Accordion card and Derwent XL blocks

I've been playing with a new product the Derwent XL Graphite and Charcoal blocks. 

The Graphite and charcoal is water soluble so with a waterbrush you can get really great watercolour effects.
They will last forever too, the blocks are really thick and easy to handle.

Below I've used the blocks on this Accordion card (die by Sizzix).
I've used Dylusions stamps for the vines, flowers and birds, and used 2 of Tim's mini blue print stamps.
Everything has been coloured using the graphite and charcoal blocks.

Another great thing about these blocks is that there are 6 in each box, you might think this is not a lot but it gives you the most perfect limited palette of colours which look great together. I like that. Sometimes I umm and aa over what colours to chose, this way I can pick any colour and the will go together.

I'm teaching a class using these blocks on the 24th of September at Art from the Heart. 

There are places left if you'd like to book HERE

Here are some close up shots of the panels on the card.

 Here is a pic of the blocks below

 

 Have a great creative week 

Michelle xxx

Great discoveries can happen for PaperArtsy

Over at PaperArtsy they're celebrating their 10 years Anniversary since they started the company.

There are lots of things happening over there at Creasey Farm.

Every Monday in August is Monster Monday where you can grab massive bargains. There are new stamps released every week in the shop and projects made from them will be on the blog the same night.

PaperArtsy has a huge presence on Twitter, where many a new idea is hatched. Leandra is getting her Twitter followers (PATWITs) in on the act too, by sending them surprise stash and asking them to make something for the blog. There is a definite buzz in the air around 7pm on Twitter when the blog posts are about to go live too, so if you want to be a fly on the wall and watch what we're all chatting about then come and see what we're up to, and you might even get in on some more PATWIT events in the future.

I was delighted to be asked to come back to make something for their 10 year celebrations.

I've made this hanging canvas board with the fab Jo Firth-Young stamps. 

I love these stamps sooo much.

To see how I made this pop over to the PaperArtsy blog.

Have a great week, and hope you can join in on the fun on Twitter.

Michelle xx

New Dylusions Goodies

This morning I could have shouted at someone. For the second time this month my Internet has gone off and had been off since yesterday morning, I had no means of nosing at the outside world.  I'm also trying to shake off a cold and I've got a mozzie bite that's ballooned on my ankle! It was safe to say I was in a very grumpy mood.....but..

Then there was a knock at the door and it was a parcel for me...but I wasn't expecting anything...it was from Art from the Heart.....what could it be?

IT WAS THIS!

One happy Shelley coming right up!

I had a big smile on my face and this lovely parcel instantly lifted my spirits and I was no longer in a cloud of doom. 

Shortly after this the Internet miraculously came back on! Happy days!

So I got to work on inking up my Spray Ink Pad.

These are my most favourite colours, London Blue, Vibrant Turquoise, and Crushed Grape.

As you can see on the pad I have already used the Dylusions Flower stamp to make some fab flowers on a journal page. It's like making your own Big n Juicy pad. I love it!

So I set to work making a journal page using the NEW!  Small Dylusions Journal, This Old House, Day of the Heads and Boney Maloney stamp sets.

I did the background by lying my journal page on the ink pad. Then drying it, then doing it again and drying it. Then I stamped the skulls using the ink pad. You can see the skulls in the background below. I really LOVE this stamp pad!

I cut out the glass of the windows and put one of the skulls behind the window so you could just see his eyes.

I coloured in the grass using Prisma Colour pencils and I coloured the house, hat and eyes with Promarkers.

The pages in the new smaller Dylusions Journal are great. Nice sturdy pages all the same this time and they hold the colour beautifully. Well worth getting the lot really!

Thank you Art from the Heart (Ben, Dyan & Ali xx)

You made my day!

Have a great week.

Michelle xxx