Oxidised!

Good morning! 

Here to share with you a make for the craft barn using distress oxide inks.

The basic plan:

I started with a bit of good ol’ ink smooshing…

Followed by some yummy texture paste… (I know you’ve seen the stencil before but I do rather love it!)

Stamping some feathers in Distress Oxide ink on tissue paper while the texture paste dries…

It’s funny how techniques come and go. 

I was about to painstakingly cut around 

these and try to give them a soft feathery 

look, when I remembered

something I used to do with mulberry paper a lot…

A quick wizz around the shapes with a wet paintbrush and 30 seconds later…

Presto! Muchos time saved 😃

Back to the canvas....

and it is time to really start having fun. 

Plenty more ink added (mostly vintage photo, walnut stain and peeled paint) I also used a wet baby wipe to take back some of the ink in places to create more variation.

Adding water is what really makes the 

oxides come alive… 

suddenly they spread revealing a whole host 

of the colours they are made up of.

Starting to get really involved now… 

I add some brushos. 

Initially on top of the wet canvas, 

then after it had dried I add more 

before splattering with more water.

Now completely carried away, 

out comes the white gelly roll pen

 (another staple favourite) 

for a bit of doodling.

No shortcuts this time 

I stamp and cut around two birds 

from the Bo Bunny set. 

Distress Oxides make a lovely paint too- 

I just smooshed a bit on my non-stick mat

and picked them up with a wet paintbrush.

Remember the feathers? –

 time to add them back in. 

I tried using pva but being a 

water based glue it made the

ink run. 

For take-two I used pritt stick

and it was fine. 

Also added in at this point are

branches adapted from the 

wildflowers die set and coated

in more Oxide ink.

‘Lifted’ with a handwritten sentiment on 

scraps of card with fossilized amber Oxide ink 

blended on and broken china 

splattered over the top.

And just when I thought I had finished 

I suddenly found myself with the 

white gelly roll pen in hand again 

and thus a border was added!"

Materials list:

Canvas board

Non-stick craft mat

Bo bunny stamps- birds of a feather

Acrylic block

Tim Holtz stencil- birch

Texture grunge paste

Heat gun

Blending tool

Distress oxides 

Brushos

Paint brush

Double sided tape

Staz on ink – Jet Black

White Tissue paper

Tim holtz die wildflowers

Sakura gelly roll pen – white

Thanks for stopping by, Louise :)

Challenges;

Craft stamper-anything goes
Simon Monday- splash it on (i used water with the oxides and the brushos)
Stamping sensations- anything goes
Penny black at allsorts - spring

Seaside cubbeys

"For this project I started by making 

myself a base board. 

I smeared distress oxide ink over my 

non stick mat and spritzed with water 

before pressing my card down in to it. 

I repeated several times until the layers 

of colour were well developed. 

I then stencilled and blended more inks 

on top until I was happy. 

I stamped the ‘seaside memories’ stamp twice

on to the base card using embossing ink and

embossed in white.

I also did an impression using faded jeans distress oxide ink.

I painted onto the blue stamped image

using Fresco Nougat and White Fire

Setting those aside for later, 

I coated the cubbeys in gesso,

 then painted using fresco paints. 

I assembled the cubbeys after I

painted them, but I think it may have been

better the other way around

(something to test out another day!)

Now for the really fun part… 

I chopped up my base board in various ways

 and started playing around with the different 

possible layouts. 

I threw a bit of vellum and a die cut of bubbles 

in to the mix for good measure too!

For these I used 3D foam mount pads 

to create lots of layers at different depths.

Once I was roughly happy with the arrangements 

I put all the cubbeys together. 

I also added texture sand paste to the 

base of them and left to dry.

With the paste dry, I smooshed a bit of 

fossilized amber distress ink on to my 

mat and used a wet paintbrush to pick 

up the colour. 

I painted it on to the sand paste giving 

the look of sand. 

Finally I added a few beads and tiny shells 

from my stash to finish it all off.

