Three Challenges Again...

Well, the subject matter is from TIO - Numbers Game... the technique is from Simon Says Stamp and Show some torn/distressed edges, and the style is Steampunk from Ink on my Fingers, the challenge of Hels Sheridan... I had great fun making it...

 I started with a frame and added some torn and distressed lost and found paper from TH stash... choosing numbers, of course...

 This little birdcage is so sweet... it is hanging from some TH idea-ology...

 Here is the whole thing.. I have never used the numbers tape before, so I attached it to the frame with the Tiny attacher. It was fun to try and find as many different types of numbers as possible.

 This was also a newbie for me... I have used the background stamp from the Steampunk sheet, but not stamped the men before... they came out fabulously.. they really are dapper. I cut them out and attached them with staples again...you can also see a great ickle pocket watch... love it!!!

 It is really quite dimensional. Here is a gear with a game piece and some pointers... yes folks, it ALL came out for this one!!!

This is a close up of the tag slipped in behind the torn and distressed numbers paper. The gear and the chain just add a finishing touch, don't you think??? Anyway, I am off to post it now and hope it is appreciated... Have done well a couple of times in the SSSS challenge, and I hope this one rings a bell - opps, didn't put one on, ah well!!!! tee hee...

Thanks for looking and leaving your fabulous comments... very soon, I will launch the idea I have for my followers and friends, so watch out for when I am back from Venice!!!!!
Love and Light
Frankie
xx

Grungy Monday, Simon Says Stamp and Show a Tag + TIO

Show a tag!!!! What could be more up my street???? And distress inks!!!!! gobsmackingly great idea, so I could not resist of course... Still having a problem with my back. It is improving slowly but I have combined my tag initially, for 3 challenges... Grungy Monday - ink-o-rama, Simon Says Stamp and Show - a tag, and TIO - winged things... because I still can't sit to do too much for too long...

 So, distress inks?? Yes please, just about every time... I used milled lavender, victorian velvet, dusty concord and a touch of chipped sapphire...  The black is done in black archieval and embossed in clear ep for a bit of texture.

 Along the left hand side is a strip of lovely crocheted lace, dipped in a watery mixture of milled lavender.
The thin ribbon is also treated in the same way. The beads are hand made, but not with distress inks!!! tee hee...

Tim Holtz devised these wonderful inks, and we have him to thank for the wonderment they are to use!!! Why not pop along and have a look at his inspirational site...

 The background is made from smooching the tag through a mix on my sheet, then overprinting various stamps in the different colours of the smooch... gosh, it never fails does it??? These inks just work... The butterflies and moths are from TH papillon sheet too.

 This large butterfly is really gorgeous to use, printed in black over shimmery card coated with perfect pearls - yummy!!!

 I also painted with a brush and water - another way to use these brilliant inks...

I finally got a TH tattered florals die, and used it here to make these flowers. I have loved it for a long while, but it was sold out everywhere until recently... anyway, here now, hurrah!!! The centre is an accoutrement of TH too, altered a bit with London nights paint from PaperArtsy - another new absolute fave for their wonderful matte, chalky finish.

I would also like to add this tag to the Play Date Cafe challenge #85 this week, which incorporates the very colours I have used as you can see below

So thanks for coming over and having a look, and I ask you to leave me a comment please, as I LOVE to hear what you think of what I do...
Love and light
Frankie
xx

More Great Fun making Stuff!!!

I have been creating another larger piece again this week, with a couple of challenges in mind... It is a wooden frame I have altered, painting and using papers, metal pieces stamping and a die cut rosette. Have been waiitng a while for the latter, so I was really glad when it came the other day... problem was, my lovely Vagabond had died and gone to vagabond heaven, so I had to wait to use the die...

Hurrah, it's replacement came on Wednesday afternoon, so I lost no time in unpacking it and adding the stickers etc... I bet I am the only person in England to have had TWO Vagabonds!!!! Twas just like the first time excitement.... tee hee!!! So what did I create, and for what?? Well here it is...

