Row Houses & Blog Give Away

I've signed up to do a row house swap on ccswaps. The general directions are to "create on handmade backgrounds; be complete works of art; MUST feature stamping somehow; OPEN THEMED & NONE CUTE; any shape or style so long as they resemble a basic house shape; make no more than 5 identical Row Houses, variety is good; send your very best work! Row House size requirements: width: Row houses must be no smaller .than 1.5" wide and no wider than 2.5" wide; length: no smaller than 2.5" long - and no longer than 6" long. This means you can make all your row houses different shapes, sizes, widths & lengths if you want to." Hmm, a great opportunity to use scraps of previously made background papers, and some of the "instant art" and "Little Beauties" I had received in swaps. I thought these would go by fast, silly me. LOL

Row Houses 1 - 4

All of the images above were sent to me by Maggi G, and the last one was a "little beauty" she created. The back ground paper in #1 and #2 were created by stamping bamboo with pearl olive Brilliance ink on Asian newsprint and coloring the "roof" area with cosmic copper Brilliance ink. In #2, I colored the coin with copper alcohol ink. #3 the same newsprint was colored with Twinkling H2Os, run through a Cuttlebug embossing folder and raised areas highlighted with pearlescent ivy Brilliance ink. I stamped oriental print over the "stamp" images with pearl olive Brilliance ink. #4. Stamped oriental print over decorative Japanese paper with galaxy gold Brilliance ink.

Row Houses 5 - 8

I received all of the above slide mounts in the "Instant Art" swap last year from Kacy Clarke and Maggi G. The background paper in #5 is the Faux Silk technique. #6 is oriental text stamped with pearl olive Brilliance ink on Japanese paper. I used the same stamp with black Archival ink on the slide mount. #7 was made with Textured Gesso Paper and embossed with a Cuttlebug embossing folder. I added the words to the slide mount by stamping with black Archival ink and glued on the red hearts. #8 was green paper stamped with a floral background. The butterfly was punched out of some paste paper I made several years ago.

Row Houses 9 -12

Each of the houses above hold "Little Beauties" sent to me in the "instant art swap" by either Kacy Clarke or Maggi G. The background for #9 was gold card stock run through a Cuttlebug embossing folder and the raised areas colored with black archival ink. I stamped the words on the red frame of the little beauty and attached the heart charm I'd altered the color using alcohol ink. The paper in #10 above (and #17 below) came as the outside of a note sent to me by Maggie Hodgkiss, I couldn't resist using this gorgeous paper by cutting it into house shapes. In #10 I added the heart brad and a bit of lace. For #11, I ran a copper colored piece of card stock through a Cuttlebug embossing folder and colored the raised areas with galaxy gold Brilliance ink. The "hinges" are gold paper clips. #12 uses a painted paper towel I did in May. After adhering it to card stock, I ran it through a Cuttlebug embossing folder. Double stamped the word "pals" in copper and black and added the decorative scroll.

Row Houses 13 -16

All the images in this group came from Debra Jones in the "Vintage Little Beauties swap". #13 the image was already colored & mounted by Debra, I added the bright purple flowers in her hair and the glitter to the flowers she is holding. The paper is purple card stock stamped with silver ink. #14 was one of Debra's Little Beauties that I trimmed to a house shape and edged with cosmic copper Brilliance ink, added the "fence" and moon charm. The background paper in #15 is the Black Pearl Paper I made in May. I edged the house with galaxy gold Brilliance ink. A Cuttlebug die was used to cut the "porch awning" & decorative scroll out of the dictionary pages I colored for some ATCs earlier in the year. The background paper in #16 was some tissue paper I colored many years ago. I crinkled it up, lightly smoothed it out and adhered to card stock then stamped a flourish over it with galaxy gold Brilliance ink. I used moonlight white Brilliance ink to edge the house. For the image, I colored the flowers with a Cut 'n Dry brush and tattered rose Distress ink. Used weathered wood Distress ink to stamp the words 'passionate', 'romantic' & 'gentleman" on to the image itself.

