WICKED WEWDNESDAY ATC CHALLENGE #30 - SPRING FEVER

Over at the Wicked Wednesday ATC challenge blog Spring has Sprung, I mean, Spring is in the Air, Spring is springing about all over - actually it's, Spring Fever......Can you tell that Spring is my most favourite time of the year.
I love the spring flowers, the lengthening days, lambs, the glorious flush of green when the trees break bud, the smell of first cut grass, seeds sprouting into life, hazy sunshine and the scratches in the sky made by planes, and of course, the end of winter.
I so enjoyed making this ATC it was fun, hope it makes you smile too:

Even Spring is springing about!!!!!!!!
I coloured grungeboard letters with acrylic dabber and stuck them together with multi matt medium. I then mounted the whole thing onto 2 springs which act as a base only, then I stuck the little lambs and some tiny flowers in place.
Have a go at making a fun Spring ATC, you will get a smile too. x

WICKED WEDNESDAY ATCs # 21 - CELEBRATE ART

I made a mini canvas this week for the Wicked Wednesday challenge. However, as it only measured 3" x 2.5" I extended the letters to gain the extra .5" on the height.

I coloured the canvas with distress stains before stamping over it with the Mona Lisa stamp. The little portion under the fragment was coloured with distress markers before sticking the fragment down with glossy accents. The letters are grungeboard painted with a black dabber and edged in gold.
I hope that one of the most famous paintings in the world is a suitable subject this week.

WHAT A WONDERFUL SURPRISE - 12 TAGS OF 2012

You just cannot have missed this, Tim is doing 12 Tags of 2012 beginning today.
What a wonderful Valentine present for all Tim followers. Of course, I just had to have a go.

Once again, I used the same as Tim if I had the stock and then 'made up' the rest. The little cupid is from some pre-cut grungeboard sheets that  I have had for years. How lucky I still had him. The heart is very special because it's one I made at a Suze Weinberg melt pot workshop. I have been so reluctant to use it but as I keep all my 'Tim' tags, this seemed the appropriate time. Still struggling with making baubles but I'm not going to give up instead I intend to master this bending wire into a ring - thing.
Now every month will be special, not just December. How lucky are we??

WICKED WEDNESDAY ATCS #18 - LOVE/HEARTS OR VALENTINES DAY

I'm playing catch up today. Just one more card to make then I'm on top again. This ATC is for this week's Wicked Wednesday ATC challenge.

I thought I would use some of my stash for this one, so out came my grungeboard sheets. I started by using picket fence distress stain over a swirl stamp which I stamped on a cream base card. Over this, once dry, I blended victorian velvet, aged mahogony DIs and blended the edge with walnut stain. (Thanks Hels for today's tutorial and the reminder of this fab technique). I used gold dabber on the letters and edged those with walnut stain also. The heart is coloured with fired brick distress stain and the key with walnut stain distress stain. I stuck everything down with glossy accents including the red rose.
A simple card but I enjoyed making it and got my fingers covered in ink........well, that's all part of the fun eh?

GRUNGY MONDAY #35 - A HOLTZIAN ATC

I'm a bit late this week but I've made it just in time. Having said that, I don't always join in with Grungy Monday which is the brain child of Linda Ledbetter, but I try if I can. This weeks challenge is to make a 'Holtzian ATC' using at least one of Tim's products or techniques.
Here is my card:

I used a grungeboard butterfly,
vintage photo and aged mahogony distress inks
blending tools and foam pads,
paper from some of Tim's Idea-ology range
glossy accents.

SIZE MATTERS!

Size really does matter. It's my first time at this too. Never experienced this before. The best bit was, I enjoyed it and it was quick!
Ok, I can hear some giggles out there. All of the above is true. I've made my very first INCHIE.

The Tim workshop forum have decided that we should all make an inchie and put them in a mini album as a big thank you to him for the fabulous time we will have.

I was quite daunted at the thought of making something so 'fiddly'. I find it difficult at times to hold tiny bits in my fingers, that's why I use tweezers so much, but I managed it.

