smitten moustache monsters

I just LoVe Kira Nichols' smitten moustache monsters so decided to have a play around with them in one of my journals.  They have so much potential though that I know I'll be using them again!! [I so want to colour in their moustaches but decided this page had enough colour!!]

I appear to have a good collection of love-themed stampotique stamps!  After spraying my page with Dylusions inks, and splashing some water on them and dabbing it off, I stamped 'metal love' three times, thinking of the Beatles song 'all you need is love'!  I then repeatedly stamped the heart from the top of 'Oh...Tree' because I couldn't find my 'Daniel's hearts' stamp ...

... then found it and went to town with looooooooooooooads more hearts!!  I had a good time colouring some of them in with my watercolour pencils.

The smitten moustache monsters have been stamped on top of the words and then I stamped them onto paper too and cut them out - it's just a good way of keeping the little details that are impossible to cut out (like the curly ends of moustaches!!)

For those of you in the UK, the new release stampotique stamps are on their way and you can pre-order smitten moustache monsters, amongst others, at The Stamp Attic.

Stampotique Stamps Used:

Smitten Moustache Monsters  #4040 by Kira Nichols

Metal Love  #7234 by Amy Wilson Wellenstein

Oh...Tree  #6152 by Daniel Torrente

Daniel's Hearts  #6109 by Daniel Torrente

Barcode Text  #10020 by France Papillon

Barcode  #10019 by France Papillon

drawing with scissors PDCC147

 How have I not cottoned on to this idea before?  I get too precise and 'tight' when I'm drawing with conventional materials which is one of the reasons I love drawing with my sewing machine!  To add that dimension to this page though meant doing it on separate paper then adding it to the page so I just thought, "why not cut out shapes and add black ink around the edges instead?!"  Voila!

This journal page, and a tag, emerged from this week's colour combo over at the Play Date Cafe.  It's an unusual colour combo that I know I'd never have discovered myself, which is why I love these challenges!

And isn't that bird stunning?! (although my daughter says he looks like a pigeon - an artistic one though!)

 That 'evergreen' varies depending on which screen I'm using to view the image but I stuck with the labelled colours of evergreen, olive, smoke (grey) and cherry blossom.  Having happily unearthed my Dylusion sprays I started with my favourite ink of all time, the grey one!

 ...followed by some olive green watercolour straight from the tube.  I added some water and let it run then squidged it with a piece of paper over the top which produced a lovely secondary piece!

 A bit of stencilling next with the pink (an acrylic dabber) through some card cut with Tim Holtz' typeset die but what to do for a main image?

I was going to add some large letters so had a little nosy along the bookshelf for some inspiration.  I came across my Lotta Jansdotter book (LoVe her designs!)

... and spotted some nice shapes that I could cut out.  I didn't draw them first, just went straight in with the scissors before spraying them pink, and creating another nice effect on separate paper!

I added some stamped text and am very happy with the result!  Can't believe I'm finally feeling like I'm back in the 'flow' as it were, only to go back to work next week!

Finally (sorry, long post!), I made a tag with some of the background paper created during the making of this page!

And here it is alongside the inspiration image.  I added a couple more stamens as it made me think of lilies, a flower I LoVe.

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit!

mixed media mini stitched book

I think I'm going through a bit of a mini book phase - I finished this one in the week and another one (for a magazine challenge) yesterday!

The cover is made from an old wool blanket that I've added felt too with that wonderful 'dumphing' machine!  Then some free machining and snippets of lace.

Inside the page sizes vary.  I used pre painted papers that have been hanging around my studio forever, tags,  old book pages, envelopes...

I got to use two new toys in this project - Tim's washer border and Typeset Alphabet dies which I ordered from the lovely Wendy at The Stamp Attic.  I love the umbrella man die too but decided these had more uses, and they'll make great stencils!

I particularly LoVe the effect I got when I put three sets of papers through my Cuttlebug - the text paper got stuck into the coloured paper one underneath (the stitching's there to keep it altogether, I couldn't be bothered taking each tiny letter out to glue it back in lol)

WOYWW weeny books :)

I have workshop prep on my desk today.  I'm so looking forward to teaching it at The Cubby Hole, Crewe on Saturday, and again at The Stamp Attic, Wantage in March.  It's called 'a basketful of books' as we will be making five little books, all bound in different ways, which would look fab in a basket on your coffee table!  

If you fancy a nosy at what fellow crafters are up to, head on over to The Stamping Ground where the gorgeous Julia Dunnitt hosts this perusal every week :P

PDCC 64 with our brand spanking new design team :)

It's like an enormous party over at The Play Date Cafe today as we launch our new DT!  Sooooooo much fabulous inspiration over there :)

And Julie's choice of colours is very 'me', although I don't think I've ever combined grey and beige before.  

Isn't that soft blue so beautiful!  I've had a ball of grey wool in my crochet hook in my bag for a week or so now so always planned to include a grey crocheted flower in this piece.  I just love greys...although not grey, dull days I have to say!!!

