheridan over at Ink on my Fingers Sunday Stampers. These two blogs have some tremendous folk joining in their challenges, so I hope  this goes well over there!!

I took a closer view of the tag, and this time put it in the full sun which is streaming on to my desk... the shadows are such fun, and I actually had room to put it down, just!!! tee hee. Off to do more crafty stuff now, and to schedule my piece to lead the Stampman challenge on Friday - ANYTHING TIM!! woo, come and join me then, please.  Meanwhile, thanks so much for looking and commenting, I really do get a buzz from you telling me what you think.
Love and light
Frankie
xx

I shall also add it to the Papertake Weekly challenge, which is Mother's Day or Something Girlie, as this IS quite girlie for me!!! And to The Three Muses - something odd (well a dress form with a birdy head is a little bit weird!!!) Fxx

WOYWW #94 and Easter Treats!!

 Woo, it's come round to that day again when we all go spying on each other, in the nicest possible way, of course... at the kind behest of our ineffable Julia, at Stamping Ground... pop and have a look, it's very edifying!!! Well, you are spying on just one of the projects I have on my desk this week.

 These little babes are for my two grandsons, for Easter of course. I used to buy them big eggs, but then so does everyone else, and they have a non-resident dad + other family, so their teeth are falling out rapidly, from so much chocolate....

 Now I KNOW that YOU would take it off their hands, but they won't give it up, once they get it... so this year they will have money and one of these babies instead!! Each one is a box taken out of the big configuration box on the TH day (I still have a larger one to do something with) and I have added an extra partition in each one. They are decorated with flowers and ribbon, and a little length of TH stretchy doodad. Each one holds three Cadbury Mini Eggs.

I had great fun doing these and I hope they like them. I will then give them some money... ar 7 and 5, they really appreciate it these days and often buy themselves games for their PS3, Wii etc... so their teeth will be saved, I won't be tempted and they will laugh at the little chicks... However, I had to buy 2 packs, as there are 5 in each one... so that means there are some left.... mmmmm!!!

I have some other projects on the go, but can't show them yet, especially my DT piece ready to lead the next challenge over at The Stampman Challenge Blog on Friday this week.  I am SO excited as the gorgeous Jill has given me such a fab subject - Anything Tim... how lucky am I?? So it's done but under wraps. Why not come and join us then, as she always has some fab prizes.

Have a great week, and thanks for the visit and all your lobely comments
Love and light
Frankie
xx