The base is grungeboard covered in a piece of Tim's vintage shabby stack. I distressed all round with aged mahogony and edged it with walnut stain. The little butterfly is from some I already had in pre-cut grunge, which I painted with cranberry and gold paint dabbers. I used fired brick distress powder on the game spinner and red stickles on the brad. The swirl is from Tim's corner stamp from his clear set 'the journey' and the beads are bedazzles. The little piece of grosgrain is from a length I bought from Finishing Touches in Totnes some time ago.

All in all, for a first attempt that is, I am satisfied with the result.
Someone said they were adictive. Hmm! we'll see.

CUTTING OUT ON WOYWW

I seem to have been cutting out for England this week, but I'm not complaining. A very lovely, special lady stamped a load of flowers for me on some grungepaper and grungeboard I sent her, and I have a go at cutting them out each time I go in my little work room.

The 'rickety house' and 'on the fence' grunge you can see, is a trial at making a gift box. It's been sitting there like that for nearly a week as I'm struggling with it's construction.
I haven't been over to Julia's as yet to see our wonderful leader's desk, but will once I have posted this, plus I hope to have a peep at a few other's to see what they are up to.
I have been intrigued over the weeks to see so many little 'buddies' trying to join in on this 'what's on your workshop' day, so, I thought I would try and set up a blog just for them. If you get the chance, have a look at http://craftingpets.blogspot.com/ which will be the site where every other Monday you can upload a photo of your pet helping you to craft. I hope to get the ball rolling on MONDAY 14 FEBRUARY
In the meantime, I will put the final touches to the blog and try and get to grips with including Mr Linky for each fortnight. I hope you join in even if, like me, your only pets happen now to be fish!!!!

THE CHALLENGE IS COMPLETED

Yes, I've completed my 12 chunky pages. What a marathon it's been. Some of the subjects were really hard for me with only a few that I was comfortable with, so I'm quite glad I've done it now.
The deadline was 15 March but that has now been extended by a month. With all the hospital unknowns just now plus Tim's workshop, I just had to plan my time and stick to the original deadline or I would never have completed the challenge. Once the date is up, I shall post piccies of my efforts but here is my page for starters.

My theme(s) for the book is January - December. She gave me February. I don't do Valentines so what better theme for February for me other than Tim's workshop.
I used several shades of brown DI on mountboard pre-cut with the brackets on - the - edge alterations die. I then splashed water over the surface and dried it all off. I then used a couple of stamps and green DI, peeled paint I think, plus a bit of scattered straw distress stickles. The letters are grungeboard covered with a mixture of gold and green paint dabbers. The picture in the frame is one advertising the event which I've simply put together using Tim's Ideology items. It's fastened to the letter 'a' but that's all allowing it to swing. The rest you can see.
It's a very simple page but looks ok in real life and as it's mine anyway, it's fine.
Well 'peg leg' has taken the motorhome to get the new awning bracket fitted. We have freezing fog this morning so the early start won't have gone down well. He goes for his pre-op tests prior to his hernia op, next Monday. When he had the tests for his knee op, he was told they last for 30 days, but these tests last 2 months so he should be ok for March.
My car has been diagnosed. We had to call the AA again - what a nice man! Anyway the plugs were arcing so the spark wasn't hitting the bits it should so we need new leads. Also, when I tried to start it the other day and it backfired, it blew the silencer apart so that has to be replaced. Nothing too costly after all. The parts are just over £50 and 'peg leg' can do it all. I feel like my arm has been chopped off without my little car so it will be magic when I get it back.
Thanks for looking today and if you've made it this far - booo!

TIM'S 12 TAGS OF CHRISTMAS 2010 - #5

After popping over to Church, nr Accrington this morning, to see the lovely Lindsay and her handsome prince, David, I came home to a flooded garden. The outside tap had obviously frozen last night, and when it thawed a bit, the connection pipe had blown off hence the flood. Dreading my water bill now!
I also met up with Sheila who was partaking in Lindsay's workshops, and we had a bit of a natter and she gave me a gorgeous tag and pressie, which I shall share with you tomorrow.
On to Tim's tag. Not a bad one today. I didn't have all the bits so some compromising had to be done. I like the end result and had a ball.

