You're Beautiful...

She is though isn't she? I think Marilyn Monro is wonderful.

This is the photo inspiration from The Stampsmith challenge this month. Firstly I would love to be able to wear these shoes, but I don't think they're a EEE fit lol.
Marilyn has been stamped in Archival Coffee, and had cream Frantage sprinkled randomly around her.
She's sitting on some Kandy Core that's been embossed, sanded, and had a bit of embroidery cotton wrapped around.
It's been a wee while since I made a card, and just look at the white space on this one - so not me, but I quite like it.
I now need to tunnel my way through the washing and ironing - can you feel my pain lol.
Thanks very much for looking x

Would You Like To...

Swing on a star ... 'cos the challenge this week at Pan Pastels  is Seeing Stars, and at The Stampsmith it's Recycle.
I'm recycling an old dictionary that's been in my craft room for ages. I must admit I do tear pages out occasionally so it was feeling very unloved.
I gave it a couple of coats of gesso as it was dark blue and shiny, so not the best of surfaces to apply the PanPastels to. 
I covered it in shades of blue, then randomly stamped one of the postcard stamps in blue archival. 
The sparkly texture paste was put through a stencil - I need more practise at this as I have a few blobby looking stars but never mind.
The happy couple have been stamped onto glossy card and framed.
My unloved book will be given a new lease of life as I've just discovered the dictionary challenge at the Craft Barn that I want to join in with. I just need to win the lottery now as there doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day, so work will have to go!!
Thanks very much for looking xx

Christmas In July

I guess resistance was futile, with so much Christmas around I have finally made a Christmas card! 
The image is from The Stampsmith, whose challenge is to use Summer colours. That would be grey then, and the colour of water streaming down the garden - bitter moi - oh yes!
This weeks Pan Pastel challenge is to use ice cream colours, so for my background I've used orange, lemon, green (pistachio) and my favourite pan of the moment - magenta, so that would be er blackcurrant :o) I've put it over some embossed card and die cut with a Go Kreate die.

I've used the sketch from Sparkles Christmas Challenges to give me a kick start. I find these really useful when I've not mad a card for a while.
The flowers are by Prima, and the lace is from Stampin Up. 
Making Christmas cards when Wimbledon is still on seems very strange, but I enjoyed it.
Thanks very much for looking and enjoy the tennis. I know I should be shouting for Andy Murray, but I've got a soft spot for Roger so I just hope it's a good game x

The Stampsmith Ribbon & Lace

The challenge for November over at  The Stampsmith is ribbons and lace. I really struggle with this type of thing, but I guess that's the challenge...
The background has been stamped in Faded Jeans with a stamp from the Postcard plate, and the lovely Serena has been stamped in coffee archival and tinted with Broken China. The paper is one of Anna Griffin's that I've had since time began.
My little crochet flowers were done in front of the computer, with a lot of re-winding of the tutorial. My Grandma taught me the basic stitches many (many) years ago, but it's not something I've done much of. She could do the most amazingly fine work without even looking at what she was doing - she certainly didn't pass that on to me,  but at least I can do the flowers now without the sound on lol.
I'm also entering this into the Fashionable Stamping Challenge which is In Times Gone By.
Thanks very much for looking x

The Sun is Shining, The Birds Are Singing - Must Be Autumn!

I did a couple of pages in my Autumn book this weekend and I've finally got time to blog them :o)

This one has been covered with Core-dinations which has been embossed and sanded. The pair image is from The Stampsmith, and has been stamped with yellow and orange DI's. The little tiles, leaves and flower centres  are mica powders on a dark background that have been stamped with a Stampman image from the Nature plate. This has then been clear embossed to bring out the shine. The wooden letters have been distress inked in Spiced Marmalade and Rusty Hinge, then overstamped with the Stampman skeleton leaf stamp. The flowers have been cut with Sir Tim's die from organza that I got from Leeds market in the Summer (come on you remember Summer lol). I always used to groan when my Mum draged me off to look at material stalls - she couldn't believe it when I started ooohing and ahhhing (cope with that spellchecker) over these - 'till I told her I would cut 'em up and stick 'em on a card :o) I made the brads with the Papermania brad maker - I love this little gadget, and the punches cut through quite thick card.
I'm entering this into The Stampman challenge which is 'A Perfect Pear' and the Stampsmith Autumn colours challenge.
The next page was alcohol inked in reds and browns, the overstamped in archival with leaf stamps to remove the alcohol ink.

The two Stampsmith stamps have been stamped in brown and green inks , and the quote in Spiced Marmalade and Rusty Hinge DI. The leaves have been cut from brown card which has been painted and stamped with mica powder. This is also for The Stampsmith's Autumn colours challenge.
Thanks very much for looking x

Another Christmas Card

Here's a card I have made for The Stampsmith's Oval challenge and Sir Stampalot's Christmas Traditions. What could be more traditional than fir trees and snow!I have shamelessly stolen the technique from Donna's blog - she explains each stage perfectly so even I could follow it :o). What she didn't say was to a) not use your craft knife on your new non stick mat, and
b) don't find you scisors by sticking your thumb through them, then
c) bleeding all over your white card!! Haloween came and went without spilling a drop of the red stuff when really that would just have been going the extra mile for your art lol, but now we have red snow :o)
The lovely lady is from The Stampsmith, various embossing folders, and Movers and Shapers die.
Thanks very much for looking x