Dotty Nellie with a Masking Technique

Yesterday I had a play with masking those flower pots I used the other week with Fitz........but it was just not working out as I wanted it to........so I had to draw a flower pot outline myself and then add the flower spray........here is how I managed it........ran out of time to post this yesterday on my Dotty Nellie for the challenge.....................learn from my mistakes LOL...........feel free to laugh when you get to the end of it!!!!!!!!!

I stamped the main image of
Nellie with Flower then stamped the sunflower with pot on scrap card and cut out the stamped flower pot only.........as you can see in the top corner...... BTW the pen is a "Pilot" drawing pen....they come in different nib widths, this one is 01.

I placed the cut out of the pot where I wanted it just a little higher on the page than the main stamp and drew a line around it but left the top of the pot open as you can see on the left hand side.

Now.....please make sure you now mask your main Nellie image........I forgot to the first time round arrrrrrrrg!!! LOL...........I couldn't just use the flower pot mask to stamp the bunch of flowers as the stems were too big and would have shown.....also the rim of the pot had to be cut away or I would have masked out more of the flowers............so I had to first cut a smaller pot mask then cut a larger piece of card and attach underneath the pot mask and then stamp the flowers!!!................This still meant that part of the flower image was lost because of the mask as you can see on the other side.
So I had to draw in the missing bits with the pen!.....added a bit of shading with the pen to edges of pot and at last a finished stamped piece ready to colour in and here is a reminder of the card I made with it.

If anyone has a tip for me on how I could have achieved this in an easier way I'd really like to know!!! LOL .............I suppose I should have just used the original stamp but I wanted a change.......I hope you find this useful.

Thanks for looking...........Happy Stamping.

xoxo

Dotty Nellie

At Stamp with Fun the challenge is to use dots.........I'm feeling in a dotty mood myself at the moment so I'd better join in!
I've used those digi freebie papers again from The Shabby Princess........my friend loved the thanks card I did the other day BTW.

I wanted to have a play with masking those flower pots I used the other week with Fitz........but it was just not working out as I wanted it to........so I had to draw a flower pot outline myself and then add the flower spray...........hope you think it works........I'll be posting a Tips & Tricks on this tomorrow if you want to take a look.
Thanks for looking...........must dash.......Happy Stamping.

xoxo

Perfect Pie

It has been a beautiful day here weather wise.....hope you have been as lucky where you are........Yesterday I was dreaming of Mojacar in Spain........today Greece.........ate a beef Stifado outside in the garden.......had a cool beer to wash it down.......dreamed of the day my olive tree (bush!) will be big enough to sit beneath it's boughs in the dappled shade...........

DH did the cooking as per usual and he also made an apple and raspberry pie......it was scrummy!

Digital photo mounts framing the pie were a freebie from Digital Scrapbook Place.

Getting back to Spain............I have been looking for that view from the terrace in Mojacar Pueblo that I mentioned yesterday.........but can I find it!............Can I heck! LOL....whoops I think I am repeating myself again.....I can only point you to a You Tube site I found that has a slide show of the area ......the view is stunning but I don't think photo's do it justice at all.........It also got me thinking about how long it was since I was there.......I was a bit shocked at all the buildings around the beach area!.........Time flies because it was around about 1990.........no wonder it has changed. LOL

TTFN

xoxo

edit.....found another little vid of Mojacar on you tube that is spectacular.....makes me want to go again.

Parfum d'Orange - WOJ # 34

Woooh!!!! Here I am for the first time at the WOJ challenge........I have saved up my precious pennies and chosen just two stamps so that I can enter the challenges here........you know me I like to dip into different ones depending on which theme/colour/sketch/style grabs me at the time.......

I chose this citrus tree as........a) It could so easily be a number of different fruits depending on how you colour it........b) because it reminded me of a beautiful plaza in Mojacar Pueblo, Spain where there are Orange trees all around and the view from the terrace is to die for........stunning views to the coast and inland........I'll try and find a picture if I have one and post it.......dreams over for the day!.............here is my card.

I coloured the image with pencils using the baby oil technique and added a bit of Adirondack Pesto to distress the edges and the mat layers......made up the flower and used my circular sentiment thingy again for the "THANKS".....I love this and find it so useful.

By the way the tree comes with the "Love grows happiness" sentiment stamp so that was an added bonus! The papers are digital ones again that were a freebie from "The Shabby Princess" I love the free desktops she does each month via her blog........cheers up my computer work space.

