Indigoblu Mostly Blue Challenge

Well.....I know I am a stranger now to my blog...and my craftroom!!!...what with spending precious time with my Grandson, dancing, and working!!!... and getting older and feeling shattered much more easily these days....sighhhh!!!! I am juggling with getting in my room and looking at all the challenges going on, but I noticed that this months Indigoblu challenge is all about making your project mostly blue!!....soooo... I thought I had better make a start on my Christmas Cards, and as I have just purchased Indigoblu's gorgeous Large Snowflake, I set to work on my card. I started by adding gesso to my bookpage, then added some watercolour paint, let it dry, then white embossed the Snowflake Lace stamp to the bookpage, then sewed it to my blue and gold mats. I then white embossed the Large Snowflake on blue card and fussy cut it out and added the jewel in the centre..(an end from a hairclip), then added some ruched up blue mulberry paper and added the sentiment strip, then the beautiful snowflake and some extra gems...that you cannot see in the photo!!. I just love Indigoblu stamps.

Frame it!!

I have made this......well I don't know what to call it,  but it started out by being an experiment for a place name card that one of my clients asked me to do, but I think it qualifies for this weeks challenge over at Indigoblu which is all about "frame it", after all, it is a frame...made from two Tim Holtz caged birds dies, sponged to give a patina effect, to showcase the beautiful Indigoblu flutterby stamped image. I added a couple of embellishments and attached a a tag  (where the name would have gone) but I stamped a saying instead.

Paperartsy Pigment Powders Challenge

I'm baaaack!!!!!! after a few weeks off with going on my holidays, and turning 50!!!!!! heck!!!! and having my gorgeous Grandson Jack, dancing, and working,  I didn't seem to get in my craft room half as much as usual,  and  felt like my mojo was slipping away, so..... as the saying goes... if you fall off your bike, get straight back on!!!
So here I am, and the first challenge I noticed was that Paperartsy are having a pigment powders challenge ....well I just adore Brusho's, tho I have to admit that they are the only pigment powders that I have tried, they are sooooo vibrant, especially the emerald green one.
For this challenge I was inspired by Kay Carley's Be The Rainbow card. I started by inking up the Paperartsy Clocks 1 stamp with versamark ink then embossing with white powder, then sprinkling Brusho's on my card and flicking with water.I mopped up the water from the two clocks then left it all to dry.I then stamped the clocks again with vintage sepia ink and blotted it to make it more muted, then went around the outlines with Brusho's and water, finally added some lines with black pen, after a bit of sewing and matting, my card is done.!!

Precious Metals GD card

Wayhaaay.. how about that!!!... my card got chosen yet again as an INDIGOBLU challenge top 3, so I get to be a guest designer for them yet again, feeling honoured or what!!!
The challenge this time is "precious metals", so metallic paints, megaflakes, etc...
I cannot tell you how much fun I had doing this card, I was transported right back to my childhood days of doing wax crayon rubbings on gravestones, leaves, and all sorts of different textures....except that there were no wax crayons in this technique. I started out with a sheet of aluminium foil, I laid it over the CIRCLE DOT BACKGROUND stamp and rubbed over the top with my bonefolder, then defined the circles more with my ball tool, taking care not to tear the foil, then leaving the foil on the stamp, I gave it a coat of black acrylic paint, then added some brown, orange and teal paint, dabbing it on here and there with a sponge, when it was dry, I rubbed silver gilding wax over the surface lightly to bring out the circles. I matted and layered it with shaped die cuts, and clear embossed the same circle stamp on the top layer.  I sponged FLITTERGLU onto the dinkie FLUTTERBY stamp, stamped it onto vellum,  and added the MORRIS DANCE mega flakes....ohhh how I love that colour!!!, I cut them out and added them with silicone glue. I made the little banner using a word from the TRULYMADLYDEEPLY stamp, and added it with a couple of metal brads. 
I hope this has inspired you in some way, and would love to see your precious metals creation over at the Indigoblu Challenge Blogspot.

You're How Old!!!!

Oooooohh.... over at That's Crafty, they have launched their own range of stencils, super cute dinky ones that I just gotta have, so the theme for their challenge is stencils.  And guess what!!!... over at Mixed Media World they are sponsoring That's Crafty and are giving away 10 of the new stencils to the winner of the challenge which is all about... yes, you guessed it ....Stencils!!!. fantastic news because...aswell as having a butterfly obsession... I also have a stencils obsession too, i just think that they are so versatile, I especially love spraying through them and then mopping up the ink residue on the stencil for another card... just love em!!
For my card I have used my two favourite stencils, the Paperartsy Lin Brown circles stencil, using modelling paste through it over my brusho, ink and bleach background, then I used the fantastic large TCW trilobites stencil....oooh I just love it!!! these ancient creatures are so fascinating. Anyways I hope to be in with a chance to win all those lovely stencils, and like I say...you gotta be in it to win it!!

