keys, keys, keys...........

Well hey there bloggers!
Me again in crafty and sunny mood, so GREAT to see the SUN!


More distress inks but a more masculine feel, with keys and locks. I am entering this card into a few challenges but the theme for one was a card for men with keys?! So, here goes...........I am finding myself drawn to these challenges as a way of making myself CHALLENGE my thing of the moment, vintage and all one colour..hopefully I have left  my 'thing' and I have to say I am loving the challenge and find myself really enjoying and liking what I make! Hope you do too..............
Here goes:

The card used another tag coloured with antique linen, tea dye, and aged mahogany, lightly edged with black soot.The tag was then overstamped with the lock image in tea dye and the wonderful sentiment in black archival.

The card base was inked using aged mahogany and again overstamped in tea dye and black archival, both using lock design.

The key was stamped and embossed with bright gold metallic cosmic shimmer powder, the image was then coloured using distress inks splodged onto tile and used as paint. The colours used were : spiced marmalade, fired brick, aged mahogany and black soot.

Finally the card was assembled using pinfalir glue, 3-d mounting tape and accessorized with creative expressions vintage cream ribbon, some black hinges cut on a cricut and 2 metal keys.
The stamps used were from  chocolatebaroque.


I am enetering this card into the following competitions:


http://craftuscrazy.blogspot.com/ - anything goes challenge
http://cardsformen.blogspot.com/ - challenge #15 use a key
http://simonsaysstampandshow.blogspot.com/ -anything goes
http://totallystampalicious.blogspot.com/ -anything goes


Hope you like the card,
share the love and leave a comment,
ta trace x

curiouser and curiouser.........

Hey there bloggers,
Here I am with another crafty offering....

This is a tag with a (yes you've guessed it...) vintage feel, my beloved antique linen and tea dye  AGAIN!!!! I just can't help myself... anyway hope you like it and I promise to try really hard to brighten things up for next time!
Anyway, here it is....

I have never done a stand alone tag before and I am loving it, more tags to come I think!!! I limited myself to 2 distress ink pads (antique linen and tea dye) and used black memento ink and crystal lacquer.

The stamp sheet is a firm favourite from http://www.polkadoodles.co.uk/ , called wonderland. I LOVE IT!

I wanted to give a layered look but using all tones of one colour and I am really pleased with how it turned out, I added crystal laquer to the toadstools and the top hat and watch face to add another texture and dimension. Finally , I made a flower using the toadstools and a button.

Hope you like it!I am entering this for the following competition:

a spoonful of sugar challenge 161 - create a tag - http://aspoonfullofsugarchallenge.blogspot.com/

Share the love and leave a comment, it would make my day!!!!

thanks trace x

mythical mermaids and magical seadragons

Hi there bloggers!
Thought I would share with you some bookmarks with an underwater theme that I made quite a while ago, none-the-less I still really like some of the effects and adore the seadragon stamp.All stamps are from the now chocolate baroque online company.
Well here is the first a fantastically wonderful seadgragon...........

The background was made using ink smooshed (a technical term!) into a heat proof craft  mat then spritzed, some cosmic shimmer sparkle pigment tapped on and then the card placed on top and gently moved around. The image was pre-stamped and masked off. Once dry, the background of this was overstamped with sea fronds in ink and embossed using a cosmic shimmer lustre powder. The image was coloured using promarkers and glitzed a little using stickles.

Now for the mermaids.............

The background on this and the following was added after image but painted on using a sparkly paint.

For this last coloured mermaid I added crystal lacquer to her tail to give a glossy sheen......

And , finally a sihouetted mermaid offering......these were embossed using a cosmic shimmer embossing powder which looks black but has another shimmery colour when the light hits it, in this case greeny black.

Well I am off to do some crafting now, hope you like these, share the love and leave a comment!
ta trace x

flutterby butterfly

I wanted to set myself a challenge of a limited palette and a theme and see where that lead me..............and here is the result.
My flutterby butterfly card.

I am entering this card for the following challenges:

The Stamp Boutique - challenge #11 cool colours
Flutter by Wednesday's - open challenge, to include butterfly,fairy or angel.

The card was made using the following items: (in case you want to have a go)!!!

cosmic shimmer drawing inks -blue blush,forest green,black night and purple haze
BIG and Juicy - HYDRANGEA
stamp sheets - creative expressions - Natures Wonders and Butterfly Kiss
Eco board tile
perfect medium
clear and black detail embossing powder
cut 'n' dry foam
creative expressions vintage cream ribbon
pinflair glue
crakle glaze

The background of the card was made by splattering the cosmic shimmer inks, leaving to dry and them edging with bluey green end of inkpad, applied using cut'n'dry foam.
The next layer uses one of my favourite techniques at the moment, using clear embossing as resist.
The next layer was created by stamping and edging with BIG and Juicy pad.
The top square was stamped with perfect meduim and embossed using black detail embossing powder and the image coloured using the fantastic cosmic shimmer acrylic drawing inks, they have to be seen to be believed!
The tile was stamped in black, coloured using inks, crackle accents applied and left to dry.
The butterfly was coloured and embossed as panel.
The vintage cream ribbon was coloured using distress inks, but could easily have been coloured using distress inks.

