Time waits for no one!!

Dusty Attic Give Away!! CLOSED!! Winner Announced! Congratulations - Debbie Krevec!

Congratulations to Debbie Krevec -The Winner of this Dusty Attic Giveaway!!!
Thank you to everyone who left so many beautiful comments!!! 
I will definitely have to do this again soon! It has been so much fun!!!
Debbie can you email your address to me please at [email protected] Thanks!!!

  

If you  would like another chance to win more Dusty Goodies just head over to
Irene's Blog 
and 
Natasha Naranjo Aguirre Blog
 they are also running their Dusty Attic give away's at the moment too!!

Good Luck!!!!

 
Ok Finally it is here as promised!!!
You could win all these yummy Dusty Attic Products simply by leaving a comment here on this post!!!!
I would love you to follow my blog too, but it is ok if you can't!
As long as you leave a comment on this post here you will be in the running!!!!
I will be able to ship to anywhere in the world so everyone is in with a chance!!!

This Give Away will be drawn on the 15th of April 2011 (Australian Time)

 

Good Luck Everyone!!!!  

Angel Eyes!! *TCR #51 & Dusty*

I hope the weather has been kinder to everyone else out there, we have been flooded in again this morning, and have had a section of our bitumen road on the way out has been washed out. You can still get out over it but boy is it a mess!! Still looks like the rain hasn't all gone yet either!!
Wil had a mate over and they ended up surfing in the yard under lights last night, only in Queensland hey!!! LOL They can do some pretty impressive tricks on a skim board in a few inches of water too!

This is my gorgeous niece Miss Gracie!! She is the cutest thing with gorgeous eyes and white blonde hair!!
Another challenge here for the Colour Room and of course I couldn't help using some more Dusty on this one too!!! Love every Dusty Attic Piece, they are so versatile!!!
I also incorporated another challenge into this that friends gave me, it was definitely a challenge combining both challenges into the one! But lots of fun all the same!!!
I love it when friends challenge me to do these things, it's another layout that probably wouldn't have been done otherwise this week!~! Thanks Girls!!!

Materials:
I have used the Dusty Attic Skeleton Clock Faces - DA0430,
and new Leaves - DA0508 
along with a little bit of leftover Vine Border - DA0485
Cardstock, and Bo Bunny papers
Glimmer Mist - Electric Blue and Saphire and Dazzing Diamonds
Kindy Glitz & Distress Stickles - Broken China
Pink paint (on the arrows)
Blue Crayons and Turquoise Perfect Pearls on the clock face
Adorn it letters - Tiny Whoopsy Red
Beads, flower ribbon, lace & Buttons!
The Arrows were cut out with the cuttlebug.
White with a hint of green paint on the leaves.
Prima flowers, my own crochet flowers & the orange flowers come off a bunch of flowers that I have pulled apart to use.
I can't remember what the swirly pattern cut out paper is from. I quite often cut out pattern paper like this and put back in my stash to use later. It is a great job to do in front of the TV!!

* I used a combination of crayons and perfect pearls and glimmer mist on the clock face until I was happy with the colour, then added the Distress stickles over this.
* I stuck down the photo, clock and papers onto the page then covered the photo to add a touch of glimmer mist over the two corners.
 

Sorry if you have been back waiting for my Dusty Attic Give Away!! I will have it up shortly, just have to go and photograph it now!!! Should be up this afternoon!!

Have a lovely day!
Cheers
Michelle x

Canvas's for Japan!!! & Feeling Inspired!!!

I have really been enjoying the process of just creating lately!! While the mojo is happening I have been making the most of it!!! It is like my passion has been ignited all over again!

Following Donna Downey's blog and in particular her inspiration week she run last week has unleashed something in me. I love doing what I do and scrapping our history and happy memories, but it is like I have been given permission to just create art for the pure enjoyment of it!
I have never been one for off the page things or art journals, as I like things to have a purpose.
With the help of Donna's inspiration week I have created my first canvas's, I still had a purpose and a reason to play in the first place which also helped spur me along, and that reason was to create something to send to Japan for Tomoko's Fundraiser.
I was initially going to do some cards to send over, but was inspired to give something different a go!

So here are the results of my first play with canvas art.......
Can I just add that although I didn't get the whole art for art's sake before (except for true artist's)
I sure do now!!! It is something I can't explain, but boy the feeling of creating something like this is just magic!

