Door

This week's Wednesday Stamper challenge is entitled door.




This didn't turn out quite as planned, and looks a bit skew-whiff, but that's the angle of the open door (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!). The statue marbling isn't as obvious on the scan.
However, the overall feel is of an Italianate garden.

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Stamps : Non Seq Greco Roman collage, Stampington Iron Grille, Lakeland Ltd Ornate set

Inks : AI denim, lettuce, butterscotch; Adirondack lettuce, rueberry; DI shabby shutters, weathered wood, black soot; Archival black

Extras : black paper

Black with pink

The DCM midweek challenge is to use black with one other colour.

I seem to have used a lot of different inks - the brilliance is shiny irl, but I prefer the effect you see here! I used the AI to stain the buttons.

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Stamps : AudDesign

Inks : Impress Garnet, Brilliance Pearlescent Orchid, DI black soot, AI wild plum, Adirondack rueberry, Archival black

Extras : chipboard buttons, white ribbon (dyed with garnet), pink waxy flax, black paper

Beautiful

Another catch up card from the DCM gallery. The brief was to use the word beautiful on your card.

This is a quote from the book of Proverbs. Wisdom is something that I have been seeking recently.

I used the batik method on this card - clear emboss the image, paint over, and then iron off the EP.

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Stamps : BLine Botanical Fern, Elusive Images Fleurs et Parfum, Inca Queen of Spain

Inks - ecoline, computer font, versamark, StazOn black

Extras : MM rub-ons, clear EP, blue paper

Pay attention - this is for you!

This is just a card to say thank you to all who have left such encouraging comments about my work. It's also a response to the quips of Dymphie and Donna to create a card using the 2nd quote from my 'games' entry.
She who waits for the knight must remember - she will have to clean up after the horse!!


Needless to say, I won't be sending this off anywhere!!!
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Image from the net, and various DI inks, and Adirondack caramel.

Deck of Me, week 4

The challenge for week 4 was: a symbol I love....

This is based on and influenced by the art work of Mary Fleeson, who is a member of the Northumbria community. She is based on (Holy Island) Lindisfarne, Northumberland. Do look up her work, which is very Celtic in style.

For those of you asking, yes I did draw this myself. But I'm not sure if I could repeat it - it took me AGES! I'm much happier with a stamp in my hand than drawing freehand.

www.lindisfarne-scriptorium.co.uk

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Stamp : AudDesign

Inks : watercolour pencils

B for blue

Another challenge by Isa :

use the colour blue, and use your distress inks as watercolours

This does look slightly bluer irl. I love this technique of colouring the paper from the craft mat, as you never know quite what effect you'll get. The sprays seem to add extra depth to the colours.

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Stamp : Crafty Individuals

Inks : DI dusty concord, faded jeans; Sticky Fingers Sprays delphinium, lilac.

Extras : brads, ribbon, purple card

working 9 til 5

This is the challenge set by DCM:



I would like you to make a card using some thing that you would normally find in an office environment. Such as... staples, paperclips, paper fasteners, file folders, library cards, hole punches, lined paper etc you get the drift.



Here's mine:

Well I've used a tag, paper fastener (brad), string, and the man himself has been getting very confused about the old and the new technology. No wonder he looks so stern!

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Stamps : Crafty Individuals, Lakeland Ltd, Paper Artsy

Inks : DI dusty Concorde, mustard seed, faded jeans, Archival black.

Extras : tag, Prima flower, PM brad, waxy flax, Provocraft paper

Games

This is my card for the Wednesday Stamper challenge on the theme of games. I have entitled it:

A True Knight.

from the quote : A true knight is fuller of bravery in the midst, rather than in the beginning of danger. Appropriate for chess, I think.




Actually I found another quote but the card was not jokey enough for it - She who waits for the knight must remember - she will have to clean up after the horse!!
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Stamps : PA Man of Numbers 2; Elusive Images scripts and timepieces; Stampers Anon staples.

Inks : DI broken china, antique linen, black soot; Adirondack caramel; Versamagic Magnolia bud; Fluid chalk French blue, charcoal.

Extras : Image from Above the Mark; Prima flowers; brads.

A sketch in time

The midweek challenge from DCM uses this sketch:

Here is my take on it.

Stamp : HA

Inks: alcohol inks cranberry and butterscotch, colorbox chianti, StazOn black

Extras : Scenic Route papers, BB brads

Cicero

This is my card for Isa's challenge this week, which can include the word 'art', and the colour green.

The Cicero quotation reads: Art is born of the observation and investigation of nature.

My eldest daughter was pleased by my choice of subject as she has been studying Cicero for Classics AS Level (and took her exam today!).
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Stamps : my own Cicero digistamp, Non Sequitur Greco Roman collage.
Inks : ecoline, versamagic turquoise gem, versamark
Extras : prima flowers, copper brad, ribbon, spiral clip, MM rub-ons, black EP

Three little things

I thought I would gradually put on my blog some of the cards that I've previously made for DCM, but are in the gallery. This midweek challenge was to use: 1 piece of metal, a piece of chipboard and only one stamp.

