Stampotique Designers Challenge 21

For this latest Stampotique challenge we have to use punched and die cut shapes - here I have used some flower and leaf punches, and nesties for the circles, and the background paper is from Papermania's Hampstead range. Stamps ae by PaperArtsy, Crafty Individuals and of course Stampotique's Moon Girl.

Medallion Christmas

These are my favourite Christmas cards I've made so far this year. I really loved Lousette Ashton's projects using this medallion stamp by Stampin' Up in Craft Stamper a couple of months ago, so I decided to try it out for myself.

Stampotique Challenge 20 - Bling Bling!

A lovely opportunity to go mad with the gems and glitter on this latest Stampotique Designers Challenge... and have I used lots of glitter, from glitter card, glitter embossing powder and loads of Stickles of course, and all in my favourite pink!

Stampotique Challenge 19

Here is my card for the latest Stampotique challenge on the theme of 'girly girl'. I have used Stampotique's Moon Girl along with a few other stamps including the background which is by Hero Arts.

Inky backgrounds

Here are a few cards I have just made using some ink & water backgrounds - I have been playing about with Distress Inks, water, salt and cling film. The first two are using the results of the salt wash technique, and the third card using cling film. I do love making my own backgrounds and of course each one you make is unique! Stamps used on these cards are by ISC, Basic Grey, Stampotique, PaperArtsy and Art Journey.

Stampotique Challenge 18

The theme for this Stampotique Designers Challenge is 'spooky, creepy, crawly' and we can use only Stampotique stamps. For my entry, I have created a background using Distress inks and Glimmer Mists, having first smeared some white acrylic paint on with my finger for a moon, and used almost ALL the Stampotique stamps I own! I even used the beak from 'Strut your stuff' for the tiny hats on the stick things.

Tiny House

The word on this week's Inchy by Inch challenge is HOME. For this inchy I have used an offcut left over from a salt wash background I'd made, and the little house stamp is by PaperArtsy.

BIG card

It's my Mum's birthday next month and I decided to make her a big card using one of these 8 ins x 8 ins blank cards. I bought them ages ago but have never got around to using one till now! As I used the Tim Holtz bird cage and flourishes dies, they are big enough to use on such a large 'canvas'. The blue parts were created using Paper-Soft which gives a lovely soft chalky finish.

'The Future' Inchy

Now that I've caught up with inchies for the Inchy by Inch challenges I can relax and go back to making only one each week.... but I'm still a little late with this one (last Monday's challenge)!

Inchy catch - up!

Mainly because of my holiday I haven't been able to join in the latest InchybyInch challenges - on the theme of WORDS. But I have now caught up and here are my inchies for the first six words: touch, dainty, wave, separation, devotion and the past.

Birthday Card

Hi everyone - I know it's been a while since I posted anything, but I've been on holiday!! I went to the USA - started off in Atlanta, then travelled to Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans. We had fantastic weather, lots of sun and the temperatures varied from a 'cool' 75 to a hot 90 F. We got to hear lots of music too, as well as visiting all the famous places and studios where Elvis lived and worked... no I'm not a huge fan of Elvis, but obviously these were all included. I was surprised to find that Graceland is actually not that big, it always looks enormous in photos. The one disappointing factor about the holiday is that I did not find one rubber stamp shop while I was there! I usually come home with an extra suitcase full. Anyway, I am back now and must catch up with all the birthday and Christmas cards, and challenges too! I've just made this card for a friend's birthday at the end of the month - the tree stamp is by Crafty Individuals and the circular 'time to celebrate' is a Craft Stamper freebie from a couple of months ago.

Z for...

... zebras! Yes we have reached the end of the alphabet on the Inchy by Inch challenge.

Ready-Steady-STAMP! Challenge 26

The new Ready-Steady-STAMP! challenge offered us another long list of ingredients to choose from. I have used: travel theme, map, patterned paper, film strip, ribbon, brads, metal embellishment, chipboard, glossy accents, distress ink, StayzOn, and a flower made from punched circles.

SDC No. 12

Here is my take on the latest Stampotique Designers Challenge - this time to follow a sketch. I've used Jasmin and a quote stamp, both by Stampotique. The background papers are Papermania's Hampstead range.

36 inchies...

... make 1 yard! LOL This is my entry for the Inchy by Inch alphabet challenge for the letter Y. We've only got one more to go now!

