Hope You Like Purple

'Cos that is what Sam has asked for today at Sam Poole's Creative Studio.

To see the rest you'll have to head over to Sam's.
Thanks very much for looking x

I Can See Clearly Now... SDC 102

Hi everyone! It's Libby here today, hosting the Stampotique Designer's Challenge. This week I'd like to challenge you to use something that makes you see your craft project in a whole different light. It can require you pull out supplies you don't typically use, or try new techniques. Or maybe it's something you use all the time! I'd like you to use a transparent element on your design. Whatever you'd like - acetate, glass, left-over plastic packaging - if it's clear, it's fair game! I'm excited to see what you come up with!

This is what I made 

 Look at that sunshine, you can tell I made this a little while ago lol.
I have about 20 little pots of stickles glitter glue that I havn't used since Christmas (1999?) so I spread a few colours onto my acetate and squidged them about a bit. I then stamped Stack of Birds in black Stazon. I coloured their beaks and wings with Portfolio pastels and went Oooh 'cos it shows through the stickles and didn't rub off the acetate.
I made the background by scraping some Distress Paints down a giant tag. I'm now officially a fan of  Distress Paints, I love the way you can dab a tiny bit onto your mat,  and the colours are yummy.
I randomly(ish) stamped with Fax To Wolfgang and Vintage Script I then cut the arch and frame out of the tag, so I now had a tag with a big hole in it :-) I stuck the acetate to the back of the tag, and the frame to the front. The stars are rub-on's.

France's Banner has also been stamped onto  acetate and coloured with the pastels. To finish I stamped Row of Numbers onto the bottom of the tag, and dyed some seam binding for the top. This was great fun to make and I'll definitely use acetate and the Portfolio's together again.
Check out the blog to see all my teamies fab ideas then join in the fun with us. Be sure to add SDC 102 when you link up to be in with a chance to win one of the $30 gift certificates.
Thanks very much for looking xx

If It Isn't Broken...

There have been many truism's over the years, like 'Simples'  and 'don't eat yellow snow' but the truest of them all has to be 'if it isn't broke don't fix it'
In real life that translates to 'it doesn't need that extra dab of Beach Hut so DON'T risk putting a blue thumb print over the lady's face' oops too late...
This PaperArtsy challenge from the brilliant Carol Quance was never going to be easy for me. I'm not a fan of Oriental (though I do genuinely LOVE the new Lynne Perrella stamps). This tag features the only Oriental stamps that I own. I tried to follow Carol's directions though was never entirely happy with the background, so this morning I thought 'lets dab a bit more beach hut' - you can guess the rest. So bottom left lady has had a face transplant!

I've had this little wooden tile since time began so I stamped it with my bamboo stamp - ta da! I really did enjoy making this especially playing with the embossing powders :-)
Thanks very much for looking and enjoy your Sunday xx

A Timmy(ish) Tag For May

When Tim posted his tag for May my first thought was 'can't do that'. I don't have the rub-on's and I don't have the stamp (yes I'm the one that doesn't have it lol) and with Chris at Uni I'm on a spending ban (except for the essentials like the Distress Paints, well I did hold out for a few months :-)
So this is my 'inspired by' Tim tag for May.
I've used some old rub-ons, and a combination of Distress Stains and DI's for the background.
All of the stamps are Artistic Outpost from the Paris Exposition plate. As usual when I was half way through I looked at it and nearly threw it in the bin, but then I added a few of the silver rub-ons and it seemed to tie in a little better. That's the thing about Tim's tags, if you keep on going they always turn out OK in the end :-)
I don't have any word bars so I used a microscope slide and coloured with alcohol inks. I love the way Tim dies his own ribbon. I have seam binding in loads of colours but it never looks as vibrant as when you die your own.

