It's Spike Friday!

Good morning and happy Friday. The sun shone for about 30 seconds, so Spike said he wanted to go outside.

This has been made with the Rubber Dance Textured Flowers set, lots of  Distress Ink, and embossing powder.

I love these colours!

I'm entering my flower into the That's Crafty anything but a card challenge, and Happy Little Stampers Watercolour and Anything Goes With Dies challenges.

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

Make It Count

Good afternoon and happy Sunday. It's an F1 weekend again which means that no-one notices that I'm missing, so it's into the room of fun for me (and no I don't keep my ironing board in there). The latest PaperArtsy topic is 'dark to light', so I went into the box of 'all things Seth'.

It's ages since I altered one of these photo frames. As you can see they come with the royal seal of approval.

I started by painting a background with Seth's Set 1 Frescos. There's also some stamping using his PaperArtsy stamps.

Then I put some modelling paste through the Stencil Girl stencil, made some chippy b/grounds, and stamped with Seth's PaperArtsy sets 1,2,3, and 4. I've used Frantage embossing powder to give it a nice chunky feel.

I also put embossing paste through a stencil around the photo frame, and this time painted with Seth's Set 2. I'm a little bit in love with the Patina and Key Lime.

I found these wooden circles in a paper bag buried at the back of a drawer, so I painted and stamped these too.

More of the lovely Patina and Key Lime on these Seth Chippies and a little bit of Frantage.

And we're all done - finished in the same day woo-hoo. 

I'm also entering my frame into the That's Crafty All Things Grunge challenge,
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Anything Goes, and
Simon Says Stamp Monday You've Got The Edge.

Have a very happy week and thanks very much for looking x

Fly

Good afternoon and happy Tuesday. The wonderful Bibi over at Rubber Dance has sponsored a couple of challenges at CASology and as I do like a challenge I'm having a go. Before I start I have to say CAS does not come easily to me, so please be gentle. This weeks cue word is Fly, and this is what I've made.

I've used Phone Home, and Fly from Flying Ink Bottle. If you need any Rubber Dance rubber remember to quote SDFreeShip on anything 15 Euros and over for free P&P.

I'm entering this into the Happy Little Stampers CAS 'smoosh' challenge. My flying girl has been stamped onto smooshed Brusho's.
I'm also entering her into the That's Crafty Keep It Simple challenge.
Have a fun week, and thanks very much for looking x

A Birthday Sausage

Good morning and happy Wednesday. I had to make the dreaded male card recently, and as everyone had crazy cats and dogs last year, I 'needed' a new stamp - it's my excuse and I'm sticking to it! Here's what I made.

He just made me smile as I was colouring him in (tongue out of course) and I promise that he wasn't harmed when I had to cut him in half to get him on the card.
You can't really tell from the photograph, but the 'doggy panels' have been recessed into the card.
That's Crafty have a 'dog eared' challenge running at the moment, so I'm entering 'Sausage' into that. It's a Crufts sort of thing ;-)
Have a great week - rumour has it the sun may make an appearance, and thanks very much for looking x

A Good Heart

Good afternoon and happy Saturday. Today we have a little bit of sunshine after two days of rain yay!

PaperArtsy currently have an 'assemblage' challenge, and this is what I've made.

I must admit that when I saw the theme I just thought 'oh well, I'll join in with the next challenge' But after googling with assemblage actually is, I decided to have a go.

This is how it looks in the sunlight. Most of the embellishments are made of air drying clay from moulds.

The colour is from Prima wax and Treasure Gold, and the sentiment is a Tim Holtz sticker.

I'm also entering this into the That's Crafty 'back to black' challenge, and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday  'a bit of sparkle'

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

It's All A State Of Mind

Good afternoon and happy Saturday! I've been having a little play today with my new Rubber Dance stamps, and this is what I've made.

I've used Fly Fly Flowers, Butterfly Trio, Textured Spring, Something Wonderful and LOTS of ink. I've not used this technique in ages, but as That's Crafty have a Back to Black challenge I thought I would give it a go.
As always if you quote SDFreeShip all orders from Rubber Dance over 15 Euros will have free p&p.
Have a very happy weekend, and thanks very much for looking xx 

I'm Happy

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday! I'm well and truly into Christmas card making mode at the moment as we go away on Thursday and when we come back it will be very near to Christmas. This is one that I made with my favourite (for this week, my favourites change daily) Tomorrow Doesn't Exist plate from Visible Image.

This one is for my sons girlfriend and I didn't want it to be too traditional, so I chose my pink and purple DecoArt paints...

and sponged away with a piece of foam.

Then out with my trusty home made stencil

and the white gesso to build a bokeh background. I really do like this as a background as the images really pop from it. 

I decided to chop a bit off to make a rectangular card and used this as a practice to make sure my embossing powder showed up.

I stamped my happy girl first and embossed with black EP. It's not a traditional Christmas stamp, but it's how I feel at this time of year! Then came the words from Go To Christmas Words, and Happy from the Tomorrow Doesn't Exist plate. There's also stars from Universal and edgy from De-stressed backgrounds.
So I didn't forget it was a Christmas card I gave my girl a felt Santa hat and a bit of bling. 

For lots more inspiration please visit our blog where you can access the shop and projects gallery.
There's also our facebook page and group where there's new inspiration every day.

