Jack Frost

Hello Everyone
A simple card to share with you which although simple, I was just as happy to see it published within the pages of the latest issue of The Stampers’ Sampler.
One of their annual challenge calls is Holiday Happenings and as it is a call I have tried to answer the past few years, I was keen to do so again. I submitted a variety of styles trying to work with the various stamp companies I am so very lucky to be connected with. Over the next few weeks I will share the various cards.
I happened to notice that Stampington & co shared this on their Facebook page otherwise I actually didn’t intend to write a blog post about it.
The stamps I used are noted below. The background is Gesso onto Kraft cardstock onto which I stencilled snowflakes with Maimeri irridescent paste
CI-363 Crafty Individuals and
Redlead – Stamp Some Tape:- Christmas Greeting and Snowflakes
If it wasn’t for the background, which is quite time consuming, this card would otherwise be a Take Ten style card but the background alone needs more than ten minutes which is why I submitted to The Stampers’ Sampler.
To heighten the sparkle and shimmer I also applied vintage mica flakes and diamond glass glitter.
This is the lovely Stamp Some Tape stamp.Thank You for visiting this scheduled post.
Wishes
Lynne

In The Woods Somewhere (The Stampers’ Sampler)

Hello Everyone
When Crafty Individuals released CI-429 I made this sample, HERE, for them but as I enjoyed making that card,  I decided to create a collection, with the intention to submit to The Stampers’ Sampler.
Delighted at realising they are published in the Oct/Nov/Dec issue of The Stampers’ Sampler, as a feature article called Nature Calls (I called them In The Woods Somewhere, a favourite track of mine from Hozier, actually I am slightly obsessed with all the tracks!).  Not only am I pleased that they liked the cards enough to publish them but they also photographed them so beautifully, staging one of the cards so perfectly for Autumn and emphasising the colours of the cards. For this post, unfortunately you only have my own photographs!
Washes of beautiful earthy tone Brushos form the backgrounds.  I knew I didn’t want any stamping on the backgrounds, the only stamping being the focals of the various tree images and aside from that, a sentiment.Along with the sense of Autumnal colours I wanted there to be textures so I added here and there, fragments of bark and also texture in the form of handmade papers and muslin, which were also stained with the Brushos.
For this card, I stamped the trees more than once, layering them to create a longer image to suit the cardbase.  When I look at this now, the background to the tree landscape almost has a stormy, brooding appearance compared to the first card.  I actually think this suits the dense appearance of the trees.  I still find Brushos to be slightly unpredictable so this was purely by chance.A mica tile layered partially over the trees, with a cluster of stained handmade paper, muslin and velvet ribbon attached to the lower corner.Normally when stamping onto tissue paper the idea is for the tissue paper to dissolve into the substrate, blending into the background but for this collection that wasn’t what I wanted.  I tried to ensure the edges were not adhered to bring another element of texture and I like the lightness it brings to the trees.This beautiful sentiment is from Darkroom Door.Brushos stain muslin and handmade papers so beautifully and allowed me to co-ordinate those little scraps with the backgrounds created.Thank you to The Stampers’ Sampler for publishing this collection and for sharing on their Facebook page.
As big a Thank You to those of you taking the time to visit this post, I really do appreciate all your visits.
Wishes
Lynne

Invincible Summer

Hello Everyone For my DT post over at That’s Crafty I have been playing with one of the beautiful new Dinky Stencil designs. The latest designs are as wonderful as the previous. This past week the DT have been sharing artwork with the stencils. Initially it was a keenness to play with one of the new Dinky Stencil designs but I just happened to have the Oxford Impressions stamp set which this quote comes from, lying out for another project.  Normally on a Sunday I only share a sneaky peek but to make some sense of the elements I brought together I thought I would share this. It was literally one of those moments when I saw this image in my mind’s of a woman, sitting in her garden on a winter’s day, with her back against a crumbling wall, the snowflakes drifting softly to the ground.  In her hands, a journal with scribblings past and present.  In the scene there is also a stack of logs set against a garden statue. Not so much a story but a vignette which for no apparent reason, appeared in my mind. The crackle paste represents the crumbling wall with snowflakes in the form of the stencilled snowflakes and piece of crochet which looks like a snowflake. The torn pieces of stamped script represent the jottings in the journal.  The Prima bark icon represents the stack of logs and the Prima Relics and Artifacts figure, the garden statue and the rusty wire symbolises the areas of neglect in the winter garden.  Finally the lace and buttons are the trimmings on her winter’s coat. For details then please visit HERE. Thank you for your visit. Wishes Lynne

Haunted Halloween

Hello Everyone
A quick post to share the news of the new challenge theme over at the That’s Crafty Challenge Blog, Haunted Halloween.

This Challenge will run until 7.55am on Friday 6th November.
The winner of the Challenge will receive a £20 voucher to spend in the on-line store.
To view the incredible DT samples and to read rules for entering your artwork, click the link at the top of this post.
Wishes
Lynne

Illuminate Your Heart In The Golden Hours

Hello Everyone
I am particularly drawn to words so it makes sense that I would be attracted to PaperArtsy Eclectica Sara Naumann designs.
There is such poetry in the words Sara brings to her stamp sets that makes them so appealing and just a little bit different.
The two cards I am sharing in this scheduled post are not DT commitments, they came about as I was in need of cards to send to friends.A sense of the timeless was what I wanted to achieve with both cards, working with an elegant colour palette of ivory and gold with touches of sepia,
each card containing the merest hint of old style elegance with stained papers and a hint of sparkle from the rhinestones, a piece of crushed velvet ribbon.When I gather ESN stamps, there is something meditative in having the stamps scattered around me as I look to create my own sentiments.  This sentiment was the one I came up with for the pendant tutorial HERE.
They are such simple cards withmere fragments of stamping appearing on found paper and subtle stamping onto the watercolour paper.
The Prima Relics and Artifacts seem such a perfect pairing with Sara’s words that I couldn’t resist sneaking them into the photographs!
Many thanks for taking the time to visit this post.
Wishes
Lynne