This is how it should have looked Mmm maybe next month...
I'm also linking this to the Artistic Outpost May referral programme.
Thanks for looking and enjoy your Bank Holiday weekend  - why is it always my weekend to work when it's a bank holiday, just lucky I guess! xx

A Man Among Boys

is what my steampunk guy is! I've been wanting to enter the Steampunk challenge at Sandee and Amelie's for ages, and I've finally got around to it! The challenge this month is to alter a playing card -I had the choice of either the 9 of clubs or the 7 of diamonds - goodness knows where the rest of the pack is (not that it's any use now anyway lol)
It's been painted in TH Distress paints, you know, the ones I didn't want, and wasn't going to get - hmm they accidentally fell into my basket...
All of the stamps are from the Artistic Outpost Steampunk plate. My manly man has been stamped with Versafine onto tissue paper and coloured with pencils. I do love this ink even though I always end up covered in it.
Lot's of chipboard bits and pieces stuck down with Glossy Accents and job done (and a lot of fun it was too)
I'm also entering this into the Artistic Outpost May referral of Anything Goes,
Fashionable Stamping  which is Alter It, and
Simon Says Stamp and Show - Favourite Ink

Thanks very much for looking and enjoy your day xx

Do You Know What It Is Yet....

They let me play again at Sam Poole's Creative Studio's, so here's a sneaky one of today's project

In best Rolf Harris style all will be revealed if you pop on over.
Thanks very much for looking, and I hope the weather will be kinder to you today than it looks like being for me :-)

Stampotique Challenge 101

It's the amazing Sarinda's turn to host the party today, so without further ado...

Today is Stampotique Designer's Challenge day-!!! And I am hosting. I love using text in my work it is a fun way to get texture without a whole lot of work. With that I have a background tutorial for you to try. Click over to my blog Aggregate Memories. Wishing you a very creative and inspiring day.

My dictionary has been feeling a little neglected of late, so what better place to find text.

I've coloured and stencilled with PanPastels after masking off my little moon.

Wee Owl is sitting in a bezel and has been covered in Glossy Accents.

I've highlighted the word 'moon' by erasing the PP with one of those motorised rubbers - these are fab, it really gets into the tight spaces though it does sound a bit like you're at the dentist!

I've used

Tree, Owl With Wings,Wee Owl,I Feel Happy Inside

All are available from Stampotique Originals and The Stamp Attic carries a good range here in the UK.

Be sure to check out Sarinda's fab tutorial, then join in with the fun, and remember to please link correctly to the challenge to be in with a chance of winning one of the two $30.00 gift certificates.

Thanks for looking and have an inky one x

Just Clowning Around

It's my Stampotique teamie France's turn to wow us this week at PaperArtsy and she's come up with some fabulous creations. I wanted to make a key spool so first job buy some wooden spools :-) (I'm obviously the only one in the country that didn't have any lol)
I started by painting it blue but it looked naff so I painted over with Vintage Lace and Brown Shed.
I stamped the happy couple from the Pierrot 3 plate onto shrink plastic, and the 'Clowning Around' from plate 1 onto some ribbon.
I also attached a masquerade charm to the bottom.

I liked the ribbon 'cos I could fray the edges, little things please little minds and all that :-).
The top of the spool has been stamped in my 'go to' little text stamp from Clocks plate 1.
I can honestly say it took me as long to attach the fibres and twiddly bits as it took me to make the rest of it, and that was using industrial size jump rings - wish I'd gone to Specsavers....
Now on a more serious note - someone has stolen this week!! Where has it gone to? all the worky bits  - yep plenty of time for those, but playtime, it's gone, vamoosed and it's Sunday again already. So thank very much for looking and enjoy what left of the weekend before it disappears into the Twilight Zone....

Woo Hoo

It's my first post as a DT member for Sam Poole's Creative Studio's, so I'm excited/nervous excited/nervous...

Here's a sneaky peak, and you can see the rest of him here.
Please pop over and let me know what you think x 

If I Only Had A Brain...

It's Anything Goes over at Stampotique this week, 'cos it's our 100th challenge and the wonderful Kim has chosen this for our theme. So time for a bit of fun ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nauLgZISozs  I love this film and this is the song that sticks in my memory.
No prizes for guessing I've used Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, and Tinman, but there will be a $30 gift certificate for two lucky winners this month, so grab your stamps and come and have some fun with us. 
I'm also entering this into this months Words challenge at The Artistic Stamper.
Thanks very much for looking x

Goodbye To Wonderland...

It's the final chapter over at The Altered Alice and the theme is 'What a beautiful dream it has been'
Here is my version of Wonderland.
The background canvas has been coloured in PanPastels. I must admit that before I added my characters it did look like Teletubbie Hill :-)
The top layer is mountboard that has also been PanPasteled.
All of the stamps are by Stampotique and are available here

Isn't Chessy a cutie lol.
So for all you Alice lovers check out the inspiration and join in at The Altered Alice.
I'm also entering this into Country View Crafts How Does Your Garden Grow
and
Fashionable Stamping Anything Goes.
Thanks very much for looking x 

Flowers Flowers Everywhere...

