night time stamping

Three posts !

2012-02-12T00:23:00.002Z

As I understand it Washi tape is also called Japanese masking tape ? so I nicked a roll of masking tape from the garage and played about. Coloured strips of the tape with distress inks, left them to dry a while and then stamped on them mostly with darker shades on the same colour. Quite liked how they turned out a and it means can always match the colour to the inks used on the card

I made a card with one of the strips across the bottom, its a bit pale but I like the effect.

The Background of this card is done with the picket fence distress stamping technique which I saw on Hels Sheridans blog,

Putting this card on Gingersnap Creations - use masking tape

and

Rogue Redheads - stamped background

Words Of Wisdom

2012-02-11T17:05:00.001Z

Wooh! two posts in one day .... after the weeks of inaction and moping around "mojo less" seems having a rotten cold has stirred the old mojo up again (probably because I've been feeling so lousy I don't have any guilt feeling about sitting around just playing instead of doing useful things !) This is my card for Gingersnap CreationsChestnut Theme Challenge - Words Of Wisdom. Stamps are Indigo Blu apart from butterflies, I think they are Elusive Images but were just in a pile of bits and pieces waiting to be used. So sorry to see the challenges are finishing on Gingersnaps but wish them well with their new ventures

ps; the green strip is more washi tape !

Love Letters

2012-02-11T14:47:00.001Z

Did this card for Make My Monday whose challenge is Love letters- script or verse, there is script in the background if you look closely. I have had both the stamps for ever, the Maiden is a Paper Inspirations and the bundle of letters is a Sarah Lugg at Rubber Stampede. What made me go all pink and girly on this card was my latest acquisition a lovely little tin full of washi tape, I love Cavallini products and when I saw the tape on ebay the fingers were clicking before the brain had time to think!Iwas not disappointed when it arrived, its lovely and will be appearing ad nauseam from now on Apart from M.M.M there were a host of other challenges so putting it on a few

Make My Monday- love letters-script or verse
Crafty Catz           -   Valentine
Frosted Designs    -   Love Is in The Air
Simon Says Stamp - Love is in The Air
Fussy and Fancy    -With all my heart
4 Crafty Chicks     - Love is In The Air
Our Crafty Lounge- Vintage Love
Daring Card Makers - Hearts and doilies

Enjoy the ride

2012-02-09T23:35:00.001Z

As soon as I saw this Lost Coast stamp I had to have it and then having got it didn't have a clue what to do with it ! Not really happy with this but as I've faffed about with it forever decided to put in on here anyway. While I was messing with the scanned picture I accidentally turned it to black and white and it looked soooooooooo much better, so then I tried it in sepia and that was pretty good too so I'm going to do it again in monotone and maybe I will be happier with it. Not done much crafting this week, was shattered after the birthday celebrations and someone who came kindly left me with a cold, sore throat and cough so I'm not the happiest bunny right now. Off to bed with my hottie bottle and a lemsip with honey ! In such a rush to get to bed last night I forgot to enter my card on Make It Monday

Make It Monday - Anything goes

Bit Of A Strop !

2012-02-04T23:36:00.001Z

Oh dear ! Elsie is in a bit of a strop, Edward has been seen around town with a certain "fast" young lady and Elsie is not happy .......

As soon as I saw France I knew I wanted to use The Moulin Rouge and fancied another go at drawing something, I wished I had not drawn the sails with such a black pen but once its done its done as they say, the dancing girls are a Lost Coast Design stamp and I thought they suited the Music hall theme although please don't get the idea Elsie is a showgirl ,heavens forbid ! Although she is in Music Hall she is quite a serious musician and classes herself as an "Artiste "

This is for Darcy's postcard challenge

Old Movies

2012-02-01T22:47:00.000Z

Not a stamp in sight on this one which is the card I finally made for my husband's birthday next week,if you check the date on the card you will see he will be 80 ( I'm a lot younger that him I hasten to add ......... lol ) I forced myself to use some of my hoarded G45 papers just for him as he loves old films. Found a challenge on My Grafico Crafts which is for tickets

My Grafico Crafts - Tickets anywhere for someone special

Enjoy the journey

2012-02-01T22:35:00.001Z

When I started making this card is was going to be for my husband's birthday and feature clocks but it sort of evolved into a card about journey and time and was not quite what I wanted for him so its going in the box of general cards for now. Thought I would put in on a couple of challenges it seemed to fit.

Fashionable stamping- Its a guy thing
Sugar Creek Hollow - Cream/brown/blue

Butterflies

2012-01-31T00:35:00.001Z

Well "yee hah " Mr Mojo made a brief appearance tonight and I really enjoyed making this card.messing about with distress ink pads and perfect pearls spray again, I can't get over the lovely shimmery effect it gives and I love daubing it all on with my fingers, mucky tyke ! Every time I use the Tim Holtz butterflies I get the "wow" feeling, I just love this stamp ! The Hero flowers were done with markers and spritzed with the spray and worked just as I wanted (for once) . I'm just happy that I finally got a bit of enjoyment back instead of struggling to create . I also made a start on a second card which I hope I can finish tomorrow if Mr Mojo hangs around .This is for:-

Make My Monday - Nature- Butterflies or dragonflies

Make It Monday - Anything goes

Slow boat to China !

2012-01-29T23:56:00.000Z

Almost chickened out of the Postcard challenge this week, I just can't myself back into crafting mode,its a bit worrying as this mood has been going on too long ! So tonight I made myself find some bits and pieces and put together a postcard. Printed the map and stamps from good old internet and found a very old set of Chinese stamps that someone passed on to me years ago and I have never used,see everything comes in useful one day(my excuse for hoarding) Elsie is still on her tour but she is getting fed up of all the travelling, she has not heard from Edward for a few weeks now and doesn't know if the mail is not catching up with her or if he is losing interest ?

Terrible teens

2012-01-25T22:55:00.000Z

Well when I say terrible teens I mean making cards for them, was really stuck and needed a card like yesterday so ended up getting a Mo Manning digi , not something I often use but I was so happy with it,didn't need much adding to make the card and its really approriate for the boy it's for as he is always engrossed in something electronic ! I haven't a clue about the stuff the kids have nowadays .
Found some challenges to enter it into:

Cards For Men - Boys and their toys
Celebrate The Occasion - Masculine birthday
My Craftspot - Lets Hear It For The Boys

Finger painting ?

2012-01-25T22:40:00.000Z

Saw a little video on Hero Arts Blog using this stamp and loved what she (Think it was Sharri Carrol?)
was doing, painting using her fingers with distress inks and perfect pearls. I was really happy with how it turned out but struggled to make it into a card as I didn't want to cover any of it up, eventually just die cut a fancy label and added the sentiment. Its very glimmery too in real life. Not been really much in the mood for crafting for some reason and made the mistake of trying to sort out my floor to ceiling craft cupboard, thrown all sorts away but whats left doesn't seem to want to fit back in let alone leave any more room.

Make It Monday - Anything goes
Make My Monday - Flowers and leaves

Brasil/Brazil ?

2012-01-22T14:30:00.001Z

This is my third go at a postcard this week, my first attempt was a picture Of Christ The Redeemer statue but it was such a lovely picture I couldn't bring myself to alter or add anything to it. Its something I have always wanted to see but not likely to now. Tried a bit of drawing, again no success,left it to check my e-mails, one of them was from Dover Publications with their weekly freebies of which one was paper dolls and here was this beauty,meant to be or what ! Just daubed on background colours with distress dabbers and I was going to do "splats" all over to represent fireworks but once I'd done the first one it said "Sun" so left it at that. My story has not advanced much, they are now a little less formal in that they are using Christian or first names. Elsie has had a great time in Brazil wonder where she will be next ?

Trying to get organised!

