Textured Dylusions

I am officially a bad blogger! Despite the best of intentions I've not blogged for absolutely ages. Note to self - Must try harder!

After a fabulous day spent with the one and only Lady Dy - fount of knowledge, inspiration for all things inky and painty and so much fun to be with (love ya!!), I finally got down to actually finishing something...I'm great at starting projects & doing backgrounds but not so good at finishing things.

Anyway, I had some tissue wrap from a parcel & thought it would make a good textured background so I covered some chipboard with multi-medium and splodged (technical term) the tissue over the top.  I then sprayed it with water and the wonderful Dylusions inks and once it was dry I rubbed a little Viva Inka Gold to highlight the texture...Then what to do?

I used one of my favourite Dylusions stamps and coloured it with the inks and some copics. Then I added the saying (having distressed & highlighted the edges again) and some embellies.  I decided to mount this on a canvas painted with Dyan's (sadly no longer available) paints. I distressed the edges then created the border with pan pastels through one of my Dylusions masks highlighting the leaves with a thin coat of lime green stickles...

Thanks for viewing.

All the main supplies for this piece can be found at Art from the Heart. 

Dylusional Pan Pastels

I have no willpower whatsoever when it comes to "new" things to try...and buy! But I often, like many other crafters, don't get around to using all my new stash.  So, this year, my crafting resolution is to actually use the stash I have.

I got several of the gorgeous pan pastel colours last year and had only played a little with them. So, I got out one of my trusty art journals and decided to make some backgrounds using these gorgeous pots of colour...

The first one is a pan pastel background with darker coordinating colours added through a stencil.  I also used a couple of Paperartsy mini's to stamp the numbers and big splats" The mushrooms are of course Stampotique...I just adore these!  I painted them with DS blobbed on my craft sheet and picked up with a fine detail paintbrush - So versatile.

The second page spread used pan pastels green palette for the background and stencilling through punchinella. I added some gesso for texture, as before. I used the "nudge" technique to get a 3D effect on the swirl stencil.  Then I sprayed with (red pepper) ink and added water, allowing the ink to run before I blotted it with kitchen towel.

I'm still practicing with different media for my backgrounds but I am in love with all the new Dylusions stencils and can't wait to get my inky paws on the new Dylusions spray inks, as the colours are stunning!

Speaking of Dylusions.  The amazing gorgeously talented and simply wonderful Dyan Reaveley "Lady-Dy" is one of my favourite people and a true inspiration on all things crafty.  I recently got a photo of The Lady herself, with the Master of crafting - Tim Holtz, so I simply could not resist recording the image for posterity on a scrapbook page...

I used Ranger archival to stamp the hearts (Dylusions Inbetweenies) and inked through one of Dy's new large stencils for a border effect.  I cut a couple of strips from Tim's vintage lace alterations die on kraft resist paper and inked over it for contrast.  

The face and "hair" are from Dyan's new stamp plates: Bits of This and Doodle Parts, coloured with Copic pens and some Stickles to highlight the eyelashes. I had great fun creating this page...Hope you like it.

Love themed February

It's such a long time since I started this blog and I shamefully admit I've been totally awful at keeping it up. I never seem to have the photos to hand or I'm not pleased with the result so I won't share...This because I spend a lot of time blog hopping some of the totally amazing creative talented arty crafters we have and their work puts mine to shame!!

However, I was reading THE Linda Elbourne's blog recently and she said that she decided to stop caring what people might think, with regard to her art journalling. I decided to take a leaf from her book and "publish or be damned".

I must admit I've got a few projects to blog to get up to date, but I'll start with my latest effort this month, which is a tag that I may possibly enter into the Simon Says Stamp challenge.  This will be a first for me - again, due to lack of confidence...I copy and adapt from others reasonably well, but I have great trouble with a blank sheet!  

So, here it is...I chose Paris because I just happen to have a stamp of the Eiffel Tower, and of course because it is traditionally the city of love, which is ideal with it being February...

I coloured the tag with Dyan Reaveley's gorgeous original ink sprays (Red Pepper, Amber and Velvet), spraying and dipping for the mottled effect.  The three hearts are from Dylusions "Love Struck Lucy" stamp set, stamped in Barn Door and edged with a fine (0.3) black pen.  The Eiffel tower is from the Stampin' Up "Artistic Etchings" set. I distressed the edge of the tag and coated it with black soot DS.

My second offering (not for any challenge) is the valentines day card I made earlier in the month.  No, I don't have a secret crush on anyone so in fact I didn't have anyone to send it to (Awww - violins please!!). So, being fast on my way to my second childhood and daft as a brush to boot, I sent it to my son and daughter "in law" and signed it from my dog...Yes, I know...Nutty as a fruitcake!!!!!  Anyway, they really liked it and it brought a wide grin to both their faces - and that's surely what its all about :-))

My inspiration was a card designed by my uniquely creative friend Lindsay Gould.  I made this card using the Stampin' Up Mocha Morning paper set, which goes perfectly with a love theme. The heart is from the Punch Potpourri stamp set and the greeting is from the Tagtastic set. I highlighted the greeting with glossy accents and finished off with four tiny black dimensional hearts from K&Co pillow stickers. 

Phew, that's all for now. I'll return very soon with some more projects to share...promise!