SYS2 Day 6- Tag 2

You know it would have been so easy to stick to the floral theme but this cute little bobby soxer jumped out of my stash at me and I just had to make her into this tag. The Bobby Soxer and Sentiment are from a Crafty Kimmy set.

150th Post 12 tags of 2013 April

Can you believe it just about a year and a half ago I started this blog spurred on by what was the final 12 tags of Christmas 2011.

It felt like any other post would not quite fit this rather special occasion. After all it started with 12 tags and so my 150th post (and believe me I have been putting off posting some other projects to make it so) is my Mixed Media Journal Pages for april as always based on the Maestro Tim Holtz’s Tag

Now as usual I was missing a rather major component of this tag this month. No distress paints as yet. However I had an idea and it all started with the dragonfly.

The dragonfly was actually done in stages the first being the wire wings. I used the Tattered Angels Dragonfly stamp and made wire frames using the cover piece that is printed and wire, when I was happy with my wire work (it was never going to be an exact match) I then covered the frames in fantasy film (there are different types of this the one I used is sort of like a cellophane that you crinkle to get pretty shimmery effects).
You then heat it the more you heat it the less the shimmer shows but the more you get some cool melted spots and holes. I did quite a few layers wrapped around and around to get mine to look like they do.

Then I beaded the body with swarovski beads (from ebay before you go but she is a on a budget I lucked out and got them very cheaply). Then attatched it with yet more wire to the wings ( you twist them all together then wire the beads over the center).

I then decided to try stamping each wing with the dragonfly stamp I think it turned out pretty well (though I would suggest doing this before you put your dragonfly together).

I then stamped the body on a small piece of Manila cs and fussy cut it. I tried it plain but was not feeling it so added in the watch parts for my cogs and gears steam punk style element and that is how I got my funky dragon fly.

After I had been working on my background a bit and when I had used some expresso paint dabber on the watch parts I also ran it over the dragonfly for more of a distressed grungy look. I also rubbed over a little crushed soft charcoal.

the dragonfly really was the inspiration for my page. I saw Tim’s and have done the acetate type thing before and being me was like how can I make mine a bit different. I have been working with Fantasy film making butterflies for my Happiness Jar Decorating Kits (will do a blog about the kits soon) and was like Bingo.

Here is the page:

I did distress stains on Ranger Manila cs. For the background and also inked over it with a mix of tea dye, vintage photo and walnut stain (the holy trinity for a true aged distress look). I also rubbed over some crushed soft willow charcoal (it is so hard to explain what it does but it really adds another element to your distress)

Added in the tissue tape Nostaligic and inked over it with tea dye just to tone it in a little.

Then I will be honest I got stuck. I had no real idea about what I wanted to do next. I had my dragonfly stamped where I wanted it. The background pages done, the Journaling book pages inked so it all toned together but not a clue as to what I even wanted to do next so I left it alone for almost a week.

Tonight the damn burst and my mojo was in full swing as I pulled out some stamps ( two sets Air Travel and Urban Tapestry)

I used the big map stamp all over my background inked with picket fence distress stain. I really love how this looked over the background.

I then used my favorite brilliance ink Coffee Bean (I really need to get a re-inker for mine I use it so much) and used the ticket stamp and stamped bits of it over the page.

I then did the same with the Ink splatter stamp.

Used the compass stamp and embossed it in gold. Liked it so much I used the ink splatter stamp in some spots and embossed them in gold as well.

Added in the quote stamp which did not stamp perfectly but I kinda like that it didn’t it fits the whole grungy vintage vibe.

Added in the corner flourishes in black from yet another set of Tim Stamps (not sure of the name they are clear acrylic ones from ages ago).

Then thought about what else I could do. Went to my Tim/Ranger embellishment box and found some Alpha cards and thought ooooh so cut out the letters for April, inked them in tea dye and that is it.

Aprils Mixed Media Journal pages broken down and completed.

I have been having so much fun doing Mixed Media Journaling for the tags this year. Not only am I getting to play with the new techniques that we get each month (or improvising when I do not have the stuff to use) but I get to stretch my mixed media skills and I really love just getting to fool around and play.

If you haven’t guessed it yet I am a crazy fly by the seat of my pants crafter it is very rare for me to plan what I am doing I just tend to flow and hope I get something good out of it.

Have to say I am so pleased with how these pages turned out. It was so much fun to go from a pristine shimmery dragonfly to a steampunk grungy vintage type one still with some of the irradecence.

