Playing With The Queen Of Hearts

It's the weekend...woohoo! And, I'm so glad. It's been one busy week in my little bubble.  I have just finished up a set of ATC's for the February swap at the Creative Block - Stamper's Anonymous Yahoo Group..."pink and red". I finished a month early! Huh? Yes, really! I have the Valentine bug real bad. Everywhere I cyber look, everyone is making the most gorgeous Love Day items, so I had to join in as well. 

I have always been enthralled with the Queen of Hearts. Maybe because of the song or what I think she stands for...I don't know...but I love all the different images you see with her.  To me, she is like the female cupid...well, not the Alice version though. I have wanted to make my own images of her, so I thought I'd start on an ATC. I am also submitting this little queenie to the Paper Issues Challenge for "valentines", and the Grungy Monday Challenge for "facets", which is a take on Tim's Technique Challenge from August 2008.  I did not have enough facets for the six ATC's I created, so I improvised and used Memory Glass instead. Tim said the technique would work for this, and it did, but I probably won't use them again this way, because they are so fragile and I am so rough handling. I'm a buff girl...what can I say?

Funny story...I'm out of town, and forgot to take the pictures of the completed ATC and left the camera card at home which has all of the step out pictures. I called home and asked my daughter to photograph the ATC's and text them  to me. She did, hence the top one, but could not get a clear shot of a solo ATC. I asked her to use the big camera, upload the pictures to her computer and email me...huge job for an 11 year old. I walked her through the process and she tried to email me 9 pictures. Well, she doesn't have software to lessen photo size and the email got all bogged up. So in the end, I had to use another email account to have her send me the best picture she had...the bottom one...and she did an amazing job of a very huge task. I have more photos and a step out tutorial of the alcohol ink technique, as well as a masterboard technique from the background, but I will have to do the update on Monday when I return home. I am truly proud of her, and now I can enter my challenges! What an awesome kid!

By the way, I would like to mention that all the sneak peeks are up at Artistic Outpost for the February Release of their four new stamp sets. If you love vintage, steampunky, or old world feel stamps then these will make you squeal with crafter's delight! They really are awesome and very detailed. 

Supplies:

Stamper’s Anonymous: Queen of Hearts Wood Block; Clear Stamps: Love, Post Card Mark

Staz On: Opaque Cotton White, Blazing Red

Hobby Lobby: Valentine’s Day Red Heart Rhinestones

1x3 Memory Glass	Alcohol Ink Applicator Tool	Gloss Finish Paper	Glossy Accents	Jet Black Archival Ink	Love Struck Stamp Set
Mini Ornates Stamp Set	Pitch Black Alcohol Ink	Red Pepper Alcohol Ink	Snow Cap Mixative	Watermelon Alcohol Ink	Winter 2011 Distress Ink Pack
Worn Lipstick Distress Ink	Fired Brick Distress Ink	Aged Mahogany Distress Ink	ATC & Corners Die

I wish you all a fun filled weekend, and I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!

January Tag Swap - CBSA Yahoo Group

Hello crafty people! I learn more everyday about cyber world...it really is amazing! I just recently found out about another Yahoo group (like I need to be in another) called Creative Block -Stamper's Anonymous...cool name huh? Stamper's Anonymous (SA) is the company that makes all the Tim and Wendy stamps, which I love. They also have monthly swaps, and I joined in the January Tag Swap. The theme is "your favorite SA stamp"...easy theme but hard choice. So I decided to use my favorite quote, background, and image all on one tag. This one is very basic, so no long tutorial needed, but I did do a few step out photos.  I did have trouble with my heat embossing though. I think I must have left my UTEE under the heat too long, because it bubbled. I liked the look of it though so I left it...more shabby that way. I am always so excited to get my swaps back...you'd think it was my birthday every time!

I think 2012 is really the year of the dragon, but every year is an Artist's year!

Harlequin (looks like a gorgeous tile floor)and Time images were stamped with Embossed  Distressed Ink and heat embossed with UTEE. 

Grunge board was stained with Picket Fence and images stamped with Archival Ink and Festive Berries Distress Ink.

Umbrella Man was cut out along with an extra red umbrella that was adhered on top of the other. I had to ink over everything to made it crisper, so the background image on Umbrella Man was lost, so I stamped a dictionary print on him instead. I heat embossed the whole thing, and this is where the UTEE bubbled up, so the background image is not so crisp anymore, but I like the vintage look to it.

This quote is my favorite from this line. It was stamped and heat embossed with Close To My Heart white powder, then heat embossed with UTEE.

Umbrella Man fades into the background some in the photos, but the red umbrella and pop dots help to give him contrast. You can see how the UTEE bubbled up, but it looks like rain drops to me.

