Mixed Up Challenge - Cork

Hello! If you've found your way here from the Mixed Up mag blog - welcome to our first challenge! If you didn't, then check out the challenge here - there's a great prize of a big bundle of chipboard from I Kropka to be won.

The theme is 'Cork', so for my contribution I thought I'd have a go at creating some DIY stamps from wine corks. I may have a few lying around.....

Cork is a bit flaky (like me!), so you can't be too precise with it. It has a tendency to do what it likes, to split and fracture - so go with it. Abstract is the way forward!

I used a lino cutting tool to create these two 'stamps' - on one I gouged out some channels and on the other kind of 'scooped' out little areas by twisting the tool in a circular motion. You can also use a craft knife, which will give you neater results. Two lovely mark making tools - for FREE! Can't be bad!

I used both stamps on my ATC, which is just a bit of scrap from a Gelli print, finished with a Stampotique image and a phrase from one of my printables (coming to the Mixed Up mag website soon).

Can't wait to see what you make for the challenge!

Katy x

An Untold Story with Sin City Stamps

Super excited to have received my new (and first!) stamp set for Sin City Stamps! I work in all kinds of styles but vintage has been a constant theme in my work over the years and I've never grown tired of it. Actually, although based on vintage images, this set is pretty versatile and can be use in a modern context too. You can get them here. I have to say I am so pleased with the quality - they are really thick and beautifully cut! Thanks so much Kim!

Correspondence stamps retail at $18.99 USD (shipping to the UK is $6)

I didn't take any step pics for this one but I'll talk you through what I did.

This page is in my junk journal which is an old poetry book. First off I obscured the text a bit with DecoArt Media Titan Buff paint (watered down).

I stamped the pen nibs directly onto the paper with black Archival, masking off the largest one so they fit better on my page. They are lightly coloured with Kuretake Gansai Tambi Starry Colours watercolour paint - I wasn't too heavy with the paint so I didn't obscure the stamping. The pen at the foot of the page is coloured the same way.

My ink bottle is stamped in StazOn Ultramarine and the highlights are caught with Tumbled Glass Distress Ink. I stamped the label again and distressed it by crumpling it up and then inking with Antique Linen/Vintage Photo Distress Ink. The text background is stamped onto card which has also been inked/distressed and then torn.

The Tim Holtz Paper Doll has wings (not from my set - but we've all got 100 butterfly stamps, right?). I gave him wings to fit with the stamped quotation 'There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." I thought it was fun and quirky to have him 'sitting' on the ink bottle.

At the end it all looked a bit brown so I added a very watery wash of DecoArt Media Prussian Blue Hue (I also coloured the wings with this and the Kuretake watercolours). I treated the acrylic a bit like watercolour by making it very runny and allowing it to pool on the page - it has soaked in more where there is no paint and less where the Titan Buff layer was applied - which I really like.

Hope you like my make and my stamps!

Don't forget to tell YOUR creative story!

Katy x