Spring Days & Meadow Flowers Part II

Hello Everyone
A short post which is Part II to the previous post.Another card featuring CI-395,  which is an  Elements set designed by Linda Edwards for Crafty Individuals.
A jumble of textures such as those noted for the card on the previous post along with a jute bow with the  flower stamped onto a panel which had Gesso applied followed by Twinkling H20s.The cards I made for this wee collection are variation on a theme with a similar composition echoed on each card and each background made with the same supplies.
I wish I was able to capture the twinkle of the H20s on the panel.So today sees the last day in the month of February. Is it whizzing past for everyone else or am I the only one who finds that a week is becoming shorter as each year passes!
Tomorrow, March 1st I will be sharing the first of my Giveaways, it would be lovely and appreciated if any of you wanted to join the Giveaway.
In the meantime, thank you for your visit to this post and all your visits and comments for this month.
Wishes
Lynne

Spring Days & Meadow Flowers

Hello Everyone
This past month I inked up for the first time Crafty Individuals CI-395, an Elements set designed by Linda Edwards consisting of flowers which have a lovely naive, quirky style to them.
I intended to show my samples in one post but realised it would be a very long (and possibly boring!) post so have decided to split them, sharing one at a time, with card no. 1 in this post.Since working on the canvas for Gecko Galz (see HERE) I have been enjoying playing with the Twinkling H20s which had been tucked away for too long.   In fact they will now be popping up here, there and everywhere, they were prominent on the butterfly canvas in Sunday’s post and they also make an appearance in my first ever art journal page (that is for another day).
You might be able to see the texture paste I applied through a stencil, not covering all of the watercolour paper as I wanted it to be random.
I remember when I first received this set from Jean and Malcolm I was thinking along the lines of creating a design that would see me use several of the flowers, building a meadow as the stamp name suggests but really, for me, I preferred singling out a flower at a time and making it the focal.
The colour palette is soft but rich in texture from the texture paste/stencil on the watercolour paper panel to the stained gauze, burlap, painted book text and that torn piece of found paper which was brought to life with the H20s and some other media.  That paper will be turning up in quite a few projects as I was so happy with the results.The postal stamps were just what I needed to add some extra stamping to this card.Thank you, as always for your visit to this post.
Wishes
Lynne

Looking for a new challenge?

Hello Everyone
I have some exciting news to share with you.
A new challenge blog has been set up by That’s Crafty!
The first challenge will start on Friday 7th March at 8.00am with the theme of  ‘Anything Goes’.
If you are interested in the chance of winning a £20 gift voucher to spend at the That’s Crafty on-line shop then all you need do is enter your artwork at the challenge blog but not before 7th March.
Click the above link if you are interested.
Happy Creating.
Lynne

Garden Friends (Published)

Hello Everyone
Recently I shared two cards from a collection published in Stampington & co’s Take Ten, Under The Sea.  In the same issue I was delighted to see another feature, again with Oxford Impressions stamps in use on the cards, this time a collection using Oxford Impressions’ Bird’s Nest (also available in the U.K. from That’s crafty)
I won’t share all the cards here, I’ll only share two out of the four from the English Country feature.  Strange they titled it English Country as the text on the stamps is actually French!Once I submit anything whether it be cards, canvas, wall hanging, etc, I never request that the artwork be returned. This means that when I have rushed to photograph my submissions (as in this case) I cannot re-take the photographs. For the cards here the colours aren’t true. The photographs have a grey pallor which I tried altering in photo editing but I wasn’t able to achieve  the colours I was aiming for.Anyway, a quick post to start this brand new week and what I cannot believe, the last week in the month of February. This year looks to be passing by just as quickly as 2013!
Have a great week and I will probably return sooner than normal with my second post of the week.
Wishes
Lynne