My first idea came from the newly created challenge by the lovely people at Crafty Individuals, where the theme of the month is simply square. I have used a fabulous stamp of buldings that I got from them some time ago... I stamped it on to a piece of their wonderful  paper, then again a portion of it on to a piece of stampboard. The small pictures are also from a Crafty Individuals' pad, stuck to more stampboard.

My second inspiration was from the theme at The Three Muses, which is keys. I LOVE the new papers from PaperArtsy called Thorndon Hall,  so I used the keys one as the background to my piece... slightly distressed by painting it with watered down eco acrylic to match the frame ...the rosette is made from the TH lost and found stash. My letters I left naked (oo er missus!!!) this time, just lovin the grunge paper texture for itself, for a change.

The close-up shows the rosette, which I decorated with a TH tiny door knob. Finally, the keys and locks were added and the piece was done. It is quite simple, but I really like it 'cos it's different from anything I have done before... I seem to have written that a lot recently!! I LOVE tags, as my followers know, but it is great to work in different shapes and sizes sometimes...so much more room to stuff stuff!!

Trouble is, where do you keep/display pieces like this folks??? Anyone else wondering this??? Anwsers (not on a postcard tee hee!!) welcome please. You ladies and gents with shops and stands have a ready-made outlet, but my craft room is already cluttered with my stash, hardly a place to put anything down, let alone display pieces  8"x8" etc... What do YOU do??

Well, thanks for looking today. As I write this, I am looking forward to my second real treat of the week - another workshop, this time with Liz Welch of Friendly Plastic fame!!! I am so excited about it, as I LURRVE FP but realise I need help to make my efforts smoother and more professional... who better to teach me then!!?? Watch this space for the results...

Love and light

Frankie

xx

Some Great Challenges...

 This week seems to have taken me some time to get going!!! There are some fabulous challenges out there so I have made this piece with some of them specifically in mind. So, the first one is with Hels at Ink on my Fingers Sunday Stamper #149 Blue. That set the idea for my colour, then I needed some other inspiration so next came Simon Says Stamp and Show, where they asked us to play with distressing!!! Never need any second asking for that!!! tee hee...

Finally, I went back over to Linda's blog Studio L3 for Grungy Monday where #3 of all things t!m, is to use specific product, this time being Adirondak Color Wash. I have had some bottles for quite a while and they work so well on fabric as well as paper etc... So it was denim and stream I pulled out to spray (not very well, but never mind, cos I decanted into a couple of mini misters!!!) on the parchment for the flowers, and the lace.

 Below, you can see the lace a little better and my other distressing feature - I have used sailboat and pool dabbers as the background colour then painted eco mulch over the top, diluted with a little white, and distressed with some black. Between these two layers goes a layer of pva glue... then the crackles just come and come and come... I oversprayed everything with heirloom gold and the blue perfect pearl sprays, so it all glimmers beautifully....

 Underneath the blue lace is a layer of TH ruffle ribbon, cut in half and distressed with vintage photo ink.. I love ths stuff because it is so versatile, and looks so gungy here, mounted up against the lace.

 I bought this scissors charm at the NEC, recently and just love how they look alongside the buttons, lace and beads. This is one of my fav postcard stamps, with the lovely vintage lady image, mounted here on a TH pin stuck into the lace...

 The side of the tag has a bow and bead fastened into the hole and I want to point out that I made the squarish looking bead at the top. It is made from UTEE with gold bits encapsulated inside... never been able to replicate this quite... note to self - must try again...

A final look at the whole tag, sorry about the photos as this darker coloured tag seemed to drink in the light then throw it back out when I popped them into the 'puter!!! Taking this look again, I realise I could try it as an entry for the layers challenge over at The Artistic Stamper

Thanks for looking and taking the time to leave a comment... I  love reading them all and following you back to your space to look at your work...
Love and light
Frankie
xx