Touchy feely week - Neil

Hi, 
Another "wow" project by Neil today, with a very textural altered canvas. He is going to show you how to add texture using embossing paste, die cuts and embossing powder. This is a fun project that many of you will enjoy, I'm sure. 
Let us know in a comment below

I've created a small texture canvas 

I started out with a couple of canvasses and coloured them with Dylusions. One thing to consider when you use these inks is that as you work over them with wet media such as matte sealer, the colour will move, I like that effect but it may frustrate some people so bear that in mind LOL

 Using a mask and paste, I added texture to the opposite sides of the canvasses. I love how the colour from the canvas soaks into the paste as it dries giving a lighter tone of the base colour

A nice subtle texture can be achieved by using die cuts, here I've used the washer strip die and added it to the top and bottom of the canvasses using matte multi medium. You can just see it on this next photo along with the next thing I did, which is to work out where I wanted my sentiment to go and because I knew it would not show up on such a dark surface I painted the area with a layer of gesso.

I stamped the sentiment onto tissue and dried it with a heat gun ( This prevents the image from bleeding and gives a good crisp image.)

Lay the image face down onto a non stick sheet and cover with matte multi medium.

To do the Umbrella man I die cut it and coloured him black and used black embossing powder to cover, I heated it only about half what I would usually so that he was covered in bubbles like this

I rubbed some silver gilding paste (Treasure Gold) over the raised areas and then added a layer of clear UTEE.

To assemble I adhered the "lightning with matte multi medium and Umbrella man with double sided tape. painted the sides black and added some black highlights to the canvas with Black Soot Distress ink. The black makes the colours pop out nicely.

I joined the canvasses with small hinges 

So there you have it a nicely textured canvas. Hope you like it.

Materials

Two canvasses 

Dylusions ink - London Blue, Crushed Grape and Turquoise

Prima mask - Flourish

Dreamweaver Pearlescent paste

Washer Strip Die - Tim Holtz

Umbrella man - Tim Holtz

Black Soot Distress ink

Tissue paper

Stamp - Good Thoughts - Tim Holtz

Black embossing powder

Clear UTEE

Treasure Gold

Gesso

Double sided tape

See you tomorrow

Touchy feely week - Gio

Hi everyone, 
Hope you had a lovely weekend. 
This week will be all about texture. The DT has once again created some gorgeous samples and will show you a lot of ways to add that "touchy feely" to your artwork. 
Starting with Gio today and a beautiful altered box + booklet. Gio used embossing paste and micro beads to achieve this. 

I added texture in 4 different ways: using embossing paste trough a stencil, with a piece of doilies, with tissue tape, and using embossing paste and micro beads.

For the notepad: I cut a piece to size to create the cover from Ranger Grungeboard. I covered it with Tim Holtz Tissue Tape, creating some crease and folds. I painted with small amounts of Fresco Finish paints. I made the little belt out of a piece of grungeboard painted with PaperArtsy Fresco Finish paint. I even covered the little pencil with tissue tape.

For the box: after sanding a little bit, I covered with Fresco Finish paint: Nougat. When dry, I laid the Tando Masks: Leaves and with a palette knife I spread some Dreamweaver embossing paste: Transluscent. I spread a thin layer of Dreamweaver embossing paste: Translucent and I added the lace. When dry, I painted the box lid using several colours of Fresco Finish Paints, using very little amount of paint and cleaning the paintbrush on a piece of scrap paper. So I got a worn look.

For the inside of the lid box, I cut a piece of page book, and I painted with Fresco Finish paint. I laid the Tando Masks - Andy Skinner: 6x6 Baroque and spread a thin layer of Dreamweaver embossing paste: Transluscent, I lift the stencil and covered with plenty of Judikins micro glass beads: rose, these ones adhered only on the paste.

I stamped the sentiment on some overlapped pieces of Tim Holtz Tissue Tape with StazOn ink pad - jet black.

Dreamweaver embossing paste: Transluscent

Tando Masks - Andy Skinner: 6x6 Baroque, Leaves

Tim Holtz embellishments: Tissue Tape Sketchbook

PaperArtsy Fresco Finish paint 

Grungeboard basics plain 

Hot Picks 1006 and 1007 on EZ mount

Judikins micro glass beads: rose 

StazOn ink pad - jet black

See you tomorrow

ALPHA/DICTIONARY CHALLENGE - Letter A

Hi everyone, 
New fortnight, new letter. No "twist" this time, just the letter. 

