Love In Their Eyes (FSC#40 Show Some Love)

Hello Everyone
Thank You for joining me this Sunday where it is time to announce a new challenge theme at Fashionable Stamping Challenge.  For the next fortnight we are asking if you will Show Some Love.   We always ask that you include stamping on your entry and that no digi’s are allowed, other than that just have fun with this theme.  The winning entry will receive a prize from our wonderful sponsor so well worth your while entering. All details on the FSC site as well as the inspirational artwork from my DT sisters.
I decided to go for a very romantic take on the theme selecting the stunning Soul Of The Rose plate from Oxford Impressions.  This was the first stamp plate I bought from Oxford Impressions and  I still love it as much as I did on day one.A heart shaped box.
I wanted a tactile feel to the box so the stamp was stamped onto TAP before transferring to canvas. As you can see in the first photograph, absolutely none of the fine detail was lost in transferring to TAP.After painting the box I stamped the damask design from French Script. I wanted the design to be subtle so I opted to stamp with Distress Ink which increased the shabby appearance before applying molding paste. Leaving the molding paste to harden I had plans to lightly add some highlights to the relief design but when I came back to the project I decided to leave it plain as I liked the contrast against the painted and stamped background.Thank You for visiting this post and enjoy your Sunday.
Wishes
Lynne

Wish (FSC#37 Mask It)

Hello Everyone
We have a new challenge theme at Fashionable Stamping Challenge. For the next fortnight we are asking you to Mask It.  We keep rules to a minimum at FSC but please include stamping on your entry and sorry, no digi’s allowed.  Every challenge is sponsored and to read the details of this fortnight’s prize just click the link above. Also while you are there you can view the amazing DT samples from my DT sisters.
My DT sample uses Oxford Impressions stamps, Soul of the Rose was my first ever Oxford Impressions plate I purchased, it really is the most beautiful plate of art stamps and wish  is from Sleigh Bells. Below are links to the Oxford Impressions’ store for both plates.
Soul of the Rose
Sleigh Bells
This post was drafted and set as a scheduled post days ago but with the tragic events that took place on Friday and when I was looking at this image I wanted to write a few heartfelt words however, what is there to write  that can make sense of such horrific events, events that have not only shocked and touched the hearts of Americans but all of us no matter where we live in this world of ours.
As I had in mind the palest of colours for this altered canvas I chose not to paint the stamped image (a beautiful reproduction of the Luini painting) however I did want this canvas to dance when it came in contact with light so I added dashes of glass glitter to the stamped image and beyond as the lace also has glass glitter added and you can see the use of it on the metal frame.
Before I get too ahead of myself you might be asking yourselves about the Mask It part,  well it is the background where I made use of Crafty Individuals Elegant Swirls set  (stencil/mask) and molding paste.  To add shimmer and sparkle I added a mix of tinting medium and glass glitter.The canvas in full. A most  delicate shade of pink painted onto the canvas before I applied the molding paste. All embellishments were either white/creamy white or I dry-brushed with Gesso We look forward to viewing your Mask It entries at FSC, whether it be cards, tags, art journal pages, anything goes!
Just to finish by saying Thank You for all your visits and comments this past week especially at such a busy time of the year and when I posted probably a bit more than normal add to that I have fallen behind with catching-up on your artful creations, it is much appreciated.
Wishes
Lynne

Shop ‘Til You Drop

Hello Everyone
Today I return with a quick,  festive post for Crafty Individuals.
Crafty Individuals Supplies:-
CI-369
Elegant Swirls Mask Set
White Bag (no longer appear to be in stock)
CI-369 seemed a good choice to decorate a bag as the vintage femme she reminds me of a woman from the 1920s who would enjoy a spot of Christmas shopping, her arms weighed down with beautifully packaged gifts in boxes and fancy gift bags all adorned with ribbons and bows.

