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Saturday 30 November 2013

Claritystamp Challenge - Build a Scene

Wow what amazing entries in the last Challenge.  Well done to the winner and the Top 5 - so difficult to choose with all the talent out there.

This months Challenge is Build a Scene and you will notice fabulous inspiration from the Design Team.

My project needs little explanation other than to say I used Theuva card, Vintage Photo Distress Ink and an abundance of Clarity stamps.

Take the opportunity to sit down and enjoy a bit of "me" time before the xmas madness begins and work on a scene to enter into the Challenge - £50 voucher up for grabs.

Merry Xmas all and thanks for popping in, I appreciate all your lovely comments.



Fussy and Fancy


Morning folks - gorgeous morning who would think it's almost December?

I have a couple of friends (lovely ladies!) on this Design Team albeit on the opposite team.

I follow their projects closely each month and find myself drawn more and more to this Challenge.

I've decided to enter my "Shop Window" for this Challenge which is made using Creative Expressions stamps and embossing powder - some of it glittery!

The flower in the corner was made using the corner stamp which I embossed and cut out and then built up into a flower.  The background I made using ribbon.

I'm very keen on the finish of my projects so therefore have also attached photos of the back of the project and the central bit where I covered the acetate with ribbon.










Friday 1 November 2013

Claritystamp Challenge 9 - Christmas


Thanks to everyone who entered our Challenge last month for the Winter theme.  So many fabulous entries which makes it extremely difficult to choose a top 5.  Congratulations to the lucky winners, very well deserved.

Not a lot of blogging or crafting for me over the last 2-3 weeks as we moved house last week.  My Craft Room is still in boxes but I was able to make my sample for the Clarity "Winter" Challenge before we moved.

My little bit of inspiration is a card and bauble to send to someone special.  A Xmas card and gift in one.

I so enjoyed making the bauble as it was something a little different for me.  Painted with Grandma's Teacup paint (I love that name) then gold embossing and lots of masking to make the little picture in the O of joy.  For the bauble on the card I drew around the MDF bauble onto blue card and cut it out.

There's such a lot of inspiration on the blog this month and I hope you have time to enter for the chance to win the Claritystamp Voucher of £50.

I'm off to the NEC next week to catch up with lots of Crafty friends and the Clarity Team.









Thursday 17 October 2013

Panpastel Challenge - Falling leaves

This is my entry for the Panpastel Falling Leaves Challenge

Firstly I cut out the leaves which I'd stamped onto Tim Holtz paper.  I then coloured, blended and scrunched the leaves to make them look more lifelike.  I then attached them to a card ring which I'd cut out from a cardboard box.

I overlapped the leaves to give a more natural feel.  I added cord for hanging, fir cones and a decorative bow.




Wednesday 16 October 2013

Art Journalling for dummies!

Morning all.
At the moment we're going through the moving house process, with all the stresses that go with it!
I'm telling you this as part of the stress includes not sleeping.
During my last sleepless night I decided to use the time to play in my Art Journal (before all my crafting stash gets packed away),
I'd seen a page done by the talented Wendy Vecchi which I used for my inspiration.  I believe that in Art Journalling you just "go with the flow" which doesn't come easy to me but I shall continue to give it a go.  Hopefully once we are settled in our new home I can become more relaxed and free flowing!
Anyway enough of my sleepless nigh ramblings below is my page.


Sunday 13 October 2013

Panpastel Challenge

I am really delighted to have been chosen as one of the Top 3 entrants in the Panpastel Challenge.

The names now go into a hat and there is a chance to get chosen as Guest Designer - how amazing would that be!

My entry is below (I'm now off to order my metallic Pastels as a prize to myself).

Thank you so much Premium Craft Brands you have made my day xxx




Wednesday 9 October 2013

Panpastel Challenge - Water


Panpastel Challenge is my favourite Challenge!!!
You don't have to use PanPastels to enter (I don't sometimes) but I love my Pans so decided to make a project especially for this Challenge.
I used stamps from Clarity (the fish and coral and the fabulous Designs by Ryn stamp - water droplets.)

I stamped these with Versamark then dabbed on my Pans and finally blended them over the tag.  I added white pen for a little hilight on the water droplets and a black pen for the eye of the fish.  I added seam binding which I also coloured with Pans.

I very often seal my PanPastels with spray and sparkle which I did on this tag - it gives a lovely shimmery finish.

http://panpasteluk.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/wk40-6-oct-pan-pastel-uk-challenge-water.html







Tuesday 1 October 2013

Claritystamp Challenge - Winter


Yet another month goes by and the start of a new Claritystamp Challenge.

Well done to all the entrants of the Vintage challenge as we've had superb projects as always. 

Congratulations to the winner and top 5.

Well on to Winter!

For my card I started off by blending Faded Jeans Distress Ink on the upper part of the card and then, with a wet paint brush, "painted" clouds which I then blotted with kitchen roll.  The stamps I've used are Log Cabin, Caravan, Tree 2012 and Forest Ridge.

