New York New York!

Good Morning everyone.

Its time for a new challenge over at Make My Monday and the theme this fortnight is:

NEW YORK NEW YORK!

This one really got my brain whirling, not really having any suitable stash or ideas i did some reading up online about New York and its History which was very interesting.  I decided to focus on that iconic image of the statue of liberty.  So went looking for free downloads of a silhouette of the statue.   On seeing this head only image it sparked an idea.  Ive gone for a very inky, stamped mixed media feel on this project. 

I first printed out the Statue of Liberty head onto white card, i then die cut into a large circle approx 7".  I went over the image with an embossing pen and added black embossing powder.  I did this so it stands out well, acts as a resist and the printer ink would be set for all the water i would be adding. 

I went with a blue, red & white combo.  I used a star stencil to add white embossed stars through the middle section.  I heat embossed some stamped rain drops.  I then added blue and red brusho's and let dry, i avoided the face to keep that white. 

I then added more stenciled stars with black distress ink, some stamping of various stamps in black, blue & red.  I then die cut my 'reach for the stars' from black and white card and off set for a shadow.  Once attached i covered them in glitter.  To finish i mounted onto a black circle card base. 

Just a close up.  

When pursuing our dreams and reaching for the stars we often have to have a few tears on the way and a few tears on finally reaching our goal! Its always good to have something to work towards even something little.  Thats my deep thinking for the week😀

Items Used:

Stampin up 'kinda eclectic' stamps

Star stencil

brushos

distress inks

Alphabet dies

Spellbinders grand circle dies

Statue image found here

statue-of-liberty-logo

So if you fancy joining in or just seeing what everyone comes up with for this challenge then please do hop over to MMM

*****

and 3 baby hedgehogs that came out in the daytime this week, so ive set up more feeding stations for them.  Im hoping they just got disturbed & decided to have a wonder around rather than them knowing its going to be a cold winter as usually don't see them in the daytime fattening up until oct/nov.  

I only have a small garden but try to keep it wildlife friendly - hence my little wood pile!!  

The farm animals are also fast piling on weight and a heavy thick coat - maybe another sign that nature knows we are in for a cold spell.  Hopefully not though. 

I hope you all have a good week whatever your plans.  Emma

In the garden

Good Morning all.

Its time for a new challenge over at Make My Monday 

The theme this fortnight is

IN THE GARDEN

5X5 Octogen Card.  I first die cut a stitched octogen from white card.  I then stamped the leaf stamp with embossing ink and added clear embossing powder.  I then added colour to the background with H2O's that ive had for years, this year im trying to use all those ink products hiding at the back of the cupboard!  These ones are full of mica and sparkle.

I added green and ochre around the leaves to give the feeling of depth and surround greenery.  Blue for the sky, once dry i added water drops to the blue to add interest. 

Butterflies stamped in blue ink on a scrap of card coloured with oxide inks and cut out.  Die cut sentiment from the same piece of red/pink card and added on a strip of vellum to help it stand out from the background. 

Ive then matted onto a very dark green cardstock and then the white cardblank.  

Just showing it stood up. 

Items Used:

Stampin Up Kinda Eclectic

Clearly besotted butterfly stamps

H2O's Radiant Rain inks

Oxide ink Candied Apple & Raspberry

Memory box stitched octogen dies

Thank you die

Please do pop over to Make My Monday  and see what everyone has come up with and to join in, we always love to see your entries.  

I hope you all have a good week. Emma

Cattitude Canvas

Good Morning all, don't know where the weeks are going as its Monday again.

Today i am sharing a canvas ive been working on for Weeks/Months - i think its now finished, my first real attempt at lots of paint, stamps and layers of mixed media in the background.  The original idea was to use all the different quirky cat stamps ive collected lately.  Nothing like i imagined! 

10x14" Canvas, once building up the background (see below) i stamped and coloured the cats with inktense pencils as these are permanent & colour fast once water is added.  I then cut them all out.  I die cut white circles and added a little background stamping to them, i added the circles and cats to the canvas.  

I added black around the circles to help them stand out from the background.  I then die cut the title in black card and added with gel medium.  I computer printed out lots of little words associated with cats and added again with gel medium.   To finish i sealed the whole canvas. 

Just showing from different angle.

Close up of the Ginger Tom - leader of the gang😃

Just a close up of the left side

close up of the right side. 

This is the background before adding the cats.

1. I attached various shapes i found in my stash of grunge board - flowers & swirls

2. Texture paste added through a 'dots' mask & free hand

3. Coated everything in gesso and then once dry I added yellow, orange, purple & blue acrylic paint - picking up on the colours of my cats.

4.  Added tissue paper with a script pattern.  I wet around the tissue paper i wanted with a brush and water and once it has soaked in gently tore it out - the ends blend in better with the background that way instead of using scissors. 