Twinchie Tiles

This weeks challenge over at the Stampotique Blog is all about "twinchies"...little 2x2" works of art. I had this idea of doing something on a 4x4" piece of card and then cutting it up into quarters to make a tile effect. 

I started off with stamping the Collage Journey stamp onto my card in portrait mode, then scraping acrylic paint with a bank card to tone down the wording. then I stamped the large Butterfly....(my fave by far butterfly)!!!  onto tissue, colouring it in and adding it to my card with matte media, then cutting it into four 2x2" squares. I made the base with the same Journey Collage stamp and some stitching, then added another tissue butterfly to the bottom. I then added the tiles, raised with dimensionals. 

I have to say I love this card....probably because it has my favourite butterfly on, but I also love the tile effect too, and the distressed effect of the scraped paint.  Is it wrong to praise your own work!!!! 

Eyelets and Staples and Brads..OH MY!!!!

for this weeks Stampotique Designers Challenge, the hostess is the fabulous Kathi Rerek, and she is challenging us to use attachers, the older the better.  Thinking of eyelets, brads, staples, etc.  Bonus points if someone uses all three.  Extra super bonus points if someone attaches Stampotique images to each other.
Wow!!! what a challenge, I mean.... I cannot think of  the last time my stash of these things saw the light of day!!!!...but hey.that's what challenges are for eh!!. I have to admit that I struggled with an idea for this though, apart from the one idea that stuck in my brain, but required a Stampotique stamp that I don't own yet, soooo save that idea for another time!!!  the image I used is the Daniel Torrent image called HUNK.  I am loving all the doodling going on at the moment in peoples artwork, so I spritzed some gold ink through a Lin Brown stencil on top of my Tim Holtz harlequin background, then doodled around the circles with my white pen, I kinda like the outcome but on reflection, feel it is a bit busy for this image, maybe better with a butterfly image.....grrrrr....there I go again with that damned butterfly obsession!!!.
I managed to use all three attachers, brads on the crown, even a beautiful jewelled one in the centre, eyelets on the bottom of the card, and staples on the sentiment. 

Profanity!!!!!! GULP!!!

After winning the "D is for Dudes" challenge over at the Sisterhood Of Snarky Stampers blogspot, I get to be guest designer for this weeks challenge which is "R is for Rude"!!!!!  (a.k.a. the new profanity challenge).
Well...... all sorts of ideas were spinning around in my head, and I thought of one that I actually came up with a while ago.....but never would I have dared to show it on my blog or anywhere else, but kept the idea in the back of my mind just in case anybody I knew were going through the process of I.V.F. I thought this kind of card would put a smile to their faces at a time of anxiety and apprehension!!!....and now seems like the perfect opportunity to show my card.
The cute guy is Dr Needle, a digi image from Hambo Stamps, he is just adorable, and oh my word.... when I emailed the card to Chris, I hoped that I hadn't gone too far with the profanity, but...and in her own words..."for the record, you can NEVER go to far with the profanity at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers"!!!! sooooooo.... there you are!!..... get crafting and cussing!!!

Flutterby

Ohhhh my butterfly obsession is still here so I just loved it when I saw that the INDIGOBLU blog challenge title was "flutterby"!!!  My Indigoblu stamp collection is growing nicely and of course I just had to have the dinkie flutterby stamp, a beautifully detailed butterfly. I stamped it on parchment paper, cut it out and added it to my brusho background with silicone glue for dimension,  I love the Indigoblu sentiment too. 

Ribbons and Bows!!

I do love to participate in the Stampotique Designers Challenge, and this week the amazingly talented Corrie Herriman is challenging us to use ribbon on our project. Well.... I'm not much of a ribbon girl....even though I have a boxful of the stuff!!!!!!!  you know...just incase!!  and I cannot bear to throw any away, especially the chocolate box bows...ooohh they are gorgeous, and already tied in a beautiful bow, I mean...how can anyone throw these things away!!!  But, like most crafters do, I hoard them and they take up precious space in my craftroom which is ever decreasing!!!!.....but back to this weeks ribbon challenge.
I have used the BOWTIE image and stuck him on my inked up stencil background, I already did a sentiment similar to this one another time,  I think it was  "I like big books and I cannot lie"!!  lol...one day I may use the original words!!! hee hee. Anyways, this is as girly as am gonna get with ribbons this week.

Just FLY!!