Using black Archival ink I stamped the Cabin and Caravan which I then masked before stamping the Forest Ridge several times. For the fence I used the Tree 2012 stamp upside down (stamping only the trunk) which was also stamped in Black Archival ink.

I then tore some copy paper to make the snow ridges using a sponge and Faded Jeans Distress Ink.  Using the same ink I also added colour to the cabin and Caravan.

The snow on the roof of the caravan and cabin and on the fence was done with Cosmic Shimmer pearl glue with glamour dust sprinkled on the top.

Hope you like it enough to be inspired to have a go and enter this months Challenge.


I have entered this card into the Panpastel Challenge: 

Friday 27 September 2013

Claritystamp Fossil


This is a card I made for a little boys 8th birthday.

I used the Clarity Fossil stamp to make the background and also to make the "Fossil" on the front of the card.  This was made in paper clay with gilding wax rubbed over the top.

The aim of this card was not to show artistic technique but to make a little boy happy.  Hope he likes it!








Friday 6 September 2013

Tim Holtz Tag Book

I was lucky enough to spend a few hours with the amazing Tim Holtz.  What an amazing time was had by all.
I made the Tag Book below which is no near finished yet but I love it ......... I can't stop looking at it!


Sunday 1 September 2013

Claritystamp September Challenge - Vintage

September Challenge - I'm hoping that we haven't seen the end of summer quite yet.  Well done to our Winner and Top 5.

Thank you to everyone who entered our Animal Challenge such fabulous artwork yet again.

Our next Challenge is Vintage and  I don't think I've ever used so many different stamps in one project!

I've listed them below:-

Remountable Art Set (for the stamped scrolls and ink, quill and scroll stamp for the background).
Velvet
Leafy column
Change (NDC stamp)
Pretty Petals

I used a mixture of Adirondack and Distress Inks including Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain, Espresso, Butterscotch and Caramel to stamp and colour the HUGE Ranger Tag.  I love the scroll stamps in the Art Set as they are so useful and versatile.

The flower was made from the Pretty Petal Set layered up with a sparkler in the centre.

A few bits from my stash ie ribbon, pearls and embellishments finished it all off.

I've not really used Clarity Stamps on a vintage project before but thoroughly enjoyed this one.




Wednesday 28 August 2013

Indigoblu, PanPastels and Kromer Crackle

This project has been made using Indigoblu Live, Laugh, Love stamp set and the free Craft Stamper stamp - Elizabeth Bennet.

I painted the hearts with Pink Iced Gem Cottage Garden Acrylic paint and once dry I added a little Kromer Crackle.  When this was dry I touched over the crackle with silver gilding wax.  

The Elizabeth Bennet stamp was used with Versamark and Wow Platinum Embossing Powder.

I coloured the flowers, leaves and birds with PanPastels and then sprayed with Spray and Sparkle.

I so enjoyed making this project and hope you like it too.

I would like to enter this project into the Indigoblu Challenge Blog (Shabby Chic) and the Panpastel Challenge Blog (Pastel colours)




Tuesday 27 August 2013

Splodgeaway Design Team Samples

These are the samples I made for Splodgeaways two shows on Create and Craft today.

I loved working with the new Splodgeboard - not surprising as I love working with all the Splodgeaway projects.




























Friday 9 August 2013

Splodgeaway Free Range week

It's Free Range week on the Splodgeaway blog this week for the DT.

Why not pop along to have a look at all the lovely projects by all the DT.

Using a Manilla tag I put Distress Ink Squeezed Lemonade, Spiced Marmalade and Barn Door onto my Splodgemat and sprayed it with water - picking up the ink with the tag.  Then I sprayed with water and left to dry naturally.

Once dry I stamped the diamond argyle pattern with Spiced Marmalade - I held the stamp in my hand, not using a block.

With Walnut Stain Distress ink I inked through the Country Cottage Stenscape mask the small flower border at the bottom of the tag.

Then, using the Butterfly Creator mask, I spread iridescent paste (which I'd mixed with Spiced marmalade DI, through the top two butterflies.  Once they were dry I sponged through the markings section of the butterfly creator with Walnut Stain DI (this looks very subtle!).

A few gems, words and seam binding finished it off.



                                 
     

Thursday 8 August 2013

Tim Holtz embossing folder

I recently spent a day, along with friends, at an Eileen Godwin workshop.  What an amazing lady she is!  Not only is she a brilliant crafter she's a lovely lady too.

This was a project which was started at the workshop by inking the embossing folder with Distress Ink on the back of Centura Pearl.  Unfortunately I put my card into the embossing folder the wrong way round!!!  Soooo when I got home I turned it over and blended Distress Ink onto the Pearly side of the card.  I was really pleased with how it turned out especially when I rubbed over some gilding wax.

Waste not want not .............

                               

Sunday 4 August 2013

Indigoblu

This is a simple card I made recently by masking off a section of the card with torn copy paper and colouring with Distress Inks.  The stamps used are from the Indigoblu Nature 1 set.
I stamped (lightly and randomly) the branches in the Distress inks used for the background.  I then stamped the main image in black Archival.
The sentiment was stamped onto a separate sheet, cut out and edged with the co-ordinating Distress inks.
Matting and layered onto co-ordinating Bazzill Bling card stock.