5. Added Stamping of butterflies, alpha stamps with black paint. Then dry brushed with white to soften that layer.

6. Added tissue paper paw prints using gel medium.

7. Using the edge of a card i added black 'scratches'

8. Edged the whole canvas in black acrylic paint to frame the edge.

Items Used:

Tim Holtz crazy cat stamps

Katzelkraft Cat stamps

Paperartsy Zinski art cat stamps

Small cat stamps came free with a magazine

Stampin up 'kinda eclectic'

Alpha stamps

Tim Holtz word play bigz die & Small Alpha dies 

Circle dies

Tim Holtz grunge board shapes

Script & paw print tissue paper

Golden Texture paste

Spot/dot stencil

Pebeo acrylic paints & gesso

I think i will try a canvas with dogs on now.

2 of my nieces are coming down to spend the day with me today so im looking forward to that, they are growing fast.  

Thank you for stopping by.  I hope you all have a good week. Emma

I would like to enter the following challenges:

take-it-make-it-challenge-april

addictedtostamps-challenge-anything-goes

Scribble Roses thank you cards

Good Morning all and welcome to a new week, don't they fly by. 

So today im sharing a set of thank you cards made using those scribble roses again.

First die cut 2 rectangles using spellbinders die, score a line on the back panel and glue together to make a stand up card.  From the front panel die cut the large rose negative, use dotty paper as the insert which then shows through the apperture.  Then die cut the rest of the rose layers and layer up, die cut leaves and butterflies and stamped greeting to finish.  Touches of glitter glue.

Showing it stood up with the light shining through the rose aperture. 

Same design just opposite colours, orange and teal. 

close up again showing the aperture better.

and below another set of 4 i made 

First die cut the Stitched label and layered onto dotty red card and white card blank.  Die cut the pierced topper from white and stamp the sentiment.  I then die cut the topper again in matching colour card and off set to help it stand out.  Die cut the roses and leaves from red and lilac dotty cardstock.  Pearls to finish.  

Same just opposite colours 

Just showing that they stand up easily. 

and 2 more in different colour combo, again the orange and teal.  

Items Used:

Spellbinders card creator - 'Valiant Honor' - S5-217

Spellbinders D-lites - 'Pierced Delight' - S2-143

Memory Box mini butterfly dies

Justrite - 'lrg fancy sentiments' - CR 03815

Stampin up sentiment -  'kinda Eclectic' 

Chocolate Baroque - 'pretty poppies'  (merci sentiment)

Dotty card - Anna Marie Designs

Thank you for stopping by and all your comments last week and on my painting.  Wishing you all a good week. Emma 

Under the Sea Mixed Media picture

Good Morning all, i hope you had a good weekend and had better weather than we do, been lots and lots and lots more rain down here.

So today I am sharing a 3d picture ive made, including a lovely mermaid. 

8x10" Box Frame.  First i made the background, more details of that below.  Then i built up my undersea world with shells and driftwood,  mostly collected on Cornish beaches over the years.  I added clear glitter sparkle to my laser cut mermaid, die cut foliage as seaweed.  I think the mermaid has told the fish on the right a secret and the other fish are rushing to find out first what the gossip is😊

Close up of the mermaid

 a little seahorse is hiding among the shells and seaweed.

The golden octopus is looking after the message in the bottle.  

I used green alcohol ink to colour the clear mini bottle green, a scrap of rolled up and inked paper to act as the letter in the bottle.  You can see the effect of the sea salt in the background on this one 

Background - i first used brushos and pixie powders onto white card, i then sprinkled on chunky sea salt and allowed to dry naturally.  I then stamped lots of different shells in different colour distress inks, using a circle mask (home made) i stamped through with dictionary stamp and grey ink, using the same circle mask i inked through with perfect medium and heat embossed with green pearl embossing powder,  I stamped the little circle border (kinda electic) in dark grey and went over the circles with crackle accents, all of these to give the effect of bubbles. 

Showing more of the detail in the background, you can see some of the stamping, shells and the script bubbles better.

Items Used:

Stamps - Chocolate Baroque 'seashell collage'

Stampin up 'kinda eclectic' &  'dictionary'

Brusho's - sea green, turquoise, lime, 

Pixie Powder - violet

Inks - Distress inks - 

Watering can archival ink

Heritage embossing powder 'green pearl'

Imagination Crafts starlight paints - rich gold, orange oxidized

I would like to enter this into 

Craft Stamper Take it Make it - anything goes

Thank you for stopping by, wishing you all a good week. Emma 

Make My Monday #41

Good Morning all, welcome to another week.

So today we have a new challenge over at Make My Monday

The theme is colours of the rainbow, 

Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet

Use at least 3 of these colours

So if you fancy joining in or seeing the rest of the design teams creations please do pop over, you can either click the link above or on the side of my blog.

I choose to use green, orange and violet

First i stamped my sun in orange and then the sentiment over the top in black onto white linen card.  Once dry i arranged the die cut foliage in a kind of wreath.  Lots of little orange flowers with lilac gem centres.  I lightly edged the panel with orange ink and adhered to my base card. 

Card size 6 x 5.5"

Close up detail. 

Items used:  Stampin up 'kinda electic' , 

distress ink 'ripe persimmon' 

sizzix susans garden 'forsythia' flower, 

foliage die unknown

Thank you for popping by and i hope my card inspires you. 

Wishing you all a wonderful week. Emma