 I used grungeboard numbers but managed the same technique as Tim described. My only problem today is a long standing one for me - I can't wipe ink off paint dabbers. Never been successful and wasn't today either, so instead of a white border around the tag, I have a pink one!! We did a bit of skidding on the way to Dawn's today, so please be very, very careful if you are driving any time soon. x

TIM'S 12 TAGS OF CHRISTMAS 2010 - #1

Despite a daylight bulb, this photo is a bit wonky.Sorry about that.
I managed today's tag by using the creepy house I already had which is pre-cut grungeboard. It seems to have worked ok. The 'tree' is made from wired string which I had to spray with walnut stain re-inker to colour it brown. Took all afternoon to dry!
An enjoyable first day. Roll on the next one.

SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT - SNOW

Pop over to the SCD blog for details of this week's challenge - Snow.
I missed the last couple of challenges but had this one in mind to do anyway, so it fits perfectly.

This is the last of the large cards that Sonia kindly gave me and I've loved using them.
The base is brown corrugated card generously smeared with gesso, fine glitter, white flower soft and some gorgeous Martha Stewart stars glitter. It took ages to dry though. The red card is simply torn and stamped with Tim's snowflake and snowman stamps in Brilliance moonlight white. The letters are coloured with gold dabber and are grungeboard in different fonts.
The gorgeous Tim pine tree was die cut and coloured with forest moss DI. I dried this with a heat gun before adding some gesso for snow. However, this morning was a shock because the snow had turned green! I started again and added some flower soft but that turned green too! As a last resort I lavishly applied frosted lace stickles. It's not quite dry yet but still looks green to me.
The picket fence is Tim's on the edge die as I adore this one. I cut it from grunge paper - as the tree - coloured it with brushed corduroy DI and gave it the gesso, flower soft and glitter treatment. This has stayed white!
An embellishment and aged mahogony DI round the edge finished it off.

12 - 1 = 11

One down, eleven to go!!

Grunge book pages that is. She is running this swap for the next 5 months and after receiving the themes last weekend, I finally got my thoughts going and have ideas for a few of them. One in particular stumped me when I first read it and had visions of glorious lakes and waterfalls which I know I have  no chance of drawing or painting. What was it? it's 'the magic of water'. Yes Mrs Mason you really got me going there until I realised the idea behind it is the technique of the effects of water on distressed backgrounds. Still a challenge but good practise.

I don't think I should show the finished pages unless I get permission. So here is a little peek.

That's a really good rotten photo - if you get my drift!

WOYWW - BACK HOME AGAIN

Yes, it's that Wednesday again. The day that Julia gets us all to show off our craft spaces for the world to see. Well, mine isn't too interesting today because we only got back home about 8.30pm last night after our trip to the Lincoln outdoor motorhome show and Beverley to pick up our son-in-law.

It's a mess I know. However, it will change as I get back into the day to day razzle dazzle!!
You may just spy a fantastic ATC I received just before we went away last week. The amazing Hels sent it to me. I just adore this lady, not only for the incredible crafty pieces she produces, but for the laughs she gives me every time she posts.

Well, not much time for any crafting on this last trip so I only took my Copics and some images with me. I managed to colour a few so can make those up into cards as necessary.

I have a lot of catching up to do, least of all, a mountain of washing!! YAK!!!! - and it's chucking it down!!
I pulled down around 150 emails so will have to sort those too. One of them is from She telling me that I am on her grunge book swap after all - yippee thrice.

See you all next week. I'll try and visit you between now and then

LINCOLN TO BEVERLEY

Just left Lincoln showground and the motorhome show, and arrived now in Beverley. We are at the same site where 'peg leg' broke his hand and ribs last May!!!! So hope that won't happen again. Only staying 1 night as we are taking our son-in-law back with us tomorrow so he can, hopefully, be successful at getting a job at our end prior to the family moving back to the west coast. A great big thank you is required here as it's our neighbour who has gone all out on this one. Mwah.

The show was the best we have been to for a very long time. Excellent showground with level areas, hard surface access roads and lots to look round. One for the record. We were also lucky to have Red Arrow displays on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

The Dambuster Heritage centre was just over the road and the Red Arrows seem to do their practising over the RAF airfield there.

Well, 'peg leg' got his wish this weekend and he bought a new awning. We have only just had the one we have fitted with a new skirt and there is nothing wrong with it, but, when he gets something in his head, that's it. Trouble is, we have to come all the way back to Hull in a couple of weeks to pick up the roll out bit. It's 4mtrs long so we have (or he has) to come in the motorhome again. We hope it will coincide with bringing our SIL back. The sides etc. are being delivered thank goodness.

