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Saturday 22 April 2017

Feelin' Groovy

Good afternoon and happy Saturday. Today I'm whisking you back to the swinging 60's for my step by step for Lost Coast Designs .



Cat Trio 2 is one of the fabulous new rubber stamps at Lost Coast and I love it! I know I say that about all cat stamps, but look at those faces!


I started by painting a piece of 7.5 x 7.5 card in bright yellow. I could just have used yellow card, but I prefer the feel of  the painted stuff.
It's still quite pretty at this stage (it wont last) I've used an Andy Skinner stencil for the inside and Portfolio pastels have been rubbed through. I did try acrylics on some TH foam but it ended up seeping underneath and things got a bit messy.
The flowers are a PaperArtsy stencil, and I really like these with the Portfolio's.
Time to throw the kitchen sink at it all now. It's another Andy Skinner stencil that's gone over the top and I've wiped black gesso through with a baby wipe. There's also lots of white Posca pen in there.  Are your eyes bleeding yet!!
As the background was rather bright (honestly it is lol) I kept the cat colouring simple, which was a shame 'cos you could have such fun with these! But, I Needed a contrast, so I've just used a few Posca pens to colour in the tails. Look into their eyes (if you dare)
The sentiments were printed out on the computer, then it was all stuck and sewn down.
This was such fun to make, and I know that you'll be seeing lots more of these cats. 
Thanks very much for looking, and enjoy your weekend xx


Thursday 20 April 2017

Her Name Was Lola

'She was a showgirl' oh I love a bit of Barry Manilow, and this is one of my guilty favourites. I've recently shared my dancing girls over on the Lost Coasters Review, and this is how it came together.




This really is one of my favourite backgrounds, especially when I need a card quickly - last minute - moi???
Take some glossy card, alcohol inks, a straw, and drop and blow!
Add as many colours as you like. For this card I kept the colours to one side so that my dancers stood out.

I love these girls! I've just added a little bit of red Prisma pen so she can shake her tail feather in colour!
Happy Place can be found over in Carmen's Veranda's new range of clear stamps.

There's still time to join in with our challenge on the Portal to Creativity, so please show us your favourite background technique to be in with a change to go shopping at the Lost Coast/Carmen's Veranda store.
Have a very happy weekend, and thanks for looking x

Wednesday 19 April 2017

Be Unique

Good evening and happy Wednesday. I know it's late but I've had one of those 'can't be arsed' days and I'm really mad with myself now because I've got nothing done! Hey ho, tomorrow's another day...
The challenge over at PaperArtsy is Resin and UTEE. I don't have any resin, but this is what I've made with my UTEE.


The main stamp is Lynne Perrella 030 which I stamped onto kraft that had gesso brayered over. I then stamped again on white and embossed in blue and then clear UTEE. The tiles really didn't want to stick down, so I ended up sewing them. It's the first time I've sewn in a straight line for ages!
I really enjoyed making this, and it was good to dig out the UTEE. Have a great week, and thanks very much for looking x

Tuesday 18 April 2017

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

No it's not another Christmas card (but it won't be long ;-) ), it's new stamp time at Lost Coast Designs and Carmens Veranda. We're having a 3 day event over at the Portal To Creativity, and today it's the dressage day 2, and here's a canvas that I made.


This is a mixture of Lost Coast rubber, and Carmen's Veranda clear stamps.


And here are my hippy dippy cats from Day 1 using a Lost Coast moggy. Don't look at that background for too long, it will make your eyes bleed!
So head on over to the Portal and leave a comment over the 3 days to be in with a chance of winning a $10 gift certificate to spend in the shop. I know I have, but I don't think it counts....
Have a great day, and thanks very much for looking x

Monday 17 April 2017

Wash Away The Dust

Good morning and happy Easter Monday. I hope you're all enjoying the Bank Holiday weekend, and that it hasn't rained tooo much where you are - you gotta love Bank Holiday weather! It's my turn to share my second rusty piece for the Country View Crafts  challenge, so here he is.




