More Cards Using Clearly Besotted

Here are a couple more I made with the bits and bobs that were left over from CB Challenge #5.
I found it interesting working out of my comfort zone regarding the colour choices and I was pleased with the last two cards, which are nothing like my usual style or colour palette.

This one measures approximately 4.5 x 5.5 inches and was made using:

• Gungy green, brown pearlescent, white lightly hammered, and buff ribbed card from my stash
• Orange ribbon ditto
• Jet Black ImpressiInk pad
• Browns and peaches coloured Ink It Up ink pads
• Orange Kuretake Wink of Stella
• Clearly Besotted Peacock Feather from Fancy Feathers set and sentiment from Thank You set

I hope this close-up shows just how beautifully the stamps make a sharp clear image.

This last one was particularly hard to photograph. The two feathers are

of equal size but the foreshortening effect in the pics distorts this.

Made with ingredients as above. Sized approximately 4 x 5 inches.

Clearly Besotted Challenge #5

OK. So I am finally reviving the old blog :)

I thought I would have a go at making a few cards and a challenge seems a good way of kick starting the process!

This is the colour palette prompt, or we have the choice of an autumn theme from Clearly Besotted

And here is my first effort, a stepper card, sized approximately 4 x 4.5 inches, made using:

•  Lightly hammered white card, and ribbed buff card, from my stash.
• Spellbinders Shapeabilities Medallion Two
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Brushed Corduroy
• Clearly Besotted Stamps, feather from Fancy Feathers set for background,
  sentiment and apple from Thank You set
• Browns, bronzes, peaches, oranges colours of Ink It Up Stamp pads
• Clearly Besotted Die for the butterfly cut from a cider can

Hope you like this, my first ever entry in a challenge :) it has been a steep learning curve, particularly with the photography! Here's hoping I improve on all fronts. The Clearly Besotted stamps are well worth the effort, with sharp images and many have dies to match.

ABRR end papers

Here is the inside of the book at the finished stage.


Thank goodness that I did not think of taking pics of the process, because I made a complete hash of prepping the book. Having removed surplus pages at regular intervals throughout, and divided the remainder into groups for each persons' spread, I tried to stick down the tabs remaining from the removed pages and to stick the groups of pages together. Neither spray adhesive or matt medium were particularly successful, and there are plenty of lumps and bumps.


The new end papers are made from commercial wrapping paper which is a scan of hand made paste paper. Lovely blues with splodges of purple and a brown which goes with the cover paper beautifully. I simply added a C1970s commercial book plate from my stash. One thing I learned: it is natural to start at the beginning and work through to the end, but I wished I had started at the back and worked forwards - the back end papers went on much better having learned from doing the front ones, and of course first impressions count! So next time I will work from the back to the front :) 

Altered Book Round Robin

I joined MixedMediaUK to try and expand my artistic horizons. Now I'm wondering what I've got myself into! 

I have signed up for an Altered Book Round Robin.
I thought I would show the process - someone might be able to learn from my mistakes :)

Each member of the group picks a theme for their book, alters the cover, strips out unwanted pages, and makes a sign-in spread, plus a spread of there own. Then the books is sent on its way around all the other members of the group, who each interpret the given theme on a spread of the book. Eventually it comes back to its owner full of eye candy. Well, that's the theory! Being brand new at this it is a steep learning curve for me.

This is the original book. I chose it because it was traditionally constructed, with sewn signatures, and nice and sturdy but not too heavy for postage. Mine was a second hand copy.

The theme that I chose was "Dragons". I had some nice hand made paper in brown, which I used to cover the book. I was aiming for an antique kind of look and it worked quite well. I wrote the words "Here be Dragons", using a basic Gothic script, with gold ink on a torn scrap of the brown paper and mounted it on a torn piece of the paper I was going to use for end papers, just to make it pop a bit, and added metal corners that I got from Quietfire Design.  I used Acrylic Matt Medium as the adhesive and was pleased with the results, as I have never used this before.
       
More soon on the travails and trauma inside the book.
Please leave a comment, constructive criticism welcomed!
                                                                                                                                                                  

Ink on Paper ATC

Well, it has been ages since  posted.
Here is the latest batch of ATCs.
I managed to combine a MixedMediaUK exchange of "Ink on Paper"
with one from Quietfire Creations, "Alcohol Ink".
Zillers Glossy Black ink on alcohol ink backgrounds.
The hand is a new Proto-Gothic, which I began learning at a workshop
with Cherell Avery last Saturday. I have a long way to go to get it right,
but I like the look. This was one of a monthly series of workshops
run by Oxford Scribes,  and we had a good time exploring this hand
under Cherell's care.

Blue and orange/pockets exchange

Opposites Attract

This is the most recent exchange that I have taken part in over at Byhand Artists. Ziller Ink  background, with straw-blown ink blobs, for the base cards. Simple cross-corner pocket in orange velum paper.

Small tag tucks in pocket. "Opposites attract" written in the same inks in Black Letter and Eastern hands, scanned, reduced, printed and mounted on to tag. Blue velum paper tag to back with orange stamped pen nib  images from Quietfire Design  hidden beneath. White fancy knitting yarn died with same ink [diluted] and used as ties  together with scraps of embroidery floss.

Thanks for looking!

Give Away at All Things Paper

I recently came across All things Paper,  the blog of the talented Ann Martin, who does fantastic quilling, and I have been a regular visitor ever since. She has a give away to celebrate the publication of Quill It Easy compiled by Tanya Fox which contains some of her designs - hope I am the lucky one!