Clock Class at The Stamp Attic

Just a quick post to share with you my make at Andy Skinner's class at The Stamp Attic yesterday.

This uses one of Andy's Tando Creative chipboard clock kits and lots of lovely paint techniques :)

I highly recommend taking one of Andy's classes if you're a lover of all things distress, always something new to learn! 

Have a lovely weekend

Gayle xx

www.andyskinnercrafts.com

www.thestampattic.co.uk

I dream of rosette flowers....

 A late post from me this weekend after a very busy few days!  I can't believe it's Sunday evening already, where did the weekend go??

I have a rosette flower story to share with you today. After falling completely in love with the snowflake rosette Alterations die at Christmas, I was rather hankering after the less seasonal version so I could start putting that on lots of things too!

I had a voucher for the craft store so managed to pick it up at a reduced price, headed home to try it out on the Vagabond and poof! Disaster!  Smoke started coming out of the sides of the Vagabond and that was that!  The retailer was very good and collected it and replaced it with a new one but it did take a little while, which is a long while when you have a brand new die to play with (I haven't yet figured out how to run these long dies through the Cuttlebug, any tips anyone?) but at last it came back and here is my first play with the rosette flower.

I put the flower together as in this youtube tutorial and used some spray inks to colour it, accenting with some Distress Ink and a sponge applicator around the edges.

The background tag was coloured with Spring Distress Inks and Dusty Concord and then stamped with Indigoblu script, Stampers Anonymous harlequin pattern, Inkadinkado swirls and a word stamp from Andy Skinner (I just wanted the word 'Dreams' so covered the other words on the stamps with the flower). 

I embellished with some Studio FX chipboard swirls which I sprayed with blue spray ink and then distressed the edges in brown, and added a pearl pin and some brown twine to finish off.

Hope you had a great weekend and got some crafting in, I'll be aiming for some this week for sure!

Gayle xx

Layered tag... and a change of plans!

Hi and welcome! It's Saturday and although I should have been winging my way up to Birmingham for the ICHF show the weather has put paid to our plans :/ but thank you Scrap 365 for the tickets, it was a great prize but just not meant to be this time around!

My post this week is my old favourite, tags of course!  This has more layers than I care to remember :) I nearly chucked it away!  I was persuaded to keep on adding layers (thanks K!) and I like the way it came out :) 

I used a vintage image at the bottom of the tag, some torn paper on the edges, some tissue tape and just layers and layers (and layers and layers - you get the idea!) of Distress Ink and Distress Stain.  The stamps are mainly Stampers Anonymous but I have some Andy Skinner text in there, and some butterflies from Craft Stamper magazine :)

 Yes, I managed to catch some rare sunshine in this pic and couldn't resist sticking my tag right in the beams!  Always love how everything looks that bit different in the sunshine :)

Don't forget to check out our Twitter, Facebook page and Facebook chat group to see if you're a winner of a RAK for Craft Month this March... it could be you!

Have a great weekend and wrap up warm :)

Happy scrapping!

Gayle xx

Where did you get that hat?

Finally! It's taken me on and off since Christmas to get done with this project but at last I'm done ;)

This is a Tando Creative cardboard Mad Hatter hat which was bought for me at Christmas by my Mum from The Stamp Attic (I believe Wendy might still have some in the shop) - one each for me, my Mum and my Nan to work on when we got together at Christmas.  Mum and Nan had finished by New Year, me not so much...(!)

The kit comes as a flat pack but you glue it together into this 3D shape. I decided it needed the Andy Skinner treatment (yes, still loving this technique!) but no book this time - I moved onto a Mad Hat!  Of the additional pieces, some were included with the hat kit itself but Tando also make an extra small kit of parts which go with this set - teacup, 'drink me' sign etc.

 I made a small rose from card using the Tattered Florals Alterations die and sprayed it with black and red spray inks, and found a large Prima rose which seemed perfect apart from the colour so I sprayed it to match.  I added some Idealogy cogs to match the metallic look of the hat, and tied lace and ribbons around the base of the hat.

