A Treeline….

A Treeline….

Hello there!
Thank you for dropping in on this Monday.
Monday’s Blog is Trees and flowers, so here’s one I did last night, after a lovely afternoon with Dave and my parents & bro.
I have used the Trees & their Mantels, which was a lesson kit on TV last year. I had forgotten how fabulous this kit is! 
It is a remountable set of 4 naked trees and their leafy mantles, plus a long grassy base stamp, too.
If you like trees, this has to be a compulsory purchase – 
especially today, 
because there’s a big sale on all old Classroom kits!
(It’s only £12! 
And even less if you’re in the Clarity New Design Club!)
I used
Archival Olive Ink Pad Just noticed. Ink pad of the month of March (last day very cheap!)
The vital component is a Gelli Plate remnant print from the NEC, of the brick stencil.  
Hands up, if you weren’t at the NEC, and you haven’t got a scooby how I arrived at this point.
Right. Keep your hand up while I count…..
OK.  
Well, in that case I think I’ll have to do a quick You Tube for next week….Provided I can stop laughing long enough and pull myself together and pull a print! 
(tune in tomorrow, for our launch of You Tube Tuesday, 
and more will be revealed)
If we are stamping on acrylic, we need permanent ink pads, so I have gone with Archival Sepia and Archival Olive.
Plant the first tree along the baseline of the brick print.

Plant a few. Spread them out, beyond the wall.

Now let’s dress them. It’s good to blot the ink on the mantles, so that it’s not too dark.
I also recommend you remove the blue indexing from the mantles (with nail varnish remover, or a baby wipe will do it, too.) 
That way, you can see right through the mantle when you are overlaying it. 
Ahhh, the joys of transparent stamping….

Dress all the trees, and add a few poplars in the background, 
in the gaps.

If you look up closely, you can see how cool first and second generation ink looks on acrylic paint.

So now we have a treeline.
Let this dry for 5 minutes.
Now let’s add a  little depth.
Cover up the acrylic with a scrap of paper and let’s work on the white border.
Using a make-up sponge and Peeled Paint Distress ink (you could use Adirondacks just as well, like Lettuce), gently tease some shade into the white area. Easy does it!
What does that bird on the telly always say?
You can always add it, but….
(answers below please! xxx)

What a difference a little shade makes…

Now let’s add some hills. Tear a piece of copy paper,

and add a little shade underneath the two trees in the border.

They need to be anchored; or they look like they are levitating!

Add a couple of hills above the trees in the white border, 
using the make-up sponge again. 
Easy does it!
You can always add it, but: 

I want to show you something. When you stamp onto acrylic paint with an Archival ink pad, the images actually are glossy! 
This looks so cool!
So let’s take a step back…
Love it !!!!
Big wall.
Now it’s YOUR turn.
Have a think. What would YOU add? 
We have got those fantastic Word Chains – in fact next Sunday on TV, I am going to show you the next 4 chains, which might even work better than the first 4. They are words like GRATITUDE, MIRACLE, FRIENDSHIP, PROMISE, DREAM, LOVE and so on.
But back to the challenge. 
I think a verse or a sentiment, don’t you? 
Which of the many, many Clarity poems and verses do you think would work well here? 
And would you stamp it in Olive or Sepia? Or another colour?
 And would you stamp it directly onto the brickwork?
Or would you make a panel tag? Or something else?
Would you reduce it? Make it smaller?
Choice, choices, choices.
Make a creative plan and share your idea in a comment below. 
I will take on board all your suggestions, pick one to run with, and finish the artwork.
I will send the winner the finished artwork.
After all, it will have been a joint effort.
much love, 

(And by the way, I was Blue, Turquoise, Black and Cream, although if you stared at the footballs long enough, they started to look pretty good too….)

59 thoughts on “A Treeline….

    1. Ok I have had breakfast now, so I can think.

      1. You can always add it … but you can't take it away.

      2. I would stamp, in Olive, right on top of the wall, and I would use two stamps – "Friendship", and then underneath that True Friends – "True Friends can grow separately without growing apart". Trees grow on their own but in a wood or forest, they come together to create a harmonious whole. As humans, we can live alone but with friends we can achieve so much more.

