Snarky cat

Hello
Today's post is another project for the #craftingwithgiogio challenge. With a project every other day for April, I must confess to a little slippage, but I'm hoping I can finish on time. It's such a pain when work gets in the way of crafting. The theme for the 25th was 'stamping'.

I was given the fabulous Stampers Anonymous Snarky Cat stamps for my birthday.  I went back to a technique I posted about a long time ago in The Craft Barn design team days. You can still read it here.

 

 
I have some dear friends who will find the sentiments very funny. The good news is these are only one half of the stamps. More to come sometime.

Hope you have a happy week ahead xxx

Thinking small

Hello
Thank you everyone who has left me comments. I do try to reply and also take a look at your blogs to see what you have been up to.

I'm still playing a little catch up with the #craftingwithgiogio challenge. Unfortunately returning to work after the holiday, albeit work from my living room, has curtailed my creative opportunities.  On the plus side it has nudged me to using some of my stash and backgrounds so I don't have to start from scratch.

First up is my quick make for the 'silhouette' theme, using GiogioCraft's new stencils.

 

The next theme was ATC-Coins. I've never made one before so I had to search for the rules. An artist trading coin has to be 2 1/2 inches in diameter. So the challenge was how to scale down and keep it small.

I can see why these would become quite addicitve. They are a great way to use up small scraps. Do take a look at some of the other projects if you get time.

Thank you for visiting. Hope you have a great day. Stay safe and well xxx.

Life is a song

Hello
I'm playing a bit of catch up with the #craftingwithgiogio challenge. This journal page was for the theme 'geometric'. Not a style I normally choose, but then that's why we challenge ourselves to try something new.

 

 I love this Dance to the Music stamp set from Joy! Crafts.

Thank you for stopping by. Have a lovely day xxx

Tag me

Hello
Hope you are all keeping safe, well and occupied. A super quick one now that I'm back at work. Yesterday's prompt for the #craftingwithgiogio challenge was tags. I thought I would do something quickly with scraps I already had but it still seemed to take ages. Then the light was too poor to photograph it...and then it was too bright...anyway here goes.

People are interpreting the challenges in amazing ways so do take a look if you fancy some crafty inspiration.

Take care everyone and thank you for stopping by xxx

The wisdom of cats

Hello
I hope your week is going well. My holiday is drawing to a close and I keep thinking I must do some spring cleaning but somehow I only seem to get crafting done! Today's theme on the #craftingwithgiogio challenge is animals and I have gone with a cat.

I have studied many philosophers and many cats. 

The wisdom of cats is infinitely superior.

Hippolyte A. Taine

 

The background was built up with layers of Faber-Castell Gelatos blended with a damp wipe and lifted through stencils.

 

The cat is a kraft card laser cut from Giogiocraft, gessoed then coloured with Gelatos.

Need to keep working on that lettering I think.

Thank you for taking time to look. Take care xxx

Romantic steampunk

Hello
Hope you are having a relaxing day wherever you are. At least crafting is helping some of us keep sane during the virus lockdown. Today I'm sharing the latest in the #craftingwithgiogio projects on the theme of steampunk or vintage. I was inspired by this painting of Elizabeth I for the colour scheme.

I started by covering the page with black gesso, using thick paint and heavy brush strokes to create some texture for the curtains. I added the Giogiocraft laser cuts and peel offs, and gessoed those as well, before laying down a first layer of paint.

I like using PaperArtsy Fresco Finish paints for crafting as they come in a wide range of colours and so I don't have to think about colour mixing. Even more importantly they come in opaque, semi-translucent and translucent so they are amazing for effortless layering, and they dry very quickly.

 

With all the painting done I added stamping with DecoArt dazzling metallic paint and highlighted the peel offs and die cuts with a variety of gilding waxes. To finish off I added some tiny watch parts, which were a present from my sister, with just this kind of project in mind.