And so we come to the end of this amazing Milestone. For anyone who has been taking my creative journey with me I appreciate you visiting.

I love hearing your comments on my work and enjoy being inspired by you all.

Lots of Hugs

Amanda

12 Tags of 2013 (or my take 12 mixed media journal pages)

I Hi everyone.

I know cutting it fine, but life has been a bit of a roller coaster of late to say the least.

I have spent the last two days working on my version of Tims March Tag.

I will post the pic then break it down for you all 🙂

my idea started with cutting some tissue paper into strips (I just folded it over a few times so it made really long strips), and then using some of the left over mist I had made for my bear (a mix of stream colour wash and mowed lawn re inker) and misted it, tossing it around as I went to get a semi even coating. I then misted over it again with a pearl mist that I made using perfect pearls ‘pearl’ and water.

I dried my ‘grass’ and then painted my journaling page with Stormy Sky and Mowed lawn distress stains.

Used some multi medium over the mowed lawn and started laying down my ‘grass’ strips.  I also added extra at the top I did little V shapes and at first pasted them with the V point facing up then did them facing down, did another layer of strips, and added in some scrunched up along the top to create a morefluffy grass like texture.

I got a new stamp this week an Imaginisce snag em stamp of a Chick and I could not resist using it on my page. So using inspiration from Dyan Reaverly I could not resist stamping the wee chick onto my page and also stamping them onto some plain white cardstock and painting them in Distress ink 🙂 I did however also grab my trusty prima craft knife and cut out the wing so that it looked like they could also flap away, I added a little glitter to the flowers on them with some glue gloss, and could not resist finishing one off with a smidge of Brown paper twine so it looked a little like it had a worm in its beak. I also added a little extra grass so it looked like my birdie was resting in the grass.

I then felt like getting a little bit more background texture so used a spotty piece of grungeboard that I have as a stencil and added some spots in Malted Milk paint dabber, then used Cool perri paint dabber to over Tattered Angels glimmer screen of a butterfly, and then also misted over it with Purple Twilight Colour wash. I did a simmilar thing on the other side with a flourish stencil, however I misted and then painted so it gave a more muted effect.

I added in my addage ticket. For me easter is a time of hope. Used some seasonal chit chat words in my grass.

Then used a grungeboard circle to create my sun. The Sun is  coloured with terracotta paint dabber and then I melted lemon fantasy film over the top to create my Sun.

Then It was time for my butterflies, I don’t own the bunny die. I do however own the silver tinsel twine however I chose not to use it. Not because I did not think the technique Tim showed us with the melting and the alcohol ink was not awesome but because it is an easter page and I really loved the idea of using easter egg foil instead. So I did. It appeals to me in a few ways its a free resource, its recycling and its always pretty colours and so shiny. I also inked around the edges of the Almanac Paper with some vintage photo and did the same for the butterflies I used later.

I cut my butterflies out of Almanac paper from Prima just to add a little of an old world look to match the Hope tag and because  I have to be honest and say I really love the complete mish mash of the Distress/old look mixed with the pastels and brighter flowers.

I then cut out some tattered florals flowers from white cardstock, Used distress stains over them, misted over them with my trusty home made pearl mist and dried them.

I then layered them and moulded them a little adding in a button to their centers that had some of the lime and white paper twine through the holes in the buttons.

I then added some rhinestones to the positive butterfly images and added them to the page

Lastly I doodled in with a white paint sharpie the stems and leaves of my flowers painted over a coat of distress stain dabbing it off to keep it light and then used a Zig writer to go around the edges so the would pop a little more.

And there you have it my journey to my Mixed Media page for March. I know its Autumn in Australia I just really love the pastels and easter colours.

Happy Creating everyone.

12 Coasters December

Wow this year has flown by. Just one more coaster for me to catch up on and I will be done. Though you will have to wait a bit for the big reveal I am really excited at how it is all coming together.

