Artist!! - Taking on the Challenges

I have limited time at the moment as I have told you before, so I am rolling some challenges in together today... they fit perfectly anyway, so it's no hardship!! Normally, I am not chuffed when too many are rolled into one, but needs must, and I think I have kept them true to the individual premise -oooo, get her!!!

 So what are they I hear you cry??? as follows, I reply...

Stampman - alcohol inks + optional sketch (my DT piece)
Simon Says Stamp and Show - a word
Ink on my Fingers - words
Grungy Monday - alcohol inks
The Artistic Stamper - hot colours

So that's what I have done... words and alcohol inks in hot colours...

 I used shiny card, pool, rose and latte with my tool, and splodged, as you do!!!. Then I dropped some dots of each colour, after blending, and some blending solution to move the inks around... the rosettes are also dribbled with them, in two colours... they are made from TH kraft paper and the resist shows through really well as you can see below... Linda at Studio L3, showed us this link for inspiration... Tim himself, demoing...

 I stamped images from TH sheets, in archieval black and embossed in clear ep - well when DON'T I do that??? Then I began my layering which is my favourite to do... using a Craft Individuals word stamp in vintage photo, TH clocks in rusty hinge, pen nibs and diddy ickle clocks in black soot and so on.

 My word was ARTIST... a bit pretentious perhaps?? but I was feeling a bit arty at the time!! I printed it in the black, on a cut off piece from my original background make, then distressed it with a TH distresser tool. It seemed to cry out for a banner, and I DID get the idea from Hels Sheridan, I cannot tell a lie!!! So it was fixed upon the larger rosette, to tell it's message...

 I used a bit of metal too, cut in my Vagabond with a TH on the edge die, and decorated with a wheel from the starter, basic set. This fat bead is made from friendly plastic - I thought I might as well go for broke on all the media I was using!! tee hee...

 The whole thing is finished off with a bit of hardware, in the form of gears, cogs and spinner, all from TH of course!! The tag is very 3D, and very tactile, with all that thick ep and card rosettes - I still really love these, especially the smaller one with a die cut button from the TH sewing die...

So there it is, my 4 for the price of 1!!! - I am very stingey this week, but needs must. Hopefully the phone calls will diminish once mum settles a bit... at the moment she is so confused and fed up, she keeps blaming me then putting the phone down on me... that makes me so mad!!!

I was out getting some fish and chips last night, and she must have left a message, cos she was VERY cross because I was not in, and moaned because I was " not giving her any support whatsoever" and said that "the daughter does not love her mother".... ooooo she made me cross, but I shall just have to get used to it I suppose...

Anyway, less of that and more of a thanks to you who keep popping in to look at what I do. I am very grateful for your coming over and leaving me your wonderful comments... and just look to the right... as I write this I am not far at all, from my 25,000 visitors... come on!! put me over that magical number!!
Love and light
Frankie
xx

PS - hurrah we did it!!! we got over the 25,000 today, 1st July!!! Thanks people... xx

WOYWW #108 - Home Again, Home Again

Can it really be time for this I-spy playtime again?? Visit Julia to see what I mean... This time last week I was in Venice, but life is very different now!!! Mum has been in hospital and I have been up and down to Yorkshire trying to sort things out... quite distressing, and not enough time for much crafting!!!

 So I am trying to make some time for a bit at least, and here is an element from a tag for this week's TIO challenge, "by the seaside"... she is a lovely oriental lady with a lantern...

 I actually don't have any stamps to do with the seaside, so I took a different tack and decided to print out a Kodomo sea stamp several times and layer up... here I was practising the best way to tackle the layers.. in the final tag, I printed several times and cut out the waves...

So here is my desk this week as I was making the TIO tag. All the usual suspects are there... distress inks, tonic scissors, matt for a moon etc... so here is a little sneaky peak at what it looks like - please pop to my TIO blog for a full view, and to see the work of my talented team...

And finally, I would like to show you a couple of photos from Venice... arty ones and a fabulous steampunk piece... It was huge, and I LOVED it... I would have really wanted to bring it home for my wall, if I could have carried it!!! Sorry about the shiny strip, but the sun was bright and shining on the shop front opposite. There was no way I could get the image without the reflection!!!

 Many of the masks in Venice, were commonplace, but the ones in this shop were out of the ordinary...

 And what about this fabulous gown... it makes me wonder how on earth they got through doorways and went to the loo, etc!!! Where on earth could you tuck all that fabric out of the way!!!?? LOL...

So that's my space and interests for another week. I hope to get round to see many more of you this time, as I won't have dodgy wifi (I hope!!) so not missing that, but I AM missing all that sunshine... still, I did get a nice tan, especially as I sat near the Rialto and did some painting - yes I got out the watercolours and THOROUGHLY enjoyed 3 hours with toes in the canal (well not quite, but nearly!!) ... Freddie walked and explored and took video. I did not finish, but will show you when it's done!!

Thanks so much for visiting, reading and commenting - I LOVE to hear what you have to say, and value your opinions
Love and light
Frankie
xx

Stamp Addicts Cards and News

 Aww, isn't he a sweetie??. I LOVE elephants and this one is so nice to use. The sheet comes with a smaller version too and some sentiments... I just simply stamped him with a distress ink then pulled in the colour with a water brush... Nigel really seemed to like this card, on Sunday's show...

 This birdie stamp is quite large and very easy to use... you can cut the bird separately, and the flowers for decoupage, which is what I did here. I printed on to a glossy cardstock and embossed with clear ep.  The background paper is created by stamping one of the very useful circles stamps and smooching china blue distress ink over it.

The third card is from another cutie set of birds. I put several of the images together to make a scene. I think Nigel really liked this one on the show too, as he asked how it had been done... I printed in black archieval and used clear ep as always, but the images have large areas filled in, so the ep really stands out... Hope you like these cards, and if so, pop to Stamp Addicts to buy the rubber, or get them from Create and Craft.

Well, followers will know I have been to Venice, and I will share photos soon. However, my mum has broken her arm and has finished up in hospital!!! I rushed up there this weekend and tried to sort things out, but nothing happens on a ward on a weekend!!! She is often a bit confused, and is even more so when out of her normal surroundings... she was heartbraking and I am powerless to do more than have our views recorded in the notes... I hope I am getting somewhere today, by phone, because I  had to come home yesterday, obviously, as I have a my own house and life to run... So hopefully, I should have better news soon... meanwhile, much of my time is spent trying to keep abreast of things by phone, and being passed around!! Frustrating...
Thanks for looking
Love and light
Frankie
xx