Monday, April 30, 2012

Little people bookmark

Ooh the things you can do with your scraps.......


Scraps of spray inked card, lots of Stampotique people, glaze pens and doodling. Bookmark done!

Sunday, April 29, 2012

A commissioned card- 100!

I was asked to make a card for a lady who is going to be 100. The brief was very specific- a church with a steeple, flowers, 100, pastel colours.... thanks to my mate Kay's stamp collection, I came up with this.....


The church is a Chocolate Baroque stamp- stamped in clear and heat embossed in silver pearl, which is why it's not very clear on the photo. Dovecraft paper, flowers coloured with Promarkers to match, swirls and pearls and Martha Stewart punches. 

I was quite pleased with it in the end- once I'd sourced the stamped image, it came together OK!

I'm entering this into the Try it on Tuesday challenge- which is Anything goes with a Twist. I used a Versamark watermark ink pad, Blue Pearl Promarker to ink the flowers and teeny tiny baby blue pearls, all available from the Craft Barn.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Music is the key

I'm running a music themed ATC swap over on Docrafts. The question is, could I shoehorn some more Stampotique stamps into the theme? Of course I could......




The background is brayered and the monsters are stamped onto music paper. The Stampotique Designers' Challenge is ATCs- Stampotique AND ATCs, it's like it was written for me!

Right, I now need to shoehorn them into a lady themed Fat Page..... that could be too tough even for a Stampotique-a-holic like me.....


Thursday, April 26, 2012

Stamp Man DT project- Shabby Chic or Distressed

Ooh, the challenge this fortnight at The Stamp Man is a doozy- Shabby Chic or Distressed.


I made a banner! The cream ones are covered with Claudine Hellmuth sticky backed canvas- it's gorgeous stuff. They're stamped and inked with distress inks in Antique Linen and Tea Dye. The brown ones are cut from a card box. Added lace and string and buttons and I have a new decoration!

Hope you get chance to join in with the fun over at the challenge blog. There's a gift voucher up for grabs for the winner.

UPDATE: I'm really annoyed, I must have set the timer incorrectly and the post didn't publish at the right time........ grrrrrr.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

WOYWW? More like, what ISN'T.......


A lot less colourful than last week- probably cos I've had no time at home over the weekend, so I've been working on commissions, which all seem to have been in pastel tones, very unlike me!

I'm a happy inky girl today, I got another top 3 in the Stampotique Designer's Challenge- for my doodled panel- you can have a squizz at it here if you want to. As regular viewers will know, I'm a Stampotique nut, so big smiles here today :D

Alrighty, sparkly point fans...... here we go. 5 points each for spotting......

  • The commissioned card for a 100th birthday (100!!! How fab is that?)
  • The little altered candle jar into which I put my punched flowers (always keep a flower or leaf punch on my desk, punch the pretty scraps as I go along)- it gets decanted into a bigger pot when I think about it. (Is that the jar you mean Eliza? :))
  • The coffee tin that houses said punches leaves.
  • Bargain 49p bunches of flowers I bought a couple of years back and they're still going..... (2 to spot!)
  • My favourite pink retractable pokey tool.
For more desk action head over to Julia's Stamping Ground! Happy hump day everyone x

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Doodling again....... for a Stampotique challenge

I've been doodling again. 


The background is made with spray inks, then I stamped the little Stampotique people in the corner and then got zentangling around them. My usual finishing off with white gel pen, a bit of pencil shading and some Glossy Accents (which never show up well on the photos......).

Oh how I love doing these, they're so relaxing to do. The challenge at the Stampotique Designer's Challenge blog is Oodles of Doodles.... I think this will qualify!

I got a top 3 on the last Stampotique challenge- for my flowery monsters Fat Page. Hurray!

Right, I've got a crafty mate coming round to do some making, got to dash and clear the table off.....

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

WOYWW- oh my.


This is what happens when a person goes to work and does nothing but dump stuff on her desk for 3 days......

OK, sparkly points time, 5 points for each spotting!

  • My ATCs to swap folder- not many in there at the moment, I need to make more.
  • My latest 3 Stampotique cards, the only sign that the mess on my desk is in any way productive.
  • A favourite pair of Fiskars scissors- they're soooooo sharp.
  • Some brayered card- I'm going for sunset colours, been ages since I got my brayer and big & juice ink pads out!


For more workdesk loveliness, get on over to Julia's Stamping Ground to see who's playing today.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Strutting his stuff.

Hands up everyone who's got stamps they HAD to have, and haven't ever inked up?????

Yeah, me too...... here's one from a Stampin' Up set I've bought on Fleabay ages ago.


Can you see why I HAD to have him?

Monday, April 16, 2012

Parrrr-tay!

OK, so I don't usually "case" other people's cards. You know, totally copy them..... but the challenge on a Facebook group I'm part of was to use someone else's work as the starting point for your own card. You can see the card I chose of Jo's here. I have put my own slant on it though, not a straight copy......