I have been having some issues with my cb. So have to say I was super happy to find some pre cut mirror stickers which I used on this tag at a local cheapie shop, add in festive Berries and Evergreen Bough distress inks, some rock candy stickles, tissue tape, trim roses, Smooch spritz in golden glow, an angel die cut, some silver tinsel trim, and a festive chit chat sticker and viola you have my December coaster

Spooky Shadow Box

This project has been almost a month in the making. It all started with an amazing (and I do mean AMAZING see her tribute to Mr Poe here)Toni’s Cupboard of Curiosities

So Toni then set us a Halloween Cyber Crop challenge to create our own spooktacular box/cupboard of curiosities. Unfortunately I do not own any configurations or other such things so Used a Twiddleybitz 6″x 6″ shadow box instead.

sadly I bought two of these some time ago at a craft show and when I went to paint and assemble the second one found out it was missing a vital piece that means I could not put it together or use it. So I had to go back to the drawing board. I had already had decided on what to use the other one for, had it painted and assembled as well. It was originally painted a metallic blue with silver paint sponged over the top to represent clouds (I forgot to take a photo of it this way sorry about that)

I found an amazing online minitatures store Magpies Miniatures where the flat bottle, miniatures spider, black cat, gargoyle, broom and candle holder came from.

here is some of the elements I started with the other bottles and vials are from the Tim Holtz Ideaology range, a Tim Holtz Tree (misted in black soot and covered in Martha Stewart black onyx and white gold glitters), A miniature paper sack (its a die by Memory box), a skull from a halloween garland of skeletons as well as some of the bones, Satin, Grungeboard, glitter, a painting from this amazing artist Jim Smeltz who sells his work in miniature prints here, and the candles are actually hand made by me but more on that later.

here is the Box before it was Alcohol inked and filled (The ‘wallpaper’ is from Primas Firefly 6×6 paper pad)

It was a lot of fun creating my icky vials and bottles of things and such a shame that in the finished product you just do not see the bottom of the ‘blood’ vial. Both it and the bottle that looks like slime exploded out of it are a mix of Alcohol Ink and triple thick mixed and heated (Note please use tweezers or tongs and be careful cause it will bubble up and over it takes a bit of time and a few tries and cool downs to get it all to work) with a heat gun. I love how they turned out.

My bottle of eyes is actually sticky back pearl rhinestones in different sizes stuck together and then put in the bottle and covered with glossy accents. I swirled them all around with a long needle I have for bearmaking I love how it turned out.

Here is a pic of my project Alcohol inked. It was a process that took time and a couple of days to get so I was happy with the effect. I also covered the gargoyles ball with Black Onyx glitter just to give it a bit of a different look to the stone ball.

Here is a pic of what it was like just sort of sussing out where things may or may not end up

this is the right side of the bottom of the Shadow box, as you can see I used the smallest of the Idea-o-logy trees misted it in black soot distress mist (that I made myself) then covered it in black onyx glitter about 2-3 times shaking off the excess and allowing it to dry everytime. It dissappeared to much into the whole blackness of the inside of the box so I added over some white gold glitter as well which sort of looks like a mystical snow (at some point I am hoping to get a wee pentagram in a circle or some such for the top of the tree I just have not seen what I am looking for yet) The bones are from a halloween skeleton I took appart and painted with snow cap paint dabber (I wanted them to have more of a stark look rather than the aged look of the skull). I died some pink satin with Red Pepper Colour Wash and made the Witches hat out of grungeboard, and the cape as well (I will get some pics later with the little spider on the cape it just looks so much better than the cape on its own)

Now to the lefthand side of the bottom of the box.
here is where I used the skull, all my bottles and vials, the Witches broom and also a wee handmade paper bag filled with scolls (the scrolls are made from watercolour paper. Misted with a combination of mists including a pearl one as I wanted them to have a mystical type shimmer but still look really old I have a ton of these left as I went a smidge overboard) The edges are inked in Vintage Photo Distress ink and I misted them again to get it to bleed.

The next thing is a close up of my little candles and I can not believe I actually made these myself from scratch. I melted a beeswax candle I had in a container with my heat gun (would suggest a saucepan and a stove but I was in a hurry and not in need of that much wax) First you run your wick into the melted wax and roll it between your fingers this makes the wick thinner. Then dip the wick into your wax (I actually used cranberry alcohol ink in the wax be warned it does go a bit odd but overnight the colour came out and I love how my candles look now they were very pale and took a while for the colour to show through) Until you are happy with their thickness. I also rolled them in my fingers a bit to get the shape right. At this stage do not worry if they are too long. The best thing about the candelabra is that it sits up on it’s own. I then dipped the bottom of the candles in wax and set them into the candelabra. lit them to get them to be close to even, and used the wee tea light container I had been melting wax in to drip/pour over wax to make the candles look like they had been around for a while dripping. I also needed to light the candles again to get rid of the wax that covered over the wicks. It was an evenings work but I am so stoked with how they turned out. Here is a close up of them.