It's the first week of the new term over at PaperArtsy, and first up is the wonderful Sue. She's given us lots of inspiration and this is my take of what she did on her last day. I followed Sue's directions and painted it all up in greens but it looked awful!! I only have a couple of greens and they did NOT go together lol. 
So it was out with the snowflake and then start again. I've used pink (not like me) as my base colour and gone over the top with Claret and then Hey Pesto.

Lots of lovely shine from the Treasure Gold. The was a real fun piece to make, so thank you very much Sue.
Thank very much for looking and enjoy your weekend x

I'm also entering this into the 
Country View Crafts  challenge How Does Your Garden Grow
Artistic Stamper - Words, 
Our Creative Corner - Anything Goes, and 
Fashionable Stamping Anything Goes.

Flowers For Indigo Blu

This time around the theme at Indigo Blu is flowers. I started by painting my heart in dark blue paint, adding the trusty chap stick then painting over again in pale blue. When this was all dry and wiped away I added a layer of Kroma Crackle and put it all to one side for days!

Next came the crackle stamp from the Alice in Wonderland plate, that I stamped and gilded.
Elizabeth Bennet has been stamped and paper pieced, and layered onto some cheesecloth. The flowers have all been cut from the TH die and sanded.
I'm also entering this into the Country View Crafts   challenge - How Does Your Garden Grow.
It's so cold again here today - have I missed Spring and Summer??
Thanks very much for looking and have a great weekend x

It's Summertime....

 Though it is actually raining again today lol. It's the wonderful Carol's turn to pick the theme this week at Stampotique, and she's gone with Summertime. Well I think we all need a bit of this.

 "I love the summer time. I love to spend time outdoors especially in the garden where you can sit surrounded by the sights and colours of summer. I used this as my thoughts for this weeks challenge. Whether its the bright summer colours that inspire you, the flowers or just the general lazy feeling you can get from an afternoon in the garden, take this summer and make it into your own work of art.  Carol x

I started with a 6x6 piece of chipboard and coloured with lots of Pan Pastels, straight from the pan, and through stencils.

Next came the Vintage Script stamped in plum archival.

Abstract Foliage has been stamped and embossed in kaleidoscope embossing powder, and Medium Bee has been stamped onto the board and also onto acetate.
The words are computer generated (thanks Chris) and printed onto Safmat.
I'm really enjoying making these boards, and I get to keep them all together 'cos they are from a board scrapbook and so will be ring bound together when they are all done.
Please join us in pursuit of Summertime and you could be the lucky winner of a $30 gift certificate from Stampotique.
I'm also entering this into the 
Country View Crafts challenge - how does your garden grow  - and

Fashionable Stamping anything goes.
Thanks very much for looking x 

Pink and Turquoise Butterflies

 It's Wednesday so yay, time for another challenge at Stampotique. Polly  is our hostess and she has chosen pink and turquoise as her colour theme.
I guess now is the time to apologise for all of the photographs lol, but it was a nice day, the sun was shining, so here goes...

 A Pan Pastel background to begin with in pink and turquoise, then some  stencilling with deeper shades. Who recognises the 'corner, corner side' technique :-)

More stencils, then time for my favourite Stampotique stamp, Vintage Script. I love how the colours change when you dab the pastells over Versamark.

Journey Collage  over the top... (this is my favourite stamp too)

Then Jo's Small Butterfly was stamped in the journal and on to some tissue paper. This was coloured on the back with Prisma pencils and stuck down just on the bodies.
Papillon Script was stamped in black archival, and Splatter Long in blue DI ( I have to confess they are ALL my favourite stamps :-)  )
A little bit of TH's tissue tape to finish off and we're all done!
This was great fun to make 'cos I got all inky and pastell dusty and these are not colours that I usually work with, but I love the result so thanks very much Polly.
So please dig out your pinks and turquoise's and join in with our challenge. There's a chance to win a $30 gift certificate to spend in the Stampotique shop.

I'm also entering this into the Country View Crafts Challenge which is How Does Your Garden Grow and
The Artistic Stamper - Words

Thanks very much for looking x