Do I look like I know what I'm doing?

This is my inspiration for you for the new challenge at All Dressed Up.

It's a strange title for a blog posting you might think ;) but do I really look like I know what I'm doing?   

Yes I can colour, yes I'm an artist - although you guys haven't seen much of that side of me.  I'm enjoying crafting so much I've not really got back into sketching properly yet!  I've done the odd water colour with some of the challenges but I've never dabbled with acrylics or modelling clay.

Mixed Media - what an earth is all that about.  Well my journey has been progressing slowly from noticing these fantastic creations, to getting some books and looking the whole thing up on the Internet.  Eventually I've started to get some bits - some canvasses, some acrylic paints, some stencils and other bits and pieces.  Flowers I've got in buckets as I'm always using them on my cards.

So here goes - it did occur to me afterwards that I should have taken more pictures at earlier stages - ooops!

The image I've used is Party Frock from All Dressed Up.  She's been coloured in pastel purple and black.  Once I'd coloured her I left her for a bit as I was originally going to make a card.  In the end I fussy cut her out.

The first pic of the canvas I've got to show you is where I've covered it with a huge piece of lace which I bought from The Ribbon Girl.  Over the top of this I used a Tim Holtz stencil, brick wall and some modelling clay.  I went over the centre portion of the wall a few times to make it more raised.

I then mixed some paint up and the only way I can describe it is I splodged patched of different purple shades over the brickwork and canvas.  Once this had dried I used some DecoArt clear crackle paint and some interference paint in magenta and blue - here's a close up of the wall.

Once all this had dried I trimmed the lace around the canvas then started to add flowers.  The majority of these were from Wild Orchid Crafts with one or two from Live and Love Crafts.  Here's a close up of the bottom right corner.

Here's a close up going towards the top left.

And this one shows the whole canvas with the added flowers.

Once all the flowers were set I added the final touches of the silver butterfly and dragonfly beads and my coloured image.

Ta Da!

To be honest I was totally amazed how this came out - not bad for a first go.

Andrea x

I'd like to enter this mixed media canvas into the following challenges

Create and Inspire - Anything Goes

Live and Love Crafts - In the Garden

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes

Addicted to Stamps - Summer Colours

That Craft Place - Anything Goes

Creative Craft Cottage - Flowers

Corrosive Challenge - Pile it On

Anything But a Card - Out and About

I Love ProMarkers - Anything Goes

Down at the beach

We're having a bit of summer fun over at Oddball Art.  Although I think the wether in the UK has got it's seasons confused again!

The image I've chosen for my inspiration is number 185.  She immediately spoke to me of summer - but I pondered a while to think of a setting.  In the end I went for a beach.  I sketched a little island in background and added some water, sand and bat reflections :)  All this was done with ProMarkers.  He's a close up for you.

Before I forget - did you know all the DT at Oddball Art have a voucher code to get you 10% discount off Lizzy's fantastic images.  My code is DTANDREA10 - just quote this at checkout.

Having coloured the image and mounted it onto some black card stock I decided to do a CAS card.  I've been doing one or two of these lately and hopefully I'm improving.

So all I used was some more black card stock for the back ground and some blue mushy patterned paper from one of Lili of the Valley's paper packs (that's the only way I could thing to describe it sorry - LOL!)

To finish off some self adhesive gems and a sentiment made out of letter beads.

So come on over to the blog and join us, we'd love to see your beautiful creations.

Andrea x

I'd like o enter this card into the following challenges

Without Words - Summer Holidays

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes

Addicted to Stamps - Summer Colours

I Love ProMarkers - Anything Goes

Wags N Whiskers - CAS

Crafty Catz - Clean and Simple

Create and Inspire - Anything Goes

Lovely Lace

The new ABC Challenge is L is for Lovely Lace sponsored by The Paper Shelter.  This fantastic Steampunk image is It's Tea Time.  I love Steampunk and keep trying to master the style so I thought I'd have another go :)  Practice, practice practice!

She's been coloured with ProMarkers and cut out with a Spellbinders die.  The edges have been distressed with Tim Holtz Antique Linen and then I've added some Stampendous embossing enamel.

The backing paper is one from Lili of the Valley and the newsprint paper is a Tim Holtz Idea-ology.  I had to had cut both these papers as I haven't a die large enough to do it.  How does everyone else do it out of curiosity?

The important bit the "lace" was bought from The Ribbon Girl.

Other accessories include some Tim Holtz Idea-ology cogs, some flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts, some antique seam binding tied in a double bow (I've progressed!) I actually got this from Lili of the Valley but I don't think they sell any more, a clay heart and a resin butterfly from Live and Love Crafts.

