Fragile Life

In Your Heart - Jigsaw Exchange

In September, I revisited the friendship theme for Shaz.  She has a lot of love in her heart and really loves and cares for those around her.  She's a faithful prayer warrior and a faithful friend!  She's also a pretty fantastic education assistant!

This first piece was inspired by her love she had for her darling dog, who sadly passed away this year.      

What a faithful friends can be found in the furry world!

The special bond and friendship of mother and daughter, when good, is like no other. 

And the friendship of girlfriends are to be treasured!

Little Songbird - Jigsaw Exchange

August's jigsaw challenge was for Jenny again.  The sweet stack of birds and foliage stamps are by Prima.  I bought them on our honeymoon in Jakarta 3 years ago and have only just got to putting ink on them now!

The gemstones are really tiny in actual size and originally created to add long to mobile phones.  I'm often using them to add a lovely final touch.

Smile - Jigsaw Exchange

In July, I was once more focused on Trish's theme, 'Life is an Adventure'.  This time I imagined Trish and her husband Rod travelling around Japanese and soaking up the culture!

I have a small but lovely collection of Japanese paper, so I dipped into that as the starting point.  The Gorgeous Darkroom Door image from the Kimono montage paper collection, along with the Kimono wordstrip and Japanese script from the Kimono Vol 2. stamp set were the perfect things to complete my little Japanese adventure!

I would love to visit Japan one day, but I think I would be too tempted to take an empty suitcase and a large pocket full of cash.  All the beautiful paper and washi tape and fabric and, and, and many other delights would be calling me to take them home!

Click! Click! - Jigsaw Exchange

Something beginning with C is the great thematic challenge that my friend Ellie presented to us!

Ellie's a great memory keeper and is often taking photographs in her daily life.  

C is for... Children, clear (film strip), chum, companion, comrade, calendar, light control and celebration...

C is for... Camera, click and capturing special moments!

Delight In Truth - Jigsaw Exchange

'Typography' was the theme chosen by my friend Susan.  She's a wonderful high school English teacher and has a great love for words, especially the Word of God.  Susan uses her words to encourage and inspire not only her students, but her friends.  

On the second puzzle piece I've used part of a stamp designed by Kristen Robinson and have simply adapted with a snippet of vintage text.

Words are powerful and can be used to share the truth of God, as well as support, teach, encourage and inspire those around us.  May we continue to learn to use our words wisely to love, encourage and spur one another on!

Youthful Dreams - Darkroom Door

Darkroom Door has just released another amazing series of texture stamps.  I love the versatility of texture stamps and keep them close at hand to add another layer of interest to my work.

Today I'm sharing with you the first artwork I created using the Polka Dots texture stamp.

1. Firstly gather together a variety of neutral coloured papers along with a pretty floral.  Then add a small image to use as a focal point (I used a butterfly postage stamp), a paper doily, fabric scraps including sheer organza, leather, buttons and calendar washi tape to your collection.
2. Stamp Polka Dots onto a small panel of vintage paper using taupe coloured ink.  Use a variety of papers and the stamped panel to compose the first layer of work.  Affix some panels with glue stick and others with washi tape.  Stamp Polka Dots in another section of the work (I did a second generation stamp to give a faded appearance.
3. Add other layers of paper if required and add machine stitching using a complimentary coloured thread.  I used circular motions of sticking to tie in with the Polka Dots stamp and doily.
4. Stamp quote from Darkroom Doors 'Enjoy Life' stamp set onto doily and gently heat set the ink.  Affix small focal image to doily, along with fabric scraps, lace and a button to embellish the doily and add to work.  Embellish the rest of the work with a leather heart, button and lace.

Darkroom Door Supplies used:

Texture stamp - Polka Dots

Stamp set - Enjoy Life

Other supplies:

Various patterned and vintage papers that coordinate well together

Ink -

Sewing machine, heat tool, thread, glue stick, paper doily, buttons, lace, postage stamp, fabric scraps and washi tape

Exploration - Darkroom Door

Darkroom Door's Polka Dots texture stamp was the inspiration for this journal page.  Polka Dots is so striking when inked in black don't you think?!  

1. Stamp 'polka dots' three times - first, second and third generation stamping on the lower section of vintage paper panel to add a variation in depth of colour.  I used paper from an encyclopedia.
2. Find a black and white image of a person, trim it so that their eyes are the focal point.    Position this in place and stamp a 'top hat' above it.  Add a thin layer of white paint just below the face, when dry stamp 'airship'.  Add a touch of taupe paint to help blend the paint to the colour of vintage paper.
3. Stamp 'New York sign' on plain vintage panel, trim to size and affix to work.  
4. Layer work onto another piece of torn vintage paper, torn black scrapbooking paper and a thin layer of card (small than the other panels - to add strength to layers in preparation for machine stitching).  I added red ink to the torn black scrapbooking panel for contrast of colour.
5. Add matching stitching to frame and make connections between the elements on the page.
6. Stamp '31' using red ink, trim to size and add to work.  Affix postage stamp to the lower section of work. 
7. Layer work onto sheet music, encyclopedia paper and cream card.  Stamp 'exploration', 'adventure' and 'small cog' twice to complete work.  

