Sunday Stamper: Happy Heart.

Here I am again folks with the last piece of my banner. Hels has invited us to do something that makes us happy. Well I have to say Autumn does that for me. I love the temperature 'cos I'm no good in the heat. I love the colours and the smell and how the trees turn into beautiful hues and stamping on scrunchy dried leaves and splashing in puddles and conkers and acorns and berries and hot soup and the smell of bonfires and I could go on and on. I decided to emboss my banner first with a leaf plate and then did it again and cut out some of the leaves for dimension. Then I put my hand to a few distress inks that are the right colour and splashed about with them!



I chose Dried Marigold, Ripe Persimmon. Rusty Hinge, Peeled Paint, Bundled Sage and Gathered Twigs. The sentiment is from elusive Images and the large leaf that has been  layered with sticky pads is from Tim's new blueprint set. I rubbed some viva gold paste here and there but it hasn't shown up in the photo.

Then I tried to photograph the whole banner, and what a job that was! In the end I laid it out on the carpet which has photographed very badly, but I hope you get the idea!

I love it when a project comes together! My next challenge is to climb over all the heaps stuff in the craftroom and find a space on the wall above the shelf to hang it. I shall photograph it when it is up but I guess that won't be today!

Hope you are all having a  lovely Sunday. x

 

My Little Man!

Just because I had to, here is a recent photo of my little grandson now aged 8 weeks and weighing nearly 13 and a half pounds! I absolutely love him to bits and am very proud of my dearest Jenni and Kevin and will be for ever grateful for him.



I'll be back shortly with my Sunday stamper Challenge and completed banner! x

Compendium of Curiosities 2 No 22.

Me again - getting to be a habit, but I have a lot going on in my world so crafting is an unwind! Wanted to have a go at Linda Leadbetters Compendium of Curiosities weekly challenge which can be found here and this week is about Tim's Rivetted Patchwork technique which he also used for this months tag.This week the challenge is being sponsored by The Funky Junkie who can be found here, so fingers crossed as there is a fandabolosy prize! I enjoyed doing Tim's tag so much I wanted to try for something different on this one. I have gone for a Halloween theme.

 

 

I made the background according to Tim's instructions in his book. Then out cut out the skull and bones from his Blueprint Stamps and coloured with various distress Markers. Then I used an old Top hat stamp and black embossed several and layered them up. I filled the eyes sockets in with red gems. Then I punched a tiny hole in his teeth to push a rose through which I coloured with Festive Berries distress re-inker as it is a glorious blood colour. Then from the same stamp set I cut out the large Tombstone and coloured with Pumice Stone distress marker and my watercolour brush. I had a lovely red cloisonne bead in the shape of a cross which I placed on top and punched out the railings from black card with my Martha Stewart punch. Finally the bat from the same blueprint set in the corner coloured with Black Soot distress pad and marker. I then dribbled some 'blood' from this mouth and added some red textured yarn at the top. Oooh didn't think I could be so blood-thirsty! Think I may have to try and do a Halloween card now! x

A plethora of clocks!

+Today over on Tag Tuesday the theme for the week is Clocks. I have been admiring the work of Anna Dabrowski who has a wonderful blog here and so I thought I would have a go at making an overloaded tag for the challenge.

I used Tim Holtz' enamelling technique for the base of the tag and then promptly covered it up with pieces of corrugated card, die cut clock pieces, doilies, and all my clock stamps. I used die cut cogs and minaturised some from shrink plastic. Then I hinged another piece for the bottom, gave it the same treatment and topped it with an idea-ology clock face. The  metal charm and word tab on the top went perfectly.

 

 

The scary bit came when I sprayed it with Dylusion brown ink and some made-up spray using various toned distress inks. Anna uses black ink on her pieces sometimes to great effect but I chickened out! I have a long way to go and a lot to practice but I did enjoy making this piece. Perhaps the next one I shall be able to use up someof my 'treasures' I have been keeping for a rainy day! What do you mean it's raining, surely not, this is England! Cheers peeps, keep warm and dry. Hugs x

 

Sunday Stampers: Masks.

I am nearly at the end of my banner of Sunday Stamper challenges. Just one more to go and then I shall have to figure out how to photograph it and then I shall have to figure out how to hang it in said craft room! It is quite difficult trying to get something balanced in the triangle shape, I much prefer to do tags, having said that this was a good challenge this week and I wasted a few pennants until I hit on this one. I used Dylusion inks in the background and then stamped Dina Wakley's lady stamp in black archival, then stamped her again on some spare card to cut out for the MASK. Then I was able to use one of Tim's mini grunge stamps in Pickled Raspberry distress around the right side and his sun rays in rusty hinge distress to her left over the mask without getting her all messed up!

