Die Cuts or Punches - Artful Times

This is my last week helping out over on the Artful Times blog and it was lovely to come back for a time to help out.

Die cuts or punches was the theme so I chose to use the mini and cabinet dies, one is an alteration die and the smaller one which sits inside to create the frame is a movers and shapers die, both by TH.

It's a Man Thing - Artful Times

I never seem to have much of a stash of male cards, so when I saw this weeks theme for Artful Times that's what I decided to make.  

I used the steampunk on the edge die to create this card along with Time Travellers stamp set.

Let's Ribble - Artful Times

Artful Times this week is all about 'the ribble', ie corrugated or ribbed card.  I used a piece of my ribbed kraft card to create this simple but effective card.  I stamped the Dina Wakley grunge tree and the Hero Arts sentiment in stazon timber brown.

Masking - Artful Times

Over at Artful Times this week the theme is all about masking.  I randomly ripped some pieces of tape off and stuck them to the card. Stamped the main TH image other background stamps in black stazon.  Coloured the background with shades of purple pan pastels and then coloured the image.

Sunshine or Rain - Artful Times

So this weeks theme over at Artful Times is 'sunshine or rain'.  I decided to make a rainbow background with the distress stains and blended them in with distress inks.  I threw some water over the tag to create some water marks. I put white fresco paint through a stencil along the top half.  I lightly stamped the bottom half in black stazon with a Traci Bautisa stamp. I painted umbrella man with black eco friendly paint and hi-lighted the embossed script with pewter treasure gold.  

Maps / Cartography - Artful Times

As you may or may not know, I was one of the original founders of the Artful Times Challenge blog which I'm pleased to say is still going strong, but Neet has now been left on her own with it, so I offered a helping hand for a few of the challenges until she gets sorted out.  She wanted to keep it going as she didn't want to let anyone down.

So I made this postcard quickly using an embossing folder of a world map and some distress inks!!

So please pop along and support us - Artful Times Blog, and don't forget you can be in with the chance of winning a £10 voucher from Oyster Stamps.

Artful Times - Challenge 15

This weeks theme over at Artful Times is Fur or Feathers.  I decided to give Moth Fab a feathered outfit.  The skirt is a blue feather and the top is a green and black spotted feather.

Hop across to the challenge blog to see what Neet and Von made.  Don't forget if you want to join in, as long as you follow the guidelines you are in with a chance of winning a £10 voucher from our lovely sponsors, Oyster Stamps.

Artful Times - Challenge 13

Over at Artful Times this week Von has chosen the theme of 'make a tree the main feature'.  Now I don't know if I have succeeded in this challenge or not but here is my tag.  The background is permanent green (640.5) pan pastel through the Crafter's Workshop mini branches reversed stencil, outlined in a black fine nib pen.  (This is my tree!!)  Orange extra dark (280.1) pan pastel through the circles of the mini punchinella stencil top and bottom.  The arrow is coloured with raw umber (780.5) pan pastel, the word is  stamped in timber brown stazon and attached with brads.  The Stampotique Kamona was stamped on a separate piece of paper in timber brown stazon, cut out and attached to the tag.  Finally I used glossy accents on random dots.

Artful Times - Challenge 8

I chose a car as my mode of transport for this weeks Artful Times challenge.  I covered a piece of corrugated cardboard approx 8" x 6" in T!m's retro grunge stack paper and cut a niche out of the left hand side.  I put a piece of a map in the niche and behind the window of the car.  The car is a T!m stamp too.  I cut the Journey from T!m's movers and shapers die.  Added a few embellishments and idea-o-logy corners.


Pop over to the Artful Times challenge blog to see what mode of transport Neet and Von chose, leave us a comment and feel free to join in with us.

Artful Times - Challenge 7

Well I have to admit, I did somewhat struggle with this weeks Artful Times theme as chosen by Von.  She went with 'oh I do like to be beside the seaside'.  Well this totally threw me as I haven't got a single stamp that anywhere near resembles the seaside. Cue Maz; Maz has everything, luckily for me.  So she dug out this Crafty Individuals stamp and another plate which contained the seagulls so I could make this atc.  The background is faded jeans and bundled sage distress inks.  The main image is stamped in black soot distress stain, hence the rugged look and the seagulls are stamped in black soot distress ink.


