Melt Pot Art

Just thought I'd tell you what a great afternoon I had yesterday when, along with  Yvonne of Meggys Way, we attended a Hels Sheridan workshop on the Melt Pot at Crafty Corner in South Shields.
This is the canvas that I made, and apart from the base painting, all techniques involved were using the Melt Pot, using Beeswax and UTEE, and I can assure you lots of lovely mess and chatter was enjoyed by all, and Hels was a great tutor.  The only downside to the afternoon was that it all went over too quickly, but that seems to happen when you enjoy yourself so much and I don't think anyone wanted the afternoon to end.
It's such a shame that the Melt pot has been discontinued, and that was Hels last workshop teaching this great technique, I feel so lucky to have had this opportunity, which has given me more confidence to use mine.
Thanks for visiting, I do appreciate it.

Avril xx

Ombre!

Time for another challenge at Alphabet Challenge and this time it's O for Ombre - meaning a colour gradient from dark to light or vice versa.
I've gone very CAS for this tag, I first stamped my image,  Penny Black' Dreamy' and the Tim Holtz sentiment and heat embossed with white powder.  I shaded first with Chipped sapphire, on 1/3rd of the card, then Faded Jeans on the middle third and lastly Tumbled Glass which was sponged over the whole tag blending the colours.

For more inspiration head over to the main blog where the rest of the team have some great makes to show.

That's if for now, thanks for your visit and I hope you have a great weekend.

Avril xx

Parisienne Boys!

Hi and thanks for visiting,  last week with no internet and a couple of free days I put the time to good use and inked up some new stamps. My images are all from the Artistic Outpost 'Paris Exposition' apart from the sentiment which is from the Think and Wonder set.  The main image was stamped with Black Archival as I wanted the 'boys' to look crisp, for the rest I used Archival Watering can. I used Frayed Burlap for the distressing and distress markers for the colouring.
I usually struggle with male cards and so I challenged myself to use the masculine images first before allowing myself to go girly, so pleased I did as I see the challenge over at That's Crafty is 'This is a Mans World'  and the challenge at Lunargirl Moonbeams is 'Lets here it for the Boys'  I am also linking this up to the Artistic Outpost monthly challenge - Anything Goes.

Well that's it for now,  off to do some blog visiting now.
Avril xx

Birthday card for Someone Special at FSC

Time for another challenge at Fashionable Stamping and this time it's 'A Birthday card for Someone Special'
and as long as we can see that the stamping is the main feature and that this follows the theme, then we would love you to join us.  We are sponsored by Flonzcraft who are offering on lucky random winner a $20 spend in their online store.
This is the Birthday card I made for DD earlier in the month.  I used a Prima 'Texture Flourish stencil for the background  and various Distress inks, the stencil itself isn't big enough for what I wanted, but the pattern joins up perfectly for the size I wanted.  The Dylusions Couture stamp was stamped in black and heat embossed and then again on some MME embossed papers, before fussy cutting. The sentiment is Tim Holtz.
The flowers, not as white as they look in the photo,( infact everything is brighter, but those flowers just wouldn't show)  are a Joy crafts die and inked with Tattered Rose and Worn Lipstick.
The rest of the team have made some 'special' cards, so please pop over here, you won't be disappointed.

I hope you all enjoy the rest of the Bank Holiday weekend,  and the weather's not to chilly - feels like Autumn has arrived here in the NorthEast!  
I'm off to do some catching up in Blogland after having lost internet and phone connection for 3 days this week due to an external line fault - thought I might not even get this post up at one stage.

I am entering this at:
   Allsorts - Bright Summery colours  (I do promise it is brighter)
  Artistic Stamper - Anything Goes

Thanks for visiting, it really appreciate it.
Avril xx

Use Your Stash

Use your Stash - thats the new theme at Try it on Tuesday, and we want you to use what you have, or what's lying around, and everyone has stuff that was started for one reason or another and then put in a pile to use at a later date, so why not use something from there,  I did.
The card base, a background from the 'pile', the sentiment bought from Inkylicious at GNP in March, which I had stamped and clear embossed a few on a sheet, the clock die cut from a pack I  bought on Ebay about a year ago and have only used a couple and the flowers, I have a box full of die cuts that have been scrunched and just waiting to be inked and assembled.
The rest of the team have some fabulous stash items to show, so please pop over and take a look.
As always, it's up to you what you create, so raid that stash and show us what you have.

