Stamped and Handwritten Titles

Hello there and welcome to another Technique Tuesday.  I started these posts to get out of a scrapbooking rut and do something different with my LOs.  My titles tend to be stickers – either thickers or a mix of thickers and smaller alphas.  For my LO this week I decided to use a technique I have used before for a LO which was published in Scrap 365 last year (and which I think I first saw Shimelle do).

First I stamped the main words of the title using distress ink, this gives a pale letter.   Then I wrote the other word(s) in a cursive script on top of the main word(s).  This part can be a little intimidating – one slip and you need to completely rethink the title.  It might be worth practicing on some scrap paper if you want to try this but feel a bit nervous about going straight on a page.  After the cursive part of the title is done all that remains is to outline the stamped word(s).

I prefer the black version I did for Scrap 365 to the brown I did for this LO.  I think there isn’t enough contrast between the stamping and the journalling pen.  Maybe a thicker pen would have helped.

The Grandma found this photo of my cousin’s three children when clearing out the wardrobe which is now in my craft room.  I recognised the boy’s jumper instantly – even though until that moment I had totally forgotten knitting it.  I used to do a lot of knitting – generally when I was watching TV.  I’ve lost count of the number of baby clothes, dolls clothes and toddler’s jumpers I have knitted over the years.  I still have some jumpers and cardigans I knit for myself – although I no longer wear them.

Of course I knit baby clothes for Puddle Duck, but after she was born I started to struggle.  My fingers would go numb before I finished a row on her pram blanket.  I had an over active thyroid gland but even when that was sorted out I still had problems with pins and needles in my fingers.  Eventually I was diagnosed with carpel tunnel syndrome in both wrists.  I’ve had the decompression operation on my right wrist and it has helped a lot – I can at least now drive without the numbness but knitting and crochet (yes, I did that too) are something that I have had to give up.  I still do the odd small item, but I don’t think I’ll be knitting any more jumpers like the one in the photo.

Finding that photo was perfect timing and I will be linking this post with Another Freaking Scrappy Challenge, where this month’s theme is to scrap about your favourite childhood pastimes.