Nature’s Jewel

Hello Everyone
I hope you are having a lovely weekend.
Today it is time for me to share a sneaky peek of my DT project over at the That’s Crafty Blog. The full project can be viewed at the That’s Crafty blog along with instructions and supply list.
Many thanks for your visit to this post and for all your visits and lovely comments this past week.
Wishes
Lynne

Nature’s Serenity

Hello Everyone
Nature is the theme of this post where I am sharing a canvas created for Darkroom Door with the beautiful Etched Flowers stamp set. On receiving this stamp set I knew immediately what my first project would be, a canvas displaying all three Etched Flowers stamps.
I wanted a rustic feeling to this canvas but also to incorporate a prettiness to it with the inclusion of lace and a soft, muted, neutral colour palette, I also wanted it to be heavy on texture from the softness of mulberry paper to the more robust burlap and everything in-between.
The supplies I used, other than the Darkroom Door stamps I won’t be noting here. This canvas will appear on the Darkroom Door Blog with steps and supplies so you can understand why I don’t want to duplicate here when it isn’t a requirement from Darkroom Door. I seem to favour mulberry paper when it comes to stamping lace.More texture, a jute bow and fragment of bark and found paper.This is why painted book text is one of my most favoured stamping surfaces, I love the way the text peeks through the stamped image.Serenity seemed the perfect choice of word to add to this canvas. This word is from another stamp set, Prague Collection Vol. 1.Moving along the canvas to the final Etched Flower. Thank you for visiting this post. I have fallen behind with visiting your own blogs but hope to catch-up with you soon.
Wishes
Lynne

Tea Dresses and Steam trains

Hello Everyone
In a recent post I shared with you the new releases from Crafty Individuals.  It has been interesting to read that many of you zoomed in to the manuscript as a favourite.  The one I have inked up first is the Chunky Steam train Tag. For a fleeting moment I planned on a masculine style card for stamp CI-404 but before I knew it I had visions of something more feminine in style.
The romance of old steam trains conjures up images from old movies such as Brief Encounter, which no matter the generation we were born  we have all seen such clips, of couples waiting to be re-united or saying their goodbyes to loved ones.  Although this was very much in my mind especially with the Crafty Individuals challenge of A Fine Romance, my thoughts also turned to the era when women were starting to enjoy more freedom.  The female at the centre of my card could be caught up in the romance of travel, as the image states

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all”

It is a beautiful collage style stamp with the steam train obviously taking centre stage but there is also a pretty decorative border, script and a London postal mark which I repeated with a stamped postal mark  (CI-124)tucked behind the tag.Beneath the stamped train tag I created a border with one of the Crafty Individuals Elements sets, lace, an absolute favourite of mine.Let me take a step back for a moment by sharing my background.
This photograph shows it to be more a purple tone where it is in actual fact nearer to the other photographs, a mix of raspberry, Victorian Velvet Distress Stain and one of my own handmade sprays and a very diluted wash of coffee.   I then stamped the steamtrain with Tattered Rose which created a very subtle pattern but I liked how the edging of the tag provided almost a grid on the background.  I then gathered a bundle of postal marks, postcard scripts, a lovely  script and randomly stamped the background.She thinks herself rather daring as she waits on the platform for the imminent arrival of the steam train to take her to London for a jaunt to meet with friends for a spot of afternoon tea. Annoyingly for Rose, as she steps up  onto the train she snags her pretty floral dress

(The fragments of floral fabric with the rose stained seam binding conjured up images of tea dresses.)
Another cluster of tickets and again the London postal mark makes as appearance.
(The frame is also from Crafty Individuals, the perfect size for layering with their images.)
A day trip to London this may well have been but somehow I doubt if Rose’s life will ever be the same again, this girl has the spirit to make her life a daring adventure.
So now you know which stamp won my attention for the first ink up!
I hope you like this card and my feminine spin on the steam train stamp.
Thank you as always for your visit.
Wishes
Lynne
I am able to view my photographs! Not sure where the blip was but happy that all is well ….. until the next time!

