Time Waits For No Man

Hello Everyone
Happy Easter Sunday.
Today is the first of my DT posts for That’s Crafty. The source of inspiration for this weeks project was the changing of the clocks this weekend and saw me taking a more masculine route in contrast to last weeks feminine canvas.
You can view the full project, including instructions HERE.

Enjoy today and try not to eat too much chocolate (maybe I should heed my own advice!)
Wishes
Lynne

Parisian Corset (published in The Stampers’ Sampler)

Hello Everyone
Today’s post is a follow on from this post last week.In that post I mentioned the feature in The Stampers’ Sampler (Jan/Feb/Mar) well alongside the fabric tags there were some other items, one of which I will share in this post.
Oxford Impressions’ Dressforms and Corsetry has to be one of my all time favourites, such a well thought out plate of stamps with beautiful text stamps also included. One of the main text stamps makes up most of the card I am sharing, on the background, tissue paper and button.
The painted cardstock is actually the palest of pinks, a most beautiful chalky emulsion called Camisole Pink which I’ve used for years, I particularly like it paired with sepia.Ordinary white tissue paper which was given a makeover to allow me to create a pleated detail on the card.
Although it wasn’t printed as such in The Stampers’ Sampler, this little shabby button was handmade with clay. I used the text stamp selecting a decorative element and stamping onto the clay button before stitching to the tissue paper.
Another little detail.
Another time I will share the remainder of the projects included in the feature. 
Thank You for visiting this post today.
Wishes
Lynne

Springtime In The Garden

Hello Everyone
Doesn’t a week seem to pass quicker than ever?
The past three Sundays have seen me share a Guest Designer project for That’s Crafty and today is no different with my fourth and final Guest Designer post.  However, I am so excited as I can now announce that I am the newest That’s Crafty DT member.  Laura has an amazing DT so it is such an honour to be part of their team.
For the time being, my  final Guest Designer post and if you a regular visitor to Adorn then you will know that it is sneaky peek time!  If you would like to view the artwork in its entirety then you can do so at the That’s Crafty Blog where there will also be a supply list and instructions.At the time of working on this piece I was so sure we would be entering into Springtime not realising most of the U.K. would be blanketed in snow and the same for many parts of the world. As a lovely friend noted “Mother Nature didn’t read the Memo”!
Wishes
Lynne

Introducing The Cavalieri Brothers

Hello Everyone
This is my third Sunday as Guest Designer for That’s Crafty. For this week’s project I wanted something quite different from  the pretty lavender sachet from last week.
Of course, I am being a little bit cheeky once again…. why?

because above is only a peek at the project.  If you would like to view the full project including steps as to how I prepared the background then you can view it,  including full instructions at That’s Crafty Blog.
Thank You so much for visiting this post even though I have cheated you out of a proper post with full size photographs and details! All your visits (and comments) are always appreciated by me and also to say Thank You for the friends of my Blog who visited and commented on my previous Guest Designer posts at the That’s Crafty Blog.
Wishes
Lynne

Hello Cupcake!

Hello Everyone
This is another post for Crafty Individuals, a post which shouldcome with a warning – “Must Be Viewed With The Aid Of Sunglasses” ….why? The reason is that I have ventured into colour. Yes, quite a shock to the system and possibly the only venture I will take into colour in the year 2013!
The reason for colour is the Crafty Individuals’ Alice Palace Hello Cupcake stamp
The Hello Cupcake stamp is sold as one stamp but I wanted the flexibility of using the images independently so armed with precision scissors I cut around the stamps.  The only part of the stamp I did not use of this card is the sentiment “Hello Cupcake”.
The background – layering Gesso, paint and stamping.
I do love to use tags on cards.  You can see the stars stamped onto the painted tags before I added the cupcakes.  A sugarcraft flower tops each cupcake! Just me being silly although that is what the paper flowers remind me of.
Scraps of lace which I had previously dyed blue and you can see a peek of Cath Kidston fabric. A dimensional chipboard sticker  on the middle tag. This card was made with a cousin in mind which is why I added the Happy Birthday sentiment.
I have my lovely friend Doli to thank for the dimensional stickers.  They are so perfect for the theme and colours of this card.Normal service (!) will resume on my next post which is scheduled for 16th March. Until then, thank you for visiting and a note to say Thank You for the lovely comments on the Love, Lovely Life! fabric hanging (previous post).
Wishes
Lynne

