Sew It's Easter

I dropped the weekly challenges yesterday, one of my favorite challenge days, to work on a quick turn around ATC swap done through Alpha Stamps. A 3 for 3 swap. The card shape is an ATC with the edges cut to make the card egg shaped.

I received some fantastic images (more like German scrap) Easter themed in my latest Paula’s Kit club so I decided to use those along with the Doodled Bird and an Ornamental Corner from Alpha Stamps.

To make the background for the egg ATC I used 4 different colors of Sparkeling H2O’s (so yes, it shimmers). I then glued down the egg images and stamped using Brown ink, so some of the stamp overlaps the images. With that done I then hand stitched around the egg using pink shimmery DMC floss. In between the stitching I placed miniature pearls. To finish it off I cut out an image of a spool, wrapped some of the floss around it and 3D’ed it.

I hope you enjoy them and I can’t wait to see what I get in return. I really like my eggs, kinda hard for me to see them go.

Enjoy
Caro


Here is a close up of one of the three, click on either image to enlarge.

The Shape of Things to Come

Today at Think Monday Think ATC the challenge is…

This week, I’d like to take you to the colourful world of fashion. I’m far from being a fashion victim, but this is not only about the most recent trends, but possibly about the gorgeous robes of the renaissance and other eras, or the look of the 20s, dresses from Bollywood films and carnival costumes, or maybe still the crazy creations of the Paris Fashion Shows. This is a very diversified theme and we can’t wait to see your ATCs

This is a pretty common theme that I work into my pieces regardless of the challenge so I decided to focus on stamps that I normally do not use and combine them with ephemeral that does not typically go with the theme.

I stamped the woman from Oxford Impressions on transparency. Behind her I used a bright yellow paper and covered it with a collage image from Paula’s Kit club and some white fabric type paper. I then layered a cut out from an actually dress pattern and some bright shell German scrap. I attached the transparency with green shell buttons that I sewed on and then used a stitching pattern rub on to finish the piece off.

The entire time I was working on this ATC I kept saying…”Oh I don’t like it, I don’t like it how to fix it…what to do???” I stuck to my original plan and once it was all done I do like it. Very different for me but I guess that is what I challenged myself to do.

The scan is a bit fuzzy in places due to the 3D sea shells…sorry.

Hope you enjoy
Caro

Open Your Eye's

TGIF…challenged us to…

Swirls.
Annchen has been our guest-designer and has sent us such a gordeous card using swirls, thank you so much for this, dear Annchen… ;o)


Unfortunately I am out of play time today, my DH wants me to come to a potluck dinner at his work tonight so he can show DD and I off…uggg…well, I have to cook for it…

So, I remembered this piece that I made for a Stampers Sampler Tempting Template. I really really liked it and almost didn’t send it in. It is perfect for today’s challenge.

The background is a harlequin design stamped in white. The eye’s are from Paper Artsy, one of them is positioned on the Tempting Template which is a pocket. And finally the swirls at the bottom are highlighted with glitter.

Hope you enjoy!

Le Chat

Today at 4 x 4 Friday the theme is…

This weeks challenge is PETS!!! So, do a 4×4 having to do with this theme and comment to this with a link to your blog post!

How does one choose between dogs and cats. At least this was a tough one for me considering that I have both and love them dearly. However, I have had more cats as pets so that critter won out.

The collage image and stamp are from Paula’s Kit Club. The background was made by mixing Tim Holtz distressing inks and then embossing the tapestry background that is also on the frame I made.

Hope you enjoy!
Caro

Pari

Today’s theme at Theme Thursday is…

This week’s theme is “Paris”! Use collage images, rubber stamps, paints, fancy paper , embellishments or any other art supply to make your creation in a Paris theme. Make an ATC, 4 x 4, card, inchie, altered tag, inchie, skinny or whatever you fancy! Add your art to your blog, then post a direct link under the comments! Please include a link to Theme Thursday on your blog! Have fun and make art

I decided to go all out…really push my collage abilities. I spent a few minutes thinking of everything Paris that I could, I came up with of course the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dam, the French Revolution and Haute Couture. Amazingly I had a way to represent every single one of these aspects.

