"the big quest"

IndigoBlu have started their very first challenge and that's not only a cool thing to do but the first challenge theme is really well chosen - even though it was quite predictable - "Blue"!

So here comes my take on "Blue" - a booklet showing some of my ancestors (mainly from my father's line) asking the big questions upon life.

I used the awesome "Sarah's Choice" stamp set from IndigoBlu to create a lot of texture on the single pages. The pages were die cut using the Alterations "mini cabinet card" die - I only cut off the lower part to get a straight border.



The background was made by applying Distress inks onto the craft sheet, spritzing these with water and drawing and dipping the card through the colour puddles and smears.



I wrote the questions by hand onto torn paper scraps, which I blended with vintage photo and chipped saphire DIs afterwards.

The edges of the pages were distressed using a carpet knife and blended with DIs too. For the book ring I bent some wire, using a bottle cap of according size to form a proper circle. The two swirls were made using round pliers.

Here come the single pages:

and a view at the backsides, which I stamped with the lovely script stamp from the IndigoBlu set.

As always I hope that you like my project and have enjoyed your visit! Thanks for stopping by! :)

Hugs,

die amelie xx

Tattered Floral Challenge - Tim Holtz

Not much time left to enter the "Tattered Floral Challenge" over at Tim's blog, but finally my "Tattered Florals" die arrived with the mail last Thursday and today I found some spare time to try it out. Wow, what fun!

I really love that die - and that means a lot as I am quite picky when it comes to crafted flowers.

I recently bought a card picture frame for 95 Cent and it was the perfect object to alter using the "Tattered Florals".

Here's what I used for the project:

Some Ranger alcohol inks, blending tool, glue, two Sizzix  Alterations embossing folders, some adhesive metal foil, card and burlap,

also Grunge paper, Tim's idea-ology fasteners and of course my Sizzix Big Shot!

I first die cut some flowers from plain grunge paper and gave them a patina surface using the pebeo patina set.
 I also applied metal foil to another piece of grunge paper and die cut some more flowers, which I afterwards ran through the Big Shot using the embossing folder. These flowers were treated with alcohol inks.

Then I cut four strips of metal foil for blending the picture frame and gave them the same treatment (embossing and alcohol inking).
They were glued to the card frame afterwards. I also cut some gears and the tiny flourish (using the Sizzix Alterations Movers and Shapers dies), whichwere given various treatments (heat embossing, blending with Distress ink, patina).

I chose the "three ladies picture" from my ancestors photographs collection to go with the frame and after playing around a little all the elements had found their spot and were fixed to the frame. Done!

 Here are some more close-ups to show the flowers and some of the surfaces:

 

 

Thanks for your visit and I hope you enjoyed it a little! :)

Hugs,
die amelie xxx

"Gothic"

is what we ask for as challenge theme at FunwithATCs this time! (Please, scroll down to the previous post if you want to know this fortnight's challenge theme over at TioT!)

As I love gothic style I curiously look forward to seeing your awesome ATCs made for this challenge!

My ATC for your inspiration from the DT features a dark, creepy scenery of a "House on the Hill"...wooaahhh....anyone seen the movie? (had my hands held before my eyes - peeking through the fingers of course - most of the time *lol...).

The background was created by using alcohol inks on some glossy card (I cut from a paper plate). I dabbed some darker tones to the card using the blending tool with the felt pads, but also added them directly to the card and let them run down to create "traces of blood and decay". After that I stamped and heat embossed the image using black embossing powder.

Some of the areas that were too dark to make the shapes of the house and the tree sufficiently visible were lighted up by removing some of the alcohol ink using cotton swabs and nail polish remover. (You have to reheat the embossed image to get the shine back after that procedure).

The words were stamped onto card, cut out, blended with adequate colours  and glued to the ATC. Done!

So get yourself into a dark and creepy, gothic mood and create! And have fun - I had a lot of it making this ATC!

Hugs,

die amelie x

Hats and Easter Bonnets

is the challenge theme over at Try it on Tuesday this fortnight!

Which means that we would like to see a hat somewhere on your project/card.


My tag as a DT piece for this challenge shows a very special hat ;)

I just love the image of the Easter(?) rabbit family with their dad reading a scary story to them! And what else would a rabbit be more afraid of than suddenly disappearing from it's actual place and being pulled out of a strange man's hat by some evil magic power? I guess this is quite similar to what Captain Kirk would feel like if he materialized in front of a theatre audience after the process of beaming instead of the planet's surface he had expected...

The gorgeous stamp is from 100 proof press and the hat is from a partially used stamp from Oxford Impressions (yes, the steampunk gentleman we all know so well ;).

The speech bubble is a self drawn half desaster and the "happy easter" banner was stamped with my HeroArts alphabet stamp set.

I kept the tag quite clean and simple as I wanted the story to pop out accordingly. Hope, you enjoyed it a little!

I look forward to seeing your hats or Easter bonnets over at our challenge blog!! Join in! This month's sponsor for a £10 store voucher is once again Crafty-emblies!

Hugs,

die amelie

"finally spring" - 3rd Eye's VIVID Challenge

Over at 3rd Eye they have a really talented bunch of ladies doing awesome LOs, art journal pages and other stuff! And they have a challenge too!


I stumbled upon their great stamps by accident - and the challenge requires to use some of them alongside with vivid colours.

So here comes my take on a vivid colours tag:

As I own only a few 3rd Eye stamps I had to improvise a little as I mainly ordered stamps I wanted to use on grungy or Steampunk projects ;)
(only the bird images are stamps from Crafty Individuals and my beloved alphabet stamps are from Hero Arts).

The lovely tree branches are my favourite image from the 3rd Eye range (well, besides their awesome light bulbs)! The brick wall stamp is fab too and now to the tricky part: "Marcel".

"Marcel" is part of the tag too...but let me introduce you to Marcel first ;)

Voila! Marcel is the guy to the left (well, obviously). But where the hell does he appear on the tag I can hear you ask. To be honest: I needed some grass to grow in front of the brick wall...and Marcel's hair was perfect for the job (and I wanted to use as many of my (six) 3rd Eye stamps as possible)! See?

The background of the tag was made using Distress inks in various tones. Hope you like the result :)

I also enter Vintage Stamping Challenges "Spring Is In The Air" challenge  and The Artistic Stamper's "tag" challenge with this tag. 

Thanks for your visit!!!

Hugs,

die amelie xx