You Looking At Me....

Here's a sneeky peak at my latest card for Sam Poole's Creative Studios. Hope you get chance to take a look xx

OoooOO I Hear Laughter In The Rain

It's the wonderful Astids's turn to choose the challenge this week at Stampotique HQ, and she has gone with washi tape. Until a year or so ago I would have said 'what????', but now washi tape is a favourite, and I have a small but growing collection :-)

This is a side of my Stampotique MDF scrapbook. The background is Pan Pastels, and the rain is the new metalic silver pastel. Oooohh shiny....
Stamp wise we have my old favourite Vintage Script lightly stamped over the Pans in grey.  I have some washi tape clouds 2 Nuage by France who really needs to quit her day job and just design stamps 'cos they are gorgeous! My new BFF Hazel is out again in Rain. She's also dressed in her best washi, and has a washi umbrella. Rain Text has just been stamped over my shiny pastels (I am such a magpie, I wonder if they can do pastels with glitter next lol)

I got quite excited when I saw the 2 pages next to each other, it's nice when a plan comes together :-)
So please join in with our washi tape challenge and remember there are 2 $30 gift certificates up for grabs each month. One final rule NO DIGI's this is a stamping challenge, they don't need to be Stampotique stamps, but if you've got 'em use 'em (just 'cos they're nice :-)  )
I'm also entering this into the Pan Pastel challenge which is 'anything goes'
Thanks very much for looking and enjoy your day x

For Edgar

 Here's another C&S card for this weeks Paper Artsy challenge, inspired by Joanne's birthday card.
Again I'm sure the stamps are by Cherry Pie, and as I don't have a glass cutting mat or splat stamp, I've gone a bit high tech..

I'ts an old tile that I've kept for just because I could and a piece of bobbly packaging. I've not really given London Bus or Eggplant much of an outing but they are fab, so thanks Joanne for getting me to give them a try.
Thanks very much for looking and enjoy your Sunday xx

Le Chat Noir

It't been clean and simple week over at PaperArtsy Towers as Joanne Wardle is the Queen of Clean. This is a real challenge for me, all that white space aggghh.
I don't have many Halloween stamps, but I do have this lovely Cherry Pie black cat.
The bit I was dreading was the paint streak, so I had a little practice with the Eggplant Fresco first lol. I really enjoyed making this, and while I may not turn to C&S as my first choice, I will definitely use the paint streak again.
Thanks very much for looking and enjoy what's left of the weekend x

Happy Haunting

Here's a little look at this week's card for Sam's Creative Studio's. To see the full thing (go on you know you want to) please click HERE
Thanks very much for looking xx 

Happy Birthday To Ewe

Wow it's Wednesday again which means it's time for another Stampotique challenge. Today it's the lovely birthday girl Kim's turn to choose the theme, and not surprisingly she has chosen birthdays.

Today, I'm is the lucky hostess of our challenge and I was a little selfish when I picked the date and the challenge theme.  Our challenge this week is "BIRTHDAY" and can you guess why I was selfish this week??  It is my birthday...today!  And it's not just any birthday, it's one of the big milestone birthdays and what better way to spend it then hopping around to see all the fabulous birthday creations from the SDC team and yourselves?

Hope you will join us and show off your birthday creations for your chance to win one of two random $30 gift certificates for Stampotique stamps.

 The background has been painted, stencilled through with Grunge Paste, then had gilding flakes applied.

Now time to break out more of the fabulous new Autumn release stamps!

Bushes and 2 Sided Trees have been stamped and embossed then blinged a little and cut out. (they are really easy to cut out :-)  )

One of my new favourites (they are all my favourites really) Sheep Monster has centre stage, complete with googly eyes, 'fluffy stuff', and sparkly hooves - well she is a birthday ewe lol.

The lettering was cut out with a Tim Holtz die.

So Happy Birthday To Ewe Kim, I hope it's a fab one!

I hope you can join in with our birthday challenge, and thanks very much for looking x

This is also my application for the design team, it may not be a work of art but it was great fun to make, and that for me is what Stampotique is all about, there are stamps here for everyone. As part of my application I have to say what my style is - I don't know what my style is, I like to do a good job without taking it too seriously. I just have lots of fun messing about with ink and paint and I would never make anything that didn't involve stamping - what's the point lol.