RSS Challenge 25

We had a very long list of ingredients to choose from for this Ready Steady Stamp challenge, so it was easy to use at least 5! On this card I have used the following from the list: wings, little girl theme, alcohol inks, Stickles glitter glue, pink, pearls and gems, lace, inked and distressed papers, and butterflies. The image of the girl is by Paper Whimsy and stamps by Hero Arts and Papermania.

Christmas in July

Yes, that's the theme for the Stampotique Designers Challenge no. 11! I decided to ignore the traditional Christmas colour schemes for this one, and as well as Stampotique's 'Sheer' I've used the 'Serene Snowflakes' set from Stampin Up! The background panel was created using glossy white card on which I stamped the large snowflakes using Ranger resist ink, then brayered over with Kaleidacolor Creole Spice. I stamped the smaller snowflakes on top using Memento inks in Paris Dusk and Sweet Plum. The lettering was made by running a strip of white card through a Dymo machine and then sponging with Spiced Marmalade distress ink.

X...

... marks the spot! Here is my X inchy for the Inchy by Inch alphabet challenge.

W for ...

.. WREN. My W for the Inchy by Inch alphabet challenge.

Paper Soft trials

Here are a couple of cards I made over the weekend using Paper Soft. I found it relatively easy to use (after a little practice) with cut & dry foam, and with a foam brush - covers the cardstock well, blends nicely and does not take too long to dry. You can apply it very lightly or more heavily for a deeper or more intense colour. Because it goes on very sparingly, it is not too 'wet' and so does not really cockle the paper like most paints would do.

On the first card I used cobalt blue and magenta, both for the background and I also applied it with a small sponge to the diamonds stamp. This worked well, although I wouldn't use it for a very detailed stamp.

The owl card has a background of cobalt blue Paper Soft which I applied onto cream card - this has given it a more 'turquoise' result. I then over stamped it with a leaf stamp with the same colour PSoft. The oval was embossed using Tim Holtz's woodgrain embossing folder, and then coloured with walnut brown Paper Soft.

V for...

VISION. The Inchy by Inch challenge is getting harder now we are nearing the end of the alphabet and those pesky W, X, Y & Z!

Ready-Steady-STAMP! Challenge 24

The RSS Challenge has been changed slightly - we now have a much longer list of ingredients from which we must use at least five. This new challenge is to alter a book, notebook or journal. I was lucky to find this green spiral bound notebook in a local stationers, reduced to only 99p! Here are a list of the ingredients I have used:

Masculine sample.

Dry embossed background: I have used a Tim Holtz embossing folder and then coloured with walnut brown Paper Soft.

Use Paper Soft or Distress Inks: Lime green Paper Soft has been used to colour the background panel, with a hint of walnut brown around the edges. I have also used the same green to colour the card for the shield. Scattered Straw distress ink used on the card on which the pen nibs are stamped.

Colours: cream, brown and green.

Coat of Arms: I have used the shield stamp and quote.

Metal embellishment: I have added a metal corner bracket and a sprocket with a brad.

All the stamps are by Paper Artsy.

Paper Soft

It's funny, I had never heard of this product until this week and then I see it mentioned twice! Once in a project in the latest Craft Stamper magazine, and again on the Ready Steady Stamp! challenge blog. Isabelle Norris has used it and has also posted a demo of it on her blog. As usual I can never resist a new craft product so I ordered 4 pots of Paper Soft from L.B. Crafts yesterday afternoon. To my great surprise they arrived this morning - what fantastic service! The new challenge on RSS includes using this product if you have it, and the colours are green and brown. By a strange little bit of serendipity I had actually picked these two colours in my order. So I am planning to try it out over the next few days and also to complete my project for the challenge... so watch this space!

Paper Soft is a water based paint by Viva - specifically developed for papercraft. It comes in a jar with a big sponge on the top, and you can pick up small amounts with cut & dry foam or similar and then blend onto your cardstock.

Cherish

The new edition of Craft Stamper arrived on Saturday with a beautiful free flower stamp. I couldn't wait to try it out, so made this card. 'Water' stamping is a technique I've been meaning to try for ages, and after seeing a gorgeous tag on my friend Rachel's blog a few days ago, I decided to take the plunge (forgive the pun)! The background has been sponged with various dye inks and then I stamped all over with a flourish stamp that had been lightly spritzed with water. The flowers have been stamped onto grunge paper and then coloured on both sides with dye inks. The flourish and cherish stamps are by Stampin Up!

