IndigoBlu Challenge: Tag.......You're It

For this challenge I used a nummber of rubberstamps from two stamp sets by IndigoBlu.

All the colours are from the Distress Inks palette and any black stamping was with Versafine archival ink.

I used an oversize tag for the base, stamped with music score and fluorishes in black and brown.  The stamped and water-coloured images were collaged, mounting some of them flat and some with dimensional glue and foam pads.  Walnut Stain Distress Ink was applied around the edges of the tag and the rest of the stamped elements with a foam applicator.  The words were cut into singles and a red brush marker was run around the edges.

The embellishment is Ultra Thick Embossing Powder melted in a Melt Pot, poured onto a craft mat and stamped into while hot.  Once cool, this was trimmed then mounted onto the tag.

The lace was dyed with Distress Ink in Walnut Stain.

See the other entries and the design team tags at indigoblublogchallenge.blogspot.co.uk

Sherwood Art Week 2014 ATC Gallery

Another wonderful selection of  swaps this year at the Sherwood Art Week ATC swap.  Each year we seem to get such a great variety of styles, materials and techniques.

All ATCs (Artist Trading Cards) are 2.5 x 3.5 inches and can be made from any material.  They should be swapped and never sold.  For our swap, each artist made 10 cards and the swaps were sent out by post.

Along with the mixed media, print making, handmade paper, punch art, photographs, rubberstamping, papercutting and painting, this year we got yarnbombed!

 

Thank you everyone who took part again this year, we are looking forward to next year already!

Foam Stamps Tutorial

For a kids activity during Sherwood Art Week I made some stamps from funky foam and corks.  They were so easy to make (cheap too) and the kids (and some of the Mums and Dads) loved stamping - I knew they would! 

Lots of people asked me how I made them, so here's a quick tutorial.

What you need;
Corks
Funky Foam
Double Sided Adhesive Sheet (High Tack)
Permanent Marker Pen
Felt Pens
Scissors
Knife
Small circle punches (optional)

Punch a hole the size of the corks into a piece of paper to use as a template.  If you don't have a punch, you can draw around a cork and cut out with scissors or a knife.

Stick some double sided adhesive sheet to a piece of funky foam.

Draw on your letters and shapes onto the foam using the template.

Cut out the shapes.

Remove the backing from the adhesive sheet and stick to the top of the cork.  Trim with a craft knife if necessary.

Ink your stamps with ink pads or felt tip pens and print.

You can make letters too - just remember to draw them in reverse.

If you have one, a screw punch can be used to punch the holes in some of the letters.  I used all the 'holes' to make some dotty stamps.

 

 

For bigger stamps you can use mountboard instead of corks.  Your local picture framers may be happy for you to take some scraps off their hands.