The second part is much easier, why do I want to re-apply. This is the dream design team, we really are like a family and we get to create with stamps we love, so as Donkey said 'Pick me, pick me' Good luck to everyone who applies, and to the lucky ones, you are going to have the BEST time xx

A Trio Of Teenagers Aaargh!!!!

The fabulous Alison AKA Butterfly has been leading the fun over at PaperArtsy this week. She has to be one of the nicest people in blogland as well has having far too much talent for just one person :-). She's been working in 3's this week, so here's my trio of terrible teens.

I had to photograph this indoors as it was throwing it down this morning. I guess Summer has given up and we've hurried into Autumn.

I prepared my bookpaper by gluing some old pages to card and cutting out with the Tim die.I must have 20 different makes of glue (seriously) but I'm still searching for the perfect one for sticking paper to card without buckling, taking forever to dry or just lifting straight back up. I've added Fresco paint over the top to blur the print, then added a little frantage for the grungy teenagers.

The stamps are from Urban Snapshots Passing Time plates 3 and 4. For my girlie tag I've used a more blingly Frantage lol. They've been stamped onto manilla tags then torn out. I've never really noticed before how sturdy these tags are and how nicely they tear and ink.

The sentiment are also from the same plates, and the torn one says 'You will do foolish things but do them with enthusiasm'
The corrugated card in the background is from one of the Megga Monday boxes - I hope Leandra does this every year, I love surprises and these were certainly nice ones!
Right, I need to hit the send button, have you seen the time, Last Chance Charlie again:-)
Thanks very much for looking and have a fab day xx

Loads Of Layers For Country View Crafts

I'm very proud to have been invited to be a Guest Designer this month at Country View Crafts, where the challenge is layers.
I love working with layers so this was a really fun challenge for me.

I started by creating my background on a piece of mount board. It's been painted and stencilled with PaperArtsy Fresco paints, then I've stamped and embossed the Sam Poole Art Houses stamps with white embossing powder.

The frame has been cut from another piece of mount board and the Tim Holtz postage stamp die (I've used the nagative of the die) It's been painted with white acrylic paint, then stamped with another Sam Poole stamp Newsprint. Not perfect stamping but I think it goes quite well.
Two of the houses have been stamped onto black card and coloured with Perfect Pearls, while the other has been coloured with Dylusion inks.
I really enjoyed making this, and thank you Country View Crafts for having me.
Thanks very much for looking and have a fab day xx

SpOOky Time

It's getting round to Halloween over at Sam Poole's Creative Studio's, and here's a sneak peek of my latest card.
Hope you like it, and have a great (or spooky whichever you prefer) day xx

You Lift Me Up

It's time to try a new technique this week at Stampotique, and this is what I've come up with.

My new technique is dripping alcohol inks then blowing through a straw. I know it's a bit high tech but I felt I was up to the challenge lol.
Everyone's been doing this for years, but alcohol inks scare me to death so very rarely are they allowed out of their box :-)
The background stamp is the fabulous Helping Hands and I do believe I've stamped it upside down, Rebel or what!
As soon as I saw it stamped I was whisked away back in time to 1983 (those of you who wern't born yet missed the BEST music. I was singing 'the grabbing hands grab all they can' for days. Click here and you will be too. I loved the 80's, on my first passport I had the Human League hair cut - goodness knows how they let me on the plane, you could barely see my face, and I was THIN - happy days lol. 
Oh yeah, the tag... Miguel Has A Gift has been stamped and cut out, and he's being lifted up by Flying Monkey 

I'm not convinced that monkey works for the good guy you know, I'm keeping my eye on him ...
The alcohol inks are safely back in their box now - hope the monkey doesn't let them out :-)
Please join in with our challenge and show us a new technique (it need not be as advanced as blowing through a straw lol) and follow the instructions on how to link (very easy even I can do it)
Thanks very much for looking and have a fab day xx

A Haunting We Will Go....

A new month means it's time for a new Tim's tag (and the 8th is still pretty new to me - I'm forever playing catch up :-) )
September's tag is all about layering stencils, and since mine are still on their way I've used my existing ones.

I've got into the Halloween mood a little early lol.
I've tried to follow Tim's techniques, but with a bit of embossing powder, Grunge Paste and Treasure Gold thrown in.
All of the stamps are from Artistic Outpost's Haunted Halloween plate.

The skull is Grunge Paste through an Andy Skinner stencil, that's been rubbed over with Treasure Gold in silver and purple.
This raven has to be my favourite stamp in the set.

