Time for my altered art clock!

Thanks for the lovely comments again, you are all so kind, and  hello and welcome to my new followers too.

I wanted to join in with the Sunday stampers challenge set by Hels. I'm getting it posted just in the nick of time.
For this project I had spotted a fairly boring wee clock in a shop here that everythings £1.

I wondered if I could take it apart, alter and rebuild it.  I found out I could!

Yaay!


I covered the black plastic frame with white paper then applied ripped and crinkled tissue over this with thinned PVA glue. Left this to dry while I measured and cut a replacement clock face.

Then the fun began, I went to town with inks and stamps!

I used various Wendy Vecchi stamps from these sets:
In love with art, Well worn art, Make mine mini art, Rose art part 2, Tools for art
Be happy... make art and Botanical art
I also used a couple of Chocolate Baroque word stamps from a great set called Artistic Affirmations.

This was how it turned out.

This one was taken in my conservatory, so lots of natural light with all the windows but it cast a reflection of me taking it's photo in the glass. I tried to get close to block the reflection out but it's ended up a bit darker than it is in reality, the wild honey colour has gone reddish, (I was wearing a red top, I wonder if this would affect the colour?) but at least it's in focus!

Here's another photo...

This was taken earlier no reflection here but as its indoors with light coming through the window but not directly, the colours are cooled but nearer the true colours though. It's not quite in focus though.

I can't seem to get it just right.

I used Archival Black to stamp mostly and Archival Coffee for the wild flowers

I masked off with a post it, to create the sun and used Distress inks; wild honey, spiced marmalade, rusty hinge, tea dye, walnut stain, also for a bit of contrast tumbled glass, salty ocean.

The flower is made of Glassine paper cut with Spellbinders blossom four.

I've picked up a few more to do a class at the sheltered housing I work at. The ladies are not quite as messy with their crafting, so they're in for a treat, lol.

I'll maybe share the outcome of these later too.

Enjoy your weekend and please let me know what you think. I love hearing from you.

A VERY handsome guy!

Hi all,

I thought this title might get your attention. Hee hee!

Thanks so much for all your lovely comments, and welcome to every one who has decided to become a follower of my arty blog. You all make me smile. :o)

I'm back today with another piece of art. Another graphite pencil portrait I completed over the past couple of weeks.

I'm a sucker for handsome good looks, and this guy would melt the heart of Cruella De'Vil.
Don't get scared now Buddy, if your reading this, it's okay, she's nowhere around.

Some of you may recognise him already. Let me introduce the co-star and sweeper-upper of Kath's blog.
The gorgeous (and his mum says naughty!... Why? I can't imagine!)

happy boy, Buddy.

He's so good looking, I had done another before this one.
(p.s. Buddy, your head is perfect it's normal size, so no up-sizing with these compliments. Having a big tail is trouble enough!)

This was my first portrait of him.

Here, he's got that typical wee sad look Labradors are good at, as if to say
"A cuddle or a treat will make it all better"..... and it works every time, lol

Thanks again for stopping by.
Let me know you were here, I love hearing from you.

Have a great day

hugs Alexandra x

I've been in a bit of a tangle.

It's Tangle Time Tuesday on Sherry's blog. I've never done anthing with Zentangle before but I thought I'd give it a go.
I don't know if it's okay to base the Zentangle within and around another image or if the rules are, sticking to a line scribble shape and making this into a design.

My basic shape was inspired by an oriental exotic bird image, then I added a "planned scribble" shape so it grew a big flower tail, then a leaf and a fan shape appeared as I  doodled away.

I'm not sure if this is okay, I have seen tangle done within a stamped image so I thought I might get away with this. If you know there are rules, please let me know what they are.

I liked my exotic tangled bird anyway, so here he is.

Why don't you join Sherry too and give it a go.

I had great fun creating this.

Let me know what you're thinking.

hugs

Alexandra x 

Carnation Digi sketch

If you've enjoyed seeing the detailed pencil art I've posted, like the portrait of baby David here, I thought you may be interested in this.
I came across this video a while ago, but watched it again recently.
So I thought I'd point you to this cool pencil art You Tube video "Pencil Illusion by Adam Johnston", it's very cleverly done. It lets you see the build up process of using graphite pencils but speeded up. I would love to be able to go so quickly, I'd get tonnes done.

