'Live' Box

Here is a box have I crafted using All Tim Holtz products and I think it fits the bill for this weeks Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge which requires us to 'Show some Stitching - Faux or otherwise' & The Stamp Man Challenge 'Anything by T!m'. 

The stitching on my box is definately faux and I have made a sort of patchwork effect with 'Lost & Found' papers on the top.

I cut out roughly 9 squares of paper and after distressing the edges stuck them on the top of a 4 inch square box blank which was painted black with Adirondack acrylic paint dabber in pitch black. I used Matte Medium as an adhesive. When dry I distressed the edges with sandpaper.

The sides of the top of the box were covered with die-cuts using the TH 'on the edge' mini scallop and pinking die from more lost and found paper. These were stuck in place on all sides with matte medium and again distressed. All the distressed edges were coloured with aged mahogony Distress ink and foam. The sides were then treated with clear rock candy Distress Stickles and rubbed over with a finger.

I then used stamps from the TH 'Bitty Grunge' plate to add some images onto the top in archival black ink and some faux stitches were added on some edges of the patchwork squares with a black Posca pen.

All the embellishmnets were made from Grungeboard shapes and letters coloured with aged mahogony, dried marigold, faded denim and pine needles Distress inks on bases coloured with more black dabber.  The number 18 is a lost and found salvage sticker.  All were adhered with Glossy accents.

I was tempted to add more but I think that was enough.  This box would make great storage for cufflinks !

Sid xx

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On The Seashore Card

Here is a card I made recently using the free cover stamp from one of the Craft Stamper Magazines.  I started with a square piece of white card which I coloured with Distress inks in old paper and spiced marmalade with cut'n'dry foam to give a sandy colour to the background. 

I then used Adirondack terracotta ink and stamped the shell image four times as shown and whilst still wet heat embossed with kaleidoscope embossing powder.  This embossing powder changes colour when heated and gives a subtle rainbow effect dependent on how much heat is applied and is not easily seen in the pic.

When cool a series of dots of  Adirondack Dimensional Pearl in stream were added and allowed to dry.  The plate was then edged with turquoise chalk ink.

The plate was then adhered centrally to a sea green pearlescent card blank.. A piece of narrow velvet ribbon in green was threaded through a small brass buckle and crossed over adhering with small glue dots to finish.

Very simple and easy to do.

Sid xx

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Changing Seasons Canvas

I was honoured to be asked to be contributing artist for the month of August in the new Artistic Stamper Creative Team Blog.  This is the first of my pieces inspired by two of my favourite colours plum and lime. This canvas is mounted on a board back but you could use any canvas or the Claudine Helmuth sticky backed canvas and make your own. I will always provide an ingredient list with links to the Artistic Stamper online store where you can get the goodies needed to make the canvas or one of your own.

Ingredients:

1. Canvas (7 x 9.5 ins)

2. Adirondack Dye inks (Wild Plum and Lettuce)

4. Adirondack Dimensional Pearls Paint (Wild Plum and Lettuce)

5. Martha Stuart punch

6. Glossy Accents

7. Metal plate embellishment

8. White Card

9. Clear UTEE

10. Versamark inkpad

Stamps:

1. Florals plate

2. Dots Background

I started by preparing the canvas which had already had a coat of white gesso.  Don't know whether you know that the Adirondack Dimensional Pearls can be thinned with water and used as a pearlescent paint.  I squirted an almond sized blob of wild plum into a saucer and added a little water so the paint was quite thin and applied a liberal coat with a 1.5 ins wide brush, allowing to puddle in places.  Whilst still wet I did the same with the lettuce and then dried with the heat gun.  The finish is subtle and also has retained a super pearlescent sheen.

I then took the dots background stamp and again applied neat dimensional pearls to the stamp with the brush and stamped randomly in both the wild plum and lettuce, drying once again with the heat gun.  Remember to wash the brush and the stamp thoroughly between colours and after use as the dried paint can be a devil to remove from the stamp !  That was the background completed.

Next I took the florals stamps and stamped two of the large plain edged flower, four of the medium line- edged flower & four of the small line-edged flower with Adirondack wild plum ink onto white card.  I then used a waterbrush and drew in the wild plum dye ink from the outside of the flowers into the petals and once dry cut them out.  I then used the Adirondack lettuce ink as paint and applied some to the inside of the lid of the inkpad and used the waterbrush to complete the insides of each flower. 

Next five of the closed leaf and five of the open leaf were stamped onto white card with lettuce Adirondack dye ink, the large leaves being further stamped with a hessian texture stamp.  These were then trimmed out.

All the finished flower elements and leaves were then coated with Versamark and heat embossed with one coat of clear UTEE to add a nice shine to them.  The flower layers were then assembled with Glossy Accents.

The top and bottom borders were cut with a Martha Stewart punch from card that I had painted unevenly with a narrow brush with a wash made from the wild plum and lettuce inkpads by rubbing them onto a craft sheet and spritzing with water.  The background was built up until it looked good before drying and punching.

The borders were trimmed to size and applied top and bottom with Glossy Accents. The flowers and leaves were arranged on the canvas and finally stuck in place with more Glossy Accents. The centres of the flowers were finished with some blobs of the undiluted Dimensional Pearls and the changing seasons metal plate was applied as shown.

I only literally used 2 colours on the whole canvas but in a number of different types of media. Hope this has inspired you to make one in your own style, the stamps are really good to build up flowers and on this one I particularly liked the watercoloured effect on the petals.

Sid xx   

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Pretty in Pink

I made some paper flowers with the TH Sizzix tattered florals alterations die a short while back and here I have used one on a little gift box I crafted.  The box started life as a box of  Whittard coffee beans and I first prepared it by painting with a couple of coats of french mauve Decoart acrylic paint.  Once dry I used the smallest flower  negative from the diecuts as a mask and applied Adirondack Dimensional Pearls through the stencil with a dry coarse natural sponge in a randon fashion.  I allowed this to dry before adding white centres to the stencilled flowers with a white pigment pen.

I dug out some polymer stamps from Anna Griffin of an oval frame and the words 'Sending You Inspiration' and stamped the frame with Versafine onyx black.  This was coloured with Marvey Le Plume II pens and trimmed out.  I then backed the frame with the same spotty pink printed paper I had used in the flower and again trimmed out.  This was then stamped with the words.

The edges of the box were touched with chestnut brown chalk ink as was the edge of the frame and the printed paper was distressed a little with the ink.

The box was then decorated with the frame being stuck into place, the flower and pink ribbon bow applied with glue dots to finish.  I love the matt finish to the box and it has a sort of 'material' feel to it.

Sid xx

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