Witches Brew for The Altered Element - October Theme "Enchanted"

Today I wanna share with you another project I made for the "Enchanted" theme over at The Altered Element. I wanted to go down a slightly different route, away from the fairy princess style. So when I came across this old metal goblet I thought it be perfect to be altered.

I stamped onto tissues and cut the words out then stuck them onto the goblet carefully using a gel medium (like Golden Medium Matte). When that had dried I started playing with some alcohol inks. I used various browns, some currant. I also dribbled some glossy accents down the side to get drips. And then I just decorated it with some halloween decorations like plastic spiders and bugs, spider webs and some dried plants and leaves.

I tied some old lace round the stem and also tied some rusty old bells to it.

It's really the kinda project where you can use up some old bits of junk and craft leftovers and get messy with alcohol inks. It would also work nicely on old aluminium cookware, bowls, metal jugs.... anything that screams witches brew at you really.

Mirror, Mirror on the wall......

Back from my holiday I would like to share with you my first ever Design Team project. I'm really excited to have been picked for the Altered Element Design Team and this month's theme is "Enchanted". My first project is a Fantasy Mirror......

I used the Twiddleybitz - Fantasy Shadow Frame for this and covered the whole frame in Terra texture paste by Viva Decor. Around a 2-3mm thick layer does the trick. I then used a script stamp and spritzed it with water using a Mini Mister and then pressed the stamp into the texture. I smoothed over some stamped bits to break up the text a bit.

When this had dried completely I painted the whole frame in a dark mulberry colour using Cut n Dry Foam. Any acrylic paint will do for this, just make sure the paint goes onto the script. When it had dried I worked over it using a light pink colour, picking up the higher points of the texture. And then I worked over with a white acrylic paint. To give it that pinky shimmer I sprayed the frame with Cosmic Shimmer Mists. A mix of plum twist and Lava red works really well. If you try this technique the best advice I can give you is to just play around. Try taking off some of the spray with kitchen roll or leave little puddles to dry. Just try it and have fun.

When the shimmer is all dry I picked up the highlights with white acrylic paint once more.

The roses have been created by stamping flowers onto pink paper, then cut out and made into cones. Each cone is then dipped into melted clear UTEE (with some added Flex) and sat inside the bigger cone until you have the finished rose. Just pop a bead into the centre whilst the UTEE is still hot.

I then added some curled memory wire to add a little playful touch. Any kind of coloured copper wire would work nicely here, just curl it round a pokey tool.

The butterflies are simply punched out, stamped onto with a random background stamp and also dipped into UTEE.

I hope you've enjoyed this little project and remember if you want to join in with this month's theme there is a £10 voucher for The Altered Element up for grabs. Check out the blog for details and I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!!!

Red and Black Face Mirror.....

You may have seen a distress ink mirror I made previously so I wanted to use just faces on this one. I had to use some twice but tried to vary the colours and mix it all up with some idea-ology. It was a test piece for the stamper of the year competition but I didn't like it all that much and in the end decided to make a different mirror for the competition. So now, as the competition deadline is this week I can finally share my reject projects with you. didn't wanna give any ideas away whilst it was still running did I? Hehe.

Maya Road Kids Clock

Yes I did make another clock using all those lovely Maya Road mini chipboards. I wanted to make this a bit fun and colourful for my nephew Niklas. He will be 18 months around December and as I'm putting some things in an advent calendar for him I thought I make a clock for his room. That way my sister knows what time it is and he can soon learn the words for all the pretty things on the clock. I coloured the base with distress inks and most of the chipboards too. The heart has red flock stuff on it, the birdie is covered in white glitter, the tree and crown and done with utee and the key and lock are embossed with distress embossing powder.

Maya Road Flower Clock

I can finally share with you a project I made weeks ago, and it took me weeks too. It was one of the things I made for the Stamper of the year competition but I then didn't feel like sending for some reason or the other. I used a Maya Road chipboard book in sape of a flower. I couldn't get this in the UK so I had to order it in from the US. In fact many things on this project I especially ordered for this. But now I have a rather large collection of Maya Road mini chipboards to play with in future projects.
I really like the little tree, I covered the top in green utee and then pressed the trunk in, it works so well.
There is lots to discover in these little pictures and as I like making useful objects i thought a cock be perfect.

I am also entering this into the Artistic Stamper Challenge where this month's theme is Layers.

My first ever set of Inchies....

I made my first ever lot of inchies on Monday. It is one of the current themes over at Gingersnap and I thought I should give them a go.

They are so damn fiddly. I have to say Twinchies are much more my thing, these are just too small. But nevertheless I had fun making theme and to join in Sunday Stampers with the "IMAGINE" theme I thought I make a whole lot of them with a letter each.

CPS Challenge entry.... and yet another christmas card

So here we go again, another christmas card and I used another CPS sketch. The sketches are really handy, it give you a starting point for a card and then from there I pick the shapes/diecuts/stamps I may wanna use and it all falls into place. Help me getting all my christmas cards done that's for sure.

Stamp and show us some metal.....

antjes bracelet
Originally uploaded by Anikraft

I think it's time once more for me to enter the challenge at Simon says Stamp and Show. And this week it's metal. I made this bracelet for my sister, hope she doesnt read this, ooops.

I have to admit the stamping is minimal but it's there. I basically punched some circle from the Tim Holtz Lost and Found paper stack. I inked some of the edges. The heart charm on the end is inked with distress ink and stamped. The picture in the centre is my sister and I and the years are our birth years.

Check out the big size picture in my Flickr stream, I'm sorry the picture wouldnt upload the right way round in blogger. They really need to do something about that.

