Number Games

Over on the UK Stampers Forum on Facebook there are lots of new challenges for April.  I like doing the ATCs and Inchies. 

The theme for the ATCs was Numbers so I've gone for Dominoes, Bingo and Cribbage.  I've used some Maya Road Mini Bingo stamps and stencilled the backgrounds using Andy Skinners Industrial Elements Stencil.   The dominoes and mini playing cards came in crackers which I squirrel away for just these occasions.  Having thought about it there is not much stamping but ........

The Inchie challenge is Anything Goes but having found these cute Mini Bingo stamps from Maya Road I thought I'd use them for my Inchies.  In my quest to use up ink sprayed card in my bit box I dug out 6 different colours and 6 ink pads and went for it!!  

Hope you like my makes this April.  If you have a spare hour or two why not have a go and join in the Challenges!

Elaine xx

Crocus - Sign of Spring

After being in school for 2 weeks doing mock exams I've at last had chance to get my Inchies and ATCs done for the UK Stampers Forum on Facebook.   There are lots of other swaps you can join in but these are the ones I enjoy doing.

I started by spraying A4 card with Citrus Lime and Bramley Apple spray inks and added a sprinkling of Emerald and Leaf Green Brushos.   For the set of 6 Inchies I cut the squares and added some gold embossed Spring Flowers. The daffodils were free with a magazine, the tulips part of a Stampendous stamp and the crocus are from an old Elusive Images/Chocolate Baroque set.

 

The ATCs were again cut from the sprayed brusho background and then stamped using various stamps from the Crocus set from Elusive Images/Chocolate Baroque.   I've just added more colour with Tombow Brush Pens and printed out Spring quotes.

 

It was good of you to visit and thanks for leaving a comment.  Lets just hope we don't get too much snow this weekend and the Spring flowers can flourish!

 

Elaine xx

 

 

February Inchies & ATCs

Well the weather is wet and windy so thought I'd get on with my Inchies and ATCs for the UK Stampers Forum Challenge on Facebook.

The theme for the Inchies is Anything Goes so I got out my Inkadinkadoo Special Thoughts stamps and chose 3 that seemed to go.  They are stamped using Onyx Black Versafine and clear embossed on some pale blue sprayed card.  I do challenges to try and use stuff up but even with 6 of them, they don't make much of a difference to my scrap box!!   Anyway I've just blended on a little Wilted Violet Distress Inks to enhance the colour.

For the ATCs the theme is Hearts/Love so I got out my reds and entitled them the Music of Love.  The backgrounds are a swooshy mix of Fired Brick,  Barn Door and Pickled Raspberry overstamped with a Music stamp in Vermillion Archival.  The Walesby Hearts are from Oak House Studio and I've just added some ribbons and typed words.   It wasn't until I did the third did I realise maybe I should check the musical notes.....guess what, the first one I did is upside down!!

Hope you like and thanks for visiting.  If you've left a comment, then my thanks once again!!

Elaine xx

January Inchies & ATCs

Happy New Year to you all.

Bit of a slow start to the year but I'm hoping to find some new challenges to do and get some crafting done.  Firstly I've made my 6 Inchies for the UK Stampers Forum on Facebook - the theme is Anything Goes.

I've just inked through Tim Holtz's Holiday Knits Stencil for the backgrounds and stamped as many small words as I could find out of my stash!

I've also made my 3 ATCs - the theme is The Elements, so Earth, Wind, Fire and Water.  For the Earth one I've used a Hero Arts Vintage Map stamp,   the Kite in the Wind is an Oak House Studio stamp and the Lighthouse surrounded by Water is a Crafty Individuals Stamp.  I've just added typed words from songs except for the Map one where I struggled to find a good song. 

Anyway thanks for visiting and for your comments.  If you know of any good challenges, please let me know!

Elaine xx

UK Stampers Challenge

Just had chance to get some stamping done this week so here are my Inchies and ATCs for the UK Stampers Challenge on Facebook.  For both the theme is Anything Goes so I've gone wintery and Christmassy as they will be swapped come the beginning of December.