Astrid Stulemeijer is this weeks hostess over on the Stampotique designers challenge blog and she says...."Every stamper has a little Frankenstein in them.  Give a stamp without wings a pair of them.".  such a fun idea, it is great to try see your stamps in a different way.   I have used my favourite LARGE BUTTERFLY stamp for the TINMAN'S wings, stamping them on acetate with black stazon, then cutting them out. I used a quote from The Wizard of Oz to keep in with the theme. 
Simon Says Stamp's Work it Wednesday Challenge is all about Rainbows too so yayyyy you got to be in it to win it!!! 

Sex God!!

Just for fun,  and the sheer challenge of making a male oriented card!!!!.... I have made this card for the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers  "D is for dudes" challenge. I have used the fantastic Carabelle studio XXL stamp for the backkground, it is huge, nearly A4 in size, and my "dude" is the Stampotiques  "Are My Pants Too Tight" image. I think I will give this card to my partners Son,.... he really is a Sex God!!!...(just as well that he is 30 years too young for me) !!!LOL.

Stampotiques 200th Challenge

For this weeks challenge at the Stampotique Designers Challenge Blog,  Kim Howard is the hostess and as it is their 200th challenge, she is asking us to create with celebration, anniversary, or best wishes in mind.

I have stamped the wonderful HUNK stamp, but cut off both his arms and legs and repositioned them so that he is waving and lifting one leg....hee hee!!! I know that I have added the numbers...and lets face it....nobody is ever gonna get to that age!!! well not in my lifetime anyways...unless they have a portrait in the attic!!! LOL... but I can easily alter the numbers or even have it as a Happy New Year card. 

All that Glitters!!!

this week Kathi Rerek is the hostess for the Stampotique Designers Challenge, and she says "create a project that literally shines" !!!.  I have to say that I made a few backgrounds before I settled for this one, brusho background, Memory Box stars stencil with modelling paste, then glittered the stars, I have used the LITTLE HO HOO image but masked off the owl friend that he is hugging and replaced him with a glittery star, then decoupaged his arms. I like altering images, it makes them so much more versatile. I am also entering this card in the "All that Glitters" challenge over at the That's Crafty challenges blog to hopefully win a voucher for......yup......more craft supplies!!!!!!

Get me!!!!.....GD at Indigoblu!!!!!

I am thrilled to be one of the guest designers today over at the fabulous INDIGOBLU blog to show my inspirational project for the "pocketful of posies" challenge. I am relatively new to Indigoblu....but my collection is already growing!!!  As soon as I saw this poppy stamp from the Poppy Meadow set I fell in love with it...isn't it gorgeous, and so reminds me of the meconopsis.....yes I can hear you saying the same as me when I heard that word!!!!  A couple of weeks ago I went to the RHS garden at Harlow Carr in Harrogate with a friend, the lady at the reception said that todays star of the show is the meconopsis!!!...me and my friend just hid our ignorance and nodded as if we knew what she was actually on about!! about half an hour into the walk around the grounds we stumbled upon a sight that took both our breath away, a beautiful sea of stunning vivid blue poppy like flowers...oh my word!!!!  The meconopsis is actually known as the blue poppy and looks just like this stamp.

Anyways....thank you so much indigoblu for inviting me, I thoroughly enjoyed doing this card and adore your beautiful stamps. 

Butterfly Obsessed!!!!

I went to the Stamp Magic Craft Show at the Doncaster Dome yesterday, and there was a stall there that really caught my eye... Visible Image Stamps, selling fabulous images, only downside  for me was that they are photopolymer stamps, I just think that red rubber stamps give much crisper images than clear stamps, anyway...I decided that because I loved the images so much  I would buy a couple and try them out!!!! well... needless to say I will be buying more stamps from them, they are gorgeous,  better quality than most clear stamps I have used, they are thicker, and the packaging is lovely with their own little plastic wallet, and some really unique images.. yep.. thumbs up to Visible Images.  So here is my first card using their products, isn't that butterfly gorrrrrgeous.....(standing up...." My name is Jane Elizabeth France and I am a butterfly stamp addict"!!!!) . lol.
I had tons of fun making the background for this card, using my favourite...at the moment...paperartsy stencil over a "craft sheet mop up"  paper background....whoever throws those things in the bin are crazy!!!!
this card is quite glittery, I embossed the butterfly with black sparkle embossing powder and then added stickles to the edges of the wings. Could anyone here in blogland pleeeeeease tell me how to capture sparkle on glittery cards!!!! cos it is beyond me!!!

I am also entering this card in the That's Crafty "all that glitters" challenge.

