One In A Million

The theme over at Shopping Our Stash this week is black and white and one other colour. The aim of the challenge is to use some of the stash languishing at the bottom of our drawers. The backing papers I've used here are from the 7 Gypsies Paddington collection. I loved them, had to have them, then put them in the drawer with a million other sheets of 'had to haves' and never used them. Please tell me that it's not only me that does this. The ribbon has been in my stash for at least two years, but the Tim Holtz stamp is quite new. (Saying that the masking tape I used as the mask is at least 3 years old.) My steampunk guys have been masked and stamped, masked and stamped....
The card is for my Dad, I wanted to put 'One in a Million' on it but the card seemed finished as it was and I didn't want to spoil it, so that will go on the inside.
I'm also entering this into the Simon Says Stamp And Show challenge as this week the theme is Men - bless 'em - can't live with them, can't kill 'em all! - That's very un PC, how very dare I! :o)

Have a great weekend and thanks for looking x

Wanted Dead or Alive

The challenge over at Dragon's Dream has been inspired by the song These Boots Were Made For Walking, so we have to show some sort of footwear on our tag.
My stamps are all by Tanda and they've all been stamped and coloured in Distress Inks. The curled up paper behind the wanted poster was a piece of glassine from a box of chocolates. How I suffer for my art lol. Thanks very much for looking x

Happy Birthday To You, Happy Birthday To You

The fortnightly challenge over at the Stampotique Originals blog is Humerous Birthdays. As I'm older than my sister I've received quite a few of these over the years, but now it's my turn mwahahahaha....
I knew exactly what I wanted for this card, and it sort of kinda turned out ...yeah Ok nothing like it big surprise NOT :o)
I sprayed my cartridge paper with Dylusions and Inkadinks in pinks and purples, then added a bit of lemon  and some pearly spray. I cut it out with a Spellbinders bunting die. (I pictured bunting in my head but of course it would have had to stand on it's point Doh!)
Twinkie's been painted in the Inkadinks, and it's all layered onto some Bling cardstock then acetate. I love acetate except for the tidying up of the inside - I have been know to put this off can you believe it lol.
The sentiment is computer generated and says 'Your not over the hill....But you have an excellent view!  Subtle eh :o)
I was just about to photograph it this morning when I thought 'too much space' so I put in a few splats from the Long Splatter.
I really enjoyed making this  - really need to tidy up though now :o)
Thanks for looking x
Quick Edit

I've just realised that my arrow isn't a Stampotique stamp and it's a Stampotique only week, so I've doodled (yes this IS why I buy stamps, I can't even doodle) and attached over the arrow. I know it's sad but I like to play by the rules.
Thanks for looking x

The Sun is Shining, The Birds Are Singing - Must Be Autumn!

I did a couple of pages in my Autumn book this weekend and I've finally got time to blog them :o)

This one has been covered with Core-dinations which has been embossed and sanded. The pair image is from The Stampsmith, and has been stamped with yellow and orange DI's. The little tiles, leaves and flower centres  are mica powders on a dark background that have been stamped with a Stampman image from the Nature plate. This has then been clear embossed to bring out the shine. The wooden letters have been distress inked in Spiced Marmalade and Rusty Hinge, then overstamped with the Stampman skeleton leaf stamp. The flowers have been cut with Sir Tim's die from organza that I got from Leeds market in the Summer (come on you remember Summer lol). I always used to groan when my Mum draged me off to look at material stalls - she couldn't believe it when I started ooohing and ahhhing (cope with that spellchecker) over these - 'till I told her I would cut 'em up and stick 'em on a card :o) I made the brads with the Papermania brad maker - I love this little gadget, and the punches cut through quite thick card.
I'm entering this into The Stampman challenge which is 'A Perfect Pear' and the Stampsmith Autumn colours challenge.
The next page was alcohol inked in reds and browns, the overstamped in archival with leaf stamps to remove the alcohol ink.

The two Stampsmith stamps have been stamped in brown and green inks , and the quote in Spiced Marmalade and Rusty Hinge DI. The leaves have been cut from brown card which has been painted and stamped with mica powder. This is also for The Stampsmith's Autumn colours challenge.
Thanks very much for looking x

Friends - Cheaper Than Therapy

I decided to go for the inky and messy look today (I'm a real fan of yellow and green fingernails lol) so I made a 6x4 postcard. The background is a mixture of Dylusion spray inks and Inkadinks.
The stamps are mostly from Art Journey, although the bird is from The Paper Company. The guy's shirts have been painted in Inkadinks. One drop on my craft mat goes a long long way and the colours are really vibrant - I love them!
The quote stamp originally said 'Chocolate It's cheaper than therapy' and it's always reminded me of Crocodile Dundee when he's asking why people have therapist's rather than just talking to their friends, so I left the chocolate bit off. It has to be the first time I've EVER turned down chocolate!
I'm entering this into the Gingersnap challenge which is 'shared moments, and the Shopping our Stash challenge which is no coloring allowed (pens or pencils).
Thanks very much for looking x

Roll Up Roll UP Simon Says Stamp And Show Us An ATC

Simon want's an ATC this week so here's mine

I wanted to use my Graphic 45 circus stamps and didn't have enough room with just one surface so decided to make a tryptich. My trapezing clown is hanging from a cocktail stick lol.

The circus stamp is from Scrolls Work Stamps.

The stamps used on the inside

are by Creative Journey.

I really enjoyed this challenge.

Have a great weekend and thanks very much for looking x

The Stampman ATC Garden Challenge

The Stampman's challenge this month is In The Garden.  In the top 2 I've used The Paper Company stamps and these are really lovely. The inky backgrounds have been made with Distress Inks.
The bottom one is a Stampotique background, with tissue tape, some prima paper, and the Stampotique bee's have been stamped on to tissue paper and PVA'd down. I really enjoyed making these, I should make more ATC's lol.
Thanks very much for looking

Simon Says Stamp And Show us Yer Punk!

