Letters and Numbers For Country View Crafts

Good morning and happy Friday. It's time for a brand new challenge over at Country View Crafts, and more importantly it's time for our holidays. As this post goes live we will be jetting off to the USA so it's home alone time again for the kids - they'll get over it lol.

The theme this time has been chosen by the lovely Evelyn, and it's Letters and/or Numbers. Here's mine.

I started by stamping this huge A4 stamp that Tracy Evans designed for AALL and Create. I stamped it on kraft, white, and black card.

Then I just snipped and punched away and layered up the pieces. I added a bit of stitching, then a bit more, and then I made myself walk away lol.

To finish I attached it to an A4 sketchbook and gave it a generous coat of Vintage Collage Medium. You can't really see it here, but it does give it a fab aged look.

Please check out the Country View Crafts challenge blog for lots of wonderful inspiration from my teamies and then join in with our challenge.

Have a very happy March, and I'll catch up with you after my holidays. Thanks very much for looking x

Some A-Moo-Sing New Stamps from Rubber Dance

Good morning and happy Saturday, welcome to the weekend. It's time for my second post for Rubber Dance and this is also my last one as a member of the design team.  I would like to thank Bibi, Susanne, and the rest of the team for a fab two years.  

Susanne has recently brought out some fun new stamps, and these are what I'm using here.

Aren't these cows hillarious - and so cute. The whole set is called From Moo To You

 I started by making some backgrounds with Distress Oxides then die cutting them into tag shapes.

 Then some stencilling with Oxides and gesso.

 These are the new Rubber Dance Grungy Borders and Grungy Stuff stamps and they are fabulous!

 Then I added some die cuts, and that's it, backgrounds all done.

 As well as buying the whole set you can buy each cow individually - this one is Christmas Cow.

 This is Cute Cow.

And this is Birthday Cow.

There's still loads of time left for you to join in with the colour/theme challenge, so head on over to the Rubber Dance Stamping Lounge   https://www.facebook.com/groups/311557542913461/- this month is 'Anything Goes' so what could be easier.
I'm also entering my tags into the Stamping Sensations challenge All Things Bright and Beautiful.

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

A Carabelle Play Day

Good morning and happy Friday. Earlier in the week I had a play day, just for fun, except for the tidying up, and this is what I made. 

I'd watched Leonie on Hochanda using an A4 stamp, so decided that it was time to ink mine up.

Never before been inked, but I'll show you an after picture later!

I started by making a background with Deco Art Premium Acrylics, and some Carabelle (Kate Crane) stamping plates.

I put too much paint on this one but I did like it and will use parts of it.

I have lots of different brands of stamps, and they are all kept in their own storage boxes, so I decided to stick with Carabelle for my stamping. These are all going somewhere in the background.

Along with these, and many more that got chosen as I went along.

This is why I never throw the scraps away! 

I thought I had lots more photos, but THIS is what I used, and this is only my work table, you should see the other two! There's lots of stencilling with Kate's stencils, and Viva Decor and Izink texture pastes which I really like, and for the eagle eyed amongst you, yes, this is what happened to my huge stamp...

I admit it, my name's Sue, and I'm addicted to my stamping platform! Yup I looked at my stamp and there was a place where I could cut through  - I promise no butterflies were harmed, and both pieces can now go on my TH platform separately.

There's lots of texture and crackle going on that you can't really see here.

 I also got a bit carried away with the stitching!

We're still a little bit in between indoor and outdoor photographs here, but I do like it, and it fills an A4 page. I really enjoyed my play day (or 2 or 3) and it was good to finally ink some stamps.
I'm entering my page into the Stamping Sensations All Things Bright and Beautiful challenge.

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

Rolodex Cards for Rubber Dance

Good morning and happy Wednesday. Rubber Dance have a fun new colour/theme challenge for February, and here's what I've made.

And here is the inspiration board.

I started by making my background with Distress Inks and Oxides using the above colours.

Then I chopped it up to make my rolodex cards. I know it's something you have to do, but I still hate chopping up a nice background lol.

 The background has been stamped with images from Crazy Flowers 2, and the main image and sentiment is Merry Magpie.

 This one is Take The Plunge.

And Owl Do Good.

I hope that you like them, and that you join in with our challenge over at the Rubber Dance Stamping Lounge.
I'm also joining in with the challenges at Simon Says Stamp Monday - Add Some Red, 
Craft Stamper TIMI February Anything Goes,
Fashionable Stamping Anything Goes, and
Stamping Sensations - All Things Bright and Beautiful
 Have a very happy week, and thanks for looking x

From Moo To You

Good morning and happy Sunday! Today I'm sharing my second Black & White/Black & white +1 piece for this month's Country View Crafts challenge. Wow that's a mouthfull isn't it, next time I shall choose something easier to type lol.