LETTER A

Can't wait to see what beautiful pages you are going to show us this time. 
Here's what the DT and myself have come up with... 

Gio chose ANIMAL/ANIMALE

Karen chose APPLE

Chris chose Avenue

and I, Izzy, chose Amour

Remember that the word and its definition must be obvious on your sample.

Have fun!

Simply Saturday takes flight with Viv and Gay

Hi, 
Simply Saturday takes flight... which is kinda true as after next week, you will have a new theme for Saturdays. Don't worry, we will make sure we have Clean and Simple samples on a regular basis, if not weekly, but we have thought of something a little bit different, which we hope you like... 
In the meantime, Viv and Gay have made some beautiful C&S sample.
I loved Viv sample as soon as I saw it. Plane and pink is not something you often associate but she succeeded beautifully, don't you think?
Unfortunately, we have sold out of the plane stamp she used, but I have given you an alternative below.
This is Viv's last post. I would like to thank her for the beautiful work she shared with us the last 4 weeks. Keep on checking her blog, she is a truly talented lady.

I first cut a  white textured card base (13cm x 15cm) and used it tent fold. Then I cut another piece of white card (12cm x 13cm) and cut a border from the bottom. 

I sponged the spare piece of card  around the edges to give it  more of an antique look.

I shaded the border piece in pink then  in a brown shade to match the main card. 

I cut a circle then  sponged it  in pink then in a brown shades around the edges to give it a distressed look. 

I stamped the plane then coloured and shaded it. 

I printed a sentiment and used a corner rounder on the edges then gave it a distressed  look also. 

I used small 3d pads to stick the spare piece of card to the base card to give it a bit more dimension. 

I stuck the border down using some spray adhesive as it was less fiddly than using glue ( handy tip) .I stuck the circle to the spare card using  3d pads to raise it up a bit. I did the same with  the plane image.

After adding the sentiment I added a few birds for extra interest, using a black permanent pen, that completed my card.

Materials

White textured card

plane stamp alternative: Warehouse District

Nestabilities  Parisian accents ( used for border), Plain round circle, used for sun.

Inks: Memento Angel Pink, Distress ink ( Antique Linen & Frayed Burlap.)

Promarkers Lipstick Red & Cocktail Pink ( used on plane image).

Sentiment computer generated

Birds hand- drawn Permanent pen black

3d pads

---------

After the very pink Take Flight version, here's Gay's gorgeous sample, masculine this time. You get the best of both world today, aren't you lucky? 

My card is stamped on the coloured base, after I sponged Distress Inks in green and blue. The aperture I cut out after I used one of the tags for a template. 

I thought the name fitted with the theme of up in the air!

I really dislike sending these lovely heavy tags to be recycled especially when they have heavy cord tying them together. I painted them with Fresco Fisnish paints and stamped with StazOn, good to go for a gift tag.

Materials Gay used:

Oxford impressions London Telegraph stamps

PaperArtsy Fresco Finish paints 

Americana paints

Distress inks

Our special offer this weekend: Spend and save

Every order of £25 or more placed between 6pm on 25th April and 

6pm on 28th April will receive a voucher in their parcel 

worth £5 off their next shop with us.  

Vouchers are valid for one month

See you tomorrow

Take flight week - Michelle

Hello :)
I promised a lot of different samples and ideas and today's sample by Michelle will prove me right. How different and beautiful is this? Imagine having this on your craft desk? 
Well, why not? Simple to realise, why don't you try it? 
Come back and show us if you do!

Alter the case with paint thinned with water. 

Sand lightly, then stamp and ink the edges.

Die cut several butterflies, draw bodies with a marker and ink the wings. 

Glue the butterflies to the case. 

Crafty Individuals-256 (script)

Crafty Individuals background paper book 1

Paper mache pencil case

Americana paint Bahama Blue

StazOn Jet Black

Distress ink Vintage Photo

Sizzix die cut: Tim Holtz Mini Butterflies set

Indigo blu Yorkshire Evening Post stamps (stain)

Alpha stamps

Our special offer this weekend: Spend and save

Every order of £25 or more placed between 6pm on 25th April and 

6pm on 28th April will receive a voucher in their parcel 

worth £5 off their next shop with us.  

Vouchers are valid for one month

See you tomorrow

Take flight week - IsasArt

Hi, 
A glittery tag with Isa'sArt today, and a beautful fabric balloon.
Isa loves working with fabric (that we know) but particularly with Calico as it will take everything: paints, inks, makers, heat gun... So it is suitable for a lot of projects. 

