Misted Ink Background

There's something really satisfying about making different backgrounds for your projects. There's a quick and easy background that you can make as easy, or funky as you'd like!

Simply draw squares in your journal (I used the small Dylusions journal block as  I like the wavy lines). It should look like this - don't worry if, like me, you need to go over a few lines!

Add some stencilled shapes. I used circles with a stencil like this one.

Then the fun starts! Fill a water brush with Black Marble Dylusions Ink. Colour in the background on one square and the shapes on the next, making a chequerboard effect. It's very therapeutic!

This is the finished effect.

You could leave it just like this. But knowing the ink reacts beautifully with water then I just couldn't help misting the page until the ink started to run.

You can, of course, use any combination of colours you like to make the background. Also, don't just do squares, you can use stripes or any other shape you like!
To finish this off I used the new Darcy stamps for PaperArtsy. I added a few gold lines and white painty circles for added interest.

Thank you, as always, for popping by

Final Postcard ideas

Hello! It's the last day to enter the Postcard challenge on our challenge blog and in case you need some final, speedy inspiration I have three quick ideas you can use. Each postcard took less than 30 minutes so you'll have an entry in no time! There is some typing on each postcard - I have an old typewriter that I used but you could use a sentiment stamp or alphabet stamps for your sentiment.

Let's take each one in turn!

For this postcard, add paint to the postcard for the background (I used Bubblegum Pink and Vibrant Turquoise) and then added White Linen, Lemon Zest and Black Marble paint through some stencils. It really doesn't matter if it looks messy - you'll cover it up!

Then stamp your images - I coloured in a few areas so the white was a counterbalance to the crazy background! When it was assembled I drew some lines from the shape to the scalloped edge so that they look like they are hanging.

The second postcard features a flamingo from Dylusions. The heart is from the Creative Dyary Stamp Set 2.

I used Distress Inks (Broken China, Shabby Shutters, Gathered Twigs) for the background and leaf stamps - the centre of the leaf stamp was inked with Dylusions Fresh Lime ink.

A tip for difficult to cut out images... cut across an area that you can easily glue back together - I regularly cut off the heads from stamped images!

For the third, and final idea I sprayed a stencil with Vibrant Turquoise and then covered the card with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink to give it a vintage colour palette. I then stamped lots of images on the background from an old Tim Holtz set. Then I stamped lots of Darcy for PaperArtsy images on card and coloured them in.

I hope you join in with this month's challenge!

Gabrielle

Forgotten the words

I recently bought a new Dylusions a small Creative Flip Journal. This page was one of my first experiments in it!

I started by spraying the pages with Fresh Lime (my very favourite colour!)

Then I added areas of Calypso Teal and used some kitchen roll to mop up the ink

Next I added some diamonds using a stencil and Slate Grey ink. Again I used kitchen roll to mop up the ink.

Finally I added some Picket Fence through an alphabet stencil

Using a leaf stencil I added Dirty Martini ink (decanted into a water brush). I wasn't super careful as I wanted the ink to bleed a little under the stencil as it looks like watercolour. When the ink was dry I used a black pen to drawn the leaves in. Notice how the green ink highlights the Picket Fence beneath - gives your leaves a really lovely extra detail

I added some tape for my Zini to stand on and stamped the Zini on the page and on some white card. There are some lovely details on the stamp that would be really difficult to cut out so if you stamp the image on the page then you don't have to worry about those additional details!

Then it's a matter of adding the extra images and sentiment. The arrows are from this Emma Godfrey for PaperArsty set and the spider is from this one. The bird is from an Elenazinski set.

The birds on this page are from these stamps sets (Set 5 and Set 8). The text stamps are from the Emma Godfrey set above. A few white paint circles and Black and Gold lines using an old lid and gift card.

I hope you like the journal pages. I love making them!

Gabrielle x

We are a normal family

I have been using my Dylusions Creative Dyary every week since February and have occasionally shared my decorated the right hand page. I thought I'd share my process in case you have a Dyary too!
The next page in my Dyary is this purply one. I have masked the left hand page so I don't get any ink on it but of course you can decorate both pages if you'd like to.