Aren't these cows adorable, they're from a new Rubber Dance set - but who would have thought that I would have chosen pink as my plus 1, certainly not me!

 I started by cutting the outer layers of my rolodex cards, one in black with white, and one in white with black.

Then I cut the inside layer on smooth white card and stamped with the new Rubber Dance Grungy Borders and Grungy Stuff stamps. These have only been out for a few days, but there is a selection of Rubber Dance stamps here.

 I love these cows, they are just so happy, and I think that pink really is their colour lol. The set is called 'From Moo To You' (of course)

 Here's Birthday Cow.

 Christmas Cow.

And Cute Cow.

So we've gone from zombies to cows in 3 days lol what other challenge brings you that!

I hope that you're enjoying our challenge and that you join in with us. Remember there's a chance to win a £20 voucher to spend in the store.

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

Everything is Beautiful - Even Mustard

Good morning and happy Saturday. Well so far it's snowed everyday this month, though it is only the 2nd. It's a beautiful sunny day here but a little bit chilly - I can't imagine what -30 must have felt like Chicago.

PaperArtsy have a fun new challenge topic - The Colour Mustard. I think people would embrace mustard more if it didn't have such a grim sounding name. If it was called 'fluffy mallow' people would rush to put it on their hot dogs lol. Anyhow, I've made a mustardy tag or three.

 I started by choosing one of my favourite Tracy Scott stamps and some Fresco's including the lovely Mustard Pickle. I also used Tracy's Limited Edition Set 2 which contains the wonderful Pea Coat. I'd not used this before but it zoomed straight in as one of my favourites.

 I brayered up my background tags with greys to begin with.

 Then I painted in my Mustart Pickle bricks.

Then I painted in my Pea Coat - love this colour! The 'beautiful' is from ETS 17 (Tracy Scott) and guess what - yup it's one of my favourite stamp sets.

 So the tags are all finished and ready to be joined together.

I've joined them at the back with washi tape and added a bit of stitching. The middle one has been popped up on 3d foam.

I'm ridiculously pleased that they stand up on their own, little things eh! 

Country View Crafts have a wonderful range of everything PaperArtsy and they are also running an incredible challenge at the moment (yes I picked it lol) of black & white/black and white +1.

It was really nice to have a 'just for fun' play and I'm entering it into the following challenges.

PaperArtsy - the colour mustard

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - anything goes

Craft Stamper - Anything goes for Feb

Fashionable Stamping - anything goes

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

Hello Darlin'

Good morning and happy Friday - welcome to February. It's my turn to choose the theme over at Country View Crafts, and so I've kept it nice and simple and chosen Black and White or Black and White Plus One. As February is the month of lurve I've made a Valentine card. 

Yeah I'm not really a fan of Vanentine's day - I'm adorable all year round (said nobody ever lol)

I started by stamping my handsome zombie from a Brett Weldele set than masking him so I could add some stencilling.

I've used a Tim Holtz stencil and Distress Inks in red and black.

The die cuts are from a Jane Davenport set. I bought it for the words but I really like the little starts and hearts too.

Please pop on over to the blog where the rest of the Design Team have given us lots of gorgeous inspiration, and then join in yourself.

I'm entering my lovable zombie into some challenges, 

Craft Stamper TIMI anything goes for February.

Fashionable Stamping - Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp Monday - Love is in the air and 

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - Anything Goes

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

Something Old, Something New

Good morning and happy Friday, welcome to the weekend!

I'm back with my second project for the Rubber Dance colour/theme challenge, and this time I've gone for the theme, which is Something New.

 My something new is Yupo paper, I know it's been around for ages, but I've never actually used it.

 I started by using 3 colours on a felt pad and really like how it looks.

 Then I dropped lots of different colours onto another sheet - I'm really liking this now. The biggest difference that I could see to glossy card is that the inks take much longer to dry, and that if you give it a blast with a heat gun the paper can warp.

 Then I stamped away using different colour of Stazon. I cut some black card with a Memory Box strip die to give them a postage stamp look. This took AGES, but I do like how they look.

 Then I stamped and ribbled some kraft card as a background for my 'postcards'

And we're all done. I've added them to the background with push pins. 

Don't forget there's still time for you to join in with the challenge over at the Rubber Dance Stamping Lounge  https://www.facebook.com/groups/311557542913461/  I hope to see you over there.

Stamps Used

Take The Plunge

Large Postoid

La Mappa

Vintage Postcard

Vintage Script

Venezia

Summer Love

Kiwi Postoid

I'm entering this into the Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge, which is 'alcohol - inks or drinks'

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