Make It Count

Good afternoon and happy Sunday. It's an F1 weekend again which means that no-one notices that I'm missing, so it's into the room of fun for me (and no I don't keep my ironing board in there). The latest PaperArtsy topic is 'dark to light', so I went into the box of 'all things Seth'.

It's ages since I altered one of these photo frames. As you can see they come with the royal seal of approval.

I started by painting a background with Seth's Set 1 Frescos. There's also some stamping using his PaperArtsy stamps.

Then I put some modelling paste through the Stencil Girl stencil, made some chippy b/grounds, and stamped with Seth's PaperArtsy sets 1,2,3, and 4. I've used Frantage embossing powder to give it a nice chunky feel.

I also put embossing paste through a stencil around the photo frame, and this time painted with Seth's Set 2. I'm a little bit in love with the Patina and Key Lime.

I found these wooden circles in a paper bag buried at the back of a drawer, so I painted and stamped these too.

More of the lovely Patina and Key Lime on these Seth Chippies and a little bit of Frantage.

And we're all done - finished in the same day woo-hoo. 

I'm also entering my frame into the That's Crafty All Things Grunge challenge,
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Anything Goes, and
Simon Says Stamp Monday You've Got The Edge.

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

The Salty Summer Sale Continues

Good morning and happy Monday. The Salty Summer Sale continues over at Rubber Dance, and this is a little peek of what I've posted over there, so please click on the link and say hi!

There's a whacking 20% off our beach themed stamps until 30th July, and if you quote SDFreeShip there's also free worldwide P&P on orders of 15 Euros's and above.
Have a wonderful week, and I hope the sun is shining for you xx

Animal Instinct

Good morning and happy Sunday, I hope your weekend is going well (and not too quickly - we don't want that Monday morning feeling too soon) Happy Little Stampers have recently started an ATC challenge, and this month the theme is animals. Here's mine.

My handsome chap is made with stamps and stencils by AALL & Create and lots of ink and paint. I think I shall stick to just ATC's in future, it's so nice to start and finish something in the same day (week, month...) I don't know how there's still the same amount of mess though lol.
Have a wonderful Sunday, and thanks very much for looking x

My Little Book Of Wisdon

Good afternoon and welcome to the weekend.  It's my turn to post over on the Lost Coaster's Review today, and I'm sharing how I made my Little Book of Wisdom.

I've made my book cover using one of my favourite techniques, which I've sadly neglected for a while.

I started with a plain chippie notebook, and covered a piece of card slightly larger than the book with some sticky aluminium tape. Then I ran it through an embossing folder and cut to size.

This was then painted with black Deco Art Media acrylic and sanded back.

A coat of quin gold was added to give a rust effect. Once finished I attached it to the book with a strong double sided sticky sheet.

Now my favourite part. I chose my favourite colours of UTEE and made a pretty pattern on my craft mat.

Then heated it up until I had pools of molten loveliness. DO NOT stick your finger into this it will make you say baaaad words!

Make sure that your stamp is inked up and ready to go as the UTEE cools quite quickly.  I stamped my wonderful new Steampunk Heart stamp and pressed down firmly.

Love it! Once it had thoroughly cooled I carefully peeled it off my heat mat and attached it to my book with strong red line tape.

I rusted up some washers for the corners...

and then chose a word from my favourite Miscellaneous Words set.

If you are still with me thank you very much :-)
Please keep checking back at the Portal for lots more inspiration from my fab teamies.

All of the new stamps can be found here and here.

I'm also entering my book cover into the Mixed Media Monthly challenge 'altered embellishments'

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

Meet Spike

Good morning and happy Friday. I've been having a play for the PaperArtsy 'aqua' challenge, and this is what I've made.

I made Spike out of an old book and some felt.

I first made some easy backgrounds with Brusho's, Infusiions, and white Ecoline Ink. Then I stamped Tracey's flowers from TS06 and TS07, cut them out and attached them to Spike.

This was such fun to make, and he's now been claimed by my daughter (she's 26 for heavens sake)

I'm also entering Spike into the  Happy Little Stamper's  watercolour challenge.

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

                                        

                                                    

 

Tracy Scott 07

 

Tracy Scott 06

                                        

Salty Summer Sale

Ooh now where was I... ah yes! Today's the start of our Salty Summer Sale over at Rubber Dance. All of our beach themed stamps have a wacking 20% off including Susanne's never seen before Whale Wishes. 

Here's what I've made.

This has been made with the Take The Plunge set.

This one is from Retro Beach

And appologies in advance for this one

Made with Something Fishy and Sarcastic Superpower

There's so much inspiration here from my teamies and remember to use SDFreeShip on orders of 15 Euros and over.

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

Thank You Happy Little Stampers

Good morning and happy Monday. Last month I was lucky enough to win a set of stamps from Happy Little Stampers, and this is what I've made with them.

This is a really nice set, lovely flowers and words.

I started by making a few Brusho backgrounds.

Then I stamped and cut out my flowers and leaves.

The sentiment is also from the same set.

I'd like to enter this into the following Happy Little Stampers challenges.
Watercolour - blue 
Anything Goes with HLS stamps and
Dies - anything goes with die cuts.

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

Home Sweet Home

Good afternoon and happy Saturday. I'm here to remind you of the current challenge at Lost Coast Designs which is 'anything goes'
I had lots of fun making this bird house.

