Sunday, April 24, 2011

New ATC challenge blog....and I'm on the Design team!

Well, you know how I lurve my ATCs? So how pleased was I to be invited to join the DT for a new ATC challenge blog? The answer is very, very pleased indeed!!! So.....all you ATCers out there, take a look, and keep an eye on the blog as the first challenge is imminent.


Click on the image to see more......

Easter Sundae

This is my IBFD DT post for this week. I went for a sweet looking Sundae, yum.


As ever, it's Promarkered, with added Stickles for bling! The border punch is Martha Stewart.

I'm entering this into the following challenges:

Crafts and Me- Pink and sweet
I <3 Promarkers- Anything goes

Friday, April 22, 2011

The Stamp Man- Ir-RESIST-able!

Oops, sorry, well all the other resist puns have already been taken......

This fortnight at The Stamp Man, we want you to use resist techniques. There are lots of different resist techniques and tutorials out there, so be as inventive as you like!

Here's mine- I used an emboss resist version, and it's soooo easy and effective.


I started off with a background that had been sprayed with inks, then stamped on the elephant, sun and tree with a clear embossing pad and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. It's then just a case of stamping and inking over the embossed images. I try to define the edges of the images with a darker colour so that they stand out a bit. 

Wipe any excess ink off the embossed areas, and then it's up to you- either leave the embossed areas glossy or you can get rid of the embossing for a matt look- that's what I did here. To remove the embossing, simply cover your work with paper- I used basic copier paper, and iron gently over the top with a hot iron. Take it easy with the ironing and you'll see the embossing powder melting onto the paper, and turning it translucent.

I didn't want to give my finished piece away, I really love it, so I've used it to cover one of my art journals.

Over to you! Show us your resist!!!

I used:

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Button up- journal page.

Yippdedoodah. I got a Tatty Button stamp. I missed out at the NEC, forgot to order them and then happened across them at a craft shop at the weekend. So, Tatty is now mine, and you know how it is, sometimes you have to get home and get the stamp inked before you've got your coat off......


This journal page was already a WIP- my Miss Little Legs has been singing this song all week, so it was in my  head itching to get out. So, on a button theme, there she stands. 

An Octopode and Stampotique fest!

I LOVE THESE STAMPS AND IMAGES!!!! Sorry to shout, but they just sing to me. Weird and twisted songs mostly, but still......

The challenge at the Stampotique Designer Challenge blog is to use newsprint or old bookpages. One of my favourite things to do!


This ATC started out with a bookpage covering, which was then painted with Claudine Hellmuth Studio paints. The FAB skulls were stamped all over, then some of them glazed with Sakura pens (I love that the white one made the skull all smudgy and ghost like). A few words and a flower and voila!

More ATCs followed......


The skull really appeals to me. The fabric words are a 7 Gypsies set, sticky backed canvas words, brilliant idea. Again, the skulls and the -ahem- girlie are coloured with Sakura glaze pens for extra shine.

To finish, a quick Octopode one.........


....with smidges of Stampotique figures. This is my current favourite ATC, and I'm finding it very hard to give it away. I may just have to save it for a while to look at.

The other two are open for trading if anyone wants them!

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Pretty, pretty pink and Bob.

OK, so first the pretty, pretty pink. A birthday card for a 5 year old, so pink is pretty much the only rule!


I picked up some recycled brown cards, so had to use one.......and the image is one of half a dozen Rachelle Anne Millar and Sugar Nellie stamps I picked up for £1 each at my local craft shop. I may just stamp a pile of images out and then put them on ebay, I've got loads on cutie stamps, and TBH I think I'd rather have my horrible Stampotiques...... Still, this made a very cute card. She's promarkered and most of the paper is Kay and Co. The roses I made myself, they all turned out a little bit small and squashed, but put together they're fab.

I'm entering this for the following challenges:

Papertake- Truly dimensional (with those flowers I couldn't get this in the envelope and had to make another one!
Passion for Promarkers- Make your own embellishments
I <3 Promarkers- Sketch
By the cute and girly- Cute and girly
My time to craft- On the dot (spotty ribbon)
Crafts and Me- Ribbon
Fussy and Fancy Friday- A card for a child


.........................and now onto Bob!


Bob is an ATC fish, made with an IBFD Digi. He is Promarkered, stickled and chalked- I'd forgotten about my chalks- and he's fab.

I'm halfway through carving a niche in an old book. No idea what it's gonna turn into, but it could be an interesting Sunday finding out.......

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

WOYWW- Carnage!!!

Oh my goodness. I apologise for the state of my desk. Viewers of a particularly neat disposition might want to look away from the first 2 photos and scroll straight down to the storage-fest at the end!