I'm also entering this into the That's Crafty 'grungy' challenge - who says grungy can't be pink :-)

I hope you (and she) likes my card, have a fun week and thanks very much for looking x

Day of the Dead

Hello and happy Monday. For various reasons this is a little bit late, but better late than never,  Feliz dia de los meurtos!

This is a hanging, but after 127 photographs of it swinging in and out of focus and the ever so nice shot of the broken plant pot I gave up with that idea and laid it on the floor instead!

This is a paper mache box that's been mega crackled with DecoArt paints. I've had these stamps since time began, and other than they are from USA, I've no idea who they are by.

The whole village has turned out for the celebrations for the happy couple. Together for all eternity... aaaargghhh!

I'm entering this into the Lost Coast Designs  Day of the Dead challenge, 
That's Crafty Friday 13th part 2 challenge, and
Dream In Darkness anything weird. 

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

Princess Of Everything

Good morning, and happy Tuesday. I've been having a play with my Brusho's for the Lost Coast Designs watercolour background challenge.

I've used Princess of Everything - bless her I've had her for years, she must be Queen by now.
I found the quote online - love it!

I'm also entering this into the That's Crafty challenge, Zesty Zing.
Have a great day, and thanks very much for looking xx

All Creatures Great and Small

Good morning and happy Wednesday. The Stampotique challenge this week is All Creatures Great and Small. I thought that I would go with all undersea creatures, so this is what I made.

This is a photo frame that's been in my stash since time began, so it's time it came out to play.

The frame was gessoe'd and painted in Dyna paints. Then there was lots of stencilling.

Seaweed was stamped and painted then sequins randomly added. Thank you Sam for my new sequin addiction lol.

The background was stamped with Daniel's Hearts and Rudy and Reggie have been painted and coloured with pencils. I put in some acetate so that I could add some sequin insides.

This was how it looked at this stage. I thought that the ammonites weren't showing up too well, so I added some black ink around the edges.

I wasn't sure which I prefered, but it was too late to change now lol.

So I had a wipe around with a baby wipe, then splattered a bit of white paint, and I'm much happier now.

I'm also entering this into the That's Crafty sea challenge.

I hope you have a fun week, and thanks very much for looking x

What Lies Beneath...

Last month I was lucky enough to win the Tando Creative challenge, and part of my prize was some skulls. I've been dying to use these ever since, so when That's Crafty had a Friday 13th challenge I knew that they would be coming out.
All of the paints and mediums used are by DecoArt.
Lots of pictures coming up so I'll keep the words down :-)

The 'coffin' is an old wooden domino box, that's been painted with black gesso. This side has the Andy Skinner skull stencil that's had crackle glaze put through it then painted with a mix of Quin gold and transparent yellow oxide.

The lid has been been stencilled with the same colour mix, and the stamps are by Sheena Douglass. 
Do you like Basil - he's a fox skull that my dad found about 15 years ago, and my son's had him ever since. He still has most of his teeth though they have had to be superglued in over the years lol.

This is the reverse of the lid, again it's a Sheena die and stamp.

This is the other side. The 'blood' is DecoArt red chalk paint.

The hand prints have been stencilled with texture sand and painted with a Quin Gold and Transparent Yellow Oxide wash.

This is an Andy Skinner stamp that's been stamped into texture paste and rubbed over with Metallic Lustre.

And this is what started it all off. This is my Tando skull that's been painted with crackle paint. The background is another Andy Skinner texture stamp.
This was such fun to make, and who knows what may end up inside - certainly not the dominoes.
I'm also entering this into the Lost Coast Designs Half O'Ween challenge.
Have a fab week, and thanks very much for looking x

A Tag Trio

What a gorgeous day today has been, loads of sunshine, and all day to do as I like (that's what happens when you get up at 6.30 and you're ironing by 6.40. I've been playing with my Andy Skinner stencils and stamps and DecoArt paints. This is what I made.

The tags are made on gelli plate backgounds.

Lots of black gesso and white embossing powder.

More stencilling and stamping.

And stamped and stencilled eyes - spooky eh!
I really enjoyed making these, it's good to have a play.
I'm entering these into the That's Crafty challenge Go Figure.
Have a great week, and thanks very much for looking x

My Favourite Place

Hellooooo and welcome to the weekend!!! After all my whingeing (whingeing, -  moi) about it being to cold to craft in the conservatory, I went in yesterday and it was 31.5 in the afternoon! You know what, that's too hot lol. This is what I made.

These are the Tando May colours. They are not colours that I would usually use, not because I don't like them - I do, but because I am such a creature of habit and I always reach for the reds and the blues.
All the paint used are from the DecoArt Media range. I used lots of Tinting Base on this one!

I painted up the Tando frame then sponged through a Tando mini stencil. I really like these mini stencils, there's lots of room around the edge so less chance of messing up.

All of the stamps are from Crafty Individuals and have been stamped onto an old gessoed German dictionary.

The arches have been painted in pink, I had lots of Tinting Base and literally ONE drop of Pyrole Red to make the pink. I've raised the arches with felt pads to make them stand out of the frames.

I love this stamp, it's an Alice Palace one from CI. They are such happy stamps.

I'm entering this into the following challenges;
That's Crafty - Go Figure
Tando Creative - week 1 colour challenge
Crafty Individuals - Anything Goes.

I hope you have a fab weekend, and thanks very much for looking x