Round and Around

Here's my card for the lucky dip week 165 at the  Less is More Challenge where the theme is ROUND & ROUND.

I had lots of ideas but decided in the end to use my Studio Calico Circle Graph Mask.  I stamped the Hero Arts sentiment with Onyx Black Versafine, cut a mask for this and then fastened the circular mask over the top.  I've used Stonewash Adirondack for the middle and then Salty Ocean and Faded Denim for the outer rings. 

Simple but striking I hope you'll agree!!

Self-propelled Flowers!

Well another fortnight has gone by and it's time for the next words at The Craft Barn's Quotes and Lyrics Challenge - they are TRAVEL and/or FLOWER.

As ever I've searched the net for something profound or rather some image to pop into my head and in the end decided to do this FLOWER quote by Robert A.  Heinlein. The Sunflower and Butterfly stamps are from Oak House Studio and everything has been coloured using Barn Door and Spiced Marmalade Distress Inks.  The frame is some Bazzill Just the Edges I found in my stash and the quote is printed off the computer.

Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment - it is much appreciated!

A Vintage Dream

The next theme at A Vintage Journey challenge is to use WORDS - I've used quite a few but the main one is DREAM.

The background is a swooshy mix of Distress Inks - Vintage Photo, Rusty Hinge, Shabby Shutters,  a hint of Walnut Stain plus a light spray of gold Perfect Pearls. It's overstamped in Potting Soil Archival with 4 different word stamps from Tim Holtz all including dream or imagine.   The flower (Rusty Hinge, Spiced Marmalade and Mustard Seed)  is cut using the Tattered Florals die and the Shabby Shutter leaves are cut using the Tattered Leaves die.

The daylight this morning is awful again - damp and dreary - so not good for taking photos but I hope this card brightens your day a little.  Thanks for coming to visit!!

Less is More - Three Crocus

Here again with a card for the Less is More challenge week 164 where the recipe is THREES.

I've used a Crocus Corner from an Elusive Images/Chocolate Baroque set - I used this set for my spring flowers a couple of weeks ago and everyone said they loved the corner so I thought I'd use three of them.   I've stamped with Jet Black Archival and then coloured with a mix of Stardust pens and Tombow Markers.   The sentiment is from Hero Arts.

The other part of the challenge is to comment on at least three other creations.  Like everyone, we all lead busy lives and I can't comment on every entry but I always try to comment on the Design Teams blogs (as they have spent their time organising the challenge) and after that, I comment on those blogs that catch my eye with interesting thumbnails!! 

Lets face it, we all like to receive nice comments so I'm off to take a look what everyone else has created.  If you visit and leave me a comment - thank you so much!!

Journal52 - Stars

This week's prompt for the Journal52 project is STARS so here's my night sky showing Ursa Major!

I've used a Hero Arts star with white acrylic paint and holographic super sparkle embossing powder for the stars - it's quite twinkly in real life!!   The background is a swoosh of Distress Inks - Faded Denim, Stormy Sky (of course) and Chipped Sapphire with a smidge of  Picked Raspberry and Shabby Shutter with coarse sea salt to add a few Galaxies!!  Here's a close up:

I'm really enjoying this challenge as you can do whatever you like and be more experimental.  Hope you like - dream big and laugh often!

So nice!

Here a quick card for the Less is More challenge week 163 where the theme is to use a MASK or STENCIL.

When I say quick card - well it was quick to do, it's just that it took me a while to get one suitable for showing that didn't have stray ink and marks on!!  Anyway I've cut a square mask out of scrap paper, blended ink around the edge and in the centre I've used the new Lin Brown stencil from Paperartsy PA002. The sentiment is from Hero Arts.  For it all I've used a mix of Barn Door, Spiced Marmalade and Mustard Seed Distress Inks - nice bright Spring colours.

Thanks for popping by and for your lovely comments - they are always gratefully received!

Oak House Studio - Floral Challenge

Over on the Oak House Studio blog and facebook the new March challenge is up with the theme FLORALS - so anything floral using any Oak House Studio product.  Full details can be found HERE.

So here's my tag for starters using a variety of Oak House Studio stamps - ATC Linen Background,  Small Sunflower,  Live the Life and the English Summer Garden text.   The tag background is coloured with Midnight, Sea Green and Powder Blue Pigments Ink Pads - swiped on a messy mat, spritzed with water and picked up with the tag in exactly the same way as with Distress Inks.  The Linen is stamped with Midnight.  The text was stamped with Sea Green,  overstamped with the Sunflower and embossed with silver embossing powder.  I've added some Beadazzles to the centre and hand cut the stem and leaves.

All spray inks, pigments ink pads, embossing powder and stamps are from Oak House Studio.