      A beautiful kit and so easy to use. Thank you for all your hints and tips today. Looking forward to seeing the video tomorrow. xx Maggie

    2. PS I was at the NEC but could not get close enough to see the demos, but I did see a lot of laughter. I can make a guess as to how you got there, but I will wait for the video. xx Maggie

  1. The wall got me thinking , we would draw walls with a caricature named Chad on them and what we thought were cool quotes when I was at school .
    Can't wait for the word chains as love them .
    Hope you all have a fab Monday xx

  2. firstly you always tell us that we can always add it but we can't take it away 🙂
    I think I would stamp in Olive directly onto the brickwork so it looks a bit like graffiti and I think I would use the verse "Count your garden by the flowers, never by the leaves that fall, count your day by golden hours, don't remember clouds at all" there are so many to choose from but that one is one of my favourites

  3. Hello Barb, well you do like setting us a challenge that is for sure. I would stamp a sentiment directly on the wall, as it looks a bit like a panel towards the top. So because we do sometimes see a big wall in front of us, how about using "Keep looking for the rainbow" FMVW38-D on the wall in sepia, and maybe if you can use other colour inks, add a faint rainbow just peaking out from behind the wall? Have a great day. Bx

    1. Been thinking about this all day – think I would leave it whole – mount on a complimentary earthy colour – dark green or a brown – then on the wall in the bit where it is clearer I would stamp the Einsten verse – however I think I might try and clear emboss over the words to make them stand out – after stamping using the Sepia. xx

  4. I love this and think I may already have a ghost gelli print at home too. I have not really used the trees set since getting it at Christmas. My mobile phone Internet access is very slow, if it works at all! I will have a think about what can be added and try to add a reply later, if my phone allows. x

  5. Good morning Barb, woo hoo I got the colour combo right, well in my eyes and yours as there is never a right and wrong. But nice to know I was thinking along the lines of someone I admire greatly. I will have a little think and get back to you later regarding the wall……
    I hope you had a fabulous Mothers Day.
    Dx

  6. Love this blog today . I would stamp in olive and the verse I would choose is Kind hearts create gardens, Kind thoughts are the roots, Kind words are the flowers, Kind deeds are the fruits as I think it goes well with the tree scene . I would stamp directly onto the background . Hope this sounds good to you too x

  7. But you can't take it away! Hummmmmmmm I will have to give the verse a ponder and let you know. Just finished watching Game Of Thrones series 3 so all I can think is quotes from that especially when you wrote beyond the wall! Xx

  8. Good morning Barbara. "You can't take it away". Now to the wall definitely a verse on a tag, how about a bird sings….. You would need to add some birds too from the journaling set perhaps. My preference would be in olive. I finally got round to using my Gelli plate yesterday. The first print I pulled wasn't perfect by any means, but, I was so impressed, I got really excited. I wanted to show you. Second one I wasn't so impressed, I took too much time and the inks mixed too. But never mind, hooefully I will have some more time to do some more today. Glad you had a good day yesterday. X

  9. wonderful work Barb – I just adore the background and am looking forward to the new video tomorrow – the trees are gorgeous – I have been tempted by two of the past classroom sets but am begining to wish I'd gone for the trees too! Lol! Still – you can't have it all! Big Hugs rachel xx

  10. Absolutely gorgeous, I have the trees and use them a lot, will try this one out. To many lovely verses to just pick one, I think the world in a grain of sand. Joan x

  11. Sorry – I wasn't at the NEC so will wait eagerly for the You Tube demo on the wall 'how to'. The tree line is brilliant. Great stamping and shading.
    Beryl xx

  12. It's a brilliant concept to strip the trees from their mantles, as it makes the stamp suitable for any season. I loved it when you first brought it out, and it's still as good today!

  13. Morning (but you carnt take it away ) the verse I would use is the world is but a canvas to our imagination stamped in olive .on the wall .looks like wall art .i am waiting for my parcel as have ordered the trees and their mantles among others looking forward to the show have a good day xxx

  14. Morning Barbara,
    Love the brick work, I would love to see a tattered and ripped old billboard poster probably for the circus!! I don't know how to achieve the effect but I'm sure you will and would love to see it!!
    Lorna D

  15. Morning Barbara. I too love this one [reminder to self to have a go!]. Oh, and you always tell us "………..but can't take it away!" As for text on the wall, I would suggest stamping the text in sepia in the gap and the words I think might be good: …Life is mostly froth and bubble, two things stand like stone, Kindness in another's trouble and Courage in your own….. Looking forward to the telly show – got my notebook at the ready! Beryl S

  16. Maybe the verse ' May green be the grass'. I would stamp it in Sepia as there is quite a lot of green below and straight onto the wall. Big blank wall just asking for some graffiti, towards the top area as well where the colour has faded beautifully. You always tell us we ' Can't take it away'. As for the videos I can't imagine that you managed to record them without laughing if your demo at NEC was anything to go by. We were all in hysterics so I imagine you had a lot of fun. Glad you had a lovely afternoon with your family always such a precious time. Look forward to seeing what else you do with this lovely card. Lynne xx

  17. Maybe the verse ' May green be the grass'. I would stamp it in Sepia as there is quite a lot of green below and straight onto the wall. Big blank wall just asking for some graffiti, towards the top area as well where the colour has faded beautifully. You always tell us we ' Can't take it away'. As for the videos I can't imagine that you managed to record them without laughing if your demo at NEC was anything to go by. We were all in hysterics so I imagine you had a lot of fun. Glad you had a lovely afternoon with your family always such a precious time. Look forward to seeing what else you do with this lovely card. Lynne xx

  18. Morning Barbara love the card, you can always add it but ……… you can't take it away that's what you are always telling us lol
    I'm not sure about the verse as I don't have many but I would add it as a tag/ topper rather than stamping direct.