Row Houses 17 -20

The background paper in #17 is the same as in #10. Black Archival ink was used to stamp the words and to edge the house. The background paper in #18 is the back side of a note sent to me by Autumn, I told her I would have to use such gorgeous paper in a project. I stamped a flourish stamp on it with rocket red gold Brilliance ink and also to edge the house. I colored the scroll with sunflower yellow Brilliance ink. The background for #19 is a piece of tan embossed paper (someone sent it to me a couple of years ago). I painted over it with navy and then turquoise acrylic paint. Wish I had a bigger piece of that paper, it was so fun to color. I used some Luminous Paste paper I made in Feb for the background in #20. The words were stamped with graphite black Brilliance, which was also used to edge the image, starfish and house.

Row Houses 21 -24

I used the shimmering mist paper I made last year for #21. Ran it through a Cuttlebug embossing folder and highlighted the edges with galaxy gold Brilliance ink. I used black Archival ink to stamp the words on top of the acetate. For #22, I ran a piece of Embossing Scraps paper I made last month through a Cuttlebug embossing folder and ran lightning black Brilliance ink over the raised areas and the edges. Again, Black Archival ink was used to stamp the words on the acetate (hard to see in the photo). Used the leftover scraps from one of the papers made for the printed page ATC swap in April for the #23. Black Archival ink was used to stamp the words and to edge the house. #24 uses paper I made by laying a glossy sheet over some paper that had too much ink on it for some mica play I was doing last year. I stamped the music score in gold ink on top of the paper. The lower section was run through a mini Cuttlebug embossing folder and the raised areas and edges inked with galaxy gold Brilliance ink.

Row Houses 25 -28

Used some left over background for #24, (stars stamped in black over rainbow ink on glossy card stock). I added some glitter glue to make it sparkle (along with the stars on the dress and the star brad). The house was edged with moonlight white Brilliance ink. #25 was an old piece of glossy with mixed blue inks & images. I over stamped it with a flourish stamp in starlite silver Brilliance ink (also used to edge the image and the house). #27 used tissue paper colored with reinkers like #16. I over stamped it with a floral stamp in sunflower yellow and then starlite silver Brilliance inks. That same silver was used to edge the house & images, and then a small dab on my finger was used to "color" the flowers in the images. For #28, I took a piece of card stock that had been at the bottom of my 'spray box' to cut out the house shape. Ran it through a Cuttlebug embossing folder and colored the raised parts and the house edges with pearl poppy Brilliance ink (same ink to stamp words on sign). Added glitter to images.

Row Houses 29 -32

#29 was done similar to the foil flashing fun I did earlier this year, only did a double emboss with the Cuttlebug. The first layer was colored with pearl alcohol ink and the second layer was colored with pitch black alcohol ink (also used to edge the house). Black Archival ink was used to stamp the words and edge the image. #30 is another old scrap, I used clear embossing powder over black ink on this "crowd' stamp on pink card stock. This image was sent to me by Maggi G with others in the "instant art" swap. The partial word and edges were done with black Archival ink. Both #31 & #32 use the same background. A photo image of typeset was cut into house shapes, and then run through a Cuttlebug embossing folder. #31's raised areas were colored with lightning black Brilliance ink (along with the edges). Where pearlescent rust Brilliance ink was used in #32. Black Archival ink was used for the words on the acetate in both of these.

Row Houses 33 -34I had an extra fabric project that I cut up to make these quilted houses. I used the black Archival ink for the words on both of them.

I made some extra houses in case some of these don't meet the swap requirements of our hostess, Trish Bee (see her link on side column). Here's the deal for the Blog Give Away: Make a post and say which house is your favorite one. On June 30th, I will randomly pick a winner who will be sent their favorite row house of all those above. Check back before July 4th to see if you're the winner and contact me with your email so I can get your address to send on to you. Who knows, I might feel especially generous and send extra bits as well!!!
Trying to find out if people are reading all this stuff I write LOL!!!

Sorry for the extremely long post, if you have any questions, just put it in a post and I'll post a response after it in the postings (I may or may not remember just what I did, this took me most of a week to do).