Flower Girls

This month's challenge from my ART 'n' SOUL group is to create a MIXED MEDIA PIECE with a VINTAGE THEME. I chose to make a postcard 6" x 4" all mounted on dark blue cardstock and it was to incorporate at least 2 (or all) of the following elements -


* A vintage image (stamped or printed)- I printed my image of the two girls onto paper.
* Paper collage - collaged it onto chipboard and triple embossed with interference blue.
* Some lace or ribbon or fabric - added beautiful piece of lace, left it uninked as made a nice contrast to the darker colours.
* A button or other embellishment - made vellum flowers with brads and coloured with matching ink
* Embossing or texture - painted the embossing folder with Lumiere Hi Lite Blue then ran through cuttlebug.

Thanks Viv I really enjoyed doing this challenge and will probably make something else as the month goes on.

Triple Embossed Envelopes

When I have the time I love to decorate my envelopes that I send cards in and while messing around with triple embossing I thought it would be a good way to adhere address tags to the decorated envelopes so that they can be read clearly. First I steamed open the backs of the envelopes so that I could completely cover all surfaces that show. Otherwise drips of inks bleed onto the white backs and leave an unfinished look. These two envelopes are sprayed with walnut inks then glimmer mists through a stencil, stamped with stazon using script and detail stamps. The tags are cut from matching cardstock and triple embossed around the edges to adhere.

Topiary

It has been such a long time since I did any triple embossing so I thought I would try some out again. I found some thick card shapes to use that would fit on an ATC. I triple embossed this one with 2 layers of clear UTEE and 1 layer of gold. I used versamark to make the first layer fix and then the molten powder for the other layers to adhere the powder. Immediately after melting the gold layer I stamped with a rubber stamp and voila! I mounted the piece with contrasting ribbon onto an ATC stamped with the same image. I moved on to create some more items with triple embossing. The round and oval pieces are decoupaged images then embossed with interference blue and clear respectively. The interference blue gives a nice misty look to the piece. The buckle was embossed with 2 layers of clear and 1 layer of gold UTEE and stamped. A final coat of clear gives it a shine.

ACF 80th Challenge - We Only Part

This week's challenge was to use the picture of the little girl. I made this ATC using sheet music paper to make a folded pocket. I edged the areas that are to show with ink and coloured parts of the paper. The little girl I printed on cardstock with a lilac hue and inserted her in the pocket. I punched a contrasting cardstock with an embossed heart and raised punched the flower shape in it. I edged it with gold leafed with pen and inserted it in the pocket. I used a photo corner made out of woven paper inked to match and the "We only part to meet again" charm is held in place with a brad. Someone sent me this charm as part of goodies with an ATC, I am sorry I can't remember who it is, thank you whoever you are.

Soartful Challenge - She's Got Style

This weeks challenge was to use the picture below. Such a beautiful art nouveau image, sad to say I made it smaller and mounted it on some furnace tape with E600 and gave it two coats of decoupage medium. I stuck this on a dry embossed a tag of blue cardstock. This I mounted on a white piece of cardstock stamped with a paisley pattern stamp coated with versamark and silver powder heat embossed. This was mounted on a dry embossed blue cardstock sheet to give it a raised pattern and then on a folded card of blue glitter cardstock. All the edges of the mounts I heat embossed with silver powder.

ACF 79th Challenge

This ATC was inspired by a photo of a jolly man dancing in wooden clogs from the Library of Congress. It was the clogs that took me back to my time spent living in Holland and the wonderful Dutch blue and white china tiles. First I painted the corners of the cardstock to look like some of the examples I found online. I then dipped the whole ATC in hot bees wax and immediately stamped my tulip stamp coated in versamark into the wax before it cooled. I let it rest for there for a about 30 seconds for the wax to set then used alcohol inks to highlight the tulip in the middle.

Oh what joy!!!

Oh what joy!!!! My darling grandsons, aged 2 1/2, sent me this as a birthday present. My daughter told me that apart from cutting out the hole in the top of the drink can they did it all by themselves. What a treasure it surely is. Thank you Jack and Eric, I love you and miss you dearly.

ACF 78th Challenge

I have been watching this Challenge group for some time now and love the pictures that are posted to work with and the wonderfully different ideas that people have using them. The picture in the middle at the top shows the inspiration piece for this week. In the lower right side of the materials is part of an old Union Flag. This was my inspiration for my ATC "Gettysburg". I aged my copy of the inspiration piece on the edges and stamped and embossed the saying. I printed the Union and Confederate flags at 1865 on burlap and frayed the edges. The rifle and sword are appliqued prints of weapons of that era and clear heat embossed to make more sturdy. Extra fibres rubbed with aging inks are also applied. I used onion skin paper to print an old field map of Gettysburg, aged with inks and burnt at the edges and in the middle. I mounted the ATC and folded the edges of the map over it. A band of raffia ribbon with an old metal button was wrapped around to secure the map in place(this slips off and is not meant to be untied). The Coat of Arms of the United States was UTEE'd and stuck in place on one side of the map. I then rubbed aging inks along the creases of the map.

Ribbon Holder Ophelia

Ribbon holder number 2 for my group is a double thickness of white card 3.5" square covered with lilac striped paper. I put contracting coloured eyelets in each corner and one large on in the top middle. Whispy flowers weremnstamped on the background and Ophelia in the middle. Yellow flowers were tinted with purple and lilac inks and a small brad put in the center. Wine glass charms with beads and silver dove charms were put into the two bottom brad holes. I punched out two one inch circles for the assortment of ribbon pieces.

Ribbon Hanger for Art 'n' Soul Group

This month's challenge is to make a Ribbon Hanger/Ribbon Tag. This is 3.5" square and the hole in the middle at the top fits a wire coat hanger. Heavy card in the middle covered with white cardstock on both sides then I glued a single ply napkin with roses on it onto the front and back. Such a pretty napkin (thanks TJ Maxx). Corners reinforced with small eyelets and larger one placed in the middle for wire hanger to pass through. Front stamped and gold embossed, "Rose" letters cut with cricut and gold leafed with pen. I tried very hard to cut through all those layers neatly but it was impossible so it has a very handmade look LOL, hope whoever gets it doesn't mind. Finally I gave a couple of coats of decoupage finish to the back and front to help protect the delicate napkin paper. I don't have much in the way of ribbon so I will have to find some more unique pieces to add before the end of the month.