  19. Grrr sorry not sure what happened there but suddenly I couldn't add any more to my comment.
    As the only verse I have is the Life is but a canvas I would use that, stamped in olive and added on a tag
    Jackie x

  20. i knew you'd go with blue!
    anyway i would stamp directly on to brickwall with something like the wordchains so it would look like graffiti. words like love, dream. i would stamp in sepia first and then create a shadow with 2nd generation olive to make them more realistic graffiti. hugs xx

  21. 'Be the Change you want to see in the world'…… trees change with the seasons, it's nature…. we sometimes feel we are faced with a metaphorical brick wall …. just acceptance and a change of actions or attitude is what we need! Lovely piece xx

  22. Well an interesting challange – I initially went with Smile and make everyone wonder what you've been up to but due to the nature of the challange I finally settled on The Best is Yet to Come. I would also go with the sepia for the words. I would also add a few of the small birds in flight as well.

  23. Hi Barbara
    Love this.
    Ok so here is my plan. I think the white frame is still a bit too white at the top so would create some illusion of sky having masked the wall. Maybe a couple of v birds with a micron pen.
    How about creating a canvas to hang on the wall with the picture framing kit. you could nick the wall in 4 corners and "hang the frame" you could sepia the "canvas" and gilt the frame using pro markers or use a little grunge paste to create a bit of depth, and then stamp "The world is but a canvas to our imagination" in a burgundy or an archival a little deeper colour than sepia. The picture is very beautiful as it is so this might over egg it a bit, just depends on where your focus is intended. If less is more then maybe the same sentiment but in deep green in the pale area and create some more green on the edges of some of the bricks to give the impression of moss and an old wall. Good job we don't all think the same isn't it. I'm sure you will have loads of options from all these talented followers

  24. You always tell "You can add it, but you can't take it away". I would stamp the owl verse on a scroll (white card which has been distressed round the edges using Antique Linen) as the scene reminds me of the woods in the Brownie story, where a brother and sister went into the woods and asked a wise old owl what a Brownie was and he replied "Go to the pond and turn yourself around three times and look into the pond and there ill be your answer".

    Looking forward to your Youtube video tomorrow and hope you had a lot of fun recording it.

    Oh by the way I got the colour order slightly wrong in that I put Turquoise first then the blue, but I got the black and cream the right way round.

  25. My trees arrived today! Thank you for the offer on them – I've wanted then since the start so really chuffed to have them now. Have all the other bits so definitely going to have a go and see what I can come up with 🙂

  26. Hi Barbara. I love the way you have extended the scene on to the white space around the print, and the trees, hills, foreground grass and shading under the trees make the wall like a large sentiment plaque. On the wall I havenoticed two areas where there is less ink – one in the middle, and one going vertically on the right hand side. My suggestion would be to put 'Nature' in the middle and 'The Best Things in Life are Free' in the vertical space. After all trees are one of nature's wonders, and having a lovely walk in the countryside and seeing all that nature has to offer is one of the very few things which we can enjoy for free. I think I would use the Olive Archival ink. x

  27. What a glorious composition Barbara. Your timing is perfect, I ordered these stamps this morning! I love the shading under the trees and the brick wall is such a gorgeous colour. I would use archival ink to stamp 'The world is but a canvas to our imagination'. That must be your mantra!! Pat x

  28. Fabulous Barbara, I would add 'The world is just a canvass for our imagination' stamped in the middle of the brickwork in sepia. Without your wonderful imagination we would not be treated to all the lovely artwork and stamps you create. Craft hugs Karen xxx

  29. Love those tree stamps! You and your offers are tempting me too much, so I have to decide between the letter box set and the trees – so much for my new year's resolution to use up some of the stash before I added to it any more… mind you I have lasted until almost April, so that's better than when I give up chocolate!
    I think I would go with the verse "Look for a lovely thing and you will find it – it is not far, it will never be far" stamped in sepia, directly onto the faded area in the centre of the wall. Sometimes we feel we are up against a brick wall in our life, but there may be a chink to creep through, or a corner comes more quickly than we expect, or maybe someone will lend us a hand or leave a ladder for us to climb up and over the wall – as long as we keep looking, an answer will usually present itself! Looking forward to your video tomorrow, and thanks for my Clarity badge which arrived in the post this morning! Susan x

