Wednesday 30 November 2011

Thankyou card



The last theme for Novembers Challenges over at Gingersnap Creations.
GS 129 'Once in a Blue Moon' , is  make a thankyou card.
My card is for a special friend, and  I even got round to making the box.
The card is layered, using a tree bark folder and a branch which I cut out. My stamp of the Collie Dog is from a Joanna Sheene set.
The stamps used for the rest of the piece are Chocolate Baroque, Artistic Outpost and a few that have long since lost their makers names.
Trimmings are from my stash. Shading is vintage paper, tea dye distress inks and watercolour paints.
This was to have been my last post as November  Visiting Artist  for Gingersnap Creations, but  I was so excited when I was invited  to visit for December as well.

Thankyou for stopping by to take a look, I realy appreciate you calling.

I will be trying to visit all my lovely followers blogs, but I am having a few computer problems, using my OH's laptop at the moment and so missing my big screen.

Tuesday 29 November 2011

Desk Tidy?



Alter a Can is the new challenge over at Try it on Tuesdays, once again we are sponsered by the Craft Barn, with a gift voucher for the lucky winner.
The DT have some super examples again, so pop over for all the details.

So this started out as a can of Baked Beans, very delicious on a slice of toast.
I used sticky-back canvas to cover the tin, which had been stamped up using a variety of   Stampers Anonymous and Chocholate Baroque stamps. The trimmings are from my stash.
It is a realy useful container for my scraps of ribbon, lace and petals. Did you notice my title,  'desk tidy', it does help to have an aim, but my desk is always work in progress. I can never find a thing after a tidy-up session.

Thankyou for stopping by to take a look at my Altered Can, your comments are greatly appreciated.

Saturday 26 November 2011

Postcard for Santa



I love to make collage cards, as it is a way to use up the odd pieces of papers.
Starting with a piece of music paper.
Followed by a home made backing paper using Viva stamps.
A small Graphics 45,  left over paper panel.
The only thing new is the stamped postcard by Inkadinkado on top of my stamped french script.
Look close and even the red layers are different shades.
The wooden deer is painted brown, , and the ribbon and bow to finish.
All shading is antique linen and vintage photo distress inks.

Challenges I hope this will fit are-
Just for Fun,  Favourite Shapes
                     As you can see I couldn't make my mind up between oblongs or squares, but having to pick I would say oblongs.
Craft Your Days Away   Buttons and Bows
Craft Room  Challenge Travel Postcards


Thankyou for stopping by to take a look, I realy appreciate your comments.

Thursday 24 November 2011

Holly



Another Christmas card made using  the theme from this weeks  Make My Monday Challenge, which is  'Flowers, foliage or snowflakes'.
The stamp is another  one that Siobhan kindly lent me  to stamp up a few images,  back in September.
The holly is an Alterations die cut. Shading  and colouring is a combination of Vintage photo distress ink and watercolour paints.

Thankyou for stopping by to take a look, I realy appreciate your comments.

Wednesday 23 November 2011

Thanksgiving



First of all , I would like to wish everyone who celebrates this special  day  a  'Happy Thanksgiving'.

I have made this hanging for the Gingersnap Creations Colour challenge.
GS 128, use Yellow, Red and Brown, colours.
The shape started life as a door hanger,  turned on its side and  painted with acrylics.
Words and Recipes etc   are from Tim Holtz's    Seasonal sticker pack.
The watch dangling in the circle is an Artistic Outpost stamp, which I clear embossed a few times.
All the other additions came from my stash.

Thankyou for stopping by to take a look, I realy appreciate your comments.

Tuesday 22 November 2011

Honey I shrunk the Plastic.



Wild Card week, so here is the Challenge, its called 'Honey I Shrunk the Plastic'.
Pop over to Try it on Tuesdays , see what my team-mates have made, get the information, then join the fun.
You will have guessed by now that we are asking you to use 'shrink plastic' in some way on  your  piece.
This card is only three and a half inches square. Shading is vintage photo distress inks, my all time favourite way to colour cards.
  The layers are pieces of my own random stamped background papers.  These are so useful to have pre-made.
The stamp I used is one of the   Gorjuss girls images, she was coloured before shrinking with permanent ink pens. It is attatched by  a few links so it could  be used on  a key  ring .

Thankyou for stopping by to take a look, I realy appreciate your comments.

