So Here It Is Merry Christmas Everybody.....

Well Christmas doesn't get much more nostalgic than Noddy and the gang singing THAT song, but for my second nostalgic Christmas piece for Country View Crafts I've gone with a good old fashioned Santa.

I started with a 8x8 black base card and stamped with the small stamp from JOFY28. The sentiment is a Tim Holtz rub-on from his Christmastime Remnant Rubs 

Next we have a layer of silver Mirri card that's been through an embossing folder.

This is one of my favourites, it's Ten Seconds Studio metal that's been through an embossing folder and sanded back. Love it! I should use it more often. I got this from the shop a couple of years ago but it's too nice to use lol.

My jolly old Santa is from Hot Pick Xmas 04, and he's been coloured with Prisma pencils, and has had a bit of silver Frantage around the edges, You can't really tell in the photograph but I've stuffed his tummy with cotton wool to make him stand out on the card.

A bit of black organza ribbon to finish off, and all done. No bow though, a knot's as fancy as I get!
The matching tag has been made with some of the left over metal, and the background's been stamped with the snowflakes from Darcy's Eclectica 04.  The sentiment is from HP Xmas 04.
I always struggle to make cards, but I'm happy with how this turned out, and Mum and Dad seemed to like it.
This will be my last post before Christmas as real life has well and truely kicked in so a big thank you and Merry Christmas to everyone, and I'll be back in the New Year.
There's still time to enter the challenge at Country View Crafts so go on get all nostalgic!
Thanks very much for looking and have a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year xx

Love And Laughter

Only 22 more sleeps....
I love Christmas, and today I have a Stampotique Christmas card for you, for Kim's Anything Goes challenge. 

I'm hosting the challenge this week at Stampotique Designer's Challenge.

This our last challenge of the year and it will run the whole month of December.  Our theme is an easy one so show us your best work using Anything Goes.

 For this month only, you will have the opportunity to enter the challenge 5 times (one for each week)- 5 chances to win the random $30 gift certificate for Stampotique stamps.

I decided to make Romek and Agatha Christmas a couple, and nothing says 'I love you' more than matching Christmas jumpers.
I've also used Love and Laughter and Stringed Lights, with lots of twinkles.
Nothing could be easier that anything goes, so please join in, and you could be one of our lucky winners.
Thanks very much for looking and remember only 22 more sleeps :-) xx

It's Starting To Feel A Lot Like Chrstmas

Wow it's December already, so hands up, who's ready for Christmas? - no me neither lol. Over at Country View Crafts the challenge this month is Nostalgic Christmas, and here's what I 
made.

These are just ceramic tiles painted with Fresco Paints, Distress Inks and stamped and stencilled.

This is a 6 x 6 tile that's been gessoed then painted with Snowflake Fresco Paint. I then stencilled through with various shades of Stickles then stamped and embossed the Season's Greetings from the Lin Brown Eclectia plate. This has then been sealed with spray varnish.

This one is a 4x4 tile, that's been painted with Vanilla. I then stencilled through the Tim Holtz Holiday Knit stencil with Festive Berries Distress Ink. The Christmas tree is from the ELB11 plate.
The gold around the edge is the border stamp from the Lynne Perrella
LPC17 plate. It's been stamped and embossed in gold, and the spray varnish has made it flake a little bit which I quite like the look of. I just need to stop messing with it now lol.

This is another 4x4, so just right for my Christmas coffee cup. My Stampotique snowman has been embossed with Frantage EP, and the snowflake is from the Darcy04 set, and the sentiment from ELB11 again. I love how all these different stamp sets work together so well. 
So what makes for a nostalgic Christmas for you? I'm lucky enough to have always spent mine with family, and that really is what Christmas means to me (it's even better when family comes with chocolate lol)
I hope you join in with our challenge, and I will see you later in the month with the second of my projects.
Thanks very much for looking x

Freaky Little Thing

For my second piece for the Country View Crafts Bugs, Bees and Butterflies challenge I've got in touch with my inner freak.

 I started by making by base tag with Tim Holtz Distress Paints just splodging onto my craft mat and swooshing through.

Next came the Grunge Paste which was spread through an Andy Skinner stencil.

When the paste was dry I went over it with White Fire Treasure Gold which is out of stock at the moment. I also roughed up the edges and went around these too. 
The backing tag is some deep purple material that I've had for ages. I stuck it to some card, sewed around, then frayed the edges. 