Here is the final finished assembly"

Materials list;

Tando cubbeys

Sizzix die – bright bubbles

Crafty individuals stencil

Blue fern studios stamp – seaside memories

Embossing ink – clear

Texture sand paste

Distress oxides 

(spiced marmalade, fossilized amber, 

faded jeans, broken china, iced spruce)

Non-stick craft mat

Blending tool

Paint brush

Mister spray

Double sided tape

White smooth finish card

Vellum

Fresco paints (Antarctic, Nougat, Turquoise, White fire)

Color bloom spray – Sorbet

White embossing powder

White Gesso

Thanks for stopping by today

Lou x

Challenges;

Stamping sensations- anything goes

Simon Monday- splash it on

Craft stamper- anything goes 

Mew for spring

Hi all,

I've been playing with lawn fawn's 'miaow you doin?' set this week. It is one of my newest additions and I love it already!
This card was destined for my pals birthday....

Quite a straightforward make using a Marianne designs circle suite to cut the window, promarkers to colour and versa mark ink pads.

I'd like to enter it in to the following challenges;
Simon Wednesday- spring mood board
Stamping sensations- anything goes

Silhouettes

Hi there,
I'm sharing a little card I made with lavinia stamps for the craft barn. There is a full step by step on the craft barn blog but for now here is the finished card.

I'd like to enter this card in to the following challenges; 

Simon Monday - things with wings

Simon Wednesday - anything goes

What is teal anyway?

This evening I set about making a card for less is more's 'mostly teal' theme. Armed with a new (to me) lawn fawn die, I fancied playing a bit more with some brushos and ended up producing this;

I quickly realised that brushos and a soft subtle colour like teal were simply incompatible after my combinations produced a colour closer to electric blue than teal. Never mind, waste not want not and all that, taking the cut out happy (in electric blue) I tried again using another of my latest acquisitions, oxide inks.

I suppose teal is a subjective colour to portray and this one has been dubbed 'cracked pistachio' by Mr T. Holtz but I think it'll do.

I used star and sentiment stamps from craftwork cards to add to the background and finished with an all important wink of Stella.

Ttfn!

Challenges;

Less is more

Simon says stamp Monday

Penny black and more

Lost and found

I was excited to see the theme at Simon Monday this week is 'based on a book'. I love books, notepads are an absolute fave and I had a great time doing an altered dictionary with the craft barn last year, but more than any others, I love children's stories. I based this card on a book by Oliver Jeffers about a lost penguin who sailed across the ocean in an umbrella. I also based it on the sketch from less is more since they seemed to go quite nicely.
Here is the book;

 


This is the less is more sketch;

And here is the card I made;

The stamps are from lawn fawns 'toboggan together' and 'hello baby' sets. The waves are made with doodlebug paper frills and I have coloured using distress inks and promarkers. 

Thanks for stopping by!

In the garden

Good morning! 

I'm sharing a door hanger with you today made with imagination crafts rice paper, sizzix dies and a bit of paint and stenciling thrown in for good measure! 

A full description of how it was made can be found on the craft barn blog.

The pictures here show both front and back of the hanger.









I'd like to enter this in to the following challenges;
SSS Monday - based on the secret garden
SSS Wednesday- anything goes

Pooch party

Hi there!
I've been tasked with the job of creating a leaving card for a colleague at the animal rescue centre where we work. This is a trial run card really as I have just ordered the new lawn fawn 'miaow you doin' set. I intend on adding a whole host of cats in to the mix just as soon as the stamps arrive but for now I'm quite pleased with all the pooches!
The stamps are from lawn fawns daschund through the snow set and the sites are sizzix.
I'd like to enter this card in to the following challenges;
stamping sensations animal magic
Simon says stamp anything goes
Allsorts anything goes
Penny black favourite stamp (I'm not sure I could ever truly choose a favourite stamp but this set would always be up there)

That's all for now,
Lou x

Hearts and flowers

Hi there!
With valentines day just around the corner I really should be thinking about a card for my hubby. Instead I'm sharing with you a journal cover I made recently with a romantic theme. (Then I'll go and make a valentines card!)
I used honey dooo stamps and distress inks to make this one and 'lifted' it using a white gel pen.

I finished it off with a little wink of Stella and doodled a heart and line border around the edge.