2012-01-19T23:15:00.003Z

Well I finally got around to making some a book /book covers to store my various bits and pieces of steampunk . The cover was covered originally with some G45 steampunk paper,gessoed, then I used a couple of masks with pumice stone DI and stamped various steampunk images with black archival. The back cover and inside covers I just used up my very last pieces of G45 papers . Some of the pieces I put inside the book were really cards so I stuck them down the side and bottom to make them into pockets for tags.Have more stuff to put into it as I come across it. I am trying to stop having heaps of stuff on the dresser in here, so I also made a little book to put 4x4 pieces in. I don't know how to do this post with text between the pictures so they will just be as they come .

Simon Says Stamp & Show - anything but a card

Do you believe in fairies?

2012-01-18T00:10:00.000Z

Here's a quick card for Try It On Tuesday challenge which is do you believe in fairies? well not sure I do ! I do believe in Angels but fairies ?? what are they for ! Anyhow all that didn't stop me having a go. At first I was not sure I had any fairy stamps but a root about produced several including this Lily Of The Valley one. I painted her with mica powders so she is quite irridescent in the flesh so to speak. I also managed to master the cutting with nestability oval without chopping her wings off (took a couple of goes before I got it right) Not my usual sort of card but it will come in handy for one of the Great Grand children, there are three girls under the age of four so I'm sure it will suit one of them. I am trying to only make cards I know I can use so I don't end up with a lot more unused cards in my box.

Try In On Tuesday- Fairies
Crafty Cardmakers - No Floral Embellishments

Butterflies and bugs

2012-01-17T16:42:00.000Z

I've been busy trying to make a batch of masculine cards as I have a bunch of mens birthdays coming up in February and March and I was determined not to be chucking something together at last minute as I usually end up doing, not made anything very exciting but have a reasonable stock of them now,might make a few more if inspiration happens to strike !!! After all the boats/planes/trains etc its been a real pleasure to play about with some more feminine stuff. Fashionable stamping challenge is for butterflies/bugs and my main problem was which of the many butterfly stamps to use, I can never resist a pretty butterfly stamp to add to my stash. Settled for this Artemia collage set in the end, all the stamps are from the one set other that the small ones on the BG which is an old (1995!) PSX butterfly medley.All coloured with distress inks.

Fashionable Stamping - Butterflies or Bugs
Make It Monday - anything goes
Sugar Creek Hollow - embossing

Blogger problems

2012-01-13T21:48:00.000Z

Is anyone else having blogger problems again ? For the last two days I've been struggling with it,now I can't post my entry on the postcard challenge as I can't open Darcy's blog, most frustrating !!!

Postcard from Spain

2012-01-13T21:39:00.000Z

Well as you will guess I nearly didn't post this at all. I had thought I would challenge myself to actually draw something as I didn't have any appropriate stamps, its years since I really tried to draw anything and its taken me all week to produce anything remotely good enough to use, I gave up on the front view of the dancer as I couldn't draw a face that wouldn't scare anyone witless ! I was totally shocked when I logged onto Darcy's challenge and saw her postcard, obviously she is a so much better artist than me and I would hate anyone to think I was trying to copy her idea. Anyhow in the end I thought well I'm just going to post it anyhow and hope for the best. The correspondence has not progressed much since last week but hope it will get more interesting as the weeks go by.

Time

2012-01-10T23:15:00.002Z

As soon as I set eyes on these Kanban stamps I just HAD to have them, love the steampunk manequins. especially that wonderful frock coat ! The clock was from a separate set and I really like that it all separate stamps, the outer ring,the number and the central cogs as well as the hands.The background was stamped with a stamp from ISC and clear embossed then coloured with pumice stone DI . I'm putting it on a few challenges

Sunday Stampers - Time
Try In On Tuesday - Resistance
Make It Monday - Anything goes
Rainbow Lady - travel in time

Nature

2012-01-07T20:41:00.000Z

Had a lazy afternoon instead of tackling the pile of ironing that has somehow stacked up again I've just been playing about. One of the challenges I noticed asked for "all your own work" no background papers or stickers etc and I have always enjoyed making my own backgrounds although over the last year or so I seemed to get waylaid with all the pretty papers that just beg to be used(after I've stroked them for the appropriate length of time of course!) I started embossing flower and bird background in white and then coloured in with distress inks,overstamped the Hero envelope pattern with bundled sage and then the little sprig stamp all over(doesn't show much on here) The bird panel was done with distress inks on the craft sheet,then also overstamped with the same two stamps.Hero bird stamped twice and the bird and flowers cut out and 3d'd. The sentiment is from A Stampman set that I bought in a sale a while ago just for the verses which are all about nature. Enough waffling !

Try In On Tuesday - All your own work

Make My Monday - Nature/birds

Papertake Weekly - anything goes

Think I'm out of my depth!

2012-01-06T21:47:00.000Z

Think I've bitten off more than I can chew on this one . I thought I would try the Postcard Challenge(button on left of blog) but what with Mr Mojo still on vacation and total lack of any imagination whatsoever I think this might be my only postcard ! I thought about what I knew about Austria(visited the Tyrol once lots of years ago), my first thought was of the amazing scenery(and my first ever scary trip on a cable car),my next thought was of Julie Andrews dancing across the meadows and that then led me on Johann Strauss ,viennese waltzes etc so my PC became a collage of these things.
Then to the charactors ,this is the really hard bit for me as I don't seem to have a "fantasy gene" . My first charactor is Elsie Jones, who is a Variety Show Artiste and her admirer, Edward who is a classical musical artiste, I have absolutely no idea what is going to happen to the two of them !

Angel In Training

2012-01-03T00:14:00.002Z

I'm still working without Mr Mojo and I'm really missing him . Finally decided I would just have to press on without him but its quite hard work! The background papers are from a New Melissa Frances pad I got last week ,pity I covered up so much of the bottom piece as its really pretty. Its the first time I have used this stamp although I got it last October at Port Sunlight, got a bunch of Lost Coast stamps and they have been languishing in the bottom of a box while I have been so busy with Christmas cards, I would normally go for distress/grungy look with their stamps but she is actually quite a pretty little angel so went with the pink thing. The bit of lace trim has been around for some time and the buttons are old ones from my massive button stash (memo to self that I must try and use more buttons)Think it fits a few challenges

Fashionable Stamping - Anything goes with New Stash
Paper Sundaes - something old/something new
The Squirrel and The Fox - Something new
Simon Says Stamp and Show -something old/something new
Make It Monday- anything goes

Travel memories

2011-12-28T22:16:00.000Z

Well I have been getting a tad worried as even though I got lovely crafting goodies for Christmas I haven't been able to find Mr Mojo to help me play with them however today he made a very short appearance to let me make this little 4x4 page for my Fat Book, used all sorts of stamps on it, My new Tim Holtz from my lovely Sister, some Andy Skinner, Artemio and ISC, weathered wood,chipped saphire and rusty hinge distress inks. I think some of my reluctance to start crafting is down to the fact that I craft in the dining room(well its is supposed to be the dining room) apart from having our breakfast in here we don't use it except for Christmas and the increasingly rare times we have guests so its usually just a total mess however I had a very major clean and tidy for Christmas and I just didn't want to mess it all up again, well I'm well on the way to that again now so I've no doubt will soon be back to usual state ! Thought I could put this on

Fashionable Stamping challenge - Travel around the world

The Holly & The Ivy

2011-12-19T23:57:00.000Z

As soon as I die cut the running reindeer I had the words of The Holly & The Ivy running through my head so went with it for this tag. The background is done with distress stains and then I stamped the swirls with distress stain Picket Fence as per Tim Holtz tag four (I think it was) , love this technique as it gives a sort of bleached out look. The deer is cut from canvas stuck to piece of chipboard, I don't have any sticky back canvas so improvise it. The holly ribbon is some I have had for ages and never seemed to have a use for, wording computer generated as are the ivy leaves at the top, I couldn't quite believe I don't have any stamps with ivy on them. I'm really peeved at the moment as I've just started with a lousy cold, right for Christmas ! only comment I got from OH was that " that means I'll get it for Christmas too " no sympathy as usual !!!! Putting this tag on a few challenges

Make My monday - seasonal tag
The Stampman Challenge - new technique
Simon Says Stamp and Show - Tim Holtz themed tag
Make It Monday - anything goes

Furry Friends

2011-12-14T00:13:00.000Z

Our two little cats that we found abandoned last September in a hedge bottom have now taken up residence under the Christmas tree.As you can see I don't do designer tree ! just pile on as much as I can from the huge box of ornaments etc collected over the years, not to everyones taste but there are a lot of memories on that tree, old family ornaments and gifts from family and friends. I was expecting the cats, especially the kitten, to wreck the tree but they have been very good apart from the kitten trying to chew the light bulbs -not a good idea. Finally finished writing and posting cards and parcels now to get cracking making money envelopes and the dreaded wrapping of gifts, not my favourite job.