Darkroom Door products used:

Polka Dots texture stamp

Steampunk stamp set

Other supplies:

Vintage papers (encyclopedia, sheet music), cream card, black scrapbooking paper, ink - red and black, sewing machine, threads - red and orange, acrylic paint - white and taupe, postage stamp and double sided tape.

Japanese Garden - Darkroom Door

Once again I've been having a great time playing with Darkroom Door's new collage stamp, 'Arty Mosaic'.  This time I've used it to create a background on canvas.

1. Paint two layers of gesso onto blank canvas board.  When dry add layers of warm white, titanium white and skin tone along with a dash of paynes grey.  I painted with my fingers, but a brush may make less of a mess.  I find it easier to control and blend the paint with fingers.
2. Stamp 'large Japanese script' on top right section of canvas.  Then stamp 'Arty Mosaic' onto white tissue paper using beige ink and heat set.  Cut apart the image into three sections and use clear gesso to affix to the left hand edge of canvas.  Go gently as the paper is delicate.  I roughed up some of the edges with my finger nail once it was down to give it a distressed look.
3. When dry, add a light layer of white paint over different sections of the canvas.  Affix beaded lace scrap to lower right section of canvas using clear gesso. 
4. Add floral Japanese fabric (paper would work too).  I cut around some floral pieces and added it to the layering, using clear gesso to affix.  You may like to blend the fabric in the lower section of the canvas by swiping coordinating stamping ink and dashes of white paint, heat setting as you go.
5. Stamp 'orchids' using beige ink onto canvas and heat set.  When dry, add a thin transparent layer of gesso over the blossoms - this will act as a placement guide when gluing tissue paper orchids in place.  
6. Stamp 'orchids' once more onto white tissue paper using beige ink.  Heat set the ink, fussy cut around the blossoms and affix each matching blossom to image on canvas with clear gesso.  I found I needed to add one more tissue paper blossom to help balance the work.
7. Stamp 'Geisha' direction onto canvas with black ink (to help with placement of tissue paper image) and once it's dry, add a layer of white gesso over it.  Stamp 'Geisha' onto tissue paper with black ink and fussy cut around image.  Affix to work using clear gesso.
8. Stamp 'love script' onto small fabric scrap of silk and add to top right corner of work using clear gesso.  Add any additional pearls to complete work.

Darkroom Door products used:

Collage stamp - Arty Mosaic

Stamp Sets - Japanese Calligraphy and Kimono Vol. 2

Other supplies used:

Paint - white and clear gesso, white titanium. warm white, skin tone and paynes grey

Small canvas board, beaded lace, Japanese floral fabric, white tissue paper, silk fabric scrap, pearl sticker

Fun In The Sun - Jigsaw Exchange

'The Beach' was the chosen theme for Amanda in our jigsaw exchange.  

I think I feel most carefree when strolling along a beautiful beach soaking in the suns rays, feeling the fresh breeze against my face and listening to the soothing, rhythmic crashing of the waves.  Mind you, quite often it's quite chilly in my part of the world and the sky's are overcast, the wind is howling  and the sand is flying into your face - but there's still something wonderful about the beach.

I must admit that I love to stroll hand in hand with the one I love along our beautiful coastline!

It's looking good outside my window this morning!!!  Think it's time for me to have some fun in the sun before my holiday comes to an end!

Mere Disguise - Darkroom Door

Darkroom Door has just released six new collage stamps this week!

The Arty Mosaic collage stamp is so much fun to work with!  I had a wonderful time experimenting with how it stamped on a waxed paper bag.

1.  Stamp 'art mosaic' onto a waxed white paper bag (I stamped it on the matt side) and heat set it. Trim image to size.  Fold it in half lengthwise.  

2.  Stamp 'map' on light silver panel and 'flourish' to the right hand side of map.  Trim to size.

3.  Stamp 'mask' onto white panel and trim to size.  Stamp 'mask' once more onto a scrap of vintage paper that has a small amount of text.  Cut away upper section of mask (the eye area) and layer onto mask panel.

4.  Layer mask, paper doily, map panels onto a variety of sparkly silver papers with a cream card for the base.  Add folded art mosaic below mask section.