Believe it or not,  I am not a fan of glitter and avoided it for so long preferring to add a shimmer with the aid of a Stardust pen then I made the discovery of glass glitter and DekoIce and since then I have found myself more partial to a smattering of glitter.  Here there are the merest of touches on the stamped image, some of the stamped elements were layered.
I find myself reaching so often for the Elegant Swirls set (you will see it in use again very soon).  The glimmer doesn’t translate in the photograph but the paint catches the light beautifully.  To adorn, some pearly white fabric flowers and pink velvet style ribbon which was also formed into a bow.
Thank You for visiting as you are no doubt so busy at the moment with your own festive preparations.  At the time of posting I have another post scheduled for tomorrow, with the 25th looming I am running out of days!
Wishes
Lynne
Just a note to add that it is worthwhile signing up for the Crafty Individuals Newsletter if you have not done so already.  You receive notification of new stamps and products and also special offers. 

See How She Sparkles

Hello Again
In my previous post I shared the new releases from Crafty Individuals. Well when the stamps arrived at the beginning of the week one stamp in particular called out to be used first, CI-369.
Crafty Individuals Supplies:-
CI-369
Elegant Swirl Stencil
Altered Canvas – 7″x5″
Old Hollywood movies came to mind when I set eyes on this stamp,   movies from the Golden Age of cinema when everything spoke of perfect glamour and sophistication. Although I favour sepia/brown and vintage colours I decided to pick black and silver as to my mind black speaks so much of timeless glamour especially when teamed with a dash of sparkle and  a hint of  subtle pink.I painted white cardstock (heavy weight) with Camisole Pink emulsion paint before stamping. Wanting dimension on this piece both for the background and the stamped panel I  selected parts of the stamp that I wanted to stamp again enabling me to create layers and further definition was achieved by adhering the panel to foamcore board.
Diamond glass glitter creates sparkly highlights on the stamped panel.
My lovely friend Penny and I have chatted about the the fact that you cannot fake layers, whether it be inks or paint you need to take the time to build the layers and then you get that beautiful peek of what lies beneath. The canvas was painted with three acrylic paints (one being metallic), one emulsion and one patina and applied in various ways for each layer. When I was happy enough I then reached for Crafty Individuals Elegant Swirls stencil and artist molding paste. I prefer to use the paste in its natural state and apply colour once it has hardened.  It maybe does make life more difficult but  you can achieve a more random way of colouring which is how I like it. A sprinkling of glass glitter was added here and there.
Lace trims the canvas and to add softness there is some white gauze.Little sophisticated touches, the pearly pins and black sheer ribbon tied into a bow around the top of the canvas with back ricrac  added as a form of hanging. If you have some Festive Sparkle taking place in your creative life and you have used at least one Crafty Individuals product then you can join the CI Challenge for November. All details available at Jean’s blog.
Thank You for visiting. I have been rather hit and miss with visiting you these past few days but I will catch-up with you very soon.
Have a lovely weekend.
Wishes
Lynne