The Big Guy

2011-12-08T21:57:00.002Z

Just like last year I have fallen behind with Tim's tags, while I love doing them its very time consuming and lots of other things need doing. This is one of the last batch of Christmas cards I made,I hope its the last lot I need to make too. Found this gorgeous vintage Santa on the internet and could not resist using him. Think this card fits a few challenges.Try It On Tuesday is sponsored by
One Step Card Crafts .

Try It On Tuesday - The Big One
My Time to craft challenge - Vintage Christmas
Make it Monday - anything goes
Sugar Creek Hollow - Always Vintage - Christmas using non traditional colours
I Brake For Challenges - Vintage
Little Red Wagon - vintage

Tag six

2011-12-07T00:03:00.000Z

Now this tag is nothing like Tim's Tag number six, I have to be honest and say I really did not like todays tag ! the colours are way too bright for me, however I did use metal tape over the tag before I embossed it with cuttlebug ornaments folder, then I messed about colouring it with ordinary acrylic paints which did dry ok, it looked very boring so covered the whole tag with inka gold , I didn't bother to emboss it and just added a chipboard utee tree which was in my bits& pieces box.

Tag five

2011-12-06T23:54:00.000Z

Loved this technique with the alcohol inks, apart from the time spent digging out the inks which I haven't used for some time it was a fairly quick one to make, good job as I'm falling behind already and also feeling guilty as I should be doing other things such as writing cards and getting the ones for abroad in the post.

Tag four

2011-12-04T23:58:00.001Z

The worst part of making tag 4 has been trying to get a photo of it, there is not a lot of contrast on it.
I didn't have any of the stuff so drew myself a snowman and cut him out, coloured the tag and snowman with picket fence and faded jeans stains,the only blue I have,the crackle paint I used didn't crackle so overstamped snowman with a CI crackle stamp and snowcap dabber. I love the effect of stamping with the picket fence on the stained background, what a fab trchnique, will be using that again for sure. I tried to punch a piece of acetate with my Martha Stewart snowflake border punchbut just managed to jam it all up so abandoned that idea and added a bit of torn music vellum.I like the other tag Tim did with the leaping reindeer so will try and do that as well if I find time ! We have been out to a concert tonight and people who had travelled from further up the country had been through snow, hope it doesn't get down this far, its bitterly cold tonight and everything was starting to frost up when we came home. The village is looking very festive with a gorgeous tree on the village green. Must try and do some Christmas shopping tomorrow! Also putting my tag on Inspiration Emporium's site

Tag three

2011-12-03T18:53:00.001Z

Well I didn't have anything at all for todays tag.Although I would love to have tried the technique I did not have anything to make the stamp pad with or the stamp so just used my Darkroom door stamp with some chalk inks, resorted to a piece if clip art for the holly, it looked very boring so hand cut the letters for Joy, coloured them with chalk ink and distress stickles (which I managed to smudge onto the tag),charm and a bit of string and thats todays tag finished. Inspiration Emporium are running the Twelve Tags with a chance to win some prizes.

Tag two

2011-12-02T18:56:00.001Z

Here's my second tag for the Twelve Tags Of Christmas. I was lucky enough to win the deer die in a raffle at a craft class and its the first time I have used it. I didn't have any sticky back canvas so adhered some canvas from a roll onto some chipboard (not without difficulty as I had to try several glues before it stuck properly- gel medium did the trick)The background is downloaded from pinterest I think, I downloaded several different carol sheets. I did try to use picket fence distress stain on it but it just made the ink run so I had to start again ! Didn't have anything else from the list so just used bits and bobs I did have. I'm so enjoying doing these tags.

12 Tags of Christmas - Tag 1

2011-12-01T21:02:00.001Z

Here we go with Tim's twelve tags of Christmas! As usual I did not have any of the elements so improvised with what I could find. Cuttlebug snowflake folder, grunge paper letters inked and glittered, nestabilities leaves, bit of scrap music paper and two larch tree cones which I scavenged from a neighbours garden, it took about half a bottle of glossy accents to get them to stick on the tag and they are still a bit precarious. Also popped this on Happy Daze .

Box in a box

2011-11-29T23:16:00.000Z

Second post of the night and still not a single stamp in sight. Spent a while this afternoon making this little box in box which I did at a Stampin up class a while ago. Jill, who took the class, kindly let me have a template for a simplified version she had worked out later and it was much quicker than the original one we did.All the papers are Graphic 45. I wish I had put a different ribbon on it as the one I used is a bit heavy for it but I'm not about to take it apart now . The last two pics are a little decorated tea light (battery one of course) which we also did at the same class. The photos are lousy but the best of a very bad bunch ! I made the box for Make My Monday which is for a box in Christmas style

1. Make my Monday - Box for Christmas
2. Crafty Bloggers - other than a card, something 3D

You used what ?

2011-11-29T23:00:00.000Z

On Sunday I had a discussion with a friend on why we have all kinds of stuff we never use and one of the subjects was peel offs, why, when I don't use them, do I have a big folder full of them? and then even more strange, why did I go into town yesterday morning and buy s sheet of the perishing things,

well because I saw such a cute card made with these stockings! at least there were only enough of them to make two cards so they are all gone now. I cannot get a decent photo as I'm having to take them in artificial light and the colours are all wrong. What appears as orange on here is promarker Berry Red believe it or not, Putting it on a couple of challenges

1. Craft Your passion - Tis the Season

2. Make it Monday- anything goes

bling ?

2011-11-28T00:15:00.001Z

This card was a very quick and easy one and in real life it looks lovely but can I get a decent scan or photo of it ? taken three times as long trying as it did to make the card and it still doesn't look right.The card base is cream with a gold embossed tree and sparkly hologram gems, cut a piece of hologram to make the tree tub and I wish I was as happy with the photo as I was with the card !

Simply less is more - Bling
Our Creative Corner - Christmas tree

shrink plastic

2011-11-27T22:49:00.002Z

Getting into making tags again, at least when I make Christmas tags they usually get used and don't just sit about in boxes like my everyday ones tend to do. While I was flicking about through challenges I saw Try In On Tuesday was shrink plastic and I just happen to have a rather large stash of it which needs using,seemed to go out of fashion although I have seen a few articles about it recently.
I love this Father Christmas stamp but it is so big its hard to anything other than stamp it for the front of a card, I did mess about making decoupage glasses with acetate lens for his glasses years ago but certainly could not be bothered now. Stamped him with ancient page on the shrink plastic and coloured him with tombow pens before shrinking, stamped a few snowflakes and the message(G45)and dabbed round the edges with snowcap dabber, finished with some bakers twine. Now I need to get on with what I was going to do in the first place !

winter morning

2011-11-27T00:12:00.001Z

Just back from a few days in the Cotswolds and after a day of laundry etc thought it was time I got back to the stamps and inks, whole week with no stamping gives me withdrawal symptoms! I wanted to do a card for Fashionable Stampings challenge which is winter wonderland. I loved doing the resist background, one of my favourite techniques and also used it on the tag background, added some stencilling with viva gold paint to tone things down a bit. The little girl is not as pink as she looks on here, she was stamped with quite a dark red (Stampin up's Cherry Cobbler) but I think its the background red which is making it look pink.The stamps on the tag are Oxford Impressions and the background stamps are Butterfly Kisses.