Some backgrounds I've been working on with Moonglow two tone embossing powders- scrumptious colours, and lots of stamped skulls. Plus a magazine I want to cut up and some fab retro beermats I swiped from the pub.



My dammit doll. In moments of severe stress (and there have been A LOT of moments of severe stress lately with work problems), she is grasped firmly by the feet and her head is bashed against something whilst I mutter dammit until my teeth unclench. Have to say though, she's not normally anywhere near my crafting area- crafting is my unwind mechanism- she must have decided she was less likely to have her head bashed on my desk!

Now, for those neater viewers, some storage to soothe you. I know it soothes me....



My stamp storage, as built by my wonderful husband, and coveted by all who visit my craft space. It's shoulder height, almost totally alphabetical and not quite full yet- an excuse to buy more stamps, yay! (Like I needed one....). It also houses my cropadile, punches and a ream of white copier paper. On top are boxes of papers organised into colour families and my button jars.

Righto, for more WOYWW madness, hop over to Julia's Stamping Ground and see more workdesks!

Saturday, April 9, 2011

The Stamp Man DT project- Embossing

The challenge this week at The Stamp Man is embossing!



Here's my take on it. I used a little chipboard square and triple embossed it using some fabulous Moonglow two tone embossing powders. I can't tell you how wonderful these embossing powders are- they shimmer and change colour in the light. All embossing powders are not created equally!


I stamped into the embossing with a little dragonfly stamp from the Stamp Man. Then out came the cropadile for some holes and I dangled buttons, beads and a bell from the bottom on some jewellery wire.

Right, now it's over to you! Show us your embossing! Check out the Stamp Man challenge blog for some gorgeous inspiration from my teamies- and meet the latest addition to our team!


Ingredients

The Stamp Man dragonfly stamp
Magenta 2x2 chipboard squares
Moonglow two tone embossing powders- Daybreak set

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Mmmmmmm cookies for Easter!

Another food centred IBFD DT post, choccies again!


I've copied this box from one I won in a raffle, made by the wonderful and talented Carol V. It's a very simple design, but quite effective. I've filled it with a little bag of chocolate chips and a chocolate chip cookie recipe, hence the cookie digi on the front! The cookie has a bite out of it, so I just layered up a couple to cover up the bite marks so that it looks like a cookie stack. 

The cookies are Promarkered with a touch of brown stickles (loving my new brown stickles!) for sparkle, and the flower is another of my homemade ones, I've got a huge box of them to use up, so expect to see lots more.
I thought this might be a more grown up take on giving chocolate for Easter. For Christmas I made notebooks for my children's teachers, this year they may all be getting cookie ingredients!!!! 

I'm entering this into the following challenges:
Papertake- Anything goes
OLLCB- Happy Easter
One Stitch at a Time- Something 3D

Saturday, April 2, 2011

The Stamp Man ATC swap- Bird theme!

Oops, my apologies for running late with this one, I should have posted yesterday. Lots of excuses, but all boring, lol!!!

Our theme for April is Birds.


Oh dear, it all went a bit weird again............ but I quite like it! The bird is from a Sir Tim set, the background is a book page painted and then stamped over. There are bits of torn paper, some metal flowers and a dewdrop shaped gem that I salvaged from somewhere. The foliage stamp is another of Tim's that I picked up at the weekend, both sets are available from The Stamp Man. My beloved white gel pen brings it all to life!

Right, now it's up to you, get ATCing!!!


Friday, April 1, 2011

Surprise!........and a portrait.

I've LOVED making this card!



The challenge at the Stampotique Designers blog is to make a Triptych card. The front of mine has my favourite Kitty stamp glaring out at you.


....and here's the surprise! Now, who wouldn't want a bunch of skull balloons on their birthday?

I used a technique or two from the Tim Holtz Grungy Monday challenge- for more info check out the L3 blog! I love this cobweb mask, the background was inked first and then sprayed with cosmic shimmer misters. I picked up a new colour at the NEC on Sunday, Twilight Black, and no, I didn't just buy it cos I'm obsessed with vampires......well, maybe a little bit.......OK, OK, it totally influenced my decision and I am totally obsessed!

I've had a busy week and it has been tiring, but today was a lovely day- it was the Mother's Day performance at Miss 5 year old Little Legs' school- very sweet- big lump in my throat- all of the children had painted their Mommies, and this is how my daughter sees me......


......actually it's not bad, right colours, features in mostly the right places.....I love it!


Craft Stamper ezine

Just a quick post to remind everyone to download their free Craft Stamper ezine. I've just downloaded mine.


Click on the picture for the link!!!!