Sunday, December 30, 2012

ATCs...... ATCs..... ATCs!!!!!!!!!!!


I made ATCs! Since starting my new job in May, I just haven't had the time, but I've enjoyed it so much I'm going to have to make the time.


I definitely have a thing for bright colours.



Hee hee, yellow eyes.....

Saturday, December 29, 2012

New book.....new bookmark.....

Had a couple of new books for Christmas, so obvs, I need a couple of new bookmarks......


Love, love, love this BIG bee. It's a new acquisition, stamped on an old background off cut, so I guess it qualifies for the Stampotique Designers Challenge, which is Out with the old, in with the new. Sparkly wings too.....


Plus I've been doing a bit of doodling, as ever, so I made this one into a paperback sized bookmark. Cool eh?

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Merry Christmas

Happy Christmas everyone, I hope you have a fabulous Christmas, and that the new year brings you health, wealth and happiness x


This is a little gold bauble I've beaded as a gift- cute eh?


Thursday, December 20, 2012

Happy birthday Mom x

It's my wonderful Mom's birthday tomorrow. I made a card for Dad to give to her...... that's the thing with making cards- you often end up making more than one for each recipient, especially when they're a family member!


I went for an easel card and added some very pretty vellum as a background. The image is stamped in Vintage Photo Distress Ink, and I used a dampe paint brush to draw some of the ink out to colour in the Madame.


If you want to know how to make the scrunched flowers, there's a mini tutorial here.

Happy birthday Mom x

I'm entering this into:
Try it on Tuesday challenge- lucky dip, I used stamped image, distressing, ribbon, sentiment.
Totally Gorjuss- for a special someone.....can't get more special than my Mom x

Friday, December 14, 2012

Whoooo yoooooo looking at?

These pages are for a circle journal I'm participating in, using those fab Octopode grumpy owls again.


This little tag is slotted in at the side of the journal page. I really enjoyed drawing this doodle.


I went for something more colourful on the opposite page, in contrast to the black and white.


Aw, he looks so annoyed to be sat amongst the flowers...... maybe he has hayfever?


Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Last Christmas card, I promise.......

This is the one I'm sending out. I've not made many, I just didn't have time, but I've made a few. Well, I had to didn't I, after I insisted on buying these little bauble stamps at the NEC.....


Not the best of photos, but you get the drift..... doodled branch, strings and border, finished with a swoosh of glitter for snow, and some glossy accents on the baubles.

I'm entering it into the Fussy and Fancy Friday challenge- I love Christmas, and Totally Gorjuss- Oh no snow.

I'm also entering it into the Money supermarket card design competition. Well, it'd be rude not to.....

Monday, December 10, 2012

Tae Kwon Do Christmas families

Some more of the Tae Kwon Do card commissions to show you today. These are a couple of brother/sister cards.



The two boys are Lili of the Valley images, used a LOT!


I didn't think this would work, adding a Lili of the Valley and Mo Manning image together, but they kinda work with the snowflakes tying them together.

The papers come from a freebie pack from a magazine.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Tae Kwon Do Christmas

I've been working on a commissioned order for Christmas cards for my lovelies' Tae Kwon Do club- they're all personalised with right colour belt and hair for the recipient. There are lots, so I'm not going to show them all, but here's a few.....




Loving the Teddy Bo image. The snowflakes are from various stamp sets- a Snowman set, Polkadoodles, a Personal Impressions set, and the little star is from a Stampin' Up set. The centres are dotted with Stickles glitter glue.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Grumpy owl birthday

Happy birthday Dad. These grumpy owls kinda look like you somehow.....


Owls by Octopode, alphabet stamps from Hobbycraft. The background is spray inked, and the dribbles reminded me of branches. I wanted the pinky/purple one to be glaring at one below him.

I'm entering this into the Octopode Factory Friday challenge, which is to use words.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

DId I mention I'm in Craft Stamper again?

.....well I am...... a little card.....yippee!!!!! Here's a sneak peek.......



Monday, December 3, 2012

Christmas tree sparklies

I've started making Christmas tree decorations. I find them really therapeutic to make, even though they're fiddly at times- this is the latest one, a snowflake.


Doesn't look very sparkly lying there on a sheet of white paper, but trust me, it is, all clear beads and silver wire. I've plans for a couple more of these and a couple of beaded baubles too- time permitting.....


Thursday, November 29, 2012

Happy birthday to Miss Little Legs x

My Miss Little Legs is 7. Well, her birthday was a week or so ago, and this is her birthday card.


The image is a Mo Manning digi stamp- I'm a Tae Kwon Do widow...... himself and both children love their TKD..... I've got quite a collection of martial arts stamps, although I'm always on the look out for more, if anyone spots one!

The paper is Dovecraft and the image is watercoloured- watercolour pencils are my favourites at the moment. It's very reminiscent of the Christmas cards I've made this year for the TKD club, I just replaced the snowflakes with flowers.

I'm entering this into the Crafts and Me challenge- Ribbon or trim.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Half term colouring

So it's half term and I'm off work. Yippeeeeeeee! I'm working through lots of Tae kwon do image colouring, and although these are about the 40th I've done recently, I'm still kinda liking it.

They're Teddy Bo images and he is definitely a favourite. If you're wondering why he's not in a white dobok, the black and red are club colours.

Hope your half term is smashing, if you have one!

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Saturday!

Good morning! It's Saturday and I've been up since stoopid o'clock again. Dratted insomnia! Ah well, at least I'm caught up on my TV viewing and I've done loads of the yukky housework..... time to blog and then some crafting to catch up on.