Saturday 3 August 2013

Distress Ink Storage

A couple of weeks ago I popped into our local Craft Shop and saw one of these storage units decorated and looking very pretty.  I couldn't resist taking one home with me to construct and decorate (it's made by Tando and comes "flat packed"!)

I adore teal but thought that it needed to have the little compartments in a light colour.  I had visited the Indigoblu Open Weekend and bought some of their English Cottage Artist's acrylic paint, one of which was Townhouse Teal, I used this for the frame, white for the compartments and I covered the back in a sheet of Tim Holtz paper.

A final bit of stamping with flitterglu and gilding flakes - job done!!






Thursday 1 August 2013

Clarity stamp August Challenge - Animals

Morning All and thank you so much for all your fantastic entries on the Claritystamp Challenge Blog.
Good luck to all our entrants - some lucky chickadee is going to win a £50 voucher to spend at Claritystamp.
My project for this month uses a heart shape hanger.  It all started with a wooden heart I bought from. My local Craft Shop.  When I got it home I wondered if it would work on grungeboard (I had some grungeboard which I'd never used!!) so I drew round and cut out the heart.  It's sooo flexible - I love it.

I then painted the grungeboard with gesso and English Cottage Artist's Townhouse Teal.  Then using the Claritystamp alphabet stamps and Black Archival Ink I stamped my wording "Home is where the ...... is.  I had a Clarity cat stamp in my stash (sorry to all the dog lovers) which, I thought, went well in this project.  Finally I had some newly acquired Kromer Crackle which I couldn't wait to use.  This dries white so mix it with a small amount of acrylic paint for a better effect.  One thing I wasn't prepared for was how long it takes to dry - DAYS - so I would advise you leave yourself plenty of time.  I was so pleased with the effect so it was well worth the wait.   Then I rubbed over the crackle and round the edges of the heart with Treasure Gold.

A piece of toning ribbon and all was complete.

                                          
  


Tuesday 30 July 2013

PanPastel and Wow Embossing Powder

This is a birthday card I made using PanPastels and Wow Embossing Powder for the tree.
I tried to show the summer stormy skies we've had recently.

I'm entering this card into the following Challenges:



               V.       
   

Sunday 28 July 2013

Indigoblu

This is a card I made using Indigoblu stamps, distress Inks for the background and bubble mask in the background.  A bit of water flicking was also used on the background!

  

Thursday 25 July 2013

Eileen Godwin's workshop

Well what a lovely day I spent on Tuesday at a workshop with the lovely and talented Eileen Godwin.

Eileen lives in Kent but was staying at her son's house in Coventry - I was lucky enough to be one of a handful of people at the workshop.

This is one of the cards we made (I will add the rest when I've finished them!).  It's using a Hero Arts Large Flower Pattern stamp.

It's so effective - I'm thrilled to bits with it.

                                        
                                 
 

Wednesday 24 July 2013

Indigoblu Hocus Pocus

This is a simple but effective card using the Indigoblu Hocus Pocus stamps and Distress Inks.

                                   
    

Friday 19 July 2013

Splodgeaway Favourite Technique

My favourite technique using Splodgeaway masks is embossing craft metal.  Sometimes I cover the embossed metal with Acrylic paint and then take a lot of the paint off.  This way the paint stays in the embossed bits of the metal.

On this occasion I decided to leave off the acrylic paint and have a clean look.
I made two embossed backgrounds and on the first card used a piece of ribbon and a Happy Birthday sentiment, this was then matted onto black card.

On the second card I added a piece of craft metal which was heat embossed in black and using an Oak Tree stamp.  All the elements were then mounted on to 8 x 8 Kraft card.

I've added a photo to show how deep the pattern is when using the Splodgeaway masks as an embossing tool.






Thursday 18 July 2013

ATC

This is an ATC I made last week for a group Challenge we take part in each month.
The theme was "colour" which inspired me to create the background using alcohol inks on acetate.
The butterfly was stamped onto acetate and heat embossed with WOW gold glitter embossing powder.
Fortunately I had some multi coloured ribbon in my stash which fitted the bill perfectly!!
Thank you so much for looking and welcome to all my new followers.

Wednesday 3 July 2013

Pan pastel sketch challenge

This is a first for me in a couple of ways.

1.   I've never tried following a sketch layout before.

2.   I decided to use whatever bits and pieces I had on my craft desk.  (Obviously using this I could make a couple of hundred more!!!). 

The background is a Gelli print edged with Distress Paint.

This was the outcome and is my entry for the Panpastel Challenge.

http://panpasteluk.blogspot.co.uk/

.c

Monday 1 July 2013

Splodgeaway DT samples

Tom and Hazel will be appearing Create and Craft today at 2pm and 6 pm.

Pictures below of my contributions.  Can't wait to see what's for sale myself as we don't get all the masks to work with - hope my other DT colleagues have enjoyed themselves.

Don't forget to tune in or set your recorders!