with sympathy

For this weeks Paperbabe challenge it is "Anything Goes", well, I'm definitely not a fan of any challenge that has an anything goes title, like I have said before, I need a starting point, or else my mind just goes blank!!!. so I looked at other companies challenges, and That's Crafty have a "clean and simple challenge, so I thought that I would combine the two. Now I know it seems easy, but clean and simple....just aint so simple!!!...but I have to say I love the watery effect of this card, and I just adore Kim Costello's paperbabe stamps.

Time Flies

I am entering this card in this months VISIBLE IMAGE Challenge where the subject is dimension. I used the clock and the wings from the Time after Time stamp set, adding dimension by adding silicone glue to one of the clocks so it stands out and then adding silicone glue to the wings for added height and dimension.
The background was actually a gelli print that I didnt like that much, but I just added a bit of spiced marmalade distress oxide and stamped the numbers from the same stamp set as the other stuff, and I loved it, which goes to prove my theory, of which I am sure all you crafters are the same.... when in doubt, never bin it, just add a bit more ink....even if it is that terrible that you have to cover it with white gesso!!!! annnnnd...bobs your uncle!!!!

Oldie but Goodie!!

I am entering this card in two challenges this week,  Stampotique Designers Challenge...and the Country View Crafts challenge.  Stampotique are asking you to bring out an old stamp that you havent used in a while, but love!!..well.. that's not hard to choose, I love all the Daniel Torrent stamps, and Buru is one of my faves, I have also used the Giant Shroom stamp and the Daniels Hearts stamp too....which brings me onto the Country View Crafts Challenge where the challenge is to use hearts, sooooo...two birds, one stone...and all that!!!.

Visible Image May Challenge

I am entering this card in the Visible Image May Challenge, where the title is "Express Yourself". to make words your focal point in your card. I have used the butterfly INKognito and the Where dreams take you stamps, both from Visible Image.

2nd card for Paperbabe challenge #48

Here is the second card that I have made for the Paperbabe picture inspiration challenge. The same as the previous one where I used the face template and stamps.

Paperbabe Stamps challenge #48

This weeks  PAPERBABE stamps challenge is a picture inspired one, of some flowers and a few colours, bluey greens, and yellows. I always like it more when a challenge has a theme, I absolutely hate it when it is an "anythng goes"challenge, cos I just don't know where to start, I look round at my huuuuuuge craft stash and feel paralysed!!!

I am really enjoying playing with my paperbabe templates, I notice that the portraits trend is huge at the moment, and didn't think that I would like it, mainly because of my lack of confidence with anything new like faces.... but my god Jane.... it is just a piece of paper....get experimenting!!!!
Actually, I quite enjoy doing the face part, especially with Kims stamps because it is much easier to do the facial features symetrically so that is a help, but I also like doing the shading, what I have discovered is that I hate doing the hair...I just doesnt look right,  so I solved that one this week by eliminating it....result!!!!
I made this card and didn't quite like it because one of the flower heads covered her lips and I just felt it looked weird, so I did another one, which I will post later, but the more this one sat on my craft desk the more it grew on me....and I actually like it more than the other one I did.

PAPERBABE

well....I'm back....to show you my new obsession...PAPERBABE STAMPS.. I discovered these while I was doing some housework and Hochanda was on the TV one day... who am I kidding... Hochanda is permanently on my TV and the only time Pete is quite happy to have it on is when Alex Turchin is the presenter, she is kinda hot tho and a bit goth, just as pete likes his women!!!!...anyway, I recognised the name Kim Costello,  I have always admired her work, so my ears pricked up and I was hooked the moment I saw the portrait face templates and the co-ordinating stamps to go with them. I'm not much of a portrait artist, and definitely have trouble with light and shade, it doesn't come easy to me, but I just fell in love with these cute girl templates as soon as I saw them, so just had to have the equipment, a few templates, the torso which is standard, then a few different hairstyles, and the face stamps too. now this is my first attempt so don't be too judgemental, I'm sure I will get the hang, but am still kinda proud of it.

All That Sparkles

Well...I am feeling super proud to be one of the chosen 3 in the last Indigoblu Challenge, so I get to be a guest, showing an inspirational piece on their blog for the current INDIGOBLU challenge which is "ALL THAT SPARKLES". 

 It was only back in May 2015 that I first entered an Indigoblu challenge, and then I only had a couple of stamps, now my collection is quite extensive, but I still go back to my absolute favourite... the Flutterby.... well I do have a bit of a Lepidoptera obsession!!!

The theme for my Christmas cards this year was all about recycling, all made with mostly recycled materials, packaging, book pages, old jewellery that I no longer wear...etc, so I think I was still in the same mode when I made this wall hanging, with a piece of corrugated cardboard box, and some acetate from other packaging.....heck...it makes me never want to buy any card ever again!!!! (hang on....who am I kidding...lol).

I thoroughly enjoyed making this,  I started by stamping the FLUTTERBY stamp onto acetate with stazon ink, then using double sided adhesive strips I adhered the fabulous WINTER DAWN MEGA FLAKES to the back. The wall hanging is a piece of corrugated packaging, first gessoed, then added texture paste through a stencil, added some blue and pink spray ink, then once dried I added glass beads and silver sprinkles for extra sparkle ...my oh my how it shines in real life!!!! 

I am also entering it in the That's Crafty Anything Goes Challenge

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.