Whilst I haven't been able to compute, She has announced a new grunge challenge and swap. I'm so upset 'cos it's full. I can't believe I have missed out so I'm just off for a good 'ol cry now.

YESTERDAY

No not the song, the day. I waited so long for yesterday to arrive and 'poof', in a flash, it went.  However, not before I'd had a brilliant time.

I actually managed some sleep the  night before and as 'peg leg' wanted to come to see the girls, we went in the motorhome so he could be comfortable for the day and watch a DVD or 2 and have a little sleep!! We arrived just after 9am and almost at the same time as Lindsay and David. Amy came out to welcome them and invited us in aswell. How sweet of her. Anyway, we had a brew and David and Lindsay got really busy with the set up of the workshop allowing me to help a little. That first hour flew and before we knew it, the others had arrived and we were ready for the off.

A great big welcome was given to Sioux (ArtyJen) who had driven up from Brixham, Devon. For those of you who don't know her, have a look at her blog and the SCD blog of whom she is a DT member. Some fabulous stuff there.

The 1st workshop was to alter a picture frame using melt pot techniques together with my favourite, Tim Holtz techniques. Where the time went was no bodies guess so none of us actually finished. Work in progress for me here. A few photos then of what I did manage to do.

Basically, we made little frames using UTEE and pictures, embellishments using moulds and cookie cutters, shapes by pouring UTEE onto the craft sheet, alcohol inked foil, alcohol inked tile with negative stamping - I like this one the best, sticky backed canvas transfer, gesso relief and more.

We seemed to keep our area tidy looking at the photos, but I know mine wasn't and I ended up with both inks and gesso all over the place. Good fun.

We finally stopped for lunch and some of us took off into the motorhome for ours as the shop had become really busy and there wasn't much room left. We also had been given our chunky grunge books by Heather, and just couldn 't wait to open them. You can see mine at the end of this post.

So back to the 2nd workshop - mystical shrines. This time we used patterned paper to cover a base card and a large matchbox. We used, paint dabbers - even some may have used mushroom dabbers eh Gez??!! A little joke between us. Also, alcohol inks, beads, wire, multi-medium, guilding sheets, but  most of all, beeswax. This was new for me, not anymore though. I liked this a lot. I had been collecting 'little' treasures for weeks and even made some faux porcelain flowers and a beaded dragonfly I was lucky enough to use them too.

Sorry, didn't get the chance to turn this photo round. Again, it's not finished. I still need to add an embellishment to the top part of the drawer plus a few little tweeks here and there AND my faux porcelain flowers have just dropped off!!!

The second challenge was to make a smaller version this time with opening doors. Time ran out completely so we all just took the parts away with us to complete at home. However, I managed to take a photo of Lindsay's which is just gorgeous.

The session ended with lots of hugs and smiles and Lindsay did the honour of taking group photos with everyone's cameras. Get ready for the line up then.

Left to right:  Me, Sioux, She, Gez and Heather.

Roll on the next time girls and a great big thank you for the lovely ATCs.

The first one is from She, cava queen is from Sioux, the torso is from Heather and the last one is from Gez.

Well, I know this is a marathon post but so was the day. I was so tired last night I fell asleep on the settee and didn't wake up 'til gone 1am. 'Peg leg' had gone to bed hours before!! Goodness knows how Lindsay felt being on her feet all day. But I got my book and here it is. Hope you enjoy it as much as I am.
For some reason Blogger won't upload my chunky book, so I'll try later on a separate post. Sozz..

TAKE FLIGHT

Here's a look at the chunky page I made yesterday - Take Flight.

I used alcohol inks on this one, which I blew with a can of air, to get the 'messy' effect. The butterflies are grungeboard which I coloured with distress inks (correction, I used Adirondak paint dabbers) before drawing some veins on with a fine nib pen and adding some distress stickles and bedazzles. The body is an ideology spinner.

The little leaves are grungeboard and I used crackle paint over them. The metal flower is from my stash, coloured with alcohol inks and stickles. I used one of Tim's 'splodgy' stamps, the 'fly' bit from a stamp I bought from the Artistic Stamper and 'wings' from a set of Wendie Rhodes stamps. A bit of fibre and a metal butterfly later and the page was done.

