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...

Tuesday 19 February 2013

Who would have thought...



Hello everyone... I just want to say thank you so much for your visits and feedback over the last week or so of crazy full-on posting.  It makes a world of difference having you along for the ride.

I'm back with a tag today inspired by a new Nicecrane Designs release, Steampunk Girls.  The fabulous Buttons shared some brilliant cards recently using the same set of digital images, plus one other.  Do check them out - they are completely fantastic.

Buttons (a.k.a. Jenny, but she'll always be Buttons to me!) challenged us to work out what caption we would use with these great images.

Funnily enough, I'd already planned a caption for mine, inspired by a visit to another brilliant crafter's blog - Alie Hoogenboezem de Vries (and isn't that just a name to conjure with?!).

Amongst her amazing art she'd shared a badge she found on Pinterest with a sentiment I think most crafters will recognise.

I tried to find the post again, or even the original pin so that I could get the wording right and give the credit where it's due, but had no luck... so I've stamped it out as I remember it.



With this tag I'm back on the watercolouring with Distress Stains.  I did this for quite a lot of my PaperArtsy samples and, to be honest, I could've sat there all day colouring in those JOFY flowers...

For some reason I find it immensely relaxing: splodge some stain on the craft mat, pick it up with a water brush, and play!








The stains blend so beautifully, and it's so easy to blot away colour if you've used too much, or add water through the brush to dilute the tone.

Because I'd printed out these images they weren't on watercolour paper, so there was some getting used to the different response of the stains on the surface, but that's all part of the fun.






I loved playing with my favourite blues, greens and turquoises to create all the glass tubes, jars and implements.










I certainly would never have imagined a year ago that crafty stash would have taken over my life and my room quite so completely... so I fell in love with these images immediately.




There's a speculative look in her eye as she looks at all that exciting equipment that I absolutely recognise - it's how I feel when I'm looking at crafty stash online (or, even more dangerously, in real life), and the thought running through my head is: "Ooh, now just think what I could do with that!"













And then the absorbed look as she waits for some reaction to occur reminds me of how the hours just slip away from me as I play with crackle or embossing or all the other potions and techniques, exploring their possibilities.








Even though I love my new Hero Arts alphabet, I had to resort to my trusty £1 set for the punctuation marks... no punctuation in the Hero Arts set - they choose instead to give you a tiny flower and a tiny dragonfly - yeah, cute, but come on!





I used Distress Stains in Pumice Stone and Stormy Sky to dye some seam binding to go on the top of the tag, tying multiple bows in differently coloured bits of ribbon.












After all the "watercolouring" was done, I cut the images out using the mini-Baroque die (holding my breath, trying to position it so that I didn't chop off bits of the image).

And I cut a label to stamp the quote onto.  This and the embossed background of the tag were inked with Pumice Stone and Stormy Sky Distress Inks to tone in with the colours of the images themselves.

And that was pretty much that.

The images from Nicecrane are so fabulous, and so detailed, that I really wanted to let them speak for themselves.  If you'd like to have a play you'll find the set here.

There are three more great cartoons in the set, as well as a great new male steampunk set... 















And there are lots of other amazing images available, so do have a browse while you're there.







A scientist in his laboratory is not a mere technician: he is also a child confronting natural phenomena that impress him as though they were fairy tales.

Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas.

Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.
All quotes by Marie Curie

37 comments:

Brenda Brown said...

It's easy to tell how you resonate with those two images Alison, the changes that you have had this year, and thank goodness you have as I for one love the inspiration of your work. Another fabulous tag, beautifully made and designed.
Hugs Brenda xox

Helen said...

A year? only a year? Wow.
I love this range of stamps, they are new to me, I must go and check them out... oh dear! The water colouring is absolutely perfect for these images and I love how you have used them.

Amanda said...

Alison what a fab tag, the colouring is super and matches the images perfectly. I don't normally do digital but have just had a quick look at the site and they are super, so different to the norm.
Love
Amanda x

Annie said...

Fabulous tag Alison and I love the watercolours. Great sentiment.......and now we have a room full of crafty things !!

Have a great day x

Annie x

brenda said...

Only a year Alison, think on a few more and imagine the haul.

These stamps really are something a bit different and you have showcased them beautifully with a perfect colour palette.

B x

chrissie said...

Amazing work on this Alison. Always love the way you chose ties to exactly match the tag you have made.

Have a great day

Best wishes Chrissie xx

Silvia(Barnie) said...

A fabulous tag with great images :)

Rita said...

Wow Alison. This is wonderful from start to finish. I love the beautiful water colours and you have certainly made those images your own. Enjoy your Day. Hugs Rita xx

craftytrog said...

A wonderful piece Alison, those images are fab!
It makes me think....in just a few years, I went from one plastic box to a whole room full of stash! Scary! Lol!
Alison xx

Deborah said...

Those images are fab, Alison, and I love how you have watercoloured them. Another wonderful piece!

toni said...

Fabulous work! Love the water colouring of those super images, great witty sentiment too x

Lucy Edmondson said...

