Monday, 8 February 2016

Sunkissed

Hi Everyone!

 Here is my my first post about my designs over at Paperartsy

As you know I got an email from Darcy Williamson asking me to if I could produce some samples for her new stamp sets that are being released by Paperartsy. I adore these stamps - they were so much fun to use and amazingly versatile!

Here is the Stamp Set I used for this creation...


....and these are the Fresco Paint colours I worked with...


This stamp set actually became my favourite one. You can see that the stamp set (and tag) isn't my usual style - but I think that is why I ended up loving it so much! This stamp set showed me that I should never jump to conclusions about a style or image in my work and I should never think I am tied or set to one style or way of creating. This stamp set is now firmly one of my favourites - believe me it is so much more than just one set of images...You can do so much with it!!!



 I covered the tag with watered down Smurf Fresco Paint using a sponge. I then used the quote stamp dabbing it into Smurf Fresco paint that had been rolled out on a craft mat with a brayer. I stamped the quote multiple times across the tag in different directions. I love that this adds such a subtle texture interest to the background - such a simple but effective way to add something to a blank space.


 I then focused on the decorating of the tag. This was all done on separate card, cut out and then stuck onto the tag.

I made the sun out of the large flower with the leaves cut off. This was stamped with Jet Black archival ink onto card that had been sponged with watered down Tango Fresco Paint. I then used the largest of the circles and stamped with black ink onto card that had a less diluted coating of Tango Fresco paint. The rays of the sun were the segments of the angel wings, stamped onto card sponged with a light coating of Tango Fresco paint and then cut out. To match the dots on the darker center circle I got a marker pen and dabbed dots around the edge of the sun.


 The flowers were stamped onto card that had been sponged with Cherry Red Fresco paint. I cut out the flower heads and set them aside. I then stamped a second set of the flowers and using the large flower stamp, I inked just one of the petals and stamped around the edges of the flowers, leaving the lower two as flower buds. The flowers were then cut out ready to be stuck onto the tag, but first the flower 'centers' that had been set aside were stuck on to add dimension (and also hide any stamping messiness made by stamping the leaves into place!).


 I stamped the flower set onto the main tag using Baltic blue Fresco paint and then I glued the red flowers in place.


I added some leaves taken from the large main flower. These had been stamped onto card that had been painted with Baltic blue Fresco paint and then cut out.

I stamped the quote onto the tag with Jet Black archival ink and covered with clear embossing powder and heated.


 To complement the dots that are featured on the flower centers I added dotted swirls coming from the quote.


I dabbed some diluted Tango Fresco paint over some card and stamped some circles in jet black Archival ink, cut them all out and arranged them as the ground on the tag..




 And that is my finished tag....


I do hope you like it! Why not take a closer look at these gorgeous stamp sets that Darcy has designed. All these new stamps are available to buy now from a PaperArtsy retailer listed here.

 You won't regret adding any of them to your stamp collection!

I'll be back very soon with the next of my Paperartsy Creations....stay tuned!

Happy Crafting

Laura 

xxxxxxxxxxx





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Friday, 5 February 2016

Paperartsy Creations

Hi everyone!

      I am bursting with excitement here! 
Today I am featured over at Paperartsy!

 It is totally a dream come true...I am still pinching myself!

     A while ago I got an email from Darcy Wilkinson asking me if I would be interested in making some samples for her new stamp sets that are being released by Paperartsy - I didn't even need to see them or need any details to say yes! I was so thrilled to be asked. It is so wonderful to be asked to design some samples for such an important event as a stamp release.

     Darcy has designed amazing stamp sets that are so brilliant to use. I loved the stamps and had ideas popping into my head as soon as I saw them. I was thrilled that this was a time to really focus on the creativity of these stamps and showing what they can do - which is a way of thinking that I had never really done before - stamps were always images that are there to just be...stamped!

Now I was thinking "What can I do with this stamp?...what else can it be?" It added another fascinating dimension to creativity and I will certainly be bringing this into my work from now on...I LOVE thinking outside the box!....Thanks so much Darcy for totally encouraging me to forget rules!

All these new stamps are available to buy now from your favourite PaperArtsy retailer. 


     I had so much fun and I had some surprises along the way. The stamp set that I initially thought would be the most challenging to work with (purely because it wasn't 'me') actually became my favourite one. It certainly taught me that I should never jump to conclusions about a style or image....and that I should never think I am set in one style or way of creating. I think these beautiful  stamps have shown me that I am so much more than just some pastel flowers stuck on a wall hanging.

     Over at Paperartsy today you will see three of my samples. I was asked to pick my favourites but with stamps sets like this, that gave me so much scope to work with and such fun adaptable images, choosing a favourite creation made with them was nearly impossible! - In fact it was probably the most difficult thing of the whole job to choose the three! I loved all of them. ....

     Here is a sneak peek of some of the creations you will see.....


Would you like to see more? Check out this video....




I will be bringing you posts about each of the six creations featured here and how they were made during February. So if you see something you like over at Paperartsy (or in the 'sneak peek' pictures above) and you want more details, then stay tuned...there will be more info to come in the following posts.

        Hope you pop over to Paperartsy and see the wonderful creations everyone made with these gorgeous stamps!!!
           Thanks so much for being here and a HUGE thank you to Darcy and Leandra for the wonderful opportunity to appear at Paperartsy!

