Category: Use them or Lose them

Gorgeous Grunge, Use them or Lose them

Use them or lose them #21 project #2

Catherine

So this year I have decided to challenge myself to make a set of cards, scrapbook page or journal layout using each of my stamp sets as I know I have some I rarely use!

This is another quick project… a fun bit of doodling in a journal.

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I use melon mambo, elegant eggplant & rich razzleberry for stamping the splodges and then doodled the flowers which I then coloured with ink and a white gelli roll pen.

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It is a panel across the page… but got some mucky finger prints on it so prefer the cropped pic above! 

The stamps?  Use them and most definitely keep them!

Also entering this into the doodles and scribbles challenge at Paperartsy inspired by the doodled flowers that Hazel added in her keepsake box.

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Digital stamps, Gorgeous Grunge, Use them or Lose them

Use them or lose them #21 Gorgeous Grunge

Catherine

So this year I have decided to challenge myself to make a set of cards, scrapbook page or journal layout using each of my stamp sets as I know I have some I rarely use!

I don’t use this stamp set as often as I thought I would I have to admit… but know how useful they can be for adding pattern and texture to journal pages… yes it’s Gorgeous Grunge.

Decided to see if I could turn these cute digi stamps from Polkadoodles unto something grungey?

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I had coloured them both with Promarkers and used the same colour palette of browns and yellows but thought I would challenge myself despite this start to end up with two different looking projects.

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First the boy… I layered the stamps straight onto the blue card blank keeping to black ink.  I added the digi stamp with some foam tape to raise him up. Finally added some blue stickles.

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Next the cute bear and cat…

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This time I chose a shaped card blank and used bright colours for the stamping and a coordinating green ribbon.

Of course I also added some clear stickles.

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Love how these both look… simple and easy to achieve with the versatile stamps for the background.

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Brushos, Secret Garden, Use them or Lose them

Use them or lose them #20 project #2

Catherine

So this year I have decided to challenge myself to make a set of cards, scrapbook page or journal layout using each of my stamp sets as I know I have some I rarely use!

This week it was the time of Secret Garden stamps… and I had thought that I might end up using the matching dies but ended up with a very flat set of cards instead….

…. flat but really lovely!

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I started by heat embossing the images with white embossing powder… then wetting areas of the flowers and adding the pigments and then spraying and adding more colours.  As you can see I tried three different approaches…. the single flower, the corner and the all over pattern.  I also went for three colour choices.

Then once they were dry I trimmed them down.

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Next I outlined each panel with Promarkers to frame them… and stamped a sentiment.   Then adhered them to the card blank. 

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I LOVE ALL OF THEM!

They all look fabulous.  But how about the stamp set???  You may think it bizarre but I think this stamp set is going into the Lose them pile.  Why? Isn’t the point to see if I like them and can use them I hear you cry?  Well to be honest the only reason I have kept these stamps is because I have the matching dies… but I never use them (I hate lining up frame lits and can’t afford the magnetic plate for the big shot) and I have other flower stamps I could achieve looks like this with and the same for the Art journal page I shared on Sunday… so do i still need these stamps and dies? No I don’t…. so go they should. So I do like these stamps but don’t need them and have others that work the same… bye bye secret garden.

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Canvas and Mixed Media art, fresco finish paints, Paperartsy, Masks/Stencils, Secret Garden, Use them or Lose them

Use them or lose them #20

Catherine

So this year I have decided to challenge myself to make a set of cards, scrapbook page or journal layout using each of my stamp sets as I know I have some I rarely use!

This week I have nothing prepped in advance which is unusual so decided to play in my dylusions journal and see where my muse too me.  I turned out that I was off to a secret garden!

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The page has this print from a stencil on it to start it off.

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Then some paint scraped over it.  Bora Bora and South Pacific fresco paints.

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Now here comes the stamp set… Secret Garden. A lovely mix of line art and solid flora stamps.  These are the solid ones stamped using some thinned out paint so quite translucent.  Definitely the start of a pretty garden.

I decided to add more layers of stamping and added some touches of distress crayon around the edges too.