All these pieces revolve around Hope, it was all I could think of that could help over there! I found it easier to work on a few at a time too, as one background was drying I could start on the next.

"Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul,
and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all."
Emily Dickenson

Materials:
Canvas, Texture Paste, Jo Sonja - Opal paint, Glimmer Mists - Candel light, Sweet Clover, Walnut Gold, Silver Sugar, Olive Vinem English Ivy, Old Lace, Wheatfields, Distress Ink - Walnut Stain,Versa Colour - Mint, Clear embossing powder, Gauze, Dusty Attic - Birdbaths, Song Birds, Mini Dove, Websters Pages Tree Sticker, White Gesso, Helmar Acid Free Glue.

• This is a 9.5 x 8 inch Canvas. I started this one by playing with some paint and texture paste on the background then added glimmer mists over it and left it to dry.
• I added the Websters pages tree sticker to some chipboard and cut out. I also added a little distress ink and glimmer mist to the tree and then coated with clear rock candy.
• The bird on the birdbath was inked with Mint versa ink then clear embossed.
  The birdbath itself was coated with texture paste then added a little distress ink and come glimmer mists and left to dry.
• The Bird on the top RH corner was also coated with texture paste and smoothed in some areas while roughed up on the wings. Once this had dried I stamped the bird with a flourish stamp with the Versa Mint ink then clear embossed. The little bird on the bottom LH corner was also inked with the mint and embossed.
• It was finished off with the gauze along the bottom and added some more glimmer mist for good measure. :)
  I was really happy with the way this turned out!

 

 "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow."  Albert Einstein

Materials:
Canvas Board, White Gesso, Glimmer Mists - Deep Plum, Walnut Gold, Old Lace, Candlelight, Wheatfileds, Jo Sonja's Turners Yellow, Staz On - Black , Cactus Green, Distress Stickles - Peeled Paint, Water Colour Pencils, Water Brush, 7Gypsies - News Print Tissue Paper, Kaiser Craft - Oriental stamp, Vine stamp (unknown), Teresa Collins for Junkitz - Diamond foam stamp, Heidi Swap Mask - Damask, Tim Holtz Mask - Borderline, Mont Marte Skin Tints - pastel pencils.

• This one is a 9 x12 inch canvas board. This is my first ever attempt at painting a face like this, so I know I have a long way to go here! I had fun with this background, there are so many layers on it it's not funny!
• I started with a coat of gesso, then added a piece of typed tissue paper and white washed over it!
• Then I sponged heritage green paint around the outside edges.
• I think I added another white was over this, then sprayed more glimmer mis around the edges and had it dripping down the page from the top.
• Next I added the mask along the bottom and top RH corner then sponged another gesso white wash over it.
• Using yellow and white paint I stamped the diamond pattern on the top LH and bottom Rh corners.
• Next I added a vine stamp along the LH side and the top and bottom RH corners. I used water colour pencils to shade these in and a water brush to blend them.
• I collected some images of japanese ladies from the internet to get the idea for the portrait.
  I penciled the outline then used gesso to paint in the background of the portait.
• I used Mont Marte Skin Tints - pastel pencils to colour her in, I was also happy the the water brush worked with these for blending.
  I also used the Staz ON refill ink with a brush to outline and colour in the hair. Finishing off with some red paint on the lips and flower.
• The red on the wrap is just done with the water colour pencils and a water brush.
• Then I added the swirls along the bottom and peeled paint distress stickles to the ends of the swirls.
• I also used a kaiser craft stamp - Oriental with black Sataz ON over the top, I love how it give the effect of somthing hangning down the page.
• I finshed off with some more glimmer mist around the outside edge and the quote.
     
  
  Hope can Set You FREE!

Materials:
 White Gesso, Mont Marte Skin Tints - pastel pencils, Water Brush, Texture Paste, 7gypsies - Musique tissue paper, String, Jo Sonja paints - Aqua. Rich Gold, Rub & Buff - Antique Gold, Basic Grey Wholly Cow Rub Ons, Helmar scid free glue, Distress Crackle paint - Shappy Shutters, Glimmer Mist - Olive Vine, Color Box ink - lime & a 12 x 12 Inch Canvas.