These skulls are from the same stencil. I've inked through with Versafine then clear embossed. I've reversed the stencil to have him (yes it's a he lol) looking the other way.
I know it's nothing like Tim's but the beauty of his tags and techniques is that you can tweek them to use what you have, and what you like, and still learn loads.
My favourite bit is dying the seam binding :-)
I really enjoyed making this, and will definitely combine Distress ink, paints and stains again.
I'm entering this into the Artistic Outpost September referral programme, which is Anything Goes.
Thanks very much for looking xx

Layer It Up - SDC 115

It's my turn to play host over at Stampotique today, which means I get to chose the theme, and I've gone with layers. I love to use layers on my projects, be it layers of paint and inks, or layers of card - or both. I challenge you to use at least 3 layers on your creation. Have fun!

I've used the lovely Hazel again for mine, but this time she's brought her dog along too :-)

  This is another of my chipboard album pieces from the MDF Man. It's been covered in Fresco paints, and painted through a Dylusion stencil.

Next it's been stamped with... you've guessed it, Vintage Script

The green is still there, it just doesn't show up at all in this photograph lol. I painted texture paste through a Wendy Vecci stencil, inked over with the dots from Design Cube, added buttons to the centres and doodled around the edges to fit in with the rest of the album.

Every Girl and Dog has been stamped and cut out. Hazel is wearing a nice new dress, and dog is sat on the Every Dog Text. I love this sentiment, and the way that you can chop it up to say whatever you like (as long as it's the words 'Every Dog Needs A Girl :-) )
I hope you'll join in my challenge, I don't mind what kind of layers you use, just have fun playing. There's a new Linky set up for September, and you may be the lucky winner of a $30 gift certificate.
Hope you like it, and thanks very much for looking xx

I Heart Hazel

This is unusual for me, 'cos it's got a heart, it's pink, it's kinda cute, and I'm blogging on a school day, but I LOVE these new Stampotique stamps from Linda Peterson :-)
To me it's a fine line between cute and Yuk and these are definitely cute and sweet and very very usable.

This is my heart from the MDF man. He makes brilliant stuff, such great quality and value for money. 
It's been painted in various Fresco paints then stamped with Spiraling Out Of Control. I've stencilled over the top with some Cosmic Shimmer texture paste.
If you've never tried this your really should it's the perfect consistency for putting through a stencil.

Hazel Heart has been stamped and coloured, and also stamped onto shrink plastic.
Whole Heart Text has been cut with a nestie.
I'll put on the links as soon as they go on the Stampotique web site.
Don't forget to do the blog hop to be in with a chance to win some fabulous new rubber.
Hope you like it, and thanks very much for looking xx

We're Having A Blog Hop

Some of you may have already heard, but Stampotique Originals has got some fabulous new designs being released today.  Wait until you see these!!!  

We know we say that every time, but each release seems to come with such great new stamps it's hard not to find a favourite with each new release.  We've been bursting at the seams to share these with you.

This month, we also are introducing a brand new artist.  Her name is Linda Peterson and we think a lot of you are going to love her line of stamps, they are darling.

So hop along with the design team and some special guests to see the new stamps the team has been working with.  The more blogs you comment on, the better your chances of winning some goodies are.

As you can imagine, new stamp release day is like your birthday and Christmas all rolled into one for us on the design team, and Kim is right, the new stamps are wonderful. Here's what I made

Arn't these stamps fab!

I've used 

Eiffel Tower

Taxi and Beep

Learn To Relax

Design Cube

Let us know what your favourite ones were and we'll pick a few random winners from the blog comments (this includes the design team blogs) to win a grab bag of the new stamps.  You will have until 10th September to comment and our winners will be announced with the new challenge on 11th September.

You will want to hop on over to Roc Nicolas's blog from here, if you are just coming across my blog you may want to begin at the Stampotique Designer's Challenge blog:

Stampotique Designer's Challenge 

Libby Hickson

Jane Wetzel

Valerie Wilson

Sam Read

Nellie van Leeuwen

Gez Butterworth

France Papillon

Maria Sabina Raita

Susan Davies  you are here 

Roc Nicholas

Janet Klein

Kira Nichols

Kim Howard

Kaz Boughton

Sarinda Jones

Carol Fox

Magda Polakow

Astrid Stulemeijer

Hope you enjoy hopping along with the designers and we can't wait to see what you create using your new stamps.

Thanks very much for looking x

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