Thanks for looking..........Happy Stamping.

xoxo

Queen for a Day - Sugar Bowl #12 sketch

Over at The Sugar Bowl the sketch looked inviting so I gave it a go and used the "must include" to have the colours blue & green on your card.
I have gone back to the Gorjuss one and decided to play around a bit.......added a crown and sat her on the fairy kingdom ticket that was the free stamp with CS last month....love that stamp.

Me and bling don't usually go together but if you are going to be "Queen for a Day" then you've got to have it daaaaahlink......also embossed the swirly curls with disco black powder......actually I might put a few more on...not sure........made and inked the flower layers to match in..............and the sentiment was computer generated as I so often do.
Thanks for looking.....enjoyed the sketch by Lia........Oh! Nearly forgot to mention......there is a chance.........and in my case a very slim one!........of winning the upcoming new release stamps from Duda Daze. at the Sweet Shop..........have not seen any peeks yet but she does have some great art work in her Etsy shop (love the frogs)......Happy stamping.

xoxo

Fitz amongst the Sunflowers - Papertake Weekly Sketch #16

I am warning you now this is a bit bright!!!
I had just finished colouring this for a thank you to a friend when I saw the sketch from Dawn at Papertake Weekly and spookily it was just the right layout for the image......had to use it then :)
I don't usually do this colour way and this is the first time I have used the K&Co Hopscotch Boy papers.....thankfully I think it works ok as I had coloured the image whilst watching the tele and there was not a lot of light and I put too much colour on.......obviously the eyesight is not what it used to be and it turned out a bit too intense!!! LOL

Sorry for using Fitz again so soon......but he is mine and I love him!.....The sunflowers in a pot I have had for years (QVC) and this is the first time I have used it.......shame on me.
Thanks for the sketch Dawn it was just what I was looking for....and thanks for looking........you can take your sunglasses off now!!! LOL

xoxo

Something Completely Different - #3

Something Completely Different has, for me, turned into something pretty much the same.........I have got a genuine reason though........honest!.........I am going to combine all three twinchies I have made into one larger piece so they have to have some sort of cohesion....don't they? LOL




The birdies were a free image from The Vintage Moth.....SSBFL...printed off and coloured with pencils......same stamped background used and the wording stamped with my little letter stamps.....I was really pleased to find this image as I thought the birds looked as if they were wearing masks......so they fitted in with the word disguise........it will all be crystal clear when you see the finished piece!!! LOL
xoxo

Tilda meets Fitz! Just Magnolia Week #7

I have been busy with life and other things but I am back at Just Magnolia for the challenge this week to use animals or insects.......I have used one of the much prized stamped images of Tilda that a very special person sent me :) and added a little twist with my own digital stamp of a cat......I used K&Co Classic K McKenna papers........made up my own flower, inking plain white card to match the papers.......ditto the swirls and a computer generated sentiment finished off with a corner punch/embosser that was a bargain on C&C many moons ago....the silver heart charm was in a bargain card making kit (£1.39!!) from my local Sue Ryder shop on Saturday.......images coloured with pencils using the baby oil technique.



I believe they say necessity is the mother of invention?.............I love stamping only problem is the monetary challenged position I find myself in which prevents me indulging very much in new stamps.........I have been hoping to buy some sort of cat stamp recently but.....well......I just could not seem to find the right one at just the right price!!!....the only solution..........draw your own!!!..........somehow I was inspired and came up with a design based on my gorgeous cat Fitzgerald......as he is a digital stamp I have re sized him so he can be a new friend for Tilda.......that is the best reason for doing him or any other stamp digitally IMO......being able to resize.......although nothing is perfect and there are limitations in using a digital stamp for certain techniques......Hope you have enjoyed looking at my card.......and if you have why not pop along and join in the challenge.........you might be lucky and the man of your dreams aka Mr Random might be knocking at your door!!
xoxo

Purrr...fect

I have been revisiting my art sketch book.....bit of a posh name for a doodling book!.....I tend to roughly jot down ideas in it.....which can be anything from a phrase that springs in my mind to a pattern I see.......or a doodle of something......not that much in it has ever turned into a bigger project or a full blown drawing...............I mentioned in an earlier post about wishing I had had some proper training when it comes to art........anyway I have been in "the mood" and have been refining (playing) with a doodle of my cat Fitzgerald.....finally transferring him to the computer in a digital format via my Wacom tablet...........I am by no means an expert at using this but it is an invaluable tool if you are interested in that sort of thing.......I then printed him off (what they call a digital stamp) and coloured him with the pencils my mum bought me all those years ago.


