Boys will be boys

Hello and welcome everyone, with an especially big welcome to the newest followers - it's wonderful to have your company on this crafty journey.

It's time for the monthly Artistic Outpost bloghop, and our theme is month is Masculine.  (I'm a busy bee again this morning, so if you're looking for my Our Creative Corner Design Team piece, it's here!)

I hope you'll have time to have a look at what my amazing team-mates have been up to.  Here's the full itinerary:

Gerrie Johnnic, Lisa Somerville,
Suzanne Czosek, Tracy Evans, 

Linda Coughlin, Alison Bomber,
Terry Horrall, Kate Yetter

For my contribution, I've used the delicious Huck Finn plate, and created a textured tag.

I started with an inky background (what else?!) - my current favoured blues and greens in Distress Stains swiped onto the craft mat and the tag swiped and smooshed into them.












Then there's a bit of spritzing and flicking for a watery feel.












I stamped the boys and the sentiment in Plum Archival Ink, and then clear embossed them, again to get a reflective, watery surface.









I cut a mask for the boys so that I could stamp the boat "reflection" around them.  I slightly cheated on the reflection.  If you look closely, you'll see I didn't actually reverse the image, as I should, but I think I got away with it!!

I'm certainly pleased with the angles, which I think make it look as though they're gazing longingly - or piratically - at the boat on the water.

I added an extra layer to frame the tag: my favourite corrugated card, which has had a sweep of Plum Archival Ink, and then a sprinkling of two embossing powders - some clear, and some of Ranger's Antiquities Verdigris powder.

And the topping is one of my favourite rustic combinations - raffia tied with twine... very simple, but it pleases me.

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I hope you enjoy hopping round the delicious makes from the rest of the Artistic Outpost team.  If you get lost, you'll find all the details here.

For now, happy hopping and happy crafting, and see you again soon.





Yes, I do heartily repent. I repent I had not done more mischief; and that we did not cut the throats of them that took us, and I am extremely sorry that you aren't hanged as well as we.
Anonymous Pirate, asked on the gallows if he repented.

I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, 
a poet, a pawn and a king; 
I've been up and down and over and out, 
And I know one thing; 
Each time I find myself flat on my face, 
I pick myself up and get back in the race.
From That's Life (my favourite version is by Frank Sinatra)