A New Leaf

Hello all!

We're sharing a Tag Monday over at A Vintage Journey this week.  I love Tag Monday... an excuse to play with a tag, Tim-style, no pressure, no theme - just me, some inks and some stamping!

And given I'm in full-scale sample-creating mode at the moment it was lovely to take ten minutes out and just play.

Hop over to see what my lovely team-mates have shared, but before you go, here's my contribution.

This is not quite "a new leaf", though it sort of is.  Although I've used most of the stamps in the Daydream plate from last year's releases, I'd never inked up this lovely skeleton leaf before, so it needed to happen.












I started by blending ink directly onto a manila tag, then started layering in some detail with stencils.... first the Bubble and then my favourite Latticework.

I was using Broken China, Peeled Paint and Mowed Lawn... though in the end the greens rather took over from the turquoise (which is as it should be for leaves, I suppose).











I used DecoArt Chalk Paint to do my white stamping (a tip from Andy Skinner - if you haven't seen the things I made at his fabulous workshops, I'd love you to check them out).

You can't go wrong with the Papillon script...











I have lots of book page pieces left from carving out my Bell, Book and Candle niche.













They're handy to grab, so that's what I ran through the Trellis Frameworks and added as an extra layer.












Both the quote and the leaf are stamped in Potting Soil Archival.

I needed them to hold their own against the busy layered background, so I did my usual trick of clear embossing them.  It gives that lovely touch of gloss and dimension, as well as intensifying the colour because of the refraction of the light as it hits.












I used a blending tool to add some Rusty Hinge and Vintage Photo colour to the leaf very roughly.  I love that you can still see the layers even through the browns.











I added some golden pen nibs, arranging them in strong vertical lines to echo the quote and the leaf.

Well, what else are you going to use to write that gorgeous Papillon script?!










And the ribbons were actually dyed with Fresco paints for one of my samples (hmm... any guesses who the samples are being made for?!  Watch this space), but I ended up not using them for that.











But with a touch of Vintage Photo the ribbons were perfect here, tied with a bit of rustic twine.

I glued the whole tag onto some kraft card and trimmed it to size before attacking it with the distressing tool.








And we're all done.  I love how it warms up as the rays of winter sunshine (between snow showers) hit it.

Do hop over to A Vintage Journey to see the taggy delights created by my wonderful team-mates.  And you've still got time to play along with our current challenge to Use A Portrait on your Tim-style project.  Check out all the details and our Travelling Instructions - we'd love you to join us on the journey.

Thanks so much for stopping by and I'll see you again soon.  Now the samples are all done and ready for posting I might even get to come visiting...  Oops, no, tax return first!

I keep turning over new leaves, and spoiling them, as I used to spoil my copy-books; and I make so many beginnings there will never be an end.
Jo March in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women

Workshop Worship Part 1 - Andy Skinner

Hello all, and a warm welcome on this chilly January day.  Thank you for all your lovely comments on my illuminated book at PaperArtsy.  I promise I will get around to returning some visits very soon!

For now, I'm finally getting around to sharing some of what I made at the November workshop with Andy Skinner that I was lucky enough to go to.  We were at It's Crafting Time in Shepreth - a great space, and we had a fantastic time, Saturday and Sunday.

I won't let you in on the techniques - they're Andy's to share - but here are some photos of what we created.  Some of them I added my favourite rusty wire to after I got home!

We were working with the DecoArt Media Line both days.  On the Saturday, we created what Andy calls "Antiquated Appliques", layered panels made of foamboard.  Having given us the basic techniques for these panels, we were basically free to play and create what we wanted, with Andy offering expert tips and advice as we played.

I made two separate "Appliques" with the materials we were given...

... working in my favourite blues and browns.  Every time I did try to go in another colour direction, I ended up coming back again!





We were creating rusty effects...










 ... and crackle...













... and weathered looks.












Those are real nails, rusted up with some more DecoArt.

But the flat nail heads are just cardboard, as you've seen before.











I love all the textures and crackle on both pieces, with that lovely sheen from the colours.













And I love the layering of the elements to create loads of dimension.












I was rather pleased with the finish on this heart - and it got a word of praise from the master himself!














And the weathered edges to the crackle really make me happy, as do those "iron girders".





On the Sunday, we altered this wooden book box using different techniques on each of the mosaic panels.

Again, we played with a wealth of different techniques, but this time Andy took us all through it panel by panel.  Obviously we still had a free colour choice... hmmm, what should I choose?!

Love this silvery "metal" panel...  (Now there's a stamp I'll be buying as soon as it's available - watch out for Andy's new releases, they're amazing!)

Love this really cool scratched look - done (surprise, surprise) by scratching the panel!!














Such brilliant weathering and decay - Andy is a paint magician!













You've seen the rusty nail heads putting in an appearance on several projects here at Words and Pictures (like my Merry Little Christmas ATCs).











Best use of tissue tape ever!













You'll recognise techniques from both days - I used some of them on my Secret Santa offering for A Vintage Journey.












And on the back we used the same technique we used for our altered notebooks earlier in the year.  (That's where you also saw the rusty compass if it's bugging you!)












We got a chance to use some of the new stencils and stamps which are part of Andy's release at this CHA...









Let's just say I've been saving up to get hold of some of them as soon as I can!

Well, as you can see, I had the most fantastic weekend.  I think Andy's work is fabulous, his techniques are beyond brilliant, and the workshops were such fun.  A huge thank you to him for the inspiration, and to Nina at It's Crafting Time for the organisation.  Now all I need is more time to play...

