A happy accident! Simon Says Stamp Guest Design

Hi everyone. Today is my final post in the 'Designer Spotlight' at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. A huge thanks to Lols and the team for the invitation and their wonderful support throughout the month.

This week the challenge theme is Thinking of You.

I have recently purchased Tim Holtz Ornate Frame 2 and wanted to get this out of it's packaging (!) so decided to make a card featuring the frame and the leaf from an older set - Tim Holtz Sizzix Framelits LEAF BLUEPRINT Wafer Thin Die & Stamp Set.

I had an idea that went completely wrong but ended up quite well! I started with some autumnal colours of distress inks on some card - completely covering it with random patches of colour. I then intended to add some versamark through a stencil and heat emboss with clear powder to retain the multi colours under the embossed surface. However I failed to fully fry the distress inks so when adding my clear embossing powder I completely covered the card. I heated it anyway and ended with a mostly sealed surface - no stencil pattern visible!

Not wanting to waste what I had done I reached for my distress paints and began marbling the surface with different colours - drying each colour before adding the next. With the heat, the paint adhered to the sealed surface but retained quite a glossy finish and I loved it! The paints are more vibrant than when doing the same effect directly onto card ( I know - I tried it!).

I die cut my ornate frame twice - once in black card and once in white card - I painted the latter with Tarnished Brass distress paint before quickly sprinkling some embossing powder ( a mix of gold, dark red and brown) over it - not covering - just a light sprinkle. I then heat dried.

I stamped the leaf and cut one whole and 2 halves. I added my autumnal distress inks randomly over them - adding darker colours to the edges before taking Distress Crackle Paint and covering the leaves. Once dry I created the dimension using glossy accents.

The greeting from Tim Holtz Simple Sayings completed my card.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Nikki

xxx

All good things come to a (spooky) end......

Today I say goodbye to the Country View Crafts design team! I have been on the team for 2 years which has been fabulous. They must be bored of me by now so time to move on!

My final creation is for the current Spooky theme - I have used Tim Holtz blueprint stamps, layering the skull to create dimension. My background in embossed and sanded kraft core card.

Thanks for stopping by - see you soon.

Nikki

xxx

Crazy Cat Upright for That's Crafty!

I am very happy to be joining the That's Crafty! Design Team today and it is time for a new challenge on their Challenge blog. The theme is Friday 13th Part 2.

I decided to use one of the fabulous dinky mdf uprights  to create my slightly scary creation. I used Dylusions paints to create by yellow / red background and then black gesso around the edges. My crazy cat has been stamped in versamark and embossed with a yellow powder and then sprayed with black soot distress spray. I added a little sparkly mod podge which the camera hasn't liked too much!

Back tomorrow with another spooky creation and Monday for my final project in the Designer Spotlight at Simon Says Stamp.

Life has got a little busy here of late so sorry for my lack of visits - I may be a little quieter in blogland for a short while.

Nikki

xxx

Autumn Textures - Simon Says Stamp Guest Design

Hello! Another project today as guest designer at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge . This week the challenge theme is Autumn.

I made a project recently using 4 ATC sized greyboard panels on a 6x6 inch panel and I loved the layout - so though I would repeat it! You can find the original here - same idea, very different though!

I started by taking 4 greyboard ATC's and scratching and cutting off the edges - an Andy Skinner trick! I then painted them all and the 6x6 inch base with black gesso - ensuring I stippled the paint for added texture.

Once dry I dry brushed white gesso over the surface to catch the texture. When fully dry I reached for some translucent paints adding PaperArtsy Banana over the panels and a little DecoArt Quinacridone Red around the edges. 

Once dry I adhered to my base panel.

Next I reached for Tim Holtz Mini Tattered Leaves dies cutting 8 and using various distress paints (Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, Aged Mahogany and Fossilized Amber) to colour them. I added a few vein marks with a pen too. I covered them in glossy accents and left to dry.

I cut an extra little panel for the centre and painted it as the ATC panels - before adding a Small Talk sticker.

Nikki

xxx

Love to paint.....

A bright and cheerful journal page today - all the details can be found over at the Country View Crafts project blog.

See you soon

Nikki

Christmas Gift Bags for Simon Says Stamp

Hello! Another project today as guest designer at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge . This week the challenge theme is 'Treat Boxes or Bags'.

I am busy thinking about Christmas ready for the opening of our pop up craft shop and so thought I would make a couple of Christmas Gift Bags - using Tim Holtz dies and stamps and the We R Memory Keepers Gift Bag punch board.

My smaller bag is decorated with Tim Holtz Doily die - coloured and chopped up to create a Christmas tree. I also used the Snowflake layering stencil.

My larger bag features the Christmas Tree from Tim's blueprint stamp and die set. Lots of distress inks and another layering stencil -  Christmas.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Nikki

xxx

That's Crafty! Dreamcatcher and a little video!

 

Since guest designing for That's Crafty! last month I have become a fan of their 'Surfaces range' - MDF and Acrylic. There was a new release last week of new designs including Uprights, clocks and Dreamcatchers. I designed this one using Donna Gray's new stamps - also by That's Crafty! I painted with PaperArtsy Fresco Acrylics.

If you saw the Hochanda show last week you may have seen this dangling in the background - LOL!

Now I needed to refresh on my video editing skills for another project and I remember I had taken a little video on my phone of the Dreamcatcher before sending it off to That's Crafty HQ - so decided to put together a little video. If I had known I was going to do it I may have got my video camera and tripod out rather that perching and balancing precariously on the window ledge with the dreamcatcher hanging on the curtain rail! 

The other side:

Nikki

xxxx

Sideshow journal page

Hello! I am back for week two of being guest designer at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge . This week the challenge theme is 'Explore the World'.

I decided to combine Tim Holtz globe die and Sideshow stamp set on this journal page.

First I made a background in my journal - some tissue paper and gesso followed by yellow and green paint with my fingers and a babywipe. (Dylusions paints)

 Next I took a die cut of the globe and used it as a mask in three places - leaving behind the green / yellows of the globe.

I added some stencilling and stamping to the background before adding some tissue tape and cut out Sideshow characters.

 

Thanks for stopping by today.

Nikki

xxx

Christmas with scraps!

Just a quicky to say I am over at Country View Crafts sharing a step by step on these quick and little Christmas cards. I will be back later today with my second creation for Simon Says Stamp. If you missed my first one - my bright skulls canvas! - you can find it here.

Nikki

x

Bright and Scary? Guest design for Simon Says Stamp

Hello! I am very honoured to be guest designer at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge for the month of October! Today is my first creation with the theme of Halloween.

I decided to use Andy Skinner's 'Day of the Dead' stencil on my canvas with Dylusion's paints in Postbox Red and Lemon Zest. I began with a mix of the two to create an orange base coat. I then took my stencil and used Black soot distress paint. I also stencilled the skull onto white card and cut it out to create a mask.

Using the mask to cover the skulls I applied Postbox Red through Tim Holtz layering stencil (Shattered) to create cobwebs around the skulls.

Once dry I added a little Lemon Zest around the edges to create a halo effect. 

Finally I dripped red paint onto the edges of the canvas and drew and painted a couple of bats in the corners.

A big thanks to Lols for the invitation to join the Simon Says Stamp team this month - I will be back with my second creation next week.

Nikki

xxx