It's the Debut of Unruly PaperArts!

 

Hello Friends, it's been a long while!  I'm finally back with some exciting news about a brand new online art blogozine - Unruly PaperArts!  Unruly PaperArts is run by one of the super-talented founding femmes of Gingersnap Creations, Sharon Briss.  Unruly PaperArts will feature new content all throughout the month, following different artsy themes, with fabulous articles and Reader Art Quests to guide you (yes, these are challenges - so you can get in on the fun!).

The inaugural issue's theme is: Ink Minx - featuring a month of fun inky projects, with informational articles, tutorials, great art for inspiration, and some fabulous challenges.  Sound like fun?  (Of course it does!)  Wanna know more?  Click on the inky banner below to be transported to the Unruliness - Unruly PaperArts Blogozine.

  

Gingersnap Creations Border Punch Challenge

Today at Gingersnap Creations we are asked to pull out those fabulous border punches for the new Spicy Supply Challenge.  I don't know about you, but I sometimes tend to go for months where I neglect my punches.  I don't know why, I just get out of the groove.  So it was super-fun to get out a few and layer some frilly edges on a very spring-time card.  The gorgeous bluebird image is from Retro Cafe Art Gallery - Bird Love Collage Sheet.  Retro Cafe Art Gallery is our sponsor this month, so that means there is an absolutely fabulous prize up for grabs. (Seriously, all you altered art lovers, go look, it's amazing!)  Anyway, I added some distress inks to the edges, which were punched with Martha Stewart's Hydrangea edge punch (sadly retired, I nabbed one off e-bay!) and an EK success doily edge.  The background panel for my birdies is some very cool Jane Austin paper from Papertrey Ink, stamped with a floral motif and inked up with broken china distress ink.  I finished off the card with some lace and a pebble accent.

And in a new twist......  the Ginger Gems will be chosen by our blog readers!  All the details are on the Gingersnap Creations post. :)

Granny's Photo Album at Gingersnap Creations

I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted! So sorry to have been AWOL for so long. Our entire household has had these terrible colds - a horrible cough, pink eye, congestion, fatigue - and I just haven't felt up to crafting, blogging, or anything much else. I am very much aware that this is the "small stuff" though - nothing major, nothing life threatening, and so we just carry on.  I am grateful for the health of my family, for sure.

So enough yammering on... today it's time for another fun month of challenges at Gingersnap Creations, and we're starting off with the theme of "Granny's Photo Album." Our sponsor this month is the fabulous Retro Cafe Art Gallery - with wonderful vintage images and collages that are right up my alley!

I decided to have some fun and came up with a piece that I imagined as "Grandfairy's Photo Album" - a little twist on the theme.  The adorable children's portraits are from the Oh Baby 2 collage sheet, and the lovely floral backgrounds are by Debrina Pratt - DP98.  I added in some stamped and distress stained wings, some charms, and a bit of chipboard here and there.  Some background inking and matting of the photos completed the look.  These could just as easily have been a set of ATCs, too - the backgrounds are sized accordingly on the collage sheet.

So all of you vintage-loving gals... how about giving this one a try?  Spin the theme however you wish. ;)

I am hoping to get back in the swing of things and get around to all of your beautiful blogs sometime this week.  Our schedule this week has slowed down some - my son is in between hockey seasons - his team just won the championship for his age division!!!  Wooohooo to my little goalie!  And my daughter's volleyball tournaments have been local as of late, so we've saved some driving time.  Now for my husband and I to kick our colds, and things should be back to "normal."  Stay warm and stay healthy, my dears!

Go Faux at Gingersnap Creations!

Another fun Random Redhead challenge is revealed today at Gingersnap Creations: GC139 Use A Faux Technique.  Fake it with anything from faux stitching to faux silk, faux brick to faux brads - anything goes.  And if you're stuck for inspiration, you can scroll down to the Tag list in the right-hand margin of the Gingersnap Creations blog - there are a bunch of tutorials on faux techniques linked there.

I used Shelly Hickox's Faux Copper Verdigris technique tutorial from the GC blog.  I must admit that this looked as if it would be a bit time consuming when I first read through it, but once I dug in and started, it really didn't take much time at all.  I won't go into the steps here - just follow the link for Shelly's beautifully detailed tutorial.

And the best part..... one lucky participant in this challenge will win a gift voucher to Rogue Redhead Designs. I've used the Relish Reading plate for this card, and there are lots more wonderful stamps to choose from.

I hope you'll have fun playing along!

