Nature / Thankful

The October Bramford Girls challenge/swap was set by Janina and she gave us a hanging consisting of 3 paper mache round circle frames.  I am also entering the hanging frames project into the following blog challenges:
Out of a hat creations challenge 32 - Nature
Inspiration Emporium November challenge - Thankful

I started by taking the fronts off the frames and then using kraft card stock I ran 3 circles through my big shot inside the Tim Holtz woodgrain texture fade and then coloured using gathered twigs distress ink.  I attached each circle to the back of each circle frame.  Next I spritzed the fronts of each circle with Dylusions ink sprays in autumn colours, then water, then Tattered Angels marshmallow glimmer mist.  Once dry I reattached to the backs using silicone glue.  I covered each frame with Claudine Hellmuth matt multi-medium and edges with white Sakura gel pen and a touch of gold Ranger adirondack acrylic paint dabber.  I cut 12 leaves using Tim Holtz glassine paper using the Tim Holtz mini tattered leaves which I then inked with gathered twigs distress ink, I also added pen lines in black to look like veins. I added the leaves to the edge of each frame and spritzed with the marshmallow glimmer mist.  I've lost one leaf somewhere in my craft room so the middle frame only has 3!

Frame 1 - I cut the three autumn months from the Tim Holtz tissue tape and backed it on to kraft card stock, edged with the gathered twigs distress ink and covered with Ranger rock candy distress crackle paint.  I stamped a Stampin'Up scarecrow in brown ink on to kraft card stock and added touches of colour using Tim Holtz distress inks.

Frame 2 - I found a lovely quote online which I wrote on a Tim Holtz ticket, again edged with inks and the white gel pen and covered with the rock candy.

Frame 3 -   I added the Tim Holtz bird from the caged bird die which was covered in paper and spritzed with chocolate Dylusions spray ink then edged with gathered twigs distress ink and gold Ranger adirondack acrylic paint dabber.

Thanks for looking!
Tracey x

Steampunk Masquerade Mask

I have had this project in my mind for a while now and I finally got a chance to create it a couple of weekends ago.  I have been wanting to blog this post ever since but couldn't as it was for a masked 40th party I attended last night.  I am entering my mask into the The Artistic Stamper Creative Team November Challenge which is 'Anything Goes'.

I started by covering a cheap paper mache mask base with Tim Holtz terminology tissue wrap paper using Claudine Hellmuth matt multi-medium.  Next I spritzed the mask with chocolate Dylusions ink spray and then rubbed Adirondack gold paint dabber over the top of the dry ink to give a more metallic look.  I then stamped PaperArtsy cogs on opposite sides diagonally and added some Lakeland gold mesh in the opposite diagonal corners, and once complete I covered the mask base with multi-medium.  To embellish I used a 7 Gypsies spy glass, Tim Holtz spinner, sprockets and gears, foliage plus small watch parts and other various charms including a wing, I also added all of these with glossy accents.  I attached a clock charm to the spy glass.  Finally I punched 2 holes on each side, added eyelets and threaded ribbon through so that the mask can be attached to my glasses.

Thanks for looking!
Tracey x

Altered Domino

Today's post is a Bramford challenge/swap that I was very behind with, mainly because I missed the crop for a couple of months and the July challenge Domino was then posted to me.  I am also entering this piece in to the Out of a hat creations Challenge 31 Christmas in October - week 4, this time the challenge is to create a "Christmas Gift" or "Stocking Filler".  So I have seen these altered plenty of times and really love how they look when worn as jewellery so I had a really great idea of what I wanted to achieve but I have to say it didn't work out as I expected!!  They say practise makes perfect so I'll definitely be trying another one soon.

I started by applying Ranger Alcohol inks and once dry I went round the edges with gold Adirondack dabber and left to dry.  My first attempt was from a tutorial I'd seen where the lady stamped the image onto white tissue paper but when I adhered it to the domino the base didn't show through, I think she used floor wax but I didn't have any and obviously need to find something that makes the tissue paper translucent.  Anyway it didn't work so I cleaned the domino and started from scratch.  For my second attempt I stamped the 'Imagine' stamp directly onto the domino but that didn't work either so again I started over.  My third and final attempt saw me stamp the image onto white card stock and then cover with the alcohol inks.  I adhered the card stock to the domino using Claudine Hellmuth multi-medium and filed the edges.  Next I covered the whole domino with glossy accents and once dry attached the metal hanger using glossy accents and threaded the rope.  You may notice that I have left the hole at the bottom and might attach some beads before the swap but I don't have any at the moment.