Favourite Stamp

Gez Butterworth is the hostess this week over at the Stampotique Challenge Blog, and she would love to see us use our favourite Stampotique stamp!!!!....well mine is the LARGE BUTTERFLY stamp, it definitely makes MY heart skip a beat....and I also have a butterfly obsession at the moment!!!  I have noticed that on the majority of times that I have used it, I always seem to stamp the image then cut it out and add it to my project with silicone glue to get some dimension, one layer cards are really hard for me!!!... anyways, this time I stamped the butterfly on the brusho background, added drywall tape, then stencilled the circles using the Paperartsy stencil and modelling paste, once it was dry I added stickles to give a golden glitter. I then stamped my butterfly onto gold vellum, added some green dylusions spray and clear star gelli roll pen for even more bling (shame that glitter never shows up on photo's...grrrrr) and guess what next.....you guessed it.... cut it out and added it to my card with silicone glue for dimension!!!!....I am nothing if not predictable!!!!  The That's Crafty Challenge blog is also having an "All That Glitters" challenge so I will enter my card in that challenge too. 

"How You Doin"!!

Today I get to be the Guest Designer for the Sisterhood Of Snarky Stampers, and the theme for the challenge is to use vellum on your creation!!! oooohh I wracked my brains for this one as I don't really do cutesy cards too well and if it involves vellum then it usually involves flowers and stuff...not much snark going on there, you can do cute cards for the challenge too but I wanted to go down the snarky route. Soooo.... one of my clients have just told me that they have just found out that they are expecting a baby, so that got me thinking about this "conception" card!!!. now I know it is not too snarky, and there is not much vellum in there!!! but it is definitely not cutesy. ps...you have to say the sentiment in the style of Joey Tribbiani from Friends!!...pps... on reflection  think the little sperms are looking more like tadpoles!!!!..oh well....artistic licence and all that!!! (I actually did them with a leaf stamp I have from Paper Smooches, and just added the tail by hand)   note to self...do them in white next time!!!

Bingo Wings!!!!

Well.....I am on a roll..... I have managed to combine todays card with three challenges, all three are fabulous outlets for wonderful crafty stuff.  Firstly, the  That's Crafty Challenge is all about numbers, the Designs By Ryn Challenge is anything, I have used the fabulous Moon Wings stamps of hers, and lastly, the SimonSaysStamps Wednesday challenge is all about stencils, I have used The Crafters Workshop mini bingo stencil. the background is created using the gorgeous Brushos....ooooh I love that stuff.

That's Crafty...Tag Along!!!

Sommmmmmebody stop me!!!!! I can't stop entering challenges!!!! LOL.  I am entering this tag in two challenges this week, the That's Crafty Challenges blog has a steampunk challenge, and I was inspired by the gorgeous tag Kay Wallace had made for a challenge over at the Tag Along Challenge blog where the subject was metallic. so I combined the two. You got to be in it to win it!!!..(or at least have a chance!!!)

A Bun In The Oven!!!

Yaaay I won the Sisterhood Of Snarky Stampers Challenge with my Monochromatic Mama card, so I get to be their Guest Designer in the next challenge, but the challenge that is going on now at the Sisterhood is "C is for Cake"!!!.....so I thought I would join in with that one too, and the one thing that came to my mind is the Lawn Fawn "Plus One" image of an oven with a bun...(I think my American friends would call it a muffin!!!) inside. This is the second card in a row that I have made that has a clean and simple design!!! simple but cute!!, I decoupaged the oven to give it some dimension, the inside says "you have a bun in the oven".

Quintessentially English

Well...I know I said that I wasn't active enough in doing challenges, but now all my waking thoughts are about challenges and ideas for them..... like it wasn't before!!!!!!!... I think I can remember reading somewhere that being a crafter is like having a thousand tabs open on your window at the same time!!! tis true!!!.
 So this leads me onto the next challenge I am entering... the Indigoblu just one layer challenge, I only have a few Indigoblu stamps to choose from and also one layer is just so hard for me. I started by stamping the Quintessentially English sentiment, then Sleeping George, I mean..how cute is he!!!  I masked him off, then loaded up the Union Jack with acrylic paint and stamped that.  I hope I win the challenge because the prize is more Indigoblu stamps, and I am totally adoring them!!!

Little Hoo Hoo's tight pants!!!

I love playing along in the Stampotique Designers Challenge, and this week the deliciously gothic girl  Arwen McCullen has set the challenge to combine an animals head with a human body!!!! oooohh great challenge....except that I don't have any Stampotique animals...YET... but |I do have the LITTLE HOO HOO monster that is quite animalish!!! and also he is clutching an owl...so I thought that he would qualify...improvisation and all that!!!  Anyway, I have paired him with ARE MY PANTS TOO TIGHT, and just used half his body as Little Hoo Hoo already has arms. et voila!!!

