New Rubber Time

Here's a sneaky look at the new Sam Poole Creative Studio's stamps.  They are really lovely - they could almost make you believe Spring is coming lol.

Hope you get chance to take a look xx

Happy New Year!!

Well it's goodbye 2013 and hello 2014, and more importantly it's Wednesday and time for a new Stampotique Challenge with our brand new (and some not so new) design team :-). Our first challenge of the year is Anything Goes, and to see in the new year, here's a calendar page for January.

I started with a background using Pan Pastels and stencils.

I love the new metallic Pan Pastels - Mmm shiny!

Time for some stamping now. I've used 
Row of Numbers,
Vintage Script, and
Design Cube
There's also Jo's Dandelion Duo in there, stamped in white acrylic for the snowflakes.

So time to cover it all up again lol. You can just see Jo's Star peeping out, this was free in Craft Stamper a couple of years ago and is such a fab stamp.

Here's the guys in a little more detail. There's 
Tree
Whisker Monster With Sign
Brrr...
and Toto who will always be my teamie Sam's glamorous assistant Poppy to me!

It's a nice gentle introduction to our challenges this year so please join in. As always no digi stamps please - rubber rules!

I'm also entering this into the Pan Pastel Challenge Anything Goes, and I'm linking into Kate's 2014 Calendar.
Thanks very much for looking and have a very happy and healthy 2014 xx

And Now For Something Completely Different...

It's sneaky peak time for my piece at Sam Poole's Creative Studios, and there's not even a twinkle of Christmas lol.

Hope you like it (all of it lol) and thanks very much for looking x

Joyful Glinda

It's still anything goes month over at Stampotique, so guess what, I've made a Christmas card, as rumour has it, it's not too far away now lol.
I started by cutting the TH Joy in a piece of black card. When it was actually pointing the right way round I realised it was at the top so I started by cutting... AT THE BOTTOM.
I stamped France's brilliant Village along the bottom edge, embossed in white,  and coloured with Prisma pencils and some children's cheap as chips oil pastels.

I love the bright colours lol. The stars and snow are from France's Design Cube.
I just needed my fairy now so I used Janet Klein's, Glinda from her Wizard of Oz collection. It was the first time she had been inked so that made me a very happy bunny.

I coloured her in Prisma pencils and Distress Markers using the technique show by the amazing Christine Dark in Craft Stamper. Mines not brilliant but I'm really pleased with it as a first attempt.
Next I just made a tall thin card and matted some red mirri on so the Joy would show through, trimmed the tops off and Bob's your uncle.
Hope you like it, and find time to play along. I know time's really tight at the moment, but you can make anything you like as long as you use real stamps and not digis.
Thanks very much for looking x

Last Minute Tags

I've been making some tags for this weeks Creative Studio's post, my love affair with Kraft card and Prisma pencils continues :-)
Hope you like them, and thanks very much for looking x

Wot More Christmas

For this weeks Creative Studio's creation :-)
Hope you like it x

Christmas is Coming....

It's Nellie's turn to choose the theme at Stampotique this week and she's gone with an early Christmas. I'm always full of good intentions to start my Christmas cards early, but not so surprisingly this never seems to happen.

I always intent to start early making my Christmas cards. But real life often gets in the way and before I know it it’s the middle of December and my Christmas cards end up being either very simple and quick or bought in a shop. So I thought why not set a Stampotique challenge to make Christmas cards in November and force myself to really make and early start. So here is what I came up with. And of course I love to see your Christmas cards or other Christmas projects!

Nellie, you're a girl after my own heart lol, here's my early Christmas cards.

 I've recently been on a workshop to learn how to use my Prismacolour pencils correctly. This is still very much a work in progress, but as long as I enjoy it (which I do) then I'm happy. I still colour like a child, I pick the colours I like (whether they go together or not) stick out my tongue and try to keep within the lines :-) Here's my cards in a little more detail .

 Here's my favourite snowman Global Warming? together with Jo's star that came with Craft Stamper here in the UK.

How often can I use the word 'favourite', but what's not to love about Under The Paraplouie, again used with Jo's star in the background. These are Christmas cards therefore all birds are Robin's lol. (and no birds get eaten in Stampotique land)

Maria's lovely bunny Zara  is great for any celebration. A bunny isn't just for Christmas.... I used some Portfolio white pastel to add a bit of snow.

And last but definitely not least everyone needs a Christmas hug from a Hug Monster.
Please don't judge my colouring too harshly, I know I need lots of practise but that's ok with me lol.
Please join in with our challenge, after all you can never have too many Christmas cards, and you have the chance of winning a $30 gift certificate. Please remember no digi images - give that rubber an inking!
Thanks for trying to get me organised Nellie, and thanks very much for looking x

Anyone Who Had A Heart -Der Dum...

The very talented Liz Borer has been wowing us this week at PapteArtsy and I've been trying all week to have a go at her day 2 project. So after work yesterday I cleared the dining table and transformed the living room into an art studio daaarling (it's nose drippingly cold in the conservatory now so that's me out till Spring lol). This is what I ended up with.

 Like football this was a game of 2 halves, the good and the bad/ugly.

Stage 1 liking very much after using Grunge Paste, London Bus, Blood Orange, Claret and Moonlight.

Yep still liking after the Treasure Gold.

I stamped some of Darcy's hearts around the top and coloured with Portfolios. I really didn't like it though.

So back over the top with the London Bus, Blood Orange and Claret, and a bit more stencilling.

Used the heart from Darcy's EDY01 plate to make a flower (I'm liking again now)

Follow Your Heart from the same plate has been stamped straight on to the heart and accented with a cabochon. I've also stamped the hearts and key from Darcy's EDY02 plate, and finished off with a bit of hardware.

I know I've said it before, but I do love how you can go over your mistakes with Fresco's and it just makes another layer.
Just about enough light now to photograph, and last push Charlie again to link up!
Hope you have a great Sunday, and thanks very much for looking x