Fashionable Stamping - Winter Wonderland
Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas challenge - vintage/distressed
Just For Fun - favourite shape ( tag )

last batch!

2011-11-20T00:14:00.001Z

This is the one of the last batch of Christmas cards and hopefully I have now got enough of them. I have spent the last two nights putting in inserts and finding envelopes etc, not something I like doing, of course if I was perfect I would do it everytime I make the cards instead of leaving it all to do at once. We are going away for a few days on Monday so I now need to have a big tidy up in here or heaven knows what kind of mess I would find on our return as my two furry monsters have moved in here as their playroom and although my neighbour is kindly cat sitting they are going to be able to get up to all kinds of mischief while I'm not looking! Kitten, Bramble, thinks anything with a ribbon is a toy for him and I have already lost a couple of tags ,nicely chewed up by him.!

Craft Barn Blog Candy

2011-11-18T16:53:00.000Z

Fabulous blog candy on the Craft Barn to mark their 600 followers. Just need to be a follower and post this picture to have a chance of winning

oldie

2011-11-16T22:27:00.000Z

This has got to be one of my oldest stamps, its dated 1995 and I've probably had it since then , I don't think there has been a single Christmas when I haven't made a few cards with it. I do try and do something different with it each year and this time I've coloured the houses for the first time, some cuttlebugged papers and loads of glamour dust for sparkle. There's on;ly one challenge I think its appropriate for and thats Oldie But Goodie which says it all.Their theme is Let it snow.

Times Past

2011-11-14T15:23:00.006Z

This is the card I made for my sister's birthday ( she is 21 about the 3rd plus time around !) The lovely lady is an Inkylicious stamp as are all the background stamps,the honey cream label is from a very old stampin up set. Think this fits the theme at Fashionable stamping so will put in on there.

Fashionable Stamping - Times gone by
Make it Monday - anything goes

Christmas Tree

2011-11-12T00:01:00.000Z

Nearly didn't put this card on here as I can't get the colours to look right either by scanning or camera!
The embossed paper is a lovely bronze/gold, not the greeny colour it looks here. I am trying to use up things I have had a long time, I have a large box full of metallic /pearl type papers that I haven't used any of for ages, used to be able to buy large boxes or rolls of papers from a local paper mill that had a shop for a while, not sure if the actual mill is still in production now. I have not bought any Christmas papers or embellishments this year (just a few stamps!) so I am trying to use up old supplies. The gold metallic ribbon I have had for ever , it looks nicer really than it does on here. The stamp was on a sheet of free stamps from Creative Stamping and I think its lovely. plus no colouring needed !I have made 9 of these tonight, one got scrapped because the cat came in with wet feet and walked across it and another got glue on the front of it. Beginning to think I might manage to get enough cards made after all.

Robins

2011-11-10T00:27:00.000Z

I tried to resist buying this Penny Black robin stamp as I had an idea it wouldn't be the easiest of stamps to do anything with but ended up buying it anyway and yes I have struggled with it! Finally decided the only way it looked right was to cut it out and what a fiddly job it was too( I have made eight cards with it, don't want to see it again this year !) I'm quite enamoured of the cuttlebug folder I used and its one of the big ones which are so useful for doing a whole card front.It meets a few of the challenges

sweetstamps - red/green/gold
Toptip Tuesday - anything Christmas goes
Make My Monday - Christmas - vintage/traditional
St Lukes Charity Card Challenge- Christmas card
Make It Monday - anything goes

Skating snowman

2011-11-10T00:09:00.001Z

I got this cute little snowman at the Harrogate show in September and had forgotten all about him until I came across him while looking for something else. A fairly simple card for me, I am not even halfway to making the cards I need so I will have to try and simplify, I don't do simple easily,even when I start out with something meant to be simple it seems to evolve but feel I have been very restrained on this one.Used some very old christmas paper and minimal colouring, tiny bit of glitter along the snowline. Bah Humbug is asking for snowmen this week so will get him of there before the challenge closes tomorrow

Bah Humbug - snowmen

Simpler Santa !

2011-11-06T16:15:00.001Z

While I had the stamp out to make the card below I made a few simpler versions although by the time I had made eight of them I decided I had seen enough of Santa for now! I think it would have been better without the twine but now its there its staying ! I found a pack of gold cards so I used them as a base, I do like the sizzex border embossing folder, just took off the blank look at the bottom of the card, didn't want to trim the card down as there are also envelopes of the right size in the pack. I am trying not to do my usual trick of making a load of cards and then finding I have no envelopes to fit, I hate making envelopes !

Santa Claus is coming to town

2011-11-06T15:55:00.000Z

I've been playing around with this new Stampendous Santa Stamp I just got from the Stampman with a gift voucher I won, thought I would make a card to enter in their challenge which is Collage, something I like playing about with. Won't be making many Christmas cards like this though as it took me ages !

The Stampman - Collage
Sunday Stampers - Christmas
Our Craft Lounge - distressed and stressed
Winter Wonderland - Sparkle

Poinsettia card

2011-11-03T22:32:00.001Z

haven't had time for much crafting this week and when I do get a bit of time I'm trying to get on with Christmas cards. Having a quick look through challenges this week I saw that Sugar Creek Hollow is asking for Vellum this week so thought I could pop this card on their challenge. The torn piece is white vellum and although it doesn't show too well it is stamped with versamark and then coloured with perfect pearls, looks quite pretty in real life. Its only when I put cards on here that I see all the stray bits of embossing powder, my eyesight is not so good these days! Also putting this on
Make It Monday which is , as always, Anything goes.

Early Expresso

2011-10-30T10:43:00.000Z

One more Christmas card, at this rate it will be a year next Christmas before I have enough cards!
This one is for Fashionable Stamping's Coffee and Cream Challenge. I don't have much Stampin'up
card but out of the four colours I have I used vanilla, Soft Suede and Early Expresso, they just went together to make this card with a bit of inking and stamping and some diamond dust. The main stamp is Crafty Individuals and the swirls are Inkadinkado Gem Stone Flourishes.

Trouble linking?

2011-10-28T22:09:00.002+01:00

I put the Eccentric piece on Gingersnaps and Simon Says last night but when I looked today they are not there, everytime I try to link them it comes up saying refresh in a few seconds ? anyone know what to do? I've tried deleting and reposting but still does the same thing

Eccentric

2011-10-27T23:51:00.007+01:00

Now I don't quite know what this is going to be, I did start off intending to make a steampunk page for my book but kind of lost the steampunk theme along the way. All the stamps are from Indigo Blu, I can see I will be needing more of them ! Although the background looks a bit brown its actually Pumice Stone DI and the rest of the stamping is done with that or Versafine smokey grey as I was trying to keep to one colour for Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge, I did slip up and stamp the top wording with versafine black by mistake but isn't grey just a lighter shade of black ?? also putting ii onto Gingersnaps challenge of black and grey. For those who asked, Mamma cat is doing fine ,she is sitting on my scanner right next to the computer and keeps dabbing at the computer screen trying to catch the curser, the kitten has just run up my back, over my shoulder and fallen off my knee onto the floor, quite difficult to concentrate at the moment ! For a certain smart a..... who has made 57 Christmas cards ,well what can I say, talk about rubbing salt in the wounds !!!!!! I have made one more tonight, only about another 65 to go, I'll get there in the end you'll see !
Now I've just realised that the Gingersnaps challenge should have had a Edgar Allan Poe connections,well this is him visiting London on a foggy day.

