July tag of 2013 and some good news

I found out at the beginning of the month I'm the winner and runner up of Visible Images June Challenge: Character. Hence the new blinkie badge my prize was the choose of any clear stamps for £10 which is basically 2 stamps. Due to the random selection of winner and runner up anyone can win except for Craftstamper magazine the standards are so high. In all it is important to do your best in everything you do. Tim Holtz is launching a new load if idea-ology plus stencils I'm having trouble trying to keep up. Only joking I only choose the stuff I actually want so for July's Tag of 2003 this is my creation:

The technique was using a brayer and distress ink I barely glanced at the post so the result was make it up as I go along. Grunge board with Rock Candy crackle paint, I was little impatient with drying and rushed the process with the heat gun. Ideally it should be left for day or more but I don't get free 'quiet' slot at the kitchen table till 7pm sometimes later. A half a day is wasted through waiting and with this heatwave, crafting is difficult. My intention was make something which celebrated Handover day in Hong Kong but ended up different and random. Mistakes can be turned into something wonderful. Distress Stains were dabbed in the cracks, I made my own tissue tape as ideo-ology range is so expensive, you can use washi tape instead.
Didn't have simple saying in my collection a stamped text on vial labels works as fine, most of stamps are PaperArtsy except for the Aztec Sun which is GCS(Great Canadian Stamp). For embellishments I used Muse token attached to crinkle ribbon with mini safety pin and metal charm (not idea-ology). Grunge board is strange as it smells like new shoes, very rubber and meant to be  altered as it doesn't lie flat. Element range is hard to find I end up buying and Mini safety pin might be discontinued. Some places still sell them if you know where to look.

These are the stamps I've chosen and don't know if I have time to make something for Visible Image's July challenge.

I've discovered something new this month it's called Smash book, all it's really is sticking stuff on pages. K & Company sell these Smash book which is spiral bound and has lots of coloured pages plus there are numerous accessories. It's like what I have to spend money on a new idea when I have been doing this kind thing for years since about 2000 when I was studying Foundation Art and Design it was called Visual Diary and brought on by Dan Eldon. I did buy a doodles smash book and few stuff from Amazon, at the moment I'm using Walls Journal Notebook due the fact it becoming annoying trying to align the writing. More details on 'smashing' will later I have stuff to right now.

Read More

Visible Image June challenge

Ever heard of Visible Image I haven't until I discover them in July 2013 issue of Craftstamper magazine. Not only was free 'clear' stamp designed by Visible Image but in their advertised it showed some of range of stamps produced by the company and they are great too. What caught my eye was anime/manga inspired character stamps, I normally stay away from cartoon stamps because to be honest they are rubbish and stamps cost money so I only buy high quality impression.
I had bad experience with 'clear' stamps especially Stampendous as they tend to squishy and yellow but with Visible Image I gave an exception they use high quality photopolymer, their stamps are firm and give a good impression. Pop along to their website and gave the stamps a try.
Also they have monthly challenge going on their blog, For 'Visible Image has character' I will enter 2 cards, first one:

Edgar and his pet raven. I chose Steampunk style because character really suited to this theme. I did some research to get idea of what Steampunk the best way to do is look at fashion for colour scheme and definition. Majority of art involves clocks and gears but it's much more about this. Think of Doctor Who, HG Wells it's a good idea to watch some films/animation such as Steampunk.

Distress stains work well if layered or mixed with other colours here I used Seedless Perserve and Brushed Pewter for background. Edgar I coloured him using mixture of Distress Stains and Markers plus Ink palette as help to separate the different colours which are Pine Needles, Black Soot, Chipped Sapphire, Brushed Corduroy, Scatter Straw and Aged Mahogany. Highlights I used Inkessential white gel pen. I'm still practising with watercolour techniques using the Stains made it easier, the Markers were harder to manipulate the colour.

There's so much metal components on this card it kept falling over as I trying to photograph. I was thinking of dials and gears which compliment they each because everything is on the card for a reason as to convey a story. Idea-ology Sprocket gears, locket keys, Time pieces, Game spinners and other miscellaneous antique brass embellishments.
The side panels is stamped in Stampers' Anonymous ledger and others with embossed in Stampendous Fran tage aged bronze.
This month has been hectic with all these monthly challenges I'll leave Craftstamper for next one because need a rest. These challenges are good thing as keep the resistance and block way.

Read More

Another set of cards for Stamping Sensation's June Challenge

I intended to make another card for Stamping sensations and ended up with 2. They have both the similar layout and bird themed stamps only difference is the colour.