I do like to set myself a challenge, and hopefully the whole Steampunk, flowers butterfly thing worked :)

OK that's hopefully you inspired now to show us your lovely lace

Andrea x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges

Giltter n Sparkle - Include a Die Cut

Allsorts - Flower Power

Crafty Creations - Embossing

Corrosive Challenge - Pile it On

Creative Craft Cottage - Flowers

Stamping Sensations - Dies and Punches

Di's Digi's - Use Die Cuts

Sparkle n Sprinkle - Anything Goes (Embossing Enamel)

Create and Inspire - Anything Goes

Dad n me

Apart from MAN stuff for Father's Day (like cars and beer) I sometimes get asked for sweet stuff.  What better than this beautiful image from Make It Crafty - Daddy and Lucy.

The image is so beautiful I wanted to do a CAS card - someone take my temperature I must be feeling ill again ;)

The sentiment was produced on my lap top before printing the whole thing.

I've coloured the image with ProMarkers in pastel shades.  The grass believe it or not was also done with a ProMarker (I have a secret to share - don't ever through away your pens that have nearly run out. You can create beautiful effects like this with them :) - this was a Moss Green nearly dead one!)

All I've done with this is use some blue design paper from Lili of the Valley to frame it.  The stitching effect was hand drawn in pencil.  I've also used some blue self adhesive gems.

Ta Da

Right back to complicated stuff like layering and flowers ;)

Andrea x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges

Digi Galore - Father's Day

Crafty Boots - Father's Day/For the Man in Your Life

Dream Valley - Father's Day

Digi Choosday - Father's Day/Male

Passion for ProMarkers - Masculine

Papertake Weekly - Something for the Boys

Creative Moments  - Father's Day

Crafty Catz - Clean and Simple

Lean mean red machine

Another couple of weeks here in the UK and it'll be Father's Day.  So guy cards are definitely topical at the moment!

The image I've used here is from Fitz Town.  Most of the men I know love sports cars so they were definitely my inspiration.  I've coloured the image with ProMarkers.  It's then been mounted onto some black card stock to frame it.

Design papers are from Wild Rose Studio and Lili of the Valley.

To make it a definite DAD card I've used some red felt self adhesive letters I found in Hobby Craft.  There are also some tiny black self adhesive gems.

Andrea x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges

Polkadoodles - Father's Day/Anything Male

Crafty Boots - Father's Day/Ford the Man in Your Life

Dream Valley - Father's Day

Crafting for All Season's - It's a Boy Thing

Papertake Weekly - Something for the Boys

Creative Moments - Anything Goes/Man In Your Life/Father's Day

Passion For ProMarkers - Masculine

Left of Centre - For the Boys

A face of two halves

I started colouring this on my lunch break at work and showed a couple of pictures (first one) and (second one) to show stages of development on the Inky Pinkies Facebook as part of their what are you colouring today (Wednesday).  So having finished the actual card now it's time to share it again.

The image is Pink Rose and Shimmer Chiffon from The EastWind.  It's been coloured with a combination of ProMarkers and Copics.  I've then cut it out in a diamond shape with a Spellbinders die.  Distressed the edges with some Tim Holtz ink and added some Stampendous embossing enamel around the image adges.

The image makes me think of two halves so I tried to imply this in my actual back ground in the card.  The papers are from Lili of the Valley.  I've used some black card stock and then some black slef adhesive gems.

I've very much kept the image as the focus of the card.

Andrea x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges

Sparkle n Sprinkle - June Challenge - Anything Goes

Scrapy Land - Anything Goes with a Scrapy Land brand die

Di's Digis - Use Die Cuts

613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes

Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes

Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Crafty Creations - Embossing

Your Scrap Book Place - Anything Goes

June Sweet Pea Stamps Challenge - With Dies and/or Punches

Bugs Rule!

This was one of those cards that kind of evolved - I changed my mind so many times with this one!  I coloured Oddball Art's image no 64 with ProMarkers, then cut it out with a Spellbinders die.

Now here I'm going to do some advertising - you can get 10% off these images at the Etsy Store with my code DTANDREA10 :)

Here's a close up of the image.

After that I faffed about for a bit with papers, partly because I started this last night and I was tired.  I'd decided I was going to do her with blue papers.  Today I changed my mind and dug out my purple stash.

These papers are from Lili of the Valley, there's actually three different ones.  I was going to do a more complicated layout as well but changed my mind as I loved the white paper with patched of purple - I though it went with the image really well.

I was also going to do her surrounded by flowers but when I spotted these pale blue dragonfly Dress It Up Buttons I though about the "Bugs Rule" notice with her sitting with a spider.  Her wings also made me think of butterflies.  So the sentiment I made up with self adhesive glitter letters which I bought in Hobby Craft.  I edged them at the right with some black biro to make them stand out.

Final touch some purple self adhesive gems from my stash.

Ta da! Got there in the end :)

Andrea x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges

Scrapy Land - Anything Goes with a Scrapy Land brand die

613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes

Glitter n Sparkle - Anything Goes

Ribbon Girl - Animal Themed Card

Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes

I Love ProMarkers - Anything Goes

Sisterhood of Crafters - Goin' Buggy

Kraftin Kimmie - Wonderful Wednesday Anything Goes