POSTCARD 1

Over at the Country View Challenges blog they have a 'postcard' challenge. I've never made anything in a postcard size - 6" x 4" and thought it would be fun to try.

I cut a couple of pieces of watercolour card to size and using my WInsor and Newton Cotman set, I splashed around a few bright colours. I added some similar colours from my Neo-Colors crayons too.I stamped various background stamps, including hearts, crosses and words.
Using an Artistic Stamper Lesley Matthewson stamp I stamped the central flowers and painted them various colours adding a basic, hand-drawn rectangle (hopefully looking a little like a vase). I stencilled some green circles using a Paperartsy stencil.
I added some black stitching around the edge to finish off.

Challenges entered:

countryviewchallenges/march-postcards

theartisticstamper-march-stencils-masks

simonsaysstamp/wednesdaychallenge

Thanks for visiting, Rachel x

Just Read - bookmark

I really enjoyed creating this bookmark - I love the reduced pressure you are under when making a bookmark. It seems ridiculous to talk about pressure when making art is supposed to be an enjoyable, relaxing hobby to have but when making a stand alone piece of art, it is so easy just to throw it away if you are not happy, as opposed to making a journal page in a treasured journal!
Anyway, I started by painting a pink background with acrylic paint and stamping through various stencils to give interest. I embossed the clusters of little circles with a silver powder, they look really shiny in real life.
I adhered some blue tissue paper in places. Using a separate piece of card I coloured in the Stampotique Prom Queen with a Derwent Inktense blue pencil, plus some glitter on her hair and boots and she was done. I then had to meticulously cut her out - plus the hair!!
I have just now received a Stamp Platform and so will play around with techniques so I can stamp straight onto my intended card, hopefully using this device will help me get a perfect stamp imprint without all the fussy cutting.

Challenges entered:

stampotiquedesignerschallenge.february

countryviewchallenges/february-anything-but-cute

simonsaysstampblog.wednesdaychallenge-make-background

Thanks for visiting, Rachel x

Just Maybe?

I've made a journal page that has a valentine theme.

It was initially bred from a love of another journal page that Anneke De Clerck did but her page had a ballerina as the main feature. I found another little beauty with this girl from the same artist, just photo-copied and added to my page.

I made a lovely bright background with various paints and then added some hearts from a stencil by The Crafters Workshop 416S, some circles made from a lid, the arrows were made from a stencil I made myself and the flowers were stamped from a beautiful stamp set by AALL & Create.

I really loved this little girl, I love the painterly (is there such a word?) look of her and I think she fits into her background well. She also has an air of ..... so which boy will I choose... oo la la!! 

theartisticstampercreative/februarys-roses-are-red

rubberdance.february-challenge

simonsaysstampblog.wednesdaychallenge-make-background

thatscraftychallenges/i-heart-you-challenge

Thanks for visiting, Rachel x

Love is in the Air

So I have created this Valentine's card, not sure whether I will give this one or another that I have made yet......

.....created from a concoction of mixed media, I actually love all the bright colours clashing with each other.
First I hand drew a heart shape from paper, once cut out I then used the template, placing it over my white card I painted, dabbed and stamped!  I used circle, heart and word templates and then used my hexagon stamp here and there.
My black lines came from the end of an old credit card in my black Dylusions paint, the lid is nice and wide so makes it quite easy to do this - although I have had to throw the pot away now, it just ended up going very gloopy, almost dry, I was quite upset as I use black a fair bit so I looked it up on the internet to see if anyone else had had this problem.....yes, and the solution...is to spray the pot with some water after every use!
I used my free Love stamp that came with an old Craft Stamper magazine, such a beautiful stamp and attached this on the top over some torn paper with hexagons on (came from the inside of an envelope!)
A bit of scribbling with a black pen around the outside and finished.....

Challenges entered:

thatscraftychallenges-heart-you-challenge

rubberdance.blogspot-february-challenge

countryviewchallenges.february-anything-but-cute

stampotiquedesignerschallenge.february

Thanks for visiting, Rachel x

FInd the beauty in every day

Just finished creating a picture that I am happy with. Using a bubble stencil I managed to create a busy background for my Jofy stamp flowers. 

Great feeling when you create something you are pleased about.......

Challenges entered:

thatscraftychallenges

countryviewchallenges2018january

craftstamper.blogspot2018/01-challenge-january

Thanks for visiting, Rachel

A Flowery ATC

A Flowery ATC

I haven't really tried making ATC's before, to such an extent that I didn't even know what size they were supposed to be!  Each of these ATC's measure 2 1/2 " x 3 1/2" - which apparently according to the Paperartsy blog this month is the set size.

I really enjoyed making them - this has to be the best way of making art for someone that is slow at making decisions (hands up that's me) - I seemed to fill them up before I realised, such a little space to work in!

I really enjoyed building the layers - using paint, stencils, stamps and a bit of doodling and finished off with the beautiful Jofy 32 flower stamp set.

I will enter them into the Paperartsy competition and then maybe go off and add to my collection now.....

Paperartsy - blog.paperartsy-topic-1-atcs
Rubberdance - rubberdance/forever-stamping-challenge
Artistic Stamper - theartisticstamper2018/01/challenge-anything-goes
Craft Stamper - craftstamper.2018challenge-january
Country View Challenges - countryviewchallenges2018/january-anything-goes

Thanks for visiting, Rachel

Bookmark

When are posts like buses?

When you blog two in two days after a silence of 4 months!

Quite got into making a few bookmarks - it seems a nice slow way back into crafting after a long time away. Enough space to play around with but not too big - also if it all goes wrong, it's ok to chuck.

Happy with this one though - love the colour scheme - red and gold. I've embossed red, glittery splatters around the outside and the little round antennaes in a gold embossing powder. Just love this little zini monster from Paperartsy, such lovely stamps. 

Tried out my crackle glaze, not adept with it yet and each time I do use it, I decide that maybe I need to lay a thicker layer on!

Anyway, I have decided to enter this little munchkin into the Paperartsy challenge as well, the photo doesn't actually show just how much the bookmark glitters in the sun.

Challenges entered:

paperartsy.topic-14-glitter

Thanks for visiting, Rachel