To make my balloon, I used Nestabilities die to cut an oval in cardboard, and I then took the next size up to trace a bigger oval in the Calico.
I cut the fabric on the edges so it lays flat at the front when I fold the fabric.

For the balloon and the tag, I used paints and Distress Stains along with masks. Added details with the Aquamarker pens and added a layer of glitter on the tag as a final touch. 

Materials used

Sizzix Tim Holtz die: tag

Spellbinders dies: oval

Calico

Crafty Individuals stamps: CI-256

Crafty Individuals mask: Magic Roundabout 

Tando Masks: Sequin Waste

Americana paint: Burnt Umber, Turquoise, Alizarin Crimson

Gesso

Distress ink pad: Broken China, Walnut Stain

Distress Stains: Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap, Walnut Stain

Versafine ink sepia

Sakura Identi-pen: brown

Aquamarker pen: Mahogany

Craftwork Cards Candi: Antique Newsprint, Sweethearts

Hot glue - varnish glue

Stampendous! glitter: crystal ultra fine

White buttons

See you tomorrow

Take flight week - Gio

Hi, 

Another very different approach from Gio for our Take Flight week: A lovely Scrapbooking "hanging" sample. Love how she altered the hanger too. 

What do you think?

 For the wooden hangers: I painted with PaperArtsy Fresco Finish paints: Nougat, when dry I stamped randomly using Ranger Archival Ink pad: Coffee and Crafty Individuals CI-382 - 'Love Lovely Life'. I cut a heart from a piece of copper metal and I embossed using as "embossing folder" a Crafty Individuals mask: Magic roundabout. I glued to the back 4 chipboard Tando Creative: Steampunk Wings and Cogs covered with gold paint. I added a metallic chain.

For the LO : I cut two squares of natural calico, and I sprayed with water. I sprayed some Cosmic Shimmer Mister: rich gold and Dylusions ink spray: Melted chocolate. To tone down the color I used a little amount of PaperArtsy Fresco Finish paints: Nougat with a paintbrush. When dry I got a shimmering , worn look. I added some gesso to the lower part of the fabric and I stamped twice using Ranger Archival Ink pad: Coffee and Crafty Individuals CI-382 - 'Love Lovely Life'. 

 Details

I stamped on a piece of gessoed book page three times the bird from Crafty Individuals CI-375 - 'Jolly Robin' and Ranger Archival Ink pad: Jet Black. I added some colors to it with Distress Inks. I coloured the picture printed from PC with Distress Inks. I sewn with the sewing machine the two squares and glued the picture and the birds to the fabric. 

I hand stitched some beads. 

I attached the Fabric to the wooden hangers.

Material used:

Crafty Individuals CI-382 - 'Love Lovely Life'

Crafty Individuals CI-375 - 'Jolly Robin'

natural calico 

Cosmic Shimmer Mister: rich gold

Dylusions ink spray: Melted chocolate

PaperArtsy Fresco Finish paints: Nougat

DecoArt gesso

Ranger Archival Ink pad: Coffee; Jet Black

Tando Creative: Steampunk Wings and Cogs

DecoArt Americana Acrylics: Antique gold

Distress Inks

Metal sheet - real copper 

See you tomorrow

Take a flight week - Karen

Hi, 
When I saw Karen's page about her daughter, I thought "no way!!! better her than me!!!"
I would never skydive, would you??
Anyway, here's Karen sample, enjoy....

I have created a mini 6x6inch scrapbook LO for my 'Family' book. This is a picture of my daughter having a skydive over New Zealand. The title will be puzzling you until I tell you that the only words she uttered during the whole experience were...'Don't hit that cow' 

 Its something that we laugh about often!!!

I started with a blank white 6x6inch page and dry brushed some PaperArtsy Fresco in Sky over it. This was overstamped Brilliance Moonlight White and the Indigo Blu Bubbles background. I added some dimensional paste circles using a Tando Creative mask.

The Tando Creative aeroplane is from the Travel Set and I have painted it with PaperArtsy Fresco Snowflake and then gone over it with a crackle stamp and Versamagic Mango. 

I also added a bit of the same crackle stamping to the background to tie it in. 

The Tando Mini Arrow was coloured with the same Mango chalk paint. The white ribbon has been coloured with the same inks. 

The wording is PC generated.

Materials

Tando Creative Travel Set

Tando Creative Mini's - Arrows

Tando Creative Masks - Sequin Waste

DecoArt Modelling Paste

PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Paint - Sky

VersaMagic Chalk Ink - Mango

See you tomorrow