Created Byhand Challenge - Tyvek

The current challenge on the Created Byhand blog is to use tyvek. I cut a piece of tyvek a couple inches larger on all sides than this saying stamp from Quietfire design, colored the tyvek with Colorbox chalk inks and stamped the saying with Stazon ink. I then layed an acrylic block over the saying and used a heat tool on the rest of the tyvek, removed the acrylic block and carefully added some heat to the center to help things lay better. I really had to work with the piece to get it to lay ok and still be able to read the words but I think it was worth the fiddling. Layered the piece onto Bazzill cardstock and added skeleton leaves (natural and copper) and paper flowers sponged with chalk ink and brads added to the centers.

Ice Storm

Back on December 10-11 we had a huge ice storm. We lost electricity the morning of the 11th and didn't get it back until during the night the 15th. Here are some pictures taken the 11th when it finally stopped raining/freezing and then some taken a few days later when the sun finally came out.

I've Been Tagged

I've been tagged by Robin

Here are the simple rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

Here are my random facts:
1. It's hard for me to share about myself.
2. I grew up in Minnesota.
3. I was best friends with my dhs youngest sister in high school and when he came home for a visit that's how we met.
4. I do some of my best thinking in the shower.
5. I love making backgrounds and it's hard for me to use preprinted paper.
6. I wish words came easy to me.
7. I prefer to have a cleaned up work area.

Now to tag 7 people...
Kelly - Artsy Visions
Jodi - Art from the hArt
Chris - Evidence of an Artistic Life
Lenna - creative lenna
Kristy - Kristy's Musings
Suzanne - Quietfire Style
Gayle at Stamper's Touch

Created Byhand Challenge

The challenge on Created byhand is to use a collage image. I just love the collage images available from Quietfire Design and now that she offers them as pdf files they are even more fabulous!! This girl is found on the Vintage Children 2 sheet. It was printed on regular white cardstock and cut out with deckle scissors, layered onto blue and then purple bazzill cardstock. The background was stamped using Distress Inks faded jeans, milled lavender, and dusty concord with large bubble wrap. I inked up the bubble wrap and stamped it on atc sized white cardstock. After stamping I also sponged on some Distress Ink antique linen and then rubbed dusty concord right on the edges. "Serenity" (Quietfire Design) is stamped on vellum with Stazon royal purple.

More fun with Crackle Paints

I am really lovin' these new Crackle Paints!!! For this ATC I've used them on 140# cold press watercolor paper. I first rubbed the paper with old paper Distress ink and then painted with the crackle paints. The Tim Holtz flourish is stamped with Archival sepia ink. Collage image is from Quietfire Design. Words are computer generated. The center of the paper flowers were colored with Adirondack marker cranberry.

AMRSC - December Project of the Month

My Project of the Month for Decmeber at A Monthly Rubber Stamp Club is Styrofoam Pins. I had a lot of fun making these!!!

Created Byhand Challenge

This weeks challenge at Created Byhand is Christmas with vintage browns and burgundy. The finished size of this card is about 5" x 7 1/2". Collage image and saying stamp are from Quietfire Design. Color was added to the collage image with chalk pastels and sealed with Krylon workable fixative. Distress inks were used for stamping and rubbing edges.

Created Byhand - Tags

The challenge this week on Created Byhand is tags. This is a shipping tag stained with coffee, dried, sprayed with Stamp Zia chroma spray lava and dried. Stamped a small heart flourish across the background with Distress Ink old paper. The collage image and stamp are from Quietfire Design. Stamped the saying on cream cardstock and cut out each word and the heart. Went over the outline of the heart with a gold gel pen and then colored it in with Glaze Pen. Edged each word and the heart with a red Sharpie marker.

4 x 4 Friday - Lace

The challenge this week on 4 x 4 Friday is Lace. For the background I started with white cardstock and stamped a canvas image (Time to Stamp) repeatedly with Distress Fired Brick. Over that is stamped a large lace image (Time to Stamp) with Distress Walnut Stain. A brown line was made 1/8" in from each edge. Next take an atc sized piece of white cardstock and paint part of it with Distress Crackle Paint fired brick, let it dry, sponge on Distress old paper ink over paper and crackle. Stamp lace ribbon (Time to Stamp) with Distress walnut stain on the paper and Stazon timber brown over the paint. Layer this onto a piece of brown cardstock, wrap a ribbon around it and attach to background. Collage Image (Quietfire Design) is also layered onto a piece of brown cardstock and then onto atc sized piece. Add buttons as shown.