Stamp: Crafty Individuals

Inks: ecoline blue and purple; DI- antique linen, dusty concorde, faded jeans; Alcohol inks -mixative silver; Marvy pen black cherry

Extras: crystals, Silver EP, button, chipboard circle, waxy flax.

Deck of Me, week 3

this week's challenge: I am...

These early cards were done at the beginning of the year, and in a great fit of enthusiasm but with not much thought to the art work! The colours, flowers and stars all signify the stages of creation.

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stamps: Hampton Arts, Auddesign

Deck of Me, week 2

The challenge this week was : something that's powerful to me....


Not having a stamp of a waterfall, I had to resort to a printed image. I forgot to note where this waterfall was
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Stamp - Auddesign

Starting from scratch

This week's DCM dare was set by Tracie:

For this weeks dare, I dare you to "start from scratch" I want to you design a card with NO purchased/pre-assembled embellishments - that means no blooms unless you cut them yourself, no buttons, brads etc etc. I guess how easy this is depends on your usual style**insert evil laugh here**



I'm not normally one for lots of embellishments, but when you're told not to, you tend to want to... So I coloured the paper from scratch. The irises are in full bloom in my garden, and have influenced the colour scheme on this card. Although I now realise a hint of mustard might have provided a little contrast.
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Stamps: Paper Artsy - mini 12, travel plate 4; HA screen background.
Inks: Adirondack Eggplant, Rueberry

Happy Anniversary

The midweek challenge on DCM was for an anniversary card. Not much stamping on this one as I thought the papers spoke for themselves.

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Papers: fancy papers, red paper, image from CI butterflies and flowers booklet

Stamp: HA

Inks: Colorbox Chianti, Marvy pen aubergine

Sainte Clothilde

I have done an entry for the Wednesday Stamper challenge on Fleur de Lis. The fdl originally appeared on the heraldry of King Clovis I. Clothilde was his wife, who was later sainted, as she persuaded him to become a Christian.

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Stamp: Hampton Arts

Inks : Alcohol inks - wild plum, mixative silver, Staz-on black

Extras: HOTP pp, silver eyelet, silver and pink paper, ribbon

La Parisienne

This is my response to the 'woman' challenge on Isa's blog. I'm not sure if I have the werewithal to post it on her site; watch this space...

Stamps: Elusive Images - Fleurs et parfum, Sunday International - Lady with hat, Invoke Arts - backgound, HA - Old French Writing.

Inks : DI - faded jeans, shabby shutters, peeled paint.

Extras : papermania brads, blue ribbon, Bazill card.

Deck of Me, week 1

I have been keeping up to date with Emily Falconbridge's 'Deck of Me' challenge. Find this at www.embers.typepad.com. As I am a committed Christian I thought I would relate each card to my faith in some way. This is from Emily's site:

a class i taught several times last year called 'a deck of you', was creating an art journal on a deck of cards - one card to be used for every week of the year. i promised myself and those in the classes that i would do this every week on my blog for a year, and i would love for you to join in! all you need is a deck of cards (i found funky pink and purple ones in target for around $4), and a desire to give yourself this gift - you can join in anytime.

Week 1 - something you are proud of....

I have 'borrowed' the style of presentation of the cards from Aashilde's blog, as like her, I felt each card needed some explanation. I have also 'borrowed' the art work of Amanda Smith - this was part of the image on a birthday card I received a couple of years ago. (I wish I could say I did it myself!!)

Inks : Fluid chalk Blue Iris

Stamps: Aud's stamps

Extras: MM rub-ons.

Honey for tea

My children have been nagging me for ages to start a blog, and then Tracie at DCM also suggested it, so here I am, in fear and trepidation as technology is not my forte.

So here goes: Honey for tea.
This is the challenge set by DCM

This week it's me (Kathy) setting the dare and I'd like you to make a card with a theme of FOOD!
So let's mull this one over.......You could make an invitation to a barbecue, dinner party, picnic, kids party etcIt could feature a recipe, ingredients, utensils, cookery quotations, poems or rhymes....It could have food depicted on it eg cupcake, CHOCOLATE, bowl of fruit , CHOCOLATE, sausages, CHOCOLATE,.....birthday cake....Hey, it could even have real food stuck on it.....OK, maybe not....as long as it's clearly got a foodie theme it's allowed.

The quote is taken from The Old Vicarage, Grantchester, by Rupert Brooke. This was one of my set poems for Eng Lit O Level, but I only remember these last 2 lines (It was a long time ago!!)

Materials used:

Inks: ecoline yellow and brown, versamark pen

Stamps: Digistamp created from a photo of Rupert Brooke, a photo of a honeycomb, and typed poem, honeycomb from Backgrounds by Invoke Arts, cube by Stampington, Scripts and timepieces by elusive images.

Other items: blue & black paper, gold EP, Prima flower, papermania brad