I started with a canvas board and added some DecoArt Texture Sand Paste quite thickly to the bottom. I then added some rusting powder and white vinegar (smelly!!!) and left it to work it's magic.
When it had all dried I added some Quinacridone Gold fluid acrylic and sprayed with lots of water for dripage. I love the word dripage, mmm dripaaaaage lol.
When dry - again! I stamped the water droplets stamp and covered with DecoArt Liquid Glass.
I wanted to add a bit more texture now, so I highlighted the uneven areas of texture sand with silver lustre, and splattered a bit of white acrylic paint.
So, background done, time for some stamping. I used a Stampotique stamp for my main image, and coloured him with brusho's. 
The 'art' is a Rubber Dance stamp, and the rest of the quote is from a Wonky Tonk stamp.
This was one of those projects that came together really nicely, and I do like it. It was fun to go back to stamps that I'd not used in years.

There's still lots of time for you to join in with our challenge, and we would love to see what you make.

I'm also linking this to the Mixed Media Monthly challenge, my superpower is that I have wings! and also Craft Stamper's  'anything goes'.

Have a great day, and thanks very much for looking x

Saturday 15 April 2017

Bring On The Dancing Girls

Good afternoon and happy Saturday. 
I received a very happy e-mail while I was away on holiday recently, and I'm now a proud member of the Lost Coast Designs/Carmen's Veranda Design Team, Woo Hoo!
Their challenge this month is 'favourite background techniques' One of my favourites is  'blown alcohol ink' and here's what I've made.



These Showgirls have long been a favourite of mine, whereas Happy Place is a new clear stamp over at Carmen's Veranda.
It's over to you now, we all have a favourite background technique (or 2 or 3) so visit us on the Portal To Creativity and join in.
Have a crafty week, and thanks very much for looking xx

I'm Sexy and I Know It

Who me? ... nah this guy 


It's time for another challenge at Rubber Dance, and this time it's one of my favourites - black and white and one other colour.



I did the black and white bit first. I used DecoArt black gesso, then layered with Weathered Wood and Media Crackle Paste to give me my mega crackle background.



Who's a pretty boy then? my handsome stag is from Frosty Friends and is also available singulary as Dear Deer. It's been stamped in Black Soot Distress Ink, then the colour dragged in with a watercolour brush.
The large bow from Cosy Christmas has been coloured in Festive Berries, and the quote is from Sarcastic Superpower.

This is such a fun challenge, so please join in. Remember there's the chance to win some Rubber Dance Stamps. If you can't wait for the rubber just quote SDFreeShip and they will come winging to your door P&P free.
Thanks very much for looking, and have a fun weekend xx







Wednesday 12 April 2017

A Bit of a Cutie

It's my Mum and Dad's wedding anniverasary at the end of this week, and so a card is needed. I looked at my skulls and zombies, but came up with this instead.



All the stamps are by Alice Palace for Crafty Individuals, and the backgrounds are made with Distress Ink and Distress Oxides. I only have four colours at the moment, and here they are.

Spiced Marmalade...
Worn Lipstick...

Broken China...

and Cracked Pistachio.


I know it's a bit mushy, but 58 years deserves a medal mushy card.
The Happy Anniversary has been typed on my old typewriter, and it's quite small - that'll get 'em reaching for their reading glasses mwhahahaha..... should have bought me a pony when I was little ;-)

I'm joining in the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge, which happens to be these colours. How lucky is that, and also the Craft Stamper Anything Goes challenge.

Thanks very much for looking, and have a fun day xx

Monday 10 April 2017

Dreaming Of A White Christmas...

