A Strong Woman believes.......Season's Greetings

Good morning!

Well, I thoroughly enjoyed making this card!  It wasn't the fastest card I've ever made but I was really "deep in to it" every step of the way - have you ever been there?!!!

Somehow, I did remember to stop every now and then and take photo's along the way so lets take our usual journey shall we?

Ok, started with my usual piece of Sheena stamping card and stamped the main image - time traveller steampunk woman by Sheena Douglass.  I then stamped the propeller from Sheenas' voyage of discovery stamp set - these were all stamped with Archival watering can ink.  I then masked off the woman and the propellers with masking fluid and started to fill the open space with holly and ivy stamps by Clarity Stamp.  The drawing gum was then rubbed away.

I laid some lace over the top and sprayed through with some Cosmic Shimmer spray mist.

I then set to colouring in the holly and ivy and woman with Spectrum Noir colouring pencils and I finished the pine cones and berries with alcohol pens.

It was coming together!!

I painted in some diluted spectrum aqua pen ink around the woman to "pop" her out.

I then decided to stamp the sentiment from this same stamp set "A Strong Woman believes she can do anything and she does" at the bottom and stamped "Seasons Greetings" out and die cut round it and attached it to one of the lovely bunches of holly. Sponged distress ink around both sentiments and attached.

Mat and layered.

What a card to give to a strong woman - or just someone special that you feel deserves to know that you think that they are strong and inspirational - you know, I know exactly who I am going to give this card to this Christmas.....

Hope you've enjoyed the journey today and that you like what you see, let me know with a kind comment, I love to read your views on my work - it makes it all worthwhile!,

I would like to enter Moving Along With The Times challenge of "Anything Goes.....with Christmas":-
http://movingalongwiththetimes.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/34-anything-goes-with-christmas.html

Thanks for stopping by,

Leanne xx

I'm Grateful............

Good morning!

Well I have to admit, this card is a "train journey card" - (meaning that I did most of it while on my train journey up to Durham to see my daughter Hayley at uni!!!) - oh yes, have craft goodies.....can travel!!!!!! - It actually made the journey pass very quickly along with working on my laptop scheduling my blog! (My husband banned all paints so yours truly packed Spectrum Aqua markers and a water brush, along with pencils an acrylic block to mix the colours on, kitchen towel etc etc!!!!).

I took some photo's along the way so lets take our journey and see how I got there shall we?

The first thing that I did was inked up a mini gelli plate and stamped through a normal, pretty paper doily with artistry ink.  I stamped it four times to cover the Sheena stamping card underneath.

There, quite pretty and a good starting point for my stamping.

Right, we were ready to go on the train!!!  (I prepared it to the stage at home!).  I diluted some of the artistry ink on my work mat and just dipped the edges of the card in it and "swooshed" it about in it.  I then stamped my lovely poppies (Woodware) in Archival watering can and we were ready to go!

All the colouring here was done on the train - Spectrum Aqua markers diluted / mixed on my acrylic block and my Spectrum Noir colouring pencils too.  When I got home I highlighted some outer edging with a white pen and the darker side I opted to work with a charcoal pencil.  The sentiment of "I'm grateful" was then stamped in Archival watering can (Chocolate Baroque). Some modelling paste was swept over the same paper doily (I figured that this would have been far too messy on the train and I'd have been asked to get off at the next stop!!!!!!) and some circles were printed with the artistry ink with old bottle lids.

Matted and layered having sponged the same artistry ink on to the outer layer to match the whole colour scheme.

Very happy with that and really pretty! (and was I happy to see my little girl again after six weeks of missing her dreadfully).

A private peek for you (especially those of you that so kindly follow me and pass on such wonderful and kind comments each week - it makes it all so worthwhile).

Myself and Hayley - we went to Lumley Castle for Sunday lunch.

One side of Durham Cathedral - it's enormous!!! A beautiful city if you get the chance to visit.

I would like to enter this piece in to The Craft Barn two weekly challenge of "Poppy":-

http://thecraftbarnblog.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/two-weekly-challenge.html

Thanks for stopping by,

Leanne xx

Exam Success.....Congratulations!

Good morning!! Well, last week (when I made this card) I was a very proud Mum indeed! My daughter Hayley received her A Level results (taken aged 17 - a year early) of A* A* A so hence - this card was produced!!

I've done a step by step so that you can follow how I got there:-

Started with my usual piece of blank white card stock and using a smoothie, sponged over tea dye Distress Ink.

Then I stamped my beautiful owl (Sheena Douglass), his mortarboard hat (Clarity Stamps) and a further branch (Lavinia Stamps) with perfect medium and embossed with matt clear embossing powder.

So, not as shiny as clear embossing powder but enough to give me a resist from further paints.

A better look at the embossing and I've now added some branches (Inkylicious) and leaves (Darkroom Door).

Then, I sprinkled some brushos on to a square acrylic block (orange, dark brown, light brown and sandstone).  Spritzed the block with water and laid my card down on to it to give me a darker background and then of course, the embossing resisted the brusho paints.

I used some of the excess paints on the acrylic block to "paint in" the leaves and some of the lower feathers on my owl. I added some further Distress Inks (aged mahogany, tea dye and rusty hinge) to help balance the colours how I liked them. Then used aged mahogany Distress Ink to sponge through a couple of stencils, embossed his mortarboard hat in black and left the whole thing to dry off.

To finish things off, I used some household bleach to take out some of the colour on my owl (the embossing works a treat to keep the bleach within the image) and got out my Spectrum Noir pencils to finish Mr Owl off so that he looks like he's got feathers!

Added randomly computer generated "Exam Success Congratulations!" sentiment.

Really pleased with that but not as pleased as I was of my daughter Hayley - so proud of her!

I would like to enter this card in to the following -

Fashionable Stamping Challenges - "Resist Technique"
http://www.fashionablestampingchallenges.com/2016/08/18/challenge-114-resist-stamping/

My Time To Craft - "Embossing"

http://mytimetocraftchallenge.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/challenge-327-embossing-heat-or-dry.html

Addicted to Stamps - "Make Your Mark".

Thanks for stopping by,

A very proud Mum, Leanne xxx