Christmas Postcard

2011-10-27T00:03:00.000+01:00

I just don't seem to be able to get settled down to doing any crafting this week, I know I should be cracking on with Christmas cards but just can't seem to come up with anything I really want to make!
My friend who came over yesterday asked me if I could store her stamps while she is moving, ha ha
like I need more stamps !! so now I not only have hundreds of my own but all hers as well so I will spend even more time looking through stamps and wondering what I could do with them instead of actutally sitting down and making something.Tonight I got out five or six stamps and made myself make a card using some of them, its not very exciting but at least I made one. Then I played about with my new G45 stamps and made this Christmas postcard which I do like for once. We had the cat to the vets today to have her spayed,she was supposed to wear a halo collar when we fetched her home but she was so distressed with it and then nearly hung herself between the windowsill and a chair that I have had to take it off,hope she doesn't chew her stitches out!
I'm putting my card on a couple of challenges
Winter Wonderland - vintage Christmas
abc christmas challenge - vintage Christmas

Halloween treats

2011-10-25T00:07:00.001+01:00

I was going to do all sorts tonight but sat watching tv until 10pm and then decided to make these little halloween treat bags, they have three chocolate halloween figures inside, I was going to make some more but ran out of pumpkins and decided its a bit late to start searching for more of them to print out,I think I must have downloaded them last year as they were already printed out in a bag with some other halloween bits and pieces. Have a friend coming over tomorrow and we are hopefully going to start on Christmas cards, just can't get in the mood for them this year.Just adding this to a few challenges
Craftybootschallenges - anything halloween
Make My Monday - Halloween / Black& orange - not sure if this is eligible as its not a card ?
ThereShe Goes - Halloween

Blog Buddies Fat Book Page

2011-10-23T23:21:00.001+01:00

This is the Fat Book page I sent to Caz for the Hallow'een swap, know she has got it so its ok to blog it now, the witch and cauldron are Lavinia Stamps and I just love the witch ! the rest of the stamps are from a set of Hampton art stamps. As there are such a lot of Hallow'een challenges about at the moment thought I could put in a few.
Addicted to Stamps - Halloween
I Brake For challenges - Halloween
Papercreationsink - Halloween

Reality Check

2011-10-19T21:05:00.003+01:00

I've joined Caz's fatbook swap for Hallow'een and as I had never done a fat book page before was a little nervous about it, however I have done my page, just need to post if off to Cazro now .Now I've made one page I thought I'd do another just for fun and this is one I did this afternoon. Its all collage,except for the Paperartsy wording stamp. I could have sworn I had a raven(or crow) stamp but Ican't find one so maybe not. This one came from vintagegraphicsfairy and it is really a crow and not a raven. The background and E.A Poe image are from Plush Possum Studio who have loads of hallow'een stuff to download for free. I'm putting it on these challenges:

Gingersnapcreations           - Ravens
Hooked On Craft Challenges - something spooky
Quirkycrafts                        - Spooky
So Artful Challenge            - Crow image
The Stampman                   - night time

English Tea

2011-10-17T16:21:00.001+01:00

Sugar Creek Hollow challenge this week is Vintage tea featuring tea Cups/tea pots, nothing better than a nice hot cup of tea,just had one to revive me after my shopping trip ! I've used bits of paper from my scrap box,the teacup image is from Crafty Individuals and the ladies image is from Plush Possum Studio free collage sheet. The stamped T labels are on a cube stamp my sister sent me a long time ago and it doesn't have a make on it. I've been looking for hallow'een bits and pieces to make some little goodie bags for trick'n'treaters but I haven't had much luck, nobody seems to have anything but costumes etc so looks like It will have to be a bit more inventive. We only get maybe six or so little kids round as we live in a cul-de-sac with mostly old peope (older than us ! ) so its just one or two people who bring their little grandchildren round. (hope its the same this year !)

Discovery

2011-10-14T17:39:00.000+01:00

I made this card "just because " I wanted to try a couple of new stamps that I got at Port Sunlight.The round map one is from Stamp Camp and I just "needed" it as soon as I saw it. The large background stamp is one of the Cover A Card stamps from Impression Obsessions, I have a few of their stamps now and they are so useful. All coloured with distress inks. The little ship is from a Crafty Individuals stamp. I'm putting on a couple of blogs , a bit tongue in cheek but they roughly fit the challenges (I hope!)

The Stampman - Circles
CCEE Stampers - The Day Columbus discovered America ( thats the tongue in cheek bit ! as the circle stamp is France I think !)
The paper Variety - Nautical

Tranquil

2011-10-12T13:35:00.000+01:00

Tranquil is the title of my post and I'm anything but tranquil at the moment, in fact I'm getting over excited again ! I was over the moon to have my card chosen as the winner on Fashionable Stamping as there are such fabulous creations on there that sometimes I feel quite inadequate with my offerings!
also I was a random winner on Simonsays stamp and show and got to spend a whole $50 in their shop,had a fab time last night shopping. Anyhow down to earth and my latest offering which is an Autumn scene for a few challenges

Try It On Tuesday    - Peace and Tranquility - a walk in the woods always feels calm and peaceful
Make My Monday   - Autumn Trees
Kaboodledoodles     - Leaves

Also saying Hello to three new followers, so pleased to have you looking in, welcome !

Wicked

2011-10-10T22:46:00.001+01:00

There seems to be quite a few Hallow'een challenges around at the moment( wonder why !) Last year was the first time I had ever done anything Hallow'een and although I didn't think I would like it I loved it, I do like the dark gothic type stuff but as I can't really do digital things I don't get to do it. I had great fun making this tag, love the witch stamp, she is going to be making a lot of appearances this month. Witch and wording are Hampton Art Graphic 45,trees are CI. I'm entering it for a few challenges
1.      Dragons Den      - The Whole Of The Moon
2.     Cupcake Craft Challenge - Halloween
3.     Make It Monday - Anything Goes
4.     Stampsfun   - Halloween
5.     Quirkycrafts - Halloween
6.     Rainbow Lady - In The Misty Moonlight

Had a fabulous day at Port Sunlight last Saturday, so many stamps, so little time (and money !).
Actually we spent five and a half hours there plus nearly five hours travel so it was a long day and I was shattered when we got home but I had a bag full of goodies ,nearly all stamps other than a few dies , a couple of masks and some metal charms, I still have stamps from the Harrogate show in September that haven't kissed ink yet so lots of stuff to play with, just need to find the time and to be quite honest I can make the time but I seem to waste a lot of time on the computer and also getting round to deciding what I actually want to do !

Welcome

2011-10-05T00:36:00.000+01:00

Another quick post just to say welcome to my new followers, so happy to have you looking in. Love followers and love comments !

Trash to Trash !

2011-10-05T00:14:00.000+01:00

Well I have spent two evenings messing about with this and although the finished result is really rubbish I have so enjoyed doing it ! I started out with a piece of corrugated card packaging and played about just daubing paints on with my fingers and getting good and messy. I bought the metallic paints inThe Works at 99p a large tube and they are fabulous, I only got three colours so I'm off back tomorrow to see if they have any left, not a lot there when I got these, I nearly didn't get them as I have so much paint etc but so glad I did. The last picture is an attempt to show the lovely glimmery finish.I also had fun stamping with gold paint, used bubble wrap and bottle caps and a stamp that is supposed to be fireworks. I am putting this on Sugarcreek Hollow Trash to Treasure challenge although I'm a bit ashamed of it ! and I'm also putting it on Sunday Stampers as it has got my Mojo working a bit.

