Purple Clematis

Here's my clean and simple card for the Less is More Challenge - it's a Lucky Dip week where the theme is to use SCALLOPS.

I've silver embossed a small section of the Clematis Tower stamp (Oak House Studio) and coloured this with some Pental Metallic Markers to give it a little shine.  I then used my scallop dies to cut out the flower and a darker purple mat and just fastened them on the card with some silver mesh.

Decided to stay in today and keep out of the cold so I've been crafting, cooking dinner and watching the Touring Car championship.  Whatever you've been doing, stay warm and enjoy your Easter!!

Art that Shines!

Here's my tag for Hels Sunday Stamper challenge week 250 where the theme is SHINY.

Well we could all do with some sunshine and I should have done yellows but no, it turned out a bit dark this one.   The background is mopped up Chipped Sapphire, Dusty Concord and Picked Raspberry Distress Inks spritzed with water and to add a little shine I've used Silver Dabber through a Studio Calico Circle Graph Mask.  This mask produces a great result but is really fine and I think I was a bit over enthusiastic with the dabber in places - never mind, it all adds to the interest!!  The metal flower at the top is cut with the Tattered Florals die, curled round a pencil and I've added a button centre.  My tag is just finished with some distress inked seam binding and the Darkroom Door sentiment from the Mail Art set.

If anyone knows of a background challenge then let me know - I really enjoy doing the backgrounds but then spend hours dithering about what else to use.  Sometimes I like my backgrounds so much I don't want to cover them up!!

I was hoping the weather might cheer up for the Easter weekend but it seems unlikely - still cold!!   Hope you all enjoy it just the same......oh, and thanks for looking!!

Orange Daisy

Here's a card for the Less is More Challenge week 112 where the recipe is to use some BEADS.

I've been dithering all day what to do but decided to go for something bright and summery.......even though it's freezing and white out!   I've used the Oak House Studio Double Daisy set of stamps.  I swiped Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade and Barn Door Distress Inks on my mat and then picked up the ink with the Daisy Palette and stamped that.  I've then stamped the Outline Daisy over the top with Vermillion Archival.   I've added some orange ribbon and added some beads on the ends.  I wasn't sure what sentiment to use - maybe it'll be a Birthday card or a Thank You..... I just hope it brightens someone's day!!

Thanks for looking and for all your lovely comments.  Hope you're all keeping safe and warm and that Spring will put in an appearance soon!!

Dragon Pen Pot

It's Friday and my last week as Guest Designer over on the Oak House Studio blog.  Not a card this time but a gift idea using Oak House Studio's Oriental Stamps to decorate a Pen Pot and notebook.

For all the details head on over to my post at Oak House Studio and  remember to comment for your chance to win the Clematis Tower and a background stamp!!

Thanks for taking the time to look at my blog and I hope I've inspired at least one person to try the oriental look!!

Purple Parasol

Here's my ATC for The Craft Barn's Alpha/Dictionary Challenge week 6 where the letter is P.

Another quick read of the dictionary and I came up with Paddle and Parasol so immediately thought of my Bathing Beauty stamp.  However she's slightly too big for an ATC - I decided she'd look better with a whole parasol, so with the ankles cut off, she's now wading rather than paddling!!  So I've gone for PARASOL and a purple one too!

The Bathing Beauty (from Crafty Individuals CI-278) is stamped on gloss card with Jet Black Archival  and coloured with Tombow markers.  The background is Powder Blue Pigment Ink spritzed with water and mopped up and I've stamped the waves round her shins in Forest Green Pigment Ink - both by Oak House Studio.  I've just finished my ATC with some beach hut ribbon,  the Parasol dictionary definition and the alcohol inked vinyl Thicker.

As we are nearly a quarter of the way through I thought I'd add a photo of my ATCs so far - love how bright and colourful they are.....but maybe I need to use yellow or orange next time!!   Hope you like.  Thanks for looking and for your lovely comments!!

Golden Wren

Here's my tag for Hels Sunday Stamper Challenge week 249 where the theme is to use BROWN.

The background tag is a mix of Vintage Photo, Old Paper and Walnut Stain Distress Inks spritzed with water etc and then I've blended Peeled Paint through a Leafy Swirl stencil to create that deep dark forest look! 

The wooden bird on a branch is an Artemio one that I've inked.  I originally coloured the bird as a bluetit but I didn't like it so just used Gold Dabber over it - I decided it now looks like a wren. I've added a little Bundled Sage Distress Stickles on the leaves for added interest.  My tag is just finished with some seam binding inked with Peeled Paint and Bundled Sage, oh and some stamping of the sentiment......nearly forgot!! 