My order of crackle paints from Rubber Chicken Stamp Art arrived today and it was fun to use some on this. It worked great on the cardstock but did cause some warping. I'll be playing a lot with these!!

4 x 4

Kristy issued a challenge on the TTSchat yahoo group to use an old book page in a piece of art. I chose an old music book, tore pieces, added them to a Colorbox chalk inked piece of white cardstock and then also added ink to the music pieces. The girl and bird are from Time to Stamp. The words were computer generated but based on a stamp from Quietfire Design that says the same thing.

Another ATC

This is another atc for the byhandartists swap. The background was made by laying some greenery on the cardstock and then spraying with Stamp Zia color wash spray. Quote (from Quietfire Design) was stamp with Stazon ink jet black. "Speckles" were made by adding Versamark ink with a mesh texture tool and then embossing with Adirondack eggplant ep.

Just One Minute

This atc was done for the atc a month swap on the byhandartists yahoo group. The background is cut from a tissue box, collage image and stamp are from Quietfire Design, words were printed from a Dymo machine on clear tape and layed on violet cardstock. I used some chalk pastels around the girl.

Theme Thursday - Boys (again)

I just couldn't help making another atc while I had these stamps out. Again all images are from Time to Stamp. The boy is stamped on plain cardstock with Stazon timber brown, tread marks are stamped with Adirondack ink, and color sponged on with Adirondack and Marvy ink. Quote is stamped on a transparency with Stazon jet black.

Theme Thursday - Boys

The challenge this week on Theme Thursday is boys. All images used on this ATC are from Time to Stamp. I stamped the tread marks on white glossy cardstock with resist ink, sponged over it with Adirondack and Marvy inks, and stamped the boy with Stazon timber brown. Son was stamped on a scrap of paper and sponged with ink.

Created Byhand

The challenge this week on Created Byhand is to use alcohol inks. I decided I'd like to do a ceramic tile. I first cleaned the tile with rubbing alcohol. Then using a felt applicator I added Ranger alcohol inks (butterscotch, terra cotta) and blending solution to the tile, let dry, and went over it again also adding a little of the gold mixative. I continued working until I liked the design. I then took an old toothbrush, put some blending solution on it and flicked some onto the tile creating white splatters as it pushed the alcohol inks aside and dried it thoroughly with a heat tool. Stamped the saying (Quietfire Design) onto the tile using Archival ink jet black and dried it with a heat tool. Edged the tile with a gold Krylon pen. I put the tile in the oven at 225 degrees for about a half hour just to be sure everthing was well set, let it cool and added a thin layer of Glossy Accents to the top and let it dry over night.

Created Byhand - Black Background ATC

The challenge this week on Created Byhand is to make an ATC using black cardstock for the background. My entry uses gold and black spray webbing on the blackcardstock and I've also sponged gold Krylon along the edges. The saying (from Quietfire Design) is stamped with Versamark and embossed with gold detail powder, torn out, and gold Krylon sponged on the edges. Also added 3 gold 1/8" eyelets.

Friendship Canvas

This canvas was done for the Project of the Month on A Monthly Rubber Stamp Club. It includes step-by-step pictures and directions.

Asian Canvas

I had a lot of fun doing this canvas. I used a natural canvas, Golden light molding paste, Stamp Zia color sprays, Stamp Zia images, Twinkling H20s to add more definition to the stamping in the molding paste, chalks to add color to the Asian lady, Zias awesome art paper, a small gingko punch.

A good friend from Norway (thanks Tea) sent me a string of thick felt flowers and right away I knew what I wanted to do with one. I glued it to an ATC sized piece of 140# watercolor paper, gessoed the whole piece, painted it with Golden fluid acrylics, stamped the script over it, wrote on the words and then, of course, sent it off to Norway.

4 x 4 Friday - Faux Postage

The current challenge over at 4 x 4 Friday is faux postage. My entry uses stamps from Time to Stamp, Kaleidacolor ink pads, Marvy ink pad yellow, and Stazon jet black for 'Soar'.

A Simple ATC

A simple ATC but I quite like it. Saying (Quietfire Design) is stamped onto a speckled tannish text weight paper, crumpled well, distress ink rubbed over ridges, sprayed with water, dry with heat tool, make tears in edges and re-rub edges with distress ink, dry. Layer this on an atc card of Bazzill cardstock. Punch flowers from a scrap of the same Bazzill cardstock, adhere to card, dot centers with a gold gel pen.