 Happy Crafting
Laura 
xxxxxxx



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Monday, 1 February 2016

Sew and Sew

Hi everyone!

    We have a new challenge over at Our Creative Corner and this time it is our wonderful Jan who is leading the way with.........

Sew and Sew

 Fabrics, wool, threads, lace - this months challenge is all about texture, layers and loveliness!

What scraps have you got hidden away? 

Any snippets of favourite clothes you can't bare to part with?

Anything sewing related can be used in your piece. 
You could use hand stitching or get out the sewing machine and don't worry if you are not a fan of sewing - why not try drawing in some fake stitches?  

Don't forget to get out your sewing themed stamps and dies.
Have fun and create something!



I have so many sewing themed stamps! I was well and truly in my comfort zone here! Of course you can use anything sewing related so I added some extras too....


I got a piece of card and stenciled a ledger stencil with Picket Fence DP. This got quite lost in the layers eventually but you can see hints of it here and there


Then I dabbed some Distress ink in Gathered Twig and Faded Jeans onto the craft mat and spritzed with water. I swirled the card in the ink and dabbed and dried the card until it had a lovely speckled look


I dabbed some Gathered Twigs DI through a damask stencil


I then got some stamps from a haberdashery set and stamped with 
Gathered Twigs DI and Potting Soil Archival ink


I added a strip of crochet lace across the card 


I covered a mannequin die cut with dictionary paper and dabbed Ground Espresso DI 
around the edge and then covered it with lace to form a dress




I added an ivory rose to the dress form and tinted it with dabs of 
Faded Jeans and Ground Espresso DI


I folded up some tissue tape to form a skirt


I cut a cotton reel die cut from card and dabbed with Ground Espresso DI and wound twine around it


I added a button and attached a scissor charm....


...and swirled the end of the twine across the card.


I dabbed some Nougat Fresco Paint around the edge of the card and then added faux stitches


I used twine to make a hanger



So there is my sewing hanger! I hope you will pop over to our Creative Corner to see what the rest of my wonderful team have made to inspire you!

I hope you will join in with us at Our Creative Corner this month with your sewing themed creations! 

Our sponsor this month is...



Why not enter and you could be our winner chosen at random! You could be our Top Talent at Our Creative Corner and you could get picked as one of our Top 3! So many ways to win but you got to be in it to win it!

Happy Crafting!

Laura
xxxx


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Friday, 8 January 2016

Winter Wonderland Spotlight



Hi everyone - It is Sponsor Spotlight time again at Our Creative Corner
Our generous sponsor this month is Creative Embellishments

  
 Come and join in this months challenge over at Our Creative Corner to be in with a chance of winning a fabulous prize!  - a $25 voucher to spend at their store!


And here for you is a sneak peek of today's spotlight....


If you are interested in finding out what I have made and how it was made then just hop 
 
Hope to see you over there!


 Happy Crafting 
Laura
 xxx

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Friday, 1 January 2016

A new year at Our Creative Corner

Hi everyone!

Over at Our Creative Corner it is our first challenge of the year. Our wonderful Claudia is running the show for this challenge and she has chosen the most amazing mood board for us!

Here is what she had to say about it....

Make Time

 Why not promise something good to yourself for the new year's start?

To make more quality time for yourself for example and spend it doing what you love? Creative time is quality time if you listen to your inner voice and follow your own speed instead of listening to the clock ticking and reminding you of deadlines or other duties. Other work will be done so much easier (and faster) after some recreational me-time as it will have fuelled up your energy! 

So escape the endless circling and rushing and get yourself in the right mood for some me-time...The mood board we have in store for you could be a good start.




Claudia challenges you to enjoy what you see and let yourself be inspired by it.
 There is no precise theme to narrow your creativity down - just the colours, shapes, directions, textures and hints of possible themes.




 I always seen to start of the New Year mojoless....perhaps it is because of the excitement of Christmas and that awareness of having to get back on track after celebrating....I always seem to greet my craft table with a bit of dread after the new year....unaware of how to get back to it all...

   So this challenge was wonderful!



I decided to focus on time...so I used a stamp set from Visible Image that was full of clocks and quotes.

     I started with a piece of card and covered it white acrylic paint through a clock stencil.


 I then blended some Distress inks using the colours from the mood board. I used Scattered Straw, Hickory Smoke, Iced Spruce, Stormy Sky and Tea Dye Distress inks (Distress inks covered the whole palette luckily!)


 I then stenciled another clock with Hickory Smoke Distress ink 


I began stamping - first stamping with some distress stains


And then stamping with Watering Can Archival ink


The quote was stamped with Jet Black Archival ink


I used Treasure Gold through a stencil for some barely there gold sheen in the corners


I stamped some clocks and covered them with a dab of Scattered Straw Distress ink


And I used some hemp string to add a hanger at the top


Hope you like my 'Make Time' hanger.....and I hope it inspires you to join in with the challenge!


Come over and see what else my wonderful team made to inspire you....they are worth taking a peek at! 

You could be the randomly drawn winner of our Sponsor prize this month -

 a $25 voucher kindly donated by 




You could also be our main winner and be invited to be our Top Talent! 
You could be one of our top 3! 

So come and make time to join in at Our Creative Corner this month!!

Happy Crafting!

Laura 
xxxxxxx
 

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