The '10/6' label is part of the kit (painted and then inked, with a layer of glossy accents on the letters) and the pins tucked behind it are Papermania Vintage Notes.
I thought it would be fun to add a little signature Mad Hatter trinket, so used a 7Gypsies photo holder with a circle of card cut to size and inked, and then covered over with Glossy Accents to look like glass and hung from a piece of brown twine.

Thank you so much for visiting today and coming to take a peek at my hat :) it was really fun to make and I'm quite pleased with how it came out :) hope you're getting lots done for National Craft Month, don't forget to keep an eye on the Facebook page, Twitter and our Facebook chat group for some little surprise RAKs that will be announced for our followers :)

Gayle xx

Altered watch box

Hiya folks, hope you're having a good weekend!  This week I wanted to share a project I worked on recently during one of our regular Scrappy Tree Skype sessions! Love how easy it makes 'socialising' with your friends from far away :)

I've altered quite a few items with this technique now from Andy Skinner's 'Book of Secrets' workshop; I was lucky enough to attend the class with him in person but it's available as an online class now so the weblink in this paragraph leads you there.

This time I had an old watch box in the shape of a book...

It was a lovely little box in its own right but not too exciting as it had the manufacturer's name embossed on the front so....

The 'metal' plates and rivets are part of Andy's book of secrets class, with a Tando Creative die cut bookplate on the front and die cut cog on the back, and a few Ideology gears.

I cut a piece of manila card to size and stamped it using tiny letter stamps with the word 'wish' in coffee Archival ink, then inked around the edges in frayed burlap Distress Ink.  I filled in the centre with Glossy Accents to give it a glassy look.

And here's the back with the larger Tando Creative cog.

I've got a bigger project to share with this technique very soon once I can get some good pictures, just love it!  Want to put it on everything! Thanks Andy :)

Just wanted to remind you that this month is National Craft Month and we're sending out a RAK every week this month to a follower from the blog (Kirsten this week), our Facebook page and chat group, and our Twitter account, so come say hello and let us know what you're making :)


Happy scrapping!

Gayle xx

Purple haze

Morning! Happy Friday to all :) I have a tag to share with you today; I realised I hadn't made a paper rose for a while and this tag needed something extra ;)

The saying is from an Andy Skinner stamp set with some flowers stamped in the background...

 The colours are Distress Inks in purples and some Peeled Paint (green), and I think the base colour was antique linen.  The rose is white card cut from the Tattered Florals die and coloured with Shaded Lilac and Dusty Concord Distress Ink.  I added some icicle Stickles to the rose and tag to accent, and added black lace and purple DCWV ribbon to the tag and finished off by tying some crinkle ribbon through the top which I coloured with Dusty Concord.

I also posted at The Stamp Attic today, lots of lovely snowflakes!  Here's my sneak peek :) let me know what you think!

Hope you have a great weekend ahead, I am off to the Carnival tonight! woo hoo :)

Happy scrapping

Gayle xx

It's still Halloween... right?

Ok, so I kind of missed Halloween this year due to essays and exams (blah!) BUT I have been singing 'This is Halloween, this is Halloween' from Nightmare Before Christmas to myself all week, so I had to finish this tag and share it anyway lol

There are a mix of different stamps here, the text in the background and the tree are both Andy Skinner, the owl and the swirls are Inkadinkado, the mesh stamp on top is IndigoBlu and the little letter stamps were 99p ones from the craft shop!  I stamped them in black and then wrote on top of them with a white Posca pen to make them stand out.

I used purples and oranges in Distress Stain for the background, but also stamped the text in purple before adding the tree, owl and swirls in black Archival, and the mesh stamp in coffee Archival.  I added a bit of picket fence Distress Stain around the edges to make it look a bit misty and spooky!
The  black lace at the bottom is fixed with a bit of Glossy Accents, and the ribbon at the top is crinkle ribbon with some black Dylusions ink sprayed to colour it.

I've also posted at The Stamp Attic today, here's a sneak peek if you'd like to visit me there too!

Have a great weekend, I wish you lots of inky time!!
Happy scrapping
Gayle xx

Andy Skinner at The Stamp Attic

I am in love. It's true!  I went to Andy Skinner's gesso carving workshop at The Stamp Attic last weekend and as with his last class (Book of Secrets) totally fell in love with the technique we learned - I want to put it on everything! ha!

