The Usual Suspects

Good morning and a very happy (but gray) Monday. After the hot, hot, hot weather of last week, it's cool and dark today and I'm loving it! (but only for a day, ok, then it can warm up again - but not too warm, and have a breeze - but not too windy lol)

Stampotique has a new challenge, which is 'birds, and purple as the main colour' Well if that isn't a challenge I don't know what is! I like purple, and I do use it, but never as the main colour. But anyway here's my piece.

I think the combined age of the stash used in this is about 250! The sentiment is from an old Andy Skinner stencil, ( I mean the stencil is old, - or do I....) and the Viva Decor texture paste is even older. I've also had Crow Line and Quails Cube for years, but you can't keep a good stamp down!

This will be another page in my cotton rag book when I've worked out how to use my Cinch which I got from QVC in 1842 and has never been out of the box, but it seemed a good idea at the time!

Take care, and have a very happy day x

May All Your Dreams Come True

Good morning and Happy Monday. Today I'm over at the Ink Art Designs Stamping Playground with my Just A Girl And Her Imagination piece. 

It's a 6x6 (ish) piece of cotton rag paper that's been stencilled with Distress Inks and Oxides.

 Wow, what a great photograph, I can see why I would take this... If a picture is worth a thousand words this one's worth about 17! Ok, so I stamped my 2 main images, and left everything on the stamping platform so I could paint everything where it was.

 Actually, I didn't do too bad a job, but lots of the fine detail has gone. Everything's been colored with PaperArtsy Fresco paints. I love how the translucent colours let the details underneath show through.  Also as the stamps and paper are still on the stamping platform I can re-stamp the detail back in.

As if by magic the whiskers are back! I've just added a sentiment and a few sequins to finish off. I have a few of these sheets now, and when I've got enough I'll bind them all together

All of these stamps can be found here in Dot's store along with lots of other goodies.

I hope you're all staying well, and coping with the ever-changing Coronavirus/Social Distancing rules. Today we are meeting my sister for the first time since lockdown (outdoors at Clumber Park) so fingers crossed for good weather!

Take care, and thanks so much for looking xx

Wot No Stamping...

Good morning and happy Monday. Today I'm back with my second "Summer Fields" piece for Country View Crafts. The fields around us are looking lovely at the moment (though a little muddier underfoot after a week and a half of rain). I love listening to the birds and I'm getting better at recognising them, I'm now fluent in Robin and Magpie! Here's my bird canvas.

 I started with an 8x8 canvas and a piece of Art By Marlene collage paper as I wanted to do an image transfer. 

 Now I won't pretend that this is exactly how I wanted it to turn out, but I do like it. I think I was maybe a little over zealous at the 'rubbing the paper off' stage.

 So, I've had these Tim Holtz Collage Papers for a while, so it was nice to use them.

 I painted the large flower with Fresco paints in poppy colours.

 Then I cut some wildflower stems from card and more collage paper.

 And finally my hummingbird from another of Tim's sets.

And there we are, all done, and not a stamp in sight! I can't remember the last time I made a piece without stamping, but I like it just as it is. 

There's still loads of time to join in with our challenge, just show us your Summer fields.

Thanks so much for looking, take care, and have a very happy week x

I'm Still Standing (yeah, yeah, yeah)

Good morning and happy Friday. Do you remember way back in May when I thought it would be a good idea to join in the #mayflowermarlene challenge and make a tag a day? Well, I did it! This is such a big thing for me 'cos I start loads of things, get bored, and don't finish them. Goodness knows how Neil is still here and the kids got to grow up ;-) So, here are my tags from 8 to 32! I'd nearly finished before I realised there were 32 it was 5th May to 5th June inclusive. Very few words, just lots of (I hope) pretty pictures. These tags are 8.x x 5 inches, so yeah let's keep it small and simple NOT. Also, I don't know how to put the pictures side by side so please just keep scrolling...

8 Single Flower

9 Floral Pattern

10 Window Box

11 Garden Party

12 Field of Flowers

13 Floral Graffiti

14  Floral Vase

14 Nana's Wallpaper

16 Table Cloth

17 Misty Blooms

18 Woodland Flowers

19 Tie Die

20 Hippies

21 Big and Bold

22  He Loves Me

Repeat

24 Flower Child

25 Collage 

Bitty Buds

27 Bouquet

28 Butterfly Kisses 

29 Busy Bee

30 Branch

31 Thanks

32 Floral Cover

All done!!!!!

Are you still here.... thank you so much if you are. I'm so pleased that I stuck with this, I think it helped me find out what my 'style' is, I'd never really known before. Now I know I'm just messy! Have a great weekend, and thanks so much for looking xx

I'm Twisting and Popping for Ink Art Designs

Good morning and happy Wednesday. Today I'm twisting and popping! No it's nothing to do with my age or my bad back,  it's a card I've made for the Ink Art Designs Stamping Playground.

This is the front, nothing much to see here, but wait until you open it up...

As if by magic we have all this!

 This is the top

 The middle

and the bottom.

  I've made these a couple of times now following a YouTube video. They are not difficult but you do have to follow the instructions properly to get it all to work.

There are loads of Stampotique stamps here in Dot's store, and more are arriving all the time.

Don't forget to join in with our challenge this month and you will be in with a chance to win a stamp of your choice from Dot's store.
I'm entering my card into the Stampotique Designers Challenge - Anything Goes.

Take care and have a very happy day x

Leap Into June

Good morning, happy Monday, and welcome to June! Like most of us, I've been enjoying the lovely weather in the back garden and having walks and bike rides for my daily exercise. We are so lucky in that we are only 5 minutes away from fields and footpaths and walks with no-one else in sight. This has been my inspiration for the new challenge over at Country View Crafts as this month it is Summer Fields. Here is my first piece.

I chose my lovely Hobby Art Lino Cut stamps for my piece, as you can tell they've not been used very often.

I made a watercolour background and started stamping. When I'd done enough I stopped. If only my crafting was always this simple.

I added some red paint splashes for my poppies, some sun rays, and a Tim Holtz Quote Chip to finish.

This was such fun to make, it turned out just as I pictured it in my head and this hardly ever happens!

Please join in with our challenge at Country View Crafts. Just remember that Summer fields should be the focus of your piece.

Take care, have a very happy June, and thanks so much for looking