Phew - In The Nick Of Time....

I've been meaning to do my entry for this weeks CoC challenge all week, but here I am, last push again :o) This week page 65 has all the answers on...Grungepaper flowers. As mine are rather blue they also fit in nicely with Hels' challenge for the Sunday Stampers, so who says being late isn't a good thing :o)

I'm sworn to secrecy by Linda and Tim himself about how this was made, but I started with 3 beer mats that I stole borrowed from the pub last night. Hands up those who know that a beer mat is the exact size of the largest nestie circle.  Oh you knew, and you and... well I didn't but I do now :o)  Ok hands down now,  no one likes a smart a*se you know lol.

I went to the Papercraft show in Harrogate yesterday - wow I could have spent a fortune on the first display (actually I did but that's our secret right). Then today my heat gun went to crafting heaven (big green bin) I've had it since day dot and it's one of the long ones that blows the embossing powder everywhere so I'm thinking of changing to the 'heat buddy' type. Any opinions would be most gratefully accepted.

Have a lovely Sunday evening, and thanks for looking x

I Can Sing A Rainbow

....but only if we were being burgled 'cos my singing would make anyone flee :o)
The monthly challenge over at the Artistic Stamper is Rainbows, so here's my piece.

I covered a piece of mountboard with canvas then stamped the Tim Holtz stamp and covered with tea dye distress ink.

I then took 8 microscope slides and coloured them in the colours of the rainbow - maybe I took the challenge a litttle too literally, I'm just not very good at thinking outside the box.:o(

These were stuck down with Glossy Accents, and then taped around the edge when dry.

The stencil is one of Tim's.

I really enjoyed making this AND there's not too much of a devistation to tidy up wayhay!!

Have a great Sunday and thanks 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

Simon Says Layer It

Can you believe it's September already, where did August go??? Seems like ages since I've trashed my craft room, :o) but a fortnight away, then the washing,  then Leeds Festival (no not for me, for DS,who came home smelling of camp fires and hot dogs) and that's a month gone by.
Anyhoos I've been catching up on the new challenges that have started without me lol. This weeks Simon Says Stamp and Show is Layer it up, so here's mine.

Firstly big thanks to Sharon for her great tute on how to make a shaddow box. As I'm not the sort of gal to measure in 1/4 inches I've started with a piece of 12x12 and taken it fom there.

My background has plenty of layers, paints, inks stamps, and a ****** great blob of  green glimmer mist!!! Really needed to cover this up so I stamped a text stamp with bleach. Scared myself silly when I stamped it for the first time, but I love it :o)

I forgot to photograph it before I stuck anything down, but I was really chuffed with my background.

Then lots of stamping, and cutting out. My Gears in the background is from The Artistic Stamper, and I know that this is going to be a favourite. All the others are from Artistic Outpost, from the Stampunk and Paris Exposition sets. Thanks Happy Daze, If I just send you my salary will you drip feed me with more of their stamps :o).

The fab papers are Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutante. I chose the 8x8 pad 'cos there's 2 sheets of each so I can use 1 and keep 1 for ever and ever and ever and ever.... They are gorgeous, so I cried a little inside when I had to cut 'em up.

My lady on the microscope slide thingy is by Itkupilli. I love her images, but this is the first time I used anything this size and it looks fab in real life.She's hanging on for dear life to the flying fish???                     The gears thingy is one of Tim's (I call him Tim - he doesn't call at all).... and it's nice and layed 'cos I chopped the end off my foamy paint  brush and it fits perfectly. Alas poor Stumpy....

Just to prove I've done the layers lol

I really enjoyed this challenge, and it's good to be back in the blogosphere x

Thanks for looking. x

A Little Bit of Summer

A really quick post today 'cos it's late and it's a school day tomorrow, but I can't bear to watch Top Gear any longer. I think the Hamster is lovely, but I want to rip Clarkson's arm off and beat him with the bloody stump lol.

I don't normally like to combine challenges, but time has got the better of me this weekend, and I wanted to enter both so.... here's my entry for The Sunday Stampers and Artistic Stamper which is Something Old Something New, and Lots To Do, which is The Scenic Route.I'm hoping this counts as a Summer scene.

