A Bit of a Whitewash.

This weeks Compendium of Curiosities 2 Challenge (Number 18) at Studio L3 is to do some whitewashing. For full details about how to do this you will need Tim Holtz's book and turn to page 47.  This weeks challenge is sponsored by The Funkie Junkie Boutique who are offering a lovely $25 gift certificate as a prize for one lucky person.

What to do?
Well, yesterday I was looking at some photos with my stepdaughter and granddaughter of the fantastic girly holiday we had in New York last autumn so I decided to use a stamp that I bought because I think it looks great, but had somehow not got round to using, namely the big street names stamp from the Remnants set, and to make a tag to go in my travel journal.
Following the instructions on page 47 I  stamped and inked a tag using Pickett Fence Distress Stain, and Iced Spruce, Peacock Feathers and Frayed Burlap Distress Inks, And then a spare bit of card was inked with Chipped Sapphire D I for the hotel label which I have embossed in gold using a stamp from Travel Labels. The plane (from the Air Travel set) is stamped in black Archival Ink.

The Empire State Building and post mark image are from some very old paper from my stash that is torn and inked on the edges. and I've used some film strip and tiny staples to finish off my tag.

PS. Imogen, my granddaughter has decided that we need to go to New York again as we had such an amazing time, I'd better start saving!

A Little Diva

It is such a long time since I made an ATC, and I don't know why, because I love making those teeny tiny little things, and I have got such a good excuse to stay indoors and make something as we are having a great big thunder storm here  this morning.
This weeks task set by Linda at Studio L3 for the Compendium of Curiosities 2 Challenge is Creative Core'dinations, full details of which can be found on page 61 of Tim's book.  It's really quick and simple, but don't rub too hard! Anyway I've used this technique as a background for my ATC.

I wish I could take decent pictures of my two lovely kitties, but one, they don't stay still for long enough, and two, Tilly (Princess Matilda Tanglepaws) has got a really dark brown face now she's all grown up, so she never seems to come out in focus. But she really is a diva of the first order.

So I've used a sweet little kitty image from Artchix, and some other images that were in my big box of bits that might come in useful one day, plus some German scrap wings, and a few little blingy bits on my little diva's hat. All the paper bits are inked on the edges with Walnut Stain DI which is the colour that I've used on the background as well

This weeks CCC2 challenge is sponsored by Simon Says Stamp who are offering a $25 gift certifcate to one lucky person.

The Three P's

Patterns and Perfect Pearls Mist.

Where is the summer going, I can't believe it's a month since I have got inky and gluey! I partly blame the Olympics, because each time I think I might go and have a little play there seems to be another medal about to be won, and I can't miss that can I?  But it's true to say that my mojo has definitely been on it's summer holidays.

I know it's Wednesday, but I was flitting through blogland and had an idea that I could combine this weeks Sunday Stamper challenge which is Patterns, with the Compendium of Curiosities Challenge  (number 16) over at Studio L3 this week which is to get out those Perfect Pearls Mists as seen on page 54 of the CCC 2, written by Mr Tim Holtz.

After shuffling stuff around for a while I decided to use a little 6 x 6 canvas, and be completely literal with the patterns theme as in sewing. So out came the Haberdashery stamps, and Sewing Room die.

I started by using multi-medium to glue some scrunched up sewing pattern tissue to my canvas, and then applied a tiny bit of Titan Buff acrylic paint with a credit card, inked the edges and wrinkled tissue with Walnut Stain DI, the edges of the canvas are painted in Burnt Umber, and then have a tiny amount of Inka Gold rubbed on , plus some flourish stamping in gold on the sides and front of the canvas.

The tailors dummy is cut from Grunge paper and Claudine Helmuth  sticky backed canvas, inked with Walnut Stain DI and very lightly stamped with some gold flourishes., the ribbonn round the waist is coloured with Wild Honey Distress Stain and sprayed with Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls Mist. 

Next was the little pocket cut from the Scallop On The Edge die, coloured with Broken China DI, and sprayed with Turquoise Perfect Pearls Mist, then using the Haberdashery stamp and Black Archival Ink I stamped the pattern alteration instructions.

To finish off there are various bits and bobs of Ideology and Prima flowers.

Recycling Day

Actually it is recycling day today, but as I was rummaging around in the garage for something that at the time was really important I got a bit sidetracked, and found a box of text books from days of yore.  Well they were just screaming out to be given a second chance in life, so I now have a nice supply of books to use for journals.

I think it is pretty unlikely that I will ever read what was a rather dry volume in the first place about the Roman Republic again, but it is going to have a new life as a journal for me to put stuff in that makes me happy.  I'm really bad at making covers for my journals, so thought that I'd have a change and make the front cover first, using some of my favourite summery colours of turquoise and green.

Having collected various bits of paper and images I messed about for a bit before deciding that I should just get on and Mod Podge everything down. If you peer very closely you can see a little cat peeping out of a window, I had to put this in because it looks just like one of my beloved moggies.

Next I added some Titan Buff fluid acrylic paint using a credit card and then a baby wipe, to soften all the images, and added some colour around the collage elements using Neocolor watersoluble crayons.

As this journal is going to be for happy stuff, and I love butterflies, I used a fantastic stamp by Christy Tomlinson for UnityStamps as a focus for the cover.

Then a bit more doodling with Neocolor crayons and Faber Castell Pitt pens, and some Liquitex acrylic ink drippage, and I thought I'd stop for the moment, though I suspect that I may do a bit more fiddling before I'm through.