I'd like to enter this project in to the following challenges;

Allsorts-hearts and flowers

Simon says stamp- young at heart

Simon says stamp- cute (because I think it's a cute sentiment)

Craft stamper-anything goes

Ombre

It's been a long time since I last entered a simply less is more challenge. I took a break as I didn't really have time to comment on other people's work and it didn't feel fair when people are always so generous in commenting here.
Anyway, plan is to start again, starting with this week's ombre challenge. I used three different purple distress inks to create the ombre background then stamped a honey doo stamp over the top. I coloured it with ink tense pencils and outlined the stems in a gelly roll pen which I also used to write the sentiment.

Christmas for just a little bit longer

Well, I'm still going with Christmas cards for a little while longer - there's no harm in getting ahead for next year while your still in the spirit, eh?
I stamped directly on to the stampin up woodland embossing folder with a woodware tree stamp and a card-io deer stamp. I then brayered the folder with clear embossing ink and ran the folder through my bigshot. I then embossed the whole thing with clear sparkle embossing powder. The flourish in the corner is made using Sizzix  holiday greens dies and finished with a pearl dot.

I'd like to enter this in to the challenge at Craft Stamper and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday.

Happy Christmas!

Well, I've worked my last day before Christmas and I don't start again until... wait for it.. Boxing day! I've arrived home to find I don't have a key so I thought it a good opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas while I sit in my car and wait for my husband to get home!

I made this project a little earlier this month but didn't get chance to post it. If you would like a step by step you'll find it over on the craft barn blog. The central stamp is made by woodware and the flowers are Tim Holtz tattered floral. 

I'd like to enter this in to the challenge at stamping sensations.

All that remains is to say I hope you all have a very

Happy Christmas! 

See you in the new year x

Dachsund through the snow!

I bought this gorgeous stamp set in September as a SSS exclusive. I'm so pleased I did- it has came in handy for lots of different cards this year. I made a whole set of small simple ones for my work colleagues but wanted to pull out the stops a bit more for this one, destined for my parents.

The background is don't with distress inks and colour bloom, plus versa colour metallic ink for the snowflakes. The stamps are mostly lawn fawns happy howlidays although I also borrowed some stamps from their toboggan together set.

Wink of stella was added to the snow and the whole thing is assembled with 3d foam mount pads athe different thicknesses.

Happy Howlidays!

Challenges; 

Simon Wednesday

Lawnscaping

(I've only just found this challenge and am gutted to find it is running for a final time- all the best guys)

Craft stamper

Allsorts blue bingo (middle line, left to right... Alright the yellow is a bit gold but I added dimension with the 3d foam pads and there is definitely no designer paper!)

Almost Advent

Last year I stitched an advent calendar... this year I went for something paper based. By the time I'm fifty there'll be no room in the house for Christmas decorations because it'll be full of advent calendars instead!!

Close ups of the stamped background and the Christmas greeting in the centre. 

I'm not going to tell you how to make it on here, for that you'll need to head over to the Craft Barn website where there is a full tutorial, as well as some lovely other ideas for advent calendars from my teamies. 

I'd like to link this project in to the following challenges;

Stamping Sensations

Penny Black and More

Allsorts - After all, an advent calender counts time and has numbers :)

Crafty Ribbons (Each little cracker is tied with either twine or silver thread)

Quick... before it's winter!

Just a quick share tonight as I made this autumanl feeling card last week and realised it'll soon be too wintery to share it! We have had an absolutely stunning Autumn here in Devon though. A true display of Autumns finest; in the trees, the skies and the temperatures!

The main image stamp is from Penny Black and the sentiment is Lawn Fawn. I mounted on some gold vellum I had and inked with distress inks. Hope you like it!

I'm linking in to the following places;
Penny Black at Allsorts
Penny Black Saturday
Stamping Sensations
Simon Says Stamp

Autumn glow

Yesterday my first ever craft barn dt post went live:) I thought I would share the project here too although you can see the full tutorial on their website here.

 This scene was stamped using card-io pleasant pastures on to tissue paper with a distress ink background.

I affixed it to a jam jar using watered down PVA.

And added a few finishing touches to create an autumnal lantern.

I'd like to enter this project in to the autumn challenges at Stamping sensations and Penny black and more.