• I started this with a coat of Gesso then I added patches of texture paste and Aqua paint using a spatular.
• Once this dried I added the Dusty Attic corners and stuck down and blended into the background with the white gesso and aqua paint.
• Next I added the tissue to the background with the helma and add the glue over the top as well. I left a few wrinkles in the tissue paper.
• Next gold paint was dry brushed onto the corners and hte background.
• The bird is on a piece of chipboard then painted with white gesso and then added texture paste to give it a bit of texture. the outline was drawn on with a brush and a Black Staz On refill ink.
• The leaves were painted with the shabby shutters distress crackle paint, once it was dry I added the lime ink followed by some glimmer mist and finished off with a touch of gold Rub & Buff.
• I started with the string in aqua and gold colours but decided in the end to add white paint over it to make it stand out more, this was stuck down with the Helmar too.
• Don't look to closely to the hands, I have never been able to draw hands or feet. I used the water colour pencils to colour these in. I painted the background with gesso first and also added texture paste to try and add some depth to them too.
• I finished off with cutting up some of the white basic grey rub ons around the outside edges then using my fingers rubbed some gold Rub & Buff around the edges and over the corners.

 

 Thank you for looking!! Hopefully this will now be the first of many canvas's, I really did get so much enjoyment out of doing these, it really is about enjoying the process and just experimenting!!!
I hope these are well recieved in Japan and can help to share a little bit of Hope!!

Thank you for looking!! :)

I know I was going to start my Dusty Attic Give Away last weekend, but I sort of got side tracked with creating these, so it will definitely be happening this weekend!!
Take Care Beautiful People!!
Hugs
Michelle x

The Colour Room's 50th with some more Dusty!

Thanks to a friend on challenging me to do this weeks Colour Room, I am so glad I did!
I got to play with a Finnabair's style of scrapbooking, I have always admired her style!! After reading how to do her technique on her blog, I had the biggest Ahah moment!!! I couldn't wait to play then!
I just wish I could get that whole less is more look that Finn does so beautifully. Somehow my pages always end up too full, I need someone to sit with me and say stop now!! LOL

 

Anyway this is what I did with it......

 
It was a true leap of faith to cover up all the embellishments with ink, I liked the way all the white and metal looked before it was inked too! But I love the way the ink looks more!!!

 

I even got to use a lot of my really old stash in this one!!
I have used:
Dusty Attic - Flower Layers #3
Glimmer Mist - Moonlight, Saphire, Denim Blue, Electric Blue & Dazzling Diamonds
Tsukinek - Walnut Ink - Cornflower Blue
White Gesso
Texture Paste
Buttons & Brads
Clear Embossing Powder
Mint Green Liquid Pearls
Gauze
Some old charms from a discount store
Clay Shell embelishments
Tag Charms & Chain
Metal corner embelishments (I think were old MM)
Metal frames (not sure if these were old MM or 7gypsies)
Lace & Beads
The leaves you see were off a motif for sewing it was sort of in a collar frill and I cut them out so they are sort of embroided.
White Staz ON
Prima - Clear Stamps 4x6 Documentary (love this script stamp)
Grant - Clear Stamps - Nature

 

• The Chipboard flowers were coated with Texture paste, and roughed up to give it lots of texture. I then pressed the buttons into the texture paste in the center and let dry.
• I stamped the background with the scripted stamp and clear embossed and I also used a mask on the background, but in the end you can hardly see either of these.
• I stamped with the white Staz On on the photo, I used the stamp without an acrylic block so you can pick and choose what bits you want to press down and stamp.
• Once everything was stuck down and in place I covered the photo with a piece of scrap paper and held my breath and got my inks and started spraying, and spraying and spraying. I couldn't tell you how many different layers of the ink there is. I then got my brush and the gesso and started dry brushing over the top of everything. I felt I lost some of the detail when I did this so I ink a few more layers of ink over this then used my finger to swipe some of the Mint Green Liquid Pearls and more white Gesso over different spots. I was very happy with the result then!
• It still needed something more to make it pop so I got the script stamp and White Staz On and stamped back over the background!
• When ever I am working on lumpy bumpy pages I always mat my photo with a piece of chipboard, it just helps the photo hold up and gives it more strength once it goes in your album.
• I also add an extra piece of cardstock to the back if I am playing with different mediums and lighter papers, you can just see the dark blue cardstock on the background edge.
• Another tip for storing your lumpy bumpy pages is to add a 12x12 sheet of chipboard behind to adjoining pages in your albums, this protects them from getting squashed by the rest of the album.
  