Let me know what you think.
Ta trace x

a little cute never hurt!!!

Well hi there bloggers,
Just a quick offering tonight............I am having a go at another blog challenge:

Fab 'n' Funky challenges - animal magic.

I have included some close ups as the mice are sooooooooooooooo cute, sorry Tim! But everyone needs some cute sometimes!

Thought I would enter my vintage take on this Lili of the Valley stamp......... the first cutesy animal stamp I have bought but I thought it would appeal to a wider market at my next craft fairs, if I ever make enough stuff!!!!! and it is CUTE!!!!

Let me know what you think,

night night trace x

distress inks , a teachers thank you

Well hi there bloggers,
I thought I would share with you my teachers thank you cards. I decided to use a limited palette, which seems to be a thing of mine at the mo, but guess what?- no vintage photo or antique linen in site!!!!

I wanted the cards to appeal to my sons as they are for their teachers, to say a huge thanks for all their hardwork, but also wanted them to appeal to me.Both of my boys have had such wonderful years at school, a fantastic school I have to say!

I have listed below a quick run down of how they were made and then a list of the items I have used...hope you like them and hope the teachers do too!!!

1. Firstly, I stamped the background of the card using a script stamp from Creative Expressions Timeless journey set. I used pumice stone and black soot distress inks.

2. The next panel on left hand side was stamped using paper artsy stamp - minis MN57 , again using pumice stone distress ink from Tim Holtz.The edges were then distressed by adding pumice stone ink using blending tool.

3.The boy is a Lili of the Valley stamps and I love the way that by stamping in black distress ink onto smooth watercolour paper the image loses alot of the 'cutesy feel', but is still cute. The ink was then softened out using a small amount of water - I tend not to use a water brush as this can add too much water and is less easy to control.

4. This was matted onto textured cardstock, using spellbinders label 17 to cut layers.

5.The pen was stamped and softened using same technique as main image, the stamp is from Butterfly Kiss, again a creative expressions stamp.

6.The flowers were made using Tim Holtz Tattered floral die, onto grey paper, overstamped with script and layered using pinflair glue and a pearl in centre.

I am very pleased with the finished results.

Drop me a line and let me know what you think!
ta trace.x

tim, vintage butterflies and kraft glassine paper.

Hi bloggers, just realised that this card is the same colours as the challenge before, must say something about me.................vintage.!(at 38? I hope not!!!!)
well here it is ..

I decided to have a play with my new kraft glassine paper from the one and only Tim Holtz and what fun WOW!!!!

I will list the items I used below in case anyone in the blogosphere has found me yet and wants to try this!

The paper was amazing, I stamped the Tim Holtz stamp PAPIILION in archival ink onto the glassine paper and it seemed to float on the surface, when heated the paper seemed to melt and once heat removed as soon as this happened the image then seemed to sink into the depths of the paper, how cool!!!

Anyway hope you like the card, drop me a comment and let me know........PLEASE?!!!!

I am entering this into my first ever blog competition:

Challenge 12 - wings and things - Stampin' for the weekend

Wish me luck!!!!

ITEMS USED:

white card blank and white card

kraft glassine paper..Tim Holtz  idea-ology

Tim Holtz stampers anonymous - Papillion CMS106

Distress Inks - antique linen and brushed corduroy

Old watch parts

copper thunder gilding flakes - crafty notions

vintage cream ribbon - creative expressions

script stamp, Tim Holtz visual artistry- urban grunge

Thanks night night

trace x

Creative Expressions Calling Card Challenge

Creative Expressions Calling Card Challenge.

Calling card challenge immediately made me think of Alice in Wonderland and the playing cards. The idea developed from there, I wanted to get across the idea of a card calling............and from that the idea of absinthe, the green fairy, which has links to the time when the book was written - hence the green vial of absinthe and 'drink me' being the call of the card.
I wanted to use soft, vintage colours to contrast with a vibrant green bottle.

So here goes:
I will list all items used and then step by step instructions which will detail how to make all the individual card and ATC elements and then how to bring them all together as finished piece.

