Step Back In Time...

Hello friends...

Today is the start of a brand new challenge over at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog and this week's exciting new challenge has been set by Sandra and is called "TICK TOCK". So whether your project is about clocks and gears or you challenge yourself to make a project in a certain amount of time ~ the choice is up to you and the clock is already ticking down...

When I first saw this challenge, I immediately thought of clocks, but then I thought again and I remembered this vintage Parisienne postcard that I had and was immediately inspired to create a piece using this image and my interpretation of the theme became all about...stepping back in time!

To begin with I used a piece of mountboard, approximately 8" square and primed the board with Gesso. I then painted my background using layers of Antique Linen, Walnut Stain and Vintage Photo Distress Paint, and then adding a touch of Black Soot at the very end. Whilst the background was drying, I began to die cut the Weathered Clock and Gears using Sizzix dies by Tim Holtz and then painted the chipboard die cuts with more layers of Distress Paints, adding some Antiqued Bronze to the colours.

Now, to get back to the background board and start layering the elements...

I added a layer of Gesso over the top of my painted background before flicking small amounts of the Gesso to create a distressed, vintage look. I dried this with a heat tool, applied torn pieces of Tissue Wrap and then, stamped random areas using the text stamp from the Letter To Santa set. So, that's the background finished.

Now to layer all the elements...and this piece is definitely all about layers!!

As a starting point for all the elements, I attached the Weathered Clock onto the painted board and then, arranged all the other pieces over the top, building them up to create the interest.

Behind the photo, I tucked a piece of Grungeboard covered with Metal Tape, embossed using the Blueprint and Gears Texture Fade and then painted with more Distress Paints for a rusty vintage look. I then inked up a Size 5 tag with Vintage Photo, Weathered Wood, Brushed Corduroy and Black Soot Distress Stains and stamped with the Paris wording from the Papillon stamp set. This too was added behind the photo, so that it showed the Paris wording only.

I used vintage seam binding on the tag and then added a Pen Nib which I aged with Distress Paints to give a patina effect. Once my postcard was in place, I just needed to add the die cut gears and various pieces of Idea-Ology, which once again, some pieces are aged using Distress Paints.

As a finishing touch, I added some Treasure Gold to highlight the Gears and the Weathered Clock.

So, I really hope you loved my "step back in time" and if you need more great ideas and inspiration, then look no further than the blog to see all the wonderful creations from my very talented Design Team members. Every week, one lucky random participant has the chance to win a $50 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp. Good luck....

Products used:

Tim Holtz Sizzix Blueprint & Gears Set Texture Fades

Sizzix Tim Holtz Dies ~ Weathered Clock and Gadget Gears

Distress Stains ~ Brushed Corduroy, Vintage Photo, Black Soot and Weathered Wood 

Distress Paint ~ Brushed Corduroy, Vintage Photo, Black Soot, Antiqued Bronze, Peeled Paint, Picket Fence and Antique Linen

Treasure Gold Classic Gilding Wax

Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Rubber Stamps ~ Letter To Santa and Papillon

Idea-Ology ~ Mini Paper Clips, Pen Nib, Hinge Clips, Observations Word Bands, Paper String, Sprocket Gears, Mini Sprocket Gears, Film Ribbon

Gesso

Black Archival Ink

Manila Size 5 Tag

Tim Holtz Tissue Tape Symphony

Vintage Seam Binding from my craft stash

Thank you so much for your visits today and I'll see you all very soon!!

Bye for now...love Emma xx

A Cameo Appearance...

Can you believe it's Monday already? But the start of a new week means that it's time for an exciting new challenge over on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog and this week the challenge is called "A Cameo Appearance". Will you be inspired by a TV show when some actor you like (from another show) pops on an episode or like me, do you love vintage cameos. Whatever inspires you, we would love you to join us in our challenge...

...and this is what I created, a vintage style cameo book frame, inspired by the romance of Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice. As always, I hope you love what I've made!

I love Tim Holtz's Worn Covers and thought it would work so well with this piece but I didn't have one so, decided to make one of my own. To begin with, I used chipboard and Manila card to create the book cover as a base for me to work on.

I then painted the outside and inside of the cover, using Stormy Sky and Antique Linen Distress Paints. Once I was happy with the colour, I then cut more Manila card to size and applied the same colours of Distress Paint to my craft mat, spritzed the paint with water and then "swooshed" the card through the paint, picking up the colours on the mat. I heat dried the card and then embossed it using the Regal Flourishes Texture Fade. To highlight the raised areas of the embossing, I lightly inked them with Walnut Stain Distress Ink and then added a touch of Treasure Gold. The edges of the card were then distressed and inked before applying each piece onto my cover.

