LOC good/bad luck #69

This week at Left of Centre Challenge blog the digital stamp sponsor is meljens designs, I picked bad-spell to go in with a good luck/bad luck theme. you should check out the designs as shes having a closing down sale..

Its and 8x8 card base, and is made using caught in crystal effect using floor polish, mica paints/powders against acetate and a tissue - i had great fun playing. 

shes coloured using waterbased childrens pens and a water brush, topped with glitter glue.

we're also making 6 word story ATC, this is my version of the frog prince, with the same background, I chopped off the wizard hat and replaced with a crown charm.

the above image is the same ATC photographed without and with a flash, this shows the depth of colour and shine/sparkle hidden in the mica.

its a really fun technique although i would definitely open a window or too..

The theme over at LOC is good or bad luck, why not have a play and enter one of your pieces, you don't have to use a stamp from the sponsor, in fact, you don't need to use a stamp at all, check out the other entries for inspiration and have fun.

thanks for looking, 

jas x 

Left of Centre (LOC) #68

This week at Left of Centre Challenge blog the digital stamp sponsor is Dilly Beans. My DT entry uses digital stamp no. 566 Jenn's Heart Framed.  She looked so lost and lonely so I've tried to create a lost and forgotten scrapbook page of a now long forgotten love, I think I'm in a valentines day time warp!

You said you'd love me forever!

The background:  I've used a selection of old scrapbook pages and aged them with distress ink; Vintage Photo and Walnut Ink.  I glued down someold grey embroidery thread for the circle and distressed a chipboard heart from a Heidi Swapp kit. The chipboard letter 'u' was inked with black stazon. LO SIZE 8X8.

The digital stamp: I've coloured the hearts, hair and dress with highlighters and then smooched Walnut distress ink over the whole piece. Attached a button, google eye and an old popper over the eye areas and finally redefined the frame with a permanent pen marker.

Once the piece was assembled I splattered on some brown ink.

I'm really starting to enjoy my experimenting with digital stamps, you play you learn.

The theme over at LOC is Big Eyes, why not have a play and enter one of your pieces, you don't have to use a stamp from the sponsor, in fact, you don't need to use a stamp at all, check out the other entries for inspiration and have fun.

Have a great weekend, happy crafting Lou x

Spiders - Love the Unloveable

Well it's Friday so that means another challenge over at Left of Center. This time I've used a great image from Sami Stamps called Spider Hugs. I love spiders but I must be one of the few people who do (many of my friends are arachnophobes). So, I decided to make a little tag to show how loveable they really are. I used distress inks splodged around with some water for the background, then ambossed it with a spider web embossing folder and highlighted parts of the web with black ink. I added some black pompom ribbon to the bottom, coloured the image using whatever I could find (having a bit of a clear up at the moment!) and stuck it on. Now, his little spindly legs got a bit lost amongst the black of her dress and the web, so I made some in the same style from green wire. Finally, I so wanted to add googly eyes but I can't find mine, so I used some glossy accents and little pearls instead, added a wee spider charm to her hair, and job done.

I hope you enjoyed it, and do pop over to Left of Center if, like me, you appreciate our little eight legged friends, as the theme this week is spiders so there should be lots of inspiration for you.

unloved monster

Hi All

I've been watching too much craft tv and there seems to be an upsurge in crochet on there so I decided to give it a whirl.  I've never so much as picked up a needle before, but very quickly got bored with making little squares, within a day I'd found this cuties pattern and a couple of youtube videos, around 50g of DK wool a 4.5mm hook for him and 3.5 for the eyes and days later I have this little fella.

 looking at the pattern site now I've gone a bit rogue with the ear placings and the tooth is a bit big but all the better to eat me with.

 Twerking it by the looks of how shaky the pic is, but he wanted to show off his tail.

the eyes I adjusted from a pattern here: the blog makes 3 different disks which you sew on top of each other, but they were too bulky and didn't look right with him being so small, so I just did them as one continuous circle, changing the colours as I went, 

when I stuffed him he didn't like sitting down, so i made a food free version of a beanbag, heavier than a polystyrene one, and stuffed it in his bum, he now sits and keeps me company.