Nautical

2011-10-02T00:16:00.002+01:00

A quick collagey make card , too much lolling about in front of the tv tonight, had to watch Strictly and then it was too much effort to move ! finally rolled in here and put a few bits together, most of the stamps are Aspects Of Design from the Stampman and I have had them a long time, I can always rely on them if I need to make a masculine card in a hurry. All dabbled with distress inks and a bit of bakers twine.Might just manage to sneak this in on Simon Says Stamp and Show and its also for
St Lukes challenge both of which have a male theme.Also putting it on One Step Craft Challenge which is Just For Men

Girl Friends

2011-09-30T23:53:00.002+01:00

Slipping this in at last minute for Gingersnaps challenge Gal Pals . I don't know the make of the stamp ,it came from a sale box at The Stampman and its the first time I've used it altho I've had it a while, I quite like these ladies they remind me of how women used to dress in the 1940's and 50's when I was a child !
I've had a strange kind of day, trying to get the garden sorted out and tidied up while we are having such glorious weather, we have been power washing the patio and drive and I've been cutting back herbaceous plants.In between times I saw on Brenda's blog about making a blog button so I've been trying to do that and failed miserably ! I made a really nice button but when it came to doing the link bit I could not understand how to do the code bit even after finding very explicit instructions, I'm just so useless at technical stuff. I would love to change my blog background but even though I've done it before I can't even remember how to do that now

Top Billing

2011-09-29T19:04:00.000+01:00

Another vintage card. The silent movie star stamp belongs to a friend and we don't know who's make it is but I think it could be a Stampsmith, whoever made it she 's a lovely lady. Background paper from Craftwork cards, stamped panel Tim Holtz papillons set as is the front label,film strip is idealogy and the tickets are Graphic 45, I'm entering this on a couple of challenges

Fashionable Stamping - vintage
Sunday Stampers - Simply irresistable

School days vintage

2011-09-28T00:15:00.000+01:00

After lolling about watching tv most of tonight I finally got down to making a quick collage type card for Sugar Creek Hollow which is ,as always vintage/shabbychic/primitive and the theme this week is children. The two little girls are from Artistic Outpost Birds Of A Feather,the public school tag is Oxford Impressions and the papers are Graphic45.

Garden atc

2011-09-27T00:25:00.000+01:00

Almost didn't post this atc after I have been round looking at all the fantastic work on other peoples blogs. I made this very quickly (and it shows!) tonight as I had forgotten to do some atcs for the Stampman swap, need to get them in the post in the morning. I am still struggling with lack of mojo , I'm beginning to think its gone for good this time ! My two little cats have been taking up quite a bit of time but they seem to be finally settling now, Momma cat is venturing outside but likes me to be out with her and she soon shoots back indoors at any noise, kitten has grown some and now has a fat little tummy instead of being skin and bone,still haven't worked out what sex it is but we have called it Bramble after where it was found and that name will do for either sex, Momma cat is called Poppy but my husband calls her Poppet . I still don't understand how someone could abandon the poor little things like that.

Steampunk hybrid

2011-09-23T00:02:00.000+01:00

This is a sort of hybrid piece as part of it is digital and then I have added the stamped man and the metal cog and watch parts, I had almost finished the piece when I realised I hadn't added any metal which was the theme I was supposed to be working to .... Duh............ I added the cog cut from a tinfoil dish and then put a couple of puddles of glassy accents and just tipped the watch parts on. I always end up with lots of little bits left in the watch part packs so it was a good way to get some of them used up. This is for
Make My Monday which is Steampunk - add some metal

Vintage Christmas

2011-09-20T23:06:00.001+01:00

Can't seem to get going with anything at the moment, serious loss of mojo once again, trouble is everytime it goes walkabout its longer and longer before it comes back ! I haven't made any Christmas cards as yet and I am usually well on the way by now as I love making them normally but I don't seem to be able to get any ideas of what I want to do. Anyhow I did manage to make this today for Sugarcreek Hollow challenge which is always Vintage/shabby chic/primitive- the theme this week is fancy borders, I have used my new shapablities lace doily die and also a nesty die for the sentiment label, the papers are all graphic45 Christmas Past. I'm also entering it in afew other challenges

Creatalicious                         - anything goes
Gingerloft                             - vintage/distress
Scrappyfrog                          - vintage
Makeitmonday                      -anything goes
Craftroom Challenge           - anything Christmas

Digital steampunk

2011-09-19T00:30:00.000+01:00

Now don't laugh but I'm so chuffed with myself I had to put this on here ! A while ago I tried to do a digital picture in word and then found I couldn't upload it as its the wrong format, well tonight I just found I can do it in publisher and save as a jpeg image and it works, wooooh ! Yes this is probably pathetic to all you people who do such fabulous digital work but I'm just over excited about it all .Now I just need to find lots more digital images to play with and do something a bit better.

No crafting

2011-09-16T23:03:00.000+01:00

Well this is the reason for no crafting at the moment ! Yesterday we found this cat and kitten in the undergrowth down a little country lane. We had parked to walk into the woods when mommy cat appeared wailing pitiously, after a few minutes we realised there was more miouws coming from the nettles and brambles and after scrabbling about I found a tiny little black kitten. There were no houses nearby so we ended up putting them in the car and bring them home. They were both ravenous,gulping down food like they had not eaten for days and they are both very thin, the kitten is just skin and bones. How they got there we don't know unless someone dumped them. The mother cat is hardly more than a kitten herself. We will ask around the neighbourhood to see if anyone claims them but otherwise they will have a good and loving home with us.(ps; we did go back later to see if there were anymore kittens but no signs of any)

Vintage frame

2011-09-14T23:08:00.000+01:00

Fiddle faddled about all day with this card, the frame stamp is new and I had no idea what I wanted to do with it,started by gold embossing it onto a piece of white card, then added Victorian velvet DI znd a few flourishy bits from a stamping up stamp, cut out the centre of the frame and used a Graphic 45 picture in it, added flowers and pins etc and I'm quite pleased with it for once .Putting it on a couple of challenges

Sir Stampalot - Frame it
Shopping Our Stash - vintage/distressed/shabby chic

Flight

2011-09-13T22:55:00.000+01:00

Another page for my steampunk book ,its coming along very slowly, think this is only the 4th page.
Its my entry for Make My Monday - Steampunk- One colour only and Simon Says Stamp and Show which is Steampunk

dressmaker tag

2011-09-13T15:53:00.000+01:00

well I finally got to play with new stamps and also new distress stains, now I have kept saying why would I need distress stains, I've got the ink pads, got the re inkers to make my own sprays,who needs more ink, well........ yes I got tempted at the show and I'm so glad I did, love them ! so quick and the colours are so vivid, I need more !!!! For my tag background I spritzed the tag with water, added stains randomly, re -spritzed with water and let it all run into a lovely puddle, dried it off with heat gun,then dabbed more stains through a stencil, could have played all day ! then added various stamps with smokey grey versafine. The dressform etc are stamped on another piece of paper I had coloured with different stains. The stamps are new ones from Inkylicious that I also bought at the show, I'm just a sucker for sewing theme stamps, I have several different sets but end up buying more ! This is my tag for

Fashionable Stampers - Tag
also for
Make It Monday - Anything goes
Papercreations - Vintage

Sunflowers

2011-09-11T23:42:00.002+01:00

Well when I saw Sugar Creek Hollow's challenge yesterday I didn't think I would be doing it. didn't think I had anything with sunflowers on and also I just don't seem to use yellow on cards much and also it doesn't seem very vintage, however I finally remembered this stamp which I have had for years and never used, it came in a grab bag from Stamp Connections and has been lurking in the bottom of drawer ever since, the other little sunflowers are made from paperclay and they also have been around for a long time !
Yesterday was the Harrogate Papercraft Show , I had a lovely day there, met some people who have blogs thanks to Avril from Mrs B's Addiction, got some lovely new stamps from Inkilicious amongst others and some Spellbinders shapabilities which I am having problems getting out of the die as they are so intricate !