Rudolph Is In The Pink This Christmas

Hello Everyone
It seems that no matter how early I start it is never early enough when it comes to Christmas preparations. I started back in July, okay, I will admit it was towards the end of July, sure that I would have everything completed by the end of October but yes I was only fooling myself lol.  Thankfully the little tick marks on the To Do List are multiplying!  How are your Christmas preparations coming along?
Not so long ago Crafty Individuals released some new stamps, one of them being CI-358 this lovely Reindeer stamp.Today I have three projects all of which make use of this stamp for the focal. As well as the stamp the other supplies I used are:-
Shabby Tags
Elegant Scroll Stencil
I opted for a larger cardbase to accommodate the tag but still allow a decent amount of background to be viewed. A beautiful piece of lace was added to the top of the card then adding all the usual little scraps I like to gather together on projects.
I have taken some little detail photographs to give you an idea of the background.  The watercolour paper had been prepared some time ago with various washes so all I had to do was add the stencil detail. You can also see the texture achieved from the dry brushed Gesso which was one of the layers amongst the washes of colour. I used Pearlescent Medium with the stencil which creates a lovely relief effect. On all three projects I stamped CI-358 onto a Shabby Tag, I always have those tags to hand. To add sparkle I highlighted with Sakura Stardust pen (sorry, it has not shown up in the photographs).For the tag above I used the Elegant Scrolls but this time with DI in Victorian Velvet with shimmer provided by a wash of Pearlescent Medium.  The stencil set I cannot recommend highly enough. To have the positive and negative in the set allows for such versatility and amazing value for money. The final project for today. This background is stamped with a stamp which was in a complimentary sample set with an order from CI.  I added Sakura Stardust details to bring some shimmer to the background. Crafty Individuals have just released more stamps including some new Christmas designs. They are also generously offering a Christmas tree stamp free with orders over £18 (excluding p&p costs). Another generous offer is at Jean’s Blog as anyone who enters the November Challenge (Festive Sparkle) will be entitled to 25% discount on their on-line order.
Thank You for visiting today and for the visits and comments for my previous post. I had fun making that hanging so I appreciate that you enjoyed viewing it and that so many of you mentioned that the rusted fabric panel reminded you of cowhide as that was exactly what I thought when I paired it up with those stamps.
I hope you have a creative week.
Wishes
Lynne

Annie Get Your Gun (FSC#34-Musical)

Hello Everyone
It is that time when we announce a new challenge theme at Fashionable Stamping Challenge. This fortnight the theme is Musical. Our rules are simple, you must include stamping on your entry and please, no digi’s allowed. To view the prize sponsored by Marina and to see the incredible DT samples from my DT sisters then click the link at the top of this post.
Stamps Used
Oxford Impressions – Cowgirl Blues

With the theme Musical my thoughts turned towards a musical such as film/theatre and as my eyes set upon Cowgirl Blues set which  purely by chance had been lying on my work surface, all of a sudden songs such as Annie Get Your Gun, etc came to mind and so this hanging was  not inspired through my love of wild west musicals but purely the path I was led down all because of this stamp set.A good while ago I used Crafty Notions Rusting Powder with a stencil to alter a piece of cotton fabric, this became the backing for this hanging. As I did not want to completely obscure the rusted panel I decided that a tag would make the focal of the hanging with some supporting stamping surrounding the tag.
Wanting a distressed, timeworn appearance to the focal image  I first of all lightly distressed with an old emery board the glossy cardstock (make sure you wipe the surface after distressing) before stamping the image taking the distressing further when after stamping I once again distressed with the emery board then abraded the edges and sponged on some  DI Vintage Photo.Much of what I used on this hanging I was lucky enough to have prepared so was in my stash, such a time saver. The tag was stained with tea and coffee (and as you can see it was also heavily distressed) as was the fringe trimming at the top of the hanging. The bottom fringing was again stained with tea bags layered with stained gimp, this time stained with homemade spray ink and here it is threaded through a chipboard buckle which had previously received the rusting treatment. Torn pieces of this and that and stamping onto cork and pieces from a cardboard box (after it has been soaked, peeled and left to dry) make up this western collage.
We look forward to viewing your Musical artwork.  Have fun with your interpretation of this theme.
Thank You for taking the time to visit this post. Hope to catch-up with you very soon to see what you have been creating.
Wishes
Lynne

Come Away With Me (FSC #26)

Hello Everyone
I had a break from the previous fortnight at Fashionable Stamping Challenge so it is good to be back amongst my DT sisters. This fortnight Shirley is asking us to Let’s Get Messy and Inky. We welcome all nature of art at FSC but please remember to include stamping on your entry and of course, no digis allowed. As always there is a prize up for grabs so definitely worthwhile entering the challenge.
For my DT sample I selected an 8″x8″ canvas panel as my substrate. Now you might look at the finished result and not imagine it to be very messy or inky but my hands are proof that it was!
Gesso, walnut ink (dissolved crystals), Walnut Tintz, cream and portrait pink acrylics were applied to the canvas panel before stamping. Then I applied a stunningly ornate mask to create the pattern.  From there on I applied Golden Glass Bead Gel to the edges and once hardened Antique Gold acrylic was applied.
It might seem pointless to go to such lengths to then cover up with a large panel of lace but it is worth it as the lace allows a peek to the layer below and adds depth and interest.

