It's Steampunk Jim But Not As We Know It

Over at Dragon's Dream Tag It On, my teamie Monique has chosen Considering Steampunk as her theme, and her recipe consists of fantasy, inventions and Victoriana.  I love steampunk, but I always seem to go down the same route of browns and dark greens, so this time I thought I would have a change. 
I started by stamping and embossing the ScrollsWork stamps in white. Then added lots and lots (and lots) of distress inks in yellows and blues. Then I just went a little mad with various smaller background stamps, clear embossing powder, and the odd spritz of bleach to add a bit of contrast. The muslin has been cut into a strip and had blue and yellow ink dabbed on it, then a spritz of the bleach again.

My lovely lady with the rather odd taste in clothing/iron work/household pets, has been Frantaged with blue mica flakes and old gold and white embossing powders. The rivets are cut from a Spellbinders die in PaperArtsy card on metal, then painted with black acrylic which was then rubbed off again, and finished with Frantage glass glitter in blue and green.

More of the Verday paints and patina topped with a little glass glitter. The pocketwatch face has been coated in glossy accents and look - no thumb prints for once. I actually made this tag over a few days. Each time I thought I had finished, then I just kept throwing something else on lol.

Another rusty old butterfly - I'm really liking these paints and patinas and did I mention my fondness for the glass glitters??
The quote is by Leonardo da Vinci and says
'For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return' Well said Leo, I think this sums up Steampunk rather nicely.
I really enjoyed making this girlie steampunk tag, and luckily I'd now run out of room or who knows what else would have been on it.
Please pop over to TIO and see my teamies wonderful creations, then come back with one of your own.
I'm also entering this into the following challenges:
Sir Stampalot - Crafty Passions - ink and anything Frantage at the moment.
The Craft Barn - Frantage
Tando - Texture
The Stampman - Bling It On
Simon Says Stamp And Show - Layered
Lets Ink It Up - All Girls


Thank you very much for looking x

She's a Dedicated Follower of Fashion

I've been in a card making mood today, so I struck while the iron was hot and made another.
My Alluring Lady is from The Stampman. I bough her from the Harrogate show, and she stamps perfectly. The embossing powder is Cosmic Shimmer, and is perfect for the LBD. The background paper is Graphic 45 Curtain Call and it's soooo beautiful.
The frame is also from The Stampman, and it's cut with the nesties Labels 5. It's a fab way of making the most of your sentiment.
I'm entering this into the following challenges
The Stampman - Embossing
Sir Stampalot - Ladies and fashion
Thanks very much for looking x

Winter Wonderland

I made this card in my head and I wish you could have seen it 'cos it was lovely, subtle, understated elegance however stick a tube of glitter glue in my hand and....
wayhey we're back at junior school and my tongue's sticking out and there's glitter on the cat and....:o)
Anyhoo this is my entry to The Royal Academy of Arts - no, better than that, it's Sir Stampalot's Winters Tale, Crafty Hazelnut's Trees, Simon Says Stamp and Show Masking, and last but definitely not least, Lots to Do which is brayering.
I stamped my new Art Kure stamps on glossy white, and coloured with distress inks. Then I lightly??? stickled and and 'fluffy stuffed' the roofs, and cut out.
I brayed the background with a Big and Juicy in pale blue, then added Glimmer Screens (had these 3 years - they finally made it out of the box) as masks and sprayed with glimmer mists. Note to self 2 colours is gooood 3 is baaaaaad. How can silver turn blue and green into mud??
So, started again, used the screens as masks, sprayed, then turned them over and used as stamps.
It may not be elegant but it was fun to make, and I get to spend the rest of the evening tidying up - does it get any better??
Thanks very much for looking x

Another Christmas Card

Here's a card I have made for The Stampsmith's Oval challenge and Sir Stampalot's Christmas Traditions. What could be more traditional than fir trees and snow!I have shamelessly stolen the technique from Donna's blog - she explains each stage perfectly so even I could follow it :o). What she didn't say was to a) not use your craft knife on your new non stick mat, and
b) don't find you scisors by sticking your thumb through them, then
c) bleeding all over your white card!! Haloween came and went without spilling a drop of the red stuff when really that would just have been going the extra mile for your art lol, but now we have red snow :o)
The lovely lady is from The Stampsmith, various embossing folders, and Movers and Shapers die.
Thanks very much for looking x

Marci & Wilbur Get it Together

Stamped that is :o)
As the queen of stamps that have never got dirty,  it's always a joy when they get their initial inking.Why is it that I love 'em, have to have 'em, then don't use them??
Anyway the challenge at Stampotique is Not So Sweet 16, and at Sir Stampalot it's All Distressed, so here's mine...

Though how anyone can say that Marci and Wilbur arn't the sweetest couple I don't know.

I love these stamps, they really make me smile, and Mr Stripes is the most handsome spider ever.

I've also used some of Jo Capper-Sandons range, the French Text, Small Bee and Splatter. If you havn't seen her blog you must go and look, her work is gorgeous.

The door hanger has been in my top drawer for as long as I can remember, and the paper on the numbers is the  Basic Grey white 6x6 pad. This is fab, lots of white backgrounds with a hint of different patterns.

Lots of distress inks acrylic paint and Modge Podge for the background, which has been roughed up nicely with a TH distresser. I thought I would use blue and yellow, but I ended up with er.. green..... who'd have thought!!

When you see this in real life it's distressed to the point of tatty, so definitely not so sweet lol.

Sorry if the font size is hurting your eyes, but I'm not a good typer at the best of times, and I can't even see the little stuff anymore -  Mother Nature up to her bee-atchy best again :o)

Thanks very much for looking and have a fab weekend x