Paris postcard

2011-09-09T17:00:00.000+01:00

Don't know where this week has gone, its not even as if I've done anything interesting and also the mojo has gone walk about yet again! Just made this quick card for

Fashionable Stamping - lace/ribbon

Just for fun - vintage

Whats new ?

2011-09-06T23:55:00.001+01:00

Finally got caught up with the laundry from our holiday and its all ironed and put away so maybe I will find time to do some crafting again. Tonight I just made this steampunk atc for Make my Monday,very simple one, paper from G45 and stamp from scrollworks , don't know where I got the astrolobe image from, the wording is from Artistic Outpost Paris set. I'm hoping to go to the Harrogate Papercraft show on Saturday, anyone else going ?

Trash to Treasure !!

2011-09-04T22:55:00.003+01:00

Oh dear, I have no idea what blogger is doing now, I do wish they wouldn't keep altering things ! Anyhow just back from a few days in Dorset, had a lovely time, even had good weather ,spent a whole day at the Dorset Steam Fair amongst all the smoke and steaming monster engines etc, rode the old fairground carousels etc, spent the other days visiting castles, beaches and picture postcard villages etc.
I have had a hard time trying to get a decent photo of this little holder I made from a cat food box. it holds eight acrylic paints in one side and various sprays and inks in the other. The challenge on Sugar Creek Hollow this week was to use trash to make something, can't get much more trashy than cat food boxes and Try It On Tuesday this week is To Alter Something, their challenge is sponsored by the Craft Barn. I was going to add more embellishments to it but in the end I did not want to cover up the stamping so left it as it is.

vintage for men

2011-08-28T00:09:00.000+01:00

Well I had tidied all my craft stuff away as we are going away for a few days on Monday and I have all kinds of jobs to do before then but when I saw Sugar Creek Hollow challenge for this week is make it masculine I couldn't resist getting a few bits and pieces out again ( the room now looks like something exploded in here !) The background is masked and stamped with a couple of stamps,all the pieces inked and torn , the galleon stamp nearly defeated me as for some reason I didn't seem to be able to get a good image, this is the best of a bad lot, I have stamped it without problems before but it just didn't want to play tonight !

Primary Colours

2011-08-27T16:29:00.001+01:00

I wanted to keep this quite a simple card as it is for our two year old great grand-daughter who I'm sure will have it in pieces in no time ! The background happy birthday is done on the computer and the little girl is a free digi image and I think she came from Digital Two For Tuesday, I've had her quite a long time so I'm not sure. I'm entering this on Gingersnaps childhood days challenge which this week is primary colours.

Buttons and bows

2011-08-26T11:30:00.001+01:00

I've had this card made for a couple of days but didn't get round to posting it on here so I've nearly missed the boat with the Sugar Creek Hollow challenge which finishes tonight but I'll put in on anyway. Stamp is an old Hampton Art, papers were free in a magazine, ribbon from stash and buttons from my old button tin collections.

Help!

2011-08-25T19:04:00.000+01:00

I made my first piece of digital art in Word and was really excited about it ( sad I know !) however now I can't find out how to upload it to my blog ? anyone any ideas for me ? it shows as a word document in my pictures file and blogger won't accept it. If anyone can help would they e-mail me please..........

Rock star

2011-08-24T19:21:00.000+01:00

Still not in a productive mode I'm afraid, I really want to do things but seem like I can't get any inspiration to actually start and make anything. This little rocker is my card for Gingersnaps childrens challenge which asked for teenagers, she's rather a saucy one but I quite like her ! Everything is from the internet this time, Roxette is a digi from Make It Crafty and I found the background and other bits on google.

Keep calm

2011-08-23T23:49:00.000+01:00

Well I have produced absolutely zilch the last few days, I have spent two nights making atcs but the first lot went in the bin after various disasters with them and the second lot are not much better ,couldn't bring myself to post them on my blog ! We have builders in next door who arrive at 8am and proceed to hammer and drill, shout and laugh loudly all day,they are a couple of nice guys really but I have had a permanent headache for days now, I have to tell you that usually the noisiest thing around here is the birds chirping in the garden, I just don't do noise these days ! We are going away for a few days next week and I hope we get a nice quiet room, fingers crossed !

Using more scraps

2011-08-21T15:30:00.001+01:00

Using a few more bits from the scrap pile , the silhoutte grass was already white embossed on a piece of card and the bird already stamped on another. Coloured the grass piece with scattered straw and spiced marmalade DIs, cut the bird with a circle nestie and restamped and 3d'd the bird and flower,the green piece is coredinations, distressed and sanded, added some punched flowers and buttons.Think this fits a few challenges so here goes (hope I can refind them to link up !)

Stampinbsdesignteam - distressing
C.R.A.F.T challenge - resist technique
Fashionable Stamping -handmade flowers
Stampman - summer colours

Scarecrows!

2011-08-19T23:01:00.001+01:00

I have sat around this evening just blog hopping and thinking that I haven't got an original thought in my head as what to make next so I thought I would just post a few photos of our visit to Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival yesterday. It was a lovely day and we did manage to walk round the complete trail this time and it was so worthwhile, it gets better every year, these are just a few of my favourite ones, the Simples meercat even sang the tune too! .Its such a pretty place too, we had been for lunch in Grassington first and then after doing the trail we finished off with tea and cake in the village hall.

Scraps

2011-08-19T18:30:00.001+01:00

The top photo is a pile of "scraps" on my table, some abandoned projects, some extra bits of stamped images and die cuts etc, whenever I stamp something I have to stamp it several times in case I mess up with what I'm making and when I'm experimenting with backgrounds ,ink etc also have to do lots,the piles just get bigger so when I decided to make this tag I just picked up pieces from the stack,the only extras I've added are the beads hanging from the cage and the brad at the top, the green layer was already stamped and white embossed so just coloured it with D.Inks wild honey and peeled paint.The bird cage is painted with picket fence crackle and the bird is coloured with vintage photo and then fired brick distress stickles. I'm entering it into a few challenges including Grungy Monday
All Things T!m

Grungy Monday - distress stickles
Simon says stamp and show - show us some bling
Sunday Stampers - White
City Crafters - must use scraps
Creative craft challenge - anything but a card

Fairies

2011-08-17T23:38:00.002+01:00

While I had the box of old stamps out looking for the poppy stamp( earlier post) I saw this Stamps Happen stamp which I don't think I have ever actually made anything with. The problem with the Stamps Happen stamps was that the coloured picture on the wooden stamp block was so pretty they just sort of fell into your basket and then when you got home with them it was "well what do I do with this ?" This was bought long before anyone was using DP on cards and its amazing what a difference
it has made to cards. Just recently I seem to have stopped using DP's much again and gone more into inky stuff and stamped backgrounds but I think I might try using some more of my old stamps with papers and see what happens. Saw that Make My Monday challenge is Fairies or Angels so am putting Fairy Sparrow on there. Doesn't show on here but she is decoupaged and glittered too.

