Clarity Stamp Challenge For August

Hi there its that time again, the Clarity Stamp Challenge starts again today for another month.  The theme is Feminine.  Well I love the theme Feminine because I love Dress Form and I love the Clarity Stamp, Ladies stamps too, all of them!!.  I actually made a few things for this challenge but in the end I decided on a Journal Page I made, well actually they were all Journal Pages.  The reason for a journal page is that I wanted to try out some minimalist work, for me to leave white space I need a big page!!!

This had been my first choice for this Challenge, obviously I had a better picture than this. But I changed my mind, not enough to it, also Jo Rice has done a beautiful card with this Stamp so I thought I would show you another one.

Its funny really because in my head when I design, cards, interiors, in furniture I am very minimalist and very symmetrical too. But when I make a Gap or a white space I suddenly get the urge to fill it. Then when I clear out a corner I  really appreciate the feeling of space again?

When I lived in my own in my Flat in Swindon, nothing was ever out of place, everything matched but was a little quirky and I NEVER had to tidy up for visitors coming!! Mmmm wish my house was like that now?  But with kids, Dogs a Husband a hobby and part time job comes the need for a 3 hour warning before people come to see you!!

So this was my other Journal Page and my Second choice.  I was trying to do  little techniques that play tricks with the eye. Not sure if it works on here but it does when you look at the page in real life. A little bit anyway. See I didn't cut the jacket out of the strip? 

I remember in my Flat the bathroom could have done with a bit of a re-tile but I didn't have that kind of spare cash so I decided to draw a Dolphin on the tiles, and then used tile paints to paint it.  It had finns and everything and I must admit, I can't draw at all but this Dolphin was really big and actually looked like a Dolphin.  Everyone was really impressed with it! Well most people who saw it were. I painted my Front room in the most up to date colours from Crown or Dulux, I always liked a bit of colour but always had a feature wall so that the colour was never engulfing you. I put up coving too, not the real heavy stuff  but a really good copy of it in polystyrene, no-one knew that it was made of polystyrene  and used to ask how I managed to do that on my own? I painted it in a good Matt paint so you couldn't tell the difference, but it took about 10 coats!!!   I remember the room took me a whole week to paint, I am very particular when I am painting walls, and focus on the smallest overlap of paint, can't be doing with that in my corners, the line has to be perfectly straight!! Or it did then? I had just finished my Painter and Decorators course before I moved into my Flat. Anyway, I think there is a point to this waffle? Although it might look like I am a bit slap dash with my Designs, I'm really not, BUT I do like to have a play with products and discover new things for myself.

So this was my third and final choice, see how I have cut the Jacket out this time.  All the clothes in all of them are Gelli Plate Prints.

White spaces aren't new and they aren't even new to me either but I am re-discovering it.  Sometimes when I make my cards I stand them up in a line and keep looking at them, then suddenly I go off them and have to get them out of my craft room, so most of them get put in the post but a few become self-rejects. I have one of those in front of me right now, I know I will reject it, but its a shame because I spent so long on it.  But sometimes with my rejects I have a last minute attempt to revive them and sometimes they turn out to be the best ones.

Here it is in "card" view.  Would you have known if I put it in as a card?  Well I think you would have thought it was a very poor photo, it doesn't sit flat enough for a card.

The white spaces well if you are not going in a positive direction, or you haven't started from the right point and finished at the right point, then they are ruined, so they are actually quite hard to do.  I know lots of very talented ladies who are really good at the white spaces and a lot of them seem to be going for the more filled in areas right now, isn't that odd?? Its the make a gap and then fill it syndrome I think?

And here is the full page, hey how minimalist is that!!! I have just bought the Follow Your Dreams Stamp, I think I will be using it quite a lot.  For the lady well you can get her here - I will never tire of this stamp she has had more dresses than I have had in my entire life!!!

So this Journal Page, I feel I have cheated you a little bit because there is hardly anything on it, but I like it personally, I like the checks I love the stamp, and that's about all there is too it?  Oh except it took me about an hour to decide which two half's of the stamped Gelli Print dress to use and weather the bit in the middle should be a full strip or cut out. I have posted two versions to show you what I mean.

So I discovered something when using my new Clarity small version of the Mega Mount that I bought at the Clarity Retreat, You can find them here on the  Website?  See these squiggly lines?? I did them with the side of the Mega Mount, the gripper bits! I was really impressed.

Look !! Good isn't it! You can get it here, the 9"by3" Mega Mount

So minimalist or full on all over colour, or the lovely traditional Clarity Scenes, which one are you in the mood for doing for our Challenge???? Everyone who enters is in with a chance of winning the very generous £50 Clarity Stamp Gift Voucher.  Also 5 people will be picked by the Design Team as the Top Five and will be featured on the Challenge Blog throughout the month. 

Look I even practiced a few doubles at the bottom there!

So I look forward to seeing you on the Challenge Blog, (click here) . I do appreciate all your comments on my Blog, except for you Theresa Pace !!!!!  Ha ha  I am kidding, I think it is lovely that you are my personal Spell Checker, carry on checking!!!

Bye for now, must get prepped and ready for my Mixed Media/ Gelli Plate Class tonight, I have two new ladies joining me.  Bye for now, Sam

Ps My Gelli class was last night - see I am organised sometimes!!!