Materials and tools
Stamps:
Vintage Games by Creative Expressions http://www.creative-expressions.uk.com/
Wonderland by polkadoodles http://www.polkadoodles.co.uk/
Alice in Wonderland by stampattack
Other materials:
Large square white card
White cardstock
Atc blank
Adirondak dye ink - espresso
Tim Holtz distress inks - antique linen, tea dye, walnut stain
Perfect medium
Clear embossing powder
Crystal lacquer
Glossy accents
Tim Holtz tissue tape - Hobgoblin
Tim Holtz idea-ology memo pins
7 gypsies clear bottles
Alcohol inks - pool, meadow, lettuce
Cut 'n' dry foam/ ink blending tool
Clear hair gel
Dolls house playing cards
Syringe
Pinflair Glue
Heat tool
Craft sheet

Instructions:
The card
1.Take a piece of cardstock cut to 19cm x 19cm. Stamp playing card (Creative expressions) inked with antique linen and then repeat using tea dye - ensuring some overlap, set aside to dry.

2.Once dry use cut 'n' dry foam to add antique linen to edges of card, start away from the cardstock and use small circular motions towards cardstock to build up colour. Then just on edges repeat using tea dye.

3. The next layer is built up in same way on 15cm x 15cm, but using the curiouser and curiouser(polkadoodles) stamp. For this layer edge as before but use walnut stain.

4.For the next layer cut a piece of cardstock to approx15 cm x 15cm, then tear to reveal white edges. This can be done by tearing edge towards you, rotating 90 degrees and repeating for all 4 sides.

5.Overstamp this piece using the playing card stamp (Creative expressions) inked with perfect medium, over image with clear embossing powder and emboss using heat tool. These images will act as a resist when ink is applied. Then using cut and dry as before, ink using antique linen and tea dye.

6.Ink up the bottle stamp (polkadoodles) with tea dye and stamp a line of images and a separate single image.. Using tea dye ink splodge some onto heatproof craft mat and lightly spritz with water, this can now be used as a paint to colour images - more images can be added when partially dry to build up the depth of colour.
Once dry apply crystal lacquer to all the bottles and set aside to dry. When dry trim strip to 1.5cm by approx 20cm and also cut out the individual bottle.

7.Add colour to the small dolls house playing cards using firstly antique linen and then tea dye. ( I used 8 cards).

8. Now for the FUN BIT filling the bottle............ Blob some clear hair gel onto an old cellophane bag, add 3 drops of meadow, 1 drop of pool and 1 drop of lettuce alcohol inks, then mix using a coffee stirrer........(gives you a good excuse to pop for a coffee and have a natter!)
Finally fill an old syringe and carefully syringe into the clear bottle. I applied some glossy accents to the cork and placed inside so there was no chance the liquid could leak out. For the label, ink bottle stamp with espresso ink, stamp and leave to dry. Then, cut out the label and attach to bottle using glossy accents.

The ATC.
Overstamp the ATC with the bottle inked with clear medium,clear emboss to create resist.
Add 3 strips of Tim Holtz Hobgoblin tissue tape. Colour ATC , as card, with antique linen, tea dye and finally walnut stain around the edges.

Ink up bottle stamp with espresso ink and stamp twice onto piece of card, leave to dry then apply crystal lacquer to one bottle and cut out drink me phrase from other.
Stamp 'card man' ( stampattack) onto white card using espresso ink, set aside and when dry cut out carefully.

YOU ARE NOW READY TO ASSEMBLE THE CARD AND ATC.

ATC:
Attach bottle using crystal lacquer and man and drink me phrase using pin flair glue gel.

CARD:
Attatch all base layers using strong double sided tape, attach base layer and curiouser and curiouser layers straight ( I chose to have card opening at bottom), then the next layer at angle.
Attach bottle embellishment on 3-d foam pads in top right hand corner or curiouser card .
Use glossy accents to attatch the Tim Holtz memo pin which will hold the ATC- leave to dry
Using strong double sided tape add the bottle border.
Now add the mini playing cards using 3-d foam pads to create random border along base.
Finally, add bottle of absinthe to bottom right hand corner of card using glossy accents.
Now place ATC into memo pin and YOU ARE DONE!!!!


My Creative Expressions Calling Card Challenge.

Share the love and leave a comment ta trace.x

A distressed mirror, or is that me when I look in it!

Well here is a go at a different font, the other one is huge! I thought I would show you my distressed mirror that sort of goes with the canvas  I blogged earlier in the month.

I started with a cheap wooden mirror and painted it with crackle paint, spread fairy thinly.Once dry I inked it all over with a variety of blue and green distress inks and spritzed lightly with water to blend and soften colours.

Once dry I stamped the corners with black flourishes and around edges of mirror, then added dare to dream rub on and the word 'love' cut from grungepaper on my cricut.

Finally the mirror was sealed with golden gel matte medium and the tim holtz corners attached with glossy accents.

Hope you like it, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think,
ta trace x