Mindful Moments

We could all do with a little calm and mindfulness in our lives, and for me personally this week I most definitely could! It's been a hectic week, not only as school's out for Summer ( and I am a childminder so it gets very busy here), but also having had a weekend of dance shows for my daughter ( which were AMAZING!), during the running around for which I managed to prang my car, then later that day damage my knee, it's safe to say my week has not gone too well!  

Sadly I also had to attend the funeral of a dear friend and fellow crafter Erika, who I actually first met through the Visible Image fan page on Facebook. She adored all things Visible Image, and she was absolutely thrilled for me when I told her I had a much coveted spot as a guest designer on the team. She was so supportive of everything I do, and although I only had the pleasure of knowing her in person for a few years, she had become a very good friend to me.  I will miss our inky play dates very much. 

This piece I am sharing today I dedicate to her memory and I hope wherever she is it is tranquil there and she is at peace . 

I stumbled across a window picture frame covered in stickers while rummaging in a charity shop and decided it would be great to alter so I parted with a few pennies and brought it home as I do love to upcycle. 

Once cleaned of stickers I rubbed it down with some sandpaper and painted it with chalk paint. 

While the paint was drying I created a scene with distress ink. I stamped the main image from the  set Mindful Moments  set onto a mop up piece of card with oxide inks on and fussy cut it out. I framed her by stamping branches from the tree in the Tree of Life set around the top and colouring in the leaves. The doves are from the Guardian Angel set. I just love how all Visible Image stamps are so versatile and you can mix and match sets for maximum creative options. 

To decorate my frame, I used the Tree of Life stamps. On the front I stamped the tree in the centre, and grounded it with a light dusting of Versafine ink and a mask. 

The small flowers in the Creative Chaos set added to the base helped add a feeling of depth, and again I added a dove to tie it in with the image inside. 

Inside I stamped the tree again, effectively creating the back of the image that I had stamped on the front. I added some of the other element stamps in the Mindful Moments set, and coloured the flowers with Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pens to add a pop of colour. 

Thank you dear Erika for your friendship, support , positive energy and all round awesomeness. 

Miss you

Lynda

xx

We're Off To See the Wizard

Who loves the old classic The Wizard of Oz? I sure do , bt then anything with witches and wizards always gets my vote! 

Today I'd like to take you for a wander along the dusty old yellow brick road, as I share with you how I created this piece of artwork using the brilliant Oz characters from Visible Image . They all have so much character don't you think?

I have made a few cards with individual characters , but I wanted them all to feature together in a piece, and with my trusty drawing gum I was able to achieve this easily. On an 8" sheet of mixed media card I first stamped Dorothy and Scarecrow. I used the gum to fist mask Dorothy, and when it was dry I was able to stamp the Tin Man. The next step was to mask both him and Scarecrow, and stamp Cowardly Lion between them so that he appears behind. 

I sketched some simple scenery in behind them, and set to work painting with watercolour paints. I always tend to do my backgrounds first, as that way if I mess it up and I'm not happy with it I haven't wasted time with detailing the main images, which can be really frustrating ( trust me I have learned that the hard way!) 

To create the brick road I first painted it yellow ( of course!) , and then used a watercolour marker to add the detail , before softly blending the lines with water. 

Of course all paths lead to somewhere, and in this case The Emerald City. But first there is a poppy field to negotiate en route as I recall so I popped that in with some red marker dots, to create the illusion of one in the background. On the brow of the hill I drew the city, sitting proudly under the all important rainbow. 

I added some definition to the hills with pencils, and then set about colouring the characters with alcohol markers, which really brought the whole thing to life. 

This really was so much fun to do and I am thrilled to be able to share it as a member of the Visible Image guest DT. I guess that just goes to prove that, just like the sentiment says,  dreams really do come true. 

Lynda

x

Guardian Angel by Visible Image

Today I am sharing two projects using the fab new Guardian Angel stamp set.  I've recently bought an Alcohol Ink Lift pad so wanted to try it out with the angel to see if I could create a ghostly effect.

First I created a backing paper on Yupo paper with alcohol inks. Then I lifted the image using the ink pad creating a negative effect, and then stamped the positive image onto a plain piece of card stock ready to use on my second project. 

Using some of the smaller stamps in the set I lifted more ink from another larger piece of inked Yupo, again stamping the ink onto the white card stock ( waste not want not as my mum used to say!).

I really like the surreal effect this gave, and the sentiment from the Stay Weird set was the perfect addition to complete the card.

I used the card that I had stamped the positive image on to for a second card, teaming it with another sentiment from the Stay Weird set. 

This stamp set is so unique and I really love that it can be used without the wings as I think that makes it such a cool image for cards for teen lads. It has fast become a favourite in my collection. 

