Clock Watching

When I saw that the Take A Word challenge for next week was going to be 'Clocks' I immediately knew what I was going to do, until I started to make it.  I didn't like how it was going , so it was dispatched to the recycle bin and I began again, and so happy I did.  The results of my second effort are below :)
If you would like to see a time lapse video, you can see it on YouTube by clicking here.  (I'm only just learning how to record and edit videos, so please be kind :)

Time Flies when I'm having fun

I enjoyed playing with this one, I even got to include some polymer clay for the arms!  If you look closely there is a tiny 'diamond' ring on the 4th finger of the right hand :)

The piece is made of very heavy weight card stock, sprayed with Dylusion Inks and than stamped in many layers with Archival Inks.  The outer clock is from white card stock, dry embossed with a clock and gears design and then painted with Lumiere Halo Blue Gold, then the high points rubbed with Golden Iridescent Bronze.  The arms were from a fairy mold, and the other bits and pieces were ephemera from my stash.

My Heavy Metal Band

In mid-July I entered my first ever ATC swap with the theme of 'metal.  The swap has now been completed and I can post my cards on the blog.

Metal ATC Swap

We only had to send one card but I decided to make four in total of which I sent two.  The cards I sent were 'Gold' and 'Iron'.  The base is Neenah white card stock, rubbed with Distress Ink in Pumice and Rust then splashed with water.  The letters are chipboard and coated in various embossing enamels or iron filings, before being adhered to the card stock.  The card stock was then glued to mat board to give them a sturdy feel and to add to the visual strength.

The Rust ATC is intentionally coloured in the opposite of the other three cards.  I really love these as a set and am thinking of remaking the two I sent out and framing them for my wall.

Shades of Grey?

For the Three Muses challenge this week we were invited to do something with Black, White and a touch of....

I decided to use a touch of love, since I'm making this for my daughter.
Starting with a white IKEA box and using drawing pens 01, 03 and 05 I began to Zentangle (doodle) on all sides and lid of the box.

Altered IKEA box - Zentangle

I couldn't believe how long this piece took to create.  The lid alone was over 4 hours, but maybe I'm just slow.

I followed an almost organic theme, with seeds, flowers, roots, leaves and branches coupled with the usual zentangle doodles.

Box Lid

You can see the video of some of the lid being drawn and the completed box in close up at YouTube

Home Sweet Home

The challenge this week at Take A Word  is 'Tattered'.

I had visions of an old stately home, that was beyond it's best, with  vestiges of former grandeur still visible but now on the tattered side.  I set about trying to recreate my vision in mixed media.

Home Sweet Home

The face image is from Stampers Anonymous coloured with Inktensils and Promarkers, with a light crackle applied.  The coloured 'fabric' is Claudine Hellmuth sticky backed canvas rubbed and stamped with various Distress Inks before spraying with water. Blue distressed paper was stamped with a french blue chandelier and clear embossed before being layered onto silver mirri card, to give the sense of a mirror reflecting into the room.

Back ground card stock was clear embossed before applying a weak wash of Tattered Rose distress ink and drying, then re-dipping.

The lace was white but dyed with Walnut stain distress ink and then quickly rinsed in clear water to fade it.

Fly me to the moon

Last week we went to visit Salisbury and while there, decided to look at the Cathedral.  As I was admiring the stained glass window, I saw the perfect image for the 'Take a Word' challenge for this week - Wings.
I did this postcard size piece for the challenge, but have other ideas in mind for this image from the window.

Wings of Steel

The paint I used as the basic background is Halo Pink Gold by Lumiere, which is beautiful in real life but terribly difficult for me to photograph.   On top of the pink gold, I stamped feathers in Archival Brown, and dragonfly and a small swirl in Archival Magenta.  The wings of the little man are coated with a clear glaze pen by Sakura.  there are other squiggles done with various colours of Sakura glaze pen too.

Wings of Steel close-up

I am just editing a video I took of this being made and I'll post a link here as soon as it's up.

Box 533 is leaving the station!

I have been thinking for a while that I would like to make a YouTube video and decided that I would make a rusty box to show the rust technique.  This is my first video and I should have chosen something simpler!

The video was originally over 1.5 hours but with some editing and pruning (thanks Cpt Slow) it's now down to a manageable 11 minutes.  This is all completely spontaneous, and other than knowing I was making a rusty box, the rest of the design hadn't formed before I started (another lesson for next time)

Here is what I made:

Small Rusty Box No. 533

It really reminds me of part of a train :)
It is quite odd, seeing myself working for the first time.  Feel free to smile and laugh.

You can also view it on YouTube

Finding Nemo, or other random bits

A few weeks ago I entered an ATC swap with the theme of maps ( at the Willowing site.)  I thought of many concepts from mind maps, phrenology, treasure maps, undergrounds maps, it just went on and on.  I finally decided that the theme from me evoked images of pirate treasure and the days of sailing ships. My partner for the swap has now received the cards so I thought I would share on here.
We had to produce two ATCs that were in similar style but not exactly the same.  My first card was titled 'Lost at Sea'.

Lost at Sea

I used Neenah white card stock and stamped it with an old map in Sepia Archival Ink.  I then brushed Antique Linen distress ink over the whole front of the card.  And finally stamped the splatter stamp also in sepia colour, to make it even more distressed.
The shells are Paua fragments, the starfish is a metal embellishment I covered in brownish paint.  The net is made from muslin, I dyed with Forest Moss distress Ink.

Lost at Sea close-up

The second card I think I called 'Treasure Haul.'  The same treatment for the map and the net but instead of sea life and shells I attached what is meant to look like treasure: gold mica flakes, coins of various types, some sparkly bling bits in blue and diamante.  I finished it off with a length of chain and some small keys.

Treasure Haul

A much better photo of the 'treasure'

I really must do something about either my photography or my camera, things are so much better when you can see them correctly.

Tickled by a feather

A few days ago I was looking through my stamps and saw the "Feather" set from Hero arts that I've never used.  I took it out and left it on the edge of my craft table.  Today while I was cleaning up my craft mat, I decided I would make a card with it.
The reason I gave up card making was because I would agonise about the design for hours, but today felt different and it was - the card was made in 10 minutes, and it's clean and simple!!

Very Clean and Simple Card

I stamped the feather in Versamark ink on Neenah white card stock and then dusted with bonding powder.  Starting with a hot heat gun I very quickly heated the bonding powder until it just changed shade (too long and the adhesive properties diminish).
I applied some Jones Tones foil in a peacock type colour range which has also been in my stash for years.  Rubbed over the top gently with the bone folder and pulled the backing away, voila!

Metallic shine from the foil

I mounted it on more Neenah white card stock that I coloured around the edges with Worn Lipstick distress inks.  The sentiment is from Indigo Blue Travel plate stamped in Archival Ink Deep Purple.
Adding some lilac polka dot ribbon to the mount card, I made a false bow on the front.

Take a peek inside

To finish it off inside I added a row of pen nib stamps from Indigo Blue in Magenta Hue.

I don't think I will ever have a need for this card so I will donate it to the Heart Foundation Card Drive.