WICKED WEDNESDAY ATC #54 - BUTTERFLIES

Last week, over at Wicked Wednesday ATC, was a celebration of their 1st birthday and there were umpteen prizes to be given away. Guess what! I won a $12 voucher to spend on Just Some Lines digis - which I have, whoopee and a big thank you.
This weeks challenge is a favourite of many I guess, butterflies. I am having fun using gesso and bits of paper, ribbon, grungepaper, etc. so this is my card:

The base is mountboard rather than just card because using both gesso and inks/paints on card makes for a disintegrated mess! I stuck little material butterflies together with hand - cut diamonds from grungepaper and scrap pieces of card border to the base before giving it the once over with white gesso. Once dry I used various green distress inks over the top. I have a gorgeous luscious green ink spray that has refused to spray from day one but it does make the most wonderful 'blobs' of colour which is what you can see in places. Finally, I distressed 2 card butterflies that have been waiting in my stash for years to be used on this ATC, stuck them together, added flower stamens for antennae then some seed beads for it's body. Another little punched butterfly and some darker distress to the edge of the card finished it off.
I enjoyed making this and it was so quick. Enjoy the different colours that my butterfly tea light gives and I'll see you next week:

WW #48 - BLACK & WHITE & ONE OTHER COLOUR

I had such fun with last week's card, 'back to school'. Not only did I win a top 3 place from Wicked Wednesday, but I also won one from Just Some Lines too. How chuffed am I. Thank you to both challenge blogs.
This week's theme can be interpreted in so many ways. I decided to go along with something I saw in Craft Stamper magazine where different layers and Gesso formed the background.

I used a piece of mount board (for my US pals, mount board is used to frame pictures etc) and covered it with a thin layer of Gesso. Whilst drying, I managed to cut the orange oval from card. Not an easy task when the dies you have are all the wrong size!! I then arranged a torn piece of white doily, a torn piece of water colour paper - just the bit that was fastening it to the spine - and stuck them all down with glue and seal from Ranger. I stamped the flowers at the top right using black Archival and then stamped some tiny flowers and swirls onto 1 layer of tissue paper using black Stazon. I roughly cut these out and carefully stuck them to the card using more glue and seal. The tissue simply disappears leaving the stamped images. A quick squirt of Perfect Pearls copper and a black marker around the edge to form a frame - done. This technique is a great way of using up tiny left overs and can make some rather appealing results.
Right, I'm off to await the sun and then I have to paint some wood preserve on my greenhouse before the winter comes, although in the UK, we are still waiting for summer!!!

JUST SOME LINES - A LITTLE TUTORIAL BY ME!

Earlier in the year I was asked by Jenn, from Just Some Lines, if I would like to be a guest designer for JSL and do a couple of simple tutorials for them. I was honoured to say the very least after all, I'm a hobby crafter certainly no professional or anything similar. This tutorial is #3 and the last of this amazing DT spot.
A big thank you to Jenn for the experience. Made my day did that......

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Wednesday, 29 August 2012 Glue & Seal Mask by Joanne


Hello JSL fans! I am happy to report that today we have Joanne returning with us as a guest designer! This week, Joanne is sharing her "Glue & Seal Mask" tutorial with us, enjoy!

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Glue & Seal Mask



(*Note from Jenn - this tutorial requires a product called "Glue & Seal" which is an all-purpose, waterproof glue and sealer. I found the Ranger version of the product online here. I do believe that Mod Podge is the same type of product.)



Step 1.



Decide which image you want to use and the size of card. I chose Bucket Full of Posies from Just Some Lines and an 8" x 8" base card.

Print your image (Bucket Full of Posies pictured below):

Step 2.



Colour your image. For this one I used Copics. You can use any colouring medium you like but be aware that some water-based ones may run:

Step 3.



Using a fine brush, gently dab over your image with a small amount of Glue & Seal. Either Matt or Gloss will work depending on the finish you want. Also, in an image like the one I am using, don't be too careful about going over the lines. However, should you want a more professional look, then take extra care. You will see why in the following step:

Step 4.



Once dry you can distress or colour your background. The Glue & Seal will have made a mask over which you can distress without compromising your design. Brilliant for the intricate images because it saves having to cut them out!

Step 5.



If you are happy with the result, create your card and sit back and admire.

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Thank you so much, Joanne! I hope you've all enjoyed this tutorial - have a great week!

WOYWW #169

I wonder when our lovely Julia publishes her woyww post each week? I've scheduled posts, stayed up until midnight to publish a post, kept my phone in bed and checked through the night to see if Julia's is on, I've even jumped out of bed at 6am to be an early bird and link mine so I get near the beginning of the list. Why?? because this woyww 'thing' is exciting. Being able to visit with crafty folk all over the world and see the creations, stash and sometimes, awful mess that we are all capable of making, is the highlight of each week. However, today I decided to simply get up - whenever - take my photo and write up a little ditty before joining you all, so here goes:

Quite tidy again. I have been making a few things for anniversaries and challenges this week as proved by the little pile of scraps to the left. You can see 3 lovely Inkadinkadoo stamps that I used to stamp on tissue paper for a canvas I made, the flower and rosette are still waiting for a project, there's a little box about to be decorated, 2 paper flowers I made from Tim's pine cone die for the August tag - trouble with them is, I made them inside out, der!! the usual scissors etc, and 4, actually, distress stains that are all brown but come out green. I marked them on white card and then emailed Ranger who are going to replace them.
That's how it is today, all ready to play on the next set of projects. I have to write another post now because the 3rd of the little tutorials I did for Just Some Lines is live today, then I can call round yours.

JUST SOME LINES - EXPLODING BOX TUTORIAL by ME!!

Pop over to the Just Some Lines blog for all the details to make this:

Another great big thank you to Jenn for asking me to write this tutorial for them. I had a ball both writing, photographing and making my sample. I hope you enjoy the instructions enough to make a box of your own.

WW #39 - LIFE'S A BEACH

I live near famous beaches and this week's challenge at Wicked Wednesday ATC is 'Life's a Beach'.
This could have been me as a little girl on Blackpool beach, glasses and all -

There were plenty of beach huts years ago but not now. However, they are being re-introduced in St. Annes on the Sea at a price of around £40,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Think I'll stick to these little beauties which are some of my lovely friend Lindsay Mason's designs.
The base is mount board covered in mopped up ink from a previous project - don't waste ink on my craft sheet if I can help it. I used some sahara Terra which is gritty just like sand to make the beach and a couple of sand pies. The girl is an acrylic stamp from my stash which I coloured and cut out - wait for this - 'fussy'. I laughed so much when I read that bit on the little tutorial I did for Just some Lines this week. Jenn wrote it in because it means 'close to the lines'. I'm having that as my special word from now on. I also stamped, coloured and 'fussy' cut the beach huts, drew a couple of flags on the sand pies, stuck a few tiny shells at the bottom and 'Bob's your uncle' another challenge card done.
Great fun this.

A LITTLE FUN TUTORIAL BY ---- ME, FOR JUST SOME LINES

I was honoured to be asked by Jenn to write a few tutorials for her blog Just Some Lines. If you click the link below you will be whizzed off to see what I did.
http://justsomelinesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/blended-spritz-and-flick-tutorial-by.html

but here is a photo of the finished card.

A big thank you to Jenn for asking me because I had fun.