The Inchies were made with a set of stamps free with a magazine - the buildings, the boy with his sledge and santa with the reindeer were just the right size for inchies.  I've just added some blue sky and white snow.  I've also added these into the A Vintage Journey Mini Marvels Challenge where the project has to be less than 4 inches!

For the ATCs I've used my  Oak House Studio stamps - the fir branch, the sentiment and one of the firework stamps gold embossed to create a patterned bauble.  They are all finished with Stickles to add that Christmassy sparkle.

Hope you like and thanks for visiting.  I'm looking forward to seeing my swaps in return!!

Elaine xx

Anything Goes!

Just had chance to have a play and made my Inchies and ATCs for the UK Stampers Forum swaps on Facebook.   For both, the theme is Anything Goes and you would think this would be easy but I find it too wide, dither for a long time and then eventually make something.  I guess you can never please everybody with a definite theme but it would save me dithering !!

So for the Inchies I have used the same floral stamp from the Inkadinkadoo Special Occasions set, inked in six different colours and clear embossed them.  I dug out my box of Twinkling H20s and painted them.  I'm sure we all buy too many colouring mediums but you can't beat H20s for their shine.  Well they shine in real life - you can just about see it in the photo!!

For the ATCs the background is a mix of Citrus Lime and Peacock Green spray inks and I've gone for a more autumnal feel.   I've inked card in a mix of greens, browns and oranges, clear embossed my Oak House Studio Leaves and then inked over the top to show off the veins etc.  They are just cut out and some typed words added.

I did actually make these yesterday but the sky went dark and orange.  This morning was just the same but the sun has now come out so I could take the photos.  Hope you like and thanks for visiting.

Elaine xx

July Swaps

Well I've had chance to do a little more crafting.  I've joined in the Inchie and ATC challenges on the UK Stampers Forum Facebook group - both themes are 'Anything Goes' for the July swaps.

 

I do enjoy making inchies - maybe because it's a challenge to find things to fit.  I ended up buying a job lot of Inkadinkadoo Inchie stamps off ebay so I now have plenty of small scale stamps.  The first is a set of 6 Inchies using some Birthday stamps, stamped in black and then coloured with pink, red and yellow markers.  

The three ATCs I've made as a set but you don't have to.  I started by colouring card with a selection of spray inks and then stamped the Punky Flower stamps (Chocolate Baroque) with Deep Purple Archival.  I've had this set a while but only used 2-3 of the stamps so thought the rest needed to be inked.  I've just added words printed from the computer in an old typewriter style font.

That's two posts already this month - I'm doing well!!   Thanks for visiting and for leaving comments - they are much appreciated.

Elaine xx

Inchies & ATCs

A quiet week this week so thought I'd have a play.  I've made some ATCs and Inchies for the UK Stampers Challenge on Facebook.

The theme for the Inchies is "Anything Goes" which is just as well as all my stamps seem very large.  Having had a good rummage I decided to use a mixture of Crafty Individuals foliage stamps with added insects.   I've used Onyx Black Versafine , Archival Emerald Green for the foliage and Monarch Orange for the Butterflies.  I've just added some extra colour and shine with sparkle pens.

 

The theme for the ATCs is "Butterflies"  so I've used Oak House Studio's Butterflies and words and added the same Crafty Individuals foliage stamps.  The inked card for both I found in my bit box.....which is overflowing!!

 

Hope you like both sets and if you fancy joining in then look on Facebook for the UK Stampers Forum.  Inchies are great fun but seriously small  .....anyone got any inchie size sets of stamps they can recommend?   Please let me know and thanks for looking.

 

Elaine xx

 

Spring Inchies

I've had chance to make a few Inchies today.  I decided to join in the Inchie Swap on the UK Stampers Forum - I know I've made Inchies in the past but I'd forgotten how fiddly they can be!!

The swap is for a set of 6 so I drew a grid, blended on some Spring Green Ink and overstamped this with  the English Garden Text stamp in Emerald Green Archival. 

I've gone for a set of spring flowers so the daffs, snowdrop and lily are from a set of stamps free with a magazine and the crocus is an old Elusive Images one.  They're just gold and silver embossed, coloured with markers and then cut out....the hard bit!!

 

Hope you like and thanks for looking!!

 

Elaine x