Anyway hope you like my golden birdie and thanks for all your lovely comments. 

Teal Dragon

Here's my card I'm entering in the WOW Embossing Powder Challenge for March where ANYTHING GOES as long as it involves Heat Embossing.

I've used some teal card  as my base and clear embossed the large Dragon stamp twice on the rear corner.  I cut the front diagonally and added some silver card and an inky panel.  I've clear embossed the ATC Dragon and the kanji symbol using Forest Green Pigment Ink and just finished the card with some eyelash fibres and a brad.   The stamps are by Oak House Studio.

I hope you like and many thanks for looking.

Scroll Frame

Windy and wet out so thought I'd stay in and craft.  Here's a simple card for the Less is More Challenge week 111 where the theme is to use a FRAME.

I've used the Scroll Frames set from Oak House Studio - I've mounted 3 (of the 4) stamps on my block to create a heart shape and stamped this with Vermillion Archival.  The centre is sponged with Barn Door Distress Ink and I've stamped the Tim Holtz sentiment from the Stuff to Say set in Jet Black Archival.  I've finished the piece by mounting on a 6" square black card.

I'm also entering this card in the Craft Stamper Take it Make it blog challenge as the centre is sponged using the Faux Airbrushing technique and the new challenge over at Country View Crafts where Anything Goes.

Many thanks for looking and any comments you leave ....... now back to the rugby!

Eastern Influence

Friday again so I'm Guest Blogging over on the Oak House Studio blog with more designs using Oak House Studio's Oriental Stamps.  This week I'm featuring the ATC Dragon Stamp (amongst others) and getting inky with the Ink in a Bottle Sprays. 

To find out how I used the supplies above and made the projects below, then pop on over to the Oak House Studio blog for full details.

All the Oak House Studio Stamps, plus the Colour Chemistry Ink in a Bottle, Pigment Ink Pads and Embossing Powders can be found HERE.  Did you know Lynnda sells embossing powders in large (very economical) 100g jars - Clear Gloss, and then Gold, Silver and Copper Detail Powders!

Next week I've got a gift idea lined up - for that man or teenager in your life or maybe an Easter gift for someone that doesn't eat chocolate - so please come back next Friday for some more inspiration.  In the meantime thank you so much for looking and all your lovely comments!!

Spring Foliage

Here's a card for Hels Sunday Stamper challenge week 248 where the theme is to use SOMETHING NEW.

Well a week or two ago I won a set of Spring Foliage stamps from Glenda at Chocolate Baroque so this is a good opportunity to get them mounted and cut up.  The tag background is a mix of Bundled Sage, Shabby Shutters and Old Paper Distress Inks and I've used the catkins and other foliage - some stamped in Bundled Sage and some gold embossed.  I've just added a little colour with Inktense Pencils and a waterbrush and finished it with the Tim Holtz sentiment and some gold ribbon. 

I'm also entering this in the new Papermill Challenge which is Spring/Easter designs  - I've mounted the tag on cream linen card (bought from http://papermilldirect.co.uk/) and stamped some foliage in Bundled Sage in the background.  Redanne reminded me of this technique with her recent poppy card.

My poor old daffodils took a bit of a hammering in the blizzard yesterday and I've woke up this morning to more swirling snow - nearly 2ft in places!!  I'm just hoping for some sunshine to cheer the garden up again, meanwhile, I think I'll stay in and craft!

Thanks for looking and for all your lovely comments!!

Spots and Stripes

Well it's dull and cold again so thought I'd make a bright card to cheer everyone up - this is for the Less is More Challenge week 110 where the theme is a ONE LAYER card with SPOTS and STRIPES.

I've used the Satin Ribbon stamp from the Stitch in Time set (Oak House Studio) to create the stripes of grass and flower stem, and added a few small buttons in between to ground these.  For the flower, I've used a solid circle stamp (well it's a big spot!!) inked in orange and yellow with a button flower centre and just handrawn around the edges to define it.  My card is just finished with the Cute as a Button sentiment.

Thanks for taking the time to look and hope you're all keeping warm....it's trying to snow here!!

Peace Rose

Here's my little work of art for the Show us your Twinchies Challenge Blog where the theme this month is FLOWERS.

