Shrine to female botanists

I posted the tag accordion last night just after midnight so it looks like I have been super prolific today! I made this today but I am still thinking of nature themes. I wanted to join in with A Vintage Journey this month. I started with a stamp. I love this thoughtful looking Victorian woman surrounded by fossils and plants. She reminds me of all those amazing lady botanists who never gained recognition for their work but whose discoveries lie demurely hidden within the publications of many famous male botanists. Like Ellen Hutchins who is considered the first female botanist in Ireland, or Jeanne Baret a botanist who was the first woman to sail around the globe. if you are interested in finding out more about them I have put links below. The sentiment I settled on was by Richard L Ratliff:

"I tend the flowers of my mind
Watering our memories as they bloom"

These words seemed perfect for all those women who persevered in developing their minds and enriching their lives despite the way women in those days were discouraged from taking their 'work' seriously. Once I had settled on this subject and stamp. I wanted to make a sort of shrine to these inspiring ladies. My husband cut out three base pieces for me in plywood and I cut three sheets of book paper to use as my background papers.

I had great fun dipping the paper in puddles of distress ink and infusions to create three backgrounds. I used my lovely new stencil by Sheena Douglass. I used some crackle paste on the left panel. On the right hand panel I use Paperartsy grunge paste.

this image is of the finished panel

The centre panel I simply used for the stamped image. While these dried off I stained my base panels with a dark brown distress stain and then some Distress metallic stain. I ended up covering this up later!

I used Washi tape to create hinges for the shrine.

I stamped the fossil lady onto the centre piece with black archival ink and added a bit of the tree branches from a Tim Holtz tree stamp onto the right panel to balance the strong black out a little. While everything was drying I printed out my sentiment with the computer and tore it into strips. I coloured these pieces in puddles of wet distress ink and edged them with a little brown distress so they would blend into the background a little. Once all the ink and paste was dried I glued on my decorated papers and  the sentiment pieces. I added rock candy crackle paint pretty much all over. You can see it created a great shine and texture. It also intensified the colours of the ink which were quite dingy when I first inked the paper.

I finished off the edges with treasure gold because lets face it a shrine has to have a little gold.

I just made it in time to join in with A Vintage Journey for their July Challenge  Get Sentimental
Im also going to join in with Love to create who say Anything Goes this month Challenge #10

Products Used:
Stamps - Paperartsy Ink & the Dog Collection A6 Petals Plate 3 and Stampers Anonymous/Tim Holtz Regal Findings
Stencil - Sheena Douglass Wild Foliage
Sizzix Tim Holtz movers and shapers dies -  Mini Vintage Cabinet Card
Treasure Gold Renaissance
Distress ink - Crushed Olive, Mustard Seed, Mowed Lawn, Spiced Marmalade, Shabby Shutters, Gathered Twigs,
Paperartsy Infusions in Rusty car
Paperartsy Grunge paste
Deco Art Crackle paste
V&A Floral Washi tape
Tim Holtz Rock Candy crackle paint
Tim Holtz Distress stain in Ground Espresso and Antiqued Bronze
Book pages from an old book on fly fishing

If you are interested you can read more about Ellen Hutchins here and Jeanne Baret here

Nature Tag Accordion Book

I have spent a lot more time in the garden this year and the place is alive with bees which is a great sign. Much of my time has been taken up with watering the garden throughout the heat, fighting to keep all my plants growing. This year I managed to plant potatoes. Something I have wanted to do for years. Then the sun came out to stay!  I really wanted to keep them alive - so lots of trips with a watering can. Country View's challenge theme for July is In the Summer Garden and That's Crafty's theme is Close to Nature both have been in my mind and I made several attempts to settle down to work on them. As I said last post I seem to be producing masses of backgrounds but no projects. I think now the weather has cooled down my creative brain has revived.

This is a quick simple project using small cream parcel tags attached with washi tape to make an accordion book. The tags are painted with dry brush strokes of Paperartsy chalk paint in limelight and Beach Hut. The tape used to attach the tags is by 7 Gypsies - dragged screaming and kicking from my stash. The turquoise colour matched the painting perfectly.

As I had been struggling so once I started I did not stop to take any more photos as I worked. I stamped along the bottom with lots of plant stamps and added some dragonflies and insects and flowers. Then I pulled the colours together with distress ink around the edges in Twisted Citron. I made a separate piece for the sentiment as I felt it would disappear in all the busy images and colours. The book is finished off with some metallic distress stain and a peice of dyed seam binding.

So good to get something finished that I am reasonably happy with. I still have a pile of backgrounds!

I will have to take more process shots next time.

List of supplies
Stamps - various but lots from Crafty Secrets Wildflowers set.
Paper Artsy Fresco Finish Chalk Paint - Beach Hut, Limelight and Nougat
Tim Holtz Distress Stain - Tarnished Brass
Archival ink - Manganese Blue and Leaf Green
Distress Ink - Twisted Citron
7 Gypsies Wash Tape way too old to remember or find online!

I am linking up with
That's Crafty's Close to Nature Challenge
Country View's In the Summer Garden Challenge

Thanks for your visit and all the kind comments

Crafty Individuals Bird stamp Card

I have enjoyed being able to work in my studio again now we have a little cloud to cool the sunny Irish sky. I dont feel like I had been back at work long since my visitors left when I was forced out by the heat. I tried to at least look in on all the blogs I follow but somehow if  I am not working creatively I dont feel part of that world. It seems so much more vivid and meaningful from inside. Just looking is not as engaging. I see and creative sparks start firing off but they cannot take flight or develop without experimenting. There is a lot to be said for a very messy desk and sticky stained fingers! This week I have been playing with a lot of paint and oxide but nothing I am happy with. My pile of discarded backgrounds is growing. I will have to get out the Big Shot, maybe then I can die cut them into something wonderful.

I went back to my distress ink and made a thank you card. Always feels good to finish something before I leave my desk.First I made a blue and green distress background. I love the way you can create rich jewel colours, like stain glass with a lot of light but intense too.  I used a crafty Individuals stamp "Bird," stamped onto my coloured background in black archival ink. I stamped a couple of times so I could chose the area that looked best and had the option of extra design elements.

After cutting out each element I mounted them on book pages, edged them with a distressing tool and a little black ink. Then I mounted the book page pieces onto two green cardstock panels and glued these directly onto a Kraft card base. The sentiment was stamped in black archival directly onto the card base. The sentiment is from a set by Avery Elle "Oh Happy Day."

Now I have to return to the world of domesticity and wash my inky fingers. Do your kids laugh at your brightly stained fingers? Mine often comment and make up strange activities I might have been up to to get green, purple or red fingers. 

Im linking up with Julia at WOYWW this week

Lynne Perrella card

A rainy day yesterday and how happy is my garden and the frogs in my pond. I think after all this unusual hot dry weather in Ireland I am not alone in welcoming the familiar wet days home. I had a great time sitting in the attic painting and stamping as the rain did all my watering for me. I got out a Lynne Perrella stamp I have been wanting to use for ages.

I love this veiled woman with her mysterious hat. She suggests all sorts of journeys and adventures to me but her eyes give away none of her secrets. I used Paperartsy grunge paste and a stencil then lots of layered fresco finish paints and a touch of distress ink in chipped Sapphire.

The stamping in the background is minimal just some crackle effect and text and a hint of ephemera. I think this lady can stand alone.

Hope you are creating at your desk or in your garden. x

Pink Darkroom Door Aniversary card

Just a quick post to share a card. I was thinking this would be for our anniversary this year. Venice is our favorite place to visit,  well everybody's favorite I think once they have seen it! I am not entirely happy with this card I used very different colours to my usual palette. I went for Picked raspberry regular distress ink and gumball pink perfect pearls which look purple when the light catches it. I stamped the background with seedless preserves Distress ink and archival black ink.

I'm really not a pink girl! I really wanted to use this Darkroom door frame stamp for a Tim Holtz paper doll. Now its finished I love the frame effect but I am not sure about the background. It is probably just too pink for me. As this is a very shimmery card Im joining in with Simon Says Stamp's Challenge.

 Add a Little Sparkle Monday Challenge

Free Birds Printable

I have not posted a free printable in years so here goes. I will try and make it more frequent now I am more active with my blogging.

As ever, please use this freely for your own handmade work but do not sell it as a printable.
Enjoy x A

Seascape flag book Tutorial

Finally it was cool enough in the studio to return to my flag book. The bright sunny pictures show how hot it is. This photograph was taken at 8.00pm!

To make a similar flag book you need:
2 pieces heavy chipboard  6"x7" for covers
2 pieces of patterned paper 7' x 8" to cover the front and back covers
2 pieces of patterned paper 5 3/4 x 6 1/2 " to decorate inside the front and back covers
1  piece card stock (I used a blue colour to match my flags)  12 " x 6 1/2 "
Paper cut or torn into 6 strips lengths of approx 12" long x 3 1/4" high

The chipboard covers are each covered as separate pieces. I used some long horded 7Gypsies Mariner paper.

I added lots of deep sea Seth Apter embossing power to the edges of my covers

To make the spine I creased at; 1 1/2",  2 1/4",  3", 3 3/4",  4 1/2",  5 1/4",  6",  6 3/4",  7 1/2",  8 1/4",  9",  9 3/4",  10 1/2"  Folded along the creases to form an accordion with 1 1/2 inches unfolded at each end this is used to attached the spine to the covers.

The accordion spine is attached to the covers right up to the edge of the boards leaving a small space top and bottom. I forgot to photograph this step but check out the links below if you want to see detailed instructions. At this point I added patterned paper on the inside covers.

To make my flags I decorated 2 A4 pieces of paper. For the top row I tore the sheet into strips. I wanted a sky and horizon line. Using distress stains and inks to create a light sky with a range of blues I then added a darker horizon line along the bottom of the strips with salty ocean stain.

Once dry I tore the strips into shorter flags and added stamped details in manganese blue archival ink and clear embossing powder.

For the bottom row I wanted to suggest the depths of the sea.  I used distress ink archival ink and stencils on the whole sheet .

Again I then tore it into strips and stained the white exposed edges.

I added archival stamping with clear embossing to give it shine, layers and texture.

Finally I tore the strips into shorter flags and finished off the edges. Before gluing in the flags I finished the cover. I added more deep sea embossing to the inside covers.

The covers were then decorated with lots of stamping and clear heat embossing. I made an embellishment using a stamp from Paperartsy Eclectica ESA06 by Seth Apter. I stamped onto patterned paper, embossed and then edged it with treasure gold to create a metallic edge. I used this to attach a ribbon tie for the book closure.

The ribbon wraps around the closed book and ties on the front cover holding the book closed.

With the cover finished I then attached my flags.

If you want to try making a flag book you can of course simply use patterned paper or decorate your flags however you want.  Avoid media that is very dimensional as the flags have to move past each other and you dont want them to catch. Also you want them to lie flat when the book is closed. My book only uses two sets/rows of flags you can have as many sets/rows as you like. There are lots of tutorials for making flag books. Lizzy Wurmann has a good video; LINK or this tutorial on scrapbook-crazy.com is also good:  LINK

I am glad to be organised enough to join in with Mini Album Makers again this month HERE

Also joining Fashionable Stamping for the first time - their current Challenge #136  Seaside