My little freak is another of Wendy Vecchi's Bugs and Butterflies Art Parts, which is also out of stock at the moment, and it's been stamped with the corresponding stamp from the Art For You plate. The Art Part has been painted with Distress Paint in Pine Needles and Brushed Pewter. The girls head is from Stampotique.

Now every self respecting freak needs a party dress, and mine has a nice sparkly one. If you look underneath her skirt (which you should never do to a lady) you will see the rest of the words which come from the same stamp set.
This was great fun to make, especially when Neil asked what the theme was. When I told him it was butterflies he gave me the wha.... ?look and rolled his eyes lol.
There's still time to join in with our challenge, so discover your inner bug :-)
Thanks very much for looking x

The Moon Never Beams

It's time for another Stampotique challenge, but this time there's a bit of a difference. It's Kay's week to play hostess, and I'll let her explain. 

My challenge this week is a simple one, but requires a bit of research on your part.  Just as many of the Stampotique Originals' artists design stamps that might be described as a bit "quirky," so, too, was Edgar Allan Poe a bit quirky.  He is a well known author and poet, living from 1809-1849.  His quotes range from the romantic to the melancholy, and from the thoughtful to the murderous!  The choice is yours.  Allow yourself some time this week to combine a quote from Edgar Allan Poe with one or more stamped images to create something unique!

Here's mine.

 I started by spraying my background with some Media paints. These are really nice but I have to stop buying paint lol.

When it was dry I applied some texture paste through the Andy Skinner skull stencil.

Don't you just love Arwen's amazing  Skull Moon I've stamped it onto some card that I've painted in white acrylic, then stamped and embossed the face and layered.

The quote is computer generated and is from Annabel Lee.

Yep it's a bit darker than the flying monkey lol but my album is another page nearer completion.

I hope that you join in with our unusual challenge, it's a lot of fun and you get to read some great quotes!

Thanks very much for looking and enjoy your day x

Merry Kissmas

Hi, it's Wednesday, so that means time for another Stampotique challenge, and this time around the lovely Corrie wants us to get stripey. Here's what she says.
 "Hello everybody !

Today is my turn to set the challenge at the Stampotique Designers' Challenge Blog and I'd like everyone to make something with a stripy background. You can use ink, paint or pens whatever you like, just no ready made stripes with pattern paper !! I want you to do it yourself ! I am excited to see what you come up with but most of all I want you to have fun !! Corrie x"

It's ages since I made a tag, so that's what I went with this time.

I must admit I left it until last push again 'cos someone has stolen November which I think is very rude! I made it on Sunday night and I've been going to and coming home from work in the dark so I had to photograph it under floodlight lol.

The background has been embossed in a folder, then I've rubbed over with Versamark and covered with Pan Pastels in silver, and a silver and blue mix.

I've stamped Kisses where the colour changed.

Chilly has been stamped onto Kraft card and colours with Prisma pencils, and Merry Kiss-mas! has also been stamped onto the Kraft.

I'm also linking this to the PanPastel challenge which is cold and frosty colours.

I hope you join in with our stripey challenge, but remember no digi's please.

Thanks very much for looking x

Scrap It!! - With Thanks To Dina Wakley

It's a Magpie day today at Country View Crafts, and the theme is to use up your scraps. I must admit to having the odd bag or two of offcuts, so this is what I came up with.

I've recently bought the wonderful Art Journal Freedom book by Dina Wakley and she has a full step by step on how to make this journal with scraps. I'm not going to give away any secrets, other than you NEED this book.

Here's my pile of scraps, it was fun looking through them and remembering what I originally made.

Coming together....

My sewing machine was a real hero!

And here's the inside.
I have to admit it took me hours to make, but I really enjoyed it. It was one of those projects that I looked at and though 'I can't do that', but I did and and really happy with it.
Hope you like it, and thanks very much for looking x

I Only Have Eyes For You

The wonderful and very talented France is this weeks hostess at Stampotique, and she wants us to bring out the bling!

For the longest time, bling in arting was something I stayed as far away from as I could. I don't know how it happened or when, but I suddenly started to add touches of bling on almost every project. And guess what? I love it!

Now you might still be in that first place I was in, or you might be an avid bling user, but for this week's challenge I would like to see you use some bling! Be it a shiny ink spray, glitters you add or an iridescent paint effect, add some bling to your project!

It will for sure lighten up those days that are getting shorter and darker for us who are getting closer to winter!