The finishing touch was the Amazing Art Print (I also got a lovely card, another print and a sticker on the back of the envelope all that can be used in future projects)

And here it is My Witches House Shadow Box (Promise I will get a pic with my glittery black spider tomorrow I just wanted to share this project now that it is done though I can’t promise I will not add to it over time)

and thats it for now 🙂 I had so much fun doing this and though it did not turn out as gruesome as I had wanted it to I would happily tackle another such project with enthusiasm.

12 Coasters November

Can you believe how fast this year has flown by? I know it is hard to believe that it was just nearly a year ago that I started this craft blog for the 12 tags of Christmas 2011 .

Then in Feb Mr Holtz delighted and surprised us all by announcing that he would be doing a tag a month and we could all play along to. What a wonderful journey it has been to learn new techniques, revisit old fav’s and to just stretch our creativity every month.

Next month is extra exciting because I will be able to reveal what all these coasters are going to become and I have to say I am rather excited by seeing all this years work come together.

This months tag 
features the lovely colours of Autumn and whilst I love that colour palette it is spring in Australia that and my distress stain range is limited to just half a dozen at present (stormy sky, chipped sapphire, broken china, dusty concord, worn lipstick, warm honey and frayed burlap) which lend itself to a far more spring version of the technique used.

I got a craft iron earlier in the year because of several techniques I was dying to be able to do and this was one of them.

This technique (Bear in mind my coasters are just 4″ square so no where near as much room as the tags used) also gave me a chance to use my new Boundless Flight stamps that were a birthday present from my Sister and nieces. I added in a stamping up stamp from a set I purchased some years ago and used snow cap distress stain as well as home made pearl mist, ranger embossing powder and versafine black onyx ink and here is this months Tag.

I did add in just one other technique learned from the amazing Jennifer Maguire in Stretch your stamps and it is a water droplet embossing one that I used to add a few more white spots to my coaster.

Dusk and Halloween Themed Baby Shower Set

I have been waiting to share this set of things with you until after the event. A wonderful friend and adopted daughter in the States is pregnant YAY and as a small gift to her I made her baby shower invites, thank you cards and wish cards so people can write their wishes for Daphane when she is born.

You may remember the Jemima Puddleduck birth announcements I did well they are for the same person. I am so Happy for Leah and Brandon.

As soon as she told me the theme was dusk and halloween I knew I had to use the child on a swing stamp from MPress (sorry I have been looking and looking but not been able to find this stamp anywhere if anyone has a link to somewhere that has them in stock can you please comment with it as I know a few people dying to get their hands on it!), the thing that took the longest were the embossed spider webs but I think they really made the invite. Add to this the baby’s room will be done with birds and you have the thank you cards as well.

The first pic is the set of 3 so you can see how it all works together

The invites:

The Thank you cards

and the wish tags

I was so happy not only with how all of these turned out but also with the reaction of the person I sent them to. It is always wonderful when someone loves what you have created for them.

So next time your going to or throwing a baby shower create wish tags for the unborn child. It is something they can keep forever and just that little something a bit different.

Launching My Cooking Blog and Showing off One of my August Jellybean challenges

Hi everyone first let me introduce you to heavenly cooking as I am often asked for recipes for things I make and have decided it is high time I start documenting these things. The first recipe is for a very healthy and wonderful Banana Bread.

So now back to crafting. I have been so excited to experiment with my new Donna Salazar Rose Creation Dies. I actually need to take some pics of the flowers I have been creating to show you just how incredibly versatile this set of Dies is. Well worth the investment because you will find yourself using them over and over again.

Anyway the Colour Challenge for August was oranges, and golds with a smidge of black and limish green thrown in.

Here is what I created I am also very excited to announce that this Comb has gotten me Featured Artist on Donna Salazar’s Girlie Grunge Ning Site for this Month!!!

Not something you can wear in the rain as such but still something very pretty.
I used the rose creation dies, some cardstock, distress ink, Pitch Black Alcohol Ink, cake decorating and nail art tools, some bling and a little pearl mist along with some tulle.

Day 5 Card 2

Well technically not quite. As this technique was a bit further down the class PDF, I am loving learning new techniques with watercolour paper and Embossing.

Day 6 Card 1

I don’t own any of the stamp and die cut sets at present but I was so inspired by the techniques I just had to try two of the cards. So I used my Brayer with some versamark watermark ink and inked over the top of my butterflies, not quite the same as stamping but I quite liked what I created with the technique. I loved learning how to cut a shape out of the side of a card for this one. Much easier than it sounds btw.