No More Lonely Hearts

Hello Everyone
This is an Oxford Impressions’ DT post where once again I have made use of stamps from the new stamp plate,  With Love.  If this stamp plate has caught your eye and you are a U.K. stamper then you might be interested to know that this plate is available from That’s Crafty.   Not only that, new in are several other Oxford Impressions plates and you can also purchase the gorgeous Soul of the Rose from That’s Crafty.
For this card I used a few  Oxford Impressions stamp plates. Below I’ve listed the plates and the stamps I’ve used from each plate.
Stamps Used on 8″x8″ scallop cardbase
With Love – heart, scroll and love
A Scandalous Beauty – This Is A Story About Love
French Script – damask, lace and script
Paris Poste – amour
This card has love as the theme but it could easily be an Anniversary card.  The hearts go beyond being only useful for Valentine’s Day. It was fun getting messy with paints for this card. I used a mix of chalky emulsion and acrylics on the cardbase and also on the Crafty Individuals Shabby tag.
 The three hearts, on the tag, were stamped onto vintage book text which had been prepared with a wash of Gesso. As I always like to add my little bits of this ‘n’, that I painted a little tag, stamped with a few stamps before only  inking up   love  from the with love sentiment.
At the opposite end of the tag more lace and a scrap of ribbon.This sentiment from A Scandalous Beauty fitted the theme so perfectly. As you can see from the photograph above and the one below, the paints were built up in layers which I also did with the stamping. For some of the stamps, in particular Amour  and the heart, I stamped some of the ink off onto scrap paper before stamping onto the cardbase to enhance the distressed appearance.
We all know it takes a lot more time to work on a background where layers are involved but there is no denying, it is a bundle of fun!

I will be sharing, over the next few weeks, some more cards using the With Love set. This set was made with personal greetings cards in mind and at some point I will be sharing some quick notecards I have made but it shows the versatility of this set when it can be used alongside other stamps for all manner of cards.
Thank you for visiting the first post of this brand new week.  Here’s to a creative week ahead for all of us.
Wishes
Lynne

Her Passion For Science

Hello Everyone
I have been working on a lot of clean projects of late and was eager to get a bit messy and the perfect opportunity was my lovely friend Martina’s birthday (if Martina’s name is new to you then why not pop over and visit to see her incredible art) . Martina  has a passion for Steampunk (in fact there are not many of us who are not captivated by the allure of Steampunk) so I knew I could have lots of fun with this.
Usually I provide links directly to a stamp set but I used so many of this altered book cover. I literally sifted through all the Oxford Impressions sets I own looking for stamps that would work with what I had in mind.  What I will do is list the stamp plates used and provide a link to Suzanne’s Oxford Impressions’ Etsy store but if you live in the U.K. I believe you can track down the Steampunk plates at either That’s Crafty or The Craft Barn.
Oxford Impressions Stamp Plates (excluding My Fair Lady plate, all other plates available from Etsy)
My Fair Lady (femme) discontinued plate
Abraham Lincoln (quote)
Dressforms & Corsets (stamped numbers on side of Bingo card)
Steampunk Works (text at top of panel and mechanical key)
Steampunk Elements (blueprint stamped onto book cover base and top hat)
We all have our own way of working, don’t we? For me it tends to be that I start with stamp selection (or image) and a vague notion of the style I am aiming for and at this point I will look for elements that reinforce the story that is in my mind. The Bingo card was an element that was foremost in my mind. This was a vintage Bingo card but I grunged it up somewhat with my scissors, sandpaper and ink.

As I wasn’t aiming for a perfect stamped appearance I stamped directly onto the painted cover, I was really wanting to achieve pattern and texture more than anything. This is such a wonderful quote… I had the tea/coffee stained fabric in amongst my stash although my stash of all things tea/coffee stained is quickly diminishing, I can certainly see coffee stained digits on the horizon! Clusters of watch parts add texture and juxtapose against the feminine pieces of  torn lace. I really had the most fun playing around with this book cover, bringing the different stamps together and getting painty and inky at the same time. For you, I hope you like the contrast from all the love is in the air pretty and feminine projects that I have been sharing of late.
Before I leave this scheduled post I have to say a heartfelt thank you for all of you who have continued to not only visit my Blog but also take the time to comment. Due to ill health I have not been able to visit Blogs and once I do return (this is a scheduled post so it might be possible that I have started to drift back into Blogland) it might be at a trickle so to have friends of my Blog who still care about what I post here even when I have not been able to visit them, that means so much to me.
In the coming days I plan to schedule some posts I drafted last month so that my Blog will be active even if I am anything but!
I hope you are all well and I really look forward to catching-up with your creations.
Wishes
Lynne

Steampunking Seamstress

Note:- There is a hitch with the text so at the moment I’ve had to cut out some of the instructions until I am able to remedy the problem but if you are interested then the instructions are available at Gecko Galz under Guest Artist section.  