This one is darker and still worked on card layout sketch, majority of materials came from Issue 62 of Papercrafter magazine. Infact there are several card and papercrafting packs of goodies but all cost £7.99. This stash has the summer palette of pinks, blues and greens. In Crafterstamper they showed how to make your own paper tapes using double sided sticky tape. I sort of panic because there was a colour clash or LED light was playing tricks on me. I just blasted the background in terracotta Colorwash spray and added lighter colours in the foreground.
Main stamp image is from Paperartsy Hot picks range and others are Crafty Individuals. I've found some wonderful Asian foam stickers from a crafty store. Normally I buy Sanrio, San x and other Japanese stickers in Hong Kong just to show there are good thing if you look in your local craft shop not Hobbycraft.

I decided to enter this one for Stamping Sensations: Summer Blooms. I'm still making paper flowers by hands but more sculptural using glossy accent to glue them on and gem in place of a brad.
Paper is from still from Papercrafter magazine collection.
Rubber stamps are: Stampers' Anonymous-Tim Holtz, Crafty Individuals and Cox and Cox- birds and nest stamp collection. It does still has more over collaged style but I'm working on the minimalism.
There one more set to complete before I rest for a bit and craft again.  

This is what Oscar made he altered a loo roll and is in process of altering a cloth.

Read More

My submission for Take it, Make it challenge two

This is for Craft Stamper Take it, Make it challenge two and involved tearing and ripping.I decided not to make a card although I can still can because there's still plenty of time and have 2 important things to be completed before this months ends. I feel so energetic right now like a Roborovski hamster. I didn't know Craft Stamper had a challenge going until I went on their site, brought a copy of June issue of their magazine. Used to buy a lot of magazines in the past and was nervous of submitted a card when I did it was gone and none of my ATCs submitted were publish the ATCs swap is gone as well blame this on high cost of postage.
I had some ideas in my head and sketched out a few drawings in my sketchbook mainly to put them to rest so I won't have to keep thinking about them.

I used Paper Artsy, Ink and Dog Mystery Plate as it came with house like stamp and perfect for making small matchbox shrines. The matchbox template is from Mirkwood designs and decades old, the box itself is made out of Idea-ology Paper Stash of Lost and Found. With all of my designs I don't know how it will turn out like until the object is finished because make it up as I go along.
Paper scraps coloured in Distress Inks/Stains or mixture of both were used for triangles and other pieces. House, labels and other parts were stamped in TLC Violet ink and Staz-on Jet Black. Other stamps used are Stamping bella, Crafty Individuals. I found the if edges look better if they were embossed or outline using a sharpie. Stampendeous Frantage Aged gold embossing powder gives a dynamic texture when used as gilding as the powder has mixture of coarse and fine grains. I wasn't sure to add to central area whether to use stamped image stuck with foams pads, charms or 3D embellishment. 

As you can see here I used charmed made from stamping bird cage from Paper Artsy Hot pick range HP1004EZ on to clear shrink plastic. Archival ink work best but stamping takes some skill.
I added from cross screw heads from Prima marketing- Junkyard finding these are yard I think are suited for scrapbooking or altered arts assemblage. This when jewellery making wire works comes in very useful for attaching metal embellishments which are Route 52, 7 Gypsies and others. As final touch I added a chitchat the whole thing is intended to be hung. This is the third matchbox shrine I've created and managed to acquire 2 of the configuration shadow boxes. Something to try out in the future.

Read More

May tag of 2013

I haven't had much energy last week and even this week is a struggle. I'm forced to wake up early before 8am and endure hours of noise as work is done on the bathroom. I find my falling asleep in front of tv and there is no where quiet for me to go. Some how found some energy to make this month's Tim Holtz's tag of 2013 challenge. I know he would use remnant rubs in one of the monthly tags so I already brought 2 already Numbers and Element but wasn't able to get Words. Don't really need it. As I used Stampers' anonymous CMS110 Stuff to say and mix and matched a few items I have in stash. Other stamps I used are Paperartsy and Lost Coast Designs.

The tricky part is trying to get all part of 4 Distress stains colours on one tag as on my trial I couldn't get all the colours to balance on one sheet. You can dab a little and spritz to blend. The texture hammer is difficult to buy and maybe discontinued luckily there is a site which still sells the tool. Country View Crafts and they sell other Tim Holtz's products much cheaper.
There's still February tag yet to complete and would like to give their monthly challenge a try. The title is called 'How does your Garden grow' and any style and medium. There's a set of Paperartsy stamps I would like to try out maybe make another card again. We'll see I have lots of mailart to sort out and trying to survive this week. I just hope work on bathroom will be completed soon.

Read More