To start I painted the canvas brick red and then stamped French script all over. Using collage images from Paula’s Kit Club I painted the dress with sparkling H2O’s and then cut it out, along with the multitude of heads, and legs I have on the piece. I glued all those elements on and then using a tan acrylic paint I stippled/smeared the ruff lines.

The church window is from Stampington & Co. I stamped, colored and then printed that out on transparency. The Eiffel tower, from Stamp Land Chicago, is stamped in balck behind the transparency which I attached using brass brads.

“Haute Couture” is stamped on fabric that I hand stitched onto the canvas. “Off with her Head” is stamped on scrap paper and then torn and attached. The letters are from Stampington & Co. The vintage shoe is black embossed across the bottom and finaly “Pari” is gold embossed.

With all that said and done I covered the entire piece with Egyptian Gold Sparkeling H2O…so the entire piece shimmers.

I hope you enjoy…as always I am open to all types of evaluation.
Caro

Tallulah's Vintage Card Swap

I finished my Alpha Stamps sponsored Tallulah Swap today. I signed up for this swap months ago and you can almost tell which pieces I made first…it is amazing how much I’ve learned from all the bloggers.

You can read about the swap here. But a quick run down. We were asked to use one of the many Tallulah Collage Sheets available at Alpha Stamps. I wanted to challenge myself (when don’t I ?) and do something different for me and hopefully not something everyone else would do so I selected the Pierrot collage sheet. When I started to think about my possible designs the images put me in a very playful mood. Which I guess was Pierrot’s entire purpose. I hope that you can see the humor behind my chosen themes.

So here are my swap pieces…

Top left "My Heart is ever at your Service"

Top Middle: "She Loves Me"

Top Right: "To Learn is Human" This is my favorite, and my husbands least favorite. I'd be interested to know what you think. I used a yellow silk fabric to make the curtain, thank you so much Frida for answering all my questions.

Bottom Left: "What Diet"

Bottom Right: "Among the Stars"

This ATC "King of the Stage" is for the Hostess of the Swap. Thank you Lenna!

I hope you Enjoy!...as always I am open to any type of comments.

Caro

The Beauty of the Written Word

Today’s Cratedby Hand challenge proved to be a very big challenge to me. It may be because I don’t have any of the recommended supplies but who knows. Anyway, I spent all morning trying out different techniques…coming up short three times. So with time rapidly slipping away I actually finally created something I thought worthy and then decided to combine it with the Crazy Amigo Challenge…killing two birds with one stamp…so to speak LOL

So at Createdby Hand the challenge is…

Create art using sprays, spritzs, mists or spatters! Use a spray, spritz, spatter or mist along with stamps, inks, paints, embellishments, fancy papers to create art

And at Crazy Amigo’s the theme is…

This week we challenge you to make something with the theme 'Beauty'. What's a beauty to you?

I made a 4 x 4 using glossy paper sprayed with meadow Alcohol ink blended with water and a green pearlescent pearl. I also sprayed a book page with the mixture. This covered the Createdby Hand challenge.

But how to portray Beauty…and what is beauty to me. I thought about this one for a bit deciding that things that make me happy must be beautiful. I love stamping, reading, and flowers (receiving more than growing), so I combined these as best I could.

The rose is painted with sparkeling H2O’s and cut out. The image of the woman is stamped directly onto the glossy paper, she is from Paper Artzy. Next I layered the prepared book page, ripped in pieces, cut out an image from an ATC collage pack and glued the rose on.