Supplies:

Stamper’s Anonymous: Tim Holtz- Start/Ending wood block, Harlequin and Umbrella Man Clear Stamp, World Traveler (dictionary print)

Ranger:  Inkssentials- Glossy Accents, Black Tag; Melt Art- Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (UTEE); Archival Ink- Jet Black

Tim Holtz:  Distress Ink- Black Soot, Festive Berries, Embossing Ink; Distress Stain- Barn Door, Picket Fence

Hero Arts: Clings- Time To Stamp

Core’dinations: Tim Holtz/Ranger- Adirondack Collection

Staz On: Opaque Cotton White

Close To My Heart: Embossing Powder- White

Doodlebug Design Inc.: Boutique Trims- Beetle Black Assortment (lace, striped)

From My Stash: red and white tulle, computer generated sentiment

 
I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!

Transformed Dress Form

Hi everyone! I wanted to show you a  dress form that I purchased from Hobby Lobby that I altered. I made this a few months ago, but am just getting around to posting it. I think it went through a total transformation. I am also submitting this the Sunday Stamper Challenge for "gold"...lots of gold on this one, and Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge for "anything but a card".

This is the original.

I sprayed multiple layers of mists. After drying I stamped more images all over the form. Lace was added for the trim, ribbon and a buckle to create the belt, along with the jewelry.

To create the wings, I free hand cut a pair from corrugated paper, because I didn't have the right size die. I embossed them with a texture fade, and then gave them several coats of glitter glam. Gathered Twigs Distress Ink finished them off around the edges. They were attached with brads.

 

 

 

Supplies:

Hobby Lobby: Dress Form, ribbon

Tim Holtz: Alterations from Sizzix- Texture Fade in Shattered Glass; Distress Ink- Gathered Twigs

Tattered Angels:  Mists- Black Magic, Chocolate Covered Cherries, Silver Sugar, Creme de Cocoa, Candy Apple Red; Stamps- Vintage Seasons Timeless Romance, Travel one (a lost the packaging with the actual name); Glitter Glam- Golden Goddess (used on the wings, on the ribbon, and on the form to brighten some of the stamped images)

Ranger: Archival Ink- Jet Black

Making Memories: Black Tie Trims (pearl lace), rhinestone brads

From My Stash: brooch, belt buckle, corrugated paper, cameo necklace

 
I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!

The Scarlet Red Letter?!?

Happy Saturday everyone! I hope you were able to sleep in! I didn't have that luxury today, but no biggie because I have thoroughly enjoyed my time getting creatively inky, or should I say stained? My fingers have been stained red for 3 days now. Every time I scrub them clean, I see that I need to touch something up in this scarlet little letter I have created for some challenges.  The wonderful people at Simon Says Stamp and Show are having an open interpretation challenge of "a red letter day". The entries so far  have wonderful views of a red letter day, which by the way is defined as any day of special significance.
Well...when I initially read the theme for this challenge I immediately revisited an old memory of having to read Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter in high school. A book I loved, and that has probed my differing judgements over and over, as the years have molded me. It just so happened as well, that I had a paper mache letter "a". Coincidence? Nope! Anita...Adulterer...both begin with "A", but are NOT synonymous people!!! It's just poetic! So I had to go with it, and create my "red letter day", or shouldn't I say "scarlet"? I am also submitting this to Blogger's Challenge for "wings and things", Gingersnap Creations for the spicy supply challenge of "ribbon", and two new sites to me, the Artistic Stamper challenge for "vintage", and The Stamp Man Challenge "use red", both of which happen to be across the pond...so cool!!!

The letter was given a coat of Barn Door Distress Stain. I had to use a paint brush to get in the tight spaces.

The letter was covered with Tissue Tape.

The letter was then stained with Barn Door and Fired Brick.

A very heavy coat of Clear Rock Candy Crackle Paint coated the front and back of the letter. After it dried, I used Gathered Twigs to ink the edges and some of the cracks. Finally, a layer of Gesso was added to the entire letter to seal everything in and prevent flaking. I loved the way this came out.

The top pair of wings are what the bottom pair originally looked like. I paint them with Snow Cap Acrylic Dabber then with Gold, sort of going in stripes so there would be contrast. After it dried, I gave it a heavy layer of Clear Rock Candy Crackle Paint. When that dried, I coated it with Distress Embossing Ink and UTEE, and used a heat gun to emboss it. I added hinges with brads, that I distressed with Jet Black Acrylic Dabber.

Finials, ribbon, paper lace, pearl scrolls, paper roses, pearls, metal leafs, and the cameo were added, along with attached wings.

I adhered the cameo into an ornate frame to create this, as well as added the crown to the cameo.

 

Supplies:

Ranger:  Acrylic Paint Dabber in Pitch Black (distress metal), Snow Cap (wings), Gold (wings); Inkssentials- Glossy Accents; Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (UTEE)

Tim Holtz:  Alterations Sizzix Dies- Vintage Lace; Idea-ology- Tissue Tape in Music Notes, Baubles, Ruler Ribbon, Ornate Frame, Brads; Distress Ink- Gathered Twigs, Embossing Ink; Distress Stain- Barn Door, Fired Brick; Distress Crackle Paint- Clear Rock Candy

Liquitex: Clear Gesso

Prima: Say It In Pearls, Paper Roses

Vintaj: Tiered Leaves Art Metal

Artchix Studio: Crown

From My Stash: Paper Mache Letter A; Cameo; Finials (from broken lamps); Hindges

For The Blogger's Challenge, this is a blog hop. Let's keep it going! Click on the next entry to move on! Thanks for viewing mine!