  I love it!!! Thanks so much Finn for sharing your technique!!! This was scary and so much fun all at the same time!!! 
  
  Thanks for Looking!!!
  Have a great weekend everyone!!
  Hugs
  Michelle x

Dusty in the Colour Room!

Don't you hate it when you get a post half typed up with all the links and the the bloody computer decides to shut down that program! Grrr, this happened last night so I decided to call it a night and was actually in bed by midnight. Anyway today is a new day!! Take two....
(I will be saving each sentence in drafts as I go now, you think I would have learnt by now! LOL)

First I just want to post this regarding a fundraiser for Japan, being organised by Tomoko in Japan...
Hi everyone.
On March 11th, there was a big earthquake, the biggest earthquake ever to hit Japan recorded as magnitude 9.0 in Tohoku region. Also, that earthquake led another big quake in Kanto capital region. I am seeing these scenes by news and just feel so terrified by this tragedy....

I want to call out for your help. I am thinking of selling artists/scrapper's creations on online in Japan(they can be cards or anything) and donate the profit to Japan Red Cross Society, where they can send the money to the places that were affected.

If you are able to help, please send me an email to "[email protected]" so I can send you the address to send your creation(s).

***Since all profits will be donated,  I hope you will understand that I will not be able to pay for the expenses.

Thank you so much. Your help will be greatly appreciated.

 Tomoko

It is just so hard to imagine the devastation and terror happening over there at the moment! Makes you feel so helpless while we sit safely in our homes. 
Trina McClune hit the nail on the head with her recent blog post HERE!

One good thing that has come out of all the natural disasters lately is that I feel more at peace with myself and am focusing on living each day with a new found gratitude. Love and family is the only consistant that we can count on in this world, nothing else really matters, its just stuff. Seeing an interview of one of the survivors in Japan after his town and home were wiped out from the Tsunami and having the threat of the Nucleur explosion he was asked how he felt about losing his home and the ongoing threats. He said he didn't care, because all his family were together and alive and it didn't matter if they died as long as they were together. This really hit home for me. He was at peace with whatever was around the corner! 
We are blessed to have a happy, healthy family and at the end of the day that is all that matters to me.
I am in a good place now with my family who I love and love being around and I feel positive about our future and I am at peace with what is around the corner.

Anyway back to some more Dusty Goodness!!
This layout only came about after being challenged by a friend to do The Colour Room challenge this week!! It was so nice to just play and not think about what techniques I was doing etc! I think I need to do this more often!! It come about in one night which is rare for me!! 

Here is This weeks Colour Pallette... 
Here is what I did with this challenge!!... I don't usually scrap with a lot of pink so this was fun! :)

 
 
This was one of our cats that we only had for 12 months before she went missing, she was a funny cat! 
It wasn't until we got 2 new cats in the last 12 months that we realised how high maintenance she really was! I guess you could call her a real Diva! LOL She used to cuddle your hand if you patted her on the head and loved this teddy bear that is in the photos. But boy she was hard work, she used to keep us up all night wanting to play, wasn't the best cat for toilet training, especially if the kids left their towels on the floor... so in the long run as sad as it was to lose her, we now have 2 beautiful well behaved, toilet trained cats that are a breeze to have around!
She sure was a character though! 
 

Materials used on this layout are: White Cardstock, Tim Holts Masks - Regal & Floret, Tsukinek spray INk - Cherry Blossom, Fibre Scraps - EZ Walnut INk Tintz - Rose, Distress Crackle paint - Aged Mahogany, Black Water Colour Pencil, White Paint, Prima Flowers - Rossrtti Roses Grace & Ballerina Blooms Dorae, BG - Wholy Cow Rub Ons, Acetate, Flourish stamps, Black Staz On & Machine Sewing.
Dusty Attic items used on this layout are: Botanic Accents #2 - DA0461 & Ferns - DA0507

The Botanic Accents in the LH side of the pics were painted with the Distress Crackly paint then sprayed with the Cherry Blossom Ink. I went around some of the leaves with a white pen to give a bit more definition! The flourish in the top LH corner was cut in half and poked in behind the flower.
The Ferns were just inked with black Staz On. The White Botanic Accent in the top RH photo was painted white then gone around the edges with the black watercolour pencil then softened with a water brush.
To get the effect with the stitching around the edges sew around the page a few times and then take a sanding block and rough up some of the stitching to get that worn look to the edging.

