Pomp and pageantry

Had a play with some of my london stamps last night, seems everyone is going all patriotic this year for the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics so thought I had better get some mileage out of my stamps while they are so "in" ! Collage stamped the background with a selection of Artistic Outpost and Indigo Blu stamps, then added the couple and the Lion from Indigo Blu's Pomp and Pageantry set.hand cut the triangles for the bunting which was a bit fiddly but I like the finished effect: putting on three  challenges

Simon says Stamp and show -  London/New York or Paris
Papercreations                        - show us your style with your fave technique -collage stamping
Happy Daze                           -  Love - a technique you love - collage stampin

vintage romance

Trying to remember where I got this lovely girl from. I think it was The Sum Of All Crafts? just lightly tinted her with chalks like a victorian tinted photo, few pretty papers, ribbon and pearls and two hearts.I am not very good at romantic stuff so don't go overboard with sentiment! The lace frame she is on is a doily stamp from Hero embossed in white on vellum and its so pretty ,keep forgettingI have it and then when I do use I love it all over again.Putting this on a few challenges

Make it Monday          - anything goes
Make my Monday       - victorian romance
Ruby's Rainbow         - vintage
Crafty Cardmakers     - recipe- image/background papers.embellishment, pearls,ribbon and two hearts

Wales

Here's my belated postcard from Wales. As my two charactors are musicians my first thought was that it seems like everyone in Wales can sing, they have such wonderful male voice choirs. The music background is actually the Welsh National Anthem, Land Of My Father(s) but I could not get a clear print of it, it is in the Welsh language too. Just added a few things that are particularly Welsh, the national flower, the Welsh dragon and the Welsh costume. Things are hotting up for Elsie and Edward but just remember this is back in the thirties when romances moved on a little slower !

ps: last weeks belated postcard is below

belated postcard challenge

I have not felt up to doing much creative since I had this cough/virus, its really knocked me for six and I still feel like I'm wading through treacle ! every time I think its getting better it wacks back again and as I already have breathing problems (emphesema, which I normally cope with quite well)  it does get me down . Anyhow last night I thought I would try and play catch up on the postcard challenge and although I'm too late to link this I thought I would try and keep the story going. Although I am not being specific about dates my story is set somewhere in between the two World Wars . When I saw the theme was Belgium I could not get the Flanders fields theme out of my head. We have visited Belgium and I was incredibly moved by the Menin gate memorial and the church in Ypres, so many lives lost.  I have hinted in my story that Edward was there during the war.  The background of my postcard was a satellite map of Belgium that I found on the internet as are most of the other bits. The poppies are a Penny Black stamp

Too cute !

Had a friend over yesterday who wanted to learn an inky technique, I usually do inky and she does "cute" however we swapped roles yesterday , she had made some lovely cards with digital stamps (another thing I very rarely use) but I was tempted to buy this owly couple, have some wedding anniversaries coming up soon and one person loves owls so this is for her and her husband -coochy coo !  I'm never quite sure which challenges "ban" digi's so hope I haven't entered any that do, sure they will remove it if I've erred !

Craftroom challenge - cute and cuddly
Paper crafting journey- make it cute
By The Cute and Girly - love is in the air
I Brake For Challenges - Love

In The Pink !

A very pink card for Fashionable stamping challenge , all pink with the exception of the brown bit at the top of the collage and the brown butterflies on the washi tape. Fits a few other challenges too I think

Fashionable stamping - monochromatic  plus one colour
Flutterby Wednesdays - wing
Crafty Cardmakers - monochrome magic
Make It Monday - Anything goes

whats on my work desk ?

One of the reasons I don't get as much done as I should ! its quite difficult with this little tyke hanging on the end of my pencil/paintbrush etc or running away with anything not fastened down. Don't actually have a work desk, use the dining room table which is a pain as everything has to be put away. My burst of creativity last weekend didn't last long, can't get rid of this awful cough, feel like I have gone three rounds with a heavyweight boxer, my ribs and back hurt so much and not getting much sleep either, shouldn't be moaning, lots of people worse off than me !

Three posts !

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

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

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

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 !

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

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

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