Welcome to that Monday feeling ...

Morning readers,

As we approach Christmas and I have almost (but not quite) completed my Christmas cards my thoughts have veered towards using some seldom inked images and I wanted to make an ATC but I also wanted to use a Penny Black image with not one but three cats on it ... well, guess what? It's a big old stamp and three cats were NEVER going to fit so .....what to do ..... anyhoo, the ATC element won and I inked just one of the fabby cats!

My Artist Trading Card

And a closer view of the image panel and doodling

Materials used:

• ATC blank
• Snippets of card in red and white
• On the white snippet I stamped just one of the three cats from my very old Penny Black woodmounted stamp "Xmas Hat" 2742H using Memento tuxedo black ink
• Using a scrap of post it to ensure I didn't stamp over my cat I stamped the Hobby Art border (and present) from CS106D and the sentiment from the Hero Arts set CL343 using Memento tuxedo black ink
• Faber Castell polychromos pencils used to colour image and background
• Stardust stickles to bling up the image and add snowflakes on the background
• White Sakura gelly roll gel pen used to doodle a border on to the red matting layer

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. Colour Crazy - challenge No. 42 - ANYTHING GOES
2. Allsorts - challenge No. 490 - TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS COLOURS
3. Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge - challenge No. 408 - ANYTHING CHRISTMAS GOES + optional twist to ADD A SENTIMENT AS THE FOCAL POINT (not used)
4. Crafters Castle - challenge No. 10 - ANYTHING GOES + option of CHRISTMAS - 3rd entry
5. Penny Black - Saturday challenge - ANYTHING (Penny Black) GOES + option of SPOOKY COLOURS (not used)

Regular visitors to my blog will be aware that some friends and I challenge ourselves to produce a journal page per week and we take it in turns to choose a one word prompt to get us all motivated. It's my turn to present this weeks word and I've chosen the word "CHALLENGE" - seemed kind of obvious that someone WOULD!!! I "challenged" myself to use things I'd not used in a while - in this case Pan Pastels and a set of quirky stamps!

My journal page

And a closer view of the stencilling and highlighting

Materials used:

• One page of my Strathmore mixed media journal
• I laid down a layer of pan pastel colour using a Sofft sponge and violet and yellow pastels
• Using a Stampers Anonymous stencil (THMM104) I added more purple in a couple of spts - to add texture
• Using Studiog and Recollections (119928 "elegant double") alphabet stamps and Versafine onyx black ink, I spelled out the sentiment "The challenge is to think outside the box"
• With the space left I added images and border from the Prima Marketing set (559328 "Craftsman") stamping with Versafine onyx black ink
• Sakura gelly roll gel pen (white) used to accentuate the word "CHALLENGE"
• Finally, I applied a layer of Krylon fixative to "set" the pastels

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. CardzTV - challenge No. - ANYTHING GOES - 2nd entry
2. Creative Artiste - challenge No. 43 - ANYTHING (mixed media) GOES
3. WeLove2Create - challenge No. 13 - ANYTHING (mixed media) GOES
4. More Mixed Media - October challenge - ANYTHING (mixed media) GOES - 3rd entry
5. Stamplorations - October Mixed Media challenge - ANYTHING (mixed media) GOES but MUST use a stencil

 

And now, for a card ... a masculine card as it's been a while since I've made one ... using a fave technique of mine, layering stamped images ...

My card

  

The front, back and inside of my card along with the front and back of my envelope

Materials used:

• White A2/C6, 250gsm, card and matching sized envelope
• Two pieces of white card cut to fit
• Snippets of card in white, blue and grey
• Art Gone Wild image (MI2511) stamped using Versafine onyx black - also stamped on to a post it which I then cut out to use as a mask
• With the mask in place I stamped the Kaisercraft wood grain image using Ranger Archival shadow grey ink
• I stamped two "splatter" images randomly, using Ranger inks in Vermilion and cobalt blue before removing the mask and matting my image panel first on to grey and then to blue card
• Using the same cobalt blue ink I rubbed around the outer edge to define my card front as I normally layer my image panel but the car was slightly too large to allow that on an A2 card blank

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. Moving Along With The Times - challenge No. 82 - FOR A MAN
2. Creative Fingers - challenge No. 153 - ANYTHING GOES - 3rd entry
3. Hiding In My Craft Room - challenge No. 375 - FREESTYLE (Anything Goes)
4. Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - challenge No. 92 - ANYTHING GOES
5. The Corrosive Challenge - challenge No. 10 - ANYTHING GOES - 2nd entry