My Mother Had Me Tested

Good morning and happy Wednesday. I'm so happy to be sharing my first design team piece for Ink Art Designs. I love these Katzelkraft stamps, and they were inked up the day after I received them!

My son has very recently bought his first home with his girlfriend, and they are having great fun furnishing it. But.... they have shop bought coasters! I know, can you believe it lol. Anyway no-one should have shop bought coasters while B&Q have kitchen tiles on their shelves, so I've made him some.

 I started by painting some plain white kitchen tiles with DecoArt Americana multi-surface paints. I gave each one a couple of very thin coats then set aside to dry completely.

I love these paints, 'cos as you see, if you change your mind you can also change the colour. I did a bit of stencilling with more Americana paints and that was the background all done.

 Next I stamped the actual images on the tiles for placement. I knew that I didn't want to be cutting out pigs trotters and curly tails!

 As you can see I'm a fine artist - NOT.  I knew that I would be glazing my tiles so I stamped the images onto some thin card and coloured them with the same watered down acrylics. That way I knew that the colour would not budge under the glaze.

 Before I stuck down my animals I cut a self adhesive cork floor tile to a gnats digit smaller than my tiles. Now it's just a matter of sticking down the images and giving everything a coat of glaze.

And there we are, all done. I do love them and it will be hard to give them away - maybe I could just give them one each...

The fun sentiments are by Rubber Dance and of course you can find them in the shop.

As always the challenge at Ink Art Designs is 'anything goes' as long as you use a brand (or brands) of stamps that Dot sells in the store.
I'm entering my coasters into the Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge, which is 'make your own background',  the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday 'anything goes' challenge, and Time Out challenges 'be funny'.

Have a very happy July, and thanks very much for looking x

Feeling Blue (and Green)

Good morning and happy Monday - welcome to July. Do you remember this time last year when it was so hot in the UK - I know some parts have had lots of sunshine, but here in Yorkshire we're still waiting for the sun to turn up. I guess those who are sweltering in 40+ feel really sorry for me!

Of course a new month means it's time for a new challenge at Country View Crafts, and this time the lovely Corrie has chosen Blue's and Greens. 

 I knew that I had the perfect Craftwork Cards paper pad, I even knew which drawer it was in, but of course it was at the bottom, and everything had to come out - then I couldn't get it all back in - so it stayed on the floor for days - you get the picture...

 I stamped my tag with an AALL & Create stamp. I used my stamping platform so was able to use lots of blue and green ink. I also added a 'go big or go home' ribbon.

And lots of sparkle with a clear sparkle pen.

And we're all done. This is my auntie's birthday card for NEXT year - how's that for organisation!

This was a fun challenge so I hope that you join in. You can also use black, white, and flesh colour, but the main colours must be blue and green.

Have a wonderful July, and thanks very much for looking x

That's Life...

Good morning and happy Wednesday. I'm back with my second piece for the 'It's a Bugs Life' challenge over at Country View Crafts. Fresh from my Antonis Tzanidakis workshops at Country View Towers, I was eager to use his range again, and they fitted in perfectly with our bugs theme.

I have lots of pictures, so there won't be many more words from me. My typing is terrible at the moment, as I can't read the screen without my glasses 'cos I sit like a hunched up praying mantis, but when I sit back I can't see anything with or without them - oh the joys of ageing!!  

I started with this fab Mechanical Fantasy Stamperia pad by Antonis. I took a deep breath and cut into it (gulp) 

One of the really good things about the pad is that there is a print inside the front cover, so I used that too!.

I chose some sheets and cut out some hexagons with a die as I wanted a honeycomb pattern.

I found the middle of my board and started from there.

I liked how it looked, but there was something missing. I thought, 'what would it look like with some stitching'

Of course I liked it more, but that meant I had to sew around the whole lot doh!

I also stuck some of the paper on a large wooden heart and stamped the huge bug from the Time Machine stamp set.

I wanted some crackle, so I went through a stencil with the Stamperia Transparent Crackle Paste, but rookie error, I forgot to seal the paper first.

Ok plan B... I covered it all with some Vintage Distress Collage Medium and let it dry. It gave it a lovely aged look, and it meant that I could now put on some crackle medium and antiquing cream without messing up what was underneath.

So I went over the old stencilling with some Stamperia White Crackle Paste - all was well again. I went over the crackle with some DecoArt Antiquing Cream in Raw Umber to bring out the detail.

The spider and web are also from Antonis' Stamperia collection, and this plate is Memories Never Die.

The sentiment is also from the paper pad.

And we're all done!

This was a real fun piece to make apart from the bit where it was all ruined, and I was never going in my craft room again, and oh yeah that's all fixed lol.

There's still plenty of time to join in with our challenge, so I hope to see you over at Country View Crafts.

