Shirls Artwork

Archive for the ‘Indigo Blu’ Category

Everything Looking Ship Shape Again

November 15th, 2017 by Shirl - Posted in Indigo Blu

When we came back from Australia and opened our front door the first thing that greeted us was half the ceiling in the hallway had fallen down.

We facetimed our son and showed him the mess, he told us not to touch anything as the rest looked safe enough to him. He would get out to Ireland as soon as he could and repair it for us

All the family turned up from the UK, got stuck in with repairing the ceiling and all the other little jobs that needed doing in the house. My grandson Alex is going into the same trade as his dad and it was such a joy to see them working side by side.

This was the start of Andrew and I getting stuck in with getting the house neat and ship shape again with a view to putting it on the market then moving back home to the UK. We got a skip in, cleared out the shed, had the house painted outside and started the big tidy up with the garden.

All was going really well until Andrew was taken ill and rushed to hospital.

That was two months ago, it was only yesterday that he felt well enough to go back to work.

With all life’s little lemons that have been thrown my way this summer the crafting took a back seat.

Yesterday was my time to have a well earned play in my journal. No thinking about where anything was going just playing with all the things I love most. Stamping, painting and stencilling.

This is probably my favourite page in the journal so far.

The painter turned up yesterday to finish painting the kitchen/diner, conservatory, utility room and cloakroom.

The house looks so fresh and neat again which makes me a very happy bunny.

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Easier Art Journaling

January 4th, 2017 by Shirl - Posted in Art Journal, Indigo Blu, Journaling, Mixed Media Pages, PaperArtsy, Stampers Anonymous

Dot and I both agree that we wished we had started our art journaling in a smaller book rather the the normal A4 size.

Feeling more comfortable with this A5 book because when starting something in the larger version my interest tends to wane before it is finished. Where as with this one I can’t wait to finish.

Love the first page with all the sewing, stencilling and collaging but the second isn’t too shabby either … lol.

Used the same colours on the second page but whereas the first has collaged layers the second is one flat layer. Both are a nice contrast to each other.

Finally bought one of those small date stamps because when looking back at the pages I like to know when it was started.

Close up pick of those collaged layers.

Already started the next pages!!!

Shirl

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Strictly Come Dancing

November 25th, 2016 by Shirl - Posted in Indigo Blu, PaperArtsy

Totally love Strictly Come Dancing!!!!

Yesterday and today was a total disaster with trying to Skype Dot. Technology is great when it works!!!!

Tried to show her what I was making but not sure if she saw anything.

Here it is sweetie hope you like!!!

Inks used are Ripe Persimmon for the background with two different embossing folders.

How bold are those numbers? They are from another one of my new PaperArtsy sets # HP1604EZ.

Dancing girls are from an old Indigo Blu stamp called Dancing Children.

As you can see only used two girls from the middle and did some paper piecing for the dresses. Coloured their shoes with paint.

Shirl

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Enough Is Enough – No More Birthday Cards For JP

October 27th, 2016 by Shirl - Posted in Dina Wakley, Indigo Blu, Sheena Douglas

Dot was tired by the time we finished Skyping today but I had time to show her the card I was working on.

Sometimes we have a good connection and sometimes not … so not sure how much she saw of the card … hope she likes what she sees in the flesh.

Used Dina Wakley stamps called Positive Women and Indigo Blu stamps Tasty Textures.

Paints were used for the stamping from PaperArtsy called Fresco Finish Autumn Fire and Bora Bora.

Had time to make this CAS card for JP’s birthday which means that Claire has a few to choose from.

Brenda, my lovely teamie from FSC did a post the other day here and mentioned about the stamping on her card (the trees looked drunk). She assured us they weren’t. Well that’s just what my sentiment stamping looks like … very wonky … but it really is straight. Brenda I believe you!!!! lol

Made an aperture on plain white card with Sheena’s Perfect Partners Birds Of A Feather.

With a spare piece of copy paper, which had painty bits on it, I cut out another bird.

Closed the card and placed the painty die cut bird in the die cut space. Hope you followed that girls!!!!

Shirl

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More Cards For Clare

October 16th, 2016 by Shirl - Posted in Darkroom Door, Indigo Blu, Stampers Anonymous

Another two cards which are going home to Clare … she really can have her pick about which to use for JP’s birthday.

Stamps used are called Sideshow and School Desk from Stampers Anonymous … totally ashamed to say the Sideshow set was bought in February and first time of using them.

Below is an 8″ x 8″ card which I very rarely make but was thinking that it would be a good one for Clare’s dad’s 80th birthday.

We can decide that later as it will be very easy to add something extra onto the card.

Stamps used on this card are from darkroomdoor, also used the ruler stamp from an Indigo Blu set called Sewing Mends The Soul . You can only just see a little of this because it was used to frame the man and clock. Clock came from another Stampers Anonymous set called Pen & Pencil. Can’t think for the life of me why it’s called this as there are no pens and pencils in sight on the set.