A Chunky London Telegraph ATC

There's something about a chunky ATC that just makes me think "steampunk."  I guess it's because they're sturdy enough to hold all of the wonderful steampunk ephemera you can think of.  This little creation features Oxford Impressions' new London Telegraph plate.  I started out by painting the block brown and letting it dry.  I used an anti-static bag over the face of the block, then embossed the background image in white (with ultra fine embossing powder to capture some of the details, like the watchmaker's sign and buildings on the skyline).  I stamped and cut out the man with the hat, then cut his hat in half and hinged it with a brad, so that I could have the word banner coming out of his head.  The stamps on the side are from the same stamp plate.  After finishing the other sides, I glued on lots of fun hardware (using extra heavy gel medium - you don't even have to hold it in place, it's thick enough to hold everything together while it drys).

I have a few more chunky ATCs, and I'm itching to make a Valentine's theme.  Ya know, someday when I have that elusive "extra time."  ;)

A Rogue Mardi Gras Triptych

An ATC trio of sorts, this little set of Mardi Gras madness features the newest stamp set from Rogue Redhead Designs - Carnival Dreams.  I was going for a worn, washed look with these, so I started out by stamping the images on patterned paper with a faint vintage text print.  The first layer of color was done using colored pencils, mainly in shades of green, purple, and gold - the colors of Mardi Gras.  I wanted to keep a certain translucency to the coloring, so that you would still see the background (kind of like a fresco that had faded, showing the colors and textures of the plaster and stone beneath it, if that makes any sense to anyone but me, LOL!)  I kept adding layers of color, outlining the main couple in the center to make the image pop.  I then added in Distress Inks in Peeled Paint, Shabby Shutters, Seedless Preserves, and Concord Grape.  I finished the trio off with some dresden gold elements and a bit of fiber and ribbon.  Here's a closer look at each panel:

Oxford Impressions - Steampunk Fairy part 2

Another little steampunk fairy today, using stamps from the London Telegraph set from Oxford Impressions.  Her mannequin body is diecut with a Tim Holtz alterations die (both chipboard and patterned paper, which I glued together for some heft).  This time, her head, arms, and geared body are all stamps (the gears are embossed with white embossing powder).  I added some hardware from Tim Holtz in her hair and around the edge of her "skirt."  Some paper flowers, bling, and ribbon give her that feminine touch, along with some deep red floral "wings" from Prima.

Here's a little close-up:

 

I feel a bit as if I'm stuck in the Groundhog Day movie, posting the same thing over and over til I get it right, LOL!  Have a wonderful day. ;)

Oxford Impression - Steampunk Fairy part 1

I am so excited and honored to be part of the new Oxford Impressions design team for 2012, and I have been having a huge amount of fun playing with the recently released London Telegraph stamp plate.  This plate has so much going on - it's perfect for steampunk, but it's also very versatile and can be used for tons of other themes.  But to start out.... I couldn't resist throwing a bit of feminine whimsy into the whole steampunk theme.  My fairy starts with a chipboard mannequin base from House of Three.  The lovely lady, her key arms, her vintage advertisement body, and her "ruffly" gear skirt are all stamped from the London Telegraph plate.  I added some ribbon and an old ribbon slide for her belt, some bling, and some fairy wings which are actually floral leaves from Prima (that I've been hoarding forever, LOL!).

And for another, non-steampunk take on this same little lady, here's a card in blue:

Not a stitch of steampunk here, just lace, ruffles, and flowers.  I embellished her ensemble with some gathered blue lace, and popped up the flowers in her hair.  I also used other hoarded goodies - the beautiful blue fabric flower and feathery trim, which I thought kept with the whole milliner theme.  The vintage hat advertisement is stamped directly onto some patterned doily paper.

I'll have another little steampunk fairy for you tomorrow..... cuz I just had so much fun with these, I couldn't help myself. ;)  Happy Groundhog's Day!

Gingersnap Creations Challenge - Words of Wisdom

It's a new month, and that means a new challenge theme over at Gingersnap Creations.  This month, we're "Telling It Like It Is" with lots of fun ideas for you to try.  Today we open with the Chestnut Challenge, which is "Words of Wisdom."  Use your favorite quote or truism for this one.  It can be a stamp or computer generated, letter stickers or paper collaged - however you'd like to get your words across.  And the sponsor this month is one that is near and dear to my heart - Rogue Redhead Designs. :)  For my challenge piece, I used as a base a Stamper's Sampler balloon template from several months ago.  I cut it out of some fun Prima resist chipboard and added some pretty Distress Inks and stamping for the background.  Then I added some circles punched from vintage text in French and German, along with some vintage sheet music.  I cut around the adorable reading children from Relish Reading, and attached them in place of the traditional hot air balloon basket.  The quote is also from the Relish Reading plate: "Let us read and let us dance: two amusements that will never do any harm to the world."  Love that.  We all have something in common, no matter where we're from, and we can all share in some way.

So, how about sharing some artwork?  You'll have lots of time to play along in the challenge, and you could be a lucky winner of some gorgeous stamps.  Pretty cool, huh?  Check it out at Gingersnap Creations. ;)