Hello Everyone
Thank You for all the festive wishes you left for me to read and to all the lovely friends who gifted me with incredible handmade gifts, cards and tags, which I plan on sharing on my Blog soon and also for the lovely e-cards sent to me.
I haven’t decided if to leave Christmas well alone for 2012 even though I still have projects I could share but I feel we are all now fatigued with Christmas!   I do still have a few winter related DT projects and they will be shared at some point but for today it is another of my Guest Artist artwork for Gecko Galz.
When I was working on the artwork back in early November I had a bit of a first, as it was the first time I used a digi stamp.  I wasn’t too sure how I would  get on with digi stamps as it is so different from the usual way of stamping but there was no doubt that I was keen to try it.  Since this first I’ve now dabbled with digi stamps for a second time (you will have to wait until the New Year for the next project) and I can definitely see the appeal for many as you do not have to worry about space for storing stamps and they are very versatile so long as your printer has the capacity for printing onto different surfaces and if not then all you need do is print onto TAP allowing you to transfer the image to most any surface.
If you have a fondness for Steampunk then you will love the Gecko Galz Industrial digi stamp set which is where I selected my image from.  As with the other Guest Artist projects I will share the supplies I used and also brief instructions for the canvas panel I altered.
Supplies
Gecko Galz Industrial digi stamp set.
Oxford Impressions stamps (selection of steampunk and dressmaker related stamps)
Distress Stain Antique Linen (Ranger)
Staz-on
Gesso (Golden)
Klear floor polish (Johnson & Johnson)
Canvas panel 8″x8″, acrylic paints, white tissue paper, white cardstock, fabric scraps, vintage lace, dressmaker snap, hook and eye and safety pin (all my own stash)
Instructions
Apply paint to panel then stamp Steampunk element randomly onto panel. Tear tissue paper slightly larger than panel, on the diagonal and stamp two different text stamps. Apply to panel using Klear floor polish technique. Leave to dry overnight. 
As the digi stamp allows for the image to be re-sized I decided to increase the size as I wanted her to stand-out as the focal of the canvas. I was aware that I didn’t want her to be drowning in the stamped elements, she needed to be the star of the show.
In this little detail you can see the distressed background  (with gentle use of an old emery board I distressed the dried tissue paper in a random fashion) with the layered tissue and all the little scraps I gathered to add texture to the stamped elements.Over at Gecko Galz there are wonderful offers on all the time so well worth a look.
This post is scheduled for Thursday and to say I might not be able to visit you on that particular day but I will be catching-up soon as I can imagine many of you are already back to creating and blogging.
A last few words to say that all your visits and comments in the run-up to Christmas meant so much as I can just imagine how busy many of you were, you are such a supportive group of friends.
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

The Stars, They Shine

Hello Everyone
First I’d like to bring your attention to the amazing Blog Candy on offer at Jean’s Crafty Individuals Blog.  I cannot imagine that many of you haven’t already seen this (also posted on my sidebar) but still to be on the safe side here is what is on offer, such an amazing bundle of goodies.Very soon I will share some cards I have made with some of their newest releases which are included in this fabulous bundle but for this post I am re-winding to their previous releases and in particular CI-363.
At the time of receiving this stamp I had the idea of working with the image as a multiple on a canvas.I made use of Crafty Individuals indispensible Shabby tags on which to stamp the stars, that hint of pink on the tags blended with the canvas background which comprises layers of dissolved walnut ink crystals, homemade spray ink, Gesso and acrylics.Subtle shine is delivered via pearlescent tinting medium, glass glitter and scraps of glitter cardstock and although not evident there is dimension on this canvas where I have layered the star for a slightly decoupage effect and also adhered the tags (the middle image on the canvas is also a stamped tag) at different heights. Lace is scattered here and there and also along the bottom edge.
Taking the idea of the stamped tag I made this small Christmas card. There is plenty of sparkle on this card from using glass glitter and mica flakes.  Thank You for visiting this scheduled post (I apologise for it being so lengthy!) and I hope you all have a lovely and creative weekend.
Wishes
Lynne