Monochromatic Mama

The Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers are having a  challenge to make a monochromatic card, or a card with one dominant colour, and as it is Mothers Day in America, it has to be a card for Mom. Well I like doing lots of different layers on my cards now so this certainly was a challenge for me.... I mean... you cannot have layers of the same colour can you!!! in the end I made the background by spraying one of my stencils with pink ink spray, then laying the cardstock on top of it...background done!! then I just added the wonderful Moth Fab stamp by Stampotique and printed out the sentiment on my computer... which is absolutely true for me, or when I look down at my hands and see my Mother!!...not that it is a nice thing!!...she has horrid boney fingers, much like the wicked Queen from Disney's Snow White...freaky!!!!

Stencils

This week at the Stampotique Designers Challenge Blogspot, the amazingly talented Corrrie Herriman has set this weeks challenge to use your stencils,  use them with paint, ink, modelling paste, or even gesso!!. well....as usual, I have a huge supply of stencils, and like always, too much choice leaves me with brain freeze!!! and then...which fabulous Stampotique stamped image to use with which stencil???....oh my Lord...the options are endless!!!! I finally chose to use the Memory Box Honeycomb stencil on some corrugated card, I had a riot with spray ink, brushos, acrylic paint, until I got the desired look.  To place my Stampotique MEDIUM BEES on the very uneven surface, I stamped them onto tissue, then adhered them to my surface with matte glaze, then stamped the wings onto parchment paper, cut them out and added them onto the bee image. The sentiment is computer generated.

Pink and Blue

While I was surfing around the net this week, wasting away a few hours, I came across the Lavinia Stamps Challenge Blog where their challenge this month  is "pink or blue or both!!"..... well, I can remember that a few years ago I went to the Doncaster Craft Show and bought a Lavinia Stamps clear stamp set called dandelions, I loved it, then did the usual.... got it home, played with it, put it in the drawer and ......forgot all about it. So coming across this site jogged my memory of this lovely stamp set, so I dug it out, made a background by spraying pink ink onto my craft mat, adding some water, then smooshing and mopping up the  ink with the paper, once it was dry I splattered blue ink, then stamped the beautiful dandelions then added some clear star gelli roll pen on the fronds to give a shimmery effect that you cannot see on the photo). I couldnt use any more stamps as I dont have any more Lavinia Stamps.....YET!!!!

2.3.4..tell the people what she wore!!

I really look forward to Wednesday mornings because there is always a new challenge over at the Stampotique Designers Challenge Blogspot, and this weeks challenge set by Sam Read is all about polka dots!!!..... soooooo I know this is probably the first thing that comes into everyone's mind...and sorry for being so predictable..... but it did make me chuckle when I made the itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini for REAR VIEW MIRROR to wear. :) :) :)

keeping it simple

My new favourite shop is That's Crafty.....because they stock my new love.....Carabelle Studio Stamps, especially the Birgit Koopsen Stamps.....ooooohhh they are so yummy, and the beautiful art she does to show off her stamps is amazing!!!!. I recently bought one of the XXL stamps, the art journal dream stamp which is so big that it comes on its own A4 acrylic block, it is a giant and I adore it. While I was browsing the That's Crafty online shop, I noticed they have a blog and also a fortnightly challenge blog where this fortnights challenge is to keep things simple, so I got my new stamp out, spritzed it with spray inks and placed my cardstock on the stamp, then dried it with my heatgun, then stamped the dragonfly stamp with stazon and added some stickles to his wings......simples.
I am feeling like I need to do more challenges now, I generally need a theme to get my brain whirring into action, it gives me a starting point, otherwise I feel like the proverbial author with the first blank page staring up at me!!! I am also entering this card in the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge which is an anything goes week.

OH CRAP!!!!!

This week the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers are challenging you to make a quick card,  in ten minutes, well I hope they didn't include the thinking time in that too cos it took me a while to think of what to do within the ten minutes time slot. I know I had to keep it simple...obviously!!!, which you would think is easy to do, but I swear that the clean and simple look is the hardest thing to achieve, I will leave that talent to the likes of Debby Hughes who does amazing CAS work.

As it is a snarky stampers blog, I like to do cards for their challenges with a bit of snark or humour, I remembered that I have these DIRT PILE and OH CRAP!! rubber stamps from Hambo Stamps, their stamps always have an element of fun to them.
I started off with a drop of distress ink and water on my craft mat, smooshed the cardstock into it, added a few splatters, while that was drying I stamped the dirt pile image then coloured it and cut it out, layered the background onto some brown cardstock and stuck to my card base, glued some drywall tape, and the image on, and then added the sentiment. super easy and quick!!!