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

It's A Bugs Life

Good morning,  happy Saturday, and welcome to June. Do you remember last year when it was the start of a very long, hot Summer, I'm hoping that we get a little more of that! The fun new challenge over at Country View Crafts has been chosen by the lovely Jane, and it's 'It's a Bugs Life' Only a couple of months ago I was in Africa in Disney enjoying this film, though it seems like years ago now. Here's what I've made.

 I started with a Clarity stencil and some Distress Inks and brushes.

Then I used my very favourite 'happy birthday' sentiment which is a JOFY one  for Paper Artsy.

 I made a bit of a mess of it at the top, but it hardly showed, till I tried to correct it then it was much more obvious doh!

The stamped butterfly is by Rubber Dance, and the flying critters are Tim Holtz's Geo Springtime , and Geo Insects. I cut these with some wax paper and the pieces fell out beautifully, but then I lost the will to live trying to paper piece them so I just cut them a few times in different papers.

The 'wild and free' is by Rubber Dance, and I've matted and layered another 'happy birthday' so all's well again.

 I hope you have a very happy June, and be kind to the bugs, we need the bugs - except flies, no one needs flies!

Take care, and thanks very much for looking x

Take It Easy

Good morning and happy Thursday. We've recently had a few days away visiting my sister for our annual Christmas trip into London - we were late with last years, not mega early with this one, but Christmas is coming lol. It also coincinded with her last day at work. She's still my little (ok much taller than me) sister, but she's also done her 30 years and so she's retired, at least for the Summer.

I love this Carabelle stamp set, but as she's not going on holiday I changed the sentiment a little. Day 1 of her retirement and we helped to chop down a tree. They have a huge garden and it will now be given lots of TLC.

I'm entering this into the following challenges

Simon Says Stamp Monday - Use Stencils (my background is made with Clarity Stencils)

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - Bright Colours - have you seen his shirt! 

Stamping Sensations - In an English Country Garden - every English garden needs a tortoise! and
Ink Art Designs mine's a Carabelle stamp.

The sun is shining here today, and it really feels like Summer is on the way, so have a lovely day, and thanks very much for looking x

Winter's Here

Good Morning and happy Tuesday. I'm back with my second piece for the Country View Crafts 'Opposites' challenge, and I've chosen Fire and Ice.

As I was making this the new season of Game of Thrones hadn't started, so there will be no spoilers from me.

 I started with a piece of 12 x 12 paper with a brick wall effect to reming me of the ice wall - I don't know why really 'cos that came down at the end of last season.

 I covered it in white gesso to tone it down a bit, then got to work on my fire with a couple of stencils and some DecoArt Media Acrylics. 

 Then I added some snow with Snowtex, and some crackle with an Andy Skinner stamp. 

 Lots of lovely snow!

 For the ice I used the Tim Holtz Drips die and just about everything else I could lay my hands on. There's Frantage, snow balls, micro beads, you name it, it's probably on there.

 So now we have fire and ice, we just need...

 Dragons!

This firery one is a Sheena stamp, flying in to save the day.

The words are from a Tim Holtz strip die

 And the ice dragon is by Pink Ink. I've cut into the stencilled flames to give him somewhere to rest.

And there we are! By the time you are reading this it will all be over, and life can go back to normal in our house. I live with 2 fans who will be very sad to see the show end.

There's still time to join in with our challenge, so please show us your opposites for the chance to win a £20.00 voucher to spend in the store.
I'm joining in with the Use Stencils challenge at Simon Says Stamp Monday, and also Stitches over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday

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

Right Said Fred

Good morning and happy Sunday. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, so Neil's decided to hire a Wacker plate to put in some astro turf on our decking. So come 9.30 the bird song will be replaced by a deafening, petrol spitting monster that looks like something out of the Transformers films. Oh happy days!

Anyway I've been playing with my Art By Marlene stamps again with her Mermaymarlene prompts which are Message In A Bottle, and Singing Seahorses, and this is what I've made.

There are loads of Marlene's stamps in here, and the song that's now in your head is my gift to you (bwahahahaha)

I'm linking this with Dot's group at Ink Art Designs as she sells these fab stamps https://www.facebook.com/groups/InkArtDesigns/

Have a very happy and peaceful day, and thanks very much for looking x

Somewhere, Beyond The Sea

Good afternoon and happy Wednesday. I'm loving joining in with the prompts over at Art By Marlene but I'm really struggling to make a piece a day (I'm very slow and I tend to digress lol) So to catch up a little I made a 3fer. 

This is incorporating day 4 Underwater Love, day 5 Secrets of the Sea, and day 6 Making a Splash.

This is my Making a Splash background, lots of texture pastes and stencilling.

And a pocket with a secret tag for the Secrets of the Sea.

Day 7 hasn't happened yet, and 8 isn't looking to good either lol. 
I'm linking this with Dot's group at Ink Art Designs as she sells these fab stamps https://www.facebook.com/groups/InkArtDesigns/

Have a very happy day, and thanks so much for looking x