The Heart of Childhood (for Calico Craft Parts GD)

Hello
A scheduled post to share my second and final project as a GD for  Calico Craft Parts blog.
All the details can be found at the Calico Craft Parts blog, along with the inspiration for this piece, HERE, the way the Character Constructions stamp inspired my selection of Calico Craft Parts.

Stamps:- Character Constructions Inner Child No. 4
PaperArtsy Infusions – staining the Calico Craft Parts heart, sari ribbon, trims and more.
Thank you to Calico Craft Parts for having me as a GD.  It is always a privilege to be involved with a company, even if only for the shortest of time, working with products I genuinely admire.
It has been a busy week with lots of scheduled posts, so thank you to any of you who have taken the time to stop by, it is genuinely appreciated by me.
Wishes
Lynne

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She Is An Artist (Somerset Studio Gallery)

Hello
In the latest issue of Somerset Studio Gallery, Winter 2017, amongst the items I am so very lucky to have published, is this shrine to Frida Kahlo.

Yes, this is quite removed from my regular colour palette but I wanted to work with the Frida theme and knew I had to attack this with colour.

On this shrine, two Sandra Evertson Relics & Artifacts appear.  They can be purchased from That’s Crafty or directly from Sandra’s site.

The shrine is from Calico Crafts Parts

PaperArtsy Metal Card was perfect for this project, painted with Frescos.  The stamped shrine and Frida are Oxford Impressions stamps El Corazon with the panel behind, the stamped words, from Redlead Paperworks.

The stamped sentiments are all fussy cut, after again stamping onto the painted metal card,  from the She Makes Art stamp – this stamp is a “must” in my eyes!

Two Sandra Evertson Relics & Artifacts were used on this shrine.  This is the smallest heart from the Flaming Hearts Ex Votos I set

The shrine has amazing depth to play around in.  I incorporated this arch shaped panel which was a piece of “waste” from the shrine – expect nothing is waste for a crafter!

Another Relics & Artifacts tops the shrine, this time from Ex Votos II, although this particular R&A can be found within a few of the packs.

On the left and right sides, after I had painted and carried out some distressed stamping, I stencilled two wonderful sentiments from Redlead.  She Shares Her Story is the stencil and if you love sentiments with a positive feel to them, then a visit to Redlead is a must.

I actually made this in 2015 to submit to Stampington and Company.  Some might say that is a long wait until publication, winter 2016, but for me, there is such fun in opening a magazine and making the discovery of a project that I had actually forgotten all about!

Thank you so much for your visit.

Wishes

Lynne

A Huddle of Kindly Witches (Somerset Studio)

Hello.
I am sharing a trio of kindly witches, they do not mean you any harm.
The trio are still bubbling over with the excitement of making an appearance in Somerset Studio (Sep/Oct issue).  They are aware that if it were not for some generous people, they would not have the opportunity to make this appearance so shout-outs to Catherine Moore Character Constructions, Redlead Paperworks and Oxford Impressions along with a thank you to Anne Redfern who kindly gifted me some pumpkin die-cuts.

Supplies:-
Character Constructions stamps
Oxford Impressions stamps
Redlead Paperworks – Halloween Collage Sheet Skirts
Calico Craft Parts – Bats
Height 10″ approx
To add interest to the wings I scribbled Halloween related words. A lace rose painted for it to co-ordinate and a scrap of stained seam binding tied at her waist.BOO is an Oxford Impressions stamp which I decided to form into a flag banner, her pet bat catches a free ride by clinging to the banner!Each witch perches atop a spool.  I should mention that the skirts for each witch, they are available from Redlead Paperworks, all links at top of post.No. 2
This time the hat was made in the same way as the wings, drawn free hand before cutting and scribbling Halloween related words.
A Calico Craft Parts MDF bat becomes a pendant for her to wear.She clutches a pumpkin in her hand.The final witch. All the faces, arms and torso were stamped onto stained cardstock.Another pumpkin with another MDF bat making an appearance.
None of the dolls are articulated but I do like to angle the arms, it brings more character to the paper dolls by doing so.Thank you for your visit to this post.  I hope to share some more drafted posts throughout this week, a mixture of projects.
Wishes
Lynne

Bewitched (The Stampers’ Sampler)

