Tim Holtz Large Stems - Thinking of You

Hi everyone. Today see's my second week in the Designer Spotlight at Simon Says Stamp. Our challenge this week is Thinking of You.

I decided to make a card using Tim Holtz Bigz die - Large Stems as my focal point. However I started with the background, as I often do to ensure I get the right balance of colours. I added some Transparent texture paste in places through Tim Holtz Latticework stencil on my card and sprinkled lightly with Seth Apter Baked Texture. Once the paste was dry I heated the embossing powder. I then added Distress inks in various blues to the surface, followed by some stamping with the Lattice stamp from Tim Holtz Lattice and Flourish. 

I die cut my flowers and used Distress Paints in Hickory Smoke, Blueprint Sketch and Tumbled Glass to colour. I added some random stamping and splattering too! I die cut again in black to create the shadow. Mt words are from Simple Sayings (Tim Holtz).

Thank you so much for your visit, see you next week!

Nikki 

Large Stems Bigz Die - Birthday Greetings

Hello! It is great to play with some new stuff this time of year! Here are a couple of cards I have made with Tim Holtz's Large Stems Bigz die. I bought this as I do love to work in greyboard but on these cards I have just cut from paper and coloured with Distress Paints and inks. I sponged a couple of paint colours before filling in the gaps with inks. Simple designs but the dies to the work!

Nikki

'Be the Change'

 Hello everyone - my posts have been short and sweet of late - but I have a few more details today!

We commence a new challenge at A Vintage Journey hosted by the fabulous Jenny Marples. The theme is to 'Use a Quote'. We are very lucky to have That's Crafty! sponsoring this month's challenge and each of the creative guides has worked on one the That's Crafty! surfaces this month. Do come and play for your chance to win a £20 voucher to spend.

That’s Crafty! are an online retailer and bricks and mortar shop based in the UK. They sell an extensive range of papercraft and mixed media supplies along with a large range of branded stamps & stencils. In addition they produce and sell their own stamps, stencils and surfaces. Surfaces include shrines, tags, hearts, panels, journals, uprights and stacks and come in varying materials - MDF, white/grey board and acrylic.

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For my surface I selected the MDF upright with the rounded top. I wanted to use the new Seth Apter / Spellbinders Steering Wheel die - so based my design around this.

MDF Surface:

Lots of layers went onto the surface and I think some are now completely covered - but here they are!

1. Cover with grey chalk paint 

2. Add some random texture crackle stamping (That's Crafty Texture stamps).

3. Took mermaid lagoon Distress paint on my craft mat - spritzed with water and added randomly to the surface.

4. Added Deco Art crackle medium through 2 That's Crafty! dinky stencils - Cogs and Decorative Background)

5. Once dry added some Deco Art Antiquing medium in black to highlight cracks. Then sealed with matt medium.

6. Took distress paints- rusty hinge, fired brick, ground expresso and aged mahogany and slowly built up colour by dipping my surface onto paint off the craft mat - drying between layers.

7. Created a little patina effect by mixing cracked pistachio, mermaid lagoon and twisted citron and repeated. Added a little black soot too.

8. At the end I also added Deco Art Quinacridone gold around the edges of the upright.

9. Seal it all with matt medium.

Steering Wheel and Nuts and Bolts

1. I die cut the steering wheel six times and glued them together - offsetting the X . I thought this made it look a little like a clock?

2. Painted it all with black gesso.

3. Stippled / dry brushed white gesso.

4. Added a combination of Deco Art yellow iron oxide and Quin Gold.
(Nuts and bolts and central cog are Tando Creative)

Cog and quote plate

1. Painted black.

2. Added Deco Art crackle paint - not quite to the edge.

3. Once dry added yellow iron oxide and Quin gold.

My quote is from Gandhi - love this quote! (The stamp is from Clarity stamp). I stamped in black archival and heat embossed with clear powder to make it a little bolder.

Do hop over to A Vintage Journey to see what everyone else has created for this months challenge!

I am entering the following challenges:
Take it Make It
Frilly and Funkie - Put your Inking Cap on
Sandee and Amelie's Steampunk Challenge
We love to Create
The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge

Nikki

xxx

Going dotty for Heather

Hello - I am back over at That's Crafty today with another guest design project. It is an exciting week with the release of Donna Gray's That's Crafty stamps! I have used one of the eight new stamps sets to create this shadow box. Do pop over to That's Crafty for all the details and, of course, to the lovely Donna of Inky and Quirky to congratulate her on this fantastic achievement!

I would like to enter Craft Stamper - Take It Make It - Anything Goes

Nikki

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Happy Cat!

I spent the day recently with Brenda Brown (Bumblebees and Butterflies) doing some art journaling. One of her techniques is to use an acrylic block to create a sort of controlled watercolour background. I have used this today on three cards.