OK, OK, I'm slightly ever so much in love with this stamp...... Mort had a pin curl from Stampotique.

I actually got my brayer and a Big & Juicy ink pad out to make the strip of colour, then Distress Inks sponged through sequin waste. Not quite sure about the doodle at the sides though, but it's too late now.

I liked it so much, I made another.


I prefer the colours on the top one, but they were both good fun to make, and really quick!!!

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Octopode goodness

How about a spot of Fat Page action to brighten up your Sunday afternoon? With added Octopode goodness? Oh OK then, you twisted my arm.


The theme for this Fat Page swap is Steampunk. 

The background is embossed gold card, distressed a tad with some brown archival ink. Then the silver die cut cogs were heat embossed with text stamps and copper and gold embossing powders.

The Octopode stamped image is coloured with watercolour pencils, with a touch of gilding flakes here and there and a glossy accented front grill! The saying is part of a stamp from Indigo Blu.

As the challenge over on the Octopode Factory Friday challenge is anything goes, this fits perfectly!!!

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

WOYWW- 2 weeks in a row....get me!

OK, as of 5.30 this morning, here's my desk......


Sparkly points this week for spotting......


  • The bottom of my beloved orange op up waste bin, although why I bothered with a pop up one I don't know, cos it's never ever popped down....
  • A teeny tine ex candle jar with lid which now temporarily houses the flowers I punch from scrap paper before they're decanted into a bigger box (bonus point for spotting the 2 punches)
  • Easy one here- the 5 ATCs I made yesterday- I'm on a serious creative roll- it's being off work, I KNEW bread-winning was stifling my creativity!!!
  • Last one- my fab card file address file thingie (technical term, that) which has addresses of the people I swap with most. There's a surprisingly large number of people I've swapped with a lot.


Sorry about the photo. In my defence it was 5.30, the floor was cold and I wanted to come back to bed (typing this from under the duvet, yay).

If you're here again this week Jo, I loooove your abstract foliage stamp- I've managed to use it on pretty much everything this week. Very versatile :)



That's it! For more workdesk nosying, head over to Julia's Stamping Ground. It's fab x

Sunday, April 8, 2012

What do you do with your leftover monster body parts?

I made a bookmark for my son with mine.

Spring monsters fat page.

Isn't it fab when something you want to make fits in with something you've got to make and also fits in with a challenge?

I'd promised to make a spring themed Fat Page (4x4inch square), plus the challenge at the Stampotique Designer's Blog is Spring, and I wanted to play with my new monster stamps, so........

Front


Back


Dylusions spray ink background. Stampotique stamps. Added Glossy Accents for googly eyes and Stickles for sparkle.

I don't want to give this one away. I like it :)

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Yellow brick road anyone?


Sharing some ATCs made for a recent Wizard of Oz swap- the scarecrow has always been my favourite, I sing "If I only had a brain" regularly......


Backgrounds inked with Mustard Seed and Festive Berries DIs. Images and words from Graphic 45 I think- doodling from me, lol.

Quickly scheduling this post before I go to read a bedtime story, hopefully Miss Little Legs has picked a new one tonight, we've had the same 3 stories on rotation this week, and I know them off by heart!!!

Friday, April 6, 2012

Stamp Man DT- Use Vellum!

Oof, where did THAT fortnight go? Can't believe it's time for another Stamp Man challenge. This time it's to use some vellum.

I used mine as a mat for my images (the dark blue) and embossed some in my 'bug to use as a central embellishment. Jill's got gorgeous packs of vellum on special offer at The Stamp Man at the moment, so well worth grabbing a pack!

The peacock and background feathers are painted with Twinkling H20s, they've got a gorgeous shimmer to them. Might have accidentally used a bit of stickles glitter too , ahem.....

I'm entering this into Papertake Weekly's Anything goes challenge.

Ingredients list:
Vellum in Navy (Bright colours pack) and baby blue (pastel colours pack)
Woodware swirly clip
Twinking H20s
Blue ribbon
Diamond stickles

Thursday, April 5, 2012

The ATC process.......

I've been asked a couple of times recently about how I make ATCs, what the creative process is like. Plus I've had a couple of "where do you get your ideas?" questions...... so..... I thought I'd take some photos whilst I made an ATC, so you can see the sort of thing I do.

Sometimes I have a particular theme in mind, but whether I do or not, I usually start with choosing a stamp and deciding on a background.


No surprise here, new stamp- gotta be done! I've been coveting some Stampotique monsters for a while, they were finally back in stock last week, woohoo!
 Sometimes I make a background there and then, other times I use a premade one- I've always got a stock- this one was made with Dylusions spray inks.


Image stamped with Memento and coloured with Flexmarkers- I'm going blue/green/grey to co ordinate with the background. Then some cutting out- I always seem to be cutting out! 