Created Byhand Challenge

The theme for the very first Created Byhand Challenge is eyelets and this is my submission. I used diluted Ranger color wash sprays butterscotch and wild plum for the background. The quote (Quietfire Design) is stamped on vellum, tore and wrapped to the back. 1/16" gold eyelets added.

Painted Napkins

Yesterday after an in-person atc swap, our demo/activity time was painting on paper towels and napkins. This atc was made from a piece of the painted napkin I did. The napkin already had pictures of butterflies and things on it so i just painted around them with Golden fluid acrylics. After I got home I cut out the atc and then also used Golden matte medium over it to be sure the napkin was completely stuck to the cardstock. I also added some white paint over the butterfly to soften it a bit. The saying (from Quietfire Design) is stamped onto a transparency with Versamark ink and embossed with Adirondack powder. Attached it with eyelets and added the embroidered butterfly.

Corrugated Cardboard

The background for this atc was inspired by some atcs done by Joanne, an artist on one of the yahoo groups I belong too. I cut a piece of corrugated cardboard to atc size and tore off most of the top layer exposing the corrugated center. I then took torn pieces of solid tissue paper (light pink, medium green, and a deep dusty rose) and glued them on using Golden matte medium letting them hang over the edges. While it was still wet I sprayed them with diluted Ranger color wash stream, butterscotch and cranberry and let that dry completely. Next I used the matte medium to glue the extra paper hanging over the edges to the back, let that dry. Then I sprayed it with gold spray webbing, let that dry. And lastly I used a blitzer to add sprays of gold Krylon paint pen and let that dry. The girl is an image from the Tuscan Rose Vintage Images CD #1. Letters were printed and punched with a quarter inch hole punch.

My first arch card

I made my first arch card recently for a challenge on the Time to Stamp Chat yahoo group. The background is done using a Krylon paint pen and Ranger color wash sprays. The child image is from Time to Stamp. The words were done with a dymo printer on clear tape.

Black and Daub

These are finished samples from a class I taught recently on Cyberstampers. More information about the cards can be found on my picturetrail.

Accordion ATC Book

I had lots of fun creating this book as part of the ATC workshop on Artists of the Round Table. All the stamps I used are from Time to Stamp. The folded accordion is black cardstock and I stamped all the images with bleach, let it dry, and then added color back in by spraying on Stamp Zia color wash sprays. For the atcs I started with a light tan sheet of cardstock and sprayed it randomly with the same color wash sprays, dried it and cut it up into atc sized pieces. All the images on the atcs were stamped with either Versafine ink or Vivid ink.

A new design team and more ATCs

First of all I'm thrilled to now be a member of the Quietfire Design design team. Quietfire Design is a wonderful company in Canada that has fabulous calligraphy rubber stamps plus some design stamps along with lots of other stuff.

Both of these atc projects were done for the ATC Workshop on the Artists of the Round Table yahoo group.

The first one is a folded atc. All the images used on this are from Quietfire Design. I started with white glossy cardstock, stamped a large diamond background with resist ink, sponged over that with Adirondack inks. The small diamond border and tree were stamped with Adirondack inks.

All the stamping and sponging on the inside is done with Adirondack inks.

This triptych has cardstock as the base. I glued on a page from a phone book and also some tissue paper along the bottom. Let that dry and painted it using Golden fluid acrylics. Stamping was done with Stazon ink. Leaves are punched from cardstock and colored with Adirondack inks.

Autumn Colors

On the Time to Stamp Chat yahoo group, Kristy issued a challenge to use Autumn colors in a project. I actually did 2 projects, an atc and a card.

The background of the atc was done using water-soluable oil pastels. I scribbled them on and then blended them with my finger. The image (Time to Stamp) was stamped using Versafine vintage sepia and onyx black. Inked the whole image with sepia and then just tapped the edges with black. Leaves were punched from mustard colored cardstock and then Moon Glow embossing powder was added to each one. Words were written with a micron pen.

For the card I used a brayer and Kaleidacolor autumn spendor to ink up the collage stamp (Time to Stamp Lucid Dreams collection) and then stamped it onto white glossy paper. Trimmed paper and sponged on extra color around image to filled cardstock. "Changes" uses Time to Stamp's Artist's Stamp Alphabet and is stamped with Stazon jet black. Layered onto white cardstock, then corner punched rust colored cardstock and onto folded black card. Leaf charm (Time to Stamp) attached with glossy accents.