Don't Forget Me......

...............is a card made using my original artwork printed onto matt photo paper.  I've added digital elements to it using a free online software called picmonkey.  It's really easy to use and has some neat features.  To the original art I added some rubber stamping to the background and the main body of the artwork was hand-drawn and painted using watercolours.  It's now available to buy in my Etsy shop for £2.50 +£1.00 postage.  The card is blank for your own message.

Don't forget me 

Christmas Card Robin with Stocking .......Day 4 of Art Every Day Month

I'm sharing this lovely little chappy with you today.  He's waiting very patiently for Santa to come and fill up his stocking.  Isn't he cute? 

This is a digi-stamp from Handmade Harbour #235 Robin with Stocking you can find him here.  I've painted him with Polychromo pencils and added some glitter to his hat and the branch.  The parcels and text are done on the computer.  I 3D'd the hat with foam pads to give the card some dimension.

Art Every Day Month Challenge can be found here

Anita

Midweek Paper Party Something Pretty

I can't believe we're already into week 9 of the Paper Party over at Handmade Harbour.  This weeks theme is 'Something Pretty'.  I bought a couple of Daler Rowney sketch books from an art store across from where I work but they have boring black covers on them.  One I've already used to sketch in but the bigger one I want to make into a journal.  Now I have no idea how to journal but at least I can make a start with the cover by making it look pretty and inviting.  To make the front of the journal I've used the #45 butterflies and hearts and #195 flowers in a frame digi stamps.  These are 3 of my favourite things hearts, butterflies and flowers you just can't go wrong with them.  

I've printed the flower image twice and with one of them I've cut away the background and added some textured painted paper.  The flowers are cut out and mounted with foam pads to give some dimension -these were placed just off center onto the printed flowers. The center of the flowers I've added some micro beads to add texture.  The butterflies are cut and mounted onto wire to give them a floaty/flying feeling.  I've used my trusted Inktense water colour pencils to colour them in with.  You can't see it on the photograph but the hearts on the butterflies are highlighted with dimensional magic to give them a raised look.  

So here it is I hope you like what I've made and feel inspired to make your own creations with these lovely and versatile digi stamps from Handmade Harbour. 

I've seen what the other artists have made and I think you won't be disappointed - so I would urge you to pop over to Handmade Harbour for a nosey.

Have fun being creative.

Anita

Shared on the following challenges - 

Crafting By Design 

Paper Pretties

4 Crafty Chicks

Angelberry and Robin

Here is my card for the Fairy Time digi-stamp challenge over on the Polkadoodles blog. I was sent a lovely free digi-stamp called Angelberry and Robin.  I printed our one image onto acetate and one onto cardstock. On the acetate wings I've added sparkly glitter which has tiny little stars in it.  I painted the card image with inktense watercolour pencils added the same glitter to the skirt edge and the boots.  There is a tiny gold heart brad on the skirt pocket and pearl gems as buttons on the jacket.  I was going to sew on some red beads in the hair but after cutting out the card image it was too fragile to put a hole in the card so I've added some red paint.

So here she is Angelberry and Robin.  I hope you like what I've done with her. If you'd like to see what other artists have made with their stamps then pop on over to Polkadoodles blog.

Happy Thursday crafting

Anita

Witches, Spelling, Potions and CAKE

So this weeks theme for the Handmade Harbour Design Team challenge is "smile or laugh".

As I couldn't decide which stamps to use I asked Wendy to choose a couple for me..........so she sent me over "The Young Witch with Spelling Book", "One Cake A Day" and "Save Water Drink Wine".  3 very different stamps I'm leaving the 'wine' stamp for another day.

I've used the Young Witch and the "Witch or Wizard Potions on a Shelf" for the first card. I made the witch's hat just little bit bigger than my original print out so it looks like she's playing at being a witch.  Then I added the potion bottles to the base of the card,  added some words correct and mis-spelt.  Some punched out silver stars to finish off.  There's a slight gold shimmer to the edge of the card I used some watered down gold acrylic paint.

With this card I used "Witch or Wizard Potions on a Shelf".  The celebration glasses is actually just one rubber stamp that I have stamped twice with black Stazon.  I've added a few 'squiggles' in the glasses to look like earth worms (that was my intention anyway).  The edges of the card has been coloured with inkpads in a direct to paper technique (simply just rubbed the ink pads along the edges until I was happy with the colour.  Over that I have used a slightly darker shade to stamp on some 'bubbles'.  To finish off I've added some glitter to the bubbles coming out of the glasses.

Finally to my 3rd card..........well what can I say I really think this is a 'smile' card.  I LOVE cake, making, baking and eating it so it seemed apt to make this one to.  I've kept this one simple because I wanted the main focus to be the ladies trying to look innocent while eating cake.  On the main picture I've used frosted glitter as the icing on the cake - it's been cut out and mounted onto foam pads to give it some dimension and texture.  I also printed and cut out some smaller cakes but cut out 'chunks' to look as if they had been bitten into.  

You can find all the above stamps over in the Handmade Harbour shop.

If you like to create things with paper then why not join in the fun with the weekly Papercraft Party  and if you use one of Handmade harbours digi stamps in your design you could even win yourself a prize.

I hope you've enjoyed my process into the world of digi-stamps.

Until next time keep crafting and creating.

Anita

   

Flowers on the Hill Inchies

After some much needed clean up in the studio - mainly paperwork I had a play with another of Wendy's digi-stamps.  This time I used Flowers on the Hill #59 and made them into inchies (1 inch square pieces of art).  

I've used Derwent inktense watercolour pencils to colour them in.  I added some glossy acents glaze over the top and once that had dried I applied some micro-beads to add some texture.

This is the original stamp. You can get it from Handmade Harbour

#59 Flowers on the Hill.

Happy Crafting 

Anita

Bathing In Gin While Bowling

Yep that's the name of this digi-stamp - cool isn't it?  My very clever artist friends over on Wonderstrange Arts  create these drawings every week and post it on their blog for you and I to use for free..............yep that's right free :).  If you like quirky and different then this is the place to go. 

I know digi-stamps have been around for some time now but its only in the last couple of weeks that I've actually played with them and I have to say I do like how you can manipulate the designs to become different sizes or reverse images etc.  

Here are 2 cards that I've made with them - 

Very simple card with resized images 

A very quick experiment using printable transparency sheets

 The original image - Bathing in Gin while Bowling

Happy Crafting 

Anita

HANDMADE HARBOUR DESIGN TEAM

I'm excited to announce that I have been accepted onto the Handmade Harbour Design Team.  Application was announced a few weeks ago on Handmade Harbour and I tentatively sent in my application and got accepted.  We were told not to say anything until the official announcement - today - yay!!!! 

There are 12 of members including Wendy who is the owner of Handmade Harbour.  Why not pop on over and see who is on the design team - there is a diverse selection of artists from different parts of the world.  

There will be a weekly challenge post over on the Handmade Harbour blog to which members of the DT will contribute by creating something using the digi-stamps which Wendy designs. Oh and did I mention you could even be in with a chance to win a prize just by entering the challenge?  

So pop on over to Handmade Harbour and meet the new design team and while you're there you might as well pop into the shop and have a look at all the lovely digi-stamps that are available - I'd suggest getting yourself a cup of tea and a plate of biscuits or cake as you could be there sometime. 

Happy Crafting 
Anita