And the inside got a bit of decoration too....I used the Magnolia week 4 sketch....loved it but did not get the time to join in that week!!.........Papers are the same as I used on the digital post here only printed out this time for a bit of tactile crafting..........you can find them here under Mindy at Designer Digitals


That is my first post showing my very own design art...........Hope you like Fitz as much as I do........but then I am biased he is based on "My Cutie Pie"...Fitzgerald the purr...fect cat....IMO.

xoxo

Doodle Peek

Another quickie today........need to finish lots of other things!!!.....part planted front flower bed but too hot at moment so will finish later..............here is a little peek of the inspiration doodle that "My Cutie Pie" provided.

Be back tomorrow with a little something else.
xoxo

My Cutie Pie

Just a quick post to show a bit of digital work for a change..........a layout featuring "My Cutie Pie" Fitzgerald!

He has inspired me to really challenge myself artistically this past week.........I'll be posting more about that tomorrow............but only after some plants from the back garden find a new home in a new bed created today in the front garden.
xoxo

Friends Twinchie

It's the second week at Something Completely Different and we are still to make twinchies but the theme this week is a colour combo to use Pink and Green.

I realised that my twinchie last week also fitted this so decided to use the same background paper I had stamped with the idea I might make these into a picture or a card or something!!.......

however.....after I took the photo it looks like I have used gold as well!!.........Hey ho.......what is done is done.....

xoxo

As easy as "ABCDE"

This is the ATC I made for my first swap over at The Artist Trading Club. I hope everyone has received theirs now that I am posting this............mine arrived Saturday :) The theme was to include "ABCDE"......some included this all on the one ATC whilst others obviously made 5 different ones with one letter on each.........I have to say I find it challenging enough to make one design and re-create it 5 times.......never mind make 5 different ones!!.......................... Congrats to those who can.

I have included two shots as I wanted to try to convey the interference effect on the Paperartsy man..............this was stamped with black Versafine and then painted over with oyster H2O's...........I know this stuff will probably last ages but what happens when I run out?.....Panic!.....as they are going ,or have gone, out of business!!.......The red background was stamped with cranberry Adirondack and painted out with water and the butterfly/moth (not sure which!) was a mixture of DI and chalk on the wings with Adirondack acrylic - cranberry for the body. The old fashioned "Time Book" paper was a free download from Tim Holtz a couple of years ago........it was available as a workshop project sheet........not that there was any possibility of me going as it was in America........but hey! It was a freebie!!! Came in useful at last for this and I added the computer generated wording..............distressed a bit round the edges with DI walnut Stain......By the way............I kept this one as I had got a stain right in the middle of his eyebrows!!!

Here are the four great ATC's I received on Saturday

Chris Rollins

Love the image and stamping that has all been done on glossy card. Chris explains more about it on her blog.

Denise Long (sorry Denise..........don't know your blog link)

Love the background......I am presuming alcohol inks but I might be wrong........and to me it looks as if the moon is peeping out from a cloudy/misty night sky. Perhaps Oliver Reed is about to make an appearance as the "Werewolf"? Sorry..........I do have vivid dreams. LOL

Jaci Wright

Super six pack!! Just a hint of sparkle and I love the quotation "I don't care much for reality... I prefer art."........How true.......reality sucks!

Chris Rowe

Fantastic background..........again with Alcohol inks and I love that eye.....I can imagine almost anything looking at that!........also love the little white dots......just adds to the whole effect.

I adore each and every one and now that I have a little collection started I am going to have to make something special to keep these in.

xoxo

New Life - Tuesday Taggers

This is the first challenge at Tuesday Taggers and this is the first tag I have made since "Tag your it" finished...........how sad is that?.......Still I have had lots of other challenges to occupy me! LOL

The theme this week is New Beginnings.......so here is my tag.......not much waffle today as a cold that started about 10 days ago has left me a little jaded over the past couple of days but I must be feeling a bit better as I made this when I got home tonight from work........ :)

A bit of masking involved......used DI's for the background.........Archival ink for the black bits.........butterfly heat embossed with clear powder and a word brad that was a QVC item a while ago......I've never seen any since.......so even though I have quite a few left.........I am beginning to have that sinking feeling that comes when you want to be able to get hold of a special product but can't anymore!!!