I have managed to sneak time for a couple of Fat Pages this week, this one is for an oriental themed swap. If you haven't tried making a Fat Page, give it a go. They're 4x4 inches square- it's a great size to create on.



The acetate panel is coloured on the reverse side with alcohol inks- the white splodges are silver and pearl mixatives. The image is stamped on the front of the acetate with Stazon ink. It's matted up onto a pale coloured card, so the coloured acetate shows up, then black for contrast.



Loving the koi carp!

I'm entering this into the following challenges: 
Crafts and Me- Anything goes challenge.
Papertake weekly- All creatures great and small.
Try it on Tuesday- Autumn colours.
Totally gorjuss- Anything goes.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Happy new home

A friend of mine is moving into a new home this week- a doodled card was in order!



I kept this one a bit simpler than usual- I quite like the spiky dotty bits, so I didn't want to add more and detract from them.

The house is a trusty Paperartsy squiggly ink favourite- stamped onto a page from an old mapbook.

I think I'll have to doodle more spikes this week!

Monday, October 1, 2012

Christmas cards.....yes I know I said I wouldn't but....

.....there is a good reason for them. The Tae Kwon Do club that Craig (the OH), and the squiddledoos go to have commissioned some from me. These are the samples that they chose from.


Lili of the Valley


 Mo Manning


Teddy Bea


Sugar Nellie


No idea!


Teddy Bo- this is my favourite- the dobok (suit) is in their club colours and it came out so well. I'm waiting for the list of hair and belt colours and then I can personalise them.

Ooh, and if anyone out there can point me toward any more martial arts stamps, I'd be really grateful, I've got quite a collection, but I could always use more!



Saturday, September 29, 2012

Zombie ragdoll garden

This bookmark was inspired by a challenge blog a few weeks ago, but didn't get finished and blogged in time! Happens a lot that does.



I think this is my favourite Octopode image at the moment. She can be creepy-ed up or down, according to the recipient. This one went into a teenage girl's birthday card, so medium creepiness....


She's watercoloured (everything I do at the moment is watercoloured, it's so quick!), and the flowers etc. are hand drawn. Awww, she looks so sad.

Right, better go and get dressed, we're having a new meter fitted (gas or electric, I forget which) and the poor meter man will be scared off if I answer the door in my jammies!

Monday, September 17, 2012

Studio 12 at Polkadoodles- a Christmas project....


OK I'm not usually this organised,  I wanted to find ways to use the fab digi papers on the new Studio 12 Christmas CD.


Remember how banners were really "in" this summer for the Jubilee? Well I thought a Christmas banner might look kind cool too! I used a pre-cut template, but it's easy enough to cut your own.


The papers are downloaded from the Studio 12 Picknix Collection 2 Gingerbread Twist CD- I'm a sucker for polka dots, so they were first choice, and the other papers co-ordinated so well I was spoilt for choice. I just tore sections out and stuck them on- easy peasy!


The NOEL letters were roughly torn out and inked with Distress ink.


I added lots of gems and dew drops, glitter and ribbon to embellish and make it SPARKLE!!!


For more Studio 12 inspiration, head over to the blog!

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Good luck George x

My baby boy is starting secondary school today....... cue a nervous wreck of a Mom all day.......


He's ready to go, he'll be fine, I'm not sure I'm ready for him to go though.....



Good luck my boy. Do us proud and learn something new...... x

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Autumn fat page

I haven't made a Fat Page for aaaages, thought I'd show you what I came up with for the September swap I'm part of- the theme is autumn.




I stamped one of my favourite Lost Coast stamps of a gorgeous tree scene onto cream card in Versamark and clear heat embossed it. Once it was dry, I blended Distress Inks in Rusty Hinge, Fired Brick, Spiced Marmalade and Aged Mahogany to make a sunset (or sunrise I suppose), and give it an autumnal hue.

I didn't know what to do to finish the panel off, but on Friday night I spent a lovely couple of hours with some crafting mates- Angy, Kay and Margaret and Angy had the saying stamp.....a bit of tissue paper later and the panel was done! It's mounted onto gold hologram card and brown to make it up to the requisite 4 inch square.

Here's the back.



Sunday, September 2, 2012

Studio 12 by Polkadoodles- there's goodies up for grabs!


For this Studio 12 by Polkadoodles DT piece, I've made a couple of art journal pages, using the Picknix collection Volume 1.  I wanted to show that art journal pages can be made using anything! I went for a colour theme and chose digi papers and elements from the CDs that fitted in with my theme.


They're all about my beautiful daughter, who got up on stage on holiday and sang a song in front of a packed room. As she's always been extremely shy, it was a huge break through, and worthy of commemoration in my journal!


I do like the natural elements on this CD, there are lots of drawn items which are lovely, but sometimes, especially in an art journal, you want a photograph of something real to tat about with!

I'm entering this into the Allsorts challenge - Anything but square.

Friday, August 31, 2012

The voices in my head......

Another journal page from off've me jollies to show you all today.


The back ground is sprayed chalk cosmic shimmer misters, overstamped with the Stampotique patch. Hunk was coloured in with Portfolio water soluble oil pastels.


I edged the page with black pastel too, only problem is, it keeps marking the page opposite, so I'll have to keep a protective layer between them!


Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Octopode zombie ragdoll.

I've been on my jollies- off to the Lake District for a week with my lovelies, and a smashing time we had too. Busy though! I'd taken a couple of art journal pages to finish off, and some digi stamps, including this one from the Octopode Factory.


I used doodles to colour in the ragdoll and then carried on all around her...... My actual journalling is in the border running around the edge.



The current challenge on the Octopode Friday challenge blog is circles- I've used lots on this page!