I thought maybe the Statue of Liberty could do with a touch of bling, so I've given her a coat of Ferro.

The background is Aqua Tint, that have been sprayed with water. I've used France's stars from Design Cube, this seems to be turning into one of my 'go to' stamps. I've also used France's Cityscape. I've been a grown up crafter this week and did some masking - this is wayyyy too technical for me lol.

I though it could do with a few words so as the lyrics 'Are The Stars Out Tonight' were going around my head 'I Only Have Eyes For You' seemed to be a good starting point. This song is 80 years old! They don't write 'em like this anymore.

Ooops drifted off for an hour or so there listening to some old Northern Soul tunes lol Oh to be young and thin again - and they don't make 'em like that anymore either!

Hope you can join in our blingy challenge, c'mon it'll be fun. 

Thanks very much for looking xx

There Must Be An Angel....

The animals went in two by two hurrah! hurrah! - yep it's still raining here, but no ark needed just yet lol.
The new challenge at Lost Coast Designs is faces, so here's mine (not my face, my entry :-)  )

The backgound is Brusho, and my little angel has been coloured with Distress Markers.
So much to do today, so I suppose I should do some of it rather than just think about it.
Enjoy your weekend (I'm working - pooh) and thanks very much for looking x

Baaaad Idea

Good morning from a very sunny but ohhhh so cold West Yorkshire. I'm officially moving out of my craft room (the conservatory) and onto the dining room table today 'cos at the moment the temperature is 11.2 in there. Not for me thank you very much! Anyway Wednesday means time for a brand new Stampotique challenge, and today the wonderful Arwen has chosen the theme.

Arwen is our hostess this week and she's got the spotlight on you:

Artwork consist of many small details that make a whole.

This week I would like to see spotlights in your work.

Lift a detail of your artwork visibly out.

I had a wander into a well know DIY store and picked up a couple of packs of ceramic tiles that are the perfect size for coasters. I've painted it with DecoArt paints, then stamped the snow from France's Design Cube  Don't tell France but my stamp is pretty messy now with white acrylic fingerprints lol. 

Bad Idea is from her Barcode Text 2 stamp and I love the font on this one.

Global Warming has been stamped, cut out and sprayed with some pearl diamond varnish. If I'd put my brain in gear I would have stamped him first and then masked, but no harm done, he's passed the official mug resting test, even with his spotlit heart. It's all been covered with a couple of coats of matte varnish, and I've put some cork on the bottom to stop scratches.

So there we are another tile to add to my miss matched Stampotique coaster collection. I must admit they are my favourite, I have them dotted around the house and they always make me smile.

I hope you join in with our challenge, just read the rules at the top of the Stampotique page and link up.

Thanks very much for looking x

I Whip My Tail

This week Nellie has chosen favourite colour as her theme at Stampotique, and here are some of mine. 

My favourite colour is.... BRIGHT. If I really have to make a choice I would say citrus, and if my life depended on it I would pick yellow.
The background is spray paints and inks, crackle paste and diluted white acrylic.

My guys are whipping their tails - no I don't like the song but it's eaten it way into my brain lol.
I've used
Ponytail
Dog
Bunny  all by my teamie Roc

There's still loads of time to join in with our fun challenge, so bring out your favourite colours.
Enjoy your Sunday, and thanks very much for looking x

Bee Fabulous

Well can you believe it's November already. Dark nights and the run up to Christmas starts NOW! As it's the 1st of the month it's also time for a new Country View Crafts challenge, and this month Trace has chosen Bugs, Bees and Butterflies. This is what I've come up with. I should warn you right now there's quite a few photographs :-)

As the challenge involved bees I wanted to work with bees wax.

I melted the wax onto some waxed paper through the wooden stencil that had been in my stash forever. The smell as it melted was wonderful, and I like the random gaps.

The fabric panel has been stained with brusho's and stamped with a Stampotique stamp. The bee is from the Wendy Vecchi set 
Art For You which is out of stock at the moment. It been stamped onto the corresponding Bugs and Butterflies Art Parts which is also out of stock. This is the first time I've used Art Parts, and I really like them. Before I stamped I painted the shapes with Tim Holtz Distress Paint in Mustard Seed  and Brushed Pewter

This has been a bit of a use up piece. These wooden letters have been in my stash for years too. They've been painted in Rusty Hinge DP, stamped with the background stamp from the same Wendy Vecchi set, then coated with Rock Candy Crackle Paint.