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Next I picked up the line art stamps and added some stamping with those.
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I decided they didn’t stand out for me enough and I wanted to add some doodling too.

So out came the Indian ink and white paint pen… and no more pictures until I had finished!

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A lovely bright page full of fun. I really enjoyed doing this.

I must admit I’ve not used the line art flowers in quite some time so going to try and use them for the next project. The solid stamps are great for stamping with paint so think this set might be staying put!

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Brushos, Forever Young, Use them or Lose them

Use them or lose them #19 project #2

Catherine

So this year I have decided to challenge myself to make a set of cards, scrapbook page or journal layout using each of my stamp sets as I know I have some I rarely use!

This week it is one of my old favourites… Forever Young.  I rarely use this stamp set now but still love the tree swing image and the lovely clock.

Decided this time to try with the rainbow brusho stamping technique… and wow I love them!

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The tree swing stamp didn’t stamp perfectly but it was enough to make a very successful card topper. I die cut it out and layered it onto some scraps and added the handcarved brusho stamp to the card blank.

Lovely!

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The clock stamped well although a little wet, at least the clock face is clear.  I kept the background simple with a punched border to the mount.  I think the watercolour paper makes a real difference for this technique.

I was undecided on Sunday about keeping this set… I’ve decided now. It’s not going anywhere!

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Canvas and Mixed Media art, Forever Young, Gorgeous Grunge, Use them or Lose them

Use them or lose them #19 Forever young

Catherine

So this year I have decided to challenge myself to make a set of cards, scrapbook page or journal layout using each of my stamp sets as I know I have some I rarely use!

This week I have reached for one of favourite SU stamp sets which I have not used for ages.  Forever Young was one of the first sets I bought and I used to love creating with it but that stopped a while ago and I just never seem to be drawn to it now.

So that needed to change and it needed to be tested in my challenge.

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I decided to make a sample page for art journalling class where the theme is vintage.  I’m not really a vintage kind of girl so this was a challenge but the little frames and silhouette heads worked well I thought.

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I used some watercolour paints to add warm tones to the “wallpaper”.

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More colour and some distress ink texture using Gorgeous Grunge stamps.

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It was based on an image I saw online.
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I built up the layers.
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And lengthened her skirt.
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I thought the other side of the wall needed some colour too so added inks.
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Then started defining her and adding shading and depth.
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And then the quote finished off the page.

I have to say I am glad those stamps spoke to me this week as this page is lovely. Very happy indeed with how it came out. As for the stamps being keepers or Losers… undecided at this stage. Need to see what else I come up with this week.

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Time to create a girl for the page…. I fancied Julie Nutting style but my only julie nutting stamps were too modern so had to create

Brushos, Claritystamps, Indigo Blu, Lavinia, Use them or Lose them, Watercolor wash

Use them or lose them #18 project #2

Catherine

So this year I have decided to challenge myself to make a set of cards, scrapbook page or journal layout using each of my stamp sets as I know I have some I rarely use!

This week I chose to use the Watercolour wash and shared some reasonably fussy shabby chic style cards on Sunday. This time I was inspired by the card class I held last week and went for a Brusho stamping technique instead based on something Helen had suggested.

I tapped out the colours in a rainbow/colour wheel sequence, then spritzed water.  I then stamped the stamp into the colourful puddle and then stamped directly onto the card blank. 

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I changed the order slightly for the second and third cards at the bottom as I need the colour to cover more of the stamp and this time got a bit more coverage.  The stamp itself is sketchy and also the extra water means it doesn’t have the colour all over but slightly puddles.   But for this stamp this was perfect!  Three backgrounds done and dusted in a matter of moments.

To finish off I grabbed different stamps and my black Versafine (important to make sure the card is completely dry when stamping to stop bleeding!).

First one was made for my work friend who celebrated her birthday yesterday.

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Used Claritystamps and the sentiment from Sky’s the Limit stamps.

Next a card made on behalf of my parents for my great niece who turns 6 in a few weeks time (I’m ahead on my orders for my parents for once!).

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This time Lavinia stamps for the fairy and stars, skinny alpha for the name and 6 and the sentiment is an old Blonde moments one.

