All Things French

June at Dezinaworld is generously giving away some French themed images, no catch at all, they are there for the taking for you to use in your artwork. If you click the above link it will take you directly to Dezinaworld, once there just click the link.
It is worth noting that June’s Dollar Sale is ever-growing. You can pick up a full sheet of images for as little as $1!!!

Cindy’s Free on-Line Blogging Class
Once again Cindy has gone out of her way to help others. This time she is sharing her knowledge of blogging with her on-line class which started today.  Cindy has a wealth of knowledge in this area (her e-books are doing incredibly well on Amazon) so it is definitely worth popping over for the first instalment of her class.

Post Edited If any of you read this post this morning stating that I would return with a competition to celebrate the new on-line store for The Stampsmith please note that the date of the competition will now be October 8th. I received notification of the alterations after publishing this post.
My next post will be  Saturday which will be a busy day as I have two posts to share. One will have the announcement of the new theme for The Stampsmith Challenge and the other, well you will have to wait and see as that is something I cannot share with you at the moment other than to say that for me it is incredibly exciting.
Have a lovely Friday and hope to see you on Saturday.
Wishes
Lynne

Over Land And Sea

The past few days has seen packages arrive from the U.S.A., Greece and Germany, my Postman even commented on the amount of mail I receive from abroad! Of course this could only ever be possible because of the wonder of blogs and how we are able to connect with people from different corners of the world. I’d like to share artwork and gifts I received from three lovely ladies:- Michele, Marie and Julia. The order I am sharing is the order they arrived at my home.
First Michele (Art From The Well). When commenting on an Art Deco card she made for her friend I had said that as well as the card being stunning, what a lucky friend she had, the next thing I know Michele said she would like to mail an  Art Deco card to me. Michele creates such wonderful collage cards. What she didn’t tell me was that inside the envelope she had tucked a surprise in the form of another card, a card which I had commented on without knowing it was already on its way to me. The image of the girl really spoke to me for some reason.
Michele, thank you so much for both cards and also for your words which touched me. From Marie (Dollys Daydreams) I received this most beautiful card. The punched border is a pretty idea to edge a card and the blue button brings out the lovely blue in this touching image.
The mail system nearly brought Marie and I to the brink of despair as a Giveaway parcel I sent to her was in limbo until it eventually turned up back at my home! Marie eventually received the package two months later than expected. Then a card Marie sent to me is still in the mail system,  I wonder where it will re-surface. Thankfully this gorgeous card didn’t go astray.
Marie, thank you so much for this card, you were put to so much trouble re-making it for me but I am so glad that you did.Finally but by no means least from Julia at Vintage and Laces. Tucked inside a wrapping of dressmaking tissue was this beautiful sewing themed tag with details of lace and a teeny swatch of fabric attached with a safety pin, French text all set against creams and winter whites.Julia also sent the prettiest of packages, ric rac, lace, buttons and bows in the sweetest pastel colours. The goodies are still inside the bag as I couldn’t bear removing them as they look so lovely nestled against each other.
Everything is perfection and I will definitely be using those pretty items. I know I tend to safe “treasures” and I am sure initially I will do that, safe them just to look at but I am turning over a new leaf and actually using what friends send to me. Thank you for your kindness.
Michele, Marie and Julia, thank you all not only for gifting me your art but also for your friendship.
If any of those blogs are new to you then please take the time to visit as you will be in for a treat. All three women create in different styles to each other but for me that is one of the most appealing aspects of blogs, that we might come across blogs whereby people are creating to a different style to our own but I believe that makes us more rounded crafters and makes our lives more enriched for taking the time to visit them. Lynne x