I started by adding a thin layer of white paint (Snowflake) to the page using a plastic card.

I sprayed Slate Grey Dylusions Ink through a stencil.

This is what it looked like after I removed the stencil and before I dried the ink.

I then added Crushed Grape Dylusions Ink through a numbers stencil.

Not sure the next stage will show up on the photos but I misted the page with water and allowed the ink to run slightly.

I added some white paint stars and some black stamping.

I then added some Chatter tape and stamped two characters for positioning when the page was compiled.

On a piece of white card I stamped four characters (one was stamped twice as I hadn't stamped it evenly). These stamps are: Zini 11, Zini 12, Zini 13 and Zini 15

Colour the characters in however you prefer and adhere to the page. I wanted the page to have some whiter areas (as the background was quite dark) so left some white areas on the stamped characters. I added a sentiment and some white and gold painty marks.

Thank you, as always, for joining me today.

Gabrielle x

Follow Your Heart

I have rediscovered my Dylusions Inks and my very favourite is Fresh Lime. This whole project was designed around this ink! The finished project looks like this:

I sprayed a tag with Fresh Lime and Dirty Martini. Dry the tag throughly.

Then, using a large Stencil with White Linen spray the tag. I didn't mind the extra ink in the bottom corner as it all adds to the whole aesthetic of the tag.

I cut out a large heart. I painted it in London Bus paint and adding some coloured pencil to the edges.

Using a Texture Fade I added some Gathered Twigs Distress Ink to the top part of the fade and then embossed the shape instantly giving it texture and a second colour.

For the final touches I added some shadowing to the largest numbers; Gathered Twigs to the edges of the tag; a paper doll; a pinecone die, a quote chip and a little torn dictionary page.

Thank you, as always, for popping by.

Gabrielle x

Dig it

Hello! This is my second project using the new Elenazinski stamps. My first project was here. I loved the bird standing on the chap's head on my first project so I couldn't help repeating that here with a different chap!
I started by taking a giant black tag and adding Snowflake paint with a brayer.

Then I added a thin layer of Caribbean Sea again with the brayer

With my finger I added Banana around the edges of the tag

Then I stamped all my images on the tag so I knew where they'd be placed but also so I didn't have to cut out all the little details. I used  ZA02, ZA05, ZA06, ZA07, ZA08 and the rather fab new alphabet stamps. The eagle eyed will notice there are no birds on the branch. I'll explain why later!

To stamp the letters, I space them on my acrylic block and check they fit before inking them and adding them to the tag.

When I stamped each image on the tag I also stamped it onto card. It's these images I coloured in. The pink and blue splodges are when I clean my blending pencil!

The birds were missing originally from the tag because I wanted to stamp them so their feet were placed on the branch (which hadn't been coloured in yet!) And apart from some gold paint on the edge of an old gift card, a little white pen and a black pen border that's it!

Thank you, as always, for popping by

Gabrielle x

Just Taller

Hello! It's my privilege to be featured on this blog today and I have the first of two projects featuring the latest Elenazinski stamps from PaperArtsy.
I started by putting Pewter paint on my page and then A Bit Jaded Infusions. I forgot to take a photo of this step but I do this pretty often so luckily there's a post here that shows this process!

Working quickly before the Infusions were full dry, I used a baby wipe to remove some of the colour through a stencil. The effect is very subtle so you could skip this stage!

The hanging plants would normally be the stamped on the bottom of the page so they grow upwards. Who likes normal?! I like to mix things up and to use stamps more creativity because that way they have lots of uses. To save having to cut out all the details I like to stamp onto my project. This is what my layout looked like. I used ZA04, ZA06 and ZA08.

As I stamp on the page I also stamp each image on card so I can colour this image in and cut it out.

I made this project on a very cold day earlier this year and I was so cold in my Studio that I bought the card into the house and coloured them in the warmth! Then just cut them out and adhere them to the page.

The left hand page looked this this when finished. I used the edge of an old gift card to add a little gold paint to the page as a finishing touch.

The right hand page looked like this:

Thank you, as aways, for joining in with me today - I hope you like my project!

Gabrielle x