Play Date Cafe No: 14

A Strong Foundation

This is my entry this week for the Play Date Cafe. Yes I have been looking at Teesha Moore's art work and videos this week and thought I would have a play. Gosh I find doing the lettering so hard. I really do not feel comfortable with this bit at all!
"A strong foundation, best start in life" is a very important gift. I feel I have given this to my children and with this strong foundation when life and times are hard and stormy they will always have a strong foundation to fall back on.
Here are the colours we were challenge to use.

Arches & Cats with SCD

Over on Something Completely Different this week is Arches and Cats. I thought this image of the children dressed up as King and Queen so delightful and it reminded me of this nursery rhyme. The two seemed well suited. So why not come and have some fun with us on SCD.

Numbers with Gingersnaps

Over on Gingersnaps this week there is a new challenge, called Numbers. Here I have used a stamp from Serendipity Stamps which I really like. A jug full of paint brushes and tools. I am sure nearly all of us must have one standing on our desk. It is also very important for me to take time to create so I have also added this to the piece.

CREATING BACKGROUNDS WITH ACRYLIC PAINTS

To start choose about 3 background colours to work with. It can be more, this is just a starting point. Paper towel, spritz bottle and a sponge for each colour for application.

I am working in my journal where the pages are a thick water colour paper.

Start dabbing the colours onto the page into different areas. Fill the page with colour blending slightly where they meet. Not too much or it could go muddy. Leave to dry.

When the page is full and dry you can add some mask or stencils and dab over them.

Here I have used a scroll dabbed over with translucent blue and below is with a crown and some red added over the top.

You can use your non stick craft mat to put the paints onto. I tend to ruin other pages when I do this as I get carried away and forget there is paint on it.

Now I have chosen a rubber stamp to use and have applied white acrylic paint to it and stamped with it.

The next stage I have dabbed through some sequin waste. I always love the way this adds a wonderful layer.

On the top left corner you can see that I have turned the sequin waste over and have created a subtle negative print from paint left on it. You need to do this before the paint dries.

I have then added some stamping, a little journaling and stamped a figure onto patterned paper, cut out and stuck on.

Here are some other backgrounds from the journal. Some not finished yet, but show how different colours work.

Just play with what you have to hand. This last page was coloured by using Adirondack sprays. This is a much quicker method and gives a different effect.

Metallics: Gingersnaps

You may need to enlarge this image to notice both the metallics used in it and the deep intaglio embossing that I have used. The stamp of books is from Serendipity Stamps which I particularly like and Serendipity are the sponsors over on Gingersnaps this month. It worked very well for this technique as these stamps, as i have said before, are very deeply etched.

I started off by painting he chipboard shape with acrylic paint. Whilst it was still wet I sprinkled Moonshadow Olive Gold embossing powder over the top, available from The Stampman. This caught where the paint was still wet. These embossing powders give a lovely metallic two-toned effect. I decided I wanted more so smooshed an embossing pad over the surface and added more. Then I made a mistake and added some too dark powder, Midnight Emerald, I think. Top Left corner. So I had to reheat this area and tried to it scrap off. When I thought I had softened it enough I added little bits of Madonna Robe powder to the right hand side. I then used an embossing pen and gold powder around the edges. Next I prepared my stamp with archival black ink ready to stamp once I had covered the whole lot with extra thick clear embossing powder that was hot and melted. The left hand side of the books looked too dark because of the remaining Midnight Emerald powder so I lightened with acrylic paint lightly applied to high ridges and painted gold into the hollows.

Added reading time because the theme this month is Time. It also reminded me of when my children were little. We always enjoyed reading time and looking at books together. One of the trips we often did was to the local library where we would rummage and explore the children's books and decide which to take home. This acted as a fun time as well as a trip out.

The Cool Blue Eekie Beekie Bird: PDCC 12

Cool Blue Eekie Beekie Bird.

The Cool Blue Eekie Beekie Bird

Is devoid of feather

yet loves cold weather

Has lost the ability to build a nest

A wicker cart on which to rest

With blue jewels for a bed

Wears lurex bloomers on its head

Thats the Cool Blue Eekie Beekie Bird

Now I am certain. I have completely lost the plot, lost my marbles (no pun intended) And I must apologize for my meagre attempts of a rhyme. Making them up was never my strong point. Some people just have it. I don't.

Well this creation came about initially by looking at Sarah Anderson's crocheted owl over on Play Date Cafe which sparked a connection with Julie Arkell's mad and fab creations. If you haven't seem them, google her. Sarah has been the inspiration behind both of my past 2 creations for Play Date Cafe. I don't know whether to thank her or has she eventually toppled me over the edge? What do you think?