Sunday 20 November 2011

White Christmas



Our 9th Challenge for you over at Fashionable Stamping Challenges this time is 'I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas'.  You can interpret this theme any way you like, e.g. snow scene/Christmas song, the colour white.But remember it is a Stamping Challenge.
Please pop over and see the fantastic examples and welcome Paula our new team-mate.

The background of this card is made with a variety of torn strips of  patterned, white vellum. The scene is one of my old well used stamps, hence I cannot name the maker. Shading is a mixture of  tumbled glass distress ink, watercolours and chalk.  Glitter  to highlight the snow,  trees and various other  things on the craft bench,  not forgetting  me.

Thankyou for stopping by to take a look, I realy appreciate your comments.

Saturday 19 November 2011

Fabulous Blog Candy




The Craftbarn   are having an amazing Blog Candy give away, to celebrate having over 600 followers.
It has well passed this number now, but why not pop over   HERE   to read about this fantastic prize and join in the fun.

Thursday 17 November 2011

CAS- Christmas.



Another Christmas theme challenge over at Make My Monday this week, its all helping me to get some cards made.
 Week 24 Make a CAS card with the emphasis on the sentiment.
This card has a simple message stamp from Hero Arts and a die cut poinsettia. The shading on the edges is tumbled glass distress ink.  Now that for me is a simple card, it was photographed and put in my card box ready to send.

Thankyou for stopping by to take a look, I realy appreciate your comments.

Wednesday 16 November 2011

Farmyard friends.



Week 3 of the On the Farm Challenges over at Gingersnap Creations.
The inspiration for this week is to come from 'Livestock'.  GC 126

Phew! I thought when I saw this theme, a little panic, what did I have that would suit this challenge,  get the thinking cap on.
Thankgoodness the  trusty Artistic Outpost stamps could be used again , an embossing folder of a tree. Raid the kitchen cupboard  for some seeds to feed the pigs and hens.
Add a few  grasses and trimmings, then colour and shade with watercolours and chalk.
So here is my result, a peaceful farm scene, with happy animals, free to roam.

Thankyou for stopping by to take a look, I realy appreciate your comments.

Tuesday 15 November 2011

Wish you were here



This weeks challenge theme over at Try it on Tuesdays is 'Wish you were Here'.
Its also anything goes week, so it can be a card, tag, etc  the choice is yours.
Pop over and see what  my team mates have  made, there is loads of inspiration.

I have made this  tag to go with a gift to a friend. The background is stamped with a varierty of stamps then embosssed.  Shading is tumbled glass and vintage photo distress inks.
The large stamp image is from Chocolate Baroque. The lady and other additions came from my stash.

Challenge at Simon Says Stamp and Show this week is 'Show some Women Only'

Thankyou for stopping by to take a look, I realy appreciate your comments.

Sunday 13 November 2011

Noel



The lovely folk over at Just for Fun are asking us this week to make something using our  'Favourite Colour'. Its ages since I was able to get something made for these challenges. 
Well at the moment I can certainly say mine is shades of Brown and Tea dye distress ink comes high on the list.
These cards were both made with a variety of papers including the new Mechanica from Kanban.
The  images, are ones I got from Siobhan at the Craft Retreat when she kindly lent me the stamps to use. Sorry I don't remember the makers.



This second card may fit the new theme at Sugar Creek Hollow which is  'Dots and Stripes'.
My stripes are made with small strips of scrap paper. paper.
All the trimmings are from my bits box.

Thankyou for stopping by to take a look, I realy appreciate your comments.

Friday 11 November 2011

Remembrance




Sharing a digital picture with you today.  I  had all the images from a M.C.S. disc.

It is my  way to thank  all those brave men and women all over our world, who give their lives, so we can live in 'Peace'.
In the U.K. Poppies are worn in Remembrance. Where there is a ' two minute  period of silence',   held as a mark of respect  on the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month.    Today.

Thursday 10 November 2011

Christmas cards.



This weeks theme over at Make My Monday is Vintage/Traditional.
I realy need to get more cards made so this is helping to get me motivated.
Someone told me today its only about 6 weeks till Christmas. Help!
The background is a selection of papers pieces , lying on my desk from other projects.
 . A Martha Stewart edger punch helped make use of a thin left over strip.
 Santa's image is a Paper Artsy stamp shaded with tea dye distress inks.


Other challenge for this card is-
 the Stampman Collage/background collage.