I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!

Artistic Outpost

Artistic Outpost opened its doors in the fall of 2007. Robyn Sharp and Shelley Carr are both weekend crafters, wannabe entrepreneurs, and corporate managers, and to them Artistic Outpost allows them the opportunity to steer the direction of an enterprise that is truly their own.

Robyn designs the stamps. Shelley keeps Robyn from designing crazy stuff, and Steven (Robyn's husband) manages the "home office".

They are all three having fun, and learning that this stamp stuff is hard work and serious business. They continue to be inspired by the many people that love Artistic Outpost's unique vintage style, and they look forward to what the future holds for this grand adventure.  (From the About Us section on www.artisticoutpost.blogspot.com.)

Hello everyone! You are not on the wrong page. I have a bit of news I'd like to share. The creative folks over at Artistic Outpost have asked me to be a guest designer for the next three months! I am super thrilled and honored at the same time! This came as a shock as I have never been on a design team before, and I truly hope I can measure up to all the other wonderful and creative designers. The AO stamp line is unique, vintage, and super detailed. I fell in love with them the first time I saw a set and had to have it. I used this set..."Steampunk"...to create this keepsake tag that I will put in my personal scrapbook to remind me of this special milestone. I hope I can inspire all of you, with the projects I make using these gorgeous stamps.

I am also submitting this to the Gingersnap Creations Challenge of "using a line of stamps"

Supplies:

Artistic Outpost: Steampunk Set

Ranger: Archival Ink- Jet Black and Sepia; Inkssentials- Crackle Accents, Black Tag; Melt Art- UTEE Clear; Adirondack- Acrylic Paint Dabber in Gold

Tim Holtz: Alterations for Sizzix- texture fade in Time Clocks; Distress Embossing Ink

Core'dinations: TimHoltz Kraft-Core Nostalgic Collection Card Stock

ULine: Metal Embossable Tag 

Faber-Castell: Watercolor Pencils

I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!

January ATC

Hello crafty people! I have just finished my ATC for the monthly swap at the All Things Tim Yahoo Group. This month's ATC was to be of course Tim inspired, green, and written on the back, a creative resolution. I am also entering this little guy in Hel's Sunday Stamper Challenge "time", and Studio L3's Grungy Monday Challenge "any of Tim's 12 tags techniques", which is also being sponsored by Simon Says Stamp. The time theme is pretty obvious on the card, and the techniques I've chosen from 12 tags are the tissue wrap background and creating an embossed resist. As always, I am excited to see the ATC's I'll receive in return.

To Create the 2 Tim Techniques: Using Wendy's Studio 490 Art Parts in the ATC, I stained front and back with Distress Stain in Peeled Paint.

Lifted from Wendy, I ran Perm Tac Adhesive on the ATC and placed Tissue Wrap over it, and pressed down (instead of stamping images as per Tim's technique). You can see the green tint as well as the tiny dots from the tape runner. It really creates an awesome texture and contrast.

I stained the tissue tape with Peeled Paint, which really enhanced the dots. Then I sanded over the sides, and the tissue wrap just fell off so smoothly.

I stamped a Hero Arts Time Background over the ATC with Distress Embossing Ink, covered that with UTEE, and heat embossed. This created a clear image which will resist any coloration. I inked over the ATC with Distress Ink in Gathered Twigs and Peeled Paint. The resist worked beautifully.

After embellishing with the embossed metal number 2's (from Mover's & Shaper's Mini 25), a clocked clad mini rosette, pen nib, flourishes, and sentiment, the ATC was overflowing with various textures.

I love how the clock turned out on the rosette, and the background is still visible under all the goodies.

An appropriate sentiment is embossed on the back along with my Creative Resolution for 2012...to really work on time management, so I can create everyday while still getting my other responsibilities completed. That is a huge goal that I hope I can tackle!

Supplies:

Ranger:  Acrylic Paint Dabber in Silver (frame out); Inkssentials- Glossy Accents, Crackle Accents, Big & Bossy Two-Tone Embossing Ink Pad; UTEE

Tim Holtz:  Alterations: Sizzix Dies in Mover’s & Shaper’s Mini 25, Mini Paper Rosettes; Idea-ology- Lost and Found Paper Stash (rosette), Pen Nib, Game Spinners; Stamper’s Anonymous Start/Ending wood block; Adirondack Alcohol Ink in Meadow; Distress Ink in Peeled Paint, Gathered Twigs, Embossing Ink; Distress Stain in Peeled Paint; Distress Stickles in Peeled Paint

Wendy Vecchi Studio 490:   Art Parts: ATC Art

Hero Arts: Cling Stamp - Time To Stamp

Technique Tuesday: Stamp - Life Is A Journey

Bazzill Basics Paper: Daisy Paper Flowers in Hillary

I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!