The something old was the childrens Pairs cards that I've altered. Now my two are 19 and 17, but I'm sure we still have most of their old toys. I suppose it's our fault 'cos we still have Neil's original Scalextric in the loft (it's so old the cars have gone from classic to vintage) and I've still got my old bear, which used to be bigger than me, but now alas I have far outgrown him.

I've used lots of gesso to cover the cards, and distress inks in shaded of yellow and green. The stamps are by Simple Expressions, and I always struggle to stamp these, but they look so nice if you can get them right. The something new is my lovely Clearz that came in my Blog Candy from The Stampman. I've tinted it with alcohol inks and stuck down with glossy accents. My bee's antena is my first attempt at wire work lol.

Hope the kids don't notice that there cards have gone missing :o) The paper on the front is from Tim's Lost and Found stack, which I've just got from The Fruit Pixie. This paper is gorgeous, but it's made me want the other stacks too now.

Clarkson's just about to drive his car at a lorry so I think I'll watch this bit :o)

Thanks very much for looking x

Sue The Iron Goes Bad Ass! CoC 7

It's Monday so it's time for Linda as Studio L3's Compendium of Curiosities Challenge. This week its's page 55, which is Tinted Vision Fragments.
Now Tim is the master of all things grungy - he's modern and edgy -  a bit unconventional, so obviously to create something in his style I needed to call upon the bad boy of the crafting world, - so here it is.... felt!. Yup a challenge in the style of the grungmeister and I've used felt lol.
I have to say I was quite suprised when it went through my Cuttlebug, and I didn't like that nasty snappy sound, but it cut through my bad boy a treat.
Sorry about the rubbish photo (even worse than normal) but it was so late when I'd finished that I had to use flash. Damn work, it really gets in the way :o)
The stamps are by Bombshell, and they have been seriously underused.
Lots of inks, and some Creative Imaginations paper and rub on's.
I really enjoyed this challenge - I think this was a page I overlooked when I first got the book before carefully putting it away from all those dirty inks and glue.

Thanks for looking, and see you next week x

Sunday Postcard Art - Owls

Here's my entry for this weeks
Sunday Postcard Art challenge which is 'Owls'  I only own 2 owl stamps, one is this rather large beauty from Elusive Images, and the other is a cutie from Dawn Bibby.
I decided that more is more and went with the bruiser owl.
I've done the 'caught in crystal technique, which I've been meaning to do for years but never got arround to. The floor polish was still under the sink - untouched :o) I've used distress ink refills and lots of glitter. It's strange how crafting has it's 'in' thing - it used to be mandala stamps and glitter - I still have the glitter lol.
The background has been brayered and sponged, then Tim's tree and plant stamps used. I have tried to do the background in the style of Michelle Zindorf who is the brayer queen.
The glitter on the owl shows up much better in real life - just the thing for a butch old owl.
Thanks very much for looking and enjoy what's left of the weekend x

'Twas The Night Before Christmas SDC#11

It has to be said that I do love all thing Christmas, but Christmas crafting - Ah - thats done last minute, in December, then packed away in various boxes, tubs, tins (and even an old suitcase I do believe) and flung back up into the loft till next year.
BUT my love of  Holly (and I so wanted to enter the Stampotique Christmas in July challenge)  made me brave the wobbly loft ladders (this isn't artistic licence they really ARE wobbly lol) push past Boris the spider and family, and find Christmas - Scrooge kept Christmas in his heart - I keep it in the loft, just over the living room :o)
After stamping Holly (who stamps beautifully 'cos she a proper wooden stamp) I thought lovely, but there's gonna be a lot of  (gasp) white space ... So Kitty to the rescue and here we are.
The papers are all Basic Grey, my Christmas lights are an old Sizzix die, and everythings been coloured with Pro Markers. My sentiment was computer generated, and Kitty's mouse tail is real brown felt lol.

Just look at that face - is it the face of a killer.....  oh yeah!

Mr Stripes felt a little bit left out, so I let him star in the insert....

Thanks very much for looking x