Thanks for looking!
Tracey x

Altered Light Bulb / Christmas Decoration

I can't believe that it's already week 3 of the Out of a Hat Creations Christmas in October and this week's challenge is to create a Christmas Decoration.  I am combining this challenge with the December Bramford Crop girl's swap which was set by Nancy and is a light bulb.

I started by adding alcohol ink to the glass and silver screw fixing of the light bulb and next using Claudine Hellmuth matt multi-medium covered the coloured glass with a white mulberry paper with a gold fleck and then added another coat of multi-medium on top making the paper transparent before sprinkling chunky gold glitter on top.  I added a torn strip of mulberry paper around the middle of the bulb and covered it with a gold ribbon tied in a bow.  I added a sentiment handwritten on white cardstock and covered with glossy accents.  Finally I added several punched snowflakes with a blob of gold stickles in the middle and wire to hang the bulb.

Running out of daylight hours at home, I had to take the finished piece to work today to try and get a photo during daylight without my flash...bring back summer please!

Thanks for looking!
Tracey x

Sugar Skulls/Day of the Dead

I was lucky enough to spend some time in my craft room yesterday and after finishing the project which I had been planning for a while (I will blog this later), I decided to have a play and created some backgrounds on tags ready for future use. I started by running white card stock Tim Holtz die cut tag through my big shot inside the Tim Holtz pocket watches texture fade, next I rubbed embossing ink over the top of the raised image and covered and heated with clear embossing powder. I spritzed the tag with Dylusions ink sprays and once dry covered the embossed image with Ranger adirondack silver paint dabber. The colours are bright and I wasn't sure what I could put with the background so I put the tag to one side for another day.

So whilst doing my daily trawl of the internet this morning surfing for new challenges, I came across the Poisoned Peas challenge blog and the current theme for challenge #8 is 'Sugar Skulls/Day of the Dead'. Well I have the perfect Bombshell Stamps set in my stash but hadn't used them before so here was my opportunity. I thought the colour for this project would fit in well with the tag I made yesterday so once I stamped my skulls and words on to white card stock I used Promarker pens to colour the images. I edged everything with the black Adirondack paint dabber and then mounted the pieces on to black card stock. I covered the skulls and flowers with glossy accents and the words with Tim Holtz rock candy distress crackle paint. I attached the 'Day of the Dead' saying using the Tim Holtz tiny attacher, and used double sided foam tape for the 'Sugar Skulls' saying and the 3 individual skulls. Finally I added a piece of black ribbon.

Thanks for looking!
Tracey x

A Christmas Gift Card and Envelope

Well I never thought I'd manage to keep up with weekly challenges but so far so good with this one and today's post is for the Out of a Hat Creations Challenge 29 - Christmas in October week 2: create a form of packaging /wrapping for a Christmas gift.

I have created a Christmas gift card and envelope which can be used to hold a gift card/voucher or money. I started by cutting the pieces using Sizzix card and envelope dies.  Next I embossed both items with Tim Holtz embossing folders and then covered with Tim Holtz blue jeans distress ink and spritzed with water.  Instead of leaving the card as it was on the inside, I created a pocket to hold the gift.  Next I stamped a Tim Holtz snowflake on the envelope and then covered each embossed shape on the card and envelope with Ranger stardust stickles.  Finally I added a piece of blue ribbon topped with a Tim Holtz sentiment which I covered with glossy accents.

Thanks for looking!
Tracey x

A Few Of My Favourite Things

As any of you who venture on to my blog will know, I have a real addiction for all things Ranger at the moment so when I saw the latest Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge: 'Your Favourite' I had plenty of choice and scope.

