Hello Hello I'm Back Again!!

....and what have they done to Blogger while I've been gone!! Honestly one week off with a poorly computamabob and everything changes!

This is in my Moleskine, and hurrah I've got past page 1 and it's all still intact. The background has been made with Pan Pastels, using just 3 colours 'cos I havn't got many. The old me would have put a 'yet' on the end of that, but having looked round a Uni with my youngest on Saturday I'm on such a spending ban, and I think I really mean it this time. Not only will he come out of it thousands in debt, but Neil and I may have to sell body parts too!!

Anyhoo, I've used my new Stampotique Alice stamps on this (don't get me started on how long it took Parcelforce to deliver these) lots of stencils for the flowers and leaves, and Pink Paislee rub on's for the silvery bits.

I'm entering this into the following challenges

The Altered Alice - Splendidly Dressed

Stampotique - Oodles of Doodles

Pan Pastels - Add A Flower 

Thanks very much for looking x

The Secret Garden

I'm an extremely happy (and excited)  bunny as I've been invited to join Dragon (Frankie) and her team over at Tag It On. The challenge this time around is The Secret Garden. For my background I've used lots of inks both spray and distress, and stencil from That Special Touch. The main image is a La Blanch stamp - she was very pleased to come out of her packet as she's been in there a while :o). The flourish and leafy stamps are from Kanban, and the sentiment is one of my favourites from Stampotique. She's been coloured with Pan Pastels - yes I know I said I wouldn't be tempted, but they are sooo nice, and they give a lovely wash of colour for this type of stamp. Please pop over to the TIO blog and you will see lots of fabulous tags, so join in - you know you want to...
Thanks so much to everyone who's left comments to me over the last few days, I promise to visit you all as soon as I get 'my precious' back. It's hard being without a computer, and I can feel eyes boring into the back of my neck as I'm using Chris's lap top, even though football is on lol.
Thanks very much for looking x
Chris is asleep?? - teenagers, no staying power, anyway I stolen/borrowed his laptop so that I can enter this into the Artful Times challenge, which is A Sea Of Green. This is a fab new blog and I was a bit late last time around and Mr Linky said no!
Note to self, buy more Pan Pastels and a laptopamabob :o)

By The Sea

Oh no, it's that time of year again, and I need a guy card!! This was going to be a square card, but it slowly evolved into a rectangle. The squares have been coloured with blue and yellow alcohol inks then stamped with archival. The stamps are a mixture of MSE, The Stampman, and Kanban. I've heat embossed the ship wheel - phew, this really makes the AI's smoke - maybe not a good idea lol. All matted onto some Bazzil Bling, so lots of lovely sheen, and a bit of bakers twine to finish. The background paper has been distress rolled at the edges to give it a 'treasure map' feel. Ta da that's that done for another year lol.

I'm entering this into the following challenges

Fashionable Stamping - Nautical

Pan Pastels - One For The Boys

Let's Ink It Up - Distressing

I now have to say goodbye to my computer for a week, I've got a CD stuck in it and it needs to go away for repair. I know life goes on but....:o)

Thanks very much for looking and enjoy your Sunday x

All Hope Abandon Ye Who Enter Here!!

....No things aren't really that bad, it's just that this time the challenge over at Dragons Dream is Angels and Demons. Now I love the Dan Brown books, and I love Tom Hanks, but are they right for each other Mmmm - not so sure. Then again am I making millions in Hollywood - Nope so what do I know lol.
This challenge called for some of my favourite stamps, the gate is from Scrollswork stamps who are sadly no more. My beautiful angel is from Cherry Pie - I've had her for years and love her to bits. I don't know where the gargoyle and other stamps came from, they were individual unmounteds and I've lost track of where I got them from. I really should start to make a record, but then I would have to face up to how many stamps I own and no good would come from that lol.
Finally we have a little bit of Dante, and the inscription that is supposedly on the entrance to hell - seemed to sum it all up quite nicely. Have I read Dante, no - but I do have Wikipedia lol.
Thanks very much for looking and have a great weekend x

Moments In Time

I was having a little play at making my own backing paper 'cos heaven knows three crates full just isn't enough, and I decided to try and make a 'vintagey' type card. I love the vintage look that others create, but I'm just rubbish with frills and ribbon and lace and the colour pink! Anyhow here it is. The main images are a mixture of The Stampsmith, and Darkroom Door stamps, and the background are Tim Holtz, Stampin Up, TPC, and a set of clear stamps that I've had for so long the packaging has completely gone! I've loved Stampsmith stamps for ages, but this is the first time my Darkroom Door has seen ink and WOW. They stamp so crisply - need more!!  The Eiffel Tower and Sacre Coeur have had loads of Rock Candy Crackle applied, so there's a bit of shabby going on. I hope the guys who built the original tower didn't have as much trouble getting theirs to stick down as I did mine, a hammer and nails was the only thing left to try!The fleur de lis has been glossy accented (no thumb print - hurrah), together with the stamp on Sacre Coeur.

The seam binding is a rose colour, not salmon pink, - must read my camera manual,  and the rose has been inked with Old Paper Distress Stains, just to take the newness off. Pink and hatpins too, how girly am I lol.

The sentiment has been stamped on velum - I'm loving my velum lately, and the fragment has a Timmy stamp underneath.

I'm entering this into the following challenges

Frilly and Funky - I'll Take Your Word For It

The Artistic Stamper - Ribbons and Lace

The Stampman - Vellum

Moving Along With The Times - Shabby Chic/Vintage

Thanks very much for looking x

Inky Background

Fab new blogazine Unruly Paper Arts are having an art quest this month, challenging us to make an inky background, so this is mine. I have used gold Krylon on watercolour paper, then inked over with Ecoline Inks. The Krylon acts as a resist and gives some very interesting results. I've used one of Tim's flourish stamps and black acrylic paint over the top.

I've turned this into an ATC to send to Sam as she's hosting a swap over at her new forum Paperplay.

Thanks very much for looking x

Spring Has Sprung

The challenge this time over at Stampotique is Spring Has Sprung. I've used some nice bright orange Bazil Bling for my backing card - not a colour I normally use, but I think it goes nicely with the green. The front piece is watercolour paper that I've painted in acrylics and stamped with the the flower and French text stamps. I've stamped and cut out lots of flowers and mounted on wire springs to give a bit of dimension. The centres are teeny tiny buttons that I could barely see to sew on :o). Jasmin has been stamped and watercoloured, and World All Her Own has been stamped on vellum. Thanks very much for looking and enjoy what's left of your Easter.