I've got quite a few ideas about what I'm going to put in here. Stuff that reflects happy memories, places and times, lovely people in my life, and bits about music, art and literature that have personal and special meaning for me. Some of it will be for sharing and some will be too personal. Actually the next bit is a bit personal and I've deleted it four times, but finally decided to leave it in.

This is about coming out of the fog I've been wandering around in since my husband, David, passed away, nearly two years ago.  The past few weeks have been so much easier and it's so great to wake up and look forward to what the day has to bring.

A Curious Configuration

Normally at this time of year I get a bit of a guilt complex about lurking in my little room of stash, but, as they say, every cloud has a silver lining, so I had an enjoyable crafting day here in rain lashed Wiltshire yesterday. And it's the same today, so the Pimm's Party that I'm going to this afternoon (this actually is a fancy name for a group of us sitting round the telly and watching the Ladies Singles Final at Wimbledon) will not be a very summery affair, although doubt we will still enjoy the Pimm's.

Having been lucky enough to go to one of Tim Holtz's amazing workshops last year I have got a Configurations box that I made then, and, as you do, then bought three more boxes, which have stayed in their packaging until now.   Here's the box I made last year.

I had always intended to make a Christmas one, but just never got around to it. So a huge thank you to Linda at Studio L3 for giving me the push I needed to actually make one with Challenge Number 11 and 12, which, by the way, has a fantastic prize that has been donated by Mario.
I decided to use the medium size Configuration Box, and having found it at the back of a cupboard, turned to pages 33 and 34 of The Compendium of Curiosities Vol 2, where you will find some very clear instructions for this project.  Now having re-read them the instructions are very clear, but for some reason it took me several false starts before I got the paper measuring thing right, but eventually the penny dropped!
My box of Christmas stuff came out, and I put a little heap of things I thought I might want to use on my desk.  And I had made one of those lovely little paper rosette Christmas trees that Tim showed on his blog last year, so I thought this might have pride of place in my box, because it is just so cute.

The box is covered with papers from Tim's Seasonal Paper Stash, and I've used the Christmassy tissue tape for the edges.  Walnut Stain DI has been used to give a slightly used look to the box, and as you can see there are various bits of Ideology, plus some other little Christmas things, some of which are cake decorations. These are the perfect size for a Configuration Box and often seem to have that lovely slightly kitsch retro 50's look.  I also made some little pine cones using my Tattered Pinecones die, and the Ideology wreath at the top is coloured with Alcohol Inks.
Here's the finished box. I think it will look quite good in my front window when Christmas comes around.

Now it's off to the kitchen as I'm contributing some mini goats cheese, leek and red pepper quiches to this afternoons gathering, so I better get busy.

By The Skin Of My Teeth

Talk about last minute, but I have been away on my holidays, to La Belle France, which apart from a couple of days was very windswept and stormy. That said, Brittany is beautiful whatever the weather, and I had a great time relaxing, walking and eating lots of lovely seafood (and of course drinking some rather splendid wine). I told myself that I deserved that after the roughest crossing ever on Brittany Ferries from Plymouth to Roscoff, even the crew were being seasick!

                                      

 Here is the Pointe du Raz (I think this is the French Lands End) very appropriate as we were in Finisterre.
                                                          
 The street sign is one I saw in the old walled town at Concarneau. There is something that I can't resist about flowers growing out of walls.      
                                                 

Anyway, now I'm home should I do the washing or get a little art fix? No contest really.
I'm so glad Linda has extended the Compendium of Curiosities Challenge No.10 at Studio L3  for an extra week, and I'm still just squeaking in.  As you know this is THE challenge for celebrating all things Tim Holtz, but you do need his book Compendium of Curiosities Vol. 2 to find full details of all the techniques he uses.
This weeks challenge is to make tissue paper flowers as shown on page 37.  The challenge this week is sponsored by The Funkie Junkie's Boutique

I decided to make a canvas (8" x 10") and having collaged a few bits of patterned paper and painted with Golden Fluid Acrylics in Cobalt Teal and Sap Green I did a bit of stamping using Christy Tomlinson stamps from Unity, and some messy spraying with stencils and Dylusions inks.

The stems and leaves are garden twine, and I forgot to say that I added some bits of canvas tape to the canvas for extra texture. This little canvas is a version of one that I made earlier this year as part of Donna Downey's Canvas Create on-line class.
Now I need to go and catch up with all the fab stuff I've missed in blogland over the last couple of weeks.

Recycled Butterflies

Where have the last few weeks gone? I am ashamed to say that I've missed two CC2 challenges, but have kind of had a bit of a blank spell with all my inky bits and bobs.Having only managed to get as far as day 4 of Creative Chemistry so far, I thought that I could combine one of my tags from that, with this weeks challenge over at Studio L3 so wonderfully hosted by Linda.
Our remit this week is to follow the technique on page 62 of The Compendium of Curiosities Vol. 2, by Tim Holtz.
So here is my tag, combining both the techniques that Tim shows us.

I have recycled some plastic packaging to completely cover my custom stamp pad butterfly tag.

For some reason the embossing didn't take on that slightly frosted look that usually happens, perhaps it's because its incredibly humid today in a rather grey and slightly damp Wiltshire.  Still that is not going to affect  the Jubilee celebrations over the weekend, but I've got a feeling that by the time I reach Tuesday I probably will not want to see another trifle, scone or Victoria sponge for many months!
PS Have you seen Tims June tag?  It is absolutely up my street. LOVE IT.