Christmas for IndigoBlu

I am posting some Christmas inspiration for you over at IndigoBlu.  Here is a sneak peak but if you pop over to the blog, you can find out what I made and get all the details.

Going Round in Circles

It is that time again for another new challenge at Frilly and Funkie.  The lovely Sue is our hostess for this one and is calling it Going Round in Circles.  She describes it this way:

"Including circles in my projects is one of my favourite things to do, so for this challenge I want to see circles, lots of circles, not just one ! Stencilled, stamped or even a circular project such as a wreath!"

I hope you will join me for this one - you could be a random winner of a wonderful gift certificate for Linda's shop or you could be one of our Guest Designers.

I thought this might a good time to get started on my Christmas card stash, especially since I am running way behind.  I decided to go a little non-traditional this time.

I chose papers from A Christmas Carol by Graphic 45 and a scrap from my stash to create the patchwork background.  Each panel was distressed with my scissors and the edges were inked with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink.

I cut a scalloped circle frame from the Graphic 45 paper pad using some Nellie Snellon dies that I have had for ages and inked all the edges with Gathered Twigs.  I found the bird online, changed him to sepia and printed him onto a scrap of card stock before mounting him behind the frame.

I dyed some venise lace with Antique Linen Distress Ink and added that to the card with a strip of burlap and a strip of brown ric rac.

The poinsettia is made from the Graphic 45 paper and a Marianne Creatables die.  The edges of the petals were inked with Gathered Twigs and after it was layered I added some brown pearls to the centre.  The poinsettia is mounted on top of some die cut greenery or rather brownery :).

I used Coffee Archival Ink to stamp a sentiment from IndigoBlu's Vintage Frame stamp set onto a sctap of card stock and punched it with a circle punch from EK Success before I inked the edges with Gathered Twigs DI and attached it to the card with some burlap string.

I am going to enter this card in the following challenges:

House of Cards - Bird and/or colour palette
Crazy Challenge - Burlap and/or Twine
Sparkles Monthly Challenge - Real Lace and Pearls
A Vintage Journey  - Create Within a Frame

The following items used to create this card came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique:

Mother and Child

I am back today with some inspiration for IndigoBlu.  I have made a shabby Christmas card featuring the stamp called Mother and Child.

I started with some grey Bazzill card stock for the blank and then added a panel of music paper that was computer generated and distressed and inked around the edges with Hickory Smoke Distress Ink.

Next I made a couple of embossed panels from scraps of card stock, mixed some Silver Luscious with Matte Slap it On and sponged it over the top.

I stamped the image with Jet Black Archival Ink, fussy cut it and then sponged the edges with some of the Silver Luscious mixture.

Next I made a poinsettia out of metal foil tape.  The 2" tape is readily available here at hardware or DIY stores and is used by people in the heating and air conditioning business to wrap pipes.  When the fellow came to service our furnace last fall, I discovered he used 3" wide tape and he was kind enough to sell me a roll from his truck, which allows me to use the larger dies from my Marianne Creatables die set.

The trick with this tape is to cut twice the length that you need, fold it in half and then carefully peel off the paper backing and fold it onto itself.  I take a bone folder and smooth it out after it is folded together.  The adhesive is very sticky so I do not recommend using a punch with it but it does die cut and emboss beautifully.

The next step was to coat each piece with black gesso and then wipe it off leaving the gesso in any grooves or indentations.  I used Ruby Slippers Metallic Paint with a drop of black gesso mixed in to paint three and Emerald City Metallic Paint to paint the last one.  I wanted the red to be a bit deeper so I inked over it randomly with Poppyfield Alcohol Ink.  All the petals were layered together and some large silver seed beads were added to the centre.

I also altered and coloured the word joy with the same red process.  The word is made from wood and was cut for me by my husband on his laser cutter.

To assemble the card, I added some gem flourishes from Michaels, a seam binding loopy bow and a couple of bead stick pins that I made from my stash.

I am sharing the inspiration post at IndigoBlu with Ksenija and Gio so pop on over and check out their gorgeous projects.

Butterflies in Flight

It is time for a new challenge at Frilly and Funkie.  The talented Pamellia is our hostess this time and she is calling it Things With Wings!  Here is what she has to say about it:

"Create any vintage or shabby chic project with something that has wings. It can be butterflies, bees, dragonflies, whatever you can think of."

I started with a canvas from the dollar store and gave it a coat of Gesso. The next step was to add some colour with DecoArt Tan Grout Acrylic Paint, Tim Holtz Gathered Twigs and Hickory Smoke Distress Spray Stain followed by Lindy's Starburst Sprays in Wild Honeysuckle Coral and Frozen Jack Frost.  I added some stamping with a script stamp from Recollections and Watering Can Archival Ink.

I cut a whole bunch of butterflies on my Cameo in different shapes and sizes and proceeded to colour them with different distress inks - Gathered Twigs, Frayed Burlap, Pumice Stone, Hickory Smoke, Antique Linen and Dried Marigold.

The next step was to give them some interest and that was achieved using Watering Can Archival Ink and Tea Rose Distress Ink along with a bunch of stamps and stencils - a flourish stamp from the Dollar Store, Wendy Vecchi Vintage Wallpaper and Splatters stamps, Tim Holtz Ultimate Grunge, Numbers, Honeycomb and Classics #12 stamps, Tim Holtz Gothic and Flourish stencils and Wendy Vecchi Dots and Stripes Border stencil.

I layered some and left others single but the one common thing is that none have bodies or antennae so I wonder how they are going to find their way on this flight - lol.  This may not be as frilly as usual but I love the way it turned out - hope you do too.

Falling Leaves

It is the first Thursday in September and that means a new challenge at Stamps and Stencils.  It also means autumn is fast approaching.  Rachel is our hostess this month and wants you to create with the colours of autumn - reds, oranges, golds and browns; use these in a mixed media creation.

I decided to finish a page for my art journal that I had started ages ago and set aside.

I added some random strips of masking tape and used a TCW harlequin stencil and some Golden Light Molding Paste to add some texture along with some thread.  Next I gave the page a coat of Liquitex Gesso.

Once the Gesso was dry I covered everything with Haystack Fresco Finish paint and then added some Pumpin Soup Fresco Finish paint and wiped it back in spots.  I added some Tim Holtz Twisted Citron and Gathered Twigs Distress Spray Stain and then some FW acrylic inks in Birdwing Copper Pearlescent and Crimson.

Now it was time to add a little more stamping with Jet Black Archival Ink and Tim Holtz Bubble and Numbers stamps along with a vintage leaf stamp from Just Right's Autumn Leaves set.

 

I made a bunch of fall leaves by taking Tim Holtz Kraft Glassine, crumbling it up and then cutting some from Tim Holtz Tattered Leaves die and some by tracing a maple leaf clip art pattern.  Once all the leaves were cut I coloured them using Sunset Orange, Meadow, Rust and Red Pepper Alcohol Ink along with some blending solution.  Once dry I rubbed them with a little Rose Quartz wax paste from Treasure Gold.

The sentiment is computer generated and inked with some Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

Even though the days are getting shorter here, the weather is still definitely summer weather - hot and humid - so we won't be seeing leaves like the ones shown here for a little while yet and I am OK with that because once fall is here, it means winter is close behind.