Where There Is Love

Here's a sneaky peak at this weeks card for Sam Poole's Creative Studio's. Hope you like it, and thanks very much for looking x

Perfect Pairs

Hi, it's the lovely Kathi's turn to play hostess this week at Stampotique towers, and she has chosen 'pairs'. Here's what she has to say.

It's almost Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day makes me think of couples, so my challenge is called Perfect Pairs.

Use two (2) of an item so that things are in pairs. This can be two stamped images, two embellishments, two layers of patterned paper, two colors, etc.

See how many pairs you can use in your project. Just be sure to use at least one perfect pair and have fun!

Considering the fact that I have more cardstock and paper than you could shake a stick at, I don't make many cards, and when I do it's last minute, and just the one I need. I did try batch making once, but that was just boring. I've often though I could make two cards as quickly as one as it's the thinking about what to do that takes up the time (plus the getting out and putting away) rather than the actual 'making' of a card. So when I saw this challenge I though 'right, I'll make a pair of cards the same but different' :-)

So here we are, the same, but different lol.

Ok, hands up who loves these gorgeous new (to me) stamps.

I was very brave and stamped Happy Birthday straight onto the card. Give The Dog A Bone has been coloured with Prisma pencils. I had to Google how to make his tail wag that's how bad I am a drawing!

Tulip has also been coloured the same way. You know when they say in crafting you can have a 'happy accident' (it usually means file it in the bin under the desk and start again) I'd just coloured the doily with distress inks and was sticking foam pads onto Tulip when I realised I'd splodged him on the same bit of craft sheet as the wet yellow ink. It was like a scene from a movie, I shouted 'NOOOOoooooo' in slow motion, picked it up, turned it over and though 'that's quite nice' so I splodged it a bit more - you can see it just along the bottom :-)

So thanks to Kathi I now have two cards ready to go - I even put insert in how good am I! They may not be perfect, but they are a pair.

I hope you'll join in with our challenge but don't forget the rules. 1) no digi's and 2) please put the number of the challenge you are entering when you link up, for instance this is SDC 134. And that's it, simples.

Hope you like my cards, and thanks very much for looking x

Love Is In The Air

Yep it's that time of year again, the shops are full of Valentine's cards, and lurve is in the air (not so much in Yorkshire where the cries of 'how much!!' can be heard around the card shops and florists lol) Anyway the theme at Stampotique this week is to put a heart in you art, and here's mine.

I turned to my trusty PanPastels for the background, in pinks, purples and the gorgeous metallics. 

Lots of stencilling and stamping, I love how the golds and coppers shine through.
I've used
Hanging Hearts
Daniels Hearts
Text Block 3
Flying Heart

Out came the stamp positioner for a bit of double stamping with Heart Vine

My new Altered Alpha stamps LOVE 'em.

and finally Roc's Stacked Love.
Many hours had now passed since I started on this, I just kept coming back and colouring in a bit more lol, but that's a sign that I was having fun :-) 
I'm entering this into the PanPastel challenge which is 'Use a Stencil'
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Love Notes
SSS Wednesday Challenge Have a Heart, and Kate's monthly journal challenge.
Hope you like it, and thanks very much for looking xx

I'm Late....

No time to say hello goodbye I'm late, I'm late I'm late....
No surprises there then. Here's my entry for this weeks PaperArtsy challenge  inspired by Gillian.

I really liked her bloom board and wanted to make my own, despite not being able to find my PA postcards (they are in a very safe place somewhere!!) So I turned to my bag of 'don't need now but too nice to throw away' bits, and came up with these.

A few coats of Fresco's later and I had this.

I then stamped Darcy's heart border around the edges and painted with a mixture of London Bus and Blood Orange. I stamped her large heart onto the board, and twice onto some fabric.

I stuffed it with a bit of cotton wool and hand stitched. I will never make a plastic surgeon lol.

Follow Your Heart is also one of Darcy's stamps, and the metallic heart came from the pound shop and has been Treasure Golded with a touch of Rub n Buff. I really enjoyed making this, I sat and messed about with it for hours, and me doing hand sewing - unheard of.
Need to hit the send button, hope you like it and thanks very much for looking xx
I'll be blog visiting tonight - Top Gear is back so no-one in our house will notice that I'm missing :-) xx

Just for You

Here's a sneak peak at my card for Creative Studio's. Please pop over if you get the chance. Hope you like it, and thanks very much for looking x

I Believe I Can Fly

It's the fabulous Arwen's first time to be hostess over at Stampotique and for her challenge she has chosen wings. Here's what she says.

Wings have something mystical for me. Angels have wings, fairies, my favorite animal: the bat :) Love and positive feelings give wings. Today I would like to see what gives you wings. I am very curious about your creations.

Here's my MDF tag.Lots of layers of paint, pastels and stamping on this one which equals one very happy bunny making it.

I started by painting my tag very roughly with Silks paints.

Next came lots of stencilling and stamping. I've used 

Vintage Script (of course, don't I always)

Journey Collage - another favourite

Hutching's - it's a favourites day out lol

Next came more stencilling with my uber sparkly metalic PanPastel's through a leaf stencil. The copper and golds are to die for.

Jo's Great Moon was stamped onto book paper and Stella was coloured with Prisma pencils.

Her wings are from Big Bee and have been stamped onto vellum.

The quote is part of World All Her Own

Here it all is again with her wings on straight lol.

Janet's Trees and Bushes have been painted and layered.

This was such fun to make, thanks very much Arwen. I hope you will join in with our wings theme and remember NO DIGI's :-)

I'm also entering this into the PanPastel challenge which is Anything Goes, and

Fashionable Stamping Tag Along.

Hope you like it, and thanks very much for looking xx

Tag Along For PaperArtsy and Artistic Outpost

The wonderful Ellen Vargo is over at PaperArtsy this week, and she's been wowing us with her colourful abstract paintings. I tried to follow her day 2 technique to add to my tag book.

I pretty much followed her colours and instructions and all was well until we got to here.

I love this way of creating a background and will certainly use this technique again.

Next came the book pages and stencilling. I tried the Autumn Fire fresco but it didn't show up too well, so I went over with Cinnamon on two and Claret on the other. A bit bold I know but I liked it.
Then came my disaster, I stamped the Artistic Outpost images with my usual Versafine, but I think it's dried up a little. They didn't show up at all well but I couldn't  just stamp over. My middle tag was fine 'cos I used a Brilliance inkpad instead. So not wanting to be beaten, I stamped the images again on PA tissue paper (and before you beat my door down it was my last sheet so the pressure was on) 

They are not what I had hoped for but sometimes things don't go according to plan (I don't normally blog these though lol).
All the stamps used are by Artistic Outpost, from the Typography, Whimsical Melange, French Flight, and Birds of a Feather plates, and I will try them all again when my new Versafine arrives :-)
I'm linking these to the PaperArtsy challenge and also Artistic Outpost Anything Goes challenge. 
Hope you have a good weekend - I'm going to visit my sister and it's into London for us so happy days :-)
Thanks very much for looking x

Be Strong and Grow

Here's a little look at my latest Creative Studios piece.
If you get the chance, please pop over and take a look.
Hope you like it x