Poppies

2011-08-17T23:20:00.001+01:00

Had a box of old stamps out today as I was looking for this poppy stamp which I have had a long time,it was made by Funstamps, think they have been gone a long time now, I was never too keen on it as it had too many areas that were black and never looked right however with the lovely copic pens can now colour over all the black bits and I am quite pleased at how it came out. The DP was a freebie in a magazine and the word circle is Lily Of the Valley.Putting in on these challenges

Paper creations - Show Us Your Flowers
Make it Monday - Anything goes
Sir Stampalot- Anything you fancy

Boy amongst the men

2011-08-16T22:36:00.001+01:00

This is another page for my steampunk book which is coming along very very slowly(only three pages so far !) and I'm also putting it in at the last minute for the fourth steampunk challenge on Gingersnaps creations which is Iron, brass and leather. Found it quite hard this one until I realised I could use the colours of the elements, so I have used brass embossing powder on the rim of the clock and a brass coloured squashed bottle top, the leather is a piece of crumpled and distressed brown card and the iron is the cog coloured with pumice stone DI and partially embossed with metallic silver ep. The boy looks as if he has a hard life, I imagine him having to work very hard amongst heavy machinery as children did in the Victorian age.I got the image of him from Land of nod Studios, the clock from the Graphic Fairy and the works sign from Plush Possum studios. Stamps by Artistic Outpost and Graphic45.I'm also putting this on Try It On Tuesday which is anything goes

Lighthouses

2011-08-16T00:15:00.000+01:00

I just don't know where the time goes, seems like I get up, turn round and its time for bed ! I've just managed to squeeze a bit of crafting in tonight and make a little card for the St Lukes Challenge which is seaside. I used an old Stamps Happen stamp which I have had for ever and a couple of little Anitas stamps at the bottom of the card. Yesterday we went up to Fountains Abbey which is just a few miles up the road from us and had a lovely walk round the water gardens, its one of my most favourite places, so beautiful, calm and relaxing, finished the afternoon with cream scones ,also one of my most favourite things !

Vintage Christmas

2011-08-13T23:43:00.000+01:00

Sugar Creek Hollow challenge this week is for Vintage Christmas, couldn't ask for anything I like more. All papers and images are Graphic 45, Martha Stewart snowflake punch and the postage cancellation stamp is an old Hero Arts I have had one of those days when I got up with such good intentions and I have done ziltch all day ! now I need to clear up the mess I have made in here before getting to bed.

Its really the last post for tonight

2011-08-11T22:24:00.001+01:00

Dragons Dream Tag It On challenge is about horses which gave me the opportunity to use this lovely
Cornish Heritage stamp, I have a very soft spot for this stamp as I have an original Harrison Fisher picture of this on my bedroom wall, its been in the family as long as I can remember, its in a lovely ornate wooden frame, it went to California with my sister who has sadly passed away and the picture came back to me so its doubly sentimental to me.

Precious

2011-08-11T22:15:00.000+01:00

Another black and white card with Artistic Journey stamps, the flourish down the side is Stampin Up, I had to add the paper button in the corner as I got an ink smudge! I'm not good with black ink and white card but I thought I had managed quite well today until the card was all assembled and there was the smudge! Putting this card on Just For Fun Challenge which is Black and white

Friends

2011-08-11T21:55:00.000+01:00

I haven't used these Art Journey stamps for some time but whenever I do use them I think I should use them more, they are ideal for black and white cards as they really don't need anything doing with them., the diamond pattern is Paper Impressions and Friend is Stampin Up, bit of black and white bakers twine to finish.I'm entering this for Secret Crafters Saturday challenge which Black and white.

Not the day I planned

2011-08-11T21:34:00.001+01:00

Well I was not supposed to be at home today but things went pearshaped quite early this morning and I found myself with nothing to do. ( well I could have done some cleaning bu where's the fun in that ?)
so I have had most of the day to play. I wish I knew how to post pictures with text inbetween but I don't so there has to be four seperate posts, yes I managed to complete four challenges today ,just hoping I haven't missed the cut off dates. This one is for Divas By Design which is birthday. The background is Tim Holtz Papillon stamps, the top layer is Elusive Images,all stamped with Chipped Saphire distress ink.By the way the wonky dark blue background is not part of the card, just what I put it on to scan it.

Steampunk Tag

2011-08-10T23:34:00.000+01:00

Rubbish photo but the best I could come up with (scan was even worse. Anyhow its my tag for Grungy Monday following Tim's technique here. Used a piece of plastic packaging from my new nesties, embossed with dots and spots cuttlebug folder, Alterations cogs painted black and added a bit of Inka gold, tag coloured with stormy sky DI and stamped with various steampunk stamps.The metal cogs on the big cogs are from my bargain box of washers from the steam fair. I'm also putting this on Simon Says Stamp and show which is show a Tim technique.

Postage stamp tag

2011-08-09T22:45:00.000+01:00

Haven't done a tag for Tag Tuesday for a while. I did make the decision to stop making so many tags even though they are of my favourite things to do as I never do anything with them,they sit gathering dust on the dresser and eventually end up stuffed in a box somewhere out of sight. The challenge this week was to use a real postage stamp and for your tag to be about it, well our stamps these days are pretty boring but I knew straight away I would use Artistic Outpost stamps for my collage background.The tag was very quick to make but I did spend a lot of time going through a large box of used stamps that mainly came from my Dad, there are some very old stamps in there ,including an EdwardV111 (the one who abdicated) and lots of very pretty worldwide stamps but i don't like to use them (one may be worth as much as a Penny Black postage stamp - in my dreams LOL)

Camera v scanner or both for the bin !

2011-08-08T22:47:00.001+01:00

Anyone who visits my blog often will know I always scan my cards as its quicker and easier for me and I have a good quality scanner which usually gives pretty good colour match to the original card.Tonight as I had made a step card I thought I had better try and take a photo , huh its taken me forever to get a halfway decent pic and then load it onto the computer and crop it etc, anyhow finally managed to get it on here. This is for Sugar Creek Hollow challenge which is as usual Vintage/Shabby Chic or Primitive and this week asks for neutral colours only. I haven't made a step card for ages so enjoyed making this one as it was such a limited colour palette I tried to add quite a bit of texture to it as well. The pretty lady is from Dezina world collage sheet which was one of the sets I got for winning the random prize on Gingersnaps. The quality of the images are amazing so I feel very lucky to have got so many of them !

By the Sea

2011-08-07T23:37:00.000+01:00

Crafty Individuals challenge this month asks for bright colours, this piece really started off as an atc and then I made another and decided to put them both on a "hangy thing" Background is a CI seaside paper and the shell frame is cut from the cover of the paper pad. Gingersnap creations challenge is for Babes and Tots so hope this fits that theme. Friday we went to the big Steam Gathering at Pickering,lots of very smoky steam rollers etc, very steam punk ! took lots of photos and bought some bits and pieces, a whole box full of things which my husband says are star washers but they look like little cogs to me, some pop rivets and electrical connection bits, if I have to be dragged round tool stalls might as well find some bits for me too! Actually it was a lovely day weatherwise and we had a great day out.

Missed the boat!

2011-08-04T23:56:00.001+01:00

Well this has not been one of my best weeks, what with hospital visits etc and I don't seem to have had time to do any crafting. I made the tag part of this card at the beginning of the week for just for fun challenge but didn't get it finished and missed the challenge finish. Sugar Creek Hollow is make your own designer paper which I have my just randomly stamping various postale and Paris images. I think The Stampman challenge is still stitching and I have stitched the fabric to the tag on here and I'm also putting it on the new challenge Fashionable stamping which is anything goes but must use stamps.

Wonderful World

2011-07-31T00:26:00.001+01:00

Didn't seem to be able to settle to doing anything tonight,spent a lot of time blog hopping and admiring other peoples work, I'm always amazed at how much some people seem to do, think I must just be a bit (or a lot !) slow as it takes me forever to make anything. I finally got going and made this atc for CCM Spotlight challenge which is for atcs this time, almost missed it, think it finishes tomorrow. The background is done with the Cosmic Shimmer chalk mists which I got when I re subscribed to Craft Stamper, they have been sitting on top of my printer as the colours are so pretty didn't want to put them away, its the first time I have used them and I do like them very much. The little girl is a Crafty Individual stamp as is the wording.

Also wanted to say hello to three lovely people who have just joined me as followers and for all the lovely comments that are left for me.

Ten minute tag

2011-07-30T00:24:00.001+01:00

Tag Tuesday this week is to make a tag in ten minutes. This tag is just bits left over from the previous post. I stanped the complete stamp on a cream tag, inked the edges and added the cut out and coloured butterflies on top, bit of ribbon at the top. I just love this stamp and feel it really doesn't need anything added to it, the butterflies are very irridescent but don't know if that shows on here.y