WITH A LITTLE FLOURISH

There are 2 challenges this week that I can enter one of my chunky book pages into.

1) Sunday Stampers - Lace (check out the link to Ink on my Fingers in the sidebar)

2) Allsorts - #46 No patterned paper (again, the link is in the sidebar)

I used distress inks over Tim's flourish mask then stamped a swirl stamp using another distress ink and then brushed over it with perfect pearls. I then spritzed with water and by doing this the ink 'bleeds'. As soon as the required effect is achieved, a quick blast with a heat gun sets it. I then made a chunky tag in the same way.

I die cut some flowers out of material and grungepaper, inking over the grunge one, gluing one of the material ones to a grunge flower and inking over that too. I again, inked a grungeboard swirl and then assembled the whole thing adding embellishments and some LACE.

I love the effect of distress inks, perfect pearls and spritzing. The lovely shine is amazing.

BITS AND PIECES

I really don't have a clue how to add a link to a post. I always include the whole blogspot name just incase. However, I know there is an address bar under the post title so for this one I have typed in the following:

http://pinkleart.blogspot.com/ (notice my backup here just incase the above doesn't work!!).

Sunday stampers challenge for this week is - Bits and Pieces - and yes Hels, I did start singing the 60s song when I read that. Being my age, those old songs are the only ones I remember!!!

Anyway, here is my entry. Actually it's one of the pages I've made for Heather's chunky book swap - Vintage Journeys, so hope it's ok.

I've made some distressed fragments, some stamped grungeboard pieces and some distressed grunge, oh! and a crackled bit of grunge. The piece down the left side is torn from my map book - better not go to the Orkneys!! and the bits I've used are; a coin charm, a key brad, a metal buckle with velvet ribbon, a couple of metal corners, an Ideology pin (with the word vintage on) holding a metal tag. It looks like some of the pieces are held together with staples but they are all stuck to a card base.

I just have to make the reverse for this page but am stuck for ideas just now.

FAIRY DOOR

I was so tired yesterday after a really exciting and most enjoyable day on Saturday. I met my friend, Sonia at the train station and we 'whisked' our way over to Dawn's for a workshop with the ever so talented, Lindsay Mason.

The theme for this class was 'Fairy Doors'. Lindsay had made some gorgeous examples all of which were different and quite intriguing. The beauty of these little doors is that they can be adapted to suit any occasion and can either be used 'whole' on a card or scrap page, or, made as the card itself. Mine is going to a pal for her birthday in a few days. Hope she likes it.

We began by choosing a shape and then cutting some grungeboard to match. We then used crackle paint on the grunge which we 'tweeked' to resemble wood. Some of us left space around our door to add some rocks whilst others made their door fit exactly. We added hinges, locks, keys, windows, owls, flower soft and allsorts of bits and pieces. It was great fun and again, I learnt new crafty techniques.

I also had a wonderful time nattering and laughing with Sonia and a lovely lady next to me who had come all the way from Nottingham.

'MEN' TAG

This piece satisfies 2 challenges - and me 'cos I had a ball again!

1. http://pinkleart.blogspot.com/ aka Sunday Stampers challenge #92 is MEN and

2. http://allsortschallenge.blogspot.com/ challenge #40 is a tag, a ticket or a label.

I used one of the labels that Mario, Tim Holtz's assistant sent me (a request I made at Christmas so I could have the proper base for the 12 tags). First of all, I stamped the pocket watch with Versamark embossed with clear powder. This formed a resist when I used distress inks to colour the tag all over. I stamped the writing with aged mahogany distress ink and then attached the spinners and die cut watch hands with a brad. The chain is simply held at the back with tape. The image is Personal Impressions P1333P and was advertised as 'Odds On' when I bought it, but I've seen it called other names on various projects. Anyway, I've used it in the context of a man in a betting shop hence the numbers and word 'evens'. I stamped him on grungeboard with Archival black and simply cut him out. A bit of distress inking took the grey away before I used 3D foam to add him to the tag.

The whole thing could make a topper for a man's card, but I may just add him to my ever-growing stash.