We worked on the front covers of hardcover notebooks/journals that we brought to class with us; this is my piece from the class:

...and this is a pic of all the books made in class - same technique and materials but all different :)

After class we met with lovely Wendy and Colin for a drink at the coffee shop next door, and were also joined by Sue Roddis who was at the class yesterday - fab to see them all!

Many thanks for a great day and class, and I'm looking forward to the next workshop I have my eye on at The Stamp Attic ;) 

p.s. I also posted my DT project at the Stamp Attic today so please go take a peek! Here's a pic from above just to keep you guessing ;)

Happy scrapping!

Gayle xx

Steampunk birthday

Whoop it's Friday!  And I am off to the Stamp Attic tomorrow to see lovely Wendy, and Andy Skinner! Woot!

Ok, enough of that :-D I have a card to share with you today which could be used for different occasions but my intent was a masculine birthday card.

The stamps are Ideaology and Andy Skinner, with red brick, tarnished brass and picket fence Distress Stain and black Archival.

Hoping you have some great crafty time this weekend, I know I will! :)

Happy scrapping

Gayle xx

Practising with some spooky colours

Morning! Happy Friday :) I'm not quite at the point of posting Halloween projects but I'm certainly thinking about the colours already :) I layered this tag with scattered straw Distress Stain, shaded lilac, spiced marmalade and dusty concord Distress Ink and Graphic 45 dressform, butterfly and cog stamps with an Andy Skinner script stamp in the background and quote stamped in  black Archival in the centre.  I stamped Dovecraft flourishes in black on the corners as well.

I finished off with some crinkle ribbon dyed with spiced marmalade Distress Stain, some Idealogy mini gears and some Distress Stickles on the butterflies.

How are your Halloween projects coming along? :)

Happy scrapping!

Gayle xx

Journey tag

Welcome to the weekend!  I have a tag to share with you that I made for a friend who is taking a break from her job to go travelling in Thailand - very exciting!  I am quite jealous ;) I'll be seeing her today for her leaving party and wanted to give her something handmade, but as you might know I'm more of a tag person than a cardmaker :-D

I used Andy Skinner steampunk stamps mainly, but the sentiment is Tim Holtz and the butterfly is Graphic 45.  The colours are layers of china blue and tarnished brass Distress Stain with some stamping in faded jeans and china blue Distress Ink and picket fence Distress Stain.

Thanks for visiting! Have a great weekend :)

Gayle xx

Sssh! It's a secret...

Ok, I have to admit, I saw the little Prima key in the glass box and I totally started singing 'The Key The Secret' by Urban Cookie Collective (very cheesy nineties dance tune!)

I layered up some tissue tape, some magic mesh, Andy Skinner and Tim Holtz stamps and added some lace, Stickles, sprocket and spinner, red ribbon, a Prima embellishment and a Dymo caption. Phew! sounds like quite a list :-D

I've also posted at The Stamp Attic today, and would love for you to visit me there too :) here's my sneak peek!

A quick tag and some happy news!

Hi and welcome to Friday!  I have a quick tag to share with you today using some of my favourite colours and some Andy Skinner and Paperartsy stamps.  The background was inked with scattered straw, spiced marmalade and fired brick Distress Ink (yes I am obsessed with these colours!) and then stamped in black Archival ink with stamps from Andy's Nature stamp set.

I splattered some fired brick Distress stain across the tag, and sprayed some iridescent gold Glimmer Mist for a bit of shimmer.  I added a stamped clockwork flower from Paperartsy and a few small flowers punched from manuscript paper (plus some orange and gold Stickles for sparkle!).  Just can't resist playing with those sunset colours!

Sooo..... I'm really excited to share some news with you today that I've been keeping to myself for a little while now - I'm joining The Stamp Attic design team!  The pic below shows a sneak peek of my first project for them...

...and if you'd like to see more, and you like what you see, I'd love for you to visit The Stamp Attic blog and leave me some love :) thanks!