Lynda

x

Tin Man by Visible Image

I am back today with another cute character all the way from Oz, courtesy of Visible Image . Recently I shared a project using Dorothy ( you can find that post here), and today I am showcasing Tin Man. He's so darned cute! 

I wanted to create a card that reflected his metallic material and give it an industrial feel. 

To start I created a distress oxide background , and then blended more ink through the Grate-ful stencil over the top. 

I then created a bordered edge using  Sizzix embossing folder and gilding wax, cutting it into strips to create a frame. I also stamped some cogs and numbers from the Somewhere In Time set. The stamps in there really are so useful and versatile as background stamps. It is definitely one of my go to sets. 

To create some contrast, I stamped and die cut the hearts from the Tin Man set onto a scrap of red mop up card I had . In true crafter style no ink is ever wasted! I embossed clear powder over the top to add some shine. 

The Tin Man was coloured with copic markers and die cut. The matching dies to the character sets really do make life so much easier. No more fiddly fussy cutting! I finished off by stamping and embossing the sentiment on another off cut, and adding black perl drops to my border frame to complete the mechanical look I was going for. 

I honestly don't think I will ever tire of using the Visible Image Oz and Wonderland character stamps. Like the original tales, I have no doubt they will stand the test of time and continue to be my favourite classics. 

Lynda

x

Guardian Angel by Visible Image

Good morning! Here I am again with another card for Visible Image. I have been having so much fun recently with the new release stamps. They are so unique that the possibilities for creativity really are endless.

Today I am sharing my first project using the Guardian Angel set. It's so refreshing to see an angel that's a little edgy rather than cute and the fact that the wings are separate stamps makes him very versatile. 

Not too many process pics of this as I got a little carried away ( as I often do!) so I will talk you through instead. It's quite a simple one. 

To start my card I stamped the main image in Versafine Ink., and then masking it off I stamped the wings into place. 

The next step was to apply Versamark ink through the Cosmic Skies stencil, being careful to avoid getting it on the main image. and sprinkle over clear embossing powder to create a resist.

The final step was to blend in Distress Ink from the edge, leaving a soft glow around the angel ( because all angels need a glow of course), and stamping the sentiments  before layering it it onto black card stock to frame. 

Have a great weekend and I hope you can get some crafty time in. I certainly intend to! 

Lynda

x

Mythical Mermaid by Visible Image

Good morning! And what a beautiful morning it is. Perfect for thoughts of the beach and faraway places. Today I would like you to dive under the sea with me to the magical land where the mermaids dwell. In particular this beauty, Mythical Mermaid, from Visible Image. You can find her here. 

A long time ago I used a canvas board to mop up the spillage from a paint pour. Once I pulled it away from the craft mat I instantly saw corals in the shapes, so set it aside for a while, I waited for the perfect inspiration to hit me, which it did when the June release of incredible stamps was launched. 

My canvas was pink, and so I needed to add a touch of blue to make it more watery, which I did with spray inks. 

I stamped the mermaid direct to the canvas and painted inside the figure with white gesso. 

I wanted to place her on the entrance to a secret underwater cave, so I carefully stamped the bubbles stamp in the set around the edge in Archival Ink..

Then it was time to add some colour with acrylic paint. 

While the paint was drying I stamped the mermaid,dolphins and some of the smaller sea creatures onto rice paper as that would give me my final outlines on the piece. I stamped and gesso'd the dolhpins and creatures direct to the canvas, then painting as I had with the mermaid. 

To finish I drew rock shapes into the edge, and adhered the rice paper over the stamped images with gel medium and painted in some sea weed before stamping the beautiful sentiment direct to the canvas. 

A touch of glossy accents and glitter added dimension to the bubbles to really finish it off and add some magic sparkle. 

I am entering this in the following challenge:

We Love 2 Create Challenge 7 Anything Goes Mixed Media

Thanks for stopping by. 

Lynda

x

You Have to Trust Your Own Madness

Good evening! I hope you all had a really lovely weekend and were lucky enough to have the glorious weather we have had here in Hampshire. That said, there has been no relaxing for me. We are in the middle of major garden renovations so my weekend has involved lots of skip loading and general hard grafting, and alas no crafting. 

Before my husband set me to work though I did manage to make this card using the great Stay Weird new release stamp from Visible Image. I wanted to create a simple yet funky card so opted for bright acrylic ink and distress ink, and created my background using their Geometric Maze stencil. 

By masking off the wording around the little face in the centre of the sentiment stamp I was able to create lots of little embellishments- or people lost in the maze of madness!

To finish I added the sentiment stamp to bright yellow card and simply mat and layered to create a really fun finished piece that pops! 

Hopefully I'll escape the garden long enough to get some more crafting done soon!

Have a good week

Lynda

xxx