Hope your Bank Holiday Weekend is an Arty one!! Have Fun, fun, fun.

xoxo

Something Completely Different

Alas................Monty Pythons Flying Circus is not returning to our screens :(..................no this is something much better :)..........a bit of twist on this new challenge site Something Completely Different..........The idea of "Something Completely Different" is to have a different challenge per month and a different theme each week - so that we can all have a go at something completely different to our nomal artwork........the DT team is Carol and Dawn who were part of "Tag your It" which I miss quite a lot..........and Gez and Ang.

Here is my "Twinchie"...........first I have ever done and a bit different to my norm I think.............background inked lightly with DI WL.......overstamped with same using a scroll stamp then stamped circular motif in black.....both stamps Anna Griffin..........the angel and flowers are scrapbook pieces that come on a sheet that I got from the Exeter show last year and not used till now......my own word stamp "angels" and a die cut heart grunged a bit with some DI FB.

Thanks for looking.............hope you can join in too.........have fun and get yourself over there pronto to see what it is all about.

xoxo

Sugar Bowl - #10 "Take Two"

This is a first!!! Posting twice for the Sugar Bowl..........loved the sketch so much I had to have another go. My first one is here.

Different papers and colours and a pansy flower that I have a bunch of............they used to decorate a room..............but tastes change and quite frankly they were dust gatherers................and life's too short to dust!! LOL.........The papers were a digital down load from Designer Digitals by Mindy Terasawa.....it was a freebie (they do some every week) and I have just had a look but it is not available anymore sorry........ if you register you can then download the ones that are there.........they must retire the older ones......I have had it some time.............. They only send out e-mails once a week so don't think you will be snowed under!!........I very much like Katie Pertiet's work.........and many of the other designers there.

Thanks again Marlene.......can you tell I loved the sketch! :)

Hoping to plant some of my veggies in the ground this weekend weather permitting.........Yes some of them have actually come up!!

xoxo

Stamptacular - #6

It's been a couple of weeks since I was last at Stamptacular Sunday and I had been thinking of practising a bit more masking with my stamps and this sketch suited it to a T.....how could I refuse to join in? LOL

I love the look of all the great collage stamps you can get........I drool for quite a few!!.......and the other day I took a long hard look at exactly what is is that appeals and tried to recreate the look with the stamps that I have.

All the stamps used here did not cost me a penny!!!....ooh sorry.......I lie.....the letter stamps for the word "time" cost me 99p...what a bargain.....so much so that when I drove to the shop a couple of weeks ago.........hoping to get a couple more different fonts.............they did not have any left and did not expect to get anymore :(

The rest were either free from a magazine, part of the subscription to CS from Paperartsy or part of a prize quite some time ago (again Paperartsy)......I was itching to use the ticket stamp that came as a freebie with Craft Stamper this month......The papers were again from the wodge that I got from Lyndsay (SSBFL)........I realised after a while that the papers looked familiar and it turns out I have quite few of them already in some 6x6 pads.........it's the same old story............had for ages can't bring myself to cut them.........so using these is not bringing me out in a cold sweat in case I can't get anymore! LOL.................................The wording "is Relative" was computer generated.

Here is a bit of a close up of the main panel.....Thanks for looking and thanks again Stamptacular for the great sketch..........will really be using this often................off to practise some more.

xoxo

Double Dutch -

Over at the Double Dutch site this time round (they are every fortnight) the challenge is "Clear & Simple"....i.e. make a clear card.

This is not something I have done before............either a clear card or entered the challenge!.....Nearly entered the other week when you had to make a teabag holder...........managed to get round to making the teabag but never decorated it and missed the closing date!!! Typical.

Here is my card.........there are a few photo's cos' I couldn't decide which one looked the best!!! Not that easy to convey the transparency.

I made a 4 x 8 size card because the stamped image I had been sent by a special blogger friend seemed to need it............Stamped my Paperartsy (CS freebie again) swirly tree as a border all around the front with Staz-on blazing red.............it looks more like blazing pink to me though!!!

I used my little circular sentiment thingy again which says "from me" on the outside one and "to you" on the inside one......................It is a bit fiddly trying to get the right balance as to what goes where on a clear card.............I suppose the more you do the better you get though!..........The flower at the top is on the inside of the card and the flower at the bottom is on the outside with the sentiment circles strategically covering the brad legs.

