Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Created Byhand Challenge - Summer

Another tag, this time for the Created Byhand Summer challenge. I'm also submitting for the Ranger Yahoo group's monthly challenge.

This is one of my favorite stamps from Artistic Outpost's Keeper plate. The image was stamped, colored, and clear embossed. Next, I sponged on Distress inks and flicked water over the top to create a water-speckled look. To finish it off I added few more AO stamps and a measuring tape strip from Oxford Impressions' Measure Up collage sheet.

Tag Tuesday - Windows

My original inspiration for my Tag Tuesday tag was this fantastic window die cut from RockCandy Studios. It started out a pearlized white color. I sanded it and then inked it with brushed corduroy Distress ink. At that point I was going to head in one direction and then the song Killer Queen by Queen came on the radio - there was a bit of lyric that came floating over to me, "'Let them eat cake' she says, Just like Marie Antoinette." I was like - aha! How perfect.

I inked my tag with various Distress inks and then added stamps from Oxford Impressions' various Marie Antoinette plates. A collage image from OI and ribbon and a button from RockCandy Studios and I was done!

Every time I hear this song it reminds me of my short obsession with Guitar Hero. It's a very hard song to play! ;-)

Who doesn't love them a little Queen?



Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Created Byhand Challenge - French

Ok, something a bit more conventional for this week's Created Byhand French theme. This time I did use more scraps, but no oversized pointing hands or anything, lol!

I built this collage on top of a piece of torn cardboard. Most of the paper elements are held in place with beeswax. I wasn't sure what would happen when I put the beeswax over the image of the woman, but I like what it did. Makes her look a bit ghostly.

Stamps are all from the April in Paris plate by Oxford Impressions. Click on image to better see the detail - it looks so cool in real life!

Tag Tuesday - Time

I think all this Mississippi heat has gotten to me and I've gone a little crazy. The evidence is above. I originally set out to make a tag for the Tag Tuesday challenge using nothing but scraps from my scrap can. That's where I put all my bits and pieces that are too good to throw away, but not big enough to put back (ha, like I ever put anything away!). When I was arranging all the pieces it somehow occurred to me that the clock should have a head and probably hands and of course, some legs and ladies boots. Of course!

I am seriously loving those hands. I originally got them from Vickie Enkoff and you can get them now from Alluring Impressions. Very cool stamps! The man and boot stamps are both from Oxford Impressions. The awesome Algebra book pages were a gift from my buddy Cyndi.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Gothic Arches - Postcards

For this week's Gothic Arches Postcard theme. Stamps are from The Stampsmith's Passage to India plate.

Here is a freebie for you to use in your art!

Friday, June 19, 2009

Charmed I'm Sure!

Whew! I finally finished my charms for my stamp club charm swap - 19! This is the first time I've ever done a charm swap and I really enjoyed it. It took me awhile to come up with an idea, but once I did it was a lot of fun figuring out how it was all going to go together.

I was actually inspired by a sarcastic comment from my 19 year old daughter. I was whining about having no ideas and she said something like, 'take a piece of copper and smash it in an eyeball, something, something, blah, blah, blah.' This probably sounds weird unless you first understand that we are very, very weird so that is a fairly normal conversation. All I heard was smash copper and a little lightbulb went off over my head!

I had some unfinished wooden spools that I thought might work well for the base. I inked them and wrapped them with copper strips that I embossed with the word 'Create'. A black glass bead in the top and bottom holds the head pin in place.

When they were done I thought they looked a bit like Tibetan Prayer Wheels. From Wikipedia:

A prayer wheel is a cylindrical 'wheel' (Tibetan: 'khor) on a spindle made from metal, wood, stone, leather, or even coarse cotton. Traditionally, the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum is written in Sanskrit externally on the wheel. Also sometimes depicted are Dakinis, Protectors and very often the 8 auspicious symbols Ashtamangala. According to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, spinning such a wheel will have much the same meritorious effect as orally reciting the prayers.

I guess 'Create' is pretty much my mantra. Maybe they're little artistic prayer wheels. The fantastic Buddha stamp is from Vickie Enkoff and seemed to fit just perfectly.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Artistic Procrastination


Ok, is it just me, or does everyone do this? I have so much stuff I should be doing - making 19 charms for a swap, finishing my DT projects, etc. But instead I decide I need to spend the whole day making this.

My stamp club has started having challenges every other month. A couple months ago we were given a large plastic medicine bottle and a large brass tag. I ended up setting mine aside and never did come back to it. I missed the meeting where we were supposed to bring them and didn't think about it again.

We were reminded a couple days ago to bring them on Saturday so I guess it was in the back of my mind. Well, what better time to do it than now???

I absolutely love how it came out. The photos just don't do it justice! The best part is that I had such a blast working on it. Everything in it is recycled or found - lots of junk drawer stuff in there. After lots of tinkering with alcohol ink and spray paint, the ugly orange of the bottle ended up looking just like tortoiseshell. I covered the white cap with scraps of metal from RockCandy Studios that I embossed and colored w/various inks.

So, are you an Artistic Procrastinator?

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Tag Tuesday - Mask, Created Byhand - Open

Tag Tuesday's challenge was to use a mask in your tag. I have had this set of Tim Holtz masks for awhile, but hadn't used the barbed wire (bobwar to you country girls) mask yet - it seemed to be a perfect fit with the Cowgirl Blues stamps from Oxford Impressions. Since it's a Free for All at Created Byhand, I am submitting it for that too!

Saturday, June 13, 2009

They Grow Up So Fast!

