Saying Goodbye

Hi everyone. So it may be the start of a new week but it's also the end of a chapter in my crafty journey today. Yes, the news over at Our Creative Corner is true, after a wonderful year with this fantastic team I'm saying my goodbyes to being a Design Team member. It was a difficult decision to reach but there are exciting developments going on behind the scenes and one person can only do so much! I want to say a huge thank you to Laura and the rest of the team for making my time with them such a rewarding experience and wish them every success as they move forward.

Jenny xxx

Asymmetrical

Hi everyone. Super quick post today as it's hubby's birthday and we're off out soon. I mentioned recently that I would be taking the Claudine Hellmuth 'Composition for Collage' class to find out more about this essential skill from a trained artist. She's cramming so much information in to each lesson and it has definitely been worth taking some precious time out to learn much more. Week One and we were asked to create an asymmetrical piece, so after much phaffing about and changing my mind (all part of the process) this is what I came up with...

Lots of fussy cutting from Menagerie paper, paint, ink, stencilling, stamping, gesso, and embossing to finally get to the point where I was pretty much happy. Work has already started on homework for Week Two and I'll share that soon.

OK, gotta dash. Hope your weekend is going well. Jenny xxx

Rose Trellis for IndigoBlu

Hi everyone. Back again with a quick heads up that I have a post going live over at IndigoBlu this morning featuring a whole heap of mixed media goodies. Hope you can join me over there to see what I've been up to!

Take care of yourselves and have a great weekend, Jenny xxx

Using Every Stamp in a Set at A Vintage Journey

Hi everyone it's good to see you. Today sees the start of a new challenge over at A Vintage Journey where we are being challenged to use every stamp in a set. As ever, there are lots of reasons to enter including the chance to win a gift voucher from our sponsors Country View Crafts. 

I'm loving using Artist Trading Blocks as boxes for storage purposes in my craft room (what's that saying, "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful." William Morris) There's a bit of a collection building now and this is the latest, using every stamp from the SA 'Classics #3' set. Bet you can't guess what's going in it!? Letters - of the die cut or chipboard variety of course!!

Now to the 'how to's'... it was fairly basic with an offcut of TH French Industrial paper stained with Old Paper on one side and Antique Linen on the other. The main panel from the stamp set and the diamond pattern were applied to the paper with Archival Inks before they were chopped up and torn to fit each side. Of course every edge was inked and then I added a little white gesso to give the whole thing a more aged look without going too dark.

What next? Oh yes, more of that stained paper die cut in different shapes added over the initial layers before I reached for some black embossing powder for the finer detail of the third quadrant pattern. After including some altered Chit Chat stickers the layers were beginning to get lost. This was easily rectified by outlining the die cuts and stickers with a Pumice Stone Distress Marker before blending it out with a fine nib water pen.

It all looked very neutral so I painted Peacock Feathers, Fired Brick and Scattered Straw onto some of the quadrants. These colours were also used to illuminate the chipboard layered 'Letters' addition on the front of the box. You'll see above that even the top and bottom of the box were given this treatment, with brass box corners added and a handle attached to the lid. Finally I die cut a lock and key and stamped out another key (from the set) colouring them all with Metallic Distress Stains before applying a coat of Glossy Accents.

Every stamp in the set used - check. Another handy Artist Trading Block completed - check. Somewhere to finally store those fiddly letters - check. Hurrah! I'd say that was pretty successful. Now it's time to head off over to A Vintage Journey to see what everyone else has created this time (and there are some stunning makes over there, including one from our latest recruit, Jools).

It occurs to me that this is a stamp set I very rarely reach for so for that reason I'm entering the current
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - 'I ought to use this more!'

For now have a great weekend and take care of yourselves, Jenny xxx

All Tim Holtz products can be found at Country View Crafts

Just CASE It! for Frilly and Funkie

Hi everyone and thanks for joining me. I'm back for the second post today (you'll find the first one HERE) with my contribution for this fortnight's challenge over at Frilly and Funkie 'Just CASE It!'

Can you believe we are half way through the year already? Where does time go? Thoughts of Christmas may be far away, but for this challenge cast your minds back to the 12 Tags of Christmas 2013 challenge set over at The Funkie Junkie. You need to base your card, tag, ATC, journal page or other project on one of those Christmas 2013 tags but with a summer twist.

This is based on the tag from The Funkie Junkie's 12 Tags of Christmas - Week 7

I started with that background. In Linda's original she used ink over the embossed background before heat embossing it. I did a similar process but included some brayered Brushed Pewter Distress Paint and Tissue Tape.

At the bottom of Linda's tag is a lovely flower. Mine has been created using some Menagerie flowery paper and a Prima embellishment. 

That same paper has been used to create a grungepaper-based sentiment panel. A touch of that same silvery paint and it shines beautifully in the sun. And I couldn't believe my luck that one of those new Idea-ology hearts had a background created to match!

Now you'll probably be wondering about those triple tags on Linda's original. I took it down a different route by using the die cut embossed metal latticework (with contrasting inserts) and three smaller flowers (rather than snowflakes) with Distress Glitter centres.

It was great fun to take an essentially festive make and turn it into something much more summery and I hope to see what many more of you can do.

Please make sure you head over to the Frilly and Funkie challenge blog to see what my fellow DT members and our very special Guest Designer have been up to.

For now take care of yourselves, Jenny xxx

25 Jumbo Manila Shipping Tags 8x4" #12	Tim Holtz Sizzix Texture Fades - Bubble and Honeycomb Set	PRE-ORDER Tim Holtz Ranger Metallic Distress Paint - Brushed Pewter	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Chipped Sapphire	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Crushed Olive	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Shabby Shutters	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Walnut Stain	Ranger Embossing Powder - Clear	Sizzix Alterations Die - Mini Tattered Florals Movers and Shapers Die by Tim Holtz	Tim Holtz Idea-ology Paper Mini Stash Menagerie
*Tim Holtz Sizzix Alterations Frameworks Die - Trellis	Ranger Surfaces Silver Foil Cardstock: 8.5" x 11", Pack of 3	Tim Holtz Sizzix Texture Fades - Rays and Retro Circles Set	Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Paint - Black Soot	Tim Holtz Idea-ology Grunge Paper	PRE-ORDER Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Paint - Evergreen Bough	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Vintage Photo	Ranger Embossing Powder - Silver	Tim Holtz Distress Glitter Black Soot	Ranger Inkssentials Glossy Accents
Prima - Raja Collection - Bling - Flower Center Embellishments - Silver	Sizzix Alterations Decorative Strip Tim Holtz Tattered Flowers Die	Tim Holtz Distress Glitter Victorian Velvet	Tim Holtz Distress Glitter Antique Linen	Sizzix Alterations Decorative Strip Tim Holtz Festive Greenery Die	$6.39 Core′dinations Kraft Core By Tim Holtz - 2.5x12" Strips	Tim Holtz Sized Ovals Sizzix Alterations Movers and Shapers Dies	Stampers Anonymous Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi Stamps - The Beauty of Art	Ranger Archival Ink - Jet Black	Tim Holtz Idea-ology Heart Charms
Rayon Seam Binding	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Tattered Rose	Tim Holtz Idea-ology Jump Rings