Good evening, and happy Monday. It's time for Team Kangaroo to set another challenge over at Season's Greetings. As always the theme is 'anything goes' but the optional twist this time is a colour board. This is what I've made 




And this was my colour palate, isn't it gorgeous! 
 I started by making my background. I used PaperArtsy Fresco paints and brayered a very simple background on smooth card.
Then added some pinks and plums. Background done!
This is a new to me stamp set, and I couldn't wait to use it. The girl reminds me of my sister and as she's been know to drink a small sherry at Christmas, this card is for her ;-)
Not much to see here, I wanted to watercolour her face and arms so I gave her a layer of clear gesso, and put her to one side to dry. I then promptly forgot that I'd done this, thought it was waste, and tried out some stamping! Luckily she isn't wearing this dress tonight!
Hair and make up done - check. I'm ashamed to admit that I took far more care to do hers than I ever do doing my own.
The little blue dress is an off cut from the base, you may recognise the holly pattern...
I must admit that I wasn't thrilled with it when it came to putting it together, so I left it for the night and took another look in the morning. I still had nothing, so I took a look at my favourite sketch challenge Mojo Monday and chose a sketch that I liked and worked around that. I made another painty background, and die cut some snowflakes etc and I was off again!
So team Kangaroo needs you! Please join in with our challenge - anything Christmas related, it doesn't have to be a card, and remember Anything Goes!
Thanks very much for looking, and have a great week xx




Sunday 9 April 2017

The Secret Garden

Good morning and happy Sunday on a beautiful sunny day. We've been back from our holidays for 2 weeks, and it seems like the sun has finally caught up - I think I must have left it on the baggage reclaim at Manchester airport ;-)
Neil has often said ('cos he likes to repeat himself) that if he took off the time he has spent waiting for me, he would still be 21. That seems a little harsh, but I am a bit of a 'last push' type of person. And to prove my point, here's my entry into the PaperArtsy 'blue and ochre' challenge, which ends today.


I started with a piece of 8x8 white board, and brayered various blue frescos. When this was dry I added Golden Sands Infusions, with lots of water and let it puddle.
At the same time I covered a piece of A4 with blue inks and the Golden Sands, added lots of water, and walked away. Normally I find it really hard to walk away, but food was on offer so....
When everything was dry I stamped my Tracy Scott flowers.
Added more Fresco's for a bit of colour, then cut them out and gave a bit of a white splatter.
I added a bit of stencilling in the background with Pumpkin Soup.
I also stencilled Secret Garden, then added my flowers.
I really enyoyed making this, it was nice just to have a play.
I'm also linking this to That's Crafty's Foliage and Flowers challenge.
So go out, enjoy the sunshine, and thanks very much for looking xx

Tuesday 4 April 2017

Turn Your Magic On

Good afternoon and Happy Tuesday. I belong to the Sin City facebook group, and all the members have been given a digi image by the very generous Rick St Dennis and I've been having a play.



I don't often work with digi images, so I've kept this very simple/safe.
I made a background on water colour paper using brusho's and Spectrum Aqua inks.
I added a bit of stencilling, and yes I was listening to Coldplay at the time. It's my gym playlist, that's the downside to coming back from holiday, - straight back to the gym! Life was much easier when I was still working.
I coloured the image with pencils as I have a very basic printer and knew that it would smudge if it came into contact with water. I printed it a couple of times so that I could pop up the skull on 3D foam.
And there we are, all done.
I'm also linking this months Dream In Darkness challenge.

Have a fun week, and thanks very much for looking x

Saturday 1 April 2017

Holiday Fun Circa 1925

Hello and welcome to my second post of the day! It's time for a new colour challenge over at Rubber Dance and this is what I've made.


And here is this months mood board. This has to be one of my favourite colour combinations.
I started with a piece of designer paper, which is unusual for me as I normally just collect it and never, ever use any. I did some background stamping with the notice stamp from Take The Plunge. I added some white painty circles, and stitched around the edges.
Then I stamped and coloured the images from my previously un-inked (shame on me) Vintage Ads plate and the words from Retro Beach.
And there we are - all done. The 1925 was made on my label maker. 
I hope these colours inspire you to join in with our challenge, remember you have until the 14th to play, and then there'll be a new one to join in.

Remember if you want more rubber (and lets face it, don't we all) use code SDFreeShip and the postage is FREE.

Thanks very much for looking, and have a fun week xx