I've silver embossed the Medium Rose stamp from Oak House Studio and watercoloured it in yellow and pinky-red to represent a Peace rose.  I've added a little sparkle with Sakura Stardust pens and finished it with a handwritten label and black matting.

It's amazing how much detail you can get in a 2" by 2" square of card!!  There's some great ideas on the blog and you still have about 3 weeks to enter......so get out those scraps of card and have a go!!

Oriental Moongates

It's Friday so I'm Guest Designer over on the Oak House Studio blog again this week with further oriental inspiration.  Here's a little sneak of my cards - for a full description please take a look at my post HERE.

Oak House Studio stamps and all the Colour Chemistry Ink in a Bottle, Pigment Ink Pads and Embossing Powders can be found HERE. 

I know the oriental style is not for everyone but I'm hoping to convert at least one person during the month.  Next Friday I'll be getting inky (and messy probably) with more oriental designs but in the meantime thanks for taking the time to look and for your lovely comments.  

Tim's Tag - March 2013

Here's my take on Tim Holtz's tag for March 2013.  I knew this was going to be a struggle as soon as I saw Tim's post - other than some Distress Inks, I have nothing that Tim used on his own tag  so it's improvisation all the way.

The vintage Easter background I found on the net so I printed it off and blended the edges with Vintage Photo.  I don't have the rabbit die so I decided to go for an Easter Egg - handcut an oval out of a frame shape, filled this with christmas tinsel and coloured it with purple alcohol ink for Cadburys!  I did have some seam binding so I managed that OK - coloured with Mowed Lawn and Worn Lipstick and I finished the top half with an old Sizzix banner die and Friends Forever stamp from Oak House Studio.

Next problem was the grass and flowers - no metal flowers, so I punched some daisies out of metal and painted them with Paperartsy's Fresco Finish Chalk Paint (in Orchid and Guacamole).   The leaves were also punched and alcohol inked.  I don't have any stick pins, so I used cocktail sticks and ear pins to fasten them together.  The grass .... well no Tapered Fringe die or Kraftcore but I did find some Whitewash Card - chose a sheet with kraft on the reverse, coloured the front with Mowed Lawn and handcut the blades of grass. 

These sort of colours are really not my style but I have to admit I did enjoy the challenge!!  Thank you so much for coming to look at my blog and please leave a comment - they are very much appreciated!!

M for Metal

Here's my next ATC for The Craft Barn's Alpha/Dictionary Challenge - the letter this time is M but only those between Ma-Me.  I had a quick read of my dictionary and decided to go with METAL.

The colour scheme is based on Magenta, Mahogany and Maroon - a dark red/purple/brown - so I've used a mix of Aged Mahogany and Dusty Concord spritzed with Fired Brick Distress Inks for the background. 

Magnesium and Mercury gave me the idea to use silver metal for my flower - 3 layers cut with Tim Holtz's Tattered Floral Die and an inner one punched (I'm also going to enter this in Tim Holtz's Tattered Floral Challenge.)  I painted Meadow alcohol ink on the outer layer and just added a drop of Sunshine Yellow to the centre brad.  My ATC is just finished with the dictionary definition and the alcohol inked vinyl Thicker.

I know I did red last time but the letters are a way apart so I'm hoping for a good mix of colours by the end.  Thanks for looking and for your lovely comments on my previous posts!!

Sweet Candy

Here's a quick card for the Less is More Challenge week 109 where the colour scheme to use is Pink Doughnut/Candy Colours.    I'm also going to enter this into Hels Sunday Stamper Challenge week 247 where the theme is  Something Sweet.

I have the say the colours are really not me - far too pastely and sugary - but I've had a go and maybe it's too pink!   I've stamped the Pansy Pot from Oak House Studio with Cocoa Versacolor and clear embossed it.  I've coloured it with Aquash watercolours and then finished it with the Happy Mothers Day sentiment on a hand cut banner.

It's a great stamp for Mothers Day and luckily mine doesn't look at my blog, so it'll be winging it's way to her this week.  Hope you like and thanks for looking!!

Oriental Matchbook

I'm Guest Designer over on the Oak House Studio blog for the month of March and today I'm showing my first project using a selection of Oriental Stamps.

You may say you don't do oriental but please come across and take a look.  All the Dragons are beautifully detailed (all hand drawn by Lynnda) and are great to use.  My project today is traditionally red, black and white - I started out with this:

And, created this:

For all the details pop over to the Oak House Studio blog.  Look forward to seeing you there!!