Why not join in the fun - there is a prize to be won.  A brand new stamp and I don't even know what it is!!

Art Quote

Here's my 5th postcard for The Craft Barn's Quotes and Lyrics challenge where this week the words are ROAD and/or ART.    Quite a lot of choices this week - Road lyrics and Art quotes - but I thought I'd use my Tim Holtz stamp with the famous Scott Adam's quote.

The background is sprayed with Ink in a Bottle - Spode Blue, Jubilee Blue and Pearl Silver which makes it difficult to photo but looks very shiny in real life!   I've stamped the quote with Onyx Black Versafine so it sits on the mica and just filled in the word Art with red sharpie.  I've blended Faded Jeans Distress ink through 2 stencils - Tim Holtz's Splatter to represent mistakes and Lin Brown's Paperartsy PS002 for art to keep!!

Hope you like and thanks for looking. 

Time Travel

Thought I'd have a play this morning and make a card for the new Vintage Journey Challenge.  It's a vintage, shabby Tim Holtz style challenge where the theme is Anything Tim - why don't you check out the link above and have a go....there are prizes too!!

Its a patchwork of card with lots of layers and I've used Aged Mahogany and Chipped Sapphire Distress Inks and Stains, plus Gold Dabber paint for backgrounds and stamping.  The stamps are all Tim Holtz from various sets and I've added gold through the Dot Fade stencil for added interest.  I've die cut the clock face and hands, painted gold and fastened with a brad.

I'm also going to enter this in the Country View Crafts challenge where the theme is PAPER.  Well all this is card (thick paper!) apart from the brad so hope it qualifies!

Well that's crafting done for the day - the sun is shining and the garden calls!!

Purple Crocus

Well it's a lovely day here and I actually got some gardening done this morning. I have 5 purple crocus out so that was my inspiration for this card for the Less is More Challenge week 162 - a One Layer card with SPRING FLOWERS.

I've used an old Crocus Set from Elusive Images (now Chocolate Baroque) inked with Lavender Brilliance - coloured with Tombow markers and glittery Sakura pens.  Its very glitzy in real life but today the camera is lying, so much so you can hardly read the sentiment but it says You make my Heart  Happy (Hero Arts).

This challenge has reminded once again that I still haven't treated myself to a nice daffodil stamp....so I'm going to check out everyone else's cards to try and find one!  Thanks for looking!!

Tim's Tag - March 2014

Well another month and another improvisation session to create Tim Holtz's Tag for March 2014.

I started this month with just the tag really, none of the correct stamps or extras.  Instead of the nest, I've used the Beech Tree stamp (Oak House Studio) inked with Vintage Photo and smudged a bit.  The feather stamp is from a Chocolate Baroque set and the egg is done using a hand cut paper mask inked with Broken China and then splodged with Walnut Stain using an acrylic block. 

I've blended Bundled Sage on the background, added some Broken China through the Faded Dot stencil and edged the tag with Walnut Stain.  I've added some Birds on a Wire (Tim Holtz stamp) with Jet Black Archival, handwritten the figs and finished with seam binding, paper string and a label stamped with a Hero Arts alphabet.

Talking of nature, this is a photo I woke up to the other morning.

Students get a bad press, dossing in bed till lunchtime etc but my daughter is studying Zoology down in Cornwall and they had a 5.30am wake up call the other morning to go study some birds!!  Now that is cute!

Journal52 - Three Colours

The prompt this week was to choose a picture and make something with THREE COLOURS.  I love all blues and turquoise, black and white is always a striking combination.  This car ad was the first thing I saw in a magazine so I went with that.

The background is sprayed with Oak House Studio's Ink in a Bottle - Totally Turquoise, Jubilee Blue and Bobby's Grey.  I've added typed words and punched some leaves out of various shades of blue card to make some flowers.

I tend to use blue in most of my projects, but then the last thing I did was green and February seemed to be all reds.  I guess I like all colours as long as they are bright and crisp - I don't do sludgy or pastel!!

Thanks for popping by to look.  All comments are very much appreciated.

Yellow Rose

Here's a simple card for the Less is More Challenge week 161 where the colours are GREEN & YELLOW.

I've used Oak House Studio's Large Rose stamp inked with Pearlescent Ivy Brilliance and coloured with Tombow markers and watercolours.  I cut a mask and overstamped the rose with the English Garden Text stamp inked with Thyme Brilliance and it's just finished with the word Rose inked with Sunflower Yellow Brilliance.

Apologies for the state of the photo but it's gone dark and overcast again.  Yesterday was sunny and I thought Spring had begun but I was wrong!!  Thanks for looking - I'm off to look at all the other sunny bright creations!!