This is such a gorgeous and unusual range of stamps! I love them! It made me smile about the punctuation - are we going to see an Alison Bomber set of punctuation stamps - that would be good! Sorry I am so behind; I have had a strange week or so and am only now catching up but am delighted to see your wonderfully successful and well deserved week,

Lucy x

Bonnie Irvine said...

Oh boy, can I relate to this tag :)Great job watercolouring these images. They look beautiful. The embossed background adds just enough interest without taking away from the detail in these images. Love the bows at the top...lovely finishing touch.

Astrid Maclean said...

Ha, ha, ha, - there is an awful lot I recognize in this post... particularly the bit about colouring and looking at stash....Love what you did with this lovely set! They deserve to be the main focus and cutting them with the dies was a great idea.

Nan G said...

Yes I indeedy, we can all relate to these images. Which you have colored beautifully and framed so well on the tag! Only a year! Well, you have certainly inspired me over the past few months! THANKS

ria gall said...

oh my word what delightful images and the painting using the stains just makes them look so vintage. I love the sentiment so very true for so many of us.
A really beautiful tag
Ria

Nicecrane Designs said...

Wowww Alison,,,,love your funny Tag,,,and all over your watercoloring,,,is really supberb my friend,,, you used my Steampunk pict in such funny way,,,,,love it.
I understand your quote,,,I am an origami fan and from a single book,,and models,,,,I have now more than 1000 books and plenty of origami models in my room,,,,,,,and I can stop to continue doint it,,,,wowww,woww,,,,You are rock.

Francesca said...

Great tag, must admit haven't got my head around digital stamps yet. hugs

Sarah said...

This is the most marvelous tag!! It would look so good hanging in my studio...if only there were room for it LOL!!!

Krisha said...

When I first read the sentiment I had to laugh.....yes, who would have thougt!!! The images and colors are just great on this tag. I think I "NEED" this tag hanging over my work space. LOL

Sandy said...

Butterfly is a good name for you I think. You are always flitting around from flower to flower. It's either your beautiful creations or I see your pretty face on other blogs. Your creation is wonderful - every time I think I know what "steampunk" is ... someone comes along and I say really!!!! You are really a delight to follow.
sandy

Karen McAlpine said...

Super cute images! Love how you incorporated them into the tag!!

Anonymous said...

Colouring the images was such a perfect idea with a beautiful result and I adore your shabby bows.
Gorgeous.
Wishes
Lynne

Sophie said...

Wow! Alison, was für ein sensationelles Tag.
Die Farben sind phänomenal ausgewählt und du hast es herrlich coloriert.
Die Szenen sind so charmant.

Eine tolle Arbeit!

Herzlichst Sophie

catherine said...

Looks fantastic Alison and the images are great. love the saying too
x catherine

cathylynn said...

Totally Awesome Alison! These tags ROCK! and your coloring is fantastic. Wowzsers you are talented! Love it all and the that seam binding is gorgeous too!
Hugs, Cathy-Lynn

Dorthe said...

Dear Alison, love the saying...and the beautifully coloured images cut so lovely with the die.
Your bows are so very wonderful, too.
Hugs and smiles, Dorthe

Marjie Kemper said...

Oh that sentiment nearly made me spit out my tea. So funny! Love the texture and how you've mounted the smaller panels on this tag. Beautiful!

pearshapedcrafting said...

Fabulous tag Alison, made me smile too! Really must check out Nicecrane! Chrisx

Kjersti said...

Just another gorgoeus tag Alison, and what a great theme - don't we all have too much...:) Beautiful colours too!
Have a nice week!
Hugs Kjersti:)

May said...

Amazing work as always Alison..Your colouring is fabulous, This piece is full of Wonderful detail... Love it all... Hugs May x x x

Jenny Marples said...

Thank you for the heads up 'Butterfly' and WOAH! love what you did here with these fabulous images. They are so adaptable to any style and I love your use of colour on them. SO understand your sentiment too:)
Huge well deserved congratulations on all your recent DT stuff and everything you now have coming up. How you remain upright is beyond me (sleep is a necessity once in a while you know!) Where you will be after another year is anyone's guess - worldwide workshops? Right hand person to Tim Holtz? The possibilities are endless and testament to your crafting prowess. Take care of yourself hun, hugs Buttons :) x

Anita Houston The Artful Maven said...

Bahahhahaha!! So so so true!!! Love it!!! Fabulous images as well!!!

Candy C said...

Alison...your Steampunk ladies are so cool! I love the background. It looks so cool and the two ladies really are amazing on top of that cool background. I also wanted to thank you for your very sweet comments that you left on my blog. You are always so sweet. Hugs, Candy

Terry said...

Oh how I love that sentiment, Alison! I actually think I have something like that somewhere! The embossed background is perfect for those fun images! Love the steampunk vibe! Hugs!

Kate Yetter said...

Love this tag and how you colored them. Beautiful illustration-like stamps!

Kezzy said...

Wow gorgeous tag, I love the image, reminds me of something like gone with the wind that type of era. I love the colouring with watercolour effect, my other half bought me the full set of distress markers but I haven't used them yet lol. Hugs Kezzy :-) xxx