All the paints are from the DecoArt range.
For this I've used Whimsical Flora, Whimsical Spike, Mini Whimsical Birds 2, and Fly. 
Have you joined in yet?, go on you know you want to. You don't need to use Lost Coast/Carmen's Veranda stamps, but we love it when you do.
And Also...
It's day 3 of our new stamp release over at Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda.  I did warn you last time that I would be bringing my spooky head, and no one does spooky better than Edgar.  

This hansome chap is Goth Poe, and the embossed background is CV's Ouiji Board. The quote is one of CV's clear stamps Witches Go Riding. I know it isn't really near Halloween, but like Christmas you can never start to soon! 

Please note no ravens were harmed during the making of this piece - I wouldn't dare!

So catch the nearest broom over to the Portal and prepare to be amazed by all my teamies works of art.

I'm entering my bird house into the anything goes with die cuts challenge at Happy Little Stampers, Anything goes at That's Crafty, and the TIMI challenge at Craft Stamper.

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

Glassy Flowers For Rubber Dance

Good morning and welcome to the weekend! It's time for our second challenge at Rubber Dance, and this time it's 'Use Ribbon'
I had an idea in my head straight away, and it sorta-kinda turned out, I'll tell you about it later. This is what I eventually made :-)

You know those Eileen Hull journal dies that everyone is raving about, those that are as hard to get hold of as hens teeth? well I got one!

I started by brayering the outsides of my covers with DecoArt Chalky paints. I really like these, they cover really well and are such lovely ice cream colours.
The ribbon comes later.

Next I added some stencilling with some stronger colours.
The ribbon comes later.

The stamps from Antique Botanicals, Textured Spring, and Coneflowers have all been stamped and embossed.
The ribbon comes later.

Then they've been coloured with DecoArt Glass Paints.
Still no ribbon...

Gentle colours, but no ribbon.

I love the shine on this one! Ooo is that a bit of ribbon I see?
After watching a couple of YouTube videos I managed to string it all together. It really is an excellent die, everything matches up where it should and fits together perfectly.

I even put some signatures in!

Now about the ribbon - yes it is a ribbon challenge remember.  I was going to tie a very shabby chic loopy ribbon for the closure. I tied it, then I re-tied it. Neil was very polite when he said it looked like a sack of potatoes! So on to  plan B. 

Of course it needed a ribbon 'thingy' and now it has one. Please don't mistake this for a 'whatsit' it's definitely a 'thingy'

And from the back as well, 'thingy' in place. 
So please join in with our ribbon/twine challenge. No-one expects you to be as 'good as what i am' but give it a go. (It really hurt me to type that as I'm rather high up in the grammar police) 
Don't forget to quote SDFreeShip if you make an order of 15 Euro's or over for free P&P.

I'm entering my covers into the Craft Stamper TIMI anything goes challenge.

If you've hung in this long thank you very much for looking, and have a wonderful weekend, I shall be spending mine watching the tennis! xx

Steampunk Heart For Lost Coast Designs

Good afternoon and happy Friday! The weekend starts now!
It's day 2 of our new release event at Lost Coast Designs and without further ado, here's my Steampunk Heart notebook.

You should know by now where the sentiment has come from, yep good old Miscellaneous Words! If you don't have this stamp yet you really NEED it!
All the paints are from the DecoArt Media Line.
As always check out the inspiration over on the Portal and I'll see you soon. I should warn you I'll be bringing my spooooooky side!

I'm also entering this into the Happy Little Stampers  Mixed Media 'Texture' challenge.

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

Mistletoe Goth for Lost Coast Designs

Good afternoon and happy Thursday. Lost Coast Designs and Carmens's Veranda have got some amazing new stamps out, and I have to say that this is one of my favourites. It's OK to have favourites 'cos when I use one of the other stamps that will be the new favourite ;-) 

Meet Mistletoe Goth, isn't she a beauty. The sentiment stamp is from my (also favourite) Miscellaneous Words set. I think she looks especially icy with gesso on kraft card.
If you head on over to the Portal there's lots more inspiration there, and I'll be back soon with another sample.
I'm entering her into the Happy Little Stampers Christmas challenge.
Have a great day and thanks very much for looking x

Use Your Wings

Good morning and happy Tuesday. We're still winging it over at Country View Crafts, and here's my second piece.

This was one of those pieces that almost looks that same as it did in my head - these are very few and far between!

All of the paints used are by DecoArt in the Americana Chalky Finish range.
My A4 clipboard was gessoed then brayered.

Layer two...

And three. The Delicate is a lovely fresh shade of yellow. Time now for some stamping and stencilling.

Like a Muppet I forgot to take a photograph of the stencilling and stamping before I started to colour, but here are a couple of corners.

The deeper yellow stencilling is Inheritance. This is my new favourite colour (for this week at least).

All the stamps are by Dina Wakley. I've used Scribbly Birds, Scribbly Birds on Branches, and Scribbly Insects. 

They've all been very simply painted with the same colours as the background, and the quotes are from the same Dina stamp sets.

I'm entering this into the More Mixed Media challenge 'Use Pastels' 
That's Crafty 'Anything Goes',
Double D Challenges Pastel Party, and 
Craft Stamper TIMI  Anything Goes.


There's loads of time for you to join in with our challenge, so I hope to see you over there.
Have a great week, and thanks very much for looking x