 



The 'mirror frame' was from Tim's new mini stamp set and I used black embossing powder on it and coloured the center with silver acrylic dabber before adding her head. The words were from my stash, I mean a girl can't look beautiful all the time can she?  Then I realised that I had put always and almost  the wrong way round, but on reflection (get it?) perhaps that is a better saying! The roses were sprayed with Dylusion ink and the O is grunge board with silver dabber on. I wanted to use a figure towards the end of the banner to balance up with the start, hopefully it will all work out when I post it next week!

Sally and I do butterflies!

While I was in lovely Nantwich Sally and I made a pledge to resume sending a card to each other every month. We bought a lovely new butterfly die and decided we would have to use it on our next card. Here is the beauty Sally sent me:



 

She doesn't have a blog but I really feel she should do one and share her lovely creations, I hope you will all agree! Here is the one I have sent her:

 

 

And here is a side view of the stacked butterflies.

 

 

I used an asssortment of papers that were a freebie in a magazine and made the little flower on the side. I love the butterfly die from Marrianne Design and I'm sure I will find lots of uses for it. This was a layer of three with the addition of stickles on the last one for a bit of bling.

Two different cards from the same die, hope you have enjoyed! x

 

Stumped!

During my visit to Sally I paid a visit to the lovely church in Nantwich while Sal went to an important meeting nearby. I fell in love with the fabulous West Wall curtain and when I got talking to a lovely lady doing some beautiful flowers she told me the tale of the black knickers!

 



This fabulous couple are part of the rich stump work on the curtain and she told me that when the lady who created them found out that they would be place above eye level she put a pair of black knickers with a red lacy trim on the lady! Now I didn't peep, but what a delicious story! The curtain is full of wonderful characters and it inspired me to try my tag for the tag tuesday challenge in said stump work which I have not tried before. The theme this week is Owls, so here he is:

  

 

 

Having tried this I am more in awe of the fabulous work on the curtain. Owly was made out of pieces of Harris tweed and lots of buttons from my stash. The branch was tissue tape wrapped around wire with a distressed stained punched leaf and a glass pebble for the moon. I tried for a Barn Owl and so his heart shaped face was cut from muslin, frayed and stained around the edge with distress and a little felt beak. My stitching needs working on but fun to do. Have a good day everyone! x

Sunday Stamper: Tie a yellow ribbon.

I spent a wonderful few days with my dear friend Sally last week and she did me the power of good and spoilt me rotten!  We of course fitted in some crafting and she let me play with her new Tim Holtz stamps which I made into a card and it seemed appropriate for this weeks challenge.

 



 

Firstly I sprayed random squirts of a yellow cosmic shimmer spray, then stamped the Acorn stamp in brown Archival. I followed this by spraying some Autumnal shades of Mica on a sheet and stamping it again and then decoupaged the different pieces. The oak leaves from the same set were coloured with sprays and distress inks in various shades, cut out, crumpled for texture and then stuck down. Sally had a little oak leaf stamp which had the same treatment in a pile to the side for balance and then I cut out the word Oak from the first stamp and layered it in the top right. The yellow shades of sari ribbon tied onto the beads were also from Sally who has given me my first lesson in beading and I am now hooked! I made a random border with a gel pen and then used Walnut stain on the edges.

It was lovely to make a card which I haven't done for ages and these stamps are gorgous, I shall have to have them! Hope you are all enjoying some sun as we are here in Wiltshire. Thanks again Sally! x

Sunday Stamper: A Riot of Colour.

I have been grappling with blackberries for my Tag Tuesday challenge (please click on link to be transported to a haven of Autumn fruitfullness!) and having finished that then done the ironing (ugh!) I thought I would enjoy myself making another piece of my banner with a clashing fantabilosier of  Dylusion sprays for Hel's challenge for the Sunday stamper this week.

 

 

This piece of madness was fun to make for the first O in rOom, and I used purple and pink Dylusion sprays sloshed about on my craft sheet, dried and then picked up again until I got the layers right. Then I stamped a Paper Artsy Hot Pick of a Robotic Human, layered him again after colouring him in with pickled raspberry distress and of course put a little sparkling robin on his shoulder. What else could he be carrying but a green flying pig from Graphic 45 with some shrunk vibrant green cogs and the label in a book mark coloured and sanded with mowed grass distress. A piece of green ribbon and an audience of men in the 'upper circle' from the same Paper Artsy set and there you go, a bit of insanity from me! What fun just to make a riot, thanks Hels!

A sunday of the Compendium of Curiosities and patches!

Greetings one and all! What a lovely sunny Autumn day and the first day of a week off for me. I have been celebrating by arranging with my dearest friend Sally to go and visit her and by making a Tim tag for the Compendium of Curiosities hosted by the lovely Linda Ledbetter. I have always wanted to have a go and so here is my first attempt at Enamelled Stamping as instructed on page 44 in Tim's second book.

