Delicate Asters for a Special Friend

This month's stamps from Creative Expressions have been such a joy to use, this week I've made a lovely pink card for a special fiend, and those Delicate Asters flower stamps are the perfect simple addition to set this card off. 

I used Picked Raspberry Distress ink around the edge of the card and used Ranger's lovely Adirondack brights pigment ink on the pink flowers and red gold Brilliance ink on the orange flowers.

I used the 'Stamps to Die For' Blossoming Frame with the pink ink and the Sentiment is from the Special Sentiments stamp set from Creative Expressions in the middle of the frame.

I've used a ridge textured card to stamp onto and the Distress ink really shows up the texture around the edges. 

Pigment inks usually get pushed to the back of the drawer these days, but I've enjoyed playing with their bright colours again.

Have a good week.

Michelle xx

May sunshine & flowers for my Calendar Journal

I got a little bit behind with my Calendar Journal page this month, but I've been recording my days in a diary until I caught up. If your not familiar with the Calendar Journal revolution, the very talented Kate Crane has a Facebook page where everyone shares their wonderful monthly journal pages.

I've used the fab Delicate Aster's stamps from Creative expressions to make the colourful flowers on the bottom of the page.

I've used Dylusions Inks (Lemon zest, Squeezed Orange, Fresh Lime, Cut grass, cherry Pie) to create the background and also used various stencils to add more interest. 

Then I stamped the Aster's using Archival inks.

I painted the petals with white acrylic paint so it would show up the colour better when using my Prisma colouring pencils. Also this was easier than stamping them on white paper and cutting them all out too.

I've coloured each flower using bright contrasting colours, I love the way the blue just pops out!

Now I can start to fill in my days properly. Actually I have forgotten to put my days of the week on, but I will add them later.

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On another note, I've been a little preoccupied lately playing with a new medium for me, oil paints.

I decided to do a still life painting of a few things I had lying around the house and some fresh fruit.

The great thing about oil paints, I've discovered, is that the paint stays wet over a few days so you can change things you don't like all the time. So since I thought I was finished the painting, I've revisited it about 4 times to adjust the shadows and tweak it a little bit.

I only have to wait a month now to varnish it, then frame it.

There's a lot to be said for acrylic paints. However, I really like the feel and smell of working with oils.

I'm looking forward to doing another one, I'd like to include some geology into the next one, so maybe some fossils.  I'm excited!

I've submitted this painting to Paint Party Friday, it's been a while since I did that.

Have a great weekend

Michelle xx

Bright colourful tag for Creative Expressions.

Well the BBQ went very well on Monday, the sun was beaming and we had great food. Home made chilli burgers, tandoori chicken, focaccia and buns. Plus a nice leafy salad. Yummy. Wish I had taken a photo. I was plied with Prosecco cocktails all afternoon and felt rather delicate the next day. Actually glad there wasn't a photo to be honest!

I was wandering what to make with my lovely flower stamps for Creative Expressions this week and I stumbled upon a page that Kate Crane liked on Facebook. It was a page called Peculiarme71 by a lady called Deb Combs. I really like her digital explosions of colour and it inspired me to make this tag below. So thanks to Deb x

No walkthrough this time, I got carried away and before you knew it I was finished.

I used Creative Expressions Singles Stamps Beaded Swirl, and Damask Heart and the new Heartfelt Creations Delicate Asters stamps. I also used Dylusions Inks, That Special Touch stencils, and white embossing powder for the flowers.

I really love the contrast of the white. 

I'm currently in the middle of doing a large mixed media canvas for a friend, so hopefully it will be finished soon and I can share the process on the blog. Looking forward to handing it over.

The weekend is nearly here, hopefully the rain will stay over the Atlantic, fingers crossed.

Michelle x

Say it with flowers...and chocolate!

Well there is a reason I promise for being so absent from my blog. Once again I've agreed to host a barbecue on Bank Holiday Monday (why do I do it to myself!), I'm hoping that the weather is going to be hot, hot, hot! Last week they were predicting 15^oC for Monday and now they're saying it will be 21^oC  Oh joy!...OK to some of you, you may think that 15^oC is a bit rubbish, but for us Brits that's tropical I can tell you, especially if we have no wind chill going on!  Anyhoo, I've been doing lots of back breaking work in the garden making it look all nice for people coming round. Organising a get together is a great way of making sure all those little jobs you've been meaning to do around the house....get done!  After Monday I'll be able to sit in the garden and just watch my veg and flowers grow over the summer.