U for ...

UMBRELLA. My next alphabet inchy for the letter U - I have used part of a stamp by Katzelkraft.

Stampotique challenge

When does creative inspiration usually strike for you? In my case it is very often first thing in the morning. I get out of bed, make myself a cup of coffee, and after a few sips of caffeine an idea will pop into my head. When this does happen all I want to do is get out my crafting stash and have a play. But unfortunately I rarely have the chance to explore my ideas at the time because I have got to get washed and dressed and leave for work! So for me, freedom would be the chance to say I'm not going to work today, I'm going to stay at home and create! This is what inspired me to make this card for the latest SDC on the theme of freedom, using Stampotique's Moon Girl. The 'I don't feel like working' stamp is by Paper Artsy.

T for ...

Tea-time! Here is my inchy for the letter T. I have used part of a stamp by Crafty Individuals which is a tree full of cakes, & tea things and says at the bottom: Meet under the tree for a nice cup of tea. I used the full stamp (well almost!) back in April for one of my little 'greenhouses'.

Neighbourhood Watch

This is my entry for the latest Ready-Steady-STAMP! challenge. The houses were each cut from white card, then coloured and stamped with Distress Inks. I have added acetate to all the windows and the faces are images by Paper Whimsy. I hand wrote 'Neighbourhood Watch' with a dip pen and purple watercolour paint.

S for...

Scarlet woman! I couldn't resist this when I decided to use this picture.

Stampotique Challenge no. 9

The challenge this time is Summer... what does it mean to you? I did think about doing something about rain!! But in the end I used flowers and the sun... the sun stamp is another Craft Stamper freebie and the other stamps are by Paperbag Studios.

Butterfly Houses

Our next little house swap on Craft Swap Forum is on the theme of butterflies. I've used various stamps on these, including one of my old favourites - Vanessa by Paperbag Studios, and all the backgrounds created with Distress Inks.

Calligraphy

Here is a piece of calligraphy I have recently done - you will probably recognize the quote... and the mask I've used in the background! So it's a big thank you to WS and TH - two geniuses born 500 years apart.

R for...

Read. My latest inchy for the InchybyInch alphabet challenge.

3 more ATCs

As I had been working in black, white and green, and I had my Wizard out, making the card for the RSS challenge, I decided to carry on and make another ATC for the Craft Swap Forum challenge - this particular theme is Black & White plus one other colour. I used another Tim Holtz embossing folder for the background - Bingo - and the free stamp that came with Craft Stamper magazine last month. However, I found I couldn't just be content with one... I made two more! The themes for the other two are Heavy Metal (to use any sort of metallic technique) and I used one of my all time favourite stamps by Paperbag Studios; the word 'Hush' is grungeboard letters that I have covered with foil. The third ATC is for the theme Bad Hair Day (what else?) and I used a really old Judikins stamp, with the birds nest (by Anitas) stamped on top! Just like my hair usually is when I get up in the morning, although I haven't actually found any eggs in mine yet!

RSS Challenge 22

Well here is my effort for the latest Ready Steady STAMP! challenge. For the background I have used one of Tim Holtz's embossing folders - Patchwork. My fabric is a strip of muslin that I dyed with Distress Inks and Glimmer Mist. The flower is made up of a green paper flower, then little black punched hearts, and a couple of sequins glued to the centre.

ATCs revisited!

I haven't made many ATCs recently, but was inspired to make some for a revamped challenge over on Craftswap Forum. We have set six challenge themes and members can take part in any or all of the challenges over the next 12 months. I decided to make one over the wekend and then went on to make two more... I had forgotten how much fun it is to make ATCs! The themes for these three are (from the top): Less is More, A Day Out, and It Had to be a Man.

Q for...

Queen. Here is my next inchy for the Inchy by Inch alphabet challenge.

Stampotique Challenge 8

The SDC theme this time is purple! I have used Tim Holtz's Time Works masks on the background and sponged Dusty Concord DI over, then added a light spritz of Purple Pansy Glimmer Mist. My Stampotique stamp here is Jasmin by Jo Capper-Sandon.

RSS Challenge 21

Here is my effort for this latest Ready-Steady-STAMP! challenge. I can't believe we are on week 21 already! I decided to use this Mabel Lucie Attwell stamp of the boy in his toy car (by The Artistic Stamper) and suggest a theme of a boy's ambitions.