Hee hee, he makes me smile :D 


I need another element, so I stamp out the Shrooms stamp onto a book page- I use book pages A LOT. I tend to use a cheapo copy of my favourite book ever- Pride & Prejudice. I know some people have a problem with cutting books up. I don't. I own lots of copies of this book (seriously, I looove it), this one was in a charity shop, cost me 10p and is being loved and used to make art. I think Jane Austen would be proud- an argument for another day perhaps. 

A benefit of using  a book I love and know well is that I often spot useful little quotes or phrases- today it's this one....


Perfect for my handsome monster. Now for some arranging of the elements onto the background.


Hmmmm, I'm not feeling it. Don't like the mushrooms growing out of his side, and I'm pretty sure I'm casing something I saw in Craft Stamper..... Right. Nothing's stuck down yet, so let's change it up. 


Starting with a new background. From the same batch, but different nonetheless.


Let's see if he fits onto the ATC this way....yes, he does. Still not happy with the background, so I stamp some abstract foliage with blue Memento, stamping it 3 times with out reinking so it sorta fades. I'm happier with this one already :) It needs another element though, and the shrooms aren't doing it for me today.


I've had an idea...... I'll need an alphabet and the edge of that book page I cut up earlier..... A scruffy alphabet- I don't think that monster has neat handwriting.


Yay! Quick, stick it down before I lose a bit of it- that happens A LOT!

Now I could stop right there, it's cute, kinda funny, nice colours, but.........


..... I like to doodle. I mostly use Posca pens, they write over pretty much everything. Trusty black and white, not quite sure what I'll doodle, but to start with the words need outlining. 

I'm not a neat freak doodler, I want it to look obvious that I've doodled. That said, I do use these pens to tidy up dodgy stamping, cover up mistakes and all sorts. The white is particularly good for going round the edge of letters or images to get them to pop out of the background- really useful if you've stamped in a dark ink onto a dark background and your words or images are getting lost.


Doodled, but not quite finished- I want his eyes to pop out, so a blob of Glossy Accents on each one- also fab for fish eyes. Oh and a spot of lime green stickles on the exclamation mark (which is really a letter i upside down).

And........ I'm finished!




I like how his claws come off the ATC slightly at the bottom, and his eyes are really googly and shiny.

.......and that's it. That's how an ATC works out for me. Not quite what I thought I'd make, but you have to go with the flow and see what happens. 


I'm entering my handsome monster into the Play Date Cafe challenge- Avocade, blue mist, grey wool colour scheme.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

WOYWW....it's been a while!

Working on Wednesdays has seriously messed with my WOYWW vibe! Here's my desk this afternoon......


10 sparkly points for each one you spot....
  • The thimble wall display thingie waiting to be altered
  • New Stampotique stamps (monsters and abstract foliage)
  • Old Stampotique stamps (the others.....)
  • Half eaten bag of crisps (is it just me, or are Ready Salted REALLY salty nowadays)
  • The reflection of my little leaded top window on my desk glass


Oh I'm such a mucky pup. For more cluttered desks and some pristine ones too, no doubt, get over to Julia's Stamping Ground.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Wedding card....warning it's cute.....


Told ya. Made for a commission- the bridesmaids are in red, hence the colour scheme. I wasn't feeling this one at all until I looked at the finished article the next morning, and I'm coming round to it now!


The main image is Lili of the valley, coloured with promarkers. The swirl diecut is Tim Holtz, the saying and the stamped swirl are Stampin' Up.

I'm entering this into the following challenges:
Totally Gorjuss- swirly whirly
Lili's little fairies- Anything goes

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Fancy an ATC challenge and swap? New theme at the Stamp Man- buttons or bows

This month's Stamp Man ATC theme is buttons or bows. I misread it and thought it was buttons AND bows...... given the choice of either usually I would have gone straight for a button, but as I'd already stuck the bow on and the button wasn't looking quite right, I've ended up with just a bow. I quite like it!


Quite a simple ATC this time, but it's such a fab image- it's a Magenta puzzle set called Butterflies, they're a great idea, lots of co-ordinating images in different shaped frames so that you can mix and match them to fit. I was playing around with my new Flexmarkers (late to the party with these, but I'm liking very much......), plus a touch of Stickles glitter. It was a quick make, but I enjoyed it!
Well, this time last week I was at the NEC, probably eating my sandwiches sitting on the floor whilst my feet went to sleep! I was sort of disappointed this year- lots of people were selling the same things, and there was nothing I couldn't have got online really. Didn't stop me from buying..... well, we'd been saving.....




Thought I'd finish off with a few ATCs, March has been a mad month, so I haven't blogged as much as I'd have liked, but here's to April, eh?



ATCs for a handbags and gladrags themed swap.


I called these the patriotic fish. He he, they make me smile!