Hello
Today I am sharing a trio of Trick or Treat bags which were published in The Stampers’ Sampler.
On each bag, the focal is a paperdoll comprising stamps from Character Constructions. Each doll is made of many elements so they are time consuming but they are so much fun to make, it’s very relaxing to gather all the fussy cut elements and enjoy the process of assembling the paper doll.
There is nothing sinister about the witches, they are all kindly witches with the merest hint of mischief in their eyes!The wonder of the Character Constructions stamps, mixing and matching allows the stamper to transform the dolls to suit any occasion.  Soon I will share a trio of paper doll angels which use many of the Character Constructions stamps featured here.
Alongside Character Constructions stamps, I also inked up Redlead Paperworks stamps for the stamping on the tags and Halloween banner with Oxford Impressions stamps also featuring.Some stained ribbon, a cluster of tags (painted cardstock, stamped and paper punched with a tag punch) and also some torn tulle adorn a handle.
The sentiments are from Redlead Paperworks. A fun stamp set for Halloween with a quirky collection of sentiments.Each bag is a kraft bag painted with PaperArtsy Frescos trimmed with lovely black velvet ribbon or black sparkly ribbon.The piece of lace rose trim was painted to co-ordinate with the painted bag and painted cardstock (used as a stamping surface).This piece of orange/copper fringing was lying around, it just had to adorn one of the bags.She clutches a banner …. BOO!The Witching HourA wee bat from Calico Crafts Parts rests on her necklace.
The moon lights her way.
This moon is from Oxford Impressions.  You can source Wicked, the stamp set this moon is from along with a selection of other Oxford Impressions Halloween stamps at That’s Crafty.Thank you for visiting this post. I am nearing the end of my Halloween makes.
I hope you are all having a good start to the week.
Wishes
Lynne

Nevermore (Somerset Studio)

Hello Everyone
Halloween and I were not a natural fit, it took me some time as a stamper before I felt comfortable with Halloween, it was Oxford Impressions stamps which opened my mind and it is because of Oxford Impressions that I have a considerable amount of Halloween related stamps!
This  Poe inspired assemblage shrine happens to be one of the pieces which appears in the latest issue of Somerset Studio.  The actual shrine is from Calico Craft Parts, that does not include the spool, I added the spool with all stamps from Oxford Impressions Haunted set and is available in the U.K. from That’s Crafty.A quick photo of the shrine/assemblage in Somerset Studio.
I decided I wanted Poe set right at the back, adding to the sense of unease from the insects crawling towards and over him.
As the instructions are printed in Somerset Studio, I don’t want to include them here.

There is beautiful depth to play with on this shrine.  I added the cobweb as a midway layer.
The spool was my own addition, painted with the stained and stamped calico bringing detail to the spool.
Thank you for your visit. I hope I am not swamping you with Halloween artwork!
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

The Mermaid and the Seahorse

Hello Everyone
A wee while ago I received the most beautiful stamp set from Oxford Impressions, Mystical Mermaids. (also available from That’s Crafty) So far I have only shared one piece of artwork, at the That’s Crafty blog.
As soon as I saw the Calico Craft Parts shell (in the largest size) I knew it was the perfect substrate for a Mystical Mermaid.  I had never made a purchase from Calico Craft Parts before so wasn’t sure what to expect regarding quality of the pieces.  I am not affiliated with Calico Craft Parts in any way but I have to say that the MDF was a joy to work on.  On the shell, there is a lovely, not quite sure how to describe other than an etched design into the shell which even with the application of paint, you can still see that outline.  I didn’t use Gesso to prep the surface, I simply dived right in and applied the paints.There she rests, perched upon a starfish as she ponders life at the bottom of the ocean, with the sway of the coral around her.  Her hair glistens from the fish scales which become trapped within the tangle of the waves of her hair.Three or so paint colours were applied onto the shell, a mixture of Frescos and also Martha Stewart metallic acrylics with a hint of mica flakes for added shimmer.The seahorse is her friend and confidant.  The time whiles away as she shares her secrets, her fears and her hopes to the seahorse.A jumble of sea related items including stamped shells, all resting on a piece of driftwood.
Thank you for visiting this blog post.  I always read comments left, so thank you.
Wishes
Lynne