Maiden Voyage (Published)

Hello Everyone
This post relates back to December when I received a surprise issue of Somerset Studio Gallery. I have already shared one of the pieces published (HERE) which shared the page with this other piece, an altered suitcase with the theme of the Titanic using the beautiful Oxford Impressions Maiden Voyage stamp plate.The glamorous woman is a passenger aboard the Titanic, draped in furs we can tell she is a woman of wealth, possibly a New York socialite.Surrounded by a bottle of champagne, I can imagine her sipping a glass or two at the Captain’s table.
Behind her is a fragment of sheet music to represent “the music played on” as the Titanic plunged to the ice depths.
Although her story is laid out before us I always like that there are questions unanswered, for us to decide if her story continues, was she one of the survivors on that fateful night or is it a sadder ending to her tale.
I was thrilled to see it make the pages of Somerset Studio Gallery, it was a project I enjoyed working on as it was the first time I had inked up the Maiden Voyage stamp plate.
Wishes
Lynne

Sand Between Your Toes

Hello Everyone
I hope you are able to view the photograph in this post as I am unable to do so.When I upload photographs, for some reason, I am unable to view them.  Not sure if this is a wordpress issue or an issue with my laptop.
Today signals my turn to share a DT post at That’s Crafty.  If you visit The That’s Crafty Blog you will see detail photographs, supply list and also full instructions.
I would like to enter this project into the Artistic Outpost February Referral.

This is a double sided project, one side with the bathing belle the other side depicting the gentleman bather. It is so tricky creating Blog posts when the images are not visible! Anyway, so long as you can view the photographs that is all that matters as I don’t want any of you having a wasted visit.
If you would like to view detail photographs of this project then please visit the That’s Crafty Blog.
Have a lovely Sunday.
Wishes
Lynne

Devoted Hearts

Hello Everyone
If you are a fan of Crafty Individuals then you probably know that we have a challenge underway, A Fine Romance. You can create anything:- a Valentine’s card, tag, altered art, wearable art, anything so long as you create to the theme and use at least one Crafty Individuals product on your entry. Five winners will be selected with the prize of a stamp of your choice from Crafty Individuals. All details for entering are available at Jean’s Crafty Individuals blog.
For my team sample I created this fabric wall hangingThe Crafty Individuals image is from one of their fabulous image books.  I re-sized the image then transferred it onto TAP (available from Crafty Individuals).
It is so easy to get swept away with the romance of this image.  I imagine her each day awaiting the arrival of the post eager to receive a letter from her beau who is serving in the Army and stationed in France.
I used the image as a springboard for which stamps I would incorporate into the fabric hanging.  Obviously hearts were going to feature heavily. This heart is from one of Crafty Individuals older collage stamps, I believe it is now discontinued, featuring a romantic couple with a damask heart below them.  Peddling backwards for a moment I should start with the actual background.  After staining the cotton I selected one of the decorative hearts from an Elements set.This is quite a large fabric panel that the collage created with the Crafty Individuals image and stamped could easily have become lost plus I also wanted to balance the two stamped hearts so I cut free-hand this large shabby heart.The stamped script represents the handwritten script on the image. The exchange of letters declaring their love for each other. Roses and flowers representing the flowers he has gifted to her during their courtship, flowers she saved by pressing them amongst the pages of her beloved books, the pages now scented with the perfume from the petals.
The treasured pendant she wears every day is the gift he presented to her as they said their tearful farewells on the platform of the station where they pledged their love for each other. The Crafty Individuals Elements set that consists of lace stamps is a firm favourite of mine and you will often see me using it.
In the photograph you can see more clearly the lace border incorporated in the image.Finally nestled amongst more lace is a Paris postal mark. Why not share your romantic artwork with us at the Crafty Individuals Challenge.
Thank you for your visit to this post, your visits always appreciated.
Wishes
Lynne