To start with I will tell you a little bit about myself:
I am a teacher by profession but drawing, painting, playing with colour and form, has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My all-time favourite birthday present was when I turned five and my godmother gave me a big red leather pencil case filled with coloured pencils and wax crayons. I can still see it in my mind’s eye, - she must have known me well….
I have been stamping and paper crafting probably for about 10 years or so, but did not get seriously into it until about 2007.
My paper-crafting hobby has developed from those early stamping and card making days into using many different media. I love journaling, altering all sorts of objects and playing about with gesso, acrylic paints, collage and many layers. Often I use my stamps more for creating backgrounds rather than as a main vocal point. I use many different styles in my work, shabby chic, grungy, even zetti at times, but my all time favourite is vintage. My blog friends often describe my work as romantic and elegant. I have been published in the Winter 2011 issue of Somerset Studios Art Journaling.
I am originally from the Netherlands but have been living in Scotland for 38 years. I am married to a loving Scotsman who is also my best friend. He is quietly indulgent and tolerant of my paper-crafting hobby and turns a blind eye when my next parcel of crafting goodies arrives through the post. (A rather regular occurrence). I am mother to three grown up children.
My all time favourite products are Tim Holtz Distress inks, and you guessed it, the colour I use most is Vintage Photo. In addition you will find that I use Gesso in most of my projects and I love to layer with paper napkins.
My initial was created using many different layers that include all of these products. I started by painting my letter with Titan Buff acrylic paint. I then layered some bits of paper napkins over this, interspersed with plain tissue paper stamped with 7 Gypsies Lille clear stamps and some Tim Holtz stamps. I then sponged Old Paper and Vintage Photo distress inks around the edges and to tie the different elements together. Finally I finished by adding some grunge roses, butterflies and pearls from my stash.
One of my favourite pieces is this altered box. In its first incarnation it was a cigar box I got for free from a kind tobacconist. I covered it with some of my favourite scrapbook papers from Prima Marketing Botanical Collection and some Graphics 45 Once Upon a Springtime papers and embellished with images from The Graphics Fairy and other bits and pieces from my stash.
I hope you have enjoyed seeing all the different projects from the DT so far and that you will find some inspiration for your own art work here.
I will be back at the end of August with some further projects.
