I'm travelling into a new way of working, a new country, a new language, and a new hobby which I'm passionate about. Come with me for some of the journey...

Wednesday 19 September 2012

Steampunk Rainbow

Hello again, if you've already seen WOYWW today - I'm back!



A quick view of a tag I made, just playing around with my first Lynne Perella stamps... I was fortunate enough to win a challenge over at the Austrian blog Vienna Impressions, and got a voucher to spend in their lovely shop.  


There are lots of unusual stamps  I've not seen elsewhere, but I'm afraid the chance to get my first LP was too good to miss... but I'm sure I'll be back there soon - very tempting things!


So I was just messing around stamping in various colours and colouring with DIs.  This particular woman seemed to demand more and brighter colours than I'm usually comfortable with... but I'd been enjoying catching up with Riots of Colour - a challenge set by Hels Sheridan over at the Sunday Stamper - when visiting some of my favourite blogs, so let myself be inspired by that.







I discovered when making perhaps one of my all-time-favourite projects, my Big Top of Semi-Controlled Mayhem that a coat of UTEE is not only good for glossiness and strength, but also makes the colours brighter... so I enamelled the whole surface.  

Love the look of it, both for the texture it gives, and for the sparkle - like the sunlight sparkling on the surface of the sea.   




I stupidly forgot to do a 'before' picture, though, but I promise you the colours now have a real extra zing.  




It wasn't until later that I discovered that, being so behind with my blog visiting (sorry, all), that was last week's challenge!  


But this week's is Ribbons, so it fits in after all, with my paper ribbons for the sentiment - to match the flags streaming from the ship - and the riot of colourful ones at the top of the tag.


The textured leafy stamp came as a lovely freebie with an earlier PaperArtsy order - and gives a lovely swirliness to the edges I think.


Colours are Barn Door, Broken China, Peeled Paint, Aged Mahogany, Chipped Sapphire - oh and some more, I'm sure!!


The sentiment is one I love, by Louisa May Alcott - I love the hard-won confidence of it... 
So I'm going to leave you with that as your quotation for today for now... I may add others when there's more time later this evening.


Have a happy day... off to the train now - well, I have seven minutes to get dressed first!!


I'm entering this in the following:
Ribbons (NOT Riot of Colour) with the Sunday Stamper
The new Steampunk Junkies Challenge who are having an Anything Goes
And the lovely Steampunkery challenge over at Happy Daze
Simon Says Stamp would like us to Emboss It this week - done!


If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea. 
Antoine de Saint-Exupery

37 comments:

Hels Sheridan said...

Gorgeous tag, love how you combined the LP stamp with the sentiment... and fabby UTEE layers too... thanks for joining in with the Sunday STamper x

Inkypinkycraft said...

Love the colours and you have rocked the technique,the sheen is fab!!!! Another fab make Alison! Trace x

Anonymous said...

Fabulous tag Alison. They are such great stamps to use.
Regards Florence x

Sophie said...

Boah, dreimal habe ich nun versucht, einen Kommentar zu schreiben, aber Blogger funktioniert heute nicht :-(

Liebe Alison, dein Tag ist fantastisch.
Ich liebe es, wie du die Muscheln eingesetzt hast.
Wunderschön.

Liebe Grüße xx

Lisa Minckler said...

Just beautiful!!!! I've had my morning inspiration now, I can smile all day. :)

Craft Addicts - Tracy Evans said...

Hi Alison, another beauty. Love the stamped image, great colours too and I love your use of enamel. The text is perfect. Tracy x

Andrea Small said...

Heavens to Betsy, what a wonderful image..and a perfect quotation.. I like the stronger colours. Hope you caught the train! X

Karen McAlpine said...

Gorgeous Tag!! Love the Lynne Perella. (I have this one too!) Love how you added the bright colors!

Mrs O crafty blog said...

Fabulous.. I love the layout and the image is fab, Px

Anonymous said...

What a lovely choice to have the addition of the UTEE layer as it does create the most beautiful sheen and heightens those colours.
Wishes
P.S. This is a favourite quote of mine.

catherine said...

Just beautiful Alison and a great job with your new stamps. love the colours too
x catherine

Rita said...

Your tag is just stunning Alison, I love LP too, But I'm afraid i just borrow Annies. Hugs Rita xx

Alie Hoogenboezem-de Vries said...

Great text on the tag Alison...the stamp is so nice...as well as the colours. The Utee can do amazing things...lovely!

greetings, Alie :-)

Claudia N. said...

What a vibrant piece of artwork, Alison!

Love it so much!

Hugs,
Claudia xxx

Liesbeth Fidder said...

Wow, a wonderful piece ,Alison !

Deborah said...

Her stamps are wonderful, aren't they? I love your tag, especially your rippling word ribbons. Cool!

Kjersti said...

Wow! This tag is gorgeous Alison, beautiful colours, great image and the utee looks fab!
Have a nice week!
Hugs Kjersti:)

Janny Jager said...

WOWWWWWWWWWWW Alison this is great
Beautiful colors and a great stamp.

Greetings Janny

scrappymo! said...

Thanks for leaving your kind words for the pony girl (my grandaughter. She gets such a kick out of WOYWW and out of blogging.

So glad she is learning to read though! Whew! I am so far behind on my own blog!!!
Paged back a bit and left some blog hugs on some further posts that were quite stunning!

Debi said...

Stunning Butterfly!! just love it- great sentiment too :-) Debi x

Neet said...

That is just Fabulous! I love how you have coloured your lady in and the quotation is just perfect.
Hugs, Neet xx

Gerrie Johnnic said...

Congrats on winning this fabulous stamp! Great tag, colors and esp love the saying!

Anita Houston The Artful Maven said...

What a fan image...love her coloration! So cool that you covered the whole tag with UTEE...love that! Stunning my dear!!!!

Unknown said...

You can tell the UTEE makes the colors pop, they are gorgeous. I love this stamp set Alison and thanks for sharing where you got it. Congrates on the win too! The sentiment is perfect and I love how this tag incorporates your creative spirit. Hugs

Netty said...

Loving your new stamp, she's fab as is the rest of the tag with the great utee finish, xx

Marjie Kemper said...

What a wonderful tag! Love the rich colors and how you've done the journaling on it... fabulous!!

Rosie said...

Wowowow, Alison, a very beautiful tag.

Rosie said...

Wow, Alison, your Tag is really gorgeous, love it

Brenda Brown said...

Gorgeous.
Hugs Brenda xox

Gio said...

Such a stunning piece, Alison. Unusual combo for you, but still Brava!!

Ana K. said...

I love it...great colours and you did really great work with Utee.I love her "ship" hear ...

Shelby said...

Beautiful work. Love how you've used the UTEE and the blues and greens are delightful.

Shelby

Unknown said...

Stunning make !!! Thank You so much for joining us over at Steampunk Junkies hope to see you again on our next challenge :o)) xx

fatmonica said...

I love this!The stamps and the sentiment are fabulous and I agree,the UTEE really makes the colours pop!

Lou said...

amazing, love these stamps, noone would ever know you were new to crafting with this brill work. Lou

Nicecrane Designs said...

Amazing tag,,,,,I thought she was the Alice`s Queen-

debbi taylor said...

just beautiful!
I apologise that it has taken me so long to get to you... thank you for joining us at steampunk junkies!
hugs
Debbi x