Tonight I have made a little gift bag and put some chocolates in. The sentiment on the bag say's "say it with flowers and chocolate". This is so true for me, you're on a winner if you send me sunflowers or lillies, with some Hotel Chocolate! (especially the salted caramel ones!). Sorry waffling again.

I used the new Creative Expressions Heartfelt Creations Delicate Asters mounted stamps. I love these new stamps, I can see them being used over and over again.

FRONT

BACK

I started off using Dylusions inks Bubblegum Pink and Squeezed Orange sprayed onto a die cut Tim Holtz gift bag.

I folded the edges and distressed them with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink. Then I stamped a few Asters on the background too. Over the top of the background I used Creative Expressions Metallic Amethyst and gold gilding wax, just rubbed on with my finger down the bag.

I love it when the light catches the gilding wax.

I sprayed a sheet of good quality card with Lemon Zest & Pure Sunshine Dylusions Ink and stamped the Asters in different sizes on the card. I cut them out and attached them to my little gift bag. I used some Ice Stickles on the centre of the Asters. I stained a piece of vintage ribbon with the rest of the ink on my craft mat to match the colours of the bag and the flowers. I made the sentiment using a small set of Hampton Art alphabet stamps. Then I did some faux stitching around the edge.

In my little gift bag I put some squares of chocolate. I stamped a square piece of cellophane with the different sized Asters using a pigment dye ink pad. I set the flowers on the cellophane with a heat gun, only gently though, so as not to burn the cellophane.

Maybe we'll play some games on Monday and whoever wins, can have this little gift bag.

But I'm gonna make them work for it!

I've got a lot of catching up to do, so I'll be popping by your blog for a little look at your latest.

Have a great Bank Holiday weekend, make the most of it.

Michelle xxx

Wisteria Framed Door for Creative Expressions

Every now and again I like to get back to basics and get my colouring pencils out. I love this Gothic Gateway door stamp from Creative Expressions. People may already know I have a thing about old doors, as I've mentioned before in previous posts. 

In my own little fantasy world I thought of beautiful hanging Wisteria flowers around the door, but I didn't have a stamp so I just drew them on. I adore the colour against the kraft card.

I've used Prisma Colour pencils, they have very yummy high pigmentation hence the vivid colour, they're a bit pricey but worth it.

I started with the stamp and just a brown pencil

Added some highlight from a white pencil

I drew some branches, and then just coloured in lots of foliage and the flowers.

 I love the blue and the purple together, against the door. 

I know who I'd like to give this to :)

The sentiment is from the Beaded Swirl set from Creative Expressions too.

The weekend is nearly here, and it looks like it's going to be a sunny one, I hope so, I still have so much to do!

Have a good one.

Michelle x

Trust in your Dreams Tim Holtz Vintage Texture Canvas

When I was coming up with ideas for teaching a class at Art from the Heart this is one of the texture canvases I came up with. Full of yummy Tim Holtz Idea-ology, die cuts, paints and touchy feely texture.

(At the bottom of this post there is more information about the canvas class I'll be teaching this Saturday.)

The photo in the middle of the canvas is a picture of me and my brother when we were young, fresh faced and full of dreams in our teens. That was 27 years ago, oh my! I still take the mick out of his una-brow! Ha ha.

I started off by covering the canvas with some Tim Holtz Tissue Wrap using Golden gel medium

I painted the tissue with shades of brown Distress Paint, but thinned out some areas with a baby wipe.

I tore up some 3 long shards of TH paper and Distress inked the edges in Shabby Shutters, Mustard Seed, and Fired Brick and stuck them to the canvas.

I used some molding paste through a stencil and added the 2 clocks and the bingo card. Once the molding paste is dry it can be coloured with Distress Markers, this works so well!

I scratched the shards of paper too, with a wire distress tool, to get the white scratch lines. 

I used a black and red Adirondack dabber through a Dylusions alphabet stencil randomly all over the canvas, including the sides, then I added some green paint drips.

I mixed some Shabby Shutters Distress re-inker into some modelling paste and pushed it through a Dylusions Harlequin stencil. I also stamped a TH number background stamp using some metallic bronze Distress Stain in random places too, I like it when the light catches it and you didn't realise it was there.

I made up a cluster of TH idea-ology, die cuts, ephemera and the picture of me and my brother.

The little light bulb with the word sweet on it is from Prima, I love these.

The caption says "Trust in your Dreams"

We both used to fight over the View Master when we were kids ha ha! My brother with his Star Wars pics and me with my Disney pics!

So the View Master reel had to go in there too.