I'm sure you can come up with something much better than my atc. Hop over to see what the rest of the DT produced and don't forget to link up your entry and not your blog to stay within the challenge rules.

Artful Times - Challenge 6

With fathers day in mind, Neet has chosen 'men' as this weeks Artful Times theme.  I decided to make a postcard size canvas.  I randomly swooshed crackle paint over the canvas and patiently waited for it to dry!!  Once dry I coloured it with blue and black Stewart Gill paints.  I die cut the umbrella man from music paper and gave him a coat of black translucent paint.  The 'John Lennon' quote is computer generated, cut out and glued on.   I then took the white art bar, outlined the image and the words and added a few hi-lights to the background around the sequin waste images.

Hop over to the challenge blog to see what Neet and Von have been up to and why not join us.

Artful Times - Challenge 5

I set this weeks Artful Times topic of 'Ribbon & Lace'.  I used various different pieces of fabric, lace, hessian and a skeleton leaf to surround the main image.  I added fabric flowers and a silk rod tied with ribbon to the lace on the left hand side.   I coloured a piece of plain white twill with spiced marmalade and mustard seed distress stains.  I then stamped the word 'cherish'.  I found a delicate gold coloured butterfly in my stash which I think Sarah sent to me in an envelope swap which just fitted perfectly.  It measures approx 9" x 6".


Please feel free to join in with this weeks challenge and pop over and see what Neet and Von have made.  Leave us a comment, we love to hear from you.

Artful Times - Challenge 4

Von chose this weeks Artful Times challenge theme of 'Birds'. This slightly threw me as I only have two birds, T!m's alteration caged bird die and the one on the urban tapestry stamp plate.  So as you can see, I decided to go with the die. The background was coloured with two shades of blue pan pastels and a violet. I then run the tag through the stylized flowers embossing folder. I lightly brushed over it with picket fence distress stain. The bird and the cage were coloured with distress stains. I threaded the dark ribbon through the holes and attached a caged bird charm. I glossy accented the bird. I coloured the strip of material with distress stain and attached it with a brad.

Come along and join us this week.

Artful Times - Challenge 3

Neet has chosen this weeks Artful Times theme of 'Time'.  Again I decided to go with a 6" x 4" postcard.  The background was created with glimmer mists and dylusions sprays.  I randomly added some gesso to the background.  The bottom image is a Hampton Arts border stamp and the top image is from T!m's game of life plate.  The clock and the girls are printed from a bought digital download, cut out and added to the postcard.  I then took a white pen and outlined the images and the stamping.
Come over and join us this week.

Artful Times - Challenge 2

I decided to go with a 6" x 4" postcard for this weeks Artful Times challenge.  I made the background by spraying various inks and colour washes in shades of green onto a piece of card.  I then took a piece of cling film, scrunched it up and sort of unravelled it a bit and stuck it over the top of the card for about 2 hours.  Once it had dried I carefully peeled it off.  I then randomly applied acrylic and eco friendly paint in no particular fashion.  I stamped the image onto acetate using black stazon.  I inked all the fabrics up in either green distress stains or spray inks.  The green piece of twill in the middle is behind the acetate and has the word 'dream' on it.  The side and bottom pieces were applied with the glue gun.  The image was printed off, cut out and stuck on top of the acetate, so there are actually 3 layers to this postcard.
So please feel free to pop along and join in with us this week over at Artful Times.

About Time ...

... A new challenge blog has been formed by myself, Neet and Von.
Go check us out, we'd love to have you come and play.
Please help us spread the word by taking our logo and putting it in your sidebar with a link back to the blog, http://artfultimes.blogspot.co.uk
The first challenge goes 'live' on Friday 30 March at 6 pm, but in the meantime, hop over and have a nosey around at the info on the pages and become a follower so as not to miss out.