Live Life Now

Good morning and happy Thursday. I've been wanting to alter a clipboard for ages, and now seemed like a good time as the Visible Image Facebook group has a Rainbow challenge, and I knew that I wanted to use lots of bright colours.

I started by sponging my clipboard with all the colour of the rainbow with DecoArt paints.

Then added background stamping with Distress Oxides in the same colour families.

Then more background stamping, this time in black, I've also added some quotes and white paint through a VI stencil.

I couldn't resist some silver embossing too. I love how it's grabbed onto the Distress Oxides too so I have random patches of silver.

And my favourite part, adding oil pastels always seems to make the colours really pop!

Then lots of butterfly stamping and embossing. These have all been made from my bit box - never throw anything away!

And now all put together! Of course, it's useless as a clipboard but it's very pretty lol.

I'm entering my board into the Stamping Sensations challenge which is Somewhere Over The Rainbow.

I hope you have a very happy day, stay safe, and thanks so much for looking x

Unlikely Friends

Good morning and happy Friday. To celebrate St Valentine's Day I'm over at the Ink Art Designs Stamping Playground with my Unlikely Friends.

I've taken the plunge and opened my new Art My Marlene journal. This has 300gsm pages inside so it's fabulous for throwing the kitchen sink at.

I've coloured both my background and images with Brusho's. Dot has now started to stock these too.

I seem to have lost my photograph of just the background, but it was like this but without the stamping and stencilling ;-)

These are the stencils that I've used, again they're by Art By Marlene.

I LOVE these stamps! These are the unlikely friends.

Here they are coloured with Brusho's on heavy watercolour card.

And here they are all in place. I took a photo at this stage just in case I messed up the next bit - the splatter!

I've tried many ways of splattering, but the one I've had most success with is with a fan brush. Luckily it all turned out OK, so I've just added a few sequins and we're all done.

I love how they look together!

I've given them some Glossy Accents to make their eyes shine.

You can find the wonderful Art By Marlene Stamps here 

and the Brusho's here 

I'm also linking this to the Craft Stamper Anything Goes TIMI challenge for February, and the

Stamping Sensations Feminine challenge.

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

Tag You're It

Good morning and happy Thursday. Lost Coast Designs have a new challenge this month which is Tag You're It. I love making tags, so here's mine.

 I started by die cutting my tag out of heavy watercolour card and making a background with brusho's.

This is a set of Tonic dies and it's a whopper. The base die is 8x6 inches which means that I can use the beautiful Carmen's Veranda  Birds Collage Background.

I'm also entering my tag into the Stamping Sensations challenge which is Feminine.

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

Take It Easy

Good morning and happy Thursday. We've recently had a few days away visiting my sister for our annual Christmas trip into London - we were late with last years, not mega early with this one, but Christmas is coming lol. It also coincinded with her last day at work. She's still my little (ok much taller than me) sister, but she's also done her 30 years and so she's retired, at least for the Summer.

I love this Carabelle stamp set, but as she's not going on holiday I changed the sentiment a little. Day 1 of her retirement and we helped to chop down a tree. They have a huge garden and it will now be given lots of TLC.

I'm entering this into the following challenges

Simon Says Stamp Monday - Use Stencils (my background is made with Clarity Stencils)

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - Bright Colours - have you seen his shirt! 

Stamping Sensations - In an English Country Garden - every English garden needs a tortoise! and
Ink Art Designs mine's a Carabelle stamp.

The sun is shining here today, and it really feels like Summer is on the way, so have a lovely day, and thanks very much for looking x

Love Is In The Air

Kristen has chosen the theme this week at Stampotique, and she's gone all romantic on us 

February 14th is Valentine's Day, so why not create something that is surrounded by hearts and love?

Why not indeed!

I started with a Brusho background, and bleached stamped Daniel's Hearts  over the top.
My 'go to' romantic couple Courting by my teamie Janet Klein was stamped and watercoloured.
I think that Love and Laughter is the perfect sentiment, it goes with every occasion.
Finally just a bit of stitching around the edges to hold it all together.

I hope that you can join in, remember there's a chance to win a $30.00 gift certificate.

IMPORTANT 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.

I hope you like it, and I'm wishing you loads of love and laughter.

I'm entering this into the following challenges

Stamping Sensations anything goes

The Artistic Stamper love and

Pan Pastels love is in the air

Thanks very much for looking x

Wot No Colours... Stampotique DC 87 Winter Whites

This week, Valerie  challenges us to use various shades of winter whites in our projects - white, shimmer white, off-white, ecru, eggshell, etc.  Here's what she said about this color choice, "Well, it wasn't planned, but this theme has a striking significance for those of us here on the East Coast who have just endured a big winter snow storm!  All of nature is drooping under the weight of a heavy white winter blanket!  Mother Nature really does provide the most beautiful inspiration!"

Oooh this is a real challenge for me as I love to use colour, so I decided that I needed loads of texture instead.
I started with a piece of corrugated card, and painted with Eco Green acrylics in white, clamshell, and butternut. Next I painted a piece of text paper with a watered down version of the same paints.

Tree has been stamped on vellum,  embossed in white, and edged in Antique Linen distress ink.
The Artemio leaves have been stamped with Vintage Script in Coffee Archival.

Next came my favourite bit... I painted the bird house in white acrylic, then stamped Roc's Stacked Boxes in brown, and liberally sprinkled with Frantage embossing enamel.

Next it was time to decorate the front . I stamped Wee Owl and covered him with a cabochon and popped him on his house. A bit of sticky embossing powder next and lots of fake snow.

The star has been die cut and stencilled with texture paste, then inked and glittered. I was quite getting into the swing of this no colour thing by now lol. To finish off I added a piece of pleated paper to the bottom, painted a few dead twigs (this just about describes my garden at the moment) in white acrylic and added loads more 'snow'. 
I had loads of fun making this, and am now totally covered in paint, glue and glitter :-)
Please join us over at Stampotique Designers Challenge and show us your whites (who remembers the Daz doorstep challenge lol)
I'm also entering this into
Simon Says Stamp And Show - something messy
Fashionable Stamping - birds
Stamping Sensations - fur and feather
Sorry this has been soooo long, and thanks very much for looking x