Shirl

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Handmade Paper Roses

May 13th, 2016 by Shirl - Posted in Indigo Blu, Tim Holtz

I mentioned in my last post about the roses I was making with copy paper and paint. The roses were incidental to what I was actually doing.

My ultimate plan was to make my own sprays with acrylic paints so I was actually experimenting. The results were amazing and because the testing of the sprays was onto copy paper it made for some very interesting backgrounds. Hence the handmade paper roses. No die cuts were used, I just tore some freehand spirals and then rolled into roses. Another revival of an old technique which was dredged up from the back of my mind.

The acrylic paints used in my experiment are from Reeves and they worked very well.

The leftover test paper gave me the perfect opportunity to use the newest die to my collection … Jourdana. This added an extra little feature on the card.

The die is very similar to the TH Mixed Media one but I find this quite small and I wanted to be able to cut a larger area.

More paper roses but this is only a sneak peak because I haven’t finished the hanger yet.

Shirl

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Join FSC With Blots And Splashes

May 8th, 2016 by Shirl - Posted in Canvases, Fashionable Stamping Challenges, Indigo Blu, Tim Holtz

FSC is having a Blots & Splashes theme for this month’s challenge and this canvas was made with loads of painty blots and splashes.

Crafty Skype buddy Dot is far more organised than me because she started her piece for FSC whilst on one of our Skype sessions and all I did was play around making roses with copy paper. Ahhhh but the card I made with those roses is gorgeous.

Anyways onto my canvas where I have used another Indigo Blu beauty, she was bought at the same time as her Best Friend.

Used the Tim Holtz Wildflower dies to make the flowers plus I used the same paint to colour in. Flicked white paint over the canvas and blotted away a lot of the excess.

Here you can see some close ups which shows more clearly the splashes which were achieved with the Tim Holtz stencil Splatters.

I would love it if you hopped on over to see all the DT’s work as they are simply stunning. Also don’t forget that the winner of this challenge has $20 to choose anything they like from Flonz’s store.

Shirl

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Who Doesn’t Love Blue, Yellow And White

April 12th, 2016 by Shirl - Posted in Fashionable Stamping Challenges, Indigo Blu

FSC this month is having a colour theme kind of moment and it was moi who chose this theme.

What is it you ask???? … Blue/Yellow and White are the colours which we are looking for. I really hope you will join in with us.

Yikes I can hear you saying that’s nothing like the colour combinations that FSC want to see. That’s because it’s a before and after that I am showing.

The first pic is how the wall hanger looked when I bought it in the sale at Cargo. After a complete overhaul and workout the second pic shows how it looks now.

Just couldn’t wait to get my little mits on the Indigo Blu stamp which takes centre stage. She looks so forlorn and melancholy who could resist her.

I bought a few of these end of line Christmas hangers so that I could use them in my class and the girls loved how they turned out.

Shirley 3

Shirl

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Brushos & Dot

January 14th, 2016 by Shirl - Posted in Brusho Makes, Craftwork Cards, Hero Arts Stamps, Indigo Blu, Katzelkraft

Dot and I had another Skyping session and this time we used our Brushos.

These are a new addition to Dot’s crafting stash but I have had mine a while … holding up my hands in shame as I have not used them very much.

You can see one of my makes here, how sad is it that I made this a year ago and this was the last time I used the Brushos.

We experimented by using different cardstock with them and making some very vibrant coloured backgrounds. Can’t wait to see what Dot makes with her backgrounds.

Because of the time difference Dot scooted off to bed but I had time to turn my finished backgrounds into three different cards.

So Special from Katzelkraft is the main focal point on my first card – also used other stamps and a stencil.

Two more close up pics.

For my second background I used only two colours and some very different stamps. The ladies are from Hero Arts and the coffee from Stampendous. The bubbles are a fave little background stamp of mine and I love adding little doodles in the centres.

Grunged the edges on the last card and used stamps from Dyan Reaveley called The Right Words also a Visible Image stamp.

Shirl

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That Time Of Year Again

December 6th, 2015 by Shirl - Posted in Class Makes, Dina Wakley, Easel Cards, Indigo Blu, Stampers Anonymous, Stampin Up

Don’t you just love having birthdays? Doesn’t matter how old you are the excitement never goes away (well not for me anyways).

Not going to say how old I am today but not quite at the three score years and ten yet!!!

Sharing with you the class cards which we made yesterday.

Made our own backgrounds on the A4 cardstock by brayering and using three different coloured inks.

My fave card from this selection is the “Cheerio Chaps” but the Dina Wakley Scribbly Birds is a close second.

More photos but this time I am showing a beautiful make that I received from Irene and as you can see a few crafting goodies were also included in the parcel.

A huge thanks “I”.