I started with a Tim Holtz tag die cut with white card stock and covered it in Dylusions spray inks.  I covered the background with a Dylusions stencil and spritzed with water to create the dots ghosting technique, I then spritzed with Tattered Angels marshmallow glimmer mist.  Next I added circles of Ranger Adirondack gold and silver acrylic paint dabber applied with the lid and then splattered bleach to take some of the colour of the tag.  Happy with my background I had to decide which way to go with my products, now normally that would have been Tim but I am having loving my Dylusions so I stamped the face and flower fan onto white cardstock and coloured using Dylusions and distress inks applied with my water brush.  I stamped the Stampotique Originals hanging hearts across the top of my tag, bleached out the middle of the hearts and then covered each one in glossy accents.  I stamped a Tim Holtz sentiment in embossing ink which I heated in black powder.  I used a Dylusions stencil to draw leaves on my background, I doodled with black and white pens plus bleach and then again covered in glossy accents.  Finally I added my cut out stamped images using double sided foam tape and applied black Ranger stickles to the ends of the lashes and stardust stickles to the middle section of each leaf of the flower.

I am really missing the sunshine at the moment, my photos are just not doing the colours on my tag justice!  I've probably said this before but we are going to try and sort out a light box so that my photography doesn't have to rely on a nice day.

Thanks for looking!
Tracey x

A Christmas Gift Box

A number of months ago at the monthly Kesgrave craft club which I attend, Jacqui gave us each a Pandora ring box to alter as a challenge.  The next meeting is on Tuesday.

I started by covering my box with Claudine Hellmuth gesso and once dry I added Tim Holtz tissue tape around the bottom sides of the box and on the top of the lid.  Next I covered the box with Tim Holtz barn door distress ink (although the colour no longer looks red).  Next I stamped a Tim Holtz tree bough around the bottom and on the lid in black ink, on top of the tissue tape.  I wrote a greeting on kraft cardstock, inked the edges, cut the sentiment out and attached it to the lid of the box with glossy accents.  I then covered the lid with Ranger stardust stickles and once dry I covered the whole outside with Claudine Hellmuth matt multi-medium.  Again once dry I added Ranger gold acrylic paint to the edges of the lid.  Next I attached a piece of gold sequin ribbon around the top part of the box sides.  Inside the box lid I added a Christmas square from the Tim Holtz seasonal paper stash.

Apologies but my photographs of this project are very poor, especially the one of the lid.

Thanks for looking!
Tracey x

The Wonders of the Natural World

Today I am submitting a tag to the following October Challenges:
The Artistic Stamper Creative Team The Natural World
The Stamp Man Butterflies, Birds and Bees

I started with the Tim Holtz tag die and white card stock which I covered with strips of masking tape before spritzing with Dylusions ink sprays.  As some of the strips started to curl when drying, I covered the whole background with Claudine Hellmuth matt multi-medium.  Once dry I used stamps by Inkadinkado and Tim Holtz to create my background.  I coloured the butterflies and bees with Tim Holtz distress inks using my water brush and then used a white gel pen to outline the main images.  I added Ranger stardust stickles on the bee wings and covered all of the creatures with Ranger glossy accents.  I attached the tag to a piece of black card stock and cut it to shape to bring out the black ink.  I wrote my sentiment on pieces of inked card stock, attached to black card stock, covered with Ranger crackle paint - rock candy and added the pieces to the tag using double sided foam.  Finally I threaded black and yellow ribbon through the tag hole.

Thanks for Looking!
Tracey x

Christmas In October

Today's post is an item created for the Out of a hat creations challenge 28: Christmas in October (week 1) which is to create a card or a tag.  I think I have a real addiction to tags at the moment and I love it.  I was lucky enough to be chosen as a prize winner during the Tim Holtz 12 tags of Christmas last year and received a lovely gift which I've previously blogged about.  I haven't used the stamps before so this is my first go and they are just perfect for this project.

I started as always with my Tim Holtz tag die and white card stock.  I stamped the music in embossing ink and heated iridescent/sparkle embossing powder with my heat tool before covering the background with Tim Holtz seasonal distress inks - winter 2011 and spritzed with water.  Once dry I stamped the tall thin trees in iced spruce so that they looked like a forest at the bottom of my tag and added the closest set of trees in embossing ink and this time covered in black powder.  I then added Tim Holtz tissue tape and film strip across the tag using the Tim Holtz tiny attacher.  I stamped the tree branches at the top of the tag in the evergreen bough ink.  The sentiment was stamped in black ink and the card stock coloured with the same inks as the tag and attached to the side of the tag using double sided foam.  I stamped the date onto a round piece of card stock and again inked and attached with foam tape.  Finally I added 2 pieces of ribbon and a bell (from a Christmas chocolate reindeer) and highlighted the edges of the tall trees with a gold sparkle gel pen.

Thanks for looking!
Tracey x