It's a very touchy feely canvas with all the texture.

I like to carry on the interest of the front of the canvas around the edges too, it makes me happy :)

I nearly forgot about the little bit of wax I brushed onto the corner, then I stamped into it, then I brushed it with mica powder too.

Hope you like my 12" x 12" canvas, I'll be hanging it on my stairs so my brother can see his brow in all it's glory, every time he comes round!

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Here are the deets to the class I'm teaching at Art From The heart this Saturday the 27th April, starting at 10am and finishing at 3pm. 

We'll be making some texture technique tags first then making a wonderful colour and texture rich 12" x 12" canvas, which you can hang up and admire your handy work. With your tags you'll remember all the great techniques you've learned and hopefully make more texture rich canvases in the future.

   

I know there are still some places left so if you fancy coming along I'd love to see you there.

Have a great week.

Michelle xx

Father's day card for Creative Expressions

Since going to Ally Pally there's been a certain kind of buzz in the air on Twitter and Facebook with all the people we met up with. They're not just words on comments any more, you can see their faces and mannerisms and you feel like you know them that little bit more. I love it, we need more big events so we can meet up more.

Father's day is on the 16th of June this year, and that's not too far away, so I've got ahead of myself and made this grungy painty card. 

I have racks of card stock but I hardly ever use it, I find myself more and more making my own backgrounds with lots of layers, especially when it comes to male themes, it's just easier to make your own. Here's how I made mine.

I started off making a background of brown acrylic paints on good quality card and dried it with a heatgun.

Then I smudged some Vaseline on the dried paint, in vertical strokes, concentrating it on the edges mostly.

Then I painted some cream coloured paint over the top, taking care not to drag the Vaseline. I used the end of my paint brush to make lines in the paint like floorboards.

Wait for the paint to dry, don't use a heat gun or it will melt the Vaseline.

Paint over the top of the cream with some blue paint. When the blue is dry, wipe off the Vaseline with a kitchen towel, to get the distressed paint look.

When all the paint is dry, cut down the paper to the size of your card and start layering the stamps and stencilling for the background.

I've used stamps from Tim Holtz classic collection for the background. I really like the contrast of the white text on the blue and the brown areas.

The car stamp is the Singles stamp by Sam Poole for Creative Expressions. A great stamp for male themes.

I finished off the card by putting some Cast Bronze Gilding Wax (Creative Expressions), on my finger and rubbing it on the card in vertical and horizontal movements. Then edging the background with a black Adirondack Dabber.

I really enjoy making my own backgrounds because then they're completely unique.

It looks like the sun has definitely got his hat on this weekend!

I'll be out in the garden doing some much needed weeding, and going for a nice bike ride along the beach. 

Hope you have a great weekend, I wonder what you'll be getting up to?

Take care

Michelle xx

Ally Pally and a posh card!

Every now and again I am asked to make a card that takes me back to my elegant card making days. These days I mostly like the painty grungy inky one's. But it's nice to know I can pull off the neat and tidy stuff once in a while.

Below is the wedding card I was asked to make.

 

Inside the card

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Now onto the fun we had at the weekend!

I've heard of the Ally Pally craft show but I've never been. 

I just thought I'd never be able to go because it's just too far away from where I live.

But I decided to drive down and back in one day, a 500 mile round trip!

It was do-able, and we did it. But next time I'm staying over!

Ally Pally is brilliant, not only for the crafty goodies, but you get a chance to meet all the people you chat to on Facebook, Twitter and blogging. It was so nice to see everyone and to confirm just how mental we all are too! (Am I speaking for myself there??)

Below from left to right is Nicky Cresswell, Gillian Simson, me & Kim Dellow.

I'd had so much contact with Gillian so far this year that I couldn't wait to meet her.

Thank you to Helen Lindfield, Sam Butler, Leandra Franich and Gillian, for taking the pics below.

 From left to right is Emma Taylor, Helen Lindfield, Darcy Wilkinson, me and Helen Bees.

Gabrielle Price, Emma Taylor, Lily & Nicky

Leandra had asked me and Darcy if we'd do a guest designer's demo on the PaperArtsy stand while we were there, so we stepped up to the challenge.

Leandra took this shot while she was having a well earned rest.

I was making a painty tag

We were in full swing here, Darcy's a natural! 

I had a great time, I can't wait to go back again, its much easier now we know some faces.

Darcy is such a wonderful talented person, I'm glad we only live about 5 miles away from each other.

Is anyone going to Stamp Magic in Doncaster in June?

Roll on the next one, I loved it.

Michelle xx