You can see the process and other two cards over at Country View Crafts. The mdf cat is from Calico Craft Parts. This version will be heading off to my niece who recently qualified as a vet and has just secured her first job and is looking for a new home too. Not sure whether it is from me or Frankie (my cat) who is also very happy to have a vet in the family!

Nikki

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Colourful butterfly cards!

Hello - just stopping by to let you know I am sharing a project today over at Country View Crafts. Thought I would make 2 similar cards - one with Distress Crayons and one with Distress Paints.

Nikki

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Love abstract art!

Our current challenge theme at Country View Crafts is all about circles so I decided to create an abstract painting. This canvas is 8inches x 8inches and is one of my previously used ones - creating lots of additional texture underneath.

I started with a coat of white paints to cover the previous work and then lots of texture paste through varying stencils.

I then got my paints out - distress paints - the bright ones -and just worked in random (ish) blocks - blending the edges. I then added some black paint with a credit card.

Whoops got carried away here and stopped taking photos. I replaced some of the stencils and highlighted some of my circles with paint. I added some additional circles with a swirly stamp and a cork. 

Finally I added a little treasure gold in places. In a moment of madness I decided to coat in a metallic glaze - which has really subdued the original colour intensity - not my wisest decision, it was better before!

Linking up with Simon Says Stamp - Monday - Add some texture
Thanks for stopping by!

Nikki

xxx

Let's do distress - with blue!

Welcome to my first post of the day - there is another in a few hours. We have a new challenge at A Vintage Journey where we are doing - Monochromatic. Well I decided to do Distress Monochromatic!

It has been a while since I have done a tag and had a good distress play - so when I went to a crop recently I just took everything blue. I was playing around - there are actually 5 tags - I will share the other 2 later. As I was getting messy I scribbled on the back what I had done and as I knew I was going to mount them I recorded the details when I got home - so here is a little chart. This is just for the backgrounds, not the embellishing.

I also took to the crop a load of scraps lying around my desk - things I had stamped or die cut and not used. As long as they could be made blue I wanted to use them.

I added some cogs, die cut letters, butterfly and game spinner.

I added fabulous wildflower die cuts - after painting with distress paints, a little wooden butterfly, some tissue tape and sentiment.

I stamped on this one as it didn't have texture paste and added some more wildflowers and the travelling bird from one of Tim's older stamp sets.

Here is the framed version:

Do check out the rest of the creations on show over at A Vintage Journey today and come and join us with our Monochromatic challenge.

I would like to enter the following:
July challenge at Craft stamper.
Simon Says Stamp - Tic Tac Toe (Spray Stencil Stamp)

Nikki

xxxx

Texture and colour for A Vintage Journey

Embossing or texture pastes is the theme of our new challenge at A Vintage Journey. I had lots of fun creating this reverse canvas. 

I started by using tissue tape to hide the staples on the reverse of the canvas and gave the inside a coat of gesso. Not sure where I was going at this point - but in the end all the tissue tape is hidden!

I added various distress paints randomly on the 'frame' and once dry added clear embossing paste through Tim Holtz latticework stencil.

Once dry I took Deco Art Prussion blue and covered the frame - wiping it away from the embossed areas but letting dry in between.

For the inside of my canvas I added texture paste to the ornate frame cut from grunge board. I just added with my finger to create texture.

Once dry I added the same colours of distress paint and a little prussian blue to tone it down.

The butterfly was cut and embossed on card before sticking to a grungeboard die cut for strength. I used a black oil pastel to highlight the embossed areas. 

I hope you like my colourful canvas - it really shines in the sunlight!

I would like to enter The Mixed Media Monthly Anniversary Challenge - my chosen theme is Texture!

Have a lovely weekend

Nikki

xxx

A very bright home

Home Sweet Home is the new challenge over at A Vintage Journey today. I decided on a canvas inspired by one Paul Cheney did a while back - here.

I also thought I would use my new distress paints - wow they are bright! 

I randomly painted stripes onto my canvas and merged the colours a little with my finder. While drying I cut my house out of thick card.

I forgot to take more photos at this point! I cut a mask out of copy paper and placed it in the centre of my canvas and then sponged mermaid lagoon paint around the outside. Once dry I added picket fence through the scribbles layering stencil (keeping the mask in place over the middle).

I cut my letters out of thick card and dabbed them with paint before adding glossy accents.

I love these new colours but I dont think I will use all four together next time - a little bright for me!

Lots more inspiration today from my talented teamies over at A Vintage Journey.

Nikki
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Layered card with distress paints

Just a quick post here as I am sharing how I made this card over at A Vintage Journey today. I have used distress paints in different ways to create the different layers of the card. I do hope you will pop over.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

That's Crafty - Anything Goes

The Craft Place - Anything Goes

Mixed Media Place - Wings

Thanks for looking

Nikki

xxx