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend.





The mediocre teacher tells.  The good teacher explains.  The superior teacher demonstrates.  The great teacher inspires.
William Arthur Ward

Bell, Book and Candle

Okay, there's no bell but there is a book, and a candle too.

Hello all, I'm delighted to be over at PaperArtsy again this evening as part of their new look.  We're playing with Fragile Papers this fortnight, so my project involves tissue paper and book pages (no surprises there, then).












And no surprises that I'm still looking for illumination in these dark January days... so there's candlelight involved in my altered book as well.















I hope you'll be able to hop over to PaperArtsy and have a look - there's a brand new Lynne Perrella stamp involved if you need further temptation!  And if you're inspired to play along with some fragile papers of your own that would be wonderful.

Stay warm and happy crafting!

illa lucem extendebat
(her light is extending)
anonymous

The Lighter Side of Journalling

Hello all... me again.  Yes, I know it's not exactly very long since the new Vintage Journey challenge kicked off (Go West, Young Man, if you haven't already!), but it's sneak peek time already.

I'm over at The Artistic Stamper Creative Team Blog today with an altogether brighter bit of art journalling.  It's been very wintry on the journalling front here at Words and Pictures, but this one is a slightly different kettle of fish...

... though if you were to do compare and contrast, you'd find a lot of the same motifs cropping up - crackle, circles, blues, browns, book pages - you know the score!  Anyway, I hope that's enough to tempt you over to Artistic Stamper to take a look.  I always love to hear what you think.

Hoping to be able to do some hopping round myself this weekend, so I'll see you soon, either here or elsewhere in Craftyblogland.  Happy Crafting all!

There is a crack in everything.
That's how the light gets in.
Leonard Cohen

Go West, Young Man!

Hello everyone... 2015 is already flying!  It's time for a new challenge at A Vintage Journey, and our lovely host S@ndy would like us all to Use A Portrait.

Check out the challenge details, the fantastic inspiration from my team-mates, as well as our Travelling Instructions and you could be in with a chance at the prize voucher, generously sponsored by Country View Crafts.

Here's my offering for you... a panel commemorating this bold young man and his ambitious journey westwards in search of fame and fortune.

I think he probably started out on this side of the Atlantic, and headed off in search of the promise of a new life and new hope in the Americas.

Thankfully, one can achieve the journey in a few short hours these days.  I can only imagine what it was like to travel for weeks and months, uncertain of your fate, not knowing what awaited if you were lucky enough to cross the ocean safely.



But there's determination as well as trepidation in those eyes... I like to think he made it, and made something of himself once he got there too.





I went on a bit of a journey myself on this project, started several different possibilities, and eventually landed up with one of my much-loved papier-mache icons.

Even this had a false start, and I ended up covering it all up with heavy gesso and starting again.  As a result the stencilled crackle and weathered paint has a real depth to it - with genuine wear and tear!












Of course, most of the front of the panel is now completely covered, so it's just as well I did my usual thing of letting the stencilled crackle spill over the sides too...












I used one of the Idea-ology Found Relatives to create my character...













... and have surrounded him with memorabilia and ephemera, mostly culled from the Expedition Ephemera pack.










The red accents on some of those ephemera encouraged me to head for the reds with my Cash Key Charm...













... and it's also echoed in this tiny Punch label in my Custom Fastener - punched through his travel ticket of course.












I can rarely resist a Word Band - this one seemed to fit the bill - and the Number Brad tells us his tender age when setting out on the adventure.  What else is a younger son to do?











I love these File Tabs, and always forget to use them. (Is that subconsciously a way to keep hoarding them, I wonder... Well, my resolution to use stash rather than hoard it won't allow for any more of that!)











The ChitChat stickers reveal the yearnings in his heart.












I added some cogs and gears, for the mechanical means of transportation - we know from the ticket that the Iron Horse was involved - which are taking this young man westward, ever westward.










I hope he found his way, and I hope you find your way to join us on A Vintage Journey this fortnight and Use A Portrait.  There's lots more inspiration from my wonderful team-mates, so don't miss that.  See you there!

Go West, young man, go West and grow up with the country.
Usually attributed to either Horace Greeley or John B. Soule - there seems to be some dispute!

Many thanks!

Gratitude abounds today at Words and Pictures.  I'm profoundly grateful for all your amazing feedback on the recent winter journalling pages... it feels like a change of gear and a fresh path of discovery to follow, so it's fantastic to hear that they're going down well.

And I'm also here to say an official thank you for all the amazing cards I received over Christmas and the New Year.  It gave me such delight to open and admire each and every one of them.

The decorations have come down now, and these are all now carefully stored in my Crafty Gifts and Cards box, to be taken out and stroked at intervals!

I think that I got round to an individual email to each of you but, just in case, huge thanks go again to Anne, Astrid, Barbarayaya, Brenda, Chris, Chrissie, Coco, Dianne, Hettie (Sam), Jennie, Jenny, Julia, Julie, Lys, Nikki, Shilpa and Trace.

There's quite a good picture quiz in there - can you guess which came from who?!  No prizes - purely for pleasure I'm afraid!

I'm back very soon with the new Vintage Journey challenge, so I'll hope to see you then.

I can no other answer make but thanks,
And thanks, and ever thanks.
From The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare (yes, I know I've used it before, but it's so good!)