Monday 27 February 2012

Controlled Mayhem

Controlled mayhem. The phrase comes from one of the stamps in Graphic 45's Le Cirque range and it's a really good description of a circus! Today I'm sharing a card with matching gift tag. Just to prove I do actually use my promarkers, the coloured images on the card are stamped and hand-coloured :-)

"Controlled Mayhem card and gift tag"

It's hard work cutting out all those wheel spokes!

"Controlled Mayhem Card"

The background is inked with distress inks. The trapeze artist, ringmaster and audience are stamped with distress ink and brushed over with perfect pearls for plenty of shimmer. Other characters are stamped on card using memento ink, coloured with promarkers, cut out, shaped and finally mounted in place with pinflair. The sentiment is stamped straight onto the card using archival ink.

"Controlled Mayhem Card"

The angle on the above picture makes it easier to see the stamping without all the glimmer. I love the movement of the trapeze artist from the repeated stamping. She is swinging across the card.

"Circus Mayhem Tag"

I wanted to get a real sense of circus mayhem on the gift tag without using the sentiment. To achieve this, lots of layers of stamped images are used. The lion, lion tamer and audience are stamped in distress inks, then heat- embossed in clear. The background is decorated with the same colours as the card (the clear embossing resists the inks), then the trapeze artist and clown are stamped and covered in perfect pearls. The ringmaster is stamped in black archival to bring him forward, and finally a few characters & words have are cut from scraps of Le Cirque papers and added with dimensional glue. Some water is added to "faux bleach" the audience faces.

"Circus Mayhem Tag"

This second view avoids the glimmer of the Perfect Pearls. I like the ambiguity of the lion tamer - is he taming the lion or the trapeze artist? 

Ingredients:
Graphic 45 Le Cirque 8" x 8" paper pad
Graphic 45 cling stamp set: Le Cirque 1
Graphic 45 cling stamp set: Le Cirque 3
Distress Inks: Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Barn Door, Fired Brick, Aged Mahogany, Scattered Straw, Vintage Photo
Memento ink: Rich Cocoa
Archival Ink: Black
Perfect Pearls: Gold
Promarkers
Adhesives: PVA, Pinflair dimensional glue
Cardstock: white 300gsm (tag), white 160gsm (background), black 300gsm (card blank)

Entered for the following challenges:
That Craft Place - Anything Goes
Just inspirational - Anything Goes
Willow Sketchie - Anything Goes
Do You Stack Up - Distress
Truly Scrumptious - All Creatures Great and Small
Pollycraft - Teenage Dream (running away with the circus!!)
Bunny Zoes Crafts - Celebrations

18 comments:

  1. These are gorgeous, so bright and colourful.
    Thank you for joining us at Willow Sketchie this week.
    Pauline
    x

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  2. Wow these are amazing Maddy, I love the firey colours. Lee x

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  3. Wow these are certainly different - they look good enough to eat. xxx

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  4. WOW these are brilliant what a great idea and I love the colours, thanks for playing on Willow Sketchie this week, Hazelxox

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  5. super card and tag! Thanks for joining us at 'That Craft Place' this time, hope to see you next time too, so nice of you to give us your support
    hugs
    laney

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  6. Wow brilliant card and tag love the colours and the images you have used. Alison xxx

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  7. Maddy, these are wonderful pieces! I love the blended colors of your tag and the use of the G45 papers! Really neat designs! Thank you for leaving such a nice comment on my blog! I will miss seeing your work this week on Simon Says Stamp and Show's Ideaology themed challenge. You always do such nice work! But I am sure we will see you the following week. :) <3 Candy

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  8. Two wonderful creation, love the colors and all the details.

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  9. Just fabulous! Thanks for joining us at Do You Stack Up.

    -Wenche

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  10. Gorgeous - fab colour- if you pop to my blog I have something for you

    http://missygdesigns2009.blogspot.com/2012/02/blog-awards.html

    Linda

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  11. Hi Maddy - always you create such stunning little works of art! Can't believe you cut out the wheel - wow, wouldn't get me doing that. I'd ruin it!!!

    Sarah

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  12. My kind of colours! Absolutely stunning use of the circus stamps. Thanks so much for hopping along with us at Just Inspirational this week!

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  13. Stunning card and gift tag.
    Thanks for joining us at DYSU this week xx

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  14. Maddy these are both gorgeous, love the bright colours. Kathy xx

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  15. Oh wow, these are just jaw-dropping! :)

    Stunning, gorgeous and inspirational! :)

    hugs

    xxalisonxx

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  16. Love your work! Found you through the Graphics Fairy and now your newest follower!

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  17. Wow. Really fantastic projects. You must have the patience of a saint to have cut out those spokes! Thanks for sharing your creations with us at Just Inspirational Challenges for our first Blog Hop! xx Denise

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  18. Fabulous creations! Thanks for joining the Pollycraft challenge.

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Thanks for leaving a comment, it's nice to know I'm not just talking to myself :)