Dream A Little Dream With Me

Today I have come over all Dreamy as this week’s DT artwork for Dezinaworld uses the sheet of images aptly titled Dreamy. There are 12 images on this sheet, excellent value for money for only $1. June always has special offers and her on-going Dollar Sale plus Freebies so her site is always worth a visit.
I selected two images to create separate projects but in a way they work together as one is an altered box,  suitable for presenting a piece of jewellery or as a jewellery box for small pieces of jewellery and the second is a brooch.This woman brought to mind the glamour of Venice where there is always a sense of mystery and I definitely see mystery within her eyes. The box was altered with paint, stamping directly onto the box (stamps used are Oxford Impressions’ Venezia)then Decoupaint Patina in Old White and Antique Gold randomly sponged on and also sanded as I wanted it to look a bit time-worn. I re-sized Dreamy then printed onto canvas printer paper. Here you can see the texture of the paper. Lace adds a frame around the image before decorating the box. Around the lid of the box I stamped Venezia before attaching a white tassel.The second project is a brooch. June asked me to note how I made this brooch.
I adhered to greyboard. Victorian Velvet was sponged onto the edges. I coated the image with dimensional adhesive (Glossy Accents, Diamond Glaze, etc) leaving it overnight. The piece was then “cracked” and I gently tapped on some Tattered Rose. One further coat of the dimensional adhesive left to dry overnight again. You could easily add another layer but I didn’t want to lose the appearance of the cracks. I wanted the appearance of a piece of jewellery that has the imperfections of time.
This image is incredibly beautiful, conveying that sense of when we have  our little daydreams. Various sized pieces of lace create the brooch with a brooch pin sewn to the back and to decorate the brooch, a teeny key and pearl bead.These are the last of my Dezinaworld DT artwork for September. My first month has been such a joy and I cannot thank you enough for being so supportive with my latest role for June. Lynne x

Hope In The Palm Of Her Hands

At Divas D’Este you will find an abundance of CS with images of children, from cute to whimsical. For my latest DT artwork for Divas D’Este I am returning to the CS called “Angelic Girls“. Recently I shared a card made with a little girl with attitude, well that was also from the same CS.  The little girl today is a more gentle soul.For me, half the fun of working on a project is gathering the bits ‘n’ pieces, most will end up being surplus to requirements but I like having that selection before me. I gathered sheet music, old French text, lace, dried hydrangea blossoms, etc. The base is 6.5″ x 6.5″ which I covered with sheet music before layering all the elements. The Divas image was layered onto a letter which is from their ever useful French Script CS.
Lifting the bow you will see that underneath is very old French book text, dried hydrangea petals, lace and “Hope”.Using Word I created the title “She held hope in the palm of her hands”, ageing the cardstock prior to printing.Due to this year’s weather, too much rain, I was unable to dry any hydrangea blossoms which was a pity but at least I have my small stock from last year. I like when the colour fades.This week I will share some more Dezinaworld DT on Wednesday and on the 1st of October there will be a new challenge theme announced at The Stampsmith Challenge. In-between I will return with a scattering of projects. Have a lovely week. Lynne x

A Touch of Nostalgia

Over at Fashionable Stamping Challenge a new theme has been announced and it is ….. Vintage. We would love to see your vintage artwork but please remember that this challenge site is all about stamping, no digis are allowed.
For my DT sample I selected Crafty Individuals’  CI-260. I also used their letter stamp CI-214 and stamps from CI307.
I liked the idea of a faded appearance as though sunlight has bleached the colours over the years. The stamped letter was tucked behind the main image so all you see is a corner peeking out from beneath the vintage lace.Sometimes the smallest stamps are the most perfect. This stamp from CI-307 is a stamp I use very often because it can just add that perfect little stamped element. Here I stamped it onto text paper adding pearls and a scrap of lace. By absolutely chance I came across this piece of string pearl and with the addition of  a scrap of French text and a faux keyhole my card was complete.If you pop on over to Fashionable Stamping Challenge you still see the other DT samples created which are amazing and also details for how to enter your artwork. Hope to see you there. Lynne x

The Art of Looking Beautiful

I was keen to join the fun over at the Oh La La group at Bella Creations. 2amscrapper always does an amazing job of selecting images for us to use every month and this month was no exception when she revealed an image of three mannequins from Gecko Galz.
The Oh La La group has only one rule, that we do not create large works or art, altered art, etc. It really should be a tag or A.T.C.
The base I used is one of Crafty Individuals large shabby tags.I like the way they are beautiful enough as they come but are also excellent for inking, stamping, painting, etc and they are a great size of tag. I used a large stamp from Oxford Impressions’ Dressforms & Corsets to decorate the tag and then started to decorate the tag with scraps of ticking, dressmaker snaps and stamped elements.I printed the mannequins onto canvas printer paper as it adds lovely texture.Little bits ‘n’ pieces were added to the mannequins.
On the second tag a stamped element.To finish the tag I stamped L’Art d’être Belle onto a torn strip of calico.
The final mannequin has a snap dangling from a safety pin attached to lace.On completion I realised I still had time to participate in Cindy’s Link Party.  Cindy has a new blog, Shabby Chic Girls’ Club which is such a beautiful idea as she shares all sorts of shabby chic beauties.I have to say it was exciting when Cindy contacted me to say she was showcasing something of mine. When I visited here was a notebook I had altered and what was so lovely, I was in the company of two friends. Cindy is tireless in the way she supports crafters by sharing their work on her blog. Thank You Cindy. Lynne x

