No Frameworks Here - Improvize

I started to make Tims tag in April, of course I didn't get it posted in time and I never followed it that closely anyway. So the background is distress paint/ink and tissue tape and I evolved from there. I found this gorgeous blog from a link on www.timholtz.com , and wanted to try her technique for the frameworks. I don't own any frameworks die's yet, Linda! Its on my list ;) I encourage you to look at the Layers of Ink blog and try this technique on your own, she explains it so well.

 

 

I made two cards, because it was so much fun :D. You just slather a good layer of embossing paste on the page and push your die cuts into it until the paste pushes up around the edges, add a few stamps and rub ons and WOW! Most of the embelllishments/stamps/ and paste are from Linda's fabulous shop at www.thefunkiejunkie.com , some are from my ''I must use what I have" stash that I am trying to whittle down.

 

Playing, finally playing!

Rusted Enamel Technique on the truck

(inside)

 I had a need to create  a card for a gentleman that's retiring from our workplace. These are two takes on a retirement card......
I love this truck from Stampin' Up, I used Dutch Blue ctmh  ink as my base colour and coloured over it with Vintage Photo from the Distress Ink palette, I pulled the sentiment from one stamp set and the tree from another (both close to my heart). The rest was pulled from my scrap stash :)

This started out as my take on Tim's tag for January and morphed...

(inside)

I started out making this background for Tims January tag and tried to follow through with the metal embellishment, using the globe and vintaj paints. It was fun but I definately branched off the original design :).

Tim's Tag - January

I couldn't believe that I had gone 6 months without crafting or sharing. I did a few Christmas cards but gave them away without taking photos. I am going to try to at least follow Tim's tags monthly to keep myself motivated this year. That should be interesting :)
So for January :

I followed Tims technique for the background and the number rubons, which are from CTMH. I started out with a metal foil cardboard for the car diecut, but I used the vintage patina paint and a little alcohol ink to rust it up a bit. This is a card for a guy at work that is retiring. I am playing around with some other backgrounds now, too and hope to share them soon. YAY, back to crafting.

Gel Medium Photo Transfer - Eclectic Paperie is full of inspiration this month!

First of all, you need to visit Eclectic Paperie :). I am placing the video here so that I can refer back easily.

This is the gel medium transfer challenge. I also want to try this background.....
 http://eclecticpaperie.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/wondering-how.html Cool, eh?

It's been a busy month so far! I have had a chance to be a little artsy and I hope for a little more time in the coming weeks, as I wrap up my Oncology Nursing course in the next week. We have had fun walking the spring bush, wildcrafting fiddleheads and leeks and morels and acquiring.......babies :)

Spring is the time for renewal, birthing and change. I have always loved this time of year and getting our little chicks, but we had a few surprises this year :). 

Yup, 105 chicks at one day old!

3 orphaned kittens about 3 weeks old that we are bottle feeding.

and a one yr old lab that adopted them, Koko loves her babies :)

We love our babies, says the baby in the family :)

Pop up Spring Time

 My Grandmother is 88 on Saturday and is in excellent health, living independantly and gardening like crazy. She doesn't want gifts, but I thought she might enjoy an interactive card like this.

I confess that I have had this Pop Up Die from Karen Burniston since I saw what Shelley Hickox had done with it and have wanted to play with it since. The stamp is from Artistic Outpost and they are running a challenge which I am linking to over here. My grass is a die from My favourite things as is the banner.  I sprayed the base with Lindy's Ireland green spray and popped the grass up through it. My little girl was coloured with CTMH markers and a water brush on watercolour paper and flower soft was added to her wheelbarrel. That's another of those things I bought and never really used much of. I just had to have it, lol. My lawn flowers are tissue paper cut with Tim Holtz's tatter flowers die which I bought at The Funkie Junkie.
 I think I will share this with them as well on the Sunday Share program :). I hope Grandma enjoys it and has a great day!

How'd you like those eggs?

So this is my egg sketch turned canvas. I liked it right up until I pulled out my black sketch marker and put lines on it :( Is there anyway to fix that? My poor eggs are too busy looking now.

I started out with paper collaging on a collection of scraps and white washing them. I then cut out my tree, crackle painted it and glued it down. Very cool texture,almost barkl ike, yehhhh. I used flower soft to create a haze of green on the end of the branch, with more texture and then the nest......
I was outside on the not yet green grass drinking my morning cuppa when inspiration hit. I gathered twigs up and mod podged them right onto my canvas in a nest shape. I then added my egg shapes from my sketch and some ribbon scrap from a FunkieJunkie boutique order(part of the thank you gift Linda tucks in each order, which is entirely reusable :). I smudged green, blue and brown paint randomly on the canvas before I brought out that horrid marker and wrecked it.
I think I need to revisit this subject in the future, but I am ready for my lambs! We spent a few hours at my uncles sheep farm and took TONS of pictures for that project.