 

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Do take the opportunity to see the other lovely creations #craftingwithgiogio. Thank you for taking the time to stop by.  Enjoy the weekend xxx

Spring into life

Hello
I've been playing again with the lovely lino cut hares from Hobby Art. I love the simplicity but still having the scope for lots of variations. I'm sure this won't be their last appearance! The barn owl isn't part of the set but from a set of stamps that came with a magazine.

 

Wishing you all many blessings. Thank you for taking the time to stop by xx

Spring has sprung

Hello
A quickie today for the next #craftingwithgiogiochallenge a doodle on an old alcohol ink background. I used the back of photographic paper that doesn't have any branding on it.

Actually I even cheated the doodle by using stencils to get the main shapes.

Just quick snaps today. All this self isolating is very tiring. Time for a small nap...

Thank you for taking the time to look xxx

Pick of the pockets

Hello
Today I'm bringing you the latest in the #craftingwithgiogio challenge on the theme of pockets. I decided to make two pockets at the back of my journal where I could keep all the lovely tags I've received from Giovanna Zara when I have bought stencils.

I cut down two pages to make the front of the pockets and stencilled gesso to create a resist.

 

The backgrounds were coloured with Gelatos, one half with a warm palette and one half with a cool palette and I used a baby wipe to blend the colours together. The gesso resists the pastel to leave paler areas. To give a little more interest, I rubbed more Gelato through a stencil and used a baby wipe over the top to blend it on to the page.

Next step was some stamping and white highlights with a paint pen.

 

I painted Giogiocraft laser cuts and added light stamping for extra texture. These help to strengthen the pocket. The pockets were joined with strong red line double sided tape.

 

 

I had fun doing something a bit different. It's not too late to join in if you fancy a challenge #craftingwithgiogio or just take a look to see what others have been up to.

Thank you for stopping by. Take care xx

A seasonal hare

Hello
Just a quick post with the third project in the #craftingwithgiogio challenge on Instagram. It took a long time, with a lot of mistakes. I think I went out of my comfort zone in too many ways and ended up messing around with too many media.

The theme was seasonal.

I dislike it so much I've only taken one photo with the phone. What I did like though was using gesso through stencils to get the clouds and patterns in the fields. Will need to experiment some more.

I'll add some journalling...but not today...

Constructive comments gratefully received. Thank you for stopping by.

Materials used:

just about anything I could lay my hands on

Giogiocraft stencils lots of them

Pink Ink Designs love is in the hare stencil

Hobby Art lino cut hares stamps

gesso

Faber-Castell gelatos

Archival ink

Distress Oxide ink

PapaerArtsy Fresco Finish acrylic paint

watercolour pencils

acrylic paint pen

 

Home sweet home

Hello
Hope you are doing OK and keeping physically and mentally safe and well in these strange times. I find crafting helps clear my mind and also gets me standing up and moving around....so more crafting I think!

I've joined #craftingwithgiogio on Instagram to shake things up a bit and do something different. Having said that for the 3rd April prompt, home sweet home, I've gone back to some old favourite stamps.

These chaps always make me smile.

Take care and thanks for stopping by xxx

Colours and Rainbow

Hello
Today is day one of the craft challenge set by Giogiocraft on Instagram #craftingwithgiogio. I have tried to combine the theme of colours and rainbow together with my art journal.

Rainbows are made of small raindrops. 

Happy lives are made from acts of kindness.

Amit Ray

The background is made with Inktense pastels, Distress Oxides through a script stencil and white acrylic paint through a cloud stencil. I then cut a paper skyline to use as a stencil with Distress Ink, and added a little pencil shading.

I then drew around the Giogiocraft balloon die cuts and painted in the backgrounds, before stamping the compass and script. Turn your face to the sun and the shadows will always fall behind you - Walt Whitman.

Finally the die cuts were added and the quotation written around the balloons.

Following a craft challenge is a good way to keep things fresh and try something you wouldn't otherwise do. Next theme is home sweet home...need to get my thinking cap on.

Hope you are all keeping safe and well. Thank you for looking xxx