The challenge this week over at Simon Says Stamp and Show is Steampunk. I love steampunk though it did take me a long time to 'get it'.

I decided to decorate a lage box to keep my steampunk stamps in. I painted with Eco Green paints in green patina and bronze,  then stamped various stamps from Scrolls Work Stamps (sadly with us no more) The dies are Tim Holtz Dress form, Birdcage, butterflies and Gadget Gears large and small. The gears have been painted with black, brown and orange then covered with crackle glaze. The silver washers have been coated with bronze embossing powder.

The sides have been stamped, and the 'steampunk' grungeboard letters have been painted and stamped. 

The gear has been stamped, and the small gear cut and painted. I also made a foam stamp from the small gear and stamped in Distress ink.

The front has been stamped with a Tim Holtz stamp from the Steampunk set, and the label made on a label maker.

I really enjoyed this challenge as I've wanted to decorate this box for ages.

I'm also entering this into the Shopping Our Stash  challenge which is Vintage/shabby chic/distressed, and the

Creatalicious challenge which is Anything Goes.

 Thanks very much for looking and enjoy what's left of the weekend x

Take Time To Enjoy Life - Gingersnap Challenge

The challenge this week at Gingersnap's is to use crimpers (that's a ribbler to us Northerners lol) I was looking for my TH glassine paper when I came across these Sara's Surfaces 'tag in a bag'. I stamped the bag with a couple of Wendy Vecci HUGE bacground stamps then ribbled away. The Art Declasified stamp has been stamped in coffee onto my new favourite La Blanche card and edged with Broken China & Tea Dye. If you look really really closely you'll see the TH ribbed glassine under this.

The tag has been inked in blue DI's and stamped with TH swirls. I'm not sure that I'm a fan of this card, the ink just sat on top and bled so I heated with a heat gun and that didn't work so I finally covered with embossing powder. I think the quote is a Just For Fun stamp that I've had forever. The flower stamps are by Kanban, and a bit of seam binding to finish.
I really enjoyed making this, and I love the idea of a tag in a bag. Thanks very much for looking x

Black and White and a Hint of a Tint for Stampotique

The challenge this time over at the Stampotique blog is to use black and white and a hint of another colour. So in the spirit of re-cycling, I took the empty box from the cats food pouches and made a stamp box.

It's been gesso'd, then painted in black acrylic, then stamped and embossed with white embossing powder. The small and medium bees are Stampotique stamps, and the large one is from The Stampman. These have been stamped on tissue paper and pva'd onto the box. The back and sided have been left plain.

Then I made a flower out of organza, put the flower on, took the flower off. Put the flower on, took the flower off. Moved it over a bit, then finally took it off altogether. Thank goodness for Pinflair glue lol.

The poor old cat couldn't understand why I had her food box, but none of it was coming her way :o)

Thanks very much for looking x

London Calling

I've just discovered a new (to me) challenge site which is Fashionable Stamping. I really like it 'cos stamping /inkyness really is my favourite. This time around the challenge is to make a tag.
I've used a mixture of stamps from Artistic Outpost and Creative Journey. These stamps are brilliant, really thick rubber. The background is a mixture of Kanban and Graphic 45, and there is a gread deal of Diamond Glaze going on!
I really enjoyed making this, and thanks very much for looking x

A Season Of Mists And Mellow Fruitfulness

Or in the case of today, lovely sunshine!! Last year we went from Summer to Winter in about a week, and this time Autumn seems to have come around in the middle of August.

The challenge over at The Stampman this time is monochrome and one other colour. I've chosen brown, 'cos it comes in lots of shades.

This started life as a childrens board book which I gesso'd and painted with brown paint and then crackled with PVA glue and white acrylic. This has then been stamped with a crackle stamp.
The leaves are cuttlebug dies, the shiney ones have been made with alcohol inks that have been overpainted with Starburst Stains, and the matt ones are brown card painted with the stains.
This is now my little book of Autumn, so who knows, it may snow next week :o)
Thanks very much for looking

Hey Girlfriend!!

Here's a card I made for the latest Gingersnap Gal Pal's challenge. The stamp is from The Stampsmith so it would be rude not to enter their challenge as well with is Fabulous Faux.
So I blew the dust off my melt pot, choked a little 'cos it's been a long time, and made some faux porcelain flowers. The centres have been filled with green micro beads - they look just like the bobbly liquorice allsorts lol.
The paper flower centre are from Harrogate last year.
I used clear UTEE but it is now an amber colour, I don't know if this is because of the flex or if I have overheated it. It's fine for dark colours, but some of these flowers started off as pink.
Thanks very much for looking x

Hello, It's Been A While

It's been far too long since I got all inky and messy, and now that I'm back from my hols and the mud has been washed away AND I had the house to myself it seemed the perfect opportunity.
This is my entry to the Stampotique bookmark challenge. The base card is from LaBlanch and it really is fab - well worth a go. It's been inked sprayed and painted and it took it all in it's stride.
I've used various spray inks and Tim Holtz and Prima masks.
It's been a while since the Heads in a round has been out - I love their curious expressions, and the Bla Bla Bla stamp is just how I was feeling today lol.
I've edged it all with some Ranger copper tape just to keep the sides from getting ratty (and 'cos it's shiney mmm)

This is how it looks when it's on the book - hands up who remembers where Hairy Mclarey's from lol.
Sincere thanks to everyone who's e-mailed me asking if I'm ok. I know it looks like I drop off the planet ever now and then, but I'm still here and life is good.
Thanks very much for looking x