The next step was to create the inside and for this, I inked the surface of some cream card with Old Paper Distress Ink, to give an antiqued look, added a few splatters of ink over the top before distressing and inking the edges of the card. I then die cut two Ornate Frames and the Mini Silhouettes from chipboard, painted all the die cuts with Black Soot Distress Paint before I inked over the top of them with clear embossing powder and heat embossed so that they became beautifully glossy.

I added some card behind each of the frames that I once again embossed with the Damask folder from the Damask and Regal Flourishes Texture Fade and then stuck the frames inside my cover and attached the silhouettes facing one another.

I now needed to decorate the outside and for this I wanted to make some paper flowers. I used the Tattered Florals and the Tattered Flower Garland Strips die to die cut all the various sized petals that I would need to make each individual flower. Once all the die cutting was complete, I spritzed all the petals using Squeezed Orange Dylusions Spray Mists and then heat dried them. After I inked the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink, I then layered each of the coloured petals together to give me six various sized dimensional flowers.

The centres of each flowers are made using an old punch from my stash, which makes the most perfect shaped stamens. I then inked them and added them to the centres with a pearl.

I added the flowers to the front of my cover and then used the Garden Greens die to die cut Grungepaper leaf flourishes. The flourishes are inked with Shabby Shutters and Peeled Paint Distress Ink and then added to the arrangement on the front.

To complete my book cover, I added some twine, a Paris Post Mark stamp which I stamped with black Archival Ink onto inked Manila card and then tucked into the arrangement with a Memo Pin and finally, I added a Word Band tied onto the cover with some dyed Crinkle Ribbon.

So, I really hope you loved my cameo frame book cover and for more great ideas and inspiration, then look no further than the blog to see all the wonderful creations from my very talented Design Team members. Every week, one lucky random participant has the chance to win a $50 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp. Good luck....

Products used:

Tim Holtz Sizzix Die Garden Greens

Tim Holtz Sizzix Tattered Florals Die

Tim Holtz Sizzix Die Tattered Flower Garland Strip Die

Tim Holtz Sizzix Damask & Regal Flourishes Texture Fade

Tim Holtz Sizzix Die Ornate Frame

Tim Holtz Sizzix Die ~ Mini Silhouettes

Tim Holtz Rubber Stamp ~ Paris Postmark

Dylusions Ink Spray ~ Squeezed Orange

Distress Inks ~ Walnut Stain, Old Paper, Shabby Shutters and Peeled Paint

Distress Paint ~ Stormy Sky and Antique Linen

Treasure Gold Classic Gilding Wax

Idea-Ology ~ Memo Pins, Word Bands

Black Archival Ink

Manila Card

Grungepaper

Crinkle Ribbon

Punches, pearls and twine from my craft stash

Thank you so much for your visits today and I'll see you all very soon!!

Bye for now...love Emma xx

Edwardian Lady...

Good morning everyone!!

Hope you are all well and had a good weekend! I'm just dropping by to let you all know that a new month, means a new challenge has started over on The Artistic Stamper Creative Team Blog and the challenge this month is called LADIES DAY!! We want to see all your stamping projects featuring lovely ladies and gorgeous girls and for more inspiration and some wonderful DT projects, just click HERE!

...and here's my project for the challenge, as always ~ I hope you like it!

I used one of the gorgeous stamps from the Gibson Girls stamp plate and decided to create an Edwardian feel to my piece and made my own easel frame. To begin with I used a piece of mountboard as my backing for the entire piece and then painted the background with Distress Paints, leaving it to dry before stamping all over in a repeat pattern, using the Lace background stamp using Versamark Ink and embossed with clear powder.

The frame is die cut from chipboard, using a Sizzix Cameo Frame Die by Tim Holtz, painted with Distress Inks and then I added some Treasure Gold over the embossed areas to make them pop. I popped the finished frame over the top of the stamped image which was hand painted using Distress Marker Pens.

The big flowers are die cut using the Tattered Florals die...what else, lol?!?! I added Distress Inks to the flowers and then popped a gorgeous Embellish Your Art piece by the very lovely Wendy Vecchi into the centre of the really huge flower.

 I added some die cut leaves, rusty wire, a little bit more Treasure Gold around the outside and a Idea-ology Word Band before adding a die cut easel stand to the back of my frame!! Sorry but I forgot to take a pic of that bit...lol!!

So, that's it from me for today and the whole team will be looking forward to seeing all your entries in this new challenge!! Good luck and thanks for dropping by to take a look at what I've created today!!

I'll see you again very soon with some more creations from Chez Williams'...bye for now!

Love Emma xxx