Full Steam Ahead

For today’s Dezinaworld DT artwork I received the Transport Ephemera to work.I also chose to incorporate elements from Steampunk 4 which is also available in png format.
I am participating in a Postcard Swap (lasting 14 months) and thought it would be fun to make a Steampunk postcard.Transport Ephemera consists of 6 images, 5 of which I used on this postcard. The sheet was printed onto white cardstock which I distressed with inks and an emery board.
Sometimes dimension doesn’t translate on a photograph but on this postcard there is a lot of dimension which meant lots of silicone glue!Before printing  the Steampunk femme I duplicated her as I wanted to cut out the top hat to decoupage. A piece of German Scrap and bead embellish.Also from the Steampunk 4 set I printed cogs, re-sizing so I had a mixture of sizes and also the fabulous hot air balloon. You can see that behind the hot air balloon the cog which was printed onto a transparency.Brass sequins were added to a couple of the cogs.I wanted this postcard to be all about the Dezinaworld images so there are no stamps on this postcard. I also wanted to keep embellishments to a minimum  but I couldn’t resist a scrap of lace layered with a piece of torn image (from the Transport Ephemera sheet) plus  a sequin with bead.If you click the link at the top of the post it will take you to Dezinaworld where  you will see the amazing creations from my fellow DT.  Lynne x

I Soar With New Possibilities

Transparent Wings and Wingless Ladies (link below)I did promise this morning that I would be returning for a second post today, this time it is the first of this week’s DT artwork for Dezinaworld incorporates two sheets, Wingless Ladies and Transparent Wings. Above you will see the images available on both sheets. The beauty of the Wingless Ladies and Transparent Wings is the flexibility, you have the freedom to use the ladies as they come, wingless or for a touch of whimsy create a set of wings for them.
For this piece of artwork I used pngs.  I had to laugh at June’s post as she printed my comment on using them, you could say I am converted! I wanted the lady printed onto photo paper but the wings onto transparency. Using this format it allowed me to work with the wings “attached” to the lady so that I could re-size to the correct dimension. Once they were the correct size I then went about saving the images and printing separately onto photo paper (lady) and transparency (wings).
The detail photograph of the lady shows the beauty of printing onto a transparency. It adds a sense of fragility.
She is standing on her own “lily pad”.I know that the art world stipulates that purple and lilac should be used with silver and pinks used with gold but to me, sometimes rules are there to be broken.
I painted the canvas with lilac acrylic before dry brushing gold acrylic.  Crafty Individuals flourish (CI-  182) was stamped with paint directly onto the canvas alternating between the lilac and gold paint. Once dry I added a flurry of pressed flowers.Snippets of lace stitched to a heart button and typed I Soar adorn the corner of the canvas.Tomorrow I have another Dezinaworld artwork to share using a different sheet of images. Lynne x

Where Sweetness Follows – Winner

Thank You to everyone who took the time to take part in my wee Giveaway to win this  notebook (with a little something extra). The winner’s name I randomly selected is Connie (Wax Beach Artist).Connie, I will contact you for your mailing.
If you liked the images I used on this notebook it is available from Dezinaworld and it comes as part of the Vintage  Collage Trio.
I will return in a moment with the first of this week’s DT artwork for Dezinaworld.
Lynne x

When She Smiles You Feel Loved

For The Stampsmith  this week I selected a stamp from the Thank Heaven For Little Girls #2. If you are a sucker for images of children then this plate is for you!For someone who doesn’t like the colour blue I certainly reach for this Ella Blue paper pad over and over. It doesn’t show on the photograph but I lightly tinted her dress and hair with chalks.
On this card two other stamp plates were used, Say It With Flair for the “Smiles and Love” sentimentand the Paris plate for the cancellation mark. The stamp is actually two linked cancellation marks but I only wanted a circle so cut around the part I wanted.Both were decorated with punched flowers and hearts.
A gentle reminder that the Autumn challenge is underway at The Stampsmith Challenge blog.
As well as the new DT members there will also soon be news of a new website, so lots of changes taking place at The Stampsmith but one thing that never changes, the quality of their stamps.
This is another busy week on my Blog as I will return on Tuesday with the winner of the notebook and also with the first of this week’s DT artwork for Dezinaworld. I cannot give you any hints other than to say that both projects are very different from each other. One final reminder, this is the final week for the Make A Tag challenge over at Fashionable Stamping Challenge.  Lynne x