Mom and babies went out for a stroll this afternoon and I took a few quick pics of them. I can't believe they are only two weeks old - they look so grown up! It's fascinating to watch her teach them chicken stuff. Scratching, bugs, etc. So fun!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Wednesday Stamper - Fashion, Theme Thursday - Flourishes + a Freebie!

I had a hard time deciding what to do for today's Theme Thursday challenge, but once I did, I had so much fun! I started by using a Tattered Angels flourish mask and shimmer sprays to create a background on a vintage French book page. I used that as my inspiration for coloring my lady's dress. I had recently come across some vintage French postcards and this one ended up being the perfect element to layer with the other pieces.

I bought a Slice AGES ago but for some reason had put off using it - it hadn't even been out of the box! I stared it down today and decided I would figure out how to use it. Of course, it was a total snap to use and I am an idiot for not using it sooner! I love the different flourishes it can make (my main reason for buying it). After I cut these out I ran them thru the Cuttlebug to give them some extra texture.

Rubber stamps are all from the Le Beau Monde collection by Oxford Impressions. I was stumped by the Wednesday Stamper Fashion theme yesterday, but after I finished my card I realized it was perfect for that theme too.

Feel free to download this postcard and use in your own artwork!

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

UHU Chalk Pastel Background Tutorial + Tag Tuesday

A few months ago I posted a skinny that I made using a technique I came up with that uses UHU Envelope Glue Stic and chalk pastels. I promised that I would post a tutorial, and now I'm finally getting around to it! Here is a link to the original post if you'd like to see the first piece I made using this technique. It's super easy - anyone can get great results with very little effort.

Thanks to the wonderful people at the Glue with UHU blog who sent me the fantastic Glue Stick to play with. Now, let's make some art!

What you will need:

Chalk pastels in colors of your choice
UHU Envelope Sealer glue stick
Tag or card stock
Sharp knife
Baby wipe
Heat gun
Finger (very important!)

Step One: Using your knife, lightly scrape across the surface of the chalk, covering your tag with a fine layer of chalk dust.

Step Two: Using your finger, work the chalk into the tag.

Step Three: Take the UHU Envelope Sealer and drag it down the length of the tag in several places. You want a few fairly light streaks - don't cover the whole thing.

Step Four: While the glue is still wet, scrape another color or two onto the tag.

Step Five: Again using your finger, start to blend the chalks together. You will notice that they adhere to the glue streaks, creating lots of texture.

Step Six: After you've blended your colors, take a baby wipe and lightly swipe it across your tag. This will further blend the colors. Be careful not to over-wet your tag. If you do, you can dry it with your heat gun and redo the glue and chalk steps.

Step Seven: When you are happy with the look of your tag, dry it with your heat gun or set aside to dry completely. The chalk should be fixed at this point, but if it isn't you can spray your tag with a fixative.

Finished product (make sure you click on the image to see the larger view)! Stamps are all from the By the Sea plate from Oxford Impressions. All elements were adhered using the UHU Purple Glue Stic - of course, what else would I use?!

Thanks to Louise and her Tag Tuesday challenge. It gave me just the inspiration I needed today!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial - make sure you let me know if you try it out so I can take a peek at your creations.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Created Byhand Challenge - Father's Day

This week's Created Byhand challenge is Father's Day. I made this card a month or so ago using the Drywall Stitching technique from the April/May issue of the Technique Junkie newsletter. I used one of my favorite stamp sets from Oxford Impressions - Family Man. It's so hard to find good masculine stamps! I can't tell you how many times I've reached for this set. It is truly a must-have.

This is another card I did last year using this set. Again, another TJ technique - this time it's the Kaleidoscope Card tech from the April/May '08 issue. I sent this to my dad last year and he really loved it! It is really so much better in real life. It's so hard to show the 3-d quality of the inside - each frame is a separate layer. VERY fun card to make!

Front of card


Inside of Card

Technique Junkies - Clear Coat Collage

Another fantastic technique from the latest Technique Junkie newsletter. I was inspired by a tin sign that I bought awhile ago at Hobby Lobby. It has a vintage postcard background which I was going to try to replicate, but while looking for stamps I came across a crackle stamp from I Brake for Stamps and ended up heading it a totally different direction!

The rest of the stamps are from various Oxford Impressions plates. That's one of my favorite things about OI sets - they all work so well together. The trim at the bottom is my favorite Baroque Border from RockCandy Studios.

I am so happy with how this turned out. Coloring is definitely not one of my strong suits, but I'm trying to improve!

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Theme Thursday - People With Hats

For Theme Thursday's People With Hats challenge I'm sharing a card I made for the latest Technique Junkie newsletter. It uses a technique called Double Bugging. I had made the background and couldn't decide how to use it - I spotted these wonderful stamps from Artistic Outpost and they were a perfect fit!

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Wednesday Stamper - Fairy

I tell you, I'm on a roll - two posts in two days! For this week's Wednesday Stamper I created a background using a combination of two different techniques from the latest Technique Junkie newsletter - Scrappy Spots and Stencil Stamping. These are both such cool techs!

My fairy is a photo stamp from ARTchix Studio (no longer available), the text stamps are from Oxford Impressions, and the trim is from RockCandy Studios. Speaking of RockCandy, you need to go check out their new blog. Dianne Adams and I are the featured artists this month!

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Created Byhand Challenge - Circles

Finally got around to doing a challenge card. I read that the theme over at Created Byhand was circles and I thought - ooh, what a perfect way to highlight a new Technique Junkies tech!

This one is from the latest newsletter and is called Scrappy Spots. Another fantastic idea from Nancy Judd!

Stamps are from Oxford Impressions and I Brake for Stamps/Time to Stamp.

We're finally getting caught up with all the activity that's been going on lately (chickens! ahhhh!) so hopefully I will be getting to post more frequently!