Anyway I've another digi sketch for you today. This time a carnation, sketched by myself at a normal human speed too. I hope you enjoy using this one too. I'd love to see any projects you use my sketches in. Enjoy.

If you want to let me what you think, I love reading your comments.

Thanks

Have a good day.

hugs Alexandra x.

Caught in Crystal technique card

Hi all,
I thought I'd share a card today that I made using the Caught in Crystal technique.
Using acetate, Luminarte twinkling H2O's, Radiant Rain Shimmering mists, tissue paper and floor polish! ( I knew this was made for more fun things than housework, lol)
I used more twinkling H2O's, to paint more colour into detailed areas once it had dried.

This was great fun, getting messy and the finished effect is amazing.

I also used the "Peaceful Lakeside" stamps I got at the end of last year by the brilliant, UK artist, stamp designer and generally fun, messy crafter Sheena Douglass. I love this stamp set so good for those guy cards.
Though the colour is better in this photo, the flash reflected off the acetate in this, so....

 I tried moving it to a different place, and no flash this time

The colour isn't as clear in this photo, the sky was very heavy with rain clouds, -we've had terrible rain all this week, yuk!....so natural light wasn't so good, but here you can see a bit more of the image.

Here's another one of the many others I made that day, I had these spread over every surface in my craft room in various stages of drying, during which my craft room smelled quite nice too.

Well, if I'm getting messy for one I may as well be messy for many, lol.
In this one I used various blues with a spritz of copper, though the photo doesn't show the copper very well.  I've still to finish doing something with this one too. The stamp on this is another one of Sheenas designs, "The Happiness stamp".

Sheena uses twinkling H2O's in a caught in crystal video tutorial. She explains all you'll need and how to do this technique here.
If you've not watched her other videos yet, she also has other clever video tutorials on Youtube you should check out.

Have fun if you try this out too.

Thanks for stopping by.

"Say cheese" and celebrations

What a whirlwind of a week I've had. Shopping, preparing for visitors coming and arranging a family party yesterday with lots of food for my DD's 18th birthday. I baked her a cake on Monday and put finishing touches to it on Tuesday.

She is a fantastic upcoming photographer and is starting an HND course in Photography this year, she loves photography and so I thought this camera cake I created for her was apt. The camera badge has her initials and 18.2day on it, in case you were wondering what kind of camera it is.

I had intended the camera strap to be made from a Catherine wheel liquorice strip, but after unsuccessfully looking for this in a few shops, weary feet and time constraints pushed me to compromise by using the strawberry laces instead.

It didn't give the finished effect I was looking for though, but tasted yum anyway.

Our other celebration yesterday, was that we also proudly attended our future DIL's Graduation yesterday morning before the birthday party.

Well done Clare!

Here is the card I made a card for her using the Geranium digi sketch I posted recently.

I coloured it using oil pastles blended with odourless mineral spirit on a compressed paper stump.

The photograph was taken at night with the flash on, so the colours are a bit paler than in real life.

Thankfully I've had a few days off work this week. I wouldn't have managed to fit all this in otherwise.

I've been very busy, and am feeling a bit tired after all this now, but it's been a very happy start to the week.

Unfortunately, I  had to attend a work related meeting in Glasgow today, but....

It's Friday tomorrow, I don't have to go to work. I've just a bit of tidying up, and some laundry to catch up on, then all going well, I plan to get my feet up, pencils out and relax with my sketch book.

I hope you have a good day tomorrow too.

Alexandra x

"I'm a lucky lass"

Well, I don't know about the "lass" bit, (how old young do you have to be to qualify as a lass?) but I am very lucky. I WON the summer give-away on Kath's blog.
What did I win you may wonder, well none other than a lovely set of Tim's brand spanking new gorgeous Summer Seasonal Distress Inks.
I love visiting Kath's blog she always makes me smile and her creativity and her golden handsome hooligan "Buddy" are always worth a visit.
So thanks very much Kath, and thanks to Charlotte at The Papeterie for her generosity too, making the give-away possible. I can't wait to get these and play.

Have a good day, this surprise has definately made mine.

Alexandra x