5.  Machine stitch mask and art mosaic into place.

6.  Add button, lace and stamped sentiment 'mere disguise' to complete work.

Darkroom Door products used:

Arty Mosaic collage stamp

Venetian Vol 2. stamp set

Other supplies:

Ink - Versafine 'toffee' and Versamagic 'midnight black'

Various papers - silver, grey, cream, vintage encyclopedia, white, and waxed paper bag

Sewing machine with black thread

Doily, lace, button

Happiness is... - Jigsaw Exchange

Shaz chose the theme 'Friendship' for her jigsaw puzzle.  I found this lovely sentiment in my stash of puzzle pieces and was thrilled that it could just fit!!!

The gorgeous scrapbooking papers made the collage work easy.  All I needed to add was the lovely image of two little friends with very big bows and simple cross stitching!

Love makes the world go round, so they say, and the love of a friend makes it all the sweeter I reckon!  xx

Nest - Jigsaw Exchange

February's jigsaw theme was 'Birds and Nests' for Jenny!  She loves little birdies, especially vintage imagery of them.  I've discovered if you put a little gel medium over gem stones thy have a soft and rounded finish, it almost looks like drop of rain.

Made In France - Jigsaw Exchange

I'm involved in a jigsaw art exchange this year.  It is a little challenging working with such a small and oddly shaped surface, but I've been finding that I've loved being out of my comfort zone!  Finding items that are small enough in scale forces you to be creative in little ways.

These pieces were completed for January.  My friend Trish's theme is 'Life is an Adventure'.  She is a cyclist and loves to travel the world, so I was picturing her cycling through Paris on a Penny Farthing - wouldn't that be an adventure!

The Eiffel Tower image comes from a collage sheet by ArtChix Studio and the 'Made in France' ribbon was a part of a gorgeous gift from my dear friend Debbi.  She purchased all sorts of delightful things at the flea markets in France and shared some with me.  How spoilt am I?

All A Flutter

'Wooden' is October's theme for Darkroom Door's ATC swap.  

The wooden butterflies were my starting point for this project.  The lovely brushless watercolour technique has been used when stamping the butterflies from Darkroom Door's 'Butterflies' stamp set.  I find this technique works best on smooth watercolour paper.

Because I was replicating this work a number of times, I positioned all the butterflies stamps in place on a blank ATC in a composition I liked and then used an extra large acrylic block to keep them all in place at once.  This made the stamping of 12 ATC's so much quicker!  

Once the stamping was completed I affixed the wooden butterfly in place, adding hand stitching and velvet ribbon.  To complete this work I flicked Distress 'antiqued bronze' spray stain over the work (covering the wooden butterfly with a scrap of card) and added the word 'flutter' found in Darkroom Door's Wildflowers Vol. 1 stamp set. 

NB:  If you're flicking spray stain around, be sure to screw the spray mechanism back in place when you've finished, so unlike me, you don't flood your work space with gorgeous antiqued bronze liquid - what a waste!!!!

Pocket Full of Posies - Darkroom Door

'Pocket Full of Posies' postcard

It can be quite difficult to create masculine cards for the men in our lives - especially with flowers!

I think choosing a neutral colour palette as a starting point can be very helpful!

Here's a postcard I've create that has a little pocket that holds the carved flowers within.

1. Create a pocket using a large white luggage tag.  Fold the card over and stitch the bottom and sides together.  Stamp a carved flower (light grey ink), film strip, man and sentiment (black ink) onto the tag.  Add ribbon to the top of tag.
2. Stamp film strip, photo no. label and more carved flowers in grey and black inks onto white card.  'Fussy cut' around them.
3. Stamp rulers texture stamp onto postcard sized patterned paper that has been mounted on white card and once more on a panel of kraft card using black ink.  Swipe the edges of both pieces with black ink.
4. Layer the kraft card and tag pocket onto postcard background.  Affix all the stamped embellishments.  I used some Magic Mount 3D tape on the photo no. label and the light grey carved flower to add an extra dimension to the piece.  
5. Place remaining carved flowers into pocket.  Add black zig-zag trim to complete postcard.

Darkroom Door products used:

Texture Stamp - Rulers

Stamp Sets - Carved Flowers, Photography and Dashing Gents

Stitched Up!

September's ATC swap theme over at Darkroom Door is, 'Stitched Up!'

As you may well know I do love to add stitching to my work, so it was terrific fun making this set of ATC's!  The floral fabric and carved leaves were my starting point which lead me to decide upon this colour palette.  I'm still very much an experimenter when it comes to stamping on fabric and I was quite pleased with the end result.  

There's still plenty of time to participate in this month's swap so head over here to find out all the details.  It's always a delight to receive an amazing collection of ATC's from other artists, so I highly recommend having a go!

Darkroom Door products used:

Stamp set - Carved Leaves Vol 2

Texture stamp - French Script

Recycle It!

The Darkroom Door ATC swap for June was Recycle It!

