insect in a box

Just a quick post to join in with the latest Paperartsy Topic. I am sure I must be in good company with many crafters when I remember all the tiny things I made for and with matchboxes as a child. I was delighted to see the Challenge on the Paperartsy blog was Matchbox art this fortnight.

Of course I was busy and this is a last minute rush to enter. I made a new bug box with some Graphic 45 Nature's Sketchbook paper, Seth Apter's Vintage Beeswax embossing powder and Tim Holtz stamp sets.

I used one of the beetles I had made when my new Entomology dies arrived.

I love this nature themed paper and have been saving it for special project. This little box is perfect way to use a little of it. I was so happy to see it's shine once the embossing layers were built up. It makes the paper seem even more precious, like jewels and without any gold for once! I really enjoyed this little break from the Christmas card making.

Link to the Paperartsy Challenge #21 Matchbox art
also to:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge which is Anything Goes this week.

Imagine Autumn

It feels much longer than three weeks since I had inky fingers. I had to look after my Mum for a while so normal life was on hold. Very strange not blogging or even getting time to check in with everyone blogs. Back to normal now so straight into stamping again Yay! I love Autumn, I still swish through all those crunch leaves. I have got back into the swing with a card for A Vintage Challenge's Autumn Splendour.

I made the background with heavy watercolour cardstock and used oxide inks to add a base colour. Then I used several Inkylicious plant stamps which I clear embossed to give some texture. Ive also inked some speckles and text and of course used some gold embossing powder. This is Ultra high Wow and Ive added a little Paprika to it (also from Wow) The background is mounted on a Kraft card base.

Next I made a handful of Autumn leaves using Sizzix, Susan's Garden 'Woodland leaves' dies. I cut out a few sets in Kraft, yellow and rust card and then smooched them in lots of browns and greens and some Spiced Marmalade inks I used both oxide and regular distress. I scrunched them up a bit to add shape to them. Once they were dry I stamped veins randomly onto them using my old Tim Holtz Falling leaves stamp set.

I then tried a paper doll but I was not happy with it as there was no contrast for all the brown tones. I  have taken out all my Christmas supplies this week. After rifling through them I decided these two fairy sisters would add a little colour and allow me to bring out the magic of this season full of change and beauty.

Even better all the work to create them was already done. I made these for our tree two years ago. They were created on the computer then printed out onto card and the wings decorated in Stickles.
These two were one of my favourites. It is nice to give them a special woodland setting all of their own.

Now my fingers are really colourful and I am a happy bunny. Off to visit all my neglected friends in the blogosphere now.


Linking up with:
A Vintage Journey Challenge Autumn Splendor
The Artistic Stamper  8th year Challenge Inktober
Country View Crafts Plant-tastic

Entomology stamps and framlits card

This is my first card using the Tim Holtz Entomology Framelits and stamps.

I used one piece of design tape on the left of the cream card front the whole surface was then covered  with brown Paperartsy fresco finish paint. I rubbed it back a little to allow the tape to show through in some areas. Next I used the crackle glaze over the whole card, let it dry and covered it in a coat of eggshell fresco paint. Once the paint had dries and the crackle effect was visible I stamped images onto tissue paper and collaged them on top of the painted surface. I wanted more crackle so I added decoArt Media crackle Glaze over the stamped areas. When this had air dried (after dinner) I rubbed over antiquing cream in Raw Umber and Red Oxide. I removed most of this colour and then used regular distress ink in Forest Moss, Vintage Photo and Rusty Hinge to create an aged wood look and bring out the crackle more. I intended to cover most of the centre of the card so all my attention was given to the edges.

I layered the card with; some of the label embellishments I made earlier and some of my new coloured bugs.

I love the luminescent colours on the largest bug.

The text stamp is stamped onto a piece of old book paper. I folded, rolled and scrunched it up a little inking the edges to suggest a page from an old note book. The card is matted onto some rust coloured cardstock and a brown card base.

I am linking this up to the current More Mixed Media Challenge Anything Goes + Brown

Tim Holtz Entomology dies and stamps

I was excited when Tim Holtz brought out the Entomology stamp set not only did it have a really useful text stamp it had lots of insect that look like they were taken from vintage engraved illustrations. I have posted a  bug box project made with the set. I was quite happy to fussycut this single bug but it would have been very easy to chop off a leg or two so I am delighted Tim has brought out a set of Framelits to go with this set. I have been playing and experimenting for most of this week in my spare moments. I thought I would share a few tips and lots of lovely bugs before they crawl off into a project.

I tried the bee first as who doesn't love bees. I wanted to see if it worked with just the normal two plates in a single pass. As I expected it did not cut cleanly but you are recommended to use a precision plate with intricate dies and these are very intricate. Next I used my Bigshot and a Cherry Lynne metal precision shim plate.  I cut all of the bugs in a single pass. They all cut perfectly with no difficulty popping them out.

I cut out eight more bees and each one worked perfectly. The dies are amazing my best buy in ages.

To get the best alignment for all the legs and antenna use the tiny holes at the end of each one and try and line them up so you see black through every hole. This worked perfectly 98% of the time. Any tiny white edges can be inked with a touch of distress black soot. I wanted to see them coloured so I got out lots of different paints, and Perfect Pearls. On a piece of cream card I drew around the dies and painted lots of the bodies. Once they dried I stamped over them and ran them through the big shot using the framlits. It is hard to colour them this way and achieve perfectly placed colours but I did want to try out lots of the materials I had.

A more precise colouring is possible if you stamp in black archival ink, heat emboss and then colour with markers or use a fine brush with inks or nice fluid paint.

Now I have a bug collection to play with.

Insect in a Matchbox

As soon as I saw the Entomology stamp set by Tim Holtz I wanted to make a shiny embossed beetle to put into in a match box. I made the beetle a few weeks ago but I wanted to use the label and the matchbox die to make him a box. Finished it today and I love him! The beetle was stamped in black archival ink on heavy card stock and then coloured with distress ink. Once he was dried I did several coats of Seth Apter's Emerald Creek vintage beeswax embossing powder which produced a fabulous hard shiny beetle with texture and depth.

I used a piece of paper from Time Holtz Wallflower pad the plants were just black line drawings so I coloured them with some distress markers. I gave the finished box a coat of Seth's beeswax embossing powder.

It gave the box strength, shine, texture and a rich vintage colour, I love this stuff so much. The way heat embossing transforms is like magic. It is definitely my favourite material to use. It would have to go to my desert Island with me! I finished off the box with one of my labels and the bug was mounted onto another which I filled in with my own 'notes.' The pin is an entomology pin cut down to fit the box. these pins have great golden heads but black shafts they add an authentic touch.

The paper was perfect it had bugs on the design and I folded it so there was a bee on the outside.

I love this paper collection and it was great to find a project that used it so perfectly and its tiny so even in my stuffed studio I can find space to keep it.


Stamp sets used:
Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous "Entomology"
Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous  "Classic #12"
Entomology pins from   Blade Rubber
Good info and demonstration of beeswax powder Here

I am entering this into the As You Like it Challenge which is about your favourite embossing!
also Craft Stamper Magazines Take-it-make-it challenge for June which is anything goes.