It looks really nice hanging in the window with the sun shining through it (and lets face it it's not going to melt now is it lol) and it still smells lovely. I couldn't photograph it though so here it is on a handy branch. 
Please check out the DT blog for lots of wonderful inspiration, then come and join us with your butterflies, bees, and bugs.
Have a fab weekend, and thanks very much for looking x

Boo!

Crafty Individuals are having a Halloween Madness or Christmas Frenzy challenge. I went with Halloween, there's plenty of time for Christmas later :-),
The background is made with DecoArt Media sprays, and I've re-stamped and layered the main images.
Thanks very much for looking x

Spooky Time!

Well I went away for a fortnight in early Autumn and came back in Winter... How did that happen? It's cold and dark and I think I suffering from some kind of SAD Syndrome 'cos I'm not enjoying getting out of bed on a morning lol.
Anyway, the lovely Kristen is our hostess this week at Stampotique and she wants us to get spooky!

Calling all Pumpkins, Ghosts, Dragons, and Witches too, we’ve got a SPOOKY time planned just for you!!!!!!!!

I completely LOVE Halloween, and any chance I get to make a spooky project, I will. This week I am challenging you to create a project inspired by Halloween.  Can’t wait to see what you come up with.

I promise none of the Stampotique family has been harmed in the making of this match book.

Here's the inside.

Carrot is on a spring so he comes shooting out at you. Little things eh....

I made this before I went away - can you remember the Indian Summer, just right for making and photographing Halloween lol.

Cast - in order of appearance

Kitten Sitting

Halloween Cube 2

Carrot

I'm also linking this to the Pan Pastel challenge which is Halloween colours, and to 

That's Crafty who also has a Spooky challenge.

I hope you get chance to join in the fun with us. Thanks very much for looking and enjoy your weekend x 

MPORTANT REMINDER:

Please read ALL RULES on the linkz page before linking your creation.

If you didn't follow the rules posted, you may have been deleted.  

Feel free to relink your creation with the correct information for a chance to win.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat...

Hi, I hope it's nice where you are 'cos I'm still in the sunshine (and another year older now lol) Today it's the turn of the lovely Carol to  host the challenge and she's gone with a colour theme of purple, black and pink. So, out came the paints, and this is what I came up with.

My 'bats' are actually Owl Tree, this is what they should look like...
Yep they look good as owls too lol.

The sentiment is Twinkle Bat and I think it fits in rather nicely here.
I've gone around the edges with Abstract Foliage to give it a spooky feel.
I hope you like it, and that you play along with our challenge - don't be shy, we love seeing your entries.
Thanks very much for looking, and I'll be around catching up next week when I'm back home x

There Are Always Flowers

Greeting from Sunny Tenerife (I hope) It's my birthday today, and I quite like this new tradition we've started of celebrating it on holiday. Here's my second piece for the CVC Sparkle and Shine challenge. 

Again Christmas has been barred, but after my birthday it's open season, so I'll be in full Christmas mode when I get home lol.
I know it looks like my matting and layering is a bit off here, but I'm making myself a journal, and this will go in when I've got a few more pages done. I do have a few journals, but I always mess up on page 2 or 3 and then it puts me off lol.
So from the top...

I always forget what I've used so I've put it in the photograph :-)
I've brayered on 
Haystack
Butternut and
Cheesecake 

Next came a bit of stamping, I've used Ellen's stamps from EEV08 stamped in Snowflake, the text is from Sara Naumann's ESN111 stamped in Wendy Vecchi's Orange Blossom, and Sara's scratches are stamped in Tango fresco.
I went a bit high tec and also used some bubble wrap with my new favourite Hint of Mint from Lin's Autumn limited edition paints.

Take your eyes of that dirty craft mat lol. The stenciling at the top is one of Lin's stencils and Guacomole paint, and the stamping at the bottome is the border from JOFY 24

Now time for the sparkle and shine.

Nothing says shine like glass paint on acetate! I've used the flowers and sentiment from JOFY 14 The only way to stick the flowers down without the glue showing through was to stitch them. This gives them loads more movement than if they were just stuck. I love my new sewing machine, it can go in a straight line without any help from me, which is great because I can't do straight!
 There's still loads of time to join in with our challenge over at Country View Crafts, the winner will receive a £20.00 gift certificate, and be offered a design team spot for an upcoming challenge. 
Hope you like mine, and thanks very much for looking x