All stamps – Oxford Impressions – Venezia This is an absolutely stunning set of stamps.

Then it moved onto decorating the top layer of the panel.
Dyed in baths of tea and coffee:- main panel of lace and lace to trim
Dyed in bath of tea with Distress Ink Tattered Rose – seam binding
Stained with Walnut Tintz – tassel.All of the stamped images (including the man and woman) were embossed with Distress e.p. and gold e.p. then the edges had paint smeared onto them. The piece of lace also had some acrylic treatment. Seam binding dyed and tied into a shabby bow to decorate some pendants. More of the dyed lace.  A metal fan painted with acrylics. This bead (thanks Sue) reminds me of the lanterns in old style lamp posts. and a white tassel stained to co-ordinate. We look forward to viewing your Let’s Get Messy and Inky artwork – I am sure you will have lots of fun with this challenge and messy fingers!
Please visit the FSC Blog (link at top of post) to read our rules of entry and to view the incredible DT samples from the other Fashionettes.  Would you like to be a Fashionette? If yes, then there is a DT call. All details are over at the FSC Blog.
Thank you for visiting and have a lovely Sunday.
Wishes
Lynne

Hallowe’en Party Animal

or possibly not from the look on her face

The base of this hanging is artist sheet canvas. Using Rust Red acrylic I applied the first layer with baby wipes then used a mask to create the design. The witch was image transferred onto recycled curtain lining. Tore a length from a velvet skirt which creates the hanging. Then added buttons, strip of vintage fabric and some beaded trim.

Mirror, Mirror

You might remember that I am a member of Katy’s Corner (Yahoo Group) and of the time I received a piece of lint as part of a Fun Swap (see Flutterby ). Call me a fool, but a few months ago I couldn’t resist signing up for another Fun Swap! So what did I receive …… a huge jigsaw puzzle piece (possibly a die cut), really should have measured it and a puzzle piece from a children’s jigsaw. Hmmmm what will I make with this?

I prepared both pieces with Gesso then Regency White emulsion paint. Prior to stamping, the main pattern was created using a mask and soft pink pigment ink for the largest piece and the same process but substituting soft green for the smaller piece. The backs also painted and the mask design sponged on.

After stamping onto the mirror I adhered it onto the main piece.

The cameo image was stamped onto glossy cardstock.

When I Grow Up

As a little girl I did not dream of becoming a Ballerina although they say that’s the dream of many a little girl. Did any of you have this dream? From The Altered Element (June DT package) I received Character Construction Mannequin Cafe set. Normally I would say that Character Construction stamps are on the quirky side but this set of stamps would be perfect for anyone who knows of little or even not so little girls who go to ballet classes or even anyone who appreciates ballet.

A trio of cards – the elements I repeated are cream and burgundy (organza ribbon, scraps from recycled velvet skirt plus flat back pearls, gems and sheet music.

Dream has vintage sheet music layered to cardbase and then cream organza layered on top. A paper rose is wrapped around a florist’s pin.

Ballet – a mask and chalk ink created the pattern background. Tutu has been stamped a second time, skirt pleated and silicon glue to create depth.

Close-up of pleated tutu

Ballerine – the fun with this set is to stamp the various elements and play around with the placement of the pieces.

A final tag

The burgundy organza ribbon can be purchased from The Altered Element. Lynne stocks organza ribbon in an array of colours.