He needed retail therapy

Oh boy...what an interesting theme Simon Says Stamp & Show chose this week...'Men Only'.  Now I know many of you will be thinking of Tim Holtz' stamps and stuff.  However, I looked at my collection of Studio 490 stamps and had an 'aha!' moment.  The removal of one letter (s) can make such a difference...lol!

I had all my distress re-inkers in a cardbox that fit them just perfectly.  But it needed something other than the label from the dentist's office (where I got the box).  How about a fella?  Got the shirt on top, the pants on the bottom, nice pocket watch, but in obvious need of a pocket protector!  Oh well.

Yes, the button placket and pocket have been stitched on my trusty Kenmore sewing machine.  The buttons are vintage - got to use them sometime, why not now?  The ink stain is courtesy of a blop from the Frayed Burlap distress stain bottle.  'Oops' is a Studio 490 stamp in Coffee archival ink.  A bit of chipboard was colored with Silver paint dabber so I could stamp the pen nib in Jet Black archival ink.  I curled it a bit to look real then glued it on using Claudine Hellmuth's Multi-Medium.  All around the shirt, placket, pocket have been edged with Frayed Burlap distress ink.

Nice belt, dude!  Some Bazzill cardstock was cut and shaped and punched, edged with Frayed Burlap distress ink.  The belt loops were faux stitched with a black Sharpie.  The Rubber Stampede pocket watch was stamped using Jet Black archival ink on more chipboard painted silver.  The watch face has a coating of Glossy Accents on it.  The chain is from a multi-strand necklace I picked up along the way.

Inside the pocket is a Studio 490 chipboard pencil, stamped in Jet Black archival ink.  It was colored with yellow, red and green distress inks.  A #5 tag with the sentiment stamped in Jet Black archival ink, the ink bottle in Olive archival ink and the blank lines in Coffee archival ink (Hero Arts) are for the list of reinkers to get on my next shopping trip!  The tag was edged with Frayed Burlap distress ink.

Studio 490 stamp sets:  Destination Art (ink bottle, oops), Art Is Theraputic (text with 's' blocked out), Speaking Of Art (pencil, pen nib)

No more boring cardboard box for my distress re-inkers!

Shown by appointment only

Just got some more Wendy's latest stamp sets and this one caught my eye because I just love the houses stamps and it works perfectly with them!  This week on the EWV Yahoo group the Making Art27  challenge is to use a small stamp repeatedly as a background stamp.  It's hard to see but I've stamped the sentiment in Snow Cap pigment ink, heat set, then smudged green and blue distress inks over it so it's more of a ghost image in the background.  I did stamp over one of them with Cobalt archival ink for easier recognition and felt it worked into my design plan.

close up of ghost image technique

**Studio 490 stamps:  Art By Hand, Homemade Art, Mail Art
**Hero Art stamps:  misc. alphabet (4 sale)
**Ranger:  Snow Cap pigment ink; Peeled Paint, Forest Moss, Tumbled Glass, Broken China, Stormy Sky, Faded Jeans, Chipped Sapphire, Gathered Twigs, Ripe Persimmon, Seedless Preserves distress inks; Cobalt, Jet Black, Olive, Coffee, Monarch Orange archival inks; Picket Fence distress stain; Frayed Burlap distress stickles; Butterscotch, Lettuce, Terra Cotta, Currant, Latte Adirondack markers (tree leaves); Crackle Accents
**Tim Holtz: Mini Tickets, Lock & Key dies
**Spellbinders:  Octagon and Scalloped Octagon dies
**Misc:  #8 tag, shrink plastic, Martha Stewart ribbons, twine, wood pick, chipboard, cardstock

Home is where you find comfort and rest...whether it's on the market or not.

Simple cards for fall

Here's a simple card for fall that I made yesterday.  The Hero Arts blocks were stamped using Ranger Butterscotch and Terra Cotta pigments inks; the Hero Arts sentiment in Coffee archival ink.  The leaf is a Spellbinders die that was colored with various fall colors of distress inks.

This card was made similarly; the pear is also a Spellbinders die.

I'm a very happy camper when using this autumnal color palette!

Welcome the autumnal equinox!