 

I enamelled as per Tim's instructions a Drapers receipt stamp I have and then used blue distress inks, methinks I should have made the background a tadge darker but the image really 'pops' doing this! Then I raided my stash for some sewing goodies and stuck them down parting with a precious pair of scissors Sally brought me last time I visited her. I shall really try and keep up with this challenge as you know me, I love anything Tim!
 

This afternoon I have been mainly making patches. I haven't made a quilt since the girls (now women) were little. I found a book of photographs of all my quilts and got the itch to see if I could still do it. This will be a scrap Log Cabin quilt, made in Autumn colours. I've got seven blocks made up so far. It was lovely to sit in the conservatory with the birds singing and the smell of new mown grass as Hubby played in the garden.
 

 

 

I will be spending the day with my dearest number 2 daughter Jenni tomorrow and my darling grandson Ryder. I can't wait! Hope you have all enjoyed the glorious sun today. Hope to post again asap! xx

Tim's September tag..

How does the guy do it? Another winner, I can see me using the technique for this one to make male cards and covers for books for Christmas. Like so many, I did not have all the bits and bobs but I loved the design so much I decided to try and mimic it as well as I could. I enjoyed making the embellishments but have to say that his idea-ology range is amazing and if I ever win the lottery I am having a Tim room full of all his products!

So here is goes:

 

The metal background is done very much as instructed by Tim on his blog here and great fun it was too! Then came 'oh my goodness I don't have that bit' phase, so  -

Typewriter stamp in my stash too big, so I shrank image on photocopier and adhered and inked on grungeboard. Real dictionary that is a spare kept to rip up fastened underneath. Phew, had the mini film strip, but not the right pen nib, this is an old one in my bits box. No mini gears but I had the large cog die so cut out some of shrink plastic and then dabbed with pewter acrylic when shrunk, quite pleased with them. No metal number, this is a grunge one silvered painted. The light bulb is a bit on the large size and comes from hubby's garage, (shhh, don't let on) but see what I mean? Tim's little ones would have been much more fitting! Then I took a piece of jewellery fragment, added a typed letter and acrylic dome and fastened to the black ribbon that doesn't show up in the photograph.

Thank you Tim. May I just say how I appreciate having a tag to do a month instead of one a day on the lead up to Christmas? Much better, as I can take a bit more time!

I feel crafty today, may be back later!!! x

Sunday Stamper. Tulips from Amsterdam.

Well, goodness gracious me! I'm  on fire! Not only my second post of the day but the Sunday Stamper in goodly time! Here is the 'R' from craft'R'oom for my banner. Decided that I would take Hels literally this week, and Tulips it is, and if not from Amsterdam well my old PSX stamp (1995 honest!) has got a windmill and a stream that could be a canal and fields of tulips! The tulip stamp was from an old un-named set I had lurking in the room of stash and I filled in the bottom of the field with some scenic stamps that I have never thrown out, so this is a real nostalgic piece for me, stamp wise! Also hubby and I visited Holland in 1972 and have never forgotten it, lovely country. Only problem I had was with the flatness as I live in Wiltshire near the Gloucestershire end and we have lovely hills, I know I've walked a fair few! The banner piece was coloured with distress inks and pens and I framed it with some musical tissue tape and that's about it really! Work again tomorrow, but I'll be back as soon as possible. x



August Tuesdays.

Where did the month go! Here we are in Autumn now, my most favourite time of the year. I have the afternoon off and the sun is shining! How lucky am I?  Here are my contributions for the Tag Tuesday blog challenge, put into my large sketch book as usual. 



Please do go to the blog to look at everyone's contributions. I loved the themes this time, the first was Casino Games and Bingo, the second was Films and Theatre, then came board games  where I used my Stampotique characters as the murder suspects and lastly it was All the fun of the Fair! I have not printed them all out this month as there were 7 pieces to the Cluedo one, but if you aren't a follower please use the link above and have a stroll through all the tags!

Off now to complete my new tag for tomorrow and to finish this weeks banner piece for the Sunday stamper. My goodness, a womans work is never done! X

Sunday Stamper: Green.

Sunday Stamper by the skin of my teeth as they say! In fact I finished this yesterday, loaded it up then realised I'd forgotten the 'T'. Thought I would challenge myself with this piece of my banner and only use the colour green, nearly got away with it, but had to give my Green lady red lips! A little while ago on Tag Tuesday we had to use green and so I did a Green man. So I thought as this is the first day of Autumn and leaves will soon be turned all shades and because if nothing else this wet summer has really made everywhere a beautiful lush green I would make a 'Green Lady' instead. Quite hard to only use one colour though isn't it? Not sure I've succeeded very well, but here she is.


I used dylusion sprays for the background and on some white card so that I could punch out the leaves. The rather splendid lady is from Dylusion's new stamps that I treated myself to and then I laid out every green colouring impliment I had plus some papers and went to town. I stamped some leaf shapes with green archival amongst the punched leaves and then free cut a large T - only 'room' left to make then I can hang it up! Hopefully I can play this weekend and post some more. Have a good one peeps! x