I used a 7 gypsies Paddington paper on my tag (it had to be a tag, I was getting withdrawal symptoms lol) available in the UK from The Stamp Attic, along with some smidgeons of paper hanging around my desk!  The brads are 'Making Memories' upholstery brads and the washer is lovely and rusty, picked up off some pavement/car park somewhere ;)

 

Have a wonderful time visiting our design team this week, and apologies for not getting around to 'see' everyone last week, life caught up with me a little!

Julie Ranae [senior DT]

Savannah O'Gwynn [senior DT]

Ruby2Shoes [senior DT]

Andrea Ewen

Fiona Schultz

Jaclyn Miller

Jinny Newlin

Libby Hickson

Michele Gross

TRacey Kuzniak

Colleen Dietrich [private blend designer]

life just got in the way!

Sorry to have been away so long!  I do supply cover at a local day nursery and a day there followed by private tutoring has me in bed VeRY early!  That was Friday, then Saturday saw me driving down to The Stamp Attic near Oxford where I taught my art journaling class on Sunday.

I started this page in class, using it to demonstrate some techniques.  I love leaves, and it's the shape of them that have been attracting my eye this year.  My usual preferred leaf shape is the maple but after playing with my Tattered Leaves die and Inkadinkado stamps I think the oak leaf has taken over!

Oh, and there's a rather sweet Hero Arts leaf in there too!  Very relaxing just layering leaves on a page.  This is my A4 journal made from various papers.  I noticed the other week that the only words in here are three on the reverse of the tags to the left of this page.  This journal has just been about playing with images, layers and colour :)

I've NeVeR made Christmas Cards THiS early:)

I know, I know, Autumn's only just in the air and I'm mentioning THaT word again!

  

I'll let you into a secret, I normally make a batch of quick cards the week before Christmas, and it's always a massive rush, but having to prep for a workshop means I have cards made already and I sooooooooo enjoyed making them!  Without the pressure of time, and with the relaxed, journaling techniques I used, I had a very relaxing time making these :)

So if you'd like to spend the morning making some quick cards, and the afternoon making a couple of special ones, join me at The Stamp Attic on Saturday 23rd October 2010,  

PDCC#47 is sponsored by PaperBagStudios! How cool is that :)

I was very excited when I found out they were sponsoring us, then when the stamps came through the door I was almost jumping up and down - they were on my list to buy as soon as they entered the UK :)  [You can buy them at The Stamp Attic now by the way :)]

It's my choice of colours this week and when I saw this picture I just fell in love with the house!  Isn't it gorgeous?  And the white picket fence with the bright red geraniums just looks stunning...and warm!  Not like the wet and windy weather we've been having for the last couple of days!  If anyone would like to share a photo of where they live, I'd love that!  When friends and family go away to foreign climes, it's photos of everyday houses and shops I'd like to see, even more than the famous places.  But it's rare that they take that kind of photo.

I made a 3d house from foamcore and painted it with a turquoise emulsion paint!  Whilst collaging the pieces I had the idea that the circular date stamp would make a cool tree.  It's leaning slightly to the right, but I'm still pleased with it lol.

I kept the side of the house limited in colour so it was obvious which was the front but I think it needs some red to 'lift' it a little, even if it's only a little red heart hanging from the roof, or red doors and windows.

Roben-Marie Smith, designer of these gorgeous stamps is our guest designer over at The Play Date Cafe, so head on over to see her piece, and those of my fellow designers.  It's really good to see these very 'grungy' stamps used in a very different way as designers who wouldn't naturally choose these images have produced some fabulous pieces! :)

 Julie Ranae

Suzanne Czosek

Andrea Ewen
Savannah O'Gwynn
Lisa Somerville
Ruby 2 Shoes

[Apologies for not visiting pdcc entrants this week just gone, my excuse is in the previous post!  Normal service will resume next week :)]

I'm so 'chuffed' with myself...

...I drilled a hole in a spoon!!  Well, three spoons actually :)

I borrowed Tom's Dremel - it was cool (well hot actually, couldn't believe how hot the spoons got lol).  Tom's my fourteen year old son as of today.  Happy Birthday Tom!

My daughter Sophie finishes school tomorrow and her favourite English teacher is leaving to work in Australia.  Sophie wanted a special present for her, and I wanted a good reason to finally have a go at collaging on spoons.  I've see Kelly Perkins' work with spoons and loved it, and found this tutorial.

After drilling the holes (for which I should have used oil as a lubricant apparently!), I used alcohol inks to colour the spoons, then used glossy accents to add words and bits of collage.  The words, cut from a variety of old books, say

she went on her way

desiring an incredible adventure

with delicious excitement

The larger words are cut from a children's book, a tip I picked up somewhere!  Large print books are another good source.  

This is a quick card I made for the teacher, which includes some 7 gypsies rub-ons from The Stamp Attic.  And here's an arty something to make you smile - I had a meeting in this building in central Manchester on Monday...how cool are those stick men?  :)