SDC191 Circles

For this weeks challenge over at the Stampotique Designers Challenge the absolutely amazingly talented Magda Polakow.....(oh the wonderful art that lady can produce with scraps of paper and painters tape!!!).....has challenged us all to use circles in our creations.
My mind went immediately to the fabulous Lin Brown Paperartsy stencil that I have, a stencil with different size circles and circle clusters, it is gorgeous. so I set off by using the stencil with some texture paste, leaving it to dry, and then using a mixture of paints and spray paints. WOW!!! I cannot even tell you how many changes I have made to the colours of this card, it is a wonder that the card didn't disintigrate with all the wet layers it went through. I wanted to achieve a shimmer around the circles, sounds easy... and yes I used tons of shimmer mist, but then it affected all the other areas...GRRRRRRRRRRR. at one point I got so frustrated that I was going to screw it up and throw it in the bin!!!!.... but after all the sprays and paint layers I just couldn't bring myself to, and in the end I am glad because my perseverance paid off, I love the background now... so I added the LARGE SHROOM and the cute BURU character, then when all was matted and dried, I proceeded to take photo's of my work!!!! well all you crafters that try to take a clear photo of a very shimmery image will know my frustration....AAAARRRRGGGGGGGHHHHH. you will just have to take my word for how much more  beautiful and shimmery this card is in real life.

Tim's April Tag

I have not played along in Sir Tim Holtz's Tag challenge for a while now, so I thought I would give it a go for this month.   HERE  is Tim's tag, he has used his beautiful new flower stamps, well...  haven't got them...YET!!, and I haven't got his new word dies...YET!!! I adore them, and they are on my list along with many other things!!!  whoever said that crafting was cheap...was an absolute fool!!!. so anyways, I have used the supplies that I have got, the word "life" is the first line from one of his "good thoughts" stamps, and the cage and bird are from the artful flight stamp set. plenty of splattering and sewing....oooohhh yummy...my two favourite things.

I'm in Stitches!!!!

I don't seem to be able to do a card now without adding some stitching around the edge with my sewing machine, it seems to help draw the card centre to the eye, so I was so glad when I saw that this weeks challenge at the Stampotique Designers Challenge Blogspot  is all about "stitches"....  Coby is the hostess this week and she says   "I love stitches in my creations, sometimes stamped, sometimes by hand, sometimes with the sewing machine".   so she is challenging us to use stitching in our creations.
I saw this quote and I thought it just perfect for this challenge, I do like to take things quite literally!!!, anyhow, I thought I would try it first on some copy paper that I have been using as a mat for a while so that I don't get lots of gunge and inks on my surface, I printed out the quote on the paper and then cut it right through the quote, crumpled up the cut edge slightly, then stuck the two pieces onto another piece of card, but offset the quote slightly, then hand stitched down the cut.  Well I liked it so much that I decided to use this "test piece" so I added the fabulous MOTH FAB image, then with my sewing machine I did some stitching round the edge. I love it when a plan comes together straight away instead of the usual three or four attempts to get it right!!!!...ah well...there is no such thing as a waste of paper, for every time I don't get it quite right, I just alter it with another layer of paint!!! I am so frugal when it comes to paper, I won't even let my partner throw away any waste copy paper he has.....and he always has loads with all the rubbish he is printing and making mistakes!!! ahh well...more for me.

"Just Kidding"

A couple of weeks ago I won the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers go green challenge with THIS card, but as I was away on my holidays at the time,I couldn't be guest designer for the week afters challenge, so they have kindly let me join in on this weeks challenge which is all about "just kidding"....make a funny card!!!!.....so I took it quite literally and used the words in my quote....which I think is quite funny, it had me chuckling anyhow!!!!.   To join in this weeks fun challenge then you will find it here at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers blogspot.

Favourite Technique...(at the moment!!)

I am sooooo glad that this weeks challenge theme at the Stampotique Designers Blogspot is all about incorporating your favourite background technique, because this week I have just started playing around with alcohol inks on acetate!!!...I wonder why I haven't done it before now!! but I absolutely love it, even the frustrating randomness of it is quite appealing!!, I get the same feeling with the Brusho's color crystals, they are quite unpredictable but I am learning to control them to a point!!! even tho I like that they seem to have their own mind. Anyways, like I said, I have just started playing with my alcohol inks on acetate and just lovin the results, all very different, all gorgeous. I even run a couple of the acetate squares through an embossing folder before I dripped inks onto it, and I love that too. I have had my alcohol inks sitting in the drawer now for ages and ages not really sure what to do with them, but, I tell you...now all of a sudden I have to go for fresh supplies and new colors.....somebody stop me!!!!! LOL...all my crafting friends will understand.  I attached my inked up piece of acetate onto another Stampotique stamped background, journey collage, with tiny brads, then added the small butterfly stamp with stazon ink.