Finally a card for the stash…

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Indigo Blu stamp is just perfect for the colour wash rainbow!

Love all of these, pleased I remembered Helen’s idea and these quick cards were so easy and fun to do!  Love brushos!

Confirmed as well that this stamp is going nowhere!  Definitely a keeper!

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Dies, Hot Picks, Papermania stamps, Use them or Lose them, Watercolor wash

Use them or lose them #18

Catherine

So this year I have decided to challenge myself to make a set of cards, scrapbook page or journal layout using each of my stamp sets as I know I have some I rarely use!

Can’t believe we are already at week 18 in the year.  This week I grabbed Watercolor Wash as I had it on the desk already.  I use it to add a bit of fun to envelopes quite often and so it was out and about so I decided to use it for this challenge and see how I got on doing something a bit different.

I started with stamping a couple of pieces of white cardstock with the watercolour wash using Soft Sky ink.  Then I added some Hot Picks stamps with Lost Lagoon and Island Indigo.

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I then took some Bermuda Bay ink and gave the fish a little definition
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I then chose two different ways to finish the cards. ..
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A die cut and some copper acrylic ink to make a fathers day card.
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A stamped postcard and a die cut sentiment teamed with some flicks of the copper acrylic ink some trim and a fun clip. I also added some of the watercolour wash to the postcard using Sahara Sand.

Love both of these and definitely can’t see me getting rid of this background stamp.

Finished the envelopes too…
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Such an easy way to decorate a envelope.

Happy crafting!


Catherine

fresco finish paints, Paperartsy, Masks/Stencils, Oh So Lovely, Use them or Lose them

Use them or Lose them #17 project 2

Catherine

So this year I have decided to challenge myself to make a set of cards, scrapbook page or journal layout using each of my stamp sets as I know I have some I rarely use!

This week I am using the Oh So Lovely stamps and on Sunday I showcased them for a very clean and simple set of cards.  I did wonder as they are perfect for that style if I could use them for another style too… well I turned to a page in my dylusions journal and tried them out…
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The page had some wipe marks from another project.  I have no idea what stencil I had used but could clearly see a frame taking shape.
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I wiped some leftover Nougat fresco paint over the square to act as the base for the page.  Then took a stencil and added the pale green splodges of paint for two corners.

Then I found a framer stencil and placed that over the top and used some more fresco paint to part of this to add some definition and some brighter colour.

Then I added the flowers from the stamp set with only some partial stamping and using paint to stamp. I also stamped in the nougat over the bottom corner of the frame the hessian stamp.
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I brushed some Wisteria Wonder ink in the right hand corner and some island Indigo ink in the left hand top corner. Then I stamped the berry image in black archival and coloured the image in lightly with ink and water.
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Then used a piece of paper to add a line of shadow to the bottom right of the frame and doodled a frame for the Art with pen and then a brush and Indian ink.

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I chose the quote that worked for me at that moment looking at the image and then painted it with my brush and ink diamond ink.

A simple and quick page and yes I can make something with these stamps that isn’t clean and simple.

I knew it anyway though… These stamps are for keeps! Love them too much.

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Oh So Lovely, Use them or Lose them

Use them or lose them #17 Oh so lovely

Catherine

So this year I have decided to challenge myself to make a set of cards, scrapbook page or journal layout using each of my stamp sets as I know I have some I rarely use!

While I was thinking about the White space challenge over at Paperartsy I decided to grab the Oh so lovely stamps which are have often been my clean and simple go to choice… so decided to keep these cards as CAS as possible.

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All three of the floral stems used and stamped in black archival and then the hessian pattern stamp over stamped in a colour… Wisteria Wonder,  Pistachio Pudding and Poppy Parade. 

I then took a water brush and some ink to add a little solid colour wash to the images.  The sentiments were the Made for You stamp set.

Simple, clean, plenty of white space!

Ok as for the stamps are the lose them or keep them? For me they are keepers for now as I still love their elegant design and they make perfect CAS cards everytime.  Wonder if I can challenge myself to use them differently though later in the week or if CAS is all I can do with them?

Happy crafting!

Catherine