In the dark morning hours the autumnal equinox crept in.  But I was waiting for it.  I got my front porch decorated the other day and wanted to share it with all of you.  No, I didn't make anything here, just did all the combining of faux pumpkins, gourds, leaf garlands, flowers, etc.  In the near front left is a large rusty pumpkin face; his smile is an old rake head.  Behind it is a rusty tricycle (for decoration only).  The chair has no bottom but I did wrap the seat in chicken wire and coir matting so plants can sit in it.  The old rusty shovel has been painted with 'Autumn Thyme' and has a fall garland winding up the handle.  An old pair of canvas garden gloves are tied to the handle.

Fall...my favorite time of year

and it's nearly here!  Fall arrives at 4:05 CDT Friday, September 23rd.  Can't wait!  It's a perfect day to pull down holiday decorations and get them displayed.  But how about I start with an inside decoration first? 

This chunky ATC was made for the Simon Says Stamp & Show blog.  This week's theme is to make an ATC.  I used to make tons of these and stopped for a while but when I saw chunkies, I knew I was ready to make more but in 3-D.


Front

 I started out painting my wood block (a 2"x4" isn't really 2x4 but 1.5x3.5x 2.5) with some distress stains and gesso.  Tim's new seasonal distress inks were used on the edges.

Ingredients:
*Studio 490 Art Parts - heart, flower; stamps:  Just Word Art, Lower Case Art, Nature's Art, Tools Of Art

*TH kraft glassine; Thankful Silhouettes emb. folder; Autumn Gatherings die; Grunge Blocks; Kraft-Core

*Claudine Hellmuth:  gesso, Matte Multi-Medium

*Ranger:  Jet Black, Coffee Archival Inks; grungepaper; Spiced Marmalade, Crushed Olive Distress Stains; Ripe Persimmon, Gathered Twigs, Seedless Preserves, Peeled Paint, Barn Door, Fired Brick, Forest Moss, Aged Mahogany, Rusty Hinge, Brushed Corduroy Distress Inks; Wild Honey, Rusty Hinge, Peeled Paint, Scattered Straw, Rock Candy Distress Stickles; Butterscotch pigment ink; Pitch Black paint dabber


Techniques:  Faux enamel tag (Shelly Hickox 02-09-11); watercolor distress, faux printers blocks (TH)  

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Top



Side 1



Side 2



Very loose interpretation...lol

Oh, you wonder where the mind wanders.  MakingArt challenge 26 on the EWV yahoo group was to use polka dots and a face or eyes...Lori was loose on her wording so I took her at her word. 

I made an anniversary card using Studio 490 stamps (Art From The Heart and Art For Men).  White cardstock is the base card and the layer.  I stamped the text background onto the layer using Snow Cap Pigment Ink, heat set, then rubbed in blue distress inks until the text appeared.  The top and bottom edges were punched with an EK Success border punch (Swiss Cheese?) that reminds me of bubbles.  A strip of white cardstock was smeared with Red Pepper Pigment Ink, heat set, then the polka dot border was stamped in Faded Jeans Distress Ink and heat set again.  It was glued behind the 'bubbles'.

I smeared Red Pepper Pigment Ink on the heart then took the polka dot stamp and pressed it into the ink, removing the polka dots.  This was stamped onto scrapcardstock and cut out.  A bit of Rock Candy Distress Stickles makes it glitzy, not ritzy.

The fish were stamped in Jet Black Archival Ink on more scrap cardstock then colored following the tutorial in Wendy's latest book (#5) on page 26.  If you haven't seen this book, you just have to get it - so many wonderful ideas!

A Sakura Glaze pen was run around the edges of the card for a bit more glitz.

On to the inside of the card...

I stamped the text in Jet Black Archival; the Maya Road chipboard letters were covered with Red Pepper Pigment Ink, heat set, then covered with Diamond Stickles...as were the dots before and after the word 'love'.  Thought the inside could be a bit more ritzy than glitzy.

So, a happy anniversary to someone special...hope they have a good sense of humor!

Belling the cat

This little bird dreams big..of belling the cat!  Now that's what I call a big dream! 

I sure hope this piece qualifies as steampunk because I'm going to add it to the large number of entries over on the Simon Says Stamp & Show blog.

On this 5x7 piece of canvas board I tried all sorts of painting techniques - because I didn't gesso it first some of them didn't work very good.  Sigh.  But it was fun just throwing all sorts of inks at it to see what would happen.

I stamped 'dream' in clear embossing ink and used clear embossing powder before I put the last few layers of color on the canvas.  It was easy to wipe off any extra ink that I didn't want to appear.

That birdcage is 'da bomb' thanks to a technique I learned from Shelly Hickox's blog back on January 12 of this year.   IRL it really does look like tarnished metal.  Wow!

