Blue is the colour....

November is here and so a new challenge at Country View Crafts with the theme of blue - chosen my Doreen. As I write this I am now humming the tune, 'blue is the colour, football is the game....' you might need to be a football fan and in the UK to understand that! I am more of a Reds girl myself though. Less of the rambling and on with the craft....

Blueprint sketch - what a fab new distress ink colour - used here with a combination of other blue DI's.  I cut an oval from the centre of my square and added some patterned cardstock behind (highlighted with a bit more blue). 

I took some little stars and gave a coat of gesso before dabbing various blue distress paints on (drying in between layers).

A whole month to play along with our Blue theme at CVC - and I will be back later in the month with another blue project that may be a little more seasonal!

'Till next time

Nikki

xxx

Celebrating with the Runway Girls and a trio of embossing

The first Friday of the month means a new challenge over at A Vintage Journey and the theme for June is Celebrations. 

My Runway girls were stamped with Sepia archival before watercolouring a little colour, fussy cutting and edging with vintage photo.

Do you ever get asked how to emboss? I always find it a difficult question to answer as we are spoilt with so many techniques. I have used three on this card....

For my base layer I used embossing paste through Tim's flourish stencil and once dry added vintage photo DI.

The middle panel was dry embossed on card treated with gesso and then various brown tones of distress paint. Once dry I took it though the big shot in the embossing folder and then sanded back to reveal the raised surface.

My clock was inked and then vintage photo embossing powder added.

I finished with my sentiment - from the ever versatile simple sayings collections. On a scrap of previously spritzed card I stamped my saying and added a little more vintage photo DI.

Hope you have a reason to celebrate this month!

Nikki

xxx

Happy Times (12 Tags of 2015 - April)

I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. Thanks for the recent comments and visits - I really appreciate you stopping by.

I will keep this one quick - my Tim tag for April. I was lacking the resources used by Tim so changed things round a bit - I should have gone bigger than a No 8 tag as my Runway girls needed a little more space! Loved Tim's version. might have to invest in the flower stamps after all.

See you soon

Nikki

xxx

Quick cards to post

Hello everyone. A quick post today to share a couple of cards I made using Tim Holtz stamps and stencils but sort of in the style Wendy Vecchi - well that was the plan anyway.

The second card is a similar style 

I would like to enter:

Inspiration Emporium - Anything goes

Creative Card Crew - Sentiment

Scrapbooker PHD - Focus on the Sentiment

Have a great weekend.

Nikki

xxx

Something simple

Hello and happy April! Over at Country View Crafts it is the start of a new challenge and we using Kraft card. For my first make I decided to use the card to make a weathered or worn background - it was just play really but I liked how it came out.

I began with a piece of card I had used to mop up some pumice stone distress spray and added some gesso - just lightly swiping it in random lines in one direction.

I then did a similar thing with gathered twigs DI - the gesso resists it so it adds colour to the non painted areas.

I wanted a little more variation so took my sanding block and lightly sanded the surface before adding some frayed burlap and finally a little more gathered twigs.

In the end I also added a little broken china through the latticework stencil in the corners - but this is quite subtle.

I stamped the words and one of the Runway girls in archival ink and heat embossed.

 I also stamped the same girl on some scrap Kraft card and cut out the dress. I coloured it with broken china ink and embossed with clear powder. (It turned out to be a little contaminated!) I coloured in the ' Beauty' letters with broken china and then a promarker to add a bit more colour.

A few close ups:

Do pay a visit to the Country View Crafts challenge blog for more inspiration on using Kraft card. As usual there is a monthly prize donated by Susan at the Country View Crafts store.

Thanks for visiting - have a lovely day.

Nikki 

xxx

Compendium of Curiosities Challenge 24

I haven't managed to do any of the Compendium of Curiosities challenges of late so pleased to get something made for the latest one - Remnant Rub Resist. (P51 of Tim's book.). Lots of distressed layers, crackle paste, embossing and, of course, remnant rubs.

Details of the challenge can be found on Linda Ledbetter's blog and the latest challenge is sponsored by the Funkie Junkie Boutique.

A few more photos:

Thanks for visiting. 

Nikki 

x

I imagine, I believe, I create...

 

It's Friday and an exciting day over at A Vintage Journey! We are celebrating our first birthday and there are some seriously exciting prizes to be won. Ok, ok, I know we all say that - but this month I wish I could enter, really I do! Do hop over and take a peek. Not only are there some cool prizes up for grabs but there is a new format to the challenge blog too.

So onto by make, the theme is Anything Goes with a Tim influence so I had a play with the new Runway stamps to make this wall hanging.

The background is greyboard, covered in some Tim Holtz paper - although pretty much covered it up with some stencilling through the latticework stencil and some sanded, blackened edges.

I took some corrugated card and painted and shabbied it up a little.

My tags were sitting on my desk from mopping up but I decided to recolour them. I used a variety of brown and blue distress paints to create a marbled background. I then stamped over them with picket fence distress stain.

For the girls I used frosted film on acetate. I stamped in stayzon, lightly coloured with alcohol inks and then added the blue for the clothes with a promarker.

My words are from Tim's new Big Chat stickers and the 'I's' cut from grungeboard, painted and finished with glossy accents.

Here are some close ups (these were taken in a little more sunlight if the colours look slightly different!)

Thanks for visiting today, and hope to see you over at A Vintage Journey for lots more inspiration, exciting news and prizes.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Craft Stamper - March - Anything Goes

That Craft Place - Anything Goes

Altered Eclectics - Anything Goes

Nikki

xxx