Neon Lights

Well...after a long rest...sun, sea, and way too much food and alcohol...especially alcohol!!!! I am back and itching to get back into doing some challenges, after all, if you don't use it, you loose it, and I feel that I haven't done anything arty for ages and my mojo is still in Lanzarote!!!! so straight back into it.
My first project is the challenge hosted by the talented Astrid Stulemeijer over at the Stampotique Designers Challenge Blogspot, she is having us thinking on the bright side and challenges us to use neon colours in our project. Well, I did use neon colours, they are fabric paints tho, and dont appear very neon on the photo, but in real life they are quite bright..promise!!! Also, I am  entering it in this weeks Tag Along Challenge cos I really wanted to support the fabulous Kay Wallace who is this weeks hostess, and she is challenging us to choose the theme of Angels. I adore my Stampotique stamps and so regret not having a Stampotique angel image...grrrr, definitely need to go Stampotique shopping very soon, especially with the gorgeous ones that kate Crane has just fetched out, they are adorable. Anyway, you have to work with what you have, so I have used the "Rear View Mirror" image and given her a pair of acetate wings taken from the "Large Butterfly" image...which is my absolute favourite butterfly ever!!!

Feeling Green!!!

As soon as I saw what the subject was for this months challenge over at the naughty or nice challenge blogspot, which is to make green, or green things a central focus of your design, and also the Sisterhood of SnarkyStampers challenge is to make a get well card. Well,... straight away this image came into my head, so I had to roll with it pretty quickly...cos with my memory the way it is!!! boy oh boy!!!.  I used the Tim Holtz splatter stencil and acrylic paint, building the layers up and heating it up with my heat gun until the paint bubbles, love this technique. Anyways, the idea made me chuckle, I just need a sick friend (literally!!) to send it to!!

Bring Me Sunshine.

Well....  Boooo Hooo..... this is my last week as guest designer on Stampotique Designers Blog, I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing my cards in the line up of the other super talented designers for Stampotique. The fabulous  Kaz Boughton is the hostess for this weeks challenge and she is looking for a little sunshine, she says "It's cold in the UK and I can't wait for it to warm up.  Show me something sunny to hopefully encourage the sun to come out".

I have been having so much fun playing about with my brusho colour crystals and I adore the rainbow effect that I made by sprinkling a few crystals in line  using colours of the rainbow, then spritzing and flicking water on the paper. The LARGE BUTTERFLY stamp is stamped onto acetate, and then cut out, I then bent the wings for dimension, in real life it looks gorgeous, but on the photo it looks quite flat....grrrrr!!!! I also used the JOURNEY COLLAGE stamp in the background and then white embossed it so that the brushos would resist it,  have also used the SPLATTER LONG as a trail on the butterfly. Anyway, thank you to Stampotique for giving me this wonderful opportunity to be featured on their blog. :)

Believe Love Dream

I made this card using Ryn Tanaka's beautiful Mermaid and water effects stamps, the background is the fabulous brusho crystals. The mermaid is actually stamped and then cut out and shaped so that the tail curls towards you, I dont think you can see the dimension too well here. Aren't those water effect bubbles just amazing!!!

A Very Merry UN-birthday To You

This week the amazing France Papillion is the hostess for the Happy Unbirthday Challenge over on the Stampotique Blog.   France says that we often expect cards on our birthday.  How about surprising someone with an unbirthday card?  With or without Alice in Wonderland inspiration, make a happy unbirthday card. So here is my UN-birthday card with some Alice influence.

I have used six Stampotique images, in the background I have used JOURNEY COLLAGE, then Arwens GOTH CHANDELIER, also the GIANT SHROOM, WELCOME DOOR, THE TWEEDLES, and the TINY BEE on one of the mushrooms. I thoroughly enjoyed doing this card and quite like how it turned out. 

Love and Hearts

Kristen Catalano is this weeks hostess for the Stampotique Designers Challenge, and as love is in the air she says that as February 14th is Valentine's Day, why not create something that is surrounded by hearts and love?.
For this weeks sample I have used Daniels Hearts, and the Tinman stamps, both from Stampotique. I had a ball doing this, ooooh I just love drippage and splats!!
I actually cut out the Tinmans heart and then popped him up from the card to show that he has an empty space where his heart should be, but I guess you cannot see the dimension in this photo. I am just lovin being Guest Designer for Stampotique. 

EMBOSSING FOLDER STAMPING

Today the Technique Lovers Challenge over at Splitcoaststampers is all about using embossing folders to stamp an image, you just open up your embossing folder, I used the Sizzix Tim Holtz Gears folder, spritzed it with dylusions sprays, then a spritz of water, I used glossy photo paper instead of watercolour paper, it sucks the colour up, but I also love this technique with watercolour paper as you get a beautiful watery effect. I then stamped the little robot on a separate piece of paper, coloured and cut him out, then added the sentiment....et voila!!! my valentines card for my fiance or my little grandson done.....ooooh just thought on, I am gonna add a little heart on his chest.

