Get me - not crawling in under the wire! Sunday Stampers #244 and ABAC #12

Hello and Happy Valentine's Day to you and a very big thank you to all my WOYWW visitors who inspired me to carry on with a project which - if I'm honest - was a bit like pulling teeth!

Any way... 

I can't believe this is my THIRD post of the week - (OK I'm only managing this because I'm ironing on a need to wear basis!) I wanted to get my submissions in for Sunday Stampers (Endless Love) and Anything But A Card (Share the love) without having to rush (too much).

So here is my offering...

And here are some detail shots

(Handmade lace flower)

I have never done a project that has been such a roller coaster ride as this one! 

I loved my initial background stamping, but OH DEAR when I added colour to the canvas AAARGH!!! I hated it, not even my favourite crumpled tissue paper trick worked - it looked more like something from Chainsaw Massacre than Endless Love! So on Wednesday (gosh was that only yesterday?!) a coat of gesso and a rapid retreat were called for. 

After a spirit lifting voyage round the WOYWW world and some kind and uplifting reciprocal visits, I hit my craft room in a flurry of lace and flowers this morning and - in my eyes anyway - a phoenix has risen from the ashes! (or maybe that should be splashes? - groan)

Here or the (now not so gory) details

Canvas

8x8 ins Daler Rowney canvas board

Die

Sizzix BigZ / Tim Holtz Alterations - Caged Bird

Stamps

Background text - Paper Artsy Hot Picks HP1006; Tiny Harlequin - unknown

Winged heart and rose vine - Kanban Stamp 09

Inks

Images - Ranger Archival - Jet Black (second impression used for rose vine)

Background - Distress Stains - Spun Sugar, Fired Brick, Weathered Wood

Bird cage - DI - Vintage Photo

Scroll - DI - Antique Linen

Markers (for colouring heart) - Promarkers - Ruby, Cardinal  Red

Wings - highlighted with Sakura Gelly Roll Clear Star

Paint

Bird cage - Hobbycraft acrylic - antique gold

Other

Embossing powder - (bird cage) Stampin Stuff - Vertigre

Cream cotton lace

Vintage brass button

Mulberry paper roses

Red foam roses

Heart shaped deco pin 

Well that's all for now, I'm off to post my links, hope you like the end result, see you soon.

WOYWW 193 - Warts 'n' All

Hello and welcome

A very quick post today as I am zooming out to do the school run in 25 minutes.

Here's my workdesk in a bit of a tip as I am mid project on my hearts submission for Sunday Stampers Challenge. I walked away from this last night feeling much disgruntled and not liking the background on the canvas I am doing - (so much so I covered it with gesso as a mark of disrespect!) Today I'm seeing possibilities and a resurrection may be on the cards.

Almost inevitably you can see Distress Inks and even this time Distress Stains and my go to tiny harlequin background stamp is making another appearance far left, apart from that it's mainly a mess of kitchen towel and tissue paper.

I noticed on my WOYWW hop last week that some of you were discussing Distress Ink swatches - you can see mine far right. You can download blank ones (updated with new colours I see - guess what I'll be doing later!) HERE - it is also worth doing this on a sheet of Kraft cardstock as the effect of the ink is different (tattered rose disappears completely) You can also download side labels for your Distress Inks at the same link (Ranger Industries).


Anyway apart from proving that I am a bit of an organisation freak (I was a Civil Engineering Librarian in a former life - old habits die hard) I hope this has been a useful visit for you. Hope to come visiting later but...

TTFN