Hope you enjoy!
Caro

Fly Me to my Secret Garden

Today at Think Monday Think ATC the theme is…

Today we challenge you to make a triptych. The theme is open, only the form is important.Triptych (Greek for threefold) - a work of art that is divided into three sections, a middle part flanked by two (usually smaller) related works

I had to do a bit of research on triptych’s to see exactly what they were. Here is what I found at Wikipedia…

A triptych (pronounced "trip-tick") from the Greek τρίπτυχο [ tri'ptu.xo ] tri- "three" + ptychē "fold") is a work of art (usually a panel painting) which is divided into three sections, or three carved panels which are hinged together and folded. The middle panel is the larger one, and flanked by two lesser, related works.....

I have discovered that when the theme is open I have a much harder time coming up with a piece that I like. Many years ago I purchased Anxious Annie from Stampland Chicago but have been unsuccessful at using her. So today was the day, since I love her so much, that I was going to make her work. It took me all day to get it presentable.

The middle of the Triptych is standard ATC size 2 ½ x 3 ½. I used a taupe decorate paper; it has swirls which are a darker shade of taupe. On top of that I layered a transparency of a lily (made by stamping the image, coloring it, scanning it into the computer and printing it on transparency). And then I placed Anxious Annie, she is embossed with Tim Holtz distressing powder and colored with Prisma Colors. To finish off the ATC I rimmed the edges with copper embossing powder.

The two side panels are slightly smaller (as described) 1 7/8 x 3 ½ . They were created much the same way as the ATC except I embossed the key with the distressing powder directly onto the transparency. The Birds are cut from a vintage post card set from Stampington & Co.

I connected all three pieces with the copper flower embellishments from Alpha Stamps. They do not hold the pieces ridged so you can move the side panels up and down or keep them in a straight line.

I hope you enjoy.
Caro

No such thing as Trash

Today I made my first ever Gothic Arch…and let me say that I am now addicted. Not that I am not addicted to almost all the challenges but this particular one just seems to really grip me.

Today the challenge was to…

Our hostess this week is Klaartje who has a very creative challenge for all of you. She created this precious arch using “trash” - items you would normally throw away….think package labels, bubble wrap, a lid of a tincan and…..?

Well, there was absolutely no way I was rummaging through my trash can since the top item was a discarded banana peal…YUCK!! But lou and behold, my DH had not cleaned up his tea bag from the night before. As many of you know Tea is one of my favorite things, to drink and to use in my pieces. So that little tea bag and the wrapper came with me to the stamping room.

I don’t throw brown paper grocery bags away so I am not sure my background counts as trash. But it is a brown paper bag crumpled and then aged using Tim Holtz distressing ink. I then over stamped the definition of tea from Stampington & co. repeatedly and using colored pencils highlighted the tea leaves.

The image of the woman sitting with her tea is from an old magazine. I cut her out and placed her so. Next I disassembled the tea bag, saving the tea leaves and gold embossed two tea cup on the actual tea bag. After threading the tea bags string through the left hand side of the arch I glued the tea cups on. Last I glued on the Tea’s label at the top of the arch. To finish it all off I edged the arch with the tea leaves.

I think I did a pretty good job for my first arch! Any and all comments, critical or just plain love it are welcome.

Enjoy!
Caro

Sister's in the Garden

I took on my First Skinny Saturday today. I must admit the new size kinda threw me for a loop.

The theme for today is….

I thought it would be fun this week to have two themes. So………Our first theme is set by Mandy and is Sisters. Our next theme is Set by Wil and is Vintage Bride.

I would have preferred to work with the vintage bride theme but I am not 100% sure what qualifies as vintage nor did I have what I consider an appropriate bridal image. I have a set of bells but that is all. The collage image I have is an advertisement for cigars…not very bridal LOL.

So…I took on the sisters. When I think sisters the first thing that comes to mind is my mother and her sister. Still very close after living miles apart for years and years. So instead of using children I went with an adult image from Altered Pages. The background is stamped with a floral stamp and then chalked very lightly (maybe a little too lightly). The bird image is from a set of post cards from Stampington & Co., I cut out what I wanted from the post card. Layered all those components as shown and then finished it off with the fabulous ribbon from Alpha Stamps.

To me there is something not quite right with this piece. If you have any suggestions I’d love to hear them.

Thanks
Caro