Something Completely Different: Fashion

The Gothic Arches over on Something Completely Different this week are on the subject FASHION. I have used a Tim Holtz stamp for those of you who do not recognize it. I love this stamp and was pleased to have an opportunity to use it again. I have paper pieced it simply to highlight the garment. Used the staple/stitch stamp that came with the sheet along the edges. Then I actually over stapled it to the backing arch.

Tuesday Taggers: Tag it with Birds

Tuesday Taggers has a great challenge this week. I love working with birds so I loved it anyway. The words were made on the computer and printed out. Does this make it a digital stamp? The background card is fairly thick water colour paper bought cheaply in a pad from a pound shop. This allows a strong surface to apply paints and inks to. This wonderful stamp is available from The Stamp Attic in the UK and is one of the Stampotique stamps.

Tag Tuesday: Happy Birthday

Just been having a bit of fun with some old Birthday Stamps and had a play along with Tag Tuesday again. The flames are gold embossing powder which I sprinkled ontop of quickie glue. There is a tutorial on this technique over on Gingersnaps.

Embossing with Gingersnaps

Second comer, waiting

I seem to have quite a deer thing going on at the moment. This was not conscious until just now I became aware that my last posting contained a deer. This is one of the Serendipity stamps and I just fell in love with it when I saw it. The connection with time is waiting. Time is the ongoing theme at Gingersnaps this month. As I said before these stamps are very deeply etched and just stamp beautifully. I have embossed the image with Tim Holtz distress embossing powders and have used 5 colours spooning them on very carefully to depict light and shade. I tried to show the very low sun during the winter and have the light source shining from lower left travelling slightly upwards.

I identify with the image those special times when one is honoured by wildlife allowing you to share a glimpse of their lives with you. I always treasure these happenings and feel I have be treated to one of the "Lords of life". The words are in fact from a D H Lawrence poem called Snake. Although this poem is obviously about a meeting with a snake it encapsulates my sentiment above.

Winter Wonderland

Winter Wonderland

On Play Date Cafe this week we are to work with Gold, Silver, White and Black. Since we are still blanketed with snow my mind was set on this Winter Wonderland. I live in the Forest of Dean and fairly often see deer in the woods. Instead of snowy trees I have surrounded this one with winter wonder flora. The deer is a model I created from thick card. The antlers are silver metal, cut embossed and adorned with jewels along with a jaunty necklace. the flowers are made from black, white card, silver metal foil and gold was the ever useful tomato puree tube.

I shall also ener it for the Lots to do Challenge. I am trying to get my head into gear again with the challenges I enjoy. I have just noticed theirs is Winter Wonderland. How wonderfully apt!

New Year and Arches

Over on Something Completely Different the New Year has begun with a new challenge based on Arches this month. This weeks theme is the New Year which also happens to be the start of a new decade. I don't really know if this has any extra significance but typing 2010 feels odd and clumsy to do. I have taken a romantic twist to the doorway of a new year and I wish you all a loving year ahead.

Gingersnaps and Serendipity Stamps: Time

Capture Time

This is a page from a journal I am in the process of making. The theme this month over on Gingersnaps is Time and we have been very fortunate to have been given some stamps to design with. These Serendipity Stamps are really lovely and are deeply etched and stamp beautifully. I have used a stamp which is a pile of books to depict one of the best ways to Capture Time whether it be a photo album, journal, scrapbook let alone the millions of books that have been written. Where would we be without Charles Dickens and his wonderful stories that portray the social aspect of his times.

Play Date Cafe 10: See if I care!

Play Date Cafe, what a wonderful name. Yes that is exactly what I have been doing. A cup of tea and a play. With the new term about to begin I hope this isn't experienced or heard too much in the playground next week. I had great fun working with these colours. The ink used is a Dark brown which doesn't show too much as brown in the photo. I put the turquoise border at the top to both balance the piece but also it reminded me how children often draw a blue stripe at the top of the page to represent sky. I can see the logic in this as although air/sky is all around us it doesn't appear blue when we look around us only when we peer upwards to the sky. I hope you enjoy my jolly picture although the subject is not so.

Believe in Santa

Over on Hels blog, Ink on my Fingers there is some terrific blog candy up for grabs. Why not take a look at her fantastic blog. I love it when a fellow crafters work is recognized for what it is and Hels has been enjoying success with hers, being now regularly published in Craft Stamper as well as a designer for numerous people. Well done girl. I am truly thrilled for you.

I am just getting over Christmas as lovely as it could have been and have enjoyed sitting down creating again. So this is my contribution to your challenge: Believe. Well it had to be Believe in Santa, didn't it. I tell my teenage girls if they do not believe in Santa they will not get a stocking. We share some funny sideways grins I can tell you. But they did get a stocking again this year so it must be true!