There's a whole lot of recycling going on in this ATC.  The kraft card base is courtesy of Book Depository packaging, all stamped images are on old book pages, a manila folder and a lotto game piece, as well as a scrap of vintage fabric.

Darkroom Door products used:

Stamp sets - Home Sweet Home, Carved Leaves Vol 1,  Wings and Tags

Other supplies:

Vintage fabrics and paper flowers

Yellow & Grey

'Yellow & Grey' was the theme for Darkroom Door's ATC swap in May.

My Granny and Poppa had a caravan and I loved it whenever we were able to spend time in it.  I'd love to have a caravan for an art studio.  Imagine being able to hitch it up to the back of the car and take off to any given destination with all the essential supplies in tow!

Darkroom Door products used:

Stamp Set - Carved Caravans

Background Stamp - Mesh

Montage - Love Letters

Other supplies:

Flower pot punch, paper flower, gold staples and rhinestone

Let's Dance

Photo credit - Rachel Greig

It was all about 'Quote Stamps' during the April ATC swap at Darkroom Door.

I love the way this quote reminds me to dance through the tough times!

I decided to make this ATC a little interactive in that you had to open it up to see the quote and my quirky little dancer.  I had fun creating the umbrella's from the Carved Flower stamp set too!

Photo credit - Rachel Greig

I've stenciled and stamped the background of this set of ATC's.

Darkroom Door products used:

Quote Stamp:  Dance

Stamp Sets:  Brush Strokes, Carved Flowers, Simply Circles, Melody

Photobooth:  Ladies

Wildflower

March's theme for Darkroom Door's ATC swap was 'Watercolour'.

I used one of my favourite techniques to create this ATC - brushless watercolour.  One of the best tips I can give when using this technique is to use good quality watercolour paper.  It makes such a difference to the result.  I used a smooth watercolour paper for this project.

There's a number of layers of thin brown paper in the background.  The images were stamped on torn watercolour paper with Adirondack inks/water and then embellished with lace, machine stitching, rhinestones and a punched heart.

Darkroom Door products used:

Stamp Sets:  Friendship Flowers and Montmartre

Texture Stamp:  French Script

Beneath

February's ATC for Darkroom Door Swap - 'Neapolitan'

Darkroom Door products used:

Stamp Sets - Under The Sea, Seashells, Seaside Vol 2

Background Stamp - Circles

Other Embellishments

Lace, sequins, rhinestones, beads, tulle, beads, velvet ribbon

Summer Garden

January's Darkroom Door ATC Swap sample

'Summer Garden'

The theme was 'Eclectic Stamps' and I decided to work with 'Coffee Stain', using it as a frame for one of Darkroom Door's gorgeous flower stamps.

Darkroom Door products used:

Eclectic Stamp - Coffee Stain

Texture Stamps - Scratches, Weathered Stripes

Stamp Sets - Friendship Flowers, Wings, Butterflies

Distress Ink - Mini Pads

Flair

July's theme for Darkroom Door's ATC swap is 'Texture Stamps'.

The vintage floral fabric was my initial source of inspiration, along with the gorgeous Darkroom Door 'Buttons' texture stamp.

I inked the texture stamp using three mini Distress Ink pads (squeezed lemonade, spiced marmalade and wild honey) and stamped it onto dotted paper.

Then it was a matter of creating the collage using images from Darkroom Door's stamp sets, 'Little Ladies' and 'Dressmaker'.

Embellishments:  vintage floral fabric, tulle, machine and hand stitching, snap fasteners and a button

There's still time to join in the fun and participate in this month's swap.  For further details visit Darkroom Door here.

Dream Girl

'Dream Girl'

This year, I am once more abundantly blessed to have the opportunity to work with Darkroom Door, this time with a new title, as a Contributing Artist.  Darkroom Door is an amazing Australian stamping and art supply company and I can honestly say, working with them is a dream come true!

Darkroom Door has recently released a number of new and absolutely gorgeous rubber stamps.  The art work I've created above features one of the new Quote Stamps, 'Dreams'.  I've combined it with the 'Leafy Lady' Line Art Stamp and a sweet little bird from the 'Love Birds' Stamp Set, along with watercolour pencils, washi tape, a Project Life card, sequins, beads, sari silk ribbon and layers of card and paper, then finished off with a bit of machine stitch magic! 

Darkroom Door supplies used:

Dreams Quote Stamp

Leafy Lady Line Art Stamp

Love Birds Stamp Set

Mixed Media Cardstock by Ranger

These past number of months, I have been very absent from the blogging world and there is a story to explain why - a story with a happy ending I might add.  We discovered towards the end of last year that my darling Dad needed heart surgery.  It became a quite a journey getting him to that point, with a couple of false starts thrown in to keep us on our toes!  Three weeks ago today, Dad had a triple bypass and valve replacement and is now well on the road to recovery!  Praise the Lord!