 
 To get this effect on the background page, I have used the Tim Holts Masks. Place the masks in position after you roughly work out where your photos are going. I used the E-Z Rose Ink Stain dabber over the center of the masks then used the Cherry Blossom Walnut Ink spray to soften and blend out the colours. I then took the masks off and zapped it with a heat gun. After it has dried I went around one edge of the mask patterns with a black water colour pencil then used a water brush (or a paint bush dipped in water) to soften the edges! Was really happy with how this turned out!

The extra black flourishes were stamped onto Acetate (clear transparency) with black Staz On Ink then cut out. You can stamp extra to keep in your stash to use at a later date as well.  You can cut them up and place them anywhere then!!!

I will be starting my Dusty Attic Give Away on the weekend, so be sure to keep an eye out for it!!
In the meantime make you you pop over to Nancy's Blog for another DA Give Away running now and
Check out Vicky's Blog, Vicky is a new Dusty Attic Retailer in Canada who is also running another Give Away!!! While you are there be sure to check out Vicky's awesome Flower Tutorials!!

Have a lovely day everyone! Stay Safe!
Hugs
Michelle x

 

Dusty Attic - March Sketch Challenge

Remember you are free to interpret this sketch anyway you like, flip it back to front, or turn it upside down! A line on the sketch can be a Piece of Paper or a row of Brads or Stitching etc and a Flower can be a Star for a boy’s page etc. The design of the sketch is a starting point to inspire you!
Go for it! Remember the sketches are not set in stone, it just your interpretation of them.

To enter the Monthly Sketch Challenge all you need to do is include some Dusty Attic on your layout and upload it to the GALLERY before Midnight the 31^st of March (Australian Time)

Make sure you include Mar_2011_Sketch written like this in the Tags when you upload to the gallery to be in the running for a Dusty Attic prize pack. For more information on uploading to the gallery see in the Forum - Site Navigation & How To for tutorials on uploading etc.

To see all the entries so far this month in the Gallery HERE 
They are all look amazing!

I hope you will join us too! You can win a fabulous Dusty Attic Bundle each month!! You have got to be in it to win it! :)

Have fun Creating!
Cheers
Michelle x

 

A LIttle Dusty for March

The months are flying by already this year! My baby boy just celebrated his 16th birthday last week and Leonii will be 18 next month! They are growing up just way too quickly!!

The world is again facing devastation with mother nature unleashing her fury once again.
North Queensland are now facing more flooding after going through Cyclone Yasi and Christchurch in New Zealand are still recovering from its recent devasting earthquakes. And now Japan have been through a terrifying earthquake, tsunami and now a nuclear threat. The world just seems so unfair at times! It really is heartbreaking. Just makes me feel so insignificant!!

Anyway on a more positive note I have been able to get a couple more layouts done for this month for Dusty Attic!

 
This is a rare photo of my Mum and Dad taken at our beach last year. I wanted to keep a beachy feel to the layout! This is another photo taken by my good friend Lisa.

 

I have used Websters Papers on this layout, that I cut the black and white flowers from.
I have used Dusty Attic -
Snowflakes - DA0501
Ornate Corner #8 - DA0467
Mini Words - DA0386
Buttons - DA0510

See the Forum for a Tutorial on how to make the glossy buttons -
Here: http://dustyattic.ning.com/forum/topics/tutorial-decorative-chipboard


 

This layout is about my creative journey, and how far I have come, there are lots of little photos of different layouts I have done over the years. I loved playing with these steampunk papers.

 

Cardstock: Bazzill, Paper: Graphic 45 – Steampunk Debutante.
Other: Dusty Attic – French Window Pane, Lace, Prima Flowers, Petaloo Flowers, gauze, Beads, Prima Crystal Swirls, Webster’s Pages Alpha stickers, Adorn It tiny alphas, Jenni Bowlin Tiny Alphas, Paint, Glimmer Mist, Perfect Pearls, Glossy Accents, Websters pages Sparklers, Prima Vine, 3D Foam Tape.

To create interesting effects on chipboard combine paint, perfect pearls and glimmer mists and heat with a heat gun.

I hope this post finds you all safe and well!
Take Care!!
Hugs
Michelle x