The inside was decorated with a piece of my own design tartan paper and a mat and layer for a written sentiment in the future. The red mat layer for the tartan is fixed to the very back of the card to finish it off. Here is a close up of Tilda and the colouring...........I used the Cumberland pencils again but I also had a practise with an unusual colouring medium for Tilda's skin this time round as I am not totally happy with either DI tattered rose or my pink pencil............I bet you will never guess!!!............So I'll tell you..................black coffee...............yep the sort you drink..............not an ink colour................the skin areas have 1 wash all over........then another layer where you want some darker shadows........it will look a bit hard edged at this point but don't panic Mr Mannering!!!...........add a bit of pinkness at the edges and to the cheeks with a Tombow pen number 800 (or whatever water based pink you use) before a final overall wash with the coffee again which will soften any hard edges.................I think this is what I will use for now..........until I come up with some other hair brained idea!!!

Thanks for looking..................I didn't win the euro millions on Friday so it's work for me tomorrow :(

xoxo

p.s. I know my coffee idea may not be a eurika moment in crafting history........but I can honestly say I have never seen it mentioned anywhere...........apologies if you have already discovered this.

The Sugar Bowl - #10

The Sugar Bowl Challenge this week is to use a great sketch by Marlene and also to include buttons on your project..........loved the sketch and loved colouring my Nellie stamp with flower........I've only got this stamp and my Gorjuss girl with the birdie so hope you don't get fed up of seeing them as I can't buy any more for a while!

I found some more colouring pencils in a tin in the loft last week when I was sorting things for a car boot on Bank Holiday Monday...........I remember my mum bought me them for art when I was at secondary school (we had been told that we had to have a set of our own pencils).........I dropped art when we had to choose our exam subjects though...........I think there might have been a chance of being halfway o.k. if the teacher had actually taught us................all I remember is that those who were already fantastic at drawing seemed to be shown the most interest and the rest of us were left to wonder what was the point........or at least I did!......I sometimes think it might have been nice to learn more of the basics.

The pencils say Lakeland by Cumberland on them and I know my mum could not really afford them and drummed into me the need to not loose them or break them! The first time we had to do something with them in class everyone got out their pencils apart from one girl............who was a bit of the class trouble maker if she could get away with it type........................and I just knew at some point she would come and ask to borrow those precious pencils.........and she did.........even though I had butterflies in my stomach I was more concerned with what my mum had said........so I told her that if my mum could afford to buy me a set of pencils even though my dad had died and we had no money I couldn't see why she could not get her own as well and I refused to lend them out! Talk about shaking on the inside! Tried not to let it show on the outside! LOL.............that was the last time I remember her ever bothering to try it on again............so it was worth it.

Sorry about the life story! Do little insignificant objects bring back memories to you too?

Have an arty weekend.

I have another project on the go and would like to finish that one tomorrow so probably see you then.

TTFN.

xoxo

Just Magnolia - Week #3

I had to miss week 2 challenge at Just Magnolia :( ............so I was pleased to see a great sketch this week by Bev and wanted to have a go.

I've had some coloured pencils for a while that resurfaced the other day! So thought I would have a go at the baby oil technique of blending (instead of Sansodor which I don't have).............I was sceptical but have to say it works a treat........and believe me those pencils were real cheapies so I expect it works even better with "proper" pencils.

There is a story behind the card...........isn't there always! LOL............I had coloured Tilda and cut her out and done all the matting and layering and was about to fix her to the card when Oh! No!!! I had got a couple of black smudge marks on her..............(I actually said something stronger than Oh! No! that I can't repeat).................. and I was about to call it a day and throw it away when a solution popped in my head..........add some more smudge marks...........Yep....add even more smudges!!!..................now it looks as if she has been a bit naughty and got her dress all messed up...........It helps as well that the pink pencil I used for her cheek colour was a little too intense really and made her look a little flushed...............I think it works in the end as a "sorry I forgot" your birthday card.............I may like making cards but the amount of times I forget to send them in time is unreal! LOL

I had a go at decorating the inside as well......................seeing as if I have missed someones birthday they really deserve my best efforts.................I usually make a normal insert but as I used some digital papers for this I was not in danger of running out of a cherished bit of designer paper to do this.

The papers are available from Scrapgirls as a freebie called Refresh Collection here although I have had it a while and whilst my file says that is what it is called I can't actually see these two pieces of paper on the photo.......................anyways I like the papers you can get at Scrapgirls...............they really are designer IMO.

Thanks for looking.

xoxo