Altered Element Design Team..... so excited!!!!

Having spent all my time on finishing my stamper of the year entries I've not had time to share some really exciting news! I made the new Altered Element Design Team!! Yippie!!!

If you have never been to The Altered Element website, check it out here. It's a fab shop that stocks all sorts of goodies for mixed media art, jewellery making and lots of other great crafts.

I am really excited about this little venture. Our first theme is Enchanted and I have ordered my materials and can't wait to get started.

I also briefly met the lovely Lynne of The Altered Element at the Artisan show. Hoping to meet some of the DT in person some time too, it be great.

So come check out the website and browse the shop and watch this space for inspiring art. Also there will be a monthly challenge for everyone to join in so hopefully see you there.

Pandora's Box

It's been a while since I've entered the challenge over on Tuesday Taggers, but this week we are decorating boxes and putting pretty handmade things inside too.
So I finally got my pot of terra texture paste out, I've had that sitting here for a while. I covered the whole box in it, about 2 mm thick. And the I stamped a script stamp and music stamp into it. Sometimes I just smoothed it back over and stamped again til I liked the result.
When that had dried I painted the whole thing in a dark blue, let it dry then worked over with a lighter blue and same again with a cream coloured paint. When all that was dry I sprayed over a bronze glimmer mist, esp into the deeper script and then I wiped it off. It left the light cream bits in a pinky kinda shimmer. The butterfly is simply diecut from black card and then dipped into UTEE in the meltpot.

Now as for the inside, I had some pretty pink card I cut up into pieces and attached to the insides, the LOVE writing is simply stamped in black archival.

The inside edges have been painted with a gold pen.

And then I just put some foam in so it can be used as a little jewellery box.

And on the inside you find a keyring.

Here is another technique I really wanted to try.... I inked up some glass slides with alcohol ink and then stamped onto them with archival ink. I then wiped off the archival ink and it takes off the alcohol ink underneath. It works well with dark or strong colours.

I had to learn the hard way that when you stamp writing it'll be backwards when you use the slide ink side in (which I like to do, as it's just a cleaner, neater look). But as I'm making art I just used the slide anyway and the writing is backwards. Haha!

I stamped some acript in staz on over the clean side of the glass and put it in the frame with some copper paper beind it. Done!

Cards starting with CHRIST......

Today I am sharing with you.... yes, another chistmas card! What else. I made this one up for the CPS Challenge using their sketch.

So there was me thinking I won't be making any christmas cards today ... and I'm not. Instead someone asked me if I could make a CHRISTENING card..... totally different but starts with CHRIST......

I better get back to the desk.... TA DA!

My first Art Parts creation....

TA DA!!! My first Art Parts creation....
I got rather excited when I picked these up at the Stamp and Scrapbooking Show and I finally got a chance to play with them.
I wasn't too sure how to work them, I inked them with pigment ink but the edges where they've been cut where shining through dark, so I decided to paint them with acrylic first and then ink them and then just stamp on them. Have not before painted things in a light colour and then inked them, always seem to be working straight onto chipboard but it works well, gives a nice strong colour. I wanted to sneak in a flower made from Maya Road wings like Wendy suggested on her blog recently, but instead the wings ended up as leaves for the flower. Also popped in a few snowflakes as flowers.






Before I decided on the above design though I spent hours moving art parts round my desk and trying to decide what to do. I first covered the frame in tissue tape and then I had to learn the hard way that crackle paint just comes off the tissue tape when dry.

Maybe I'll try inking the tissue tape next time, still got the round frame of the art parts.

So, anyway, I am entering this into The Artistic Stamper Creative Team Blog Challenge for the month where the theme is Layer it on, and OMG are there a lot of layers on this frame, the flower alone is 5 chipboard layers high.

Card Patterns Sketch 84

Yes, I know, it's ANOTHER christmas card, but it's the one big occassion coming up that people will want to buy LOADS of cards for. Let's just hope they buy my cards.

So I used the Card Patterns Sketch 84 for this. Kinda stole the baubles on scallop circle idea from Craft Stamper Magazine, but it's a very pretty idea and very quick and easy so I had to try it!

Tomorrow I'll share with you my first Art Parts piece, it's currently drying and will then be photographed for you to see. It's not christmas themed...... promise.

Scary autumn bird frame thingy......

I really wanted to try out the new alterations tree die and the frame kinda developed from there. I paintd a frame in trad tan and then I didnt want to do the usual swiping of ink, stamping script across is, so I just had my alcohol inks out and started playing with that and it gives this really nice autumny effect on the frame. I then cut a lot of tattered leaves from shrinkies and stamped them with script and also used alcohol inks on them, when they shrunk tho they went REALLY dark, darker than I wanted, but never mind. To them leaves I also added some acetate punch outs, also stamped with script.
I kinda just kept adding things to the frame and this is the result, it looks really odd I find, but I kinda like it.
So I am entering this into the Simon says Challenge, where the theme is autumn colours.

More candy added....

As promised there is some more candy going....

I have really got into Maya Road chipboard recently and since I seem to have bought almost every available Mini chipboard pack I wanted to share some of the love. I've put together a little trial pack of chipboard shapes including mini crowns, snowflakes, hearts, swirls, butterflies, keys, trees, flowers etc. Also included are 2 Maya Road Kraft envelopes. Some foundations frames. Sheer owls and birds. So yeah, there is a nice little selection to get any crafter into Maya Road. Spread the word about my candy and be in with a chance of winning.

Click HERE to go to the right page to add your name to the list!