There are way too many steps to this project so I'll list the items and techniques I used.  Hopefully you'll be able to figure them out but you can always email (link at top right) with questions.

Techniques from Compendium of Curisities: Rusted Grunge, Distress Stickles, Distress Crackle, Weathered Wood Grunge

Tim Holtz:  Plaque & Postage, Raven & Scaredy Cat, Caged Bird, Mini Gears dies; 'dream'; mini stapler; hinge clip, brads; grungepaper; grungeboard

Studio 490 stamps: Sentimental Art, Art Rules, Art From the Heart, Art Gone Postal; Black Clearly for Art

Inks, etc.: Antiqued Bronze Distress Crackle Paint, Black, White Enamel Accents; UTEE; Silver, Clear embossing powders; Vintage Photo Distress Embossing Powder; French Ultramarine, Venetian Orange archival inks; Pitch Black, Gold, Copper, Espresso, Silver, Butterscotch, Terra Cotta paint dabbers; Tumbled Glass, Broken China, Dried Marigold, Rusty Hinge, Vintage Photo distress inks; Broken China, Dried Marigold distress stickles (all Ranger)

Miscellaneous:  bell, vellum

Time 2 bloom

Not only did I make a second tag for the EWV 25th challenge but I also pulled out Ranger's Perfect Pearls which I hadn't used in a long time.  This tag features Studio 490's Rose Art Part 2 stamps.

Here's a sample of Ranger's new black #8 tag.  Isn't it neat?  I stamped the background stamp in the Perfect Medium and brushed Perfect Gold over the entire image.  For the berries I made a mixture of Forever Red and water.  I stamped and cut out one large rose and 3 smaller ones out of black cardstock.

Using a technique I learned from Kristy Dreyer back in 2002 I colored the petals using Forever Red Perfect Pearls and a scrap of Rubit Scrubit pad.  With a bit of PP on the pad mist lightly with water.  I swirled the pad on the cardstock to create multiple circles, especially on the petal edges.  The leaves were inked up with Perfect Medium and brushed with Forever Green.

The clock was stamped with clear embossing ink and heat set with clear embossing powder.  I spritzed it with a mix of PP FR and water before punching it out.  A game spinner from Tim gives the clock some hands. 

I brushed PP PG on black cardstock for one border and layered it onto another piece of plain black cardstock.  On top of this are Maya Road chipboard letters (Jonathan mini) that were inked up then heat embossed with Ranger's Frosted Crystal embossing powder - some cool texture to these.  Over this I brushed PP FG then wiped a bit off so they'd look aged. 

The number 2 is a metal charm that I painted with gesso before adding several layers of Black Enamel Accents.

Although we're nearing the first day of fall so 'time 2 bloom' is a bit late, I do hope you'll find time to 'bloom' in your happy space and make art!

1 or 2 stamp sets

Limit myself to just 1 or 2 Studio 490 stamp sets on a #8 tag?  Yes, that's what our list mom said on the EWV yahoo group for our 25th Making Art! challenge.  I decided to go a step further and keep it to the one set but use all the stamps in the set.  I chose Be Inspired, a new Ranger Kraft tag and lots of Ranger inky things.

I love kraft cardstock and fall!  They work so well together.  The plaid background stamp was treated to Snow Cap pigment ink and white embossing powder.  Afterwards several brown distress inks were smudged over the tag.  On kraft cardstock I stamped the flower three times, the leaf spray twice and the sentiment using Butterscotch, Lettuce, Espresso, Cranberry and Dusty Concord pigment inks.  Coordinating embossing powders were used on all.  The numbers at the top of the tag were stamped in Coffee Archival Ink.  White Enamel Accents was used for the flower centers and the faux brads on the sentiment tag.  The Inkssentials pen was used for the penstitching on the sentiment tag.  Martha Stewart ribbon in coordinating colors were treated to a dip in coordinating Ranger Distress Stains to darken them.  More brown distress inks were run around the flowers and leaves after they were cut out.

The flowers and leaves are curled and furled but sure don't look like it on this piece.  They look very, very flat.  Sigh.

Transparent illusions ala Halloween

If you're a follower of the Grungy Monday challenges you know that Linda's going to be taking a breather soon.  I'm sure she'll have some wonderful ideas for new challenges when she returns.  Bet she gets lots of ideas on the cruise so I can't wait to see what's comin' down the 'pike!  The last challenge before the break is to play with Tim Holtz's fragments, fragment charms, and facets. 