I am entering this at:
  Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes
  That's Crafty - Use Stamps

Thanks for your visit today, have a great week.
Avril xx

Summer Days

Hello,  I can't remember the last time I posted 2 days in a row, but I was determined to have one more play with this set of stamps before summer is over, although the way the weather is at the moment, I feel as if it has gone!
My background paper was quite a bright blue stripe, so to tone it down I gave it a wash with Picket Pence Distress Stain, before adding my net from some fruit packaging.  My images are Crafty Individuals, and the Tim Holtz Film strip with some cut outs behind.
There are still quite a few Summer challenges around, as well as our Wish you were Here challenge at Try it on Tuesdays (I didn't get this finished on time for mid-challenge insp .but you still have time to link up) so I am entering this at:
  Vintage Stamping Challenge - Summer Days
  Eclectic Ellapu - Nautical/Seaside (Pink Team)
  Sugar Creek Hollow - Summer Sunshine
  Crafty Catz - Lazy Days of Summer
  That's Crafty - Stamping Ground (using Stamps)

Thanks for visiting
Avril x

Birthday Time at In the Pink!

Hello and thanks for visiting today, which sees me entering a very special challenge, it's In the Pink's 2nd Birthday, and although I haven't managed to enter many of their challenges,  I couldn't miss this one, especially as I was one of the Perfect Pinkies of the very first challenge.
I have used a Nicecrane image 'All Season Hats', which was printed out on a Linen card, I stamped a little corner, which was a freebie from Crafty Individuals, using Distress Markers.   My background was pink card, repeatedly stamped with a Stampendous background stamp using Victorian Velvet.
I am also entering this at Simply Create Too as their theme is Old/Vintage

Thanks for looking, and have a good week.
Avril xx

Make us Laugh!

Hello and welcome to another challenge over at Fashionable Stamping,  where the theme this fortnight is 'Make us Laugh'
I used a Stampendous 'dolly mamma' stamp called - yes you've guessed it - 'Does my Butt look Big'.
I coloured her then masked and splatted  Dylusions and some home made sprays for the background, a bit of glitter to her dress - well dressed like that you have to have glitter! Matted onto a black card base, a great one layer card for posting.
The rest of the DT have some great cards to Make You Laugh, so please pop over here, you won't be disappointed, and then let us see what Makes You Laugh.  Don't forget though, we are a stamping challenge and we must see stamping and this must follow the theme.  We also have Flonzcraft as our Sponsor and they are offering one lucky random winner a $20 spend in their online store.
I am entering this at:
  Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes
  Crafty Calendar - Anything Goes

Hope you're able to enjoy the weekend and not too badly affected by the storms,
Take care,
Avril xx

Wishing You were Here at TioT

Time for another challenge at Try it on Tuesday and our theme this fortnight is 'Wish You Were Here'  There are lots of different way to interpret of this theme,postcards, places and the rest of the Design team have some wonderful inspiration for you, so please pop over to the main blog, you won't be disappointed.
I wanted a nostalgic feel to my tag - my lady writing to her beau and reminding him of the wonderful time they spent together in Paris, and  wishing they could be there, together again.
I used  Crafty Individuals C260 as the main image, stamping 4 times, distressing and layering up, and my lady was clear embossed after colouring as I wanted her to look like a miniature painting, the frame was coloured with Aquamarine Treasure Gold.  For the background I used IndigoBlu 'All Saints' Stamp, and a CI little 'freebie' for the border.
I'm looking forward to seeing where you wish you were, so please join in and let us know.

I am entering this at:
  Card Mania - Travel/Vacation
  Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes

That's it for now,

Avril xx

Men Only!

Time for another Alphabet Challenge and this time it's M for Men Only, so as long as its a masculine project, we would love to see it.
I made this little altered matchbox after seeing an article in CS a couple of months ago, and after buying this PaperArtsy 'Gentleman Social Butterfly' at a local craft show in June, my theme was decided and this was his little box of possessions.

As he is a social sort of guy, there had to be music, and what better way to display the butterflies, and although it's hard to see,  were clear embossed after colouring with Distress inks.
His possessions, I stamped and clear embossed a pocket watch, he always likes to be on time, a ticket, or maybe I should have had two, because being 'sociable' he probably didn't go alone!  The little bottles (stamped on acetate and coloured with alcohol markers and then shaped) - well they could be for a sly tipple or maybe his eau-de-cologne!

Of course, there's the pen nib, he may have to write a quick note!  

I am entering this at:                                                                                                                            

                  

Addicted to Stamps - Anything Goes                                                                                          

Cards 4 Guyz - Anything but a Card                                                                                           

Altered Eclectics - Anything Goes                                                                                              

Simon Says Wednesday challenge - Anything Goes                                                                     

Miriam's Crafting Blog - Containers                                                                                            

Craft for the Craic - Use an item you have never used before(stamp)                                            

Well, I hope you like my little box, I really enjoyed making this, I just need to light a lot of candles now, you see my little matchbox wasn't empty before I started!                                                                                 

Have a great weekend.                                                                                                                             

Avril xx