As you can see I've gone with a Marilyn Monroe themed page, inking up for the first time the fabulous Marilyn caricature stamp by Janet Klein for AALL & Create.

I started by collaging some magazine pictures of Marilyn onto either page of the journal. I added these to the pages using gel medium. Once the gel had dried I trimmed the paper around the pages, I use a sanding block to do this to get a lovely sharp edge. I then brayed some white gesso around the pages to take away the edges of the pictures. Onto the gesso I added some Kitsch Flamingo Distress Oxide to my craft mat, lightly spritzed with water and then dipped the pages into it where I had added the gesso.

Next was to add some stamped details and this I did by stamping with black Versafine Clair using the Scripted Stars stamp. I also stencilled some gold stars by using That's Crafty! Dinky stencil and using Versamark through the stencil and then heat embossing in gold. I die cut the film strip die in black card and cut away just the edges and added to the edges of the pages in places.

I wanted to add some star embellishments so chose Wycinanka chipboard stars which I covered in embossing ink and heat embossed with the gold powder. I also die cut another film strip and used AALL & Create washi tape to fill in the picture frames, I used numbers for this. 

Final addition was to stamp out the Marilyn stamp which I coloured using coloured pencils. I stamped the quote and cut the words out and added to the page.

This weeks post is an assemblage piece that's a little collection.

I've used a three different moulds Nature Lover Watercolour Floral and Birds and Bats.

I used Air Dry Clay and created my casts.

I stamped the "Just Lou" Butterfly on to some Tissue Paper which I've ripped around to adhere just one wing to my cardstock, I'm using a WaterColour Cardstock. I create my assemblage/collage with the casts and also a twig and a feather I picked up on a walk.

I then mounted this onto a piece of packaging cardboard that I had exposed some of the corrugated area. I then added a layer of That's Crafty! White Gesso, avoiding the butterfly as I want to keep that image visible.

I then use That's Crafty! Multi Surface Paints with lots a water and drying between layers.

I then use That's Crafty! Texture Stamps Set 2 without a stamping block with Walnut Stain Distress ink in a few areas.

I then apply a couple of waxes just in a few places to add depth and dimension.

And there we go that's my piece for this week, I hope you like it, see you next week.

I stencilled it three times in Fresco Limelight. I also brushed it lightly round the edges.

Add the bird, which again I painted in Frescos: Waterfall, Seaglass, Limelight, Blush.

Finish with the text and a brad and some ribbon.

I love the bright green background on this tag - I was planning something entirely different, but saw the stencil and it just kind of went on from there. I love it when a project creates itself.

Hope this has inspired you to get out your spring colours.

Helen

Hello!

I have a pair of very colouful cards to share this week that make use of those scraps of paper that you may find lurking in your stash as I do. These all originate from scraps of That's Crafty! Perfect Background papers from Amanda Southern and definitely mustn't end up in the bin!

For this card I cut my scraps roughly into pieces about 3.5 centimetres square, choosing bright shades of blue, green, orange and yellow. I stamped on them all using various stamps from the Textures collection stamp sets and slightly darker ink in the same colour tones.

Once the squares were dry, I glued them to a square piece of black card leaving the central area uncovered as I was planning on sticking on a further panel and there's no need to waste those precious scraps.

I took a larger scrap of contrasting yellow and orange paper and stamped script on with orange ink. I added a black mat and stuck the panel in the centre.

I stamped some butterflies on blue toned scraps with black ink and cut these out. I also stamped my chosen text - one of Lynne's fabulous affirmations on a further scrap, matted on black card and added this to the card together with the butterflies.

This card uses larger scraps trimmed into stripes and I chose those with some pink and white in to pick out colours in my central panel which I picked first as I already had a spare butterfly in yellow in my bits box.

I stamped on the strips with pink and blue inks to contrast well with the colours in the papers. I then glued them to a narrow black mat.

I stamped on my main panel with the same texture stamps and ink colours to draw all the elements together then added a black mat.

I glued all the pieces to a 5 x 7 white card blank and finished off with the butterfly and another of Lynne's affirmations stamped on a yellow scrap.

The three squares were then stacked on top of each other (from large to small) to create a layered mount to rest my focal image - a beautiful butterfly wearing his heart on his wings! 

The stamp is from one of PaperArtsy's fabulous stampsets - Eclectica ESN32 designed by Sara Naumann. 

It was stamped on white card with versafine ink, embossed with detailed clear embossing powder, water coloured with Tim Holtz 'Rusty Hinge' Distress ink reinker, fussy cut and adhered in place. 

To finish I embellished the butterflies heart with a painted That's Crafty! greyboard clock hand fixed in place with a copper brad.  

 

Here you can see the embossing and stitch stencilling.

a couple more of the bobbins and I cut some of the fasteners out from the washi tape along with some small torn strips. The words I stamped, cut out and added an edge of vintage photo distress ink before glueing to the piece.