  30. Lovely inspirational work as usual,
    I would use sepia ink to stamp the "Be the change you wish to see in the world " by Gandhi. Design club 75. When you come to a brick wall in life you can either change yourself or the world around you and sometimes maybe both.
    Off to see if I have a brick wall gelli page in my" trial" box to see what happens

  31. Hi Barbara. Love it! It still amazes me that by adding some shading and a few hills a piece can suddenly spring to life : ) I'll try and get back to you on more additions and the quote etc. -birds are a must though, I think. Take care

  32. ……..but you can't take it away!!
    I would add a rectangle of card, portrait ways, all tattered,dog-eared and distressed to look like an old poster on the wall, and it would say "True friends can grow separately without growing apart". I would use Sandal Adi to colour the white card (poster), and stamp the words in Raisin, (second generation), and distress around the edges of the poster with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.
    I'm off to order the trees…………. thanks for today's blog, loved it xx

  33. I would use a mount of rectangle card covered in buff titanium paint to match the card, then distressing by tearing around the edge. I would add some depth to the mount by stamping and shading the frayed burlap (from the journaling set) so it looks like it goes underneath the mount. The Clarity word stamp I would use is – The world is but a canvas to our imagination. Albert Einstein. I would stamp this in sepia. Great way to get the mind going on a Monday! XX

  34. First of all, to finish your sentence….."But you can't take it away".
    I would finish the card, by adding afew "Small hanging Vines" in Sepia on the top of the wall, and, where there is a "hole" (I mean where there are no printing of bricks) I would use the "Do all the Good" verse in Sepia again.
    Very nice to see all the different ideas, and do have our mojo in gears on a Monday. xx

  35. I would put a bit of graffiti on it saying "Watch This Space"!!! xx Its a great card by the way. We have a wall in our Town Centre that has black trees on it and they are seeping down onto the pavement, and opposite is a row if trees, and non of my family realised that the trees on the wall are meant to be shadows of the real trees. Brilliant I thought. So shouldn't we be shouting a little louder about the You Tube Launch tomorrow??? Exciting. xx

  36. Hi Barbara, love this set of stamps, really useful. To finish your phrase…."but you can't take it away!" I would add the "What is this Life" verse, in Old Olive to look like moss or lichen growing on the wall. Life seems to be so busy these days that it is all too easy not to stop and look around at the wonderful nature that surrounds us. Looking forward to tomorrow's video. Angela x

  37. Thank you for the best deal on the class kits!! Of course, I had to add a couple more things – the blending mat, for example!!!! Very excited about that!!! Also looking forward to the new videos – any chance you could do an idiots guide to brayering? I've had a couple of goes, but all I get is lines, lines, lines 😕 Thanks for considering it!!!
    The verse I would add to this would be Look For A Lovely Thing. It's a beautiful sentiment and I think it echoes the juxtaposition of the wall and the trees. I would stamp it low, just above just within the 'inner box' of the gelli print, slightly to right of centre of the second spreading tree, second in from right. Clear as mud???! Stamped in first generation Archival Olive. Thanks for the opportunity to win a 'Gray Original', and that great offer! Margaret x

  38. …but you can't take it away. I think the words "The best things in life are free" stamped directly onto the card in sepia would look great (stamped in the centre of the card at the top where the brickwork looks faded).. Lovely card, thanks for the idea. Jx

  39. I read your blog in a blinding rush at 7:00am with every intension of returning to write my suggestion for finishing the artwork. Now it's 11:35 pm and I'm late to bed and had no time to ponder. So please accept my apologies but I've just finished marking. I think you could use the swooping swallow and dotted line from the journaling set as a informal frame to some word chain stamps about nature.
    Really looking forward to to the video in the morning. Sounds like it could be quite entertaining. lol!
    Best wishes Jeanette xx

  40. Have made an attempt, (posted on FB), but I think I prefer yours 🙂 I used some of the word chain stamps and masked off some of the letter to make the word "direction". then stamped "My Art Direction" with the North, South, East, West stamp….suppose you could say "It's all gone West!" or alternatively, "It's all gone "garden birds" up!" Tee-hee -)
    Have a good day Barbara, Carole x

  41. It took a bit of time to come back, but here I am, I would pick the yesterday verse and "but you can't take it away". Lol I forgot to type that
    If I didn't use the yesterday verse then very probably the serenity prayer 1 verse or even the letter press words saying something like "there is never a wall too high to climb".
    Dx

  42. Hi Everyone, what about a piece of urban graffiti after all,art and it is art should be celebrated even if it's in your face and doesn't please but on this card that is not the case .
    Since I know that you really appreciate art Barb I'm sure that one of your more edgy stamps would be great fill the void with something to ponder .Paul

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *