Oxide Ink birthday card

Got out some of my oxide inks to make a quick birthday card with a Crafty Individuals stamp set I love using. This card is intended for an Irish friend whos turning 60. Hares have a special place in Celtic mythology and are seen as magical and wise animals. In my mind anyone reaching 60 has the right to be considered very wise. The hares in these stamps are quirky but suggest the intelligence I equate with these animals.

I did start photographing the process while I began with smooshing oxide ink onto my mat and misting and dipping. I made a few extra pieces at the same time to use for my hares and sentiments.

Then some stencilling. I stencilled circles and then wet them and removed some ink to get a subtler effect.

At this point I got distracted and forgot to photograph for a while. I added some numbers using a stencil and Peacock Feathers oxide ink. Next I stamped a some random text in Manganese Blue archival ink. Happy now with my background  I stamped plants at the bottom in Potting Shed  Archival ink. I used the same ink to stamp the two lovely hares onto one of my spare background pieces and then fussycut them and edged them in brown distress ink. I had a little fun creating some embossing powder from a mixture of ancient antiquities Verdigris and Frantage Aged Aqua embossing enamel. I love the large white pieces that create a kind of splatter and it has also has blue glitter for a little magic. I stamped sentiments on more of my spare background peices and edged them with the embossing mixture. When I arranged them I decided it looked far too busy. Instead I used a small circle die to cut a hole in my card. Then I mounted the card on a larger peice of teal cardstock.

I die cut number 60 from spare smooched paper and glued it into the teal circle. The finished card front is attached to a pale blue card base and the sentiments are all stamped inside. It looks a little like hares are gazing up at a blue moon.

After choosing hares for their magical qualities I had to join in with the August challenge at That's Crafty whose theme is "Animal Magic."

I also think hares are quite wild enough to join in the "Wild Things" Simon Says Stamp Challenge this Monday.

Finally as the number 60 was the whole point of this card I am playing for the first time with Stampotique and thier current Challenge - "Number It"

Animal magic
Wild Things
Number It

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

Stencil It Card

Just a quick post after the marathon yesterday. I got this crafty individuals stamp yesterday and of course I wanted to use him immediately. I made a quick card. I was also reminded to include stencils by the latest SSS challenge theme "Stencil it."  I always admire the way others use them but once I get out my blending tools and ink I forget and have my paper covered in stamps before I remember my stencils. This time I got them out first and even managed to use a couple of other stamps I have never used as well as my latest Tim Holtz set - Laboratorie in the background.

This is for the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Stencil it