Happy scrapping and have a great weekend :)

Gayle xx

Altered matchbox

Recently I took part in a matchbox swap - this week my matchbox arrived, and I know that my matchbox has arrived safely at its destination so now I can share it with you :)

Here's my effort (a la Andy Skinner stylee!) which went to Anne ...

And the inside...

This is my first matchbox swap; on reflection I think I should have used a bigger matchbox!  But I liked it cos I thought it was cute :) and it gave me a chance to use that Andy Skinner technique which I adore :)

Was so happy to receive a gorgeous dreamy matchbox from my swap partner with flutterbyes inside... and you know how I adore flutterbyes :)

Happy scrappin'!

Gayle xx

Distress stains and spray inks

Good afternoon and welcome to the weekend!  Today I have some tags to show you using distress stains and spray inks, both of which are fairly new to me but I love them! :)

This first tag uses broken china and fired brick Distress Stains (plus a bit of water sprayed on and some inky fingers!) for the background, with flourish stamps for the large flourish at the bottom and some Tim Holtz stamped script and chequers in the background (stamped with fired brick Distress Ink and brown StazOn).  The butterflies are plain die cuts that were coloured with fired brick Distress stains and stamped with flourishes, with the body coloured with black Posca pen. 

 The Distress Stains are delightfully messy and I can't wait to get some more colours!

For the tags below, I used Dylusions spray ink in vibrant turquoise for the tag on the left, and a broken china Distress Stain for the tag on the right, through masks to make the backgrounds for the tags.  The Dylusions ink works really well; I've tried a few spray inks but they haven't really worked the way I expected; well this one did! And the colours are awesome :)  The brick mask is a Prima one, and the compass mask is by Creative Expressions.
For the brick tag I stamped the birds, tree and rushes from Andy Skinner's 'Nature' stamp set using black StazOn and then added vintage photo Distress Stickles to the rushes.

For the compass tag, I added a strip of Tim Holtz tissue tape and then embellished with some eyelets, some vintage photo Distress Stickles and some die cut cogs which I painted using the techniques from Andy Skinner's class a few weeks ago (really enjoyed that!) - see here for the blog post.  I wish the sun would come out, those rusty brassy colours look great in the sunshine!

Andy is giving away some blog candy this weekend, so make sure you visit his blog to be in with a chance of some goodies!

Have a great weekend, stay scrappy! :)

Gayle xx

Andy told us to open the 'Book of Secrets'... so we did!

So my Mother's Day present for my dear Mum this year was a workshop at The Stamp Attic called the 'Book of Secrets' which was a day of steampunk awesomeness taught by Andy Skinner; I hadn't been familiar with Andy's work before spotting his class on the Stamp Attic website but the techniques he uses are AMAZING so check his blog out here!  He also has a range of stamps which are fab too, I can't wait for the release of the new fairground ones which you can see on his Facebook page here.

Top view of my 'book'!

We did have to leave the class a little earlier than we'd expected but thankfully lovely Wendy sent me a few photos of the class to share :)

Wendy's workshop space at The Stamp Attic all ready for class

Wendy and Gayle in happy smily crafty pose

Andy Skinner teaching!

I spent the day absolutely boggled at this amazing thing forming in front of my eyes!  We started out with a book-shaped wooden box, some card, paints, and a few die cut embellies.  Andy walked us through putting the whole thing together and bit by bit you forgot it was ever made up of those component parts because it just turned into this gorgeous, rusty, steampunk book!  Absolute genius :)  We'll definitely be looking out for some more of Andy's classes!

We picked up some class kits of the paints we used, I can signpost you to look for drybrushing techniques on Andy's blog if you want to see how we built up the layers, and to look for some of the die cuts on the Stamp Attic site.  I added a few Tim Holtz Idea-logy safety pins and an 'altered' dog tag when I got home after I messed about adding some more paint :)

Pardon the photos, was waiting to catch the sun here in Wales and then the camera battery ran out before I was finished! lol

Rather than opening like a traditional book, the spine slides out to reveal a drawer inside for goodies :)

Have a wonderful weekend, especially to Kristin and Julie from The Scrappy Tree who are spending the weekend at a retreat with some good scrappy friends of ours!  Have fun girls!!

Gayle xx