Canvas ATC

Happy Sunday everyone! 

Today I decided to attempt my very first ATC (or Artist Trading Card):

The ATC's I had were canvas ones - which I like as it gives a nice texture.  I used dylusions sprays in cut grass, london blue and melted chocolate, then I inked around the edges and a little bit onto the ATC with vintage photo distress ink.  I then used some sequin waste with bundled sage distress stain and picket fence stain and stamped the clock image from clarity stamps in vintage photo (which is a little difficult to see in the photos).  I stamped the clock image again but in black versafine and the sentiment which is from dylusions in the same black ink.  I then punched four holes, one in each corner and threaded through some twine.  I think it turned out quite well for a first attempt - I would have liked the main clock image and sentiment to have come out a little darker maybe?

I would like to enter my ATC in the following challenges:

• Artful Times Challenge Blog - Neet has chosen the theme of "time on an ATC" all the challenge details can be found HERE
• Allsorts Challenge Blog - Week 191's theme is "Masculine" all the details for this weeks challenge can be found by clicking HERE
• Anything But A Card - This is a new blog I found via Mark who is on their DT :)  The current challenge is "Tie It Up" and the challenge details can be found HERE

Thanks for stopping by, Claire x

Alpha Challenge - C

So it's the second alpha challenge over at The Craft Barn blog for 2013 - all the details for the challenge can be found HERE

This fortnight the chosen letter is C - I chose the word 'cat' as I have two cats who I adore!  And here they are relaxing inside due to all the snow outside!

And here are my altered dictionary pages:

To start I masked off the definition of cat then watered down some white acrylic paint and gave my two pages a double coat so the dictionary pages were still visible but dulled into the background a bit.  I then created the sky and grass background by applying distress inks in the following colours: stormy sky, tumbled glass, dusty concord, crushed olive and pine needles.

I used black versafine to stamp the cats, butterflies, grasses and leaves - all the stamps are by Inkylicious.  I removed the masking tape from the definition and drew a border around it.

I'm enjoying this challenge but I do find it very difficult to get the dictionary to stay open while I'm working on it!!

I would also like to enter my dictionary pages in the Pan Pastel Challenge this week which is 'nature' - all the challenge details can be found HERE

Thanks for stopping by, Claire x

1st Journal Page

Here is my very first journal page - I have to admit having a spiral bound book can make things a little awkward sometimes - might have to get a different type of journal if this new technique continues!!

I used dylusions inks in bubblegum pink, fresh lime, lemon zest and pure sunshine, bookpage by papermania, black versafine, sequin waste, picket fence distress stain and stamps by indigoblu.

I would like to enter my first journal page in the following challenges:

• Sunday Stamper - California Dreaming - all the challenge details can be found on Hels blog HERE

• Pan Pastel UK Challenge Blog - New Year/New Technique - the Pan Pastel blog can be found HERE 

Thanks for looking, Claire x

Alpha Challenge - V

The Craft Barn Blog has set a new challenge for 2013 - the alpha challenge!  All the details for the first challenge, which is the letter V, can be found HERE

I went to a few charity shops hoping to find a largish hard backed dictionary for the challenge but was out of luck - but I did find an ok sized one that was hard backed so not too bad!  This is the first time I've ever altered a book or anything for that matter so I'm looking forward to seeing how my altered pages progress throughout the year :)

So my chosen word for the letter V was vampire:

I started by masking the vampire definition then giving my pages a light coat of gesso then I used distress stains in mustard seed, tumbled glass and faded jeans - moping some of the ink up with kitchen paper as I went so my pages didn't go too dark.

I used pumice stone distress ink around the edges of my pages and on the vampire definition.  I drew in the gravestones and the bats with a black micron pen and added the border around the whole double page.  Finally I printed an image from The Octopode Factory and coloured him using distress markers then fussy cut him and added him to the pages.

Thanks for stopping by, Claire x

Dylusions Calendar

I've been playing with my new dylusions inks again today - definitely haven't got bored of them yet!!  I have a friend who is going to see the northern lights this year and so used that idea to create the background for this calendar for her:

I used the following products to create my very colourful calendar: Dylusions Ink Sprays in crushed grape, bubblegum pink, vibrant turquoise, pure sunshine and lemon zest, black soot distress ink, picket fence distress stain, papermainia urban stamps, Tim Holtz stamps, inkylicious sentiment, black organza ribbon, sequin waste, snowcap paint dabber, black versafine, card and the calendar pages.

I would like to join in the following challenges:

• Sunday Stamper - Hels theme this week is Come Fly With Me as she's off to CHA!  I think all the birds on my calendar qualify me for the challenge!  Her super blog can be found HERE
• SplodgeAway Challenge Blog - the first challenge for 2013 is new beginnings, I think a brand new calendar for the year fits the brief!  All the challenge details can be found HERE
• Pan Pastel Challenge Blog - Its an Anything Goes challenge for the first 2013 challenge, all the details can be found HERE

Thanks for stopping by, Claire x

Birthday Card

Here is a birthday card I created to play along with the first 2013 challenge over at Our Creative Corner.  It's a colour theme this time around - aqua, pink and a flower - all the details for the challenge can be found HERE

And here is the card I created:

I'm not really sure what was going on with my camera as the close-up photo looks a totally different colour from the wider shot but never mind!!

To create this card I used a 6x6 scalloped card blank, dylusions ink sprays in vibrant turquoise, cut grass and bubblegum pink, ranger snowcap paint dabber, picked raspberry distress ink, sequin waste, black versafine, hydragena flower stamp and sentiment from inkylicious.

I really like this card, in real life the colours are so vibrant - shame the camera couldn't pick them up a little better!

Thanks for stopping by, Claire x

Colourful Tag

So as I seem to have been bitten by a little bit of a messy/inky bug I splashed out and bought all 12 of the dylusions range of ink sprays - oops!! So here is my first attempt at using them:

I used a #10 manila tag, my new dylusions ink sprays in bubblegum pink, cut grass and fresh lime, distress inks in black soot and picked raspberry, snowcap ranger paint dabber, sequin waste, versafine black ink, black pen, nature stamps by indigoblu and script stamp by inkylicious.

I would like to enter my tag in the following challenges:

• Inkspirational - a brand new challenge blog started by the very talented Mynnette Kitchen, the first challenge is a colour challenge to use black, dark pink and kiwi.  You can find the blog by clicking HERE
• Craft Room Challenge - this months challenge is to make a tag, all the challenge details can be found HERE 
• Try It On Tuesday - the challenge here is to use new stash, visit the blog by clicking HERE

Thanks for stopping by, Claire x

Calendar Gift

While I was off work I decided to make a couple of calendars as gifts as I have a few of those little calendar book thingys, here is my second ever calendar creation:

To create this calendar I used lightly ribbed card, distress stains (tumbled glass, faded jeans, pumice stone and mustard seed), white and red acrylic paint, sequin waste, black versa fine ink, Tim Holtz stamps, black card and ribbon and the little calendar tab.

I really enjoyed getting inky and messy while making this and have given it to my sister as a new year's gift as it matches her bedroom colours.

I would like to enter my calendar into the following challenges:

• Stampotique Designers Challenge - the challenge over at Stampotique is to create a journal cover/page, diary or calendar page (SDC81) all the details can be found HERE
• Simon Says Stamp & Show - it's an anything goes week over at this blog to ease us into 2013 - all the challenge details can be found HERE

Thanks for stopping by, Claire x