I'm travelling into a new way of working, a new country, a new language, and a new hobby which I'm passionate about. Come with me for some of the journey...

Wednesday 12 March 2014

A Heart Full of Flowers




Hello everyone... hope you're having a lovely week.  I'm spending much of it on trains up and down the country again but I'm glad you enjoyed yesterday's Steam(punk) train!

I'm here with a quick Artistic Outpost creation using the lovely Flower Market stamp set - new to me, and oh so pretty!

I used one of the wooden hearts you can get in trios from PaperArtsy (if you want to know what I did with the other two, you can see them at PaperArtsy tomorrow evening, all Lynne Perrella'd up!).

First step for this one was a coat of green Fresco paints, Hey Pesto and Sage combined.  Then I added some Crackle Glaze, and a top coat of Snowflake.

I brushed on some of the leftover green paints around the edges, as well as adding some Distress Ink for further shading.











The flower market and honey stamps are both stamped in Potting Soil Archival ink.














I love the beautiful vintage fonts and flourishes.













And the lavender (I'm pretty sure it's lavender) around the edges is stamped in Olive...













... as are the two little flowers at the top...















... (identification welcome from any botanists out there!).









And so that you can hang it up without any fear of dull rotations... I did exactly the same on the reverse! 




Interestingly, the surface of the heart must be slightly different on the back, as - if you look closely - you can see the crackle worked completely differently, despite me - as far as I can tell - doing pretty much exactly the same thing both sides.











A simple make really, but with stamps this lovely, sometimes simple is all you need!


If you've been using Artistic Outpost stamps in your creations, then do come and share your work with us in the March Referral Programme - we love seeing what you get up to with these beautiful stamps!


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I'll see you soon either here, or elsewhere in Craftyblogland.


Find the seed at the bottom of your heart and bring forth a flower.
Shigenori Kameoka


With weathered crackle being one of my favourite methods of ageing and distressing for a shabby chic look, I'd like to enter this in D for Distress over at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.

56 comments:

Lucy Edmondson said...

This is so delicate and understated. I love it. Good to have the heads up about tomorrow night; sounds like it will be right up my street,


Lucy x

Amanda said...

Beautiful subtle effect you have created, lovely. Look forward to your paperartsy make.
Love
Amanda x

Birscrea4fun said...

Very lovely heart!! Birgit

sally said...

Very vintage French - I can see piles of toile de jouy in the background !

Sally

chrissie said...

Terrific Alison. I would like a whole set of things decorated like that in my kitchen when you aren't too busy :)lol

Love Chrissie x

Craft Addicts - Tracy Evans said...

Lovely heart Alison, love the shape and crackle in the backdrop. Love the subtlelty of the stamping too. Tracy x

Craft Addicts - Tracy Evans said...

Sorry Alison published before saying thanks so much for joining in the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. Tracy x

Inkypinkycraft said...

A gorgeous make ...so behind commenting again and doing my best to get on top of it again x :) Trace x

massofhair said...

Beautiful colours & crackle, a lovely heart indeed:-) xxx

Cestina said...

No botanist but I'd say the blossom of some orchard fruit....apple perhaps.

Lovely and delicate make, and so spring-like and evocative.
xx

rachel said...

gorgeous work Alison - just the right amount of crackle - fabulous xx

May said...

Gorgeous tag & beautiful stamping... Love the crackle & colours... Hugs May x x

Anonymous said...

Lovely stamps and such a pretty project.
Lynne x

Evelyn Walter said...

Very nice heart! It reminds me to the Provence - nearly can smell the lavender...
xxx Evelyn

cathylynn said...

You've decorated this heart to perfection. All very lovely.
Hugs, Cathy-Lynn

Hettie said...

This is beautiful Alison. Love the heart shape, the colours you used and those stamps are just gorgeous. You know I am going to just love the bee one aren't you?
Hugs
xx

Abbeybufo said...

I was thinking apple blossom too! - or possibly pear :)

Netty said...

Love your CAS heart Alison, french farmhous chic. Annette x

Dorthe said...

That stampset is so wonderful, and you used it so beautifully, in your heart dear Alison.
I also love the crackle, and lovely spring green tone you created- so beautiful!!
Do you by any chance know where in Europe to buy the stampset ?
Hugs, Dorthe

Tincan Crafter said...

Beautiful Alison, you are the queen of crackle!!! Love how vintage and romantic it is - I collect hearts and hang them in my kitchen - seriously - I have a heart plaque wall. This would fit in perfectly!

froebelsternchen said...

A beautiful heart-- I love the green and the crackle..just a wonderful decoration Alison!

Silvia(Barnie) said...