I started out with a Studio 490 art parts (spool base and core).  A bit of moss from the floral department of your local craft store and you're set to decorate your Halloween scene.

I adhered the sticky-backed metal sheet to the Black Clearly For Art, cut out the branch tree then ran it through the woodgrain embossing folder.  When heating/forming the tree, the metal helps the tree retain the embossing.  The tree was glued to the spool core (painted with the Pitch Black paint dabber) and base (painted with the Butterscotch, Espresso & Lettuce paint dabbers - camouflage for the moss) so it would stand up better.  The fence was cut from grungepaper, smeared with crackle paint, dried, then rubbed the Pitch Black paint dabber over the cracks for dimension.

Using the various techniques Tim talks about in his blog post I created my scene: a spider dangling from a branch, crow up in the tree, flying bat, witch with moon at the top of the project.  At the base of the tree sit 2 jack-o-lanterns and a witch's hat while the black cat sits atop the fence.  The larger fragment was collaged and had a bit of ribbon added before placing it at the base of the tree.

Tim Holtz:  Mini Halloween stamp set; fragments, fragment charms
Tim Holtz/Sizzix:  fence die, branch tree die, woodgrain embossing folder
Ranger:  Walnut Stain Distress Crackle Paint; Jet Black Archival Ink, Pitch Black, Butterscotch, Lettuce, Espresso Paint Dabbers; yellow, distress inks (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, brown, black); grungepaper; Sunset Orange, Terra Cotta, Slate and Silver alcohol inks
QuicKutz:  sticky-back metal sheet
Claudine Hellmuth:  Matte Multi-Medium
Teresa Collins:  Spooktacular paper (small single images)
Studio 490:  art parts spool, Black Clearly For Art
Misc:  moss, ribbon snippet, black, green & brown wire, pumpkin leaves cut from a scrap of green paper

Wine box makeover

I'm a big fan of recycling items destined for the recycling bin or trash.  Upon taking a few measurements I discovered that the distress stains would neatly fit inside this wine box.  How cool is that?  There's just enough room, including some wiggle space, for all 37 colors.  I'm missing just a few.

Of course, I didn't want to leave it looking like it's intended purpose so out came cardstock from Tim Holtz's Retro Grunge paper stash, tissue tape and lots of embellishments and inks.

Ta da!   This is the new top of the box.

Here are the front, sides, and interior views.

*** 9/6/11  Oops!  I forgot to add the pic of the wine box in it's original state.***



I won't go into details as to how I accomplished this as you'd be here for a very long time reading my 'this is what I did' list.  Instead, I'll list the materials and the techniques.  If you have any questions, you can email me privately (see sidebar).

Tim Holtz dies:  Journey, Tattered Florals, Tattered Leaves, Elegant Flourishes, Gadget Gears, Hardware Findings, Styled Labels

Tim Holtz:  Retro Grunge paper stash, tissue tape, philosophy tag, knob

Studio 490 stamp sets:  All About Art, Well Worn Art, Love To Make Art, Destination Art, It's Face Art, Rose Art Part 2, Homemade Art, Art In Bloom, Celestial Art, She Created Art, Art Fit For A Queen

Ranger:  Bundled Sage, Fired Brick, Broken China, Scattered Straw, Rusty Hinge, Aged Mahogany, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain Distress Inks;  Dried Marigold, Forest Moss, Mustard Seed Distress Stickles; Crimson, Coffee, Olive, Jet Black, Saffron, Vermillion Archival Inks; Grungeboard, Grungepaper; Cut n' Dry nibs; Gold Metallic Paint Dabber; Glossy Accents

Misc.:  Dreamweaver's stencil paste, Craf-T Metallic Rubons, Micron Pigment Pen, Sizzix Leafy Stem die, Hero Arts Printer's Lowercase alphabet stamps, Lucky Squirrel Black Shrink Plastic, Brilliance Gold Ink, brads, twill tape, metal-rimmed tag, rusty wire, chipboard

Techniques:  Wrinkle Free Distress, Rusted Grunge, Altered Metal with Paint, Inking Grunge (Compendium of Curiosities)

Claudine Hellmuth:  Traditional Tan paint

My art project qualifies for the Simon Says Stamp & Show challenge (anything goes) as well as the challenge on the Making Art! Challenge #24 on the EWV group (flower pot with flowers...any thing can be a flowerpot so, to repeat myself, anything goes!).  The truck (top) and face with crown (side) are my flower pots.