After the Craft Barn....

I went to the summer Craft Barn Extravaganza a few weeks ago. What a great crafting event and a great chance to meet up with all my lovely forum friends from Cardmaking Paradise too!
Apart from the social aspect and lots of laughs, there were, as always, some great demos going on so we all went home with new goodies from the shop but a huge amount of inspiration and new techniques to try.

I bought yet more Dylusions stamps plus all her ink sprays, lots of bits and pieces plus two sublime stamp sets from Paper Artsy by Lynne Perrella.
I made a couple of things with those already - the first was a wall hanging, implementing Helen Chilton's oil pastel resist with dry embossed egdes.
I hadn't reckoned on my piece of card (which was just a backing from some craft packaging - hence the hanging hole, ready made!) actually being too big to go through widthways on my Cuttlebug so I shoved it through anyway and I really liked the distressed edges this created - LOL!
I used fusible film for parts of the stamp and added some tiny sequins from an evening dress - I always keep the spares they give you in a little bag and these ones were perfect for this as they are antique finish. 

 Here you can see the great detail that still came through even when ironed onto fusible film.
I love this effect!

I used Dylusions ink sprays on the card which I think look delicious and I picked out the peaks of the dry embossing in places with some gold acrylic Eco Paint and some ruby Rub n Buff.












I then made a card using another of the Lynne Perrella stamps which I painted with acrylics, used those sequins again and the sun is again using fusible film which I coloured on the back with gold pen. The tape across the card is by 7 Gypsies and is like a masking tape texture.

The background to the stamped piece is, again, made using Dylusions ink sprays plus a little Crafty Notions white paint spray.

On both these projects, I stuck the sequins down using glitter glue which really gives a great jewelled look to the centre of the sequin.




Thanks for looking.

Contrasts!

I've been  away for a while and unable to do any crafting but, last month, I did make this card for a very dear crafting friend in America for her birthday. I ordered her some IndigoBlu stamps for her, belated!, birthday present so, of course, had to buy a couple of stamps for me at the same time....you know how it is!!!
This card's made using the Anemone Corner stamp which was even bigger than I had expected but works well on a large square card, repeating the corner twice.
As you can see, I layered up bits of the flowers and coloured them with watered down Distress Inks. The sentiment was one of a set sent to me for MY birthday by the same friend and is from a polymer set from Crescendoh by Christine Mason Miller and called 'Ordinary Sparkling Sentiments'.
This card was quite a departure for me as I don't normally do pretty but I really enjoyed making it.

I curled the petals up as well - although I'm never sure that things like that will survive being put in an envelope and sent in the mail. It probably ended up flattened!










By complete contrast, at June's local Stamp Club there was an art doll swap - the template was provided by the host and she got it from here.
I so enjoyed playing with this and immediately knew I would be using a head from my new Dylusions stamps!
It also didn't take more than a split second to decide that my doll would be a showgirl....as I used to be a dancer and thought I could make a mini me, well a mini me as I was in a past life anyway!!!!
Unfortunately I didn't actually make that Stamp Club meet but here she is in all her glory. Meet Lola!!!!.............

 I love the look of her fishnet tights and silver shoes yet they were so easy to do.

 I used a Crafty Individuals stamp for the buildings on her leotard, a mini Inkadinkado stamp for her tattoo and Elusive Images swirly stamps for her feathers. Another Elusive Images stamp is the pattern on her long gloves.















I'd like to make another doll but think I would adapt this template so that the body doesn't look so strange when you move the legs....if you see what I mean!!!!???

Anyway, there are plenty of templates out there online. Get out there and give it a try....it's so much fun!