The Usual Suspects

 Good morning and a very happy Wednesday. Today I'm over at the Ink Art Designs Stamping Playground with my usual suspects! 

I started by making a background with paints, stencils, and stamps.

All of the stamps are by Crafty Individuals. These are the new Burglar Cats and It's Cool For Cats sets. Dot has a great range of Crafty Individuals stamps here in the store.

You still have a few days left to join in with our challenge. It's really easy, you just need to use stamps from any of the ranges that Dot stocks.

I hope you have a lovely day whatever you are doing, take care, and thanks so much for looking x

Party Like It's 2009

 Good morning and a very happy Friday, the weekend is almost here! For my second Paris-themed piece for Country View Crafts, I've gone right back to 2009. For my 50th birthday we had a few days in Venice, then took the Orient Express to Paris. I know, I was a very lucky girl! While we were in Paris I bought a calendar (it didn't cost a lot because it was already October lol) and this is what I've used to make my mini album. Please grab a coffee 'cos there are lots of photos (but thankfully not too many words)

The album is 8.5''by 6.5'' so will take 7x5 photos easily. It's based on the Expandable Accordion Mini by Cal Summers of Paper, Scissors Story, I've just re-sized it a little.

These are some of the pages from my lovely calendar - the Chat Noir is my favourite and I must admit I came back with a few images of it from Paris.

This is page 1. All of the left hand pages are from papers that I got from Costco about a million year ago! I've also used a Cool Katz die that lets you cut straight into the page and then slip in your 6x4 or 4x3 photos.

From here on in there aren't many words, just lots of photos!

This one will take a 6x4 on the left, and a 7x5 on the right. 

My favourite black cat! The ephemera cards are Graphic 45 Love Notes and they go really nicely.

This page has some magnets under the paper, and the miniature images are also magnetised so I can hold my photos in place with them and change them around when I want to.

More die cut photo spots. If you take out the cards the slits on the paper disappear.

Another mini magnet to match the right hand page.

I've put magnets under the paper, and under the mini and Eiffel Tower.

Inside the back cover.

And the back cover. If you are still here, well done, and thank you!

You still have loads of time left to join in with our challenge, just base it around a Paris theme and link up.

Now I just need to find where I put my photos. They've been buried for the last eleven years in a place of safety - eek!!

Enjoy your weekend whatever you are doing, and thanks so much for looking x

La Mer

 Good morning and a very happy Tuesday. Today I'm back at the Lost Coast Portal To Creativity with my second project for our Under The Sea challenge and this time I've made a journal page.

I started by making a gelli plate background on a page. When I've done a few more I'll put them back in the book. It's not quite the shade that I wanted but I really like the white bubbles so I'm going with it!

Next, I did some stencilling and also put in the Steampunk Pony as I didn't want to cut out the numbers.

Then I stamped my hard-working fish on scraps of gelli prints.

Luckily my Bird Bones  jockey doesn't weigh much, and as Steampunk Pony is on wheels the fish can pull him quite easily!

I stamped the pony onto another gelli scrap, cut him out, saddled him up, and we're good to go, it's the Grand National under the sea!

I hope you like my fun/weird/slightly bonkers piece and that you join in with our challenge. As always there's the chance to win some Lost Coast dollars.

I've used

Steampunk Pony

Fish and Heart Set

Bird Bones 

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

Sea Goddess!

Good morning and a very happy  Saturday. Today it's time for a new challenge over at the Lost Coast Portal To Creativity, and this time the theme is Under The Sea. Well, that's a cue for a song if ever I heard one!

I've made a tag/bookmark. I do like a nice bookmark, and the postcard that I've been using for the past couple of years is getting a bit dog eared now!

I started by making a background on my poor, underused, gelliplate with acrylic paint and alcohol inks.

Then I added some stamping and heat embossing.

I stamped and coloured my lovely lady and sea horse a couple of times, but it just didn't look right. Then I found a very delicate piece of blue on a mop up sheet and thought it was just right.

These are the stamps that I've used.

Seahorse With Rider

Fish and Heart Set

Mystery Eternity Hope Goddess

I hope that you like it, and also that you join in with our challenge for the chance to win some Lost Coast Dollars. Please remember that we are a stamping challenge, so no digis please.

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

Sealed With A Fish

 Good morning and a very happy Monday. Today I'm over at the Lost Coast Portal To Creativity with my project for our mail art challenge.

I started making a background on my gelli plate as I was making my own envelope by...

Using one of these! Who a) remembers them, and b) still has one somewhere! So I now have an envelope shape.

Next came the stamping. Do you like my nice blue text? My printer won't print in black at the moment, but luckily this is a nice shade of blue. I've put some washi tape around the sides to give it an airmail feel. 

I couldn't resist sealing it with a fish!

These are the stamps that I've used. They are all by Lost Coast.

Rabbits, Cat Face, Hatter, Rabbit With Watch 

Carte Postale

Flying Moon

Sealed With A Fish

Antique Text Border - don't worry, yours will come in one piece, I chopped mine down to make it easier to use. Don't tell Linda!

I hope you like my envelope, and you have until 14th to join in with our challenge for the chance to win some Lost Coast dollars.

Take care and have a very happy day x

Get Your Happy On (Again)

 Good morning and a very happy Friday. Today I'm back over at the Ink Art Designs Stamping Playground with a card made with my Katzelkraft stamps. 

I started by stamping the Torn Paper and the rat directly on my base card.

I coloured these with alcohol markers, then added some splats from the So Special Monkey set. Then I set about fussy cutting the torn edges. It seemed like such a good idea, 'cos everyone knows what a fan of fussy cutting I am!

Many (many) minutes later the card was all cut, and I added a layer of thick acetate to the inside to give it some strength back.

Now for the fun part! I stamped and coloured my rats and dustbins, but then time for the cutting out again.....

Then I just layered it all up. It's really hard to photograph the acetate, but this gives you a better idea of what it looks like.

I added my favourite sentiment, Get Your Happy On, and we are all done.  

Just like that.

 It took HOURS!

 But, I enjoy making special cards for family birthdays. If it gets thrown away they are out of the will (no money but my bodyweight in rubber stamps!)

These are the stamps that I've used, and Dot has a fabulous range of Katzelkraft stamps here  in the store, and the new designs are winging their way too (or maybe chugging their way, I'm not quite sure how they're shipped)

I hope you like my card, and join in with our monthly challenge. It's very easy, just use stamps from any of the ranges in the store.

Have a very happy weekend, and thanks so much for looking x

We'll Always Have Paris at Country View Crafts

Good morning and a very happy Saturday! Can you believe it's May already? It's been another really strange year hasn't it. Sometimes it feels like it's going really quickly, and at others every day is lasting a week. Saying that, we are back at the swimming pool every day, so days now start at 6.30!

 As always a new month means a new challenge at Country View Crafts, and the lovely Craftyfield has chosen 'We Will Always Have Paris'

I started by gathering together anything remotely Parisian.  Mmm, turns out I have quite a bit, but it's all so old! (I'll go with vintage, that sounds better).

I started by cutting my Rolodex cards, and then masking and painting in red and blue.

Then I ran them through some Tim Holtz embossing folders, and rubbing over with some gilding wax.

This is what I actually ended up using on 3 tiny Rolodex cards! There's even a real wooden stamp in there! My craft room did look like I'd been burgled afterwards as I'm not the tidiest of crafters lol.

Please pop across to the challenge blog for loads of lovely inspiration, and then join in with us.

Have a very happy weekend, and thanks so much for looking x