Hope you like him and enjoy the rest of your weekend

Jas x

Say it with ceramic giveaway

Hi all

Recently there was a plea from Sarah - our friend at Free Art Friday, Swindon for more artwork including some that could go out this weekend.

I've been playing with some glass/ceramic paints lately and found some bargain tiles, add those with a dash of stencil playing and mwah a plethora of heart and love festooned pieces to give away.

I measured up my tile and printed out the wording I wanted, adhering some lightly sticky backed plastic I had lying around to the tile and traced the design onto it.

being very careful with my very sharp scalpel I cut out the design, slowly peeling away the letters as I went, tiding any nicks or edges. 

Then using a cut up pan sponge, I stippled my pebeo vitrail paints in rose and red/gold on the white tile, the fantasy moon paint on the black, peeling away the plastic as soon as it was fully covered - Don't wait until it dries, don't attempt a second coat.

Ta'dah finished tile - now these will stand up to a gentle washing and drying but probably can't be used as a regular coaster, if I was wanting repeated use I would give it a quick coat of resin to protect it.

a just because gift for a friend, stippled greengold vitrail paint with 'I heart brains/zombies' depending on how your thoughts are leaning that day..

Because I have a few spare tiles left, in case you can't get to Swindon or manage to find one when you're there, I'm offering a bespoke giveaway, 

by my counts there are 6 designs in 4 colour ways, add a comment to here or on our FB page for a chance to win your choice.. 

whether you say something nice or just what colour/design you want by 12.pm Thursday 19th, the winner will be announced in Friday 20ths LOC post.

Enjoy your weekend and keep an eye out for more un/loved up posts

Jas x 

Voodoo U Love

Happy Valentines my lovely scissorettes. My offering today is an altered chocolate box. Well chocolates are a gift of love are they not?

Voodoo U Love?

It all started with a box of chocolates and a bit of paper mache....

Altered Box
1. Remove lid, cover box in a layer of old book pages to give stability to the box - will be covered so any paper will do, leave to dry.
2. Take some black tissue paper, scrunch up well and glue to box, ensuring the inside, sides and outside edges are all covered.  The tissue paper layer should be very crinkly.  Leave to dry.
3. Use treasure gold to highlight all those gorgeous wrinkles.
The Heart
1. I've used funky foam and cut out 4 hearts each one increasing with size. Using the hot glue gun I attached all the layers and used the hot glue to try and smooth between the ridges created. Sorry I forgot go take pictures at this stage.  Leave to cool down.
2. Cover the heart with a few layers of old book pages - again this layer wont be fully visable later, adding scrunched up red tissue as the final layer. Leave to dry.
3. The heart was a bit bright so I slapped on some red craft paint, I'm loving the DecoArt Crafters Acrylic in Rouge Noel, but any red paint will do. Leave to dry.
4. I then smooched over some distress ink in Walnut ink,  to dull/age it a bit more.  Then swiped over some treasure gold just to lighly highlight a few areas. 
5. Attach heart inside of box with hot glue and pierce heart with 5 long pins, I think these are for jewellery making and enjoy your masterpiece.

TFL 

Next up is Jas at 12pm and Sunday at 12, so come back and join us..

Enjoy your day

Lou x

Left of Center - Valentines #64

Just a quick post from me before the fun of Valentine's day begins tomorrow.

I made a wee card using this fab image from Simply Betty stamps. I see a lot of Valentine cards from women but not so many from men, so I thought I'd make something quick and easy that would be suitable from a bloke. Now, I have to be honest, my organisation of my digi stamps is not so hot and I really can't remember what this one is called. Anyway, I just coloured him with promarkers and used some old K & Co papers (urban rhapsody?) as the background as the "number one fan" writing was already on it. I loved the little hearts with bat wings that came with the stamp, so I made a larger one of my own, and bob's our uncle!

Well, that's it from me, but be back for our Valentine weekend.

Bex