Flight of the Bats

Hello
For my DT post over at the That’s Crafty Blog, I have once again been having a play with one of their new Dinky Stencil designs, here is a sneaky peek.The full Dinky Stencil collection can be viewed HERE and my DT post with supplies and instructions can be viewed HERE.
Have a lovely Sunday
Wishes
Lynne

Nightcrawlers

Hello Everyone
Another Halloween piece to share with you featuring a stamp I have already played with for this Halloween, HERE.  I so wanted to ink up Mr Poe once again, this time for some playtime with a Calico Crafts Parts Halloween Shrine, MDF Flying Bat Colony and  MDF mini insects, decidedly creepy in themselves!
This might sound really dark and sinister, which isn’t really where my brain is at (!) but for this shrine I wanted a sense of claustrophobia, as though Poe is lying in a tomb and around him the insects silently crawl, spinning their webs and leaving their trails and above the bats swoop low on a midnight sky, illuminated by the golden glow cast by gaslight.
I decided from the outset that I wanted Poe himself to be set far back, I didn’t want him to appear as a stamped and fussy cut shape, I suppose I wanted to work with the depth of the shrine.  After preparing the base board with paints I stamped Poe, then stamped again, this time onto tissue paper which I layered onto the first image.  Onto this I applied the same paints and spray used throughout, before adding the decorative stamping. The shrines have such great depth, lots of room to play around in, so I sneaked in another MDF shape, this time a corner cobweb.
The detailing on those insects is amazing!With the paints and spray I achieved a mottled effect on all the MDF surfaces.
Included in the shrine kit is the MDF word, Spooky, the same as etched onto the shrine itself but I decided to keep it aside for another project.
This was the first time I had worked with a shrine (previously I had worked with one of their MDF shells) and although I was impressed with the shell, for some reason I was expecting a slight battle on my hands to assemble the shrine as often such items can be less than perfect when trying to fit them together.  I had nothing to worry about, a  touch of Gel Medium was all the adhesive I needed.Poe is from Oxford Impressions Haunted and the decorative stamp is from the Wicked set, available directly from Oxford Impressions and in the U.K. from That’s Crafty.
Many thanks for taking the time to visit this post.
A final word ….. Sweet Dreams!!!
Lynne

Hear The Owl Hooting

Hello Everyone
Recently I shared with you a Halloween card featuring Oxford Impressions stamps, in particular the 2015 Halloween release, Jack o’lantern. At the time of making that card I also made another with the same colours and along the same style. 
Jackie would rather stay indoors on Halloween, reading by the flickering light of the carved lantern, munching away on candy treats but her pet owl, Owlie is desperate for some Halloween fun and mischief.   Jackie dons a battered old hat in the hope of at least looking as though she has made some attempt at dressing up for Halloween, picking up the lantern to light their way as they walk through the field of pumpkins in search of opportunities to shout “Boo”.  Stained piece of bunting with a stamped pumpkin.I so love the font of this stamp.Tucked behind the main tag on the card isa wee tag featuring a stamped Halloween poem.Thank You for visiting this scheduled blog post and I have to apologise for not having stopped by your own blogs. I hope to catch-up with you soon.
Wishes
Lynne

Shine, It Is Never Too Late

Hello Everyone
Monday saw the release of some fabulous new Dinky Stencils and as you can imagine, all of the DT have been playing with the new releases for their DT posts.
This is a sneaky peek at my offering over at the That’s Crafty Blog this Sunday.Project, supply list and instructions can be viewed HERE.
Wishes
Lynne

The Star In The East

Hello Everyone
I have some festive samples to share with you which I created with two of the latest Crafty Individuals releases.
On receiving CI-448 Star In The East I knew I wanted to work with sandy tones with shimmer provided from hints of metallics here and there.  If I were making the cards all over again I would mat them onto watercolour paper but isn’t that just the way of it. The cards ended up being more heavy handed than I had in my mind.  I might go back to them another time.
In real life the cards catch the light but haven’t quite done so in the photographs, hopefully you get a gist.On each card I decided to also work with the Festively Curly Word Elements set.
All the papers were painted, the darker piece, re-cycled Kraft packing paper which I stained with Frescos, Brushos and metalics, with torn pieces of painted deli paper and finally the sentiment and focal stamp, stamped onto painted watercolour paper.  There is a wash of metallic paint onto the watercolour paper, not that you can see that. My dear friend Dorthe gifted some beautiful fabric, in my ignorance I cannot tell you if it is a satin or silk.  It is a gorgeous copper colour with a lovely hint of green.
The second sample is slightly more restrained and out of the three.  I made this one first but at the time I thought I needed the addition of mica flakes so marched on ahead adding the flakes to the other two samples.  When I looked at them as a trio, I feel I should have stepped away from the mica flakes!This little detail is the star on the focal stamp, stamped on a scrap piece of the painted watercolour paper, with a coil made from rusty wire to embellish the centre of the star.The third and final sample. Once again with a Festively Curly Word.Although I prefer neutrals, I would also like to try this stamp with a more jewel like colour palette as the stamped image might work quite well with such colours.
Thank you for your time in visiting this blog post. I know Christmas seems such a long way off and I haven’t given much thought to my own Christmas card/gift making but as those stamps are new releases I thought I would go ahead and share now.
Wishes
Lynne