SDC181 ORANGES AND LEMONS

Yippeeeeeeee.....I am the Guest Designer for all of this month over at the Stampotique Designers Challenge. I just adore all of the Stampotique stamps so I was super proud when I was chosen. All of the other designers are super talented so.........no pressure there then !!!!!!!! LOL.
My first card for this weeks challenge which is hosted by Sue, is for the Oranges and Lemons challenge, which is to use citrus colors in your project, so I first went to the supermarket and bought some oranges and lemons!!!, cut them in half and did some fruit prints, dipping my cut up fruit in some dylusions squeezed orange and lemon zest spray ink, well, I just had a ball doing this, I loved how the prints came out, and I know I will be doing this sort of thing again, maybe with other fruit and veg, but I wanted my orange and lemons prints more defined and animated, so I went round them with my black fine tipped pen, and then drew in the segments, I then stamped the amazingly cute Daniel Torrents BURU image, cut him out, and had him sit on one of the oranges. I love how it turned out, and I hope you do too.

Symbols of February

Hi there blogland friends. Today is the start of a new challenge over at the Hambo Hoedown, the blogspot for Hambo Stamps, and the subject for this months challenge is .... "Symbols of February." Meaning Purple for birthstone (amethyst), Violets (for the flower), and anything water or fishy (Pisces and Aquarius are the zodiacs). For my card I have used the GERANIUM digital image, and colored it in with my purple pencils, cut it out and stuck it onto my mixed media painted tag I do hope you will hop along to the hoedown and join in the fun. 

YIPPEEEEEEEEE!!!

Today I can reveal that I have been chosen to be this month's GUEST DESIGNER over at the Stampotique Designers Challenge Blogspot.  Crikey...do I feel proud or what!!!!. I adore Stampotique images and was super proud when they asked me to be guest designer for the month of Febuary. So I do hope you will follow me all this month when they will be showcasing one of my cards each week...YAAAAAY thank you Stampotique.

SDC180 Oh pollocks!!

when I saw what this weeks challenge was all about on the Stampotique Designers Blog I couldn't wait to take part!! the amazingly talented Corrie is the hostess this week and she challenges us to use paint in our background. .....Well.... my mind went to one of my favourite artists...JACKSON POLLOCK.  He is famous for his abstract art which is basically splattering paint onto canvas, I know this sounds just like childs play, but to balance it takes a good eye, anyway , I adore his work, and one of his favourite quotes, which I may use in the future is.... " Every good artist paints what he is" !!!!!! .. well, I tell you what I am....too careful, scared of mistakes, need perfection!!!! so when I see Pollock's work, I just wish I was that free, it must be an amazing feeling. I have to say though that when I was creating this background, I had a ball.... until I looked up and saw my beautiful wallpaper, black with silver chandaliers on...AND LOTS OF COLOURED SPLATTERS!!!! gulp!!!

SDC179 Punny!!!

This week over at the Stampotique Designers Challenge,  Kathi Rerek is the hostess and has chosen Punny/or Funny projects......and to take a quote from the blog page...."her challenge has us hitting our funny bone"!!!!!  well.....that gave me my idea for this punny kinda quote.I have used the incredibly cute HUNK by Stampotique, but I cut his arm off and repositioned it so that he is showing his "humerus" (funny bone)..LOL.

New Year New Stash!!

My oh my how the weeks fly by!! we are now two weeks into our monthly Hambo Hoedown challenge, and this months challenge is all about making any  kind of creation and incorporating  your newly acquired stash, if you are anything like me, I am always "acquiring" new stuff!!!!!  I don't know how my craft room hasn't dropped down into my kitchen yet!!!! Yikes!! and it doesn't help with internet shopping, it is all just too easy and readily available at the touch of a button,...good thing for me, bad thing for my credit card. So anyway, my newest bit of stash is the Memory Box Florina stencil, I just laid it on my cardstock and spritzed it with orange and yellow dylusions sprays and splattered with the lime green. I have added the cute little ROLLER BUNNY rubber stamp from Hambo Stamps  

SDC178 Bright n Cheery

This week, over at the Stampotique Designers Challenge blogspot, the fabulous Kaz is challenging you to make a bright n cheery card to help to cheer us up in the dim days of January, I have some new neon fabric paints....and you dont get much brighter than neon!!! so I used them to make the splatters of colour on my card, they take much longer to dry than ordinary paint and are much thicker, but you can still use them on a good weight cardstock. I have used the LITTLE HOO HOO stampotique image, I coloured him in 4 times before he didn't fade into the background!!! first pink, then lavender, then orange, then I just went over him with the pink neon paint which made the orange just pop a bit more, the little owl has glitter on him... but you cannot tell on the photo.