Smashing, that's a wonderful heart. Love the soft colors and the little crackles.

Princess Judy Palmer said...

What a fun looking piece. I love the look and feel of this. I makes me think of those willow plates and dishes, although obviously not the same color.

Redanne said...

This is beautiful Alison, I love the subtle stamping and the beautiful green and of course, the crackles. Could it be a cherry blossom, perhaps. Anne xx

Helen said...

I love the delicate treatment you've given this heart - I have some waiting to be "done" lol, can't wait to see more tomorrow!

Brenda Brown said...

So pretty Alison, lovely fresh colours which remind of a beautiful spring day xx

Chrissy said...

I love the elongated heart shape Alison and the subtle stamping and colours are gorgeous.

luv CHRISSYxx

Juliz Design Post said...

Looks beautiful Alison. Think the unexplained flower is cherry blossom, not that I'm a botanist !! Look forward to seeing you at Paperartsy tomorrow.

Julie x

Anonymous said...

VERY lovely.

Alie Hoogenboezem-de Vries said...

Lovely make Alison!

Meggymay said...

A beautiful project, it looks so romantic.
Yvonne

Mrs.B said...

A lovely make Alison, and so very French.
Avril xx

Julie Lee said...

Such a beautiful, rustic creation. I love the shape of these hearts - wish I'd bought some at Stevenage! These stamps are the perfect decorative addition. The whole creation works beautifully. I love the crackle effect with the wonderful, subdued colours. I have fallen in love with this AO plate. I think it's another addition to the wish list! Julie Ann xxx

Unknown said...

So Lovely, Alison! Very vintage-y and antique-y looking! I'll be dropping by PaperArtsy tomorrow to see the other two hearts you created :) Love your art! XOXO-Shari

Unknown said...

A lovely 'rustic' piece Alison, with a very light touch - fab! Chris xxx

craftytrog said...

This is beautiful Alison! I love the delicate lavender! xxx

Linda Coughlin, the funkie junkie said...

So pretty...love the colors. Beautiful way to use those Artistic Outpost stamps! You make me want to ink them up :)

Hugs,
Linda

Cocofolies said...

I agree that with such beautiful stamps (with French text!) and gorgeous products, simple works the best sometimes... Your heart is perfect Alison!! And I know the 'Marché aux Fleurs' in Paris, that's a very lovely place, so I really love this plate too! (and it's well lavender I confirm). Hugs, Coco xxx

Kay Wallace said...

I have never seen wooden heart transformed so magically, Alison! This is certainly one of my favorites from you!

Lisa Minckler said...

These are sensational and would have looked glorious on my Valentine tree!
hugs,
Lisa x

Anita Houston The Artful Maven said...

Love this wooden heart! Gorgeous, and love the photo set ups too!

Neet said...

Oh Alison, it is beautiful. That will look lovely hanging somewhere in your home.
Hugs, Neet xx

Cathy L. Calamas said...

So pretty, love the placement of the lavender up the sides.

Marjie Kemper said...

Beautiful! I hope your travels have been pleasant, Alison. I wonder if you were able to be creative while on the train!

mark gould said...

Absolutely beautiful. A stunning shabby finish with great stamps x

Kate Yetter said...

So shabby and feminine. Love the stamps on this piece.
Kate

Meihsia Liu said...

What a beautiful creation, Alison. I love the pretty crackled and distressed effect. All the stamping is wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing with us at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. :)

Alrik said...

Very nice.

Geraldine said...

Beautiful altered heart, love the crackle and the soft colours of the stamping.

Michelle said...

Alison, this is beautiful. I like that it's a tag and that you could attach it to anything for instant glam. That AO image is one of my personal favorites and I love how you used it with the hearts, which are also awesome. How did I not know about these hearts? Now I must go check and see if Leandra has other things I may have missed! :)

As always, thank you for playing along with the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. I know that I can speak for all of us when I say that we love seeing your newest creations! ~Michelle

Julia said...

I have these little wooden hearts and did something similar with one of mine. Well, actually, its not similar at all, no crackle on mine and the images are different. Yours is beautiful. Thinking about it, the only similarity with mine is the heart! x

Kasia said...

So lovely!

Marci said...

So soft and delicate, with some age to it. Like you found it somewhere and rescued it. Beautiful!

Jools Robertson said...

Exquiste, so elegant in colour and design
Such a fab shaped heart and the finishe you have created is stunning

Jools x

Sue said...

This is so pretty Alison, I've never really noticed these Artistic Outpost stamps before, but you've made them look beautiful xx

Kezzy said...

Wow such a gorgeous wooden heart, I love its simplicity and it's elegancy, and I love the stamps you used :-) Kezzy xxx