Recycled Stamping Block

February has come around so quick...there was so much I wanted to get done, I think I've only achieved half of what I set out to do,lol.
So here we are, all set for February's Challenge over at.....Rhedd's Creative Spirit.....
For my project this month I decided to alter a wooden stamping block....I have quite a few that I took the stamps off, I then sanded the wood all ready to use...lots of different sizes.

 I gessoed the wood then painted it in cream acrylic paint.

Once dry I spritzed with some dark pink acrylic paint that I had diluted with water and dried it using the heat tool. Then using a dotted stencil I pounced evergreen bough distress ink all over the block.

I set the block aside to dry completely before stamping the image and sentiment and shrubs.

I also added a sentiment to the back of the block....

To finish I distressed the edges with pickled raspberry ink....

To be honest I was very pleased with the finished piece, so much so that I intend making a few more,this one looks lovely on my dressing table, so a few more dotted around my home would look lovely.

Hope to see you enter the challenge, remember it is for altered art & mixed media only....you can find the challenge here...Rhedd's Creative Spirit

We are Back....

After a long break over the Christmas and New Year, the team are all set and ready for the February Challenge over at Altered Eclectics
We have some new teamies on board for 2015 so plenty of projects to feast your eyes on....maybe give you some inspiration to join in with the challenge.
My project is Altered Sewing Machine Bobbins.....a first for me.

Except for the Bobbins, which are new,everything else I used from my stash...

Beads, chain, links, fancy fibres, charms and ribbons.

These make fab handbag charms.

I love them all, but the red one is definately my favourite....

Hope to see  you over at the challenge, which you can find here...Altered Eclectics

A little bit of Shabby Chic,my style.....

I stumbled across Elaine's mini challenge out there in blogland....how on earth did I miss her blog...I mean, I am on her design team and I have known her through crafting for quite a while now...a lovely,lovely lady....
So Elaine's Mini Challenge is Shabby Chic and entries must be altered art/mixed media...so here is my entry....

I started off with a wooden tray, a few freebies from a lady who owned a craft shop,she was going to bin them,so I begged them off of her.

For my project I used  one with 4 compartments....

First I  gessoed the whole piece,then painted it with Kaisercraft acrylic paint, I mixed a bit of white with pistachio green. When that dried,I dry brushed white paint over the whole piece,although the photo dosen't pick that up very well.

Next I decorated each compartment with some vintage paper from Graphic45...a Tim Hotlz doll and a few other bits...added lace,beads and flowers to the corners.

To finish I used a couple of screw in rings and found some matching lace in my stash to use to hang it up as you can see below.

Hope you like it...I'm going to hide it from my daughter...once she sees it,she will want it,lol....

You can find Elaine's Mini Challenge HERE.....

Sweet little Tag

I rustled up a little Tag for the challenge over at TAGALONG....
The theme over there this week is Spots & Dots.
The background of my tag was coloured by spritzing acrylic paint over some water colour art card....then inked using sequin waste in 2 different colours and sizes.

I stamped the bird on the branch, leaving enough room for the sentiment, which dosen't seem to be showing up too well in the photograph.

I also stamped a little bit of a floral design to one side and then added the ribbon

Hopefully the photo below will show the verse a bit better...

Do pop over and have a look at the Tagalong Challenge, you can find it HERE

She loved to fish....

Another great challenge over at Artistic Outpost....as always the theme is Anything Goes, but the rules are you must use their stamps.
Well I am a great fan of their stamps and of course I have entered their January Challenge.
My project is an MDF Tag....

I primed the Tag with gesso, then I got a tad messy with some acrylic paints, then set it to one side to dry....in the mean time I stamped the Fisher lady and the sentiment on to cream card, then coloured the images. I stamped and cut out an extra section of the grasses on some spare card that I had painted in a lighter shade of green

I masked the Tag so I could add the grasses in dark green acrylic paint directly on to the tag....then once that area was dry I added the fisher lady. Once she was glued in place I added the extra grasses that I had previously stamped.

The over all effect I wanted was for the grasses to be higher up the lady's leg.

I used a light gold gel pen and high lighted the grasses, also used a few scribbles across the page ( I rubbed the pen marks in to the paint) to give it a light shimmer.

Finally finishing the Tag with the sentiment, button and a few highlights with platinum gilding wax.

You can find this challenge over at Artistic Outpost

Create a Scene

Over at Crafty Individuals they have a great theme for January's challenge...
"Create a Scene"...I have several Crafty Individual stamps, but only a few that I could make a scene with...well, I could use a selection of different stamps,but I chose to go with this set....

This piece of wood had a rubber stamp attached to it, over the years I have removed most of my stamps from the wood, it measures 5.5" x 4.5"

First I gessoed the wood, then painted it in cream acrylic paint. Once dry I then used a selection of acrylic paints for the sea, sand and sky....just swiping the brush across the block.

I put the block aside to dry...

I stamped the row of beach huts and the bathing belle on to some thin cream card, coloured them and then cut them out.

I used one of the verses and randomly stamped around the edge of the block.

I then adhered the images to the block...on reflection I should have put the beach huts slightly lower.

To finish I used an orange glitter pen and scribbled across the sand and while it was still wet I rubbed across it...I just want a light sparkle on the sand...I also did the same, although slightly less, for the sky.

To add the sparkle to the water, I used stardust stickles very sparingly and rubbed that lightly across the water...then I dried that with my heat tool, so the moisture in the glue wouldn't spoil the paint.

Once it was completely dry I lightly went over areas of the water with some platinum gilding wax.

Unfortunately,the light being so bad the sparkle didn't really show up ,so I resorted to laying the piece down flat and used the flash on my camera to light up the sparkle.

You can find the challenge here....Crafty Individuals   

Postcards & Letters Tag

Another week, another challenge over at Tagalong
This week the theme is postcards & Letters.....I have several stamps that I could have used...but a few days ago I was having a sort through my stash and found these in the bottom of my drawer.

To be honest they must be years old...I have no idea who they are made by either as the outer packaging wasn't found.

Anyway, they fitted the theme and I so love the postman cherub....

You can find the challenge HERE

My Tagalong Challenge Entry.....

I made another Tag....loved the background I created using the pinks and red acrylic paints and seeing as I have some card left I've used some for this tag.
This time though the Tag is for the challenge over at Tagalong Challenge where the theme is Washi Tape"...such a good theme too.

I used my Harlequin style stamp to give the tag a bit more of a background...then added 3 vertical strips of Washi Tape and then added 2 shorter musical strips horizontally on the top right of the tag...I tore the edges rather than cut with scissors

I fussy cut my cherub and rose....added some lace, ribbon and sticky back pearls.

A closer view of the Washi Tape.

You can find the challenge here at Tagalong Challenge