Monday, April 22, 2013

Gotta get me some colour...

Hello again. Well, the title says it all... This week at Simon Says Stamp & Show we are in full blown colour and are having fun with all they have to offer. So if you have had a rather dull or unexciting weekend, spice up your week with a blast of feel good, colourful creativity.
 There are just so many wonderful products, mediums and shades to play around with so where better to try them all out that in my Art Journal. The poor thing. It is a bit dusty at the moment - and so am I! So I decided it was time for some creative therapy for both of us.
Except for my stamped words on the second page, I didn't use a single ink pad. I pulled out my Distress Paints and Stains, Gesso, Color Washes, Dylusions Ink Sprays and pens. Lots of layers, texture, contrast and free-styling! Some of my outlining went a bit wild but I left it as an "of the moment thing"...
I just kept playing with layers of shapes, colours and effects, seeing what happened each time. There is no right or wrong... only exploration and discovery. I used stencils (bought and home-made) for sharper shapes or patterns and combined them with splats, dribbles and squiggles.
I also used oodles of gesso - big swooshes as well as lines created with a credit card edge... I added some paper scraps and a heart from an old book page. I even jumped over to the sewing machine for some stitched fun too.
 The thoughts are a mix of newspaper cuttings and stamping... My little gal, Ruby, is now 10 months old and she is on the go ALL day long. Nothing is safe any more and domestic life is very full on here in Chez Engels. But I want to embrace the everyday busyness and be thankful for all that each day has in store for us. This is real life, not a rehearsal, so grab it with both hands.
And indeed, learn to love it! I am sure everyone could do with some colour in their life, not just their craft room! Check out the really wonderful colourful ideas from the rest of the Design Team here! We are on the hunt for our top three artists and there is this very generous $50 voucher to be won too. Back to the real world I must go...With that, she was away.
Enjoy your week and thanks for calling by. Sarah.

Posted by Sarah at Monday, April 22, 2013 19 comments

Monday, April 15, 2013

Backgrounds to the front please!

Monday again! I think I must have tripped and fell into a time warp on Friday night because I sure don't know where the weekend went to. Monday morning also means a fresh new challenge theme over at  Simon Says Stamp & Show where good old 'background stamps' are in the spotlight. I'm a huge fan of background stamps and can't get enough of them.
I was very glad to have a chance to play with my new Distress Paints and see how they performed. Yippee, something new, as full time mummy duty leaves me very little time to try out new stash. Oooh, I'm feeling all trendy.
I started my experimenting with colours and effects and I have to say I luuuuurve the paints. They are so vibrant, versatile and fun. I must also add that you really only need a little bit of paint to create a great blast of colour, so if you are thinking you'll use them up too quickly, let me tell you no! 
I actually was too generous and could have swooshed at least twenty tags with my left overs. Steady on next time Sarah. When you spritz them with water they really move and wick in a great way but retain their intense colour.
I worked with Ranger Specialty Stamping Paper which is coated so my paints really moved. In fact, I decided to play with the paints on a larger piece of paper and then I cut my tags from my favourite part. I dried them well and then in comes the background...
 l used just a section of Tim's Grunge Alphabet, also stamping in Distress Paint. By using just a part of the stamp and rolling it across the tag without an acrylic block, you can achieve some great effects. I do this a lot. It is a great way of getting more out of your stamps, especially if you are into art journalling too. I have also done this with the eyes on the first tag by masking off the bottom section.
I stamped the faces and eyes in Jet Black Archival Ink which you need to get that crisp, permanent image. Be sure to heat set as ink does take longer to dry on Specialty Stamping Paper. I added a little Distress Ink around the edges and then headed to my typewriter to create the wording which just came into my head whilst I was busy.
I wanted a little extra dimension and felt a butterfly fitted the mood. I refrained from lots of extra stamping and just decided to let the colours and images do the talking (she says, rambling on here...)
 So there you go lots of colour, painty love and a guest appearance from the background stamp. It's a great theme and I am sure everyone has a background stamp! Check out the really wonderful ideas from the rest of the Design Team here! We are on the hunt for our top three artists and there is this very generous $50 voucher to be won too.
With that, I am away... until the next time!
Sarah

Posted by Sarah at Monday, April 15, 2013 17 comments

Monday, April 8, 2013

Just Fly!

Well, at last the Spring sun-rays have arrived! About time too. A little warmth always brings a smile to many a face. Here in hilly Shropshire it has been a White Christmas all over again and in lots of villages they are still defrosting...
So when I read we had a "Fly" theme at Simon Says Stamp & Show I felt bright colours and flutterbys were definitely called for. l am also on a mission to dig into my "Crafty stuff I might use some day" box! Maybe like me you buy, collect and hoard all sorts of bits and bobs!.
Things like canvasses, boards, boxes, frames, tins, etc., etc. You name it, we'll buy it!  But then you forget to use them and it all piles up. Well, time to get tough, inky and busy I say.
l took three mini canvasses and decided to create a bright and cheery trio of colour. I seem to really be into my pinks, greens , yellow and blues at the moment but it also a good excuse to use the Summer Distress Inks all year round!
My boards are covered with layers of scrap Tissue Tape, gesso, paint, Dylusion Inks and stencils with a bit of stamping for good measure. Just a bit in black Archival ink for contrast. Just like I like to do in my Art Journal (well, when I have time... which is never at the mo!!!)
 They turned out quite busy and bright so I needed something bold but simple to balance it all out. I am totally in love with my Worn Text Alphabet stamps as I am mad about adding words to nearly everything I make.
l faffed around stamping the Wendy Vecchi butterfly onto all sorts of papers and couldn't decide which one worked best for ages... Eventually I went for dictionary pages stuck to card , coloured with Distress Inks. Just a hint of small text worked best.
Then I thought it still seemed a little busy and in need of some contrasting lines. My trusty roll of brown parcel string is a cheap and cheerful crafty live saver! It breaks up the background and adds a little more depth...

Fly is a fabulous crafty challenge theme and I'm sure you will all be able to come up with something. Come on, which crafter hasn't got a butterfly in their collection? There are of course lots of other interpretations to be found. Check out the really wonderful ideas from the rest of the Design Team here! We are on the hunt for our top three artists and there is this very generous $50 voucher to be won too. Reason enough to get inky!

Righteo, time to flit away and hide from the housework... Thanks for all the visits and lovely comments each week. Really. Thank you!
Until soon,
Sarah. 

Posted by Sarah at Monday, April 08, 2013 18 comments

Monday, April 1, 2013

Silly Stuff...

Tis the day of pranks, fooling round and general silly stuff. It's also time for a brand new challenge theme over at Simon Says Stamp & Show where we are throwing out the rule book and just having a fun time... They say laughter is the best medicine and that is certainly the case in my book. For the last few weeks we have all been very ill my house. Hubby came down with a bad viral infection and kindly passed it on to both myself and baby Ruby.
 Sigh. Talk about a crash course in domestic reality... Ugh. A poorly baby is bad enough but when you all go down with a bug, it ain't much fun at all. No sir. Indeed not. I had totally refined the art of coughing by practising every night until I was a prof. On the worst night, I was still awake at 4am spluttering and just gave up on getting any sleep. I decided I would rather sit in my craft room than in a dark bedroom listening to the other two snoring.
So all dosed up and bleary-eyed I ventured into my inky zone. As ill as I was I just could not sit there empty handed. I wondered if I could manage some OCD cutting out and decided to attempt to bring a 'tashy' idea to life. My Ringmaster stamps were still in their packaging in need of some serious ink...
 After cutting and inking up three of the above hairy fellows I decided to set them off the edge by folding back the front of the card. I thought this would be a rather silly but funny way to create a party invitation and that is where the slightly daft wording comes in. I used 'mustache' from the stamp and Chit Chat words on the front and  finished off the sentence by stamping Worn Text along the inside edge.

It's my take on 'Silly meets Clean and Simple meets Vintage" and seeing as it is a No Rules week. Well, I think I can make it up as I go along... And as it was 6am in the morning, my sanity had left the building. I'm glad to say we are all, at long last, on the mend. Hooray and Amen.

For lots more freestyle fun and fabulous art do take a look at all the really wonderful creations from the Design Team here!
We can't wait to see what inky fun you will all get up to this week!!! We'll be choosing our Top Three Artists and there is also this great $50 shopping voucher to be won.
Thanks for calling by. Stay happy and healthy.
See you soon... Sarah.

Posted by Sarah at Monday, April 01, 2013 18 comments
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