This card is made with paper layers and a ready to use image,  from Lily of the Valley. I bought these at a craft fair in the Spring, they will come in very  useful for quick makes. The tree is an Alterations die cut.

Now this card is about as close to 'cute' as I've made in ages, so I hope it will fit the new Challenge over at C.R.A.F.T. Challenge 128,
which is Cute.


Thankyou for stopping by to take a look. I realy appreciate you calling.

Wednesday 9 November 2011

Grow with Love



Week 2 of the 'On the Farm' challenges over at Gingersnap Creations and this time we were asked to use some  'Raffia,' Supply Challenge  GC 126
I knew I had some somewhere,  isn't it amazing what we crafters have,  or save, sure in the thought that one day it might  be useful.
I started  off by plaiting the raffia to make a frame.
 Then came the idea of a corn dolly. [ no corn, but still some raffia to use up]. Now I have never made one before and have no idea what they should look like,  so its all experiment.   I hope that if you make these items, you will forgive my very  basic efforts.
The stamps used are from the Artistic Outpost , the farm boy I shaded  with watercolours, I think  he looks a real happy young lad.

Thankyou for stopping by to take a look, I realy appreciate your comments.

Sunday 6 November 2011

Man and Boy.



Another two weeks have flown by and we have a new challenge  theme over at Fashionable Stamping Challenges, its  ' In Times Gone By'.
 Cottage crafts is our sponser and there is a beautiful stamp  as a reward this time. So please pop over  and read Dot's  post for all the information.

The stamps I used are by Aspects of Design and Paper Artsy, which were stamped with Adirondak Expresso ink.
  Shading is my favourite distress inks , tea dye and vintage photo.
 Papers etc are from my stash.


 The Craft room Challenge's theme this week is For a Man, so this card will fit this theme as well.

Thankyou for stopping by I realy appreciate your comments.

Saturday 5 November 2011

A Christmas Dream



Another  Christmas card from me today. The challenge this week at WinterWonderland is to Make your Card Sparkle.
I have just got the new Sizzix lamp  post die  and just had to try it out. It is covered with a sparkly embossing powder to make it glitter a bit.
The stamp is by Inkadinkado, shaded with chalk and watercolours,   my fine  glitter powder was meant to just highlight the snow, but I am covered int he stuff as well.


Thankyou for stopping by to take a look, I realy appreciate your comments.

Thursday 3 November 2011

Autumn Leaves



Autumn Leaves is the theme for this weeks challenge at Make My Monday.
The stamps I used are from Chocolate Baroque.
One of the layers  has been embossed with a Sizzix Leaf folder, which I swiped over with  rusty hinge, peeled paint and spiced marmalade distress ink pads.  The  shading is antique linen, other additions came from my stash.

Thankyou for stopping by to take a look, I realy appreciate you comments.

Wednesday 2 November 2011

Farm Fresh



I am absolutely thrilled and honoured to have received and invitation from the  talented, artistic folk over at Gingersnap Creations to be a Visiting Artist for November.  Thankyou so much for the invite, it took me quite a while to get over the excitement, especially having to keep it a secret since August.

 This month the  the overall theme is 'On the Farm'.
GS  125      Farm Fresh, is this weeks theme.
For this piece I used ' The Outpost'  set of  stamps by  The Artistic Outpost.
 Tim Holz die for  the fir trees, and a Martha Stewart twig punch.  The shading is  tea dye, shabby shutters and  peeled paint  distress inks, I coloured the stamped image with watercolours. At this stage I decided to make a frame, [  this  was starting to make its own agenda ]. Those of you who visit my blog , know I don't do less is more very well.


 So into the kitchen  cupboard  to find the pumpkin seeds, which I  had fun sticking down on my homemade frame.   I tried colouring them with mica power first of all but ended up using Copper paint.




Thankyou for stopping by to take a look, I realy appreciate your comments

Tuesday 1 November 2011

The bird house.



Another Christmas card to show you today.
 This is for our new Try it on Tuesdays challenge. Its  Card week again, but this time we would like you to show us an interesting 'card shape' instead of the usual square or oblong etc. Please pop over to TioT's  for all the information and see what my team mates have been making.
 Once again its an old un-named stamp of a  robin on a branch.
For the